Looking at Paul Carter lowering his head to report to him, Henry Lewis couldn’t quite tell what he was feeling.

He didn’t have much affection for this emperor father. After all, before he rebuilt his physical body, he already possessed a mature mind. Even if he truly became his son, it was hard to rely on his parents like an ordinary child would.

What’s more, ever since he was born, this so-called father had never fulfilled even the slightest fatherly duty. This only made Henry Lewis feel even less for the emperor. Now, upon hearing of his passing, he couldn’t muster any sadness—he simply nodded lightly to show he understood.

With the emperor’s death, the palace wasn’t particularly chaotic. After all, for the past half year, the emperor’s health had been poor, so today’s event was expected by everyone. All the necessary arrangements had long been made, and now it was just a matter of following the established procedures.

Henry Lewis also put on the mourning clothes and sash that had been prepared in advance, then busied himself with the rituals as required. Once everything was done, Empress Dowager Drake took the lead, with Empress Harris sitting beside her. Below them, Henry Lewis and his two younger brothers sat in a row, along with the current all-powerful James HarrisGeneral Harris.

“This is to establish a new emperor!”

Seeing this setup, Henry Lewis immediately understood what was happening. With James Harris present and Empress Harris accompanying, even though the biological mother of Emperor Ling of Han (now that he had passed, his posthumous title was set) Empress Dowager Drake was presiding, she probably couldn’t withstand the combined pressure from this brother-sister duo, one inside and one outside the court.

But Henry Lewis didn’t care about these matters, even when Empress Dowager Drake deliberately tried to involve him.

“Xuan’er is the eldest imperial son. If a new emperor is to be established, it should naturally be the eldest. How can the younger replace the elder?”

James Harris was very displeased with Empress Dowager Drake’s words. Wielding power over the world, he acted as if he was above all. He cupped his fists perfunctorily, showing little respect, and said, “The second prince is the empress’s son, making him the legitimate heir. How can the throne pass to a concubine’s son instead of the legitimate one?”

Empress Dowager Drake raised her eyebrows and retorted, “They are all of imperial blood. How can there be talk of legitimacy or concubinage?”

The two argued back and forth, but in essence, it was just a struggle for the throne. Henry Lewis had no interest in this. The situation was clear: how could the throne fall to anyone else? Although Henry Lewis wished to ascend, he knew now was not the right time and that he needed to endure a while longer.

As for Empress Dowager Drake constantly bringing him up, it was simply because Alex Lewis was too young to understand or protect himself. If she openly pushed him to compete with Brian Lewis for the throne, regardless of success or failure, disaster would likely follow.

And as for himself?

Empress Dowager Drake didn’t care much for him either. After all, he was born to an unremarkable palace maid, and his mother died soon after his birth, leaving him no chance to build a relationship with Empress Dowager Drake. Moreover, Henry Lewis only greeted the Empress Dowager out of formality, unlike ordinary children who tried to please their elders, so Empress Dowager Drake was not close to him at all.

Glancing up, he saw Empress Dowager Drake occasionally casting looks his way, as if wanting him to say something. Henry Lewis grew even more displeased: “You want to fight for the throne for your beloved grandson, but want me to take the fall? This old woman is no good either!”

He withdrew his gaze, pretending not to notice, and sat there nonchalantly, occasionally turning to look at his two younger brothers.

He saw that Alex Lewis, the youngest, sat upright and calm no matter what happened. But Henry Lewis, with his keen eyes, noticed that his brother’s muscles were tense, and his hands, hidden in his wide sleeves, must be tightly clenched. Clearly, this third brother was not as calm as he appeared.

As for Brian Lewis...

This second brother kept glancing at him apologetically, which left Henry Lewis a bit stunned.

“Does this brother feel sorry for me?”

He couldn’t figure it out, but Henry Lewis could tell that Brian Lewis genuinely felt apologetic toward him. Of course, he also knew this matter had little to do with Brian Lewis. Competing for the throne? Rather than saying the three brothers were fighting, it was more accurate to say others were fighting through them.

Watching Empress Dowager Drake finally yield helplessly under James Harris’s overwhelming power, Henry Lewis knew today’s farce was over.

The final result was that the legitimate eldest son, Brian Lewis, ascended the throne as emperor. After today’s discussion, there would be a formal session with the court officials tomorrow, then the announcement to the world, followed by the enthronement ceremony—all of which had nothing to do with Henry Lewis.

As an imperial prince, Henry Lewis naturally had to be assigned a title, and in the end, he was made Prince of Liang.

The titles given to imperial princes usually had a commandery name in front, but Liang was not a commandery; it was actually the State of Liang. This was because, during the Eastern Han, commanderies and states coexisted at the local level, though they were of equal administrative rank. The State of Liang was in northern Yuzhou, near Yanzhou, populous and fertile—a pretty good place. If Henry Lewis was made Prince of Liang, living there would be quite comfortable.

But Henry Lewis didn’t care about any of this. He only cared about the title: Prince of Liang? That really didn’t sound like a good guy.

Alex Lewis was still made Prince of Chenliu, just as in history, which was nothing noteworthy.

The good thing was, Empress Dowager Drake wanted to spend more time with her grandsons, so Henry Lewis and Alex Lewis didn’t have to leave the palace immediately. This suited Henry Lewis just fine, saving him the trouble of coming up with an excuse to stay.