James Bolton was in turmoil. Financial authority was an extremely important power in any family, and according to clan rules, it should be held by the family head. However, since Big Brother had been serving as an official in the capital, he had entrusted the financial authority to him for safekeeping, and it had been nearly ten years now. Suddenly being asked to hand it over—his feelings aside—what worried James Bolton even more was what he would do if that matter were to be exposed.

To make matters worse, the rule in the clan that illegitimate sons could not hold clan authority had been abolished fifteen years ago. What was he supposed to do now?

“Big Brother, Eighteenth Brother needs to finish his studies; I’m afraid he doesn’t have the time.”

Edward Bolton waved his hand and smiled slightly. “It’s not as if he’ll be doing the bookkeeping himself, just approving the income and expenses. It won’t take much effort. Besides, he’ll be taking the imperial exam next spring, and if he passes, he’ll be entering officialdom. I just want him to gain some experience for a few months, nothing more. Third Brother, there’s no need to overthink it.”

But even if it was just for experience, it would take at least half a year. How could that account be kept hidden for so long? Seeing that Big Brother was about to make the decision, James Bolton blurted out in desperation, “Big Brother, he’s an illegitimate son, and was brought back by Sixth Brother from outside as his illegitimate child. How can he hold clan authority? Have you forgotten about John Bolton?”

He abruptly shut his mouth, realizing he had spoken out of turn.

At this moment, Edward Bolton walked slowly to the window with his hands behind his back. Though only ten years had passed, the drifting white clouds made it feel like a thousand years. He gazed silently at the sky, a trace of sorrow flashing in his eyes.

What James Bolton referred to was the most serious crisis the The Bolton Family clan had faced in over a hundred years. It was precisely because of this incident that Edward Bolton had never attained the position of Right Chancellor.

Fifteen years ago, the Huihe people watered their horses in the Central Plains, and the great noble families all recruited volunteer soldiers to drive out the Tartar invaders. The The Bolton Family thus produced a military genius unseen in a century, an illegitimate son from a concubine, John Bolton. When Taiyuan fell and the The Bolton Family faced annihilation, it was he who recruited volunteer troops in Changshan Commandery, devised brilliant strategies to defeat the elite Huihe cavalry in three consecutive battles, and reclaimed Taiyuan. The The Bolton Family thus gained command of eighty thousand Hedong troops, enough to rival the other great families. After the war, the seven great families agreed to take turns serving as chancellor, each holding supreme power in the court for five years.

Ten years ago, it should have been Edward Bolton’s turn to be chancellor, but the head of the Cui family, Cui Yuan, successfully sowed discord within the The Bolton Family. All the legitimate members of the The Bolton Family clan forced John Bolton to relinquish his military command. In anger, John Bolton broke away from the The Bolton Family, taking the eighty thousand Hedong troops with him. He established his own house, was recognized by the Cui family as the legitimate The Bolton Family line, and was supported as Right Chancellor. But within half a year, his military power was completely seized by the Cui family, and the position of Right Chancellor was also taken by Cui Yuan.

As a result, the Hedong The Bolton Family suffered a devastating blow, left as an empty shell, with no strength to compete with the other great families. This incident had always been a deep-seated hatred in the The Bolton Family, forbidden to be mentioned by anyone. Moreover, since it had happened in utmost secrecy, only the six brothers of Edward Bolton knew the truth.

Today, in his desperation, James Bolton suddenly brought up this matter, intending to argue that illegitimate sons should not be used. Edward Bolton was silent for a long time, then suddenly let out a gentle sigh and slowly said, “We’ve already made one mistake; we cannot make a second. There are some things I cannot tell you, and you don’t need to know. The matter of Eighteenth Brother is settled!”

……

The September sunlight was like the love of a forty-year-old man—warm but lacking in heat. Under its rays, passersby became a bit lazy, and those hurrying along slowed their pace.

Henry Bolton exited the main gate of The Bolton Residence, strode across a crescent-shaped wooden bridge, and after walking another two li, would reach the southern market of Taiyuan Prefecture. Linzhi Hall was at the very edge of the southern market.

Taiyuan was the birthplace of the Tang Empire, and so it was designated as the Northern Capital. It was also the political and economic center of Hedong, densely populated and commercially prosperous. The layout of Taiyuan was like a chessboard, divided into forty wards, with three main avenues running east-west and north-south, connecting the entire city.

On both sides of the main streets were high walls separating the wards. All commercial activities were distributed within the wards, and for ease of taxation and management, all buying and selling had to take place in designated markets—no unauthorized street vending was allowed. Each ward had its own market, much like the trade markets of later generations, and there were also grass markets in the rural towns. For large-scale trade, there were special northern and southern markets: the northern market sold luxury goods like silks, jewelry, and jade, while the southern market sold daily necessities like grain and sundries, and business there was far more prosperous than in the north.

The reason the The Bolton Family clan estate was adjacent to the southern market was that all the land in the southern market belonged to their The Bolton Family, and the shops were all built by The Bolton Family as well. The annual rental income alone amounted to over a hundred thousand strings of cash, making it the largest source of income for The Bolton Family apart from the rents from their estates.

After the chaos of war subsided, the court, in order to encourage population growth and expand its revenue, enacted a series of incentive measures. One of these was to relax restrictions on merchants, such as abolishing merchant registration, allowing merchants to dress like commoners, and permitting them to ride horses.

Passing through the bustling cloth market, ahead was the area where medicinal shops were concentrated. This street was lined with pharmacies—over a dozen in total—selling all kinds of medicinal materials. By custom, each pharmacy had several resident physicians. Most interestingly, at the end of the street was a coffin shop, which also sold spirit money and burial clothes, providing a one-stop service for birth, aging, sickness, and death—this street had it all.