William Carter immediately stood up and said, “I want to join the winter hunt too!”

This body may not excel in other areas, but it has an extraordinary talent for archery—able to draw a one-stone horn bow and never miss a shot within fifty paces. Hunting is a form of military training in the Spring and Autumn period, a rare opportunity to showcase one’s skills. Maybe this could make Edward Carter see him in a new light.

“But Father didn’t say you could go,” Henry Blake looked at her tall younger brother, a bit worried.

William Carter chuckled, “Did Father ever say I couldn’t go?”

Henry Blake shook her head cutely, “Well, no, he didn’t…”

She immediately understood—yes, it had always been like this. William was never the center of attention at home; sometimes he wasn’t even called for banquets. But whenever Henry Blake dragged him along, no one would drive him away—well, except for last time.

“According to the rites, sons should accompany each other on hunts. Looks like there’s no problem with you going, but you must be careful and not anger Father again!”

William Carter spread his arms and struck a strong pose toward her. “Sister, just wait at home. I’ll redeem myself and return with countless game!”

Kind-hearted Henry Blake frowned slightly, “I actually don’t want you to kill too much. If you care, bring back a few live animals for me to raise…”

In fact, Henry Blake was very happy. Ever since his recent illness, William had forgotten most of his old manners, but he had become much more motivated and energetic, which made her both gratified and worried.

But seeing William about to leave, Henry Blake quickly grabbed the corner of his robe. “Come back, are you leaving just like this?”

“Of course not, I still need to get my bow and arrows.”

Henry Blake couldn’t help but laugh and cry. She patiently explained, “Are you planning to imitate that Duke of Qi who was utterly defeated at the Battle of An, wanting to ‘finish this meal before the morning ends’? Sit down and eat first, then I’ll explain the proper etiquette to you…”

Chapter 3: A Man Without a Chariot Has It Tough

As Henry Blake served rice for William, she said, “The morning sacrifice just ended, so I brought fresh rice to Father, then hurried over here to you, working up a sweat. Yet you’re heartless enough not to finish the story, and now you’re singing complaints like ‘the chopsticks and spoon are gone, there’s no meat to eat,’ sigh.”

Though she complained, when William Carter leaned over to wipe the sweat from her forehead, the dimples at the corners of her mouth betrayed her enjoyment.

A young woman serving a meal with such respect was usually reserved for fathers, brothers, or husbands, but she made an exception for her half-brother. Touched, William Carter sat up straight and received the meal with utmost respect.

The fine rice was a bit sticky and rather plain, but compared to the food in the stables, it was much better: minor officials ate unpolished brown rice, servants only had bean-leaf soup and rice bran, with vegetarian paste made from beans as a side, and only two meals a day—morning and evening.

Following the etiquette of not speaking while eating, he finished the last bite, drank a cup of thick sour gruel, and then asked about the hunting rituals.

It turned out that in the Spring and Autumn period, the spring, summer, autumn, and winter hunts were all scheduled during the agricultural off-season. This was how the lords trained in archery, horsemanship, and chariot driving—of course, all with strict rules.

If William Carter wanted to participate, first, he had to have a war chariot, so he could proudly stand atop it and ride with the guests, bow in hand.

So, after bidding farewell to his sister, William Carter hurried to the chariot house.

He had always thought that the saying “cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, bring peace to the world” would be problematic in later generations.

Why should one have to regulate the family before governing the state and bringing peace to the world? Isn’t family a private matter?

But in the context of the Spring and Autumn period, it made perfect sense, because the concept of “family” was different from later times.

Now, William Carter understood a bit.

A family was the fief of a noble. A family had its own land, its own people, its own army, and its own economy—like the Zhao family estate.

In short, the family was the first power a noble could wield, the basic unit of Jin’s feudal system. If you couldn’t manage your own family, how could you talk about governing the state or bringing peace to the world? Go home and daydream.

Since the family was so important, someone had to help manage it—thus, the family retainers.

The steward was the chief among the retainers, overseeing all family affairs—like that steward Yin Duo, who dared to argue with the master Edward Carter. Below the steward were various other retainer positions, usually passed down from generation to generation.

This hereditary retainer system, which William Carter saw as somewhat stagnant and lacking in vitality, nevertheless produced many loyal retainers willing to die for their lord.

A certain Qi noble once rebuked a retainer who betrayed his master in front of Duke Jing of Qi: “You, as a private family retainer, want to serve the public ruler? That’s the greatest crime!”

And Duke Jing, representing the public interest, actually agreed wholeheartedly.

This was the Spring and Autumn view of loyalty: my lord’s lord is not my lord. That about sums it up.

For example, the man before William Carter now—the family retainer in charge of the Zhao clan’s chariots, “Chache.”