In her memory, this eldest imperial son, being born of a concubine and with a mother of plain appearance, would never have existed if the emperor hadn’t been drunk at the time. As a result, he was not favored by the emperor, and his status in the palace over the years was never very high. His mother died of illness just a couple of years after his birth, and with no support in the palace, it could be said that almost every household had nearly ignored this eldest prince.

However, precisely because he kept a low profile and rarely went out, spending most of his time hiding in his own palace reading, Empress Harris never thought of dealing with him at first, simply believing that it wouldn’t be long before he would naturally leave the palace.

Unexpectedly, Henry Lewis ended up living in the palace year after year, and now, as he was approaching adulthood, he still had not been granted a title and sent away from the palace. This situation greatly displeased Empress Harris. Now that the emperor was gravely ill and Empress Harris had power both inside and outside the palace, if she could drive Henry Lewis out of the palace at this time, it would also increase her own son’s chances of inheriting the throne.

“He’s just a young man who’s never seen the world—just a little intimidation will do!”

Thinking this to herself, Empress Harris began with some polite small talk, and finally said, “Staying in the palace all the time is bound to make you ill. You should get out and walk around more. If you could travel the land, you might broaden your horizons!”

Upon hearing this, Henry Lewis immediately understood the meaning behind Empress Harris’s words—she simply wanted him to leave the palace as soon as possible.

But the empress’s words made him secretly mock her, thinking to himself: In the past, this prince would seclude himself for a hundred or two hundred years at a time—don’t they know that, in a sense, all immortals are homebodies?

His mind wandered off in random thoughts, but on the surface he said nothing, simply waiting for Empress Harris to continue.

Sure enough, seeing that he didn’t speak, Empress Harris went on, “Things have gotten more and more chaotic these years—even the palace is no longer peaceful!” As she spoke, she toyed with the wine cup before her, the corners of her mouth lifting in a cold smile, as if hinting at something.

Years ago, Empress Harris had poisoned Lady Wang with poisoned wine. If not for the Ling Emperor’s furious wrath, and for sending her youngest son Alex Lewis to his birth mother, Empress Dowager Dong, that child might not have escaped death either. This was no secret in the palace—almost everyone knew. Now, Empress Harris was deliberately putting on this act, simply to remind Henry Lewis that if he didn’t know what was good for him, she could just as easily serve him a cup of poisoned wine.

Moreover, things were different now. Back then, the emperor was healthy and could deal with Empress Harris afterward. Now, the emperor was gravely ill, and it was uncertain if he would recover. Even if she really poisoned him to death, probably no one would care. Besides, Henry Lewis had no support or connections in the palace—who would stand up for him?

Empress Harris thought that after saying all this, this inexperienced Henry Lewis would be scared out of his wits and would probably hurry to leave the palace after returning—she never considered that Henry Lewis might have ambitions for the throne, because she thought that unless Henry Lewis was an idiot, he would never covet an imperial position that could never be his.

But in reality, Henry Lewis was indeed coveting the throne, because that position was tied to his cultivation of the “Dragon Qi of the Son of Heaven” technique, and this technique was key to whether he could restore his powers, or even go further, to avenge the betrayal he suffered years ago.

Therefore, Empress Harris’s performance today was completely useless—not only did it fail to frighten Henry Lewis, it even drew a light laugh from him, especially his look of utter indifference, which made Empress Harris furious.

“If you don’t know what’s good for you, then don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Having made up her mind, Empress Harris casually gestured to the palace maid beside her. The maid, who had been standing by, stepped forward holding a tray covered with white silk, and brought it before Henry Lewis. Only then did she lift the white silk, revealing a wine goblet filled to the brim.

Henry Lewis glanced at the goblet now set before him and secretly laughed: “Poisoned wine again? Can’t they come up with anything new?”

He didn’t realize that the light smile on his face, his complete lack of fear, and even his “just as expected” demeanor made Empress Harris even angrier. She said, “There happens to be some fine wine in the palace—please, Crown Prince, have a taste!”

She thought that this time Henry Lewis would surely show some fear, because she couldn’t imagine anyone not being afraid of death. Maybe in the next moment, he would kneel and beg for mercy.

“If he begs for mercy, just let him go!” After all, as long as Henry Lewis left the capital, there would be no more threat. And she was willing to spare Henry Lewis partly because of her own son Brian Lewis—for some reason, her son seemed to have a special fondness for this elder brother.

She was waiting for Henry Lewis to beg for mercy, but unexpectedly, in the next moment, she saw Henry Lewis raise the cup, tilt his head back, and drink the poisoned wine in one clean gulp. He even turned the goblet upside down to show there wasn’t a drop left. Seeing this, Empress Harris sat there dumbfounded, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Could it be that Henry Lewis is a fool?”

As she sat there in a daze, Henry Lewis calmly stood up, bowed to Empress Harris, and said, “Thank you, Mother, for bestowing this fine wine!” Then, after a simple farewell, he turned and left straight away.