That bewildered young man was probably an outsider. If it had been some other spoiled heiress, that fellow might have been trampled to death by the galloping horse. Still, that silly, honest look of his was truly amusing—much more pleasing than those who were desperate to appear clever. In fact, he even resembled her late father a little... Wait, how did she end up connecting a strange boy to her honest, simple father? How embarrassing!

  “Seventeenth Lady.”

  The sudden, low call by her ear made Eric Blake jolt in surprise and hurriedly open her eyes. She saw Queen Elizabeth on the couch watching her with a peculiar gaze, and she was greatly astonished. Although she, an orphan girl, had been raised in the palace, the ever-busy and endlessly surrounded-by-male-favorites Queen Elizabeth basically never had time to pay her any attention. Now, dressed clearly as a palace maid, and with Queen Elizabeth so ill she could barely tell day from night, she still remembered her name—should she feel lucky, or terrified?

  So, she lowered her eyes and stepped forward, beginning with a perfectly proper phrase: “Your Majesty, what are your orders?”

  Though lying there and looking so weak it seemed even raising a hand would be difficult, Queen Elizabeth's eyes were completely clear, as sharp as they had been in her days presiding over court. She fixed Eric Blake with that penetrating gaze for a long time before finally letting out a laugh: “You’re nothing like your father. He was an honest man who would never say a word more than necessary, and yet he ended up with such a clever daughter as you.”

  Being called clever is a good thing, but not at this time, in this place, by this person. Even though Eric Blake kept her gaze lowered, that sense of intimidation pierced right through her eyelids, making all her prepared responses evaporate. At this moment, she could only stick to the principle that silence is golden and simply said nothing.

  “Why don’t you urge me to pass the throne to the Crown Prince? That merit alone would be enough for you to enjoy endless wealth and glory for the rest of your life, don’t you think?”

  You need to be alive to enjoy wealth and glory, and to compete with Abigail Adams for credit—was she crazy? Besides, what made her so confident she could persuade this stubborn old lady? Eric Blake forcibly suppressed the urge to retort and replied concisely, “Your Majesty has already made up your mind on this matter. I am only here to guard Your Majesty as ordered, and dare not speak out of turn.”

  “Good, good! I thought they were all useless fools, but it turns out there’s still a smart one in the Wu family! Looks like even after I’m gone, the Wu family won’t die out completely!”

  With this cold snort, Eric Blake suddenly felt her hand being grabbed. Startled, she tried to pull away, but that thin, bony hand gripped her wrist like an iron shackle—she couldn’t move at all. Now, she could no longer avoid that almost tangible gaze; Queen Elizabeth’s eyes seemed to pierce straight to her core.

  As the saying goes, if you’ve done nothing wrong, you needn’t fear ghosts knocking at your door. She knew she had nothing to do with this coup, nor did she have any connection to Grace Harper’s private ambitions, so after a brief moment of panic, she quickly calmed down. She didn’t know how long it was before her hand was finally released, and then a weary command sounded in her ear: “Go out and call in Abigail Adams and Grace together.”

  To Eric Blake, this order was like music from the heavens. She quickly agreed, got up, and slipped away. Outside, she shook Grace Harper awake, sent someone to summon Abigail Adams, and went off to catch up on sleep herself. Now that Queen Elizabeth had relented, the overall situation was settled, and there was nothing more for her to do.

Chapter Six: No Foes Meet Without a Reason

  Just as Eric Blake had predicted, Abigail Adams entered the Hall of Longevity once more to plead her case, and Queen Elizabeth finally relented and allowed Grace Harper to draft the edict. Of course, the former empress who once ruled the world still hedged her bets in the decree, not immediately announcing the transfer of the throne to the Crown Prince, but only appointing him as regent. It took another whole day before the edict of succession was officially proclaimed to the world, completing this difficult transition of power and putting a perfect end to the long-planned coup.

  With the coup a complete success, it was time to reward merit. First and foremost were the five, including Charles Brooks and Peter Clark. Next were the commanders of the Imperial Guards who had contributed most during the coup, including Henry Thompson and others. Then, because she had successfully obtained the edict of succession, Abigail Adams was granted the unprecedented honorific of Protector of the Realm Abigail Adams. As for Grace Harper, who personally drafted the edict, she received only some gold, silver, jewels, and fine silks, but no other benefits. The good-natured Prince William Thomas Thompson, who had entered the palace with the Grand General of the Imperial Guards to support George Thompson, was granted the title of Pacifying the Nation Prince William and appointed Grand Commandant.

  The dark clouds that had hung over Luoyang had now dispersed. Although large numbers of the Golden Guards could still be seen patrolling the streets and alleys, and news continued to spread of prominent families and high officials being investigated and imprisoned, for the common people, the most frightening thing had been not knowing anything beforehand. Now that the truth was out, they were happy to watch the spectacle. After all, gossiping about the rise and fall of powerful families who had already been raided would never bring them any trouble.