So, for more than ten days in a row, David Bolton and Henry Bolton's two sons, plus the three daughters-in-law Baker, Fletcher, and Bennett, were all so busy their feet barely touched the ground. The grandchildren like James Bolton were also being sent around in circles, and even the two granddaughters, Olivia Bolton and Emily Bolton, were not spared. However, as the eldest grandson of the main branch, Joe Bolton was quite at leisure, only needing to accompany Sullivan to meet guests, and all the countless red envelopes and lucky money went straight into his pocket. Charlie Bolton and Jack Bolton looked on with envy, but could only grumble behind his back, feeling all the more disappointed.

In order to comfort these two cousins who had suffered a major blow from being ignored, James Bolton spent a lot of effort persuading them, and finally managed to soothe them by pointing out that Joe Bolton would have to leave sooner or later.

He himself had no fondness for his cousin Joe Bolton either. By rights, the youngest in the family should be the most lovable, but Joe Bolton always acted clever and obedient in front of the adults, while looking down his nose at his peers, so much so that among the siblings he had earned the nickname "Skyward Eyes."

At this moment, James Bolton was trying on new clothes specially made for his grandmother's birthday tomorrow. Who would have thought that just as he took off his old outer garment, Charlie Bolton came rushing in, grabbing him around the neck without a care.

"Third brother, did you know? They say that Skyward Eyes is going to formally become an apprentice at the birthday celebration tomorrow, and it was Uncle himself who pulled strings for it!"

James Bolton couldn't help but find this baffling, rolling his eyes as he said, "What does that have to do with us?"

"Do you really not know, or are you pretending? If it weren't for Aunt always praising Skyward Eyes as a prodigy in front of Grandmother, would Grandmother have been so cold to us these days? Don't forget, Uncle even said you were lazy and unstudious the other day! To think I used to believe Uncle was a good person, but it turns out he's just as scheming as Mother said..."

"Ahem!" James Bolton coughed hard, just managing to stop Charlie Bolton from blurting out the word "scheming" in front of Ethan Clark. Seeing that only Ethan Clark was in the room, he had to lower his voice and ask, "Even if he's going to become an apprentice, that's Uncle's arrangement. What can you do about it?"

"Isn't it just that he can write a few crooked poems? Did you forget there's also a prodigy at the academy, Little Ben Sullivan? Don't worry, leave this to me. I'm just letting you know—just wait and watch the show!"

James Bolton was about to remind him, but saw Charlie Bolton dash off in a flash, leaving him to shake his head in exasperation. Even prodigies have ranks: those from powerful and wealthy families are naturally precious, while those from poor families need luck to stand out. Pitting Benjamin Sullivan against Joe Bolton? Only Charlie Bolton could come up with that!

What does it mean to be Heaven's favored child? First, your family must have both wealth and power, and you yourself must be the darling in your elders' hands—only then are you truly Heaven's favored!

Chapter Fourteen: Distinguished Guests Fill the Door

The fifteenth of May was the sixtieth birthday of The Bolton Family's Old Lady Sullivan. Starting a month in advance, The Bolton Family had sent invitations to distinguished guests everywhere, so from early morning, the alley in front of The Bolton Family's grand residence was packed to the brim. The long line of sedan chairs stretched all the way outside the alley, and even so, people kept arriving from all directions.

Ever since the whole The Bolton Family family opened the central gate to welcome the imperial envoy from Nanjing and joyfully received the official decree conferring the title of Second-Rank Lady upon the matron, even those who hadn't received invitations were thinking of taking the opportunity to forge connections—how could there not be a crowd?

As a result, those welcoming guests at the gate of The Bolton Family's mansion were smiling so much their faces cramped, those registering names were parched from announcing arrivals, those recording gifts and names had hands trembling from fatigue, and the runners serving tea and water had blisters on their feet from running around. Even the kitchen and tea room, with double the usual staff, were severely overloaded... Even so, with triple the monthly wages and bonuses on offer, everyone gritted their teeth and kept going without pause.

At this moment, David Bolton was in Ruiqing Hall, smiling warmly as he chatted with several distinguished guests. Although he was saying all sorts of pleasant things, his eyes kept glancing outside. As he did so, others couldn't help but look out as well, all wondering to themselves—just what, or whom, was he waiting for?

Henry Bolton had no official post or title, and since Ruiqing Hall was for entertaining officials, he naturally couldn't mingle there as a commoner, so he was only receiving family relatives in the two side halls. Although he was the main branch of The Bolton Family, among the guests were scholars and even some who had held office, so as a hereditary student, most of the time he could only listen to others' lofty discussions and offer a polite smile.

"Father!"

At the sudden call, Henry Bolton immediately turned around and, looking down, saw it was his son James Bolton, which made his heart skip a beat. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention, he hurriedly pulled him over to the side door.

"Didn't I tell you to stay with the old lady? Why did you come out here?"

"Fourth brother is there, what do they need us for?"

James Bolton curled his lip, then pointed to the long corridor on the side: "Second Aunt found an excuse to leave, Eldest Brother and Second Brother slipped away too, even Eldest Sister and Second Sister quietly withdrew. Was I supposed to just stand there like a wooden post? Fourth brother recited three poems in a row, and all those ladies and gentlewomen were full of praise for his unique style—how could Grandmother notice anyone else now?"