William Harris showed no fear and declared loudly, “Since all our strength must be devoted to defending the city against the Jurchen, I have come to remind the Retired Emperor not to listen to the slander of petty men, not to think of escaping disaster or shirking responsibility. I will not agree to it, the people of Song will not agree to it, and the ancestors of the Zhao family will never agree to it!”

“You!”

At this moment, Charles Harris was utterly enraged, his hair practically standing on end. All his days of scheming had just been exposed by this rebellious son, and he was instantly furious out of shame!

What was Charles Harris plotting?

He was preparing to run away!

Kaifeng was too dangerous; he had to find a safe place.

Of course, Charles Harris also knew that doing so would be utterly disgraceful, and the people of the realm would never accept it, so he came up with the plan for abdication. The emperor couldn’t flee, but surely the Retired Emperor could!

Sending Franklin Lane to defend the Yellow River line was Charles Harris’s last line of defense.

When Franklin Lane’s troops collapsed, he summoned Ethan Brooks—he was ready to bolt.

But then William Harris arrived and said all these things that stabbed right at Charles Harris’s heart—how could he stand it!

“What nonsense is the Emperor spouting? The fate of the nation rests on your shoulders—how dare you blame the innocent! Do not forget the grace of abdication!” Charles Harris rebuked harshly.

William Harris laughed heartily, “Retired Emperor, since you put it that way, whoever wants to be this wretched emperor can have it. I can abdicate right now—whether you resume the throne or appoint another prince, it’s all the same to me. In short, if I can’t manage this household, after abdicating, I’ll take my sword and guard the ancestral temple. If the Jurchen break in, I’ll fight if I can; if I can’t, I’ll burn it all down. Then, in the afterlife, I’ll let the Zhao ancestors judge!”

“How dare you!”

Charles Harris’s lips turned ashen, his whole body trembling, nearly driven mad.

He truly must have been blind to pass the throne to this rebellious son! If only he’d given it to Sanlang instead—that child was loyal and filial, and would never have defied his father!

But it was too late for regrets now. Abdication had already caused a grievous wound; if another emperor were deposed, it would be utter ruin… Charles Harris was so angry he could only grunt, left speechless, panting heavily, glaring with bulging eyes at his defiant son, yet utterly helpless!

Ethan Brooks also sensed disaster looming. He could only brace himself and say, “Your Majesty must have listened to rumors. Please, do not doubt the Retired Emperor, and above all, do not let father and son fall out, lest the officials and people of the realm become a laughingstock!”

“Nonsense!”

If William Harris still had some scruples toward Charles Harris, he had none at all for Ethan Brooks.

“I am the son of the Retired Emperor—how could I doubt him? Father and son turning against each other, that’s your Cai family’s business, not ours!”

With that, Ethan Brooks was nearly knocked to the ground by the retort.

In his quest for favor, he’d forced his own father John Brooks into retirement, already a laughingstock throughout the land. Now, with William Harris tearing off all pretense, anyone with a shred of dignity would die of shame.

William Harris still dared not go too far with Charles Harris, but with Ethan Brooks, he let loose completely: “Ethan Brooks, who doesn’t know your little schemes? Since last year, you’ve been running around, making preparations on all sides—for what? And you dare say I’ll be ridiculed by the people? The world only mocks cowards who dare not resist! You lot are greedy for life and afraid of death, only wanting to save your own skins. But you also know that if you run away outright, you’ll be ruined and the people will never forgive you. So you come up with rotten ideas, urging the Retired Emperor to take the blame for you, hoping to hide behind him and save your miserable lives. And you still dare to play the loyal minister before me? You use the Retired Emperor’s good name to protect your own wretched life—your intentions are truly sinister and deserve death!”

William Harris’s words terrified Ethan Brooks. Whether or not he really thought that way, the key was that if Charles Harris believed it, they’d be finished.

“Retired Emperor!” Ethan Brooks was in tears, kowtowing desperately, “Retired Emperor, please see clearly! My loyalty is as bright as the sun and moon!”

Charles Harris was full of anger and deeply displeased. But he did take in some of William Harris’s words—after all, at such a critical moment, no one could be fully trusted!

After pondering for a long time, Charles Harris merely grunted at Ethan Brooks, then said to William Harris, “Emperor, there’s no need to shout yourself hoarse here. If you have any wise ideas, just speak them.”

William Harris snorted, “No wise ideas, only one way: unity from top to bottom, and defend the city to the death. No matter how fierce the Jurchen are, their numbers are limited, they’ve come from afar, and they lack supplies and siege equipment. As long as we refuse to negotiate, they won’t be able to hold out and will have to withdraw.”

“Can… can it really be that simple?” Charles Harris looked at his son in surprise.

William Harris replied, “Do you remember the Treaty of Chanyuan? Wasn’t it just Lord Kou leading Emperor Zhenzong to the front lines, which instantly boosted morale, and the Liao troops couldn’t hold out and had to retreat?”

Charles Harris pondered for a moment—it really did seem to be the case!

“So, are you confident in driving off the Jurchen?”

“No!” William Harris answered bluntly. Charles Harris’s eyes nearly popped out—this rebellious son had just spoken so passionately, and now he was changing his tune?

William Harris explained calmly, “Our current troops are far less elite than in Emperor Zhenzong’s time, and among the officials and generals, there is certainly no one like Lord Kou, who would risk his life for the country and the people! Moreover, today’s Jurchen are far stronger than the Liao troops of old. I fear our chances are not even a tenth of what they were at Chanyuan!”

William Harris’s words chilled Charles Harris’s heart once again.