For this eldest prince, Empress Harris was always unable to figure him out. The fact that Henry Lewis drank the poisoned wine right in front of her and was completely unharmed made her extremely wary. Who knew what other abilities this usually quiet Henry Lewis might possess?

She even went to consult David Stone about how Henry Lewis managed to be unafraid of poisoned wine.

That David Stone was quite renowned, said to be well-versed in the mystical arts. In her early years, when Empress Harris gave birth to Brian Lewis, the emperor had lost several sons in succession, so out of concern, she sent her own son to be raised by David Stone, hoping his mystical arts would protect the child.

Afterwards, her son grew up healthy, and Empress Harris respected David Stone even more, believing the old Daoist truly excelled in mystical arts and had protected her son. Thus, whenever anything strange or unusual happened, Empress Harris would summon him for advice.

This time was no different. However, after listening to the empress’s account, David Stone furrowed his brows and finally gave an explanation that failed to please Empress Harris: “If he does not himself understand the mystical arts and has not cultivated a body immune to all poisons, then he must be protected by some extraordinary treasure!”

If Henry Lewis heard this, he would probably praise David Stone for his genuine skill, because he had indeed guessed the truth. But this conclusion did not make Empress Harris happy—in either case, it left her deeply worried.

If it was the first case, it meant Henry Lewis himself also understood those mysterious arts. If she tried to poison him and he used mystical arts to take her life, how could she defend herself? Such things were unlike blades or poison—at least those were tangible and could be guarded against, but mystical arts...

Fortunately, David Stone, upon hearing that the person in question was a youth not yet twenty, confidently said, “At such a young age, he certainly cannot be a fellow practitioner who has achieved mastery. It must be that he is protected by some extraordinary treasure!”

Empress Harris looked Henry Lewis up and down, unable to help but wonder where this eldest prince had found such a treasure that made him unafraid of deadly poison in wine.

Perhaps sensing something, Henry Lewis turned to glance at her. That gaze was like a sharp sword, making her unconsciously turn her head away to avoid it.

But then she felt that, as the empress, being intimidated by a prince born of a concubine was truly disgraceful. She lost her appetite for the meal, called to her son, and the mother and son left together, returning to their own palace.

Henry Lewis watched as his second brother looked back at him with a disgruntled expression. He smiled and waved at him, then turned to glance at his third brother, who was quietly eating at the side.

After the New Year, this third brother would only be nine years old, and according to the history he knew, this little fellow, not even ten, would become the last emperor in the history of the Han dynasty this very year.

At the same time, the second brother who had just left would ascend the throne in a few months, only to be quickly deposed by the infamous traitor Dong and killed.

“After all, he is my brother, and he has always shown me much respect. I can’t just watch him go to his death!”

As he was thinking this, he saw his third brother finish eating, rise, bow to him in farewell, and return to Empress Dowager Drake’s palace.

In a short while, everyone had left, leaving only a few palace maids and eunuchs serving at the side. However, Henry Lewis noticed that the maids looked rather impatient, not even bothering to hide it, which showed just how unwelcome this eldest prince was in the palace.

Henry Lewis couldn’t be bothered to argue with such people. He got up and left straight away, returning to his own palace to rest.

In the sixth year of Zhongping, everything seemed to remain much the same.

The old emperor was still bedridden, but there was some good news.

In February, Samuel Harper and Donald Drake, who were campaigning outside, sent back reports of victory, having crushed the rebel kingdom and now returning to the capital.

Upon hearing this news, the emperor seemed to regain some energy and, overjoyed, bestowed rewards once again—but he was not so muddleheaded as to forget his concerns. Taking this opportunity, he appointed Donald Drake as Governor of Bingzhou, hoping to transfer him away from his home base in Liangzhou. However, Donald Drake repeatedly declined and firmly refused to take up the post, so the matter was left unresolved.

Moreover, the emperor’s energy, restored by the great victory, was soon exhausted, and he returned to his sickbed, naturally having no strength to argue further with Donald Drake, so the matter was dropped.

At this time, Henry Lewis spent his days in the palace either cultivating or tempering a long blade.

Paul Carter stood guard at the door every day, but it was mostly for show. If anyone came, Henry Lewis would certainly notice before him. After watching for many days, Paul Carter saw that the long blade in Henry Lewis’s hands was getting thinner and even slimmer than a longsword, with a perfectly straight edge. Curious, he couldn’t help but ask, “Your Highness, are you forging a longsword?”

Just a month ago, the prince had told him he wanted to forge a long blade and had him fetch some fine steel from the palace. Since then, he had seen Henry Lewis sitting cross-legged on the couch, holding the steel between his palms, surrounded by swirling mist, for about an hour each day.

Now, after more than a month, the steel in his hands no longer looked as it once had, gradually taking the shape of a weapon. But as the days of tempering went on and the form became clearer, the number of questions in Paul Carter’s mind only increased.