On one hand, it could bring in some extra income; on the other, it was also to keep them close and nurture them...

Therefore, in the Tang Dynasty, any young man between the ages of eleven and twenty-one who had not yet come of age could serve as an attendant.

According to age, as the legitimate eldest son, William Harris was also the best candidate for the position of attendant.

But it was precisely because of that nursery rhyme that Robert Harris completely overlooked William Harris and chose Ryan Harris to take over. If it weren’t for that nursery rhyme, Robert Harris’s decision might have been opposed by other officials. Yet, because of that nursery rhyme, Ryan Harris became the attendant as a matter of course, and even the county magistrate, the assistant magistrate, and the registrar had no objections.

As for the originator of this nursery rhyme, it wasn’t hard to guess.

William Harris was now fully awake; with just a little thought, he could figure out the clues.

Who was the ultimate beneficiary of this nursery rhyme? Then, nine times out of ten, that’s the originator... To be honest, William Harris didn’t care about the so-called attendant position; the key was that Ryan Harris was too arrogant—he actually scared Emily to tears, which William Harris absolutely could not accept.

Robert Harris lived in the county town and paid him no attention.

For seventeen years, to William Harris, the closest people were none other than his grandfather and the The Harris Family mother and daughter.

In his heart, Emily was by no means a servant, but his little sister, his family. Ryan Harris scaring Emily to tears was like touching William Harris’s reverse scale. In this situation, William Harris naturally wouldn’t be polite to Ryan Harris.

“What do you mean, ‘what’!” William Harris sneered. “Are you surprised that I could actually figure out the truth?

Er Lang, it’s not that I’m smart, it’s that you’re too stupid! You think you did this flawlessly, that by getting some kids to spread that nursery rhyme you could get away with it? Let me tell you, everyone in town with half a brain knows who did it. It’s just that this is our family’s business—people don’t want to get involved, nor do they care to.”

As he spoke, William Harris squatted down and reached out to slap Ryan Harris’s cheeks.

“The reason I didn’t say anything is because I know family scandals shouldn’t be made public.

You think you’ve blackened my name and gained an advantage? Let me tell you, everyone in Changping knows what’s going on, including Father. It’s just that you don’t care about the Yang family’s reputation, but Father and I can’t ignore it.”

“You’re not...”

“I’m not an idiot, right?”

William Harris said coldly, “But you’d never have guessed that lightning strike a few days ago actually cured my foolishness... Oh, and lately, quite a few people in the village have been saying I was a bad person in my past life, which is why I was struck by lightning. I suppose that’s got something to do with you, too.

But Er Lang, do you know the saying ‘a blessing in disguise’?

If you’d just come over honestly today, I wouldn’t have minded, and you could go on pretending to be the second young master here. But you got too cocky—so cocky that I feel if I don’t teach you a lesson, I’d be letting down that lightning bolt.”

With that, William Harris slapped Ryan Harris across the face more than a dozen times, left and right.

Although he didn’t use full force, those slaps still left Ryan Harris’s face covered in blood.

“Brother Sizi, stop hitting him.”

It was still Emily who ran forward and hugged William Harris’s arm.

“Emily doesn’t hurt, and Brother Sizi shouldn’t hit Second Young Master anymore. Otherwise, if Master finds out, he’ll definitely blame Brother Sizi.”

Emily’s eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at William Harris with a pleading gaze.

That pitiful little look made William Harris’s heart soften, so he stopped and hugged Emily in his arms.

“Emily is the best. It’s Brother’s fault—I shouldn’t have hit anyone.

But, some people just need to be taught a lesson... Er Lang, today, for Emily’s sake, I won’t hold it against you. Next time, think carefully—if you want another beating, I, William Harris, am no longer the old Yang the Fool. You can try me.”

At this moment, Ryan Harris was completely dazed.

Both cheeks were swollen and red, and blood was flowing from his mouth and nose.

He was scheming, clever, he could even make up songs... but no matter what, he was still just a thirteen-year-old child. That round of slaps from William Harris had truly left Ryan Harris shaken. Seeing William Harris stop, Ryan Harris finally got up from the ground clutching his head, but glared fiercely at William Harris.

“If you glare at me again, I’ll gouge your eyes out.”

William Harris turned his head and said coldly.

Ryan Harris turned pale with fright, quickly lowered his head, and didn’t dare meet William Harris’s gaze again.

“Get inside.”

As William Harris spoke, he bent down to set Emily down, took her little hand, and walked toward the main hall, calling out as he went, “Auntie, you can serve the meal now, I’m hungry!”

Chapter Five: Murder Case (Part One)

Silently uploading, quietly asking for a recommendation!

The first year of the Shengli era, 698 AD.

Living in such an era, don’t expect to eat any lavish meals; even having a stir-fried dish is unlikely.

William Harris’s dinner was braised cured mutton.

Millet at the base, with slices of cured mutton on top, so the aroma of the mutton mixed with the millet, and at the same time, some of the greasiness was offset. Besides that, there were two plates of greens. But they looked so bland and watery, it was hard to feel any appetite.