Several clerks breathed a sigh of relief and hurried out to greet him. Lucy Frost quickly dismissed the medical women, dressed, and walked out from behind the screen.

“Greetings, Commander!”

Seeing him covered in blood, the crowd looked somewhat puzzled, but dared not ask. Lucy Frost stepped forward and bowed, saying, “Young master, last night...”

“I already know.”

He panted heavily, motioned for someone to bring his clothes, and frowned, “How many people broke in yesterday? The main gate was smashed... Lucy Frost, are you hurt?”

Noticing Lucy Frost's pale face, he looked her up and down, but saw no external injuries.

Lucy Frost looked dejected and lowered her head slightly. “I was incompetent, not a match for Emily Harris. She forced her way into the main hall, and only left after discovering you were gone.”

She was considered one of the top experts in the Dian Kui Division, yet a rebel broke in and she failed to stop her. Now, facing the supremely skilled young master, she naturally felt ashamed.

He patted Lucy Frost's shoulder in a comforting manner. “It's not your fault. Have everyone outside return. If this chaos continues, it will frighten the common people.”

“That can't be done!”

Lucy Frost grew anxious and quickly tried to dissuade him. “This is an order from foster father.”

Lucy Frost and William Carter were both raised by Henry Bennett from a young age, but William Carter was exceptionally talented and stood out. The true power holder of the Dian Kui Division was the eunuch Henry Bennett; William Carter was only acting as a steward. If the emperor were to be alarmed, it would still be Henry Bennett's word that counted.

He frowned slightly. He had wanted to downplay the incident and avoid offending anyone, but now that things couldn't be suppressed, it was becoming troublesome.

As he pondered, a sudden shout came from outside the yamen:

“Greetings, Eunuch!”

Outside the Dian Kui Division, the procession slowly came to a halt, and a red carriage stopped at the entrance. A young eunuch knelt on the ground to serve as a step, while another carefully lifted the carriage curtain.

Supported by the young eunuch, an elderly man with white hair, dressed in a red python-embroidered robe and holding a horsetail whisk, slowly descended from the carriage.

Over sixty years old, thin and wrinkled, his face appeared kindly and benevolent. Who would have thought that such an old man was the eunuch most trusted by the emperor, the infamous Old Dog Bennett who struck fear throughout the court, commanding three thousand hounds of the Dian Kui Division, secretly known as the Emperor of the Night.

“Greetings, Eunuch!”

Inside and outside the Dian Kui Division, led by Lucy Frost, everyone knelt in unison.

William Carter, changing out of his bloodstained clothes behind the screen, poked his head out and said, “Wait a moment, I'll be right there!”

At these words, the hall fell silent.

The clerks and minor officials bowed their heads deeply, and even the atmosphere grew oppressive.

“Hurry up!”

The aged Henry Bennett, supported by the young eunuch, walked slowly, his hoarse voice sighing, “His Majesty was furious yesterday, scolding this old slave for raising a bunch of useless eaters. I couldn't sleep all night. After much thought, I feel the Dian Kui Division needs a new batch of people. William Carter, do you think these people should be kept?”

“Spare us, Eunuch!”

Over a hundred clerks and minor officials knelt on the ground, trembling and bowing their heads to the floor.

Nominally, the Dian Kui Division was the emperor's personal guard, but in reality, it wielded immense power. Even the imperial guards and city patrols had to obey its orders. Now that the division's headquarters had been breached, Henry Bennett would not vent his anger on William Carter; he would surely take it out on these minor officials.

Lucy Frost knew she could not escape blame and knelt in silence.

William Carter, sensing the tense atmosphere, walked out from behind the screen and said with a light laugh, “They're quite obedient, no need to replace them.”

“If they're obedient and such a mess still happened, then the problem lies with you.”

Henry Bennett sighed deeply at these words and sat in the main seat of the hall, looking at William Carter.

Everyone grew even more silent.

The maid Lucy Frost hesitated for a moment, then knelt and moved forward two steps. “Young master, last night...”

“Lucy Frost, when it's not your place to speak, don't make a sound.”

Henry Bennett picked up his teacup and glanced at Lucy Frost indifferently.

Lucy Frost trembled slightly, quickly bowed her head to the ground, and dared not utter another word.

It was William Carter's first time meeting this nominal foster father, and not knowing how to greet him, he simply waved his hand. “You all leave first!”

“Yes, sir!”

The clerks and minor officials, as if granted amnesty, withdrew trembling.

The young eunuchs from the palace also left the main hall at Henry Bennett's signal.

In the spacious yamen, wisps of incense curled in the air.

The elderly eunuch with graying hair held a teacup, his expression now showing a hint of worry.

“Will, you've always been steady in your actions, which is why I entrusted the Dian Kui Division to you. Last night, a rebel broke into the division and left unscathed. This shows that my Dian Kui Division is incompetent, only eating without doing any work.”

“It was my oversight!”

He had suffered a disaster for no reason—he had only drawn a map, and the rest had nothing to do with him, but he would have to take the blame regardless.

Henry Bennett shook his head. “You can't let this happen again. His Majesty wants peace in the realm—at the very least, Bianjing must be peaceful. We can't give the civil and military officials any excuse.”

He sat in his chair, lost in thought.

Speaking of this foster father, he had made discreet inquiries. He had served in the palace all his life and only took him in as a foster son in his old age. Perhaps he hoped that someone would see him off when he died, and treated William Carter as his own son, holding him to strict standards.

All in all, he was a formidable old man. In terms of position and experience, he was much like the infamous eunuch Yang Jian of the late Northern Song, but Henry Bennett was neither greedy nor power-hungry—just a loyal hound at the emperor's side, with his only private concern being his foster son.