Brian Carter charged in with bloodshot eyes. Before the eunuchs could react, he rammed his shoulder into Franklin Roosevelt, sending him flying. Under David Clark's terrified gaze, he scooped up Princess Grace, tore off her sleeve in one swift motion, and, as she looked on in confusion, quickly began to bandage her wound...

Chapter Four: Simple and Direct

"Don't be afraid, it's just a flesh wound!"

Brian Carter looked into those beautiful eyes and spoke gently.

"Th-thank you!"

Princess Grace said with difficulty.

A faint blush appeared on her pale face. Instinctively, she tried to pull away from Brian Carter's embrace, but accidentally touched her bandaged wound, letting out a pained moan. Then, as if all her strength had been drained, she collapsed weakly against Brian Carter's chest.

"Insolent scoundrel!"

Suddenly, a furious roar erupted behind Brian Carter.

Franklin Roosevelt, who had just been helped up by David Clark, broke free, grabbed the sword at hand, and, without hesitation, stabbed it toward Brian Carter's back. But Brian Carter didn't even look; he sidestepped while carefully finishing the last step of bandaging Princess Grace. As Franklin Roosevelt pulled the sword back, Brian Carter's right hand shot out like lightning, grabbing his wrist. With a slight force, and amid Franklin Roosevelt's scream, the sword was wrenched into Brian Carter's hand. Before Franklin Roosevelt could react, the blade was already pressed against his neck.

At the same time, Brian Carter stood up with Princess Grace in his arms, then gently helped her to stand. She had actually already fainted—given her frail constitution and the amount of blood lost, it was inevitable.

"Drop the sword now! If you harm His Majesty, your entire clan will be executed!"

David Clark said in a trembling voice.

Franklin Roosevelt fell silent, standing there and glaring at Brian Carter with a sullen expression. The armed eunuchs around them looked on helplessly—after all, none of them had ever experienced the emperor being taken hostage.

"Your Majesty, if you can't even protect your own wife and daughter, whose clan can you possibly execute?"

Brian Carter said with contempt, looking at Franklin Roosevelt.

But he didn't lower his sword. At this moment, the armed eunuchs with muskets arrived. He had no desire to be riddled with bullets—after all, a musket is still a gun. Speaking of which, Franklin Roosevelt was rather pitiful; as the emperor, at this point he was left with only a few dozen eunuchs by his side, plus a beautiful woman holding a little girl—probably Lady Morgan and Princess Helen. Before summoning Princess Grace, Franklin Roosevelt had already sent away his sons, telling them to seek refuge with ministers he still trusted, like Grand Preceptor Zhou Kui and Duke Chengguo Zhu Chuncheng. Of course, those men promptly handed them over to Li Zicheng. As for Mrs. Scott, after a bout of weeping with him, she went off to hang herself. So none of them were here.

Brian Carter's words made Franklin Roosevelt's face darken.

"You are a Jinyiwei, sworn to protect the dynasty. How dare you hold His Majesty hostage? Put down the sword at once! Considering your concern for the princess, if you redeem yourself by protecting His Majesty's escape, His Majesty will grant you a noble title for generations."

David Clark said.

Brian Carter looked at Franklin Roosevelt.

"You intend to escort me to Nanjing? If so, I will not forget your loyalty."

Franklin Roosevelt said slowly.

"Then I thank Your Majesty for your grace in advance!"

Brian Carter replied.

As he spoke, a bright smile appeared on his face. Before Franklin Roosevelt could react, he suddenly stepped forward with Princess Grace in his arms, and at the same time, smashed the hilt of his sword hard against the back of Franklin Roosevelt's head. Caught off guard, Franklin Roosevelt was knocked out cold. David Clark reacted quickly, letting out a cry and stepping forward to catch Franklin Roosevelt. The armed eunuchs raised their guns in confusion, but David Clark raised his hand to stop them.

"You are truly audacious!"

David Clark gritted his teeth and shouted.

"I just wanted to hit him once, that's all!"

Brian Carter said nonchalantly. "Chief Eunuch, shouldn't you hurry up and gather the imperial seal and everything else? If we don't leave now, it'll be dawn soon!"

"Quick, everyone move!"

David Clark shouted without hesitation.

These armed eunuchs were probably the last of the loyalists. They quickly packed up Franklin Roosevelt's imperial seal, crown, and even some jewels—especially the imperial seal, which they handed directly to David Clark. The unconscious Franklin Roosevelt was carried by a strong eunuch, while Brian Carter of course carried Princess Grace.

Nearby, Lady Morgan looked at him with hopeful eyes.

Brian Carter hesitated.

He already had too many burdens; adding another woman would be courting disaster.

"General, please take Helen with you. I will die to preserve my honor."

Lady Morgan said.

"Alright, Consort, there's no need for you to take your own life. Go find the Empress and the other consorts and persuade them not to do anything rash. Li Zicheng won't harm you; he's not as terrifying as you imagine. In any case, no matter what happens outside, try not to leave the palace. There will be even greater chaos ahead, and if you leave, it will be hard to survive."

Brian Carter said.

With that, he took Princess Helen from her, holding her in one arm, and exchanged a glance with David Clark.

"How do we escape?"