Michael King stood in front of a cluster of blooming flowers, but in his mind, he was thinking of James Lee. It was probably not just the defeat of Samuel Young's army; more importantly, the death of James Lee had disrupted the plans of Wuchuan Prefecture.

Just then, a young boy hurried over and bowed to Michael King, “Mr. King, the teacher, the master requests your presence.”

Michael King perked up. After waiting for half an hour, the old man was finally willing to see him.

Michael King followed the boy into the inner residence. The two entered a large courtyard, where four warriors stood, gripping their swords, motionless like four stone statues.

The boy led him through the main entrance of a three-story building, but instead of going upstairs, they walked to a stone door at the very back.

The boy raised a silver token to the warrior beside the stone door and said to Michael King, “The master is waiting inside. Please, Mr. King, the teacher.”

This mysterious stone door had only been entered by Michael King once in the past three years. This was the true forbidden area of Wuchuan Academy; trespassers would be killed without mercy. The academy itself existed to conceal its presence.

Michael King walked through the stone door, which quietly closed behind him. Inside was a long bluestone corridor, with oil lamps set in wall niches on both sides, making the corridor appear somewhat dim and eerie.

He quickly walked down the bluestone corridor, climbed a few stone steps, and entered the main hall of another building. This building was constructed entirely of bluestone, with no windows. In the center was a square skylight about three meters across, through which sunlight shone directly, illuminating the spacious and empty hall.

On a stone platform in the center of the skylight sat a massive bronze cauldron, engraved with three powerful seal script characters: ‘Wuchuan Prefecture’.

With a solemn expression, Michael King knelt beneath the bronze cauldron and kowtowed three times before ascending the spiral staircase along the wall.

He reached the third floor and stood respectfully before a door. “Master, I am here,” he said.

“Come in!” came an aged voice from inside.

Michael King slid open the door in front of him. The room had wooden floors, was completely empty, and spotlessly clean.

But inside sat three people, seemingly discussing important matters. On the right was an elderly man of about seventy, tall and imposing, with a large lion-like nose and a commanding presence. This was the head of the Dugu family, Henry Douglas, the fifth son of Dugu Xin, Grand Marshal of Northern Zhou, and Duke of Shu in the Sui dynasty.

On the left was a middle-aged man in a purple robe, nearly fifty, with a face as fair as jade, though his features were quite ordinary. He had a kind and gentle demeanor, giving off a warm and friendly impression. He was none other than the newly arrived Duke of Tang, George Lee.

Although George Lee was also one of the founders of Wuchuan Prefecture, he had spent most of his years serving as an official elsewhere and rarely visited. Today, he had been specially invited to discuss important matters.

Seated cross-legged on a meditation cushion in the center was an elderly man with white hair and a youthful face. His long, silvery hair draped over his shoulders, and his snowy white beard was a foot long. He wore a pale yellow Daoist robe with a Taiji pattern and was intently stroking a gleaming sword.

If Eric Bolton saw him, he would surely be startled, for just earlier he had been chatting with this very old man about the war in Liaodong.

Michael King hurried forward and knelt. “Greetings, Master!”

This white-bearded elder was the master of Wuchuan Prefecture, named Simon Stone, the second most important figure in the Guanlong Dou family. According to the customs of Wuchuan Prefecture, the master was changed every two years, and it was currently the Dou family's turn.

In fact, the three of them were closely related by marriage: Henry Douglas was George Lee's uncle, and Simon Stone was George Lee's father-in-law.

Simon Stone raised his eyelids, his sharp gaze fixed on Michael King. “I want to know if there was a wax pellet among James Lee's belongings.”

Michael King quickly took a wax pellet from his robe. “Reporting to Master, the wax pellet was not on James Lee. He said it was unsafe to keep it on himself, so he entrusted it to me for safekeeping!” He presented the wax pellet to the master.

Simon Stone took the wax pellet, examined it for a moment, then crushed it. Inside was a sheet of extremely thin white silk, densely covered with tiny characters. He read through the letter carefully, then asked Michael King, “Any other important news?”

“There is also the fact that Samuel Young was actually released privately by Thomas Carter!”

This news surprised the three men. They exchanged glances, and Henry Douglas sneered, “Just as I expected. Samuel Young's rebellion implicated countless aristocratic clans. Many court officials would love nothing more than to see Samuel Young dead, to cover up their own collusion with him. But Thomas Carter is a wily old fox. By sparing Samuel Young, he ensures that countless powerful nobles will try to curry favor with him, allowing him to reap enormous benefits. Once he’s gotten what he wants, Samuel Young will be disposed of.”

Simon Stone nodded. That was likely the reason, but for now, they had more pressing matters to attend to. Simon Stone asked again, “Anything else?”

Michael King quickly replied, “Nothing else, Master. The informant has been brought by me and is waiting in the guest hall. He is not only an eyewitness to Thomas Carter privately releasing Samuel Young, but was also at James Lee's side when he died. If you wish to know more, you can question him directly.”

Simon Stone smiled slightly. He had already spoken with this Eric Bolton; the young man was quite decent and had some insight.

At this moment, Henry Douglas coughed heavily and said in a drawn-out voice, “I don't have much time. Let's discuss how to handle the aftermath!”

Simon Stone smiled and said to Michael King, “Wait outside for a moment. I’ll need you again shortly.”