Mrs. Foster saw Abraham Lincoln's expression and couldn't tell whether Abraham Lincoln already knew about that rumor. She held his hand and spoke words of concern.

Henry Clark, Ethan Brooks, and the others stood not far away, each lost in their own thoughts.

Henry Clark was wondering, who exactly was trying to harm the Emperor, and how would the Emperor react if he found out about that rumor?

Ethan Brooks, on the other hand, was afraid—what would happen if the Grand Empress Dowager found out it was the Emperor spreading the rumor? At the same time, he was anxious: if it really was the Grand Empress Dowager who wanted to kill the Emperor and install a new one, what would become of him?

Mrs. Foster held Abraham Lincoln's hand and spoke at length about the bond between grandmother and grandson. Seeing that Abraham Lincoln seemed unaware of the rumor, she patted his hand and said expressionlessly, "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry too much. As long as I'm here, I won't let anyone harm you! I will find out who these demons and monsters are as soon as possible and make them understand that the Emperor of the Song Dynasty is not to be trifled with!"

Abraham Lincoln felt that Mrs. Foster's reaction did seem like she was protecting him, and she hadn't done anything extreme because of the rumor.

Abraham Lincoln analyzed the situation inside and outside the palace in his mind, kept his expression unchanged, and smiled as he said, "Grandmother is right. Up to now, I have relied entirely on your protection."

Mrs. Foster nodded slightly, patted Abraham Lincoln's hand again, looked at him for a moment, then turned to look around the hall.

Her gaze swept across, and Mrs. Foster said, "I've always had people investigating thoroughly in this palace, but we can't make too much noise—if word gets out, it will be even harder to investigate. I've changed all the people in your palace. If you have any trusted aides... once they're cleared, keep them, so I can feel more at ease."

"Has Pipi been checked? Let him stay." Abraham Lincoln followed Mrs. Foster's gaze and, after a pause, spoke.

Mrs. Foster looked at Ethan Brooks and said, "Then you are now the Inner Attendant. Keep a close watch on the Funing Hall for me. If anything happens to the Emperor again, you—will be caned to death!"

Ethan Brooks's eyes widened in terror.

The Inner Attendant was an official title in the palace. Although there were many of them and they didn't handle much, it was a solid fifth-rank position. Previously, Ethan Brooks only had an empty title as a ninth-rank minor official!

The Emperor had really guessed right—he had been promoted, and all at once, he had jumped four ranks!

Henry Clark glanced at Ethan Brooks with a blank expression, thinking he was just stunned by the threat of being caned to death, and said coolly, "Express your gratitude."

Ethan Brooks snapped back to his senses, dropped to his knees with a thud, and shouted loudly, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty..."

Mrs. Foster saw his reaction and calmly turned back to Abraham Lincoln, saying, "If anything happens in the future, you must tell me. Never go out alone, or I'll be worried."

Abraham Lincoln glanced at Ethan Brooks and smiled, "Yes, I will remember your words, Grandmother."

Mrs. Foster saw that things were about done, so she stood up and said, "You still need to rest and recover, so I won't disturb you. If anything comes up, let Henry Clark handle it. If you remember anything, be sure to tell me right away—don't act rashly."

Abraham Lincoln's eyes flickered slightly. Did this mean she already knew something?

Abraham Lincoln kept his composure and stood up as well, saying, "Yes, Grandmother, please rest assured."

Mrs. Foster reached out and stroked Abraham Lincoln's hair, then finally turned and left.

Abraham Lincoln walked her to the door, watching as Mrs. Foster and her entourage exited the main gate of Funing Hall.

Once Mrs. Foster had left, Ethan Brooks suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty! I will definitely find out who is trying to harm you and have them cut to pieces!"

Ethan Brooks had finally come to his senses. The Emperor was truly formidable—he had only gone out and said a few words, and Ethan Brooks had been promoted four ranks at once!

Abraham Lincoln glanced at him and said, "Get up."

Ethan Brooks responded and respectfully stood to the side behind Abraham Lincoln. He now understood that after this incident, the Emperor was no longer the same!

Abraham Lincoln continued to gaze at the main gate of Funing Hall, deep in thought.

He had Ethan Brooks spread that rumor, first for self-preservation. No matter who was behind it, as the actual controller of the palace and the Song Dynasty, Mrs. Foster could not allow Abraham Lincoln to have another accident—she would have to protect him with all her might. Otherwise, if the rumor was confirmed, the Grand Empress Dowager would be accused of plotting to murder her own imperial grandson, and no one in the entire Song Dynasty would accept that!

Secondly, he was testing—testing Mrs. Foster and the palace's reaction, hoping to find some flaws.

Mrs. Foster did indeed, as Abraham Lincoln expected, strengthen his protection and made her stance clear. Presumably, for a while, those behind the scenes would not make another move.

So, who exactly was trying to harm him? If he died, who would benefit the most?

Abraham Lincoln then thought of Franklin Pierce, his eleventh younger brother. In history, after Abraham Lincoln died childless, it was Franklin Pierce who succeeded to the throne—known as Emperor Huizong of Song, a lover of calligraphy, creator of the "Slender Gold" script, and the one who brought about the "Jingkang Incident," ending the Northern Song as a foolish ruler.

Chapter Three: Foolishness

Abraham Lincoln thought of him and hesitated again.

'Franklin Pierce is only nine years old, and in the palace, Mrs. Foster is still healthy. Even if something happened to me and Franklin Pierce ascended the throne, he would just be another puppet. Even if someone is behind him, there isn't much to gain. So besides Franklin Pierce, who would benefit the most?'

As Abraham Lincoln pondered the palace, his thoughts drifted outside.

The current situation in the Song Dynasty was very complicated. Previously, his father, Emperor Shenzong of Song, and Wang Anshi's reforms had catalyzed the court and the country into the "Old Faction" and the "New Faction."