After returning from a fruitful day, Henry Lewis was in an excellent mood for the next several days. At the same time, his personal young eunuch Paul Carter, after revealing his identity as a member of the Cao family to Charles Carter, seemed to have found the perfect bridge between the two sides. They agreed that if anything came up, Paul Carter would be sent in and out of the palace to deliver messages. In the absence of any major events, Henry Lewis continued to keep a low profile, hiding in the palace and waiting for the right moment.

Thus, after returning to the palace, Henry Lewis resumed his previous lifestyle, staying hidden in the palace all day and rarely coming out. Only his close attendant Paul Carter knew that the crown prince had been busy cultivating during these days.

Ever since meeting with Charles Carter, Henry Lewis no longer kept secrets from Paul Carter. He wanted to ascend the throne, and he needed an insider in the palace to assist him.

Currently, among the eunuchs, the Ten Attendants held the most power. These men were all close to the old emperor, and even among the next generation of princes, they were more inclined toward the young prince Alex Lewis.

The possibility of winning these men over was extremely low. Besides, after living in the palace for more than a decade, Henry Lewis had never established any real connections with those eunuchs. He didn’t believe he could suddenly build a relationship with them now—Charles Carter was different. Charles Carter had only just met him, but that was because Charles Carter’s current situation was extremely awkward, giving Henry Lewis an opportunity to exploit. If he waited any longer to bring Charles Carter over to his side, it would be impossible.

As for the Ten Attendants, they were unlikely to trust him. They had spent years currying favor with the young prince, long since casting the eldest son aside. Even from their perspective, they would worry that suddenly cozying up to the crown prince would not be accepted—and more importantly, Henry Lewis appeared to have no power and virtually no chance of ascending the throne. Why would they waste their time?

In reality, however, there was one person who truly considered getting close to Henry Lewis, and that was John Bennett, the most powerful among the Ten Attendants. Ever since he had inadvertently overheard a certain comment from the emperor, John Bennett had entertained this idea.

If things developed normally, John Bennett probably wouldn’t bother to curry favor with the crown prince Henry Lewis. But because Henry Lewis had intervened in this world, the young prince Alex Lewis had become frail and sickly, and no one knew when he might die.

Moreover, Alex Lewis was only eight years old this year, and no one could say whether he would survive to adulthood. In the current situation, Alex Lewis was of no help at all, and because of his youth, he had no prestige. The ministers at court didn’t care for the young prince either.

All these disadvantages made the road to the throne for Alex Lewis seem full of thorns. Having spent so many years in the palace, John Bennett naturally understood the importance of leaving himself a way out. If Alex Lewis failed to ascend the throne, perhaps Henry Lewis could spare his life?

At this point, John Bennett wasn’t thinking about supporting Henry Lewis’s accession. After all, Henry Lewis’s foundation was too weak. What he was really thinking was that if Brian Lewis succeeded to the throne, the Grand General James Harris would surely come after him. If he could get Henry Lewis to protect his life, even if he couldn’t stay in the palace in the future, that would still be something.

That’s right, his plan was that if Brian Lewis became emperor, Henry Lewis would surely be sent out of the capital as a king. As long as Henry Lewis was willing to take him along, even Empress Harris would have to show some respect, wouldn’t she?

What kind of person was John Bennett? In this palace, there was probably no one more powerful than him. He already knew that Brian Lewis was extremely close to his elder brother, and Empress Harris, for her son’s sake, wouldn’t go too far.

After thinking it over, and learning that the emperor was sleeping due to the increasingly cold weather and worsening health, John Bennett seized the opportunity to leave the emperor’s quarters. He quietly brought along one or two trusted young eunuchs and headed discreetly toward Henry Lewis’s residence.

At this moment, Henry Lewis was meditating and cultivating. Paul Carter stood at the door, keeping an eye on the outside while curiously watching Henry Lewis. When Henry Lewis finished absorbing the golden cloud energy into his body, sat for a while longer, and then asked, “Don’t you want to ask anything?” Paul Carter respectfully replied, “Your Highness’s affairs are not for a servant to question.”

Although Paul Carter was young, he had already attained the position of Junior Yellow Gate in the palace. Among the eunuchs, Junior Yellow Gate was a mid-level rank, below Middle Yellow Gate and above Senior Attendant.

However, being a Junior Yellow Gate didn’t mean he had much power. He owed his position partly to the prestige of the Cao family and the promotion from Thomas Carter, and also because he served the current crown prince. Regardless of actual power, his rank couldn’t be too low.

But to be honest, once he left Henry Lewis’s residence, probably no one would listen to him!

By comparison, Scott Kent was also a Junior Yellow Gate, but wielded immense power—his rank and authority even surpassed James Harris. Unfortunately, despite his high rank, real power still rested with James Harris, so he could only throw his weight around in the palace. Even so, he was far above Paul Carter.

Still, since he held an official post, it was proper for him to refer to himself as “servant”—in this era, it wasn’t customary to call oneself a slave. Even palace eunuchs were legitimate officials of the Han dynasty, under the jurisdiction of the Minister Steward, not lowly slaves.

Henry Lewis thought for a moment, then said to Paul Carter, “There’s nothing to hide from you. I accidentally obtained some methods for cultivating mystical arts. Besides some miraculous techniques, they can also strengthen the body. When things settle down in a few days, I’ll teach them to you as well!”