People of the same official rank, he was not afraid of Samuel Cooper. Thinking of the power behind him, and then recalling James Carter’s behavior all along, he simply didn’t take James Carter seriously.

After all, he was just a banished prince, supported by the Seventh Prince, so there was no need to fear him. Besides, this was a great opportunity—once the Seventh Prince learned of his actions, the benefits would surely be immense.

The Seventh Prince was someone who had passed the prince’s trial, while the prince before him had no chance of passing such a test.

In the Great Chu Kingdom, there were too many princes. If one lost the emperor’s favor, he truly became a nobody.

As his voice rang out, the hundred or so horned beast cavalry he brought with him suddenly shouted in unison, “Welcome, Your Highness!”

Over a hundred people shouted together, and the momentum was so great that it made everyone’s eardrums ring.

“Please, Your Highness!” Henry Grant said in a deep voice amid the thunderous shouts. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth—this time, the prince should be intimidated!

Sure enough, someone was behind this, trying to undermine his authority!

If this incident reached Changtian City, he, as a prince, would lose all prestige in this region.

James Carter looked at the people Henry Grant had brought and said loudly, “I am the twenty-seventh son of the current emperor, James Carter. Henry Grant has violated the imperial decree and should be executed. Considering he is in armor, flog him twenty times to uphold the imperial order!” James Carter’s voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear.

James Carter was completely unaffected by the other side. He stood there, expressionless, and finished speaking in a deep voice, not even glancing at Henry Grant.

His Highness’s aura was stronger than ever before, and everyone accompanying him felt a surge of spirit.

Hearing James Carter’s words, Samuel Cooper strode toward Henry Grant.

“Who dares!” With a flick of his broadsword, Henry Grant shouted loudly.

“You dare rebel?” James Carter pressed forward.

The situation was now clear—someone wanted to undermine his authority. If he didn’t show some people what he was made of, news of his royal prestige being diminished would surely reach the palace, and his father, who had always strived to uphold royal dignity, would be displeased with his conduct. Since someone wanted to target him, he had to fight back.

James Carter did not believe that Henry Grant and his men would dare to kill him.

The hundred or so horned beast cavalry, who had been somewhat restless, now looked uneasy at James Carter’s accusation of rebellion.

“Anyone who violates the imperial decree will have their entire clan executed!” William Harper shouted again in a deep voice. Seeing His Highness so forceful, they too felt emboldened.

“Execute!”

Though there were only nineteen guards, they were all handpicked by the royal family. Ever since witnessing James Carter’s mysterious abilities, they had developed confidence in him, and their shout was no weaker than the hundred-strong cavalry’s.

After watching James Carter and his group for a while, Henry Grant felt puzzled. They had actually known about the ambushes on James Carter all along. The prefect had ordered them to receive James Carter and his party, but he hadn’t taken it seriously, deliberately delaying their arrival as ordered. In their view, as long as they stalled for time, based on the intelligence they had, James Carter was sure to die in this assassination attempt.

The prefect was a man of the Tenth Prince, while Henry Grant was with the Seventh Prince. The Seventh Prince’s thinking was straightforward: as long as the twenty-seventh prince died here, the Tenth Prince would inevitably be implicated.

Knowing his master was at odds with this prince, and being a tenth-level official himself, Henry Grant’s team was also made up of officials of the same rank, so he never took James Carter seriously.

He had thought that even if James Carter and his men escaped, they would be a handful of battered survivors. Now, seeing the other side’s imposing presence, Henry Grant realized something was wrong.

According to the intelligence, the twenty-seventh prince was supposed to be a coward, with only second-level Qingyun cultivation. For such a prince, destined never to rise higher, what was there to fear?

Henry Grant also thought that James Carter would never dare offend the Seventh and Tenth Princes, which was why he had staged this whole scene.

He had secretly felt proud of his scheme before coming—once he undermined James Carter’s authority, he would surely be handsomely rewarded by the Seventh Prince.

The horned beast cavalry hesitated. James Carter glanced at them calmly and shouted, “Why haven’t you carried out the punishment yet!”

Henry Grant had intended to give James Carter a show of force, partly to curry favor with the Seventh Prince, but he hadn’t expected James Carter to handle the matter with an imperial decree.

If he defied the order, even with so many men, there wasn’t much James Carter could do to him. But if James Carter seized on this and reported it, those who upheld royal authority would surely pursue the matter, and his hundred-strong unit could be charged with disregarding the imperial decree—a serious crime.

When did James Carter become so forceful? This didn’t match the information he had!

In a flash, Henry Grant realized he had made a grave mistake in underestimating his opponent. If he kept pushing, he would be the one to suffer, and even the Seventh Prince wouldn’t be able to defend him.

His expression changed rapidly, his face flushed red, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“Chief Ge, are you trying to defy the order?” Samuel Cooper had already walked up to Henry Grant by this time.