“Pull it tight, don’t be afraid of breaking it—the tighter the string, the less effort Princess will need when playing. This thing is for helping Princess recover her health. If Princess gets better, Your Majesty will surely be pleased. And if Your Majesty is happy, who knows, maybe he’ll even grant us a house.”

Whenever he can use persuasion instead of real rewards, Thomas Foster never spares his words. Even though his name has changed and his body is different, deep down he’s still that same Henry Foster, who takes the greatest pleasure in digging pits for others.

Chapter 8: Brother-in-law Abraham Lincoln

The trial production of the shuttlecock went quite smoothly. Duck feathers, goose feathers, wild goose feathers, and even eagle tail feathers were all tested many times, and in the end, wild goose tail feathers proved to be the best. After cutting, shaping, and gluing, they were not only lighter than goose feathers but also sturdier.

The badminton racket was a bit more troublesome. The main issue was that the bamboo-wood composite frame wasn’t strong enough; if the tension wasn’t applied evenly on all four sides when stringing, the racket face would deform and twist.

But top craftsmen are top craftsmen. With no concern for cost or labor, two craftsmen who specialized in making crossbows solved the problem of even tension on the racket face by using hanging weights to fix the pulling force. Moreover, the tension of the racket strings was adjustable—by changing the weight of the counterweights, you could make it as loose or as tight as you wanted.

With rackets and shuttlecocks ready, a badminton court was naturally easy to set up. The courtyard in the middle of Princess’s residence was spacious enough. Outlined with vermilion paint and divided by a fishing net, the first All-Song Badminton Open officially began.

“Darling, I can’t keep up anymore—let the younger sisters take over.”

Thomas Foster was naturally the number one seed, Princess was number two, and the little maid Lily really rose with the tide, actually surpassing the eight concubines to take the third spot. They took turns playing, but in less than fifteen minutes, all of them were flushed and dripping with fragrant sweat, defeated one after another.

Badminton may look simple, but if you play seriously and try to return every shot, it’s actually more physically demanding than basketball or soccer—second only to boxing. It’s a mix of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, especially good for training cardiopulmonary function and the body’s small muscle groups.

Of course, if you’re just playing casually and don’t care whether you hit the shuttlecock or not, then it’s hardly exercise at all. You could go two hours without breaking a sweat—the only thing is your waist might get a bit sore from constantly bending over to pick up the shuttlecock.

This problem is easy to solve. The crazy prince-in-law declared that, except for Princess, whoever played the best would have the highest status and get the most perks in the household. This was no longer just a game—it was about their future well-being. Of course they’d give it their all.

Although Princess wasn’t competing for ranking, she didn’t want to fall too far behind the other concubines either. After all, her husband had only just come back around—who knew if he might change his mind again in the future? To keep her current happy life, she couldn’t just rely on Charles Bennett; she had to work hard herself. On this point, Princess had always been clear-headed and did very well—this time was no exception.

In fact, Thomas Foster didn’t even need to push them. Everyone was quite fond of this novel sport. Even the usually steady and proper Nanny Bennett couldn’t resist trying it out. She actually played quite well—at least in terms of stamina and strength, she far surpassed Princess and the concubines. After all, she was a working woman, with a solid foundation!

“Your Majesty…” Just as Thomas Foster was enjoying a triumphant spree, basking in the compliments and admiration of a group of women, a voice from behind made him instantly deflate like a punctured ball.

The nation’s reforms were at a critical juncture, with old and new powers clashing and so many major issues waiting to be handled. As the emperor, did you really have nothing better to do than keep running to your sister’s house, fixating on a useless brother-in-law? Was it really necessary? Whether he’s truly crazy or not, what could a mere painter possibly do to the court?

“Your subject greets Your Majesty…” No matter how annoyed he was, Thomas Foster had to put down his racket and respectfully cup his fists in salute. This was also the fundamental reason he was willing to come to the Song Dynasty—he didn’t have to kneel before every official. Even when dealing with the emperor, there weren’t so many excessive formalities.

If there weren’t spies from the Imperial City Department in the house, Thomas Foster wouldn’t believe it for a second. The open tournament had only been going for a little over an hour, and President Abraham Lincoln showed up at the prince-in-law’s residence, not in court robes or a long gown, but in the short athletic attire he wore for cuju. Clearly, he came prepared.

“No need for so much ceremony at home… Chris, how has your health been lately?” An emperor is an emperor—wherever he goes, he exudes authority. The racket in the prince-in-law’s hand was quickly taken by him.

“Replying to Your Majesty, this subject only can’t remember things from before; my health is fine. This is a toy I made especially for my wife, called badminton. Princess is a bit weak, so besides taking supplements, she also needs more exercise. Horseback riding and archery are too intense, and I’m not good at cuju, so this was the best I could come up with.”

With his racket taken away, Thomas Foster had to act as commentator, explaining the benefits and origins of badminton to the emperor. If some censor insisted this thing was a weapon, he’d be in even more trouble. The Song Dynasty was great in many ways, but the one thing was that they watched their own people too closely, always on guard as if against thieves.

“San-niang, come play a round with your brother—let’s see if what your husband says is true.” President Abraham Lincoln seemed to be in a good mood today. After listening to the prince-in-law explain the basic rules of badminton, he was eager to give it a try. But he didn’t think much of anyone present, including Charles Bennett, so he could only ask his sister to play against him.