On the first day, Franklin Pierce played cuju as he pleased, having a great time. By the second day, Franklin Pierce was already more at ease. After seeing Abraham Lincoln, he went straight to find Samuel Hayes and the others to play cuju, without any reservations.

The Song dynasty had many different ways to play cuju: sometimes a group would kick the ball together, sometimes there were team matches. Franklin Pierce, being young and playful, had a blast playing in the Funing Hall, completely losing himself in the game.

Abraham Lincoln sat in his study, able to see the front of the hall at a glance, but he didn’t move, only occasionally glancing over, otherwise absorbed in his reading.

His study contained many books, with detailed descriptions of the current state of the Song dynasty. Many issues were recorded in great detail, and the threads of certain events were very clear. Although, due to political bias, many things were written with a subjective slant, Abraham Lincoln still saw a lot and gained many ideas.

While Abraham Lincoln read in the Funing Hall, Ethan Brooks was busy both inside and outside the palace.

With no way to find out who the real assassin was, no one in the palace could feel at ease.

By the third day, Franklin Pierce was completely at ease, playing an intense game of cuju with Samuel Hayes and the others, their shouts echoing endlessly in front of the Funing Hall.

Abraham Lincoln was so disturbed by their noise that he couldn’t read, so he walked to the eaves and watched the group chase the ball back and forth.

Franklin Pierce only glanced at Abraham Lincoln before continuing to play.

After all, he was still a child, easily tired from playing, and unless something happened directly to him, he wasn’t very sensitive.

It was Samuel Hayes who, upon seeing Abraham Lincoln, looked a bit uneasy and kept making mistakes, which made Franklin Pierce quite unhappy. After muttering a few complaints, he stopped playing.

Franklin Pierce sat on the ground, panting for breath, while Samuel Hayes hesitated for a moment before coming up to Abraham Lincoln.

“Your humble servant greets Your Majesty,” Samuel Hayes said with a bow.

Abraham Lincoln glanced at that little rascal Franklin Pierce and casually said, “You all go ahead and play. I’m just a bit bored.”

Samuel Hayes straightened up, looked at Abraham Lincoln, and hesitated to speak.

Abraham Lincoln was taken aback and looked at him, saying, “What is it? If you have something to say, just say it.”

Samuel Hayes glanced behind him, still looking hesitant. After a moment, his expression turned serious and he said, “That day, I saw the person following behind Your Majesty come out of the Cining Hall.”

Abraham Lincoln’s expression changed abruptly, his gaze sharp as he stared at Samuel Hayes, his tone extremely calm: “You should know the consequences of what you just said.”

Samuel Hayes lowered his head and said, “Your humble servant knows that Your Majesty suspects me and the others, but I am absolutely loyal to Your Majesty and have never participated in such a treasonous act! That day, I just happened to pass by and exchanged a glance with Your Majesty.”

Abraham Lincoln’s eyes flickered, his heart surging with emotion.

Cining Hall was the residence of the Grand Empress Dowager. If, on that day, it was a eunuch from Cining Hall who led him to that abandoned well and pushed him in to kill him, then this whole matter was shrouded in inexplicable strangeness.

Would the Grand Empress Dowager really use such a crude method to harm him? In broad daylight, and even be seen by someone? And why did Gao Gongji enter the palace? Wasn’t she afraid people would suspect her?

Abraham Lincoln frowned deeply, his gaze cold as he looked at Samuel Hayes.

His decision to find Franklin Pierce was made on the spur of the moment; no one could have predicted he would bring Samuel Hayes and the others back, so it was impossible for Samuel Hayes to have been arranged in advance.

‘The Grand Empress Dowager? Could it be?’

Abraham Lincoln wavered inside.

Chapter 9: The Ball Goes In!

Abraham Lincoln looked at Samuel Hayes in front of him, his thoughts turning, and said, “You’re overthinking it. I don’t suspect you. Funing Hall is only so big, and since you all just arrived, I just looked at you a few more times.”

Samuel Hayes was stunned, hardly able to believe it, and bowed, saying, “Every word I say is true. If I have deceived Your Majesty, may my family be destroyed, my descendants cut off, and may I die a terrible death!”

That was a very serious oath.

Abraham Lincoln kept his eyes on Samuel Hayes’s expression and nodded to himself. This Samuel Hayes really wasn’t someone deliberately arranged. They must have just happened to see each other that day and exchanged a glance.

This Samuel Hayes, feeling uneasy, was afraid of being investigated in the future and so confessed proactively.

Looking up at Franklin Pierce not far away, Abraham Lincoln said, “Keep this to yourself. Come on, let’s go play ball.”

“Yes,” Samuel Hayes replied. If he hadn’t been worried about Abraham Lincoln’s suspicions, he would have kept it to himself for a lifetime. Now that he had told Abraham Lincoln, he had to keep it secret even more. If outsiders found out, the crime of ‘sowing discord between the Grand Empress Dowager and the Emperor’ would be enough to wipe out his entire family!

Samuel Hayes followed behind Abraham Lincoln, his mind full of worries, occasionally glancing at Abraham Lincoln’s back.

Abraham Lincoln’s casual attitude made it impossible for Samuel Hayes to figure out his true thoughts, which made him anxious. But then he thought, their lives were already in Abraham Lincoln’s hands, so saying it out loud actually made him feel relieved.

When Franklin Pierce saw Abraham Lincoln coming over, he quickly got up from the ground, tilted his little face up, and grinned, “Your Majesty... have you eaten?”

Abraham Lincoln looked at the ball behind Franklin Pierce and, with one kick, swept Franklin Pierce aside.

Franklin Pierce was about to run away out of habit, but when he turned around, he saw Abraham Lincoln flick the ball up with his toe, puff out his chest, and the ball bounced skillfully between his feet, legs, shoulders, and head.

Franklin Pierce turned around, staring wide-eyed at the ball flying all over Abraham Lincoln’s body.

Samuel Hayes and the other imperial guards were also stunned. They had never expected that His Majesty could play ball so well.

Abraham Lincoln focused on juggling the ball, even spinning it around his shoulder. After a series of fancy moves, he stopped the ball under his foot, smiled at everyone, and said, “Shall we have a match?”

Franklin Pierce suddenly opened his eyes wide and said, “Your Majesty, you know how to play cuju too?”