The little eunuch’s tears slid down as he said, “Second Master, how can you say such things? If you hadn’t saved me, my wretched life would have ended long ago. You rescued me from the Beggars’ Sect, you healed my broken leg, you got me out of that hellhole, and all those years at home you treated me like your own younger brother. I can never repay your immense kindness in this lifetime.”

　　Even though Samuel Stone in the neighboring cell was still snoring away, the two of them kept their voices low as they spoke.

　　Henry Clark said nothing, only reaching out to gently stroke the eunuch Olivia’s head.

　　“Olivia, are you doing well in the palace? Has anyone bullied you?”

　　“To be honest, it’s not as good as being by your side,” the little eunuch replied. “There are good people in the palace, and there are bad ones. But for someone like me, most of them are bad.”

　　Henry Clark asked, “And how does she treat you?”

　　“She’s pretty good,” the little eunuch said. “She trusts me a lot.”

　　Henry Clark asked, “When something happened to me here, how did she react?”

　　The little eunuch whispered, “Mistress Yi was very disappointed that you deserted before the battle, but she’s extremely anxious about you being executed as a warning. For me to be able to leave the capital and come south under the pretense of official business this time, she put in a lot of effort and spent a lot of the family’s money.”

　　Here, “the family” refers to Henry Clark’s family, since he had been with Henry Clark ever since he was six.

　　Just from this sentence, it was clear that Olivia was truly loyal to Henry Clark.

　　“Silly child, don’t say things like that in the future. She is your mistress now, and your life is in her hands.” Henry Clark ruffled his head.

　　Olivia said, “Don’t worry, I’m not that foolish.”

　　Then there was silence, until the little eunuch Olivia broke it, speaking in a low voice: “Second Master, whatever you want me to do, as long as it can save your life, I’ll do anything.”

　　Zeng Guofan’s determination to kill him was absolute. The reasons behind it were also extremely complicated.

　　Especially since his future father-in-law, James Sullivan, was still nowhere to be found.

　　The previous transmigrator couldn’t figure it out, but Henry Clark immediately sensed something was wrong.

　　Henry Clark’s throat seemed to tighten. “You might lose your life. If you’re exposed, you could be cut to pieces.”

　　“It’s fine, I’ll do it,” the little eunuch Olivia said quietly, clearly having thought it through many times on the way here.

　　Henry Clark said, “You need to do two things—one in the open, one in secret; one real, one fake!”

　　Then, Henry Clark whispered in his ear for a full three minutes, and the little eunuch Olivia’s eyes grew more and more shocked.

　　When did his Second Master become so bold? So cunning?

　　The previous Second Master was a good person, but not very bright.

　　“Did you hear everything clearly?” Henry Clark asked.

　　The little eunuch Olivia replied in a trembling voice, “Very clearly. I know what to do.”

　　Henry Clark asked, “Can you get the timing right?”

　　“I can!”

　　Then, Olivia knelt down and kowtowed hard several times.

　　“Take care, Second Master. I’m off.”

　　Then, without looking back, he dashed into the night to carry out a task that could get him cut to pieces.

Chapter 3: Too Crazy

　　In the darkness, the little eunuch Olivia actually headed southwest.

　　That… was the Taiping Army’s camp. Was he going to collude with the Taiping Army? No wonder it was called a crime punishable by a thousand cuts.

　　After the crushing defeat at Wuchang, the Taiping Army had retreated to Tianjia Town and Jiujiang.

　　At this time, there were a full hundred thousand troops spread across this area.

　　Several hours later.

　　The little eunuch Olivia, blindfolded, was brought before a Taiping Army officer.

　　“Speak! If your information is useless, I’ll chop your head off right now.”

　　The little eunuch Olivia said, “I know where your Prince Yi’s elder brother Samuel Stone is being held.”

　　The Taiping Army officer immediately shot to his feet. “Where?”

　　The little eunuch Olivia said, “Guangji City, in the private prison of Zhang Million’s manor.”

　　Then, Olivia took out a map of Guangji City. “This northwest corner is Zhang Million’s manor.”

　　“I know that place. It’s a big military camp now,” the Taiping Army officer said impatiently.

　　The little eunuch Olivia took out another map. “This is a rough layout of Zhang Million’s manor. Here is the exact location of the private prison.”

　　The Taiping Army officer picked up the map, thinking to himself, “No wonder our spies could never find him. Lord John Stone isn’t in the county jail, but in a private prison owned by a rich man.”

　　Then, Olivia explained in detail the soldiers’ deployment and patrol patterns at Zhang Million’s manor.

　　The Taiping Army officer said, “So what if we know? Zhang Million’s manor isn’t in the county seat, but it’s surrounded by Xiang Army troops. There are thousands of soldiers inside the manor itself. If we try to break in and rescue him, it’s just wishful thinking.”

　　Olivia said, “Three days from now, the Xiang Army will fight a decisive battle with you. The day after tomorrow, all the Xiang Army troops in Guangji City will head to the front lines, so all the camps around Zhang Million’s manor will be empty. That will be the weakest moment in their defenses, and your best chance to break in and rescue him.”

　　“But you won’t have much time, because in the middle of the night the day after tomorrow, Samuel Stone will be escorted to the front lines. At dawn, he’ll be executed in front of the army as a warning. You’ll have at most a three-hour window.”

　　“I’ve calculated it many times. The day after tomorrow at the hour of the dog is the best time for you to storm Zhang Million’s manor and rescue Samuel Stone.”