However, since those petty men prefer to act in secret, for now he had no need to confront them openly.

　　Once the order was given and the maids and eunuchs quietly withdrew, William Carter finally let the sternness fade from his face, bent down, and supported the ashen-faced, bewildered Evelyn Foster. He sighed and said, “Evelyn Foster, Evelyn Foster. Do you know why I did this?”

　　Evelyn Foster was a clever man. From what he had just witnessed, combined with William Carter’s words, he understood that William Carter absolutely did not truly intend to take his life, so his expression gradually warmed. Yet he still replied with trepidation, “Your Majesty, this guilty official does not know.”

　　“Get up first, then speak.” With a bit of force, William Carter helped him to his feet. After a brief pause, his expression turned somewhat sorrowful and indignant: “Since the founding emperor of our dynasty, following the will of Heaven and the people, established the nation and awed the world, our dynasty has lasted for over four hundred years, with peace and prosperity. Yet, unfortunately, now there are internal and external troubles, which need not be elaborated—Evelyn Foster, you are a sensible man. After ascending the throne, I intended to govern diligently and reform the military, to restore order to the realm and provide the people with a land of peace and happiness. But now, petty men run rampant in the court, forming factions for personal gain. For their own interests, they even secretly sent a demoness to cast a vicious spell on me, causing me to lose my true nature and become cruel and violent without realizing it. Fortunately, this fall woke me up. Otherwise, those wicked men would truly have succeeded.”

　　“Your Majesty…” As an imperial bodyguard, Evelyn Foster was an insider, but in the past, his words carried little weight, so he could only silently fulfill his duties. Now, hearing William Carter say this, he became somewhat emotional and said, “I understand. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, I will risk my life to repay your grace.”

　　“Evelyn Foster, Evelyn Foster.” William Carter had him sit down and personally poured him a cup of tea. “I was right about you. Just now, I was testing you—do you hate me?”

　　“Your Majesty.” Evelyn Foster, both grateful and flustered, knelt down again. “This humble official is guilty. Before I drew my sword to take my own life, I did resent Your Majesty in my heart.”

　　“Resent?” William Carter chuckled, finding it amusing. “Tell me, how did you resent me?”

　　“I thought, Your Majesty, you truly are a foolish ruler.” Evelyn Foster’s face turned a bit pale. “Your Majesty, I am guilty.”

　　“Ha, a foolish ruler.” William Carter laughed loudly. “Interesting. Then what if I really become a foolish ruler?”

　　“Your Majesty!” Evelyn Foster grew anxious and hurriedly advised, “You must not! Your Majesty has finally broken the evil spell and should devote yourself to good governance again…”

　　“What does it matter if I am a wise ruler or a foolish one?” William Carter lazily reclined on the lounge chair, tilting his head to gaze at the intricately decorated ceiling.

　　After a moment’s thought, Evelyn Foster understood. His eyes lit up. “Your Majesty means to confuse…”

　　“Exactly. I will play the part of a foolish ruler, and I’ll do it to the end.” William Carter smiled. “Evelyn Foster, you are now the only person I trust. Don’t let me down.”

　　A surge of hot blood rushed through Evelyn Foster, and he kowtowed forcefully on the ground. “I will repay Your Majesty’s favor with my life. Anyone who wants to harm Your Majesty will have to step over my dead body first.”

　　William Carter nodded in satisfaction. For an ordinary transmigrator, winning over a trusted confidant would be extremely difficult—especially someone as capable as Evelyn Foster. But as the emperor, in the eyes of most, he was enthroned by Heaven’s will, the Son of Heaven. With a few methods, it was not hard to win the loyalty of devoted men.

　　“By the way, Evelyn Foster.” William Carter frowned slightly and asked seriously, “You’ve probably heard that I’ve recently suffered from amnesia and can’t remember most things from before. Tell me, as a third-rank armed bodyguard, how strong are you personally?”

　　“Personally?” Evelyn Foster was a bit confused, scratching his head, unsure how to answer. He frowned and said, “If it’s a one-on-one fight, my martial arts are fairly decent.”

　　“Martial arts?” William Carter grew interested and stood up. “Come, let’s find a secluded place. Gather a few colleagues you trust and show me your skills.”

　　Evelyn Foster dared not refuse and called a few guards at the door. Together, they went to the emperor’s private training ground. The founding emperor had established the nation by force and valued martial prowess, so when the palace was built, a special training ground was constructed for the emperor, hoping his descendants would not forget the martial spirit. Unfortunately, after more than a hundred years, no emperor had bothered with such strenuous activities.

　　The guards who came with him, though they appeared nervous before William Carter, straightened their chests after a few stern words from Evelyn Foster.

　　“Your Majesty, I’ll have these two spar first.” After William Carter agreed, he called out two names: “Charles Brooks, Samuel Grant. You two, have a match.”

　　The two guards, clad in half-armor, first saluted William Carter respectfully, then walked to the center of the training ground. After separating by several meters, they drew their swords and began to clash. Clang, clang, clang—a series of crisp sounds rang out as their blades met. William Carter squinted, watching their duel with interest.