Eric Bennett was grumbling inwardly, but soon realized that what he meant by “public-spiritedness” wasn’t about giving more money, but rather about this woman and child. Not to mention just hiring them—even buying two male laborers wouldn’t be worth five gold leaves of one tael each, let alone a woman and a child who was basically worthless, and a girl at that. Such a young girl wouldn’t even be wanted by brothels, since raising her to an age suitable for Kaifeng would require a considerable investment, and if she turned out ugly or died young, it would be a total loss.

“A mere trifle, not worth mentioning. And you are?”

Eric Bennett waved his hand as he spoke. With the same gold leaves, the generous Henry Foster had given him nearly four kilograms’ worth.

The official maintained his smile and said, “I am David Brooks, the Tongpan of Songjiang Prefecture. Judging by your accent, are you from the capital?”

“That’s right, I’m Eric Bennett, my ancestral home is the capital. I got tired of it and decided to travel.”

Eric Bennett replied.

“Where is Brother Bennett headed?”

David Brooks asked.

“I plan to follow the river downstream.”

Eric Bennett said.

“Oh? Then why not travel together by boat? It would be a pleasure to learn from you, and my boat is quite spacious.”

David Brooks said with a smile.

Uh, why is he being so enthusiastic?

Eric Bennett didn’t believe it was because of his own charm. This guy must have some ulterior motive. But since he was the Tongpan of Songjiang Prefecture—which was basically the Shanghai area—that place was actually quite nice. At this time, it seemed the maritime ban hadn’t been enforced yet, and Songjiang was still an open port. Since that was the case, it wouldn’t hurt to go and have a look; maybe he’d even gain something special.

As for any hidden motives, there was no point in guessing at things he couldn’t figure out. After all, it was just hitching a ride. Even if someone wanted to harm him, at worst they’d just try to kill him outright. With a Type 92 pistol tucked in his coat, Eric Bennett was confident he could handle even a zombie in disguise.

“In that case, I’ll gladly accept.”

Eric Bennett immediately smiled and cupped his hands in thanks.

“Then please, Brother Bennett!”

David Brooks returned the gesture and pointed to a luxurious passenger boat at the dock.

Meanwhile, far away in the imperial palace of Beijing.

Amid the monotonous chanting of sutras, a face wrapped up like a zongzi slowly opened one eye. The owner of the eye seemed to have just awoken from a very, very long dream, and looked blankly toward the source of the chanting. An elderly woman with white hair appeared in his line of sight. Seeing her aged face, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of emotion, and called out just as he had when he was a child: “Anna Scott.”

The prayer beads in the old woman’s hand fell to the floor with a clatter.

“Your Majesty, His Majesty is awake!”

She shouted without a care for anything else.

Immediately, the sleeping idol-like young woman beside her, his ultimate rival and younger brother George Walker, and even Philip Walker, who never escaped his notice even when just playing a minor role, all woke up with a start. The idol was the first to react, staring in disbelief at the sickbed, then screaming frantically, “Imperial physician, quick, the imperial physician, Father is awake…”

His voice echoed throughout the palace.

Yes, Adam Cooper had finally pulled through.

Perhaps it was the imperial physicians’ efforts, or perhaps fate would not let him die. In any case, after being in a coma for five whole days, the emperor of the mites, the holy and wise ruler, the benevolent father Adam Cooper, had survived the most serious crisis of his forty-some years of life with the tenacity of a cockroach…

Not only did he wake up, but his fever began to subside.

The dark clouds hanging over all of Beijing finally began to dissipate. Except for a few who were unwilling to accept it, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

If he hadn’t woken up, there would have been fighting in Beijing by now. Five days was enough for many to make their choices, and five days of coma was enough to make people despair of his survival. In fact, the final showdown between the crown prince James Walker and the eldest prince William Walker was almost about to erupt. That was precisely why, when he woke up, only a few people were at his side—everyone else was outside sharpening their knives.

As for the idol and the others, it wasn’t out of filial piety for their father. They were actually hiding from disaster. Their power wasn’t enough to compete with any of the factions outside, and no matter who won, they wouldn’t mind taking them out as collateral damage. So the safest choice was to stay by Adam Cooper’s sickbed—after all, no one could touch them there. They hadn’t expected to end up with such a windfall.

Fortunately, Adam Cooper’s sudden awakening made all those troubles vanish into thin air.

Chapter 7: The True Faces of Central Cadres

After waking up, Adam Cooper didn’t show much reaction to the fact that, even while he was still lying in bed, his sons were already at each other’s throats over the throne. Although someone would surely tell him about it, he acted as if he knew nothing at all.