“Oh, today Father tested our calligraphy, and I was lucky enough to get first place. While he was in a good mood, I begged him to let me come visit you. He agreed, so I dared to come—otherwise, I wouldn’t have the guts you do.” Henry Thompson said half-jokingly, feeling rather helpless about his younger brother: unruly, domineering, utterly fearless, and spoiled by their mother, which made Howard Thompson a typical pampered troublemaker. Sometimes, even as the elder brother, he didn’t know what to do with him. Fortunately, Scott Thompson was more sensible, so their relationship was actually quite good.

George Thompson looked a bit embarrassed and forced a couple of awkward laughs, not knowing what to say.

“All right, enough joking.” Henry Thompson put down his teacup, his expression turning a bit more serious. “Actually, I came this time for another important reason—to give you a heads-up. This news isn’t good for you!”

“What news?” Richard Thompson was startled by Henry Thompson’s serious demeanor. “Don’t tell me the Xiao family wants to break off the engagement?”

“How could the Xiao family’s concubine-born daughter becoming your princess consort not be a great honor for them? Why would they break off the engagement? If anyone’s breaking it off, it would be us, not them. How could you have such a ridiculous idea?” Henry Thompson frowned, looking displeased. His own younger brother marrying a concubine’s daughter as his princess consort was already embarrassing for him as the elder brother. On this matter, he agreed with Consort Yang—they both wanted to find a way to call off the engagement.

It wasn’t really about breaking off the engagement, so Alan Thompson immediately felt relieved. For no reason at all, he’d gotten such a beautiful fiancée. Although in the eyes of Tang people, the Xiao family’s concubine-born daughter was marrying above her station, for Jack Thompson, it was just the opposite. After all, he still hadn’t fully adapted to his current status as a prince, and his thinking often carried traces of his past life as Robert Thompson, so he blurted out that silly question.

“What other bad news could there be?” William Thompson said with a hint of resignation.

“You’re already fourteen this year. According to the rules, you have to serve as an official in a distant region for a year. I’ve heard that Father wants to appoint you as governor of Yizhou.”

“Yizhou? That’s a great place!” Philip Thompson said with genuine excitement. Yizhou is what later generations call Chengdu, the Land of Abundance. Strange-flavored noodles, long chao shou, spicy rabbit heads, and all sorts of delicacies—especially Sichuan’s world-famous spicy hotpot. Unfortunately, chili peppers are still in the Americas at this time, so many dishes can’t be made yet, which was a big disappointment for the spice-loving Louis Thompson. Still, the Sichuan Basin is a land of plenty, so sampling Tang dynasty Sichuan cuisine isn’t bad either. Looks like Abraham Lincoln really does care for his unfilial son!

“A great place?” Henry Thompson was utterly exasperated with his ignorant brother, who couldn’t even tell good from bad. He couldn’t help but raise his voice: “Yizhou is in Jiannan Circuit, where the people are fierce and the miasma is rampant. The roads to Shu are treacherous—it takes at least two months to get there. Plus, it’s right next to Tuyuhun. Although the army pacified Tuyuhun last year, to the southwest is Tibet, which is growing stronger by the day and constantly clashing with Tuyuhun. War could break out at any moment. Do you still think it’s a good place?”

George Thompson was dumbfounded, not expecting his cheap old man to be so ruthless, sending him to such a dangerous place. He’d be lucky to survive, let alone come out unscathed. But thinking about it, it made sense—Abraham Lincoln was notorious for killing his own brothers and sons. Being tough on his son was hardly surprising. For example, his fifth brother, Prince Qi Samuel Thompson, would be ordered to die by Abraham Lincoln in a few years. Realizing this, George Thompson felt a chill run down his spine. Looks like he’d better find a way to win over his cheap old man in the future!

“Father is really ruthless—I’m only fourteen!” Philip Thompson said angrily. “What about Mother? What does she think?” Now he could only hope Consort Yang would plead for him. Lately, Brian Thompson had noticed that his mother, Consort Yang, seemed to be in Abraham Lincoln’s good graces. Many of his past misdeeds had been smoothed over by her interceding with Abraham Lincoln.

“Sigh, you’re already grown up. How can you always rely on Mother’s protection?” Henry Thompson said, a bit exasperated. “Father may dote on Mother, but you know his temperament. For trivial matters, Mother can still plead for you, but for something this important, she’s already tried several times and it hasn’t worked. Plus, with the Empress’s illness getting worse, Father is in a terrible mood, and Mother doesn’t dare push too hard. In the end, it all depends on you.”

“Me? What can I do? You know as well as I do—Father doesn’t like me at all. No matter how much I beg, it’s useless.” Louis Thompson said dejectedly. By now, he had fully accepted his identity as Prince Liang.

Henry Thompson also sighed. He knew very well how Father felt about his younger brother—not just dislike, but outright aversion. That’s why Victor Thompson was being sent to such a remote and dangerous post; it was clearly a case of “out of sight, out of mind.”

“How about this: you write a confession letter right away, and I’ll take it back to present to Father. Then I’ll plead for you and see if he’ll let you serve somewhere closer to Chang’an, so it’ll be easier for you to visit Mother in the future.” Henry Thompson thought for a moment, but this was the only idea he could come up with. The chances of success were slim, but it was better than doing nothing.