James Monroe is the leader of the conservative faction, and his works have received strong promotion from the current dynasty, so they are also present here with Abraham Lincoln.

Slowly flipping through the pages, he found it rather interesting, and before he knew it, it was already noon.

Ethan Brooks returned from outside, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and approached to whisper, “Your Majesty, I’ve finally managed to find out something.”

Abraham Lincoln closed his book and sat up, his expression serious as he said, “Speak quickly.”

Ethan Brooks glanced outside and said, “There was nothing unusual in the palace that day, but Mr. Foster did come by. Someone saw him meet with Your Majesty that day, but after that, no one knows where he went or how or when he left.”

Thinking of the three characters ‘Mr. Foster’, Abraham Lincoln muttered thoughtfully, “William Foster?”

He couldn’t recall what had happened that day, only vaguely remembering someone standing behind him, forcefully pushing him into the well.

Ethan Brooks nodded emphatically and said, “I also had people check outside the palace. The Foster Family has already closed its doors to visitors for several days, and Mr. Foster hasn’t set foot outside. This is very unusual.”

William Foster is the nephew of Mrs. Foster, of noble status, usually fond of lively crowds, always going wherever there are people, living extravagantly and loving fame. For him to suddenly shut his doors to guests is indeed abnormal.

Chapter 8: Cuju

Abraham Lincoln fell silent, for William Foster’s special status meant he couldn’t act rashly without evidence. Moreover, there must be a motive for everything—why would William Foster want to harm him? Was someone behind it?

If it was Mrs. Foster, she wouldn’t have left such a glaring flaw, nor would she have her own nephew act in broad daylight. If it were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable!

The sudden appearance of William Foster left Abraham Lincoln’s thoughts a bit muddled, but at least there was a clue now.

He thought for a while and said, “Keep an eye on him. Find a time—I want to meet him, outside the palace. Keep investigating, but be even more discreet. You must have solid evidence, understand?”

Ethan Brooks also knew the gravity of the matter and said, “Rest assured, Your Majesty, I understand. I’ll have people watch The Foster Family, and when the time is right, I’ll arrange for you to meet him.”

Abraham Lincoln nodded lightly. Realizing that this matter involved William Foster, he knew it would be very troublesome in the future. After careful consideration, he said, “You must also speed up the investigation of the court officials, and be even more cautious!”

If William Foster was really involved in the assassination attempt, he would have to rely on the power of the court, since he himself held no real authority and couldn’t actually deal with anyone—not even protect himself.

Ethan Brooks understood the importance and said solemnly, “Yes, I understand!”

Abraham Lincoln sat back down, analyzing the matter in his mind, and said, “Go now. Use the contact and message-passing methods I taught you. Be extremely careful and discreet. Don’t let anyone notice you’re making too many moves and arouse suspicion.”

Ethan Brooks responded, and was about to speak when his ears twitched. He said, “Your Majesty, The Eleventh Prince is here.”

Abraham Lincoln was taken aback. He listened carefully but heard nothing, and asked curiously, “How do you know?”

Ethan Brooks scratched his head and said, “I like listening to people’s footsteps. These are The Eleventh Prince’s footsteps—I recognized them.”

Abraham Lincoln found this amusing and looked toward the door. Sure enough, before long, Franklin Pierce appeared outside, poking half his head in to sneak a look.

A palace attendant entered and said, “Your Majesty, The Eleventh Prince requests an audience.”

Abraham Lincoln saw Franklin Pierce’s half-hidden head, sneered, and said, “Let him go play for now.”

The attendant answered, and outside, Franklin Pierce blinked, looked inside, blinked again, and then really turned and walked out of the hall.

Seeing Franklin Pierce leave, Abraham Lincoln’s smile flashed with a hint of ‘menace’. He said to Ethan Brooks, “Go on, don’t be stingy with money. If it’s not enough, see what valuables are in the palace and have someone pawn them. If I don’t sell a bit more, this palace will soon be emptied by that rascal Franklin Pierce.”

Ethan Brooks quickly replied, “Yes. I’ll take my leave.”

He felt more and more that His Majesty was planning something big. Not only was he not panicked, he was secretly quite excited.

Abraham Lincoln absentmindedly flipped through his book, still weighing the situation in his mind.

The sudden appearance of William Foster pointed the suspicion toward Mrs. Foster, but there were paradoxes in the matter that didn’t make sense.

Abraham Lincoln slowly turned the pages, his mind calm and methodical as he analyzed.

“With rumors as a shield, even if William Foster is involved, the Cining Palace won’t dare act against me for now. I can meet him and see things clearly. Only by knowing who the enemy is can I prescribe the right remedy…” Abraham Lincoln muttered to himself.

Having thought it through, Abraham Lincoln turned to look out the window and saw Franklin Pierce and Samuel Hayes with a group of people playing cuju, sweating profusely and full of energy.

“After all, they’re just children. Give them something to play with, and they forget their fear in no time…”

Abraham Lincoln snorted twice, not in a hurry to settle accounts with him, and continued reading.

Mrs. Foster was investigating who tried to harm Abraham Lincoln and who was spreading rumors, so she was keeping a very close watch on Abraham Lincoln, with every move reported to her by Henry Clark.

When Mrs. Foster heard that Franklin Pierce was playing cuju with Samuel Hayes and a group of imperial guards at Funing Hall, she didn’t care, just waved her hand to signal Henry Clark to withdraw. She was the true ruler of the Song Dynasty, and with the state full of leaks and troubles everywhere, she had far too many things to worry about.

……

On this day, Abraham Lincoln was in no hurry to deal with Franklin Pierce. There would be plenty of chances to teach that little rascal a lesson. His real target was Samuel Hayes and the group of imperial guards.