Samuel Todd struggled to move his body, crawling before William Harris, not lifting his head, his voice hoarse as he said, “This guilty official has heard.”

“Do you have anything to say?”

“No!”

Samuel Todd prostrated himself on the ground, grief-stricken, and said, “This guilty official deserves to die a thousand times over, I only beg Your Majesty to use my old life as a warning to all the civil and military officials! Only by being of one heart and mind with Your Majesty, swearing to resist the Jin to the death, is there a way to survive! As for all other crooked and evil ways, I deserve to die a thousand times over!”

The last four words were almost spat out through gritted teeth by Samuel Todd!

William Harris nodded and sighed, “Samuel Todd, although you cannot be called loyal to the Song, you still remember the bond between ruler and minister.” William Harris turned his head and said to George Hall, “Let him keep his whole body!”

Chapter 7: The Majesty of the Emperor

From being cut to pieces to keeping his whole body, William Harris didn’t really care how he died—it was death either way. No matter what, he needed Samuel Todd’s head.

Well-versed in office politics, William Harris was thinking about how to drag Charles Harris down with him.

The bond between ruler and minister!

Those four words were enough!

Although Samuel Todd deserved death for his crimes, he was indeed dying in place of Charles Harris; it was Charles Harris who wanted to escape.

It was easy to imagine that once the news spread, the effect would be tremendous.

At the very least, Charles Harris’s prestige would be utterly destroyed, and he would never again be able to restrain William Harris. In all of Kaifeng, the one who had the final say would be the emperor!

This was William Harris’s fundamental goal—killing to establish authority had always been the most direct method, especially since he had given Samuel Todd a chance. Those who should understand would understand... Wait!

William Harris suddenly realized something—he seemed to have forgotten someone!

When William Harris returned to Samuel Todd’s side, this Lord Tong had already had his official hat knocked off, revealing his graying hair, looking utterly wretched. The one carrying out all this was none other than Grand Commandant George Hall!

“Wait!”

William Harris’s return startled Grand Marshal Hall. “Does Your Majesty have further orders?”

William Harris nodded and spoke directly to Samuel Todd: “I sent Brian Carter to see you. Where is Brian Carter now?”

At these words, Samuel Todd trembled all over, not daring to lift his head.

“Samuel Todd!” William Harris said coldly, “It seems your crimes must be increased by one more—deceiving your sovereign!”

The emperor’s anger was overwhelming. Samuel Todd’s face turned as pale as paper. “Re-Replying to Your Majesty, Zhu—Zhu Yaban was—was thrown by this guilty official into the well in the back garden.”

Into the well!

William Harris was shocked. Kaifeng in the first month of the lunar year was not warm. David Carter was an old man—what if he froze to death?

“Grand Marshal Hall, go save him, quickly!”

George Hall hurriedly agreed, spurred his horse, and rushed off without delay... Half an hour later, the pitiful David Carter, wrapped in thick furs, appeared before William Harris!

“Your Majesty! If you’d been any later, this servant would never have seen you again!”

William Harris looked at David Carter and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.

“To deliver my decree and end up like this—isn’t that a slap in my face?”

Hearing this, David Carter was even more moved. He lifted his bruised and swollen face and said, “Your Majesty, when this servant went to see Samuel Todd, I ran into that scoundrel Ethan Brooks. He was glib-tongued, saying Your Majesty’s resistance to the Jin was just for show, and that the students had listed Samuel Todd as one of the six traitors. With Your Majesty in power, you would surely use Samuel Todd’s head to calm the people, so the only way to survive was to protect the Retired Emperor and escape the capital. He even forced Samuel Todd to seize this servant.”

“He said Your Majesty’s defiance of the Retired Emperor was all instigated by this servant. I deserve to die!”

David Carter shivered as he spoke, snot and tears streaming down his face—he was truly pitiful.

William Harris shook his head slightly. To be fair, Ethan Brooks wasn’t wrong; in the end, he did use Samuel Todd’s head to calm the people. But the problem was, if Samuel Todd hadn’t been swayed, if he could have stood with William Harris, he wouldn’t have had to die.

So, in the end, whose hands did Samuel Todd die by?

“Mr. Carter, I’ve already taken down Samuel Todd, and Ethan Brooks can’t be kept either. Strip him of his post as Director of Longde Palace and send him to John Brooks’s residence for temporary custody. I’m not killing him now because I want to thoroughly investigate his crimes. The Brooks father and son have held power for years—just how much state and people’s wealth have they embezzled, how many evil deeds have they done? We’ll have to settle this account carefully!”

At this, William Harris leaned forward and smiled at David Carter.

“Mr. Carter, are you satisfied with how I’m handling this?”

David Carter was stunned for a moment, tears streaming down his face. He felt a warm current surge through his body, and the bone-chilling cold vanished without a trace!

The emperor was standing up for him!

Samuel Todd defied the emperor—he was doomed.

But the Brooks father and son didn’t necessarily have to die. Unfortunately, Ethan Brooks had offended him... And who was he? The emperor’s favorite!

Dare to mess with me? You two are finished!

David Carter leapt up excitedly. “Your Majesty, let this servant supervise Samuel Todd’s execution, and then arrest Ethan Brooks!”

William Harris nodded. “Take two hundred men with you. This time, no one will dare bully you. There will be a new appointment for you when you return.”

David Carter’s eyes sparkled—he was about to be promoted! He felt ten years younger in an instant!

This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Samuel Todd, who had run rampant in the court for decades, was finished. He did not keep his whole body; instead, David Carter beheaded him and hung his head at Tongjin Gate.

The Retired Emperor’s top favorite, Grand Preceptor John Brooks’s son Ethan Brooks, was stripped of his office and sent to John Brooks’s residence for custody.

The artist Charles Harris not only lost hope of leaving the city, but also lost his two most trusted civil and military aides, becoming truly isolated and alone, shivering in Longde Palace.