Edward Carter still remembered that Peter Wright seemed to have a daughter around ten years old. Should he consider arranging a marriage between one of his own sons and her? By means of marriage, the Zhao and Le families, as well as the states of Jin and Song, could strengthen their ties.

The hunting ground was at Mianshang, not far from the Zhao residence. This place had originally been the site where the ruler reviewed his troops, but now it had almost become the private property of the Zhao clan.

Soon, the yellow and green mountains and forests of winter came into distant view. Here, Edward Carter had newly built pavilions and tall towers for viewing the scenery, and the open space below the high platform was where the Zhao sons and family retainers’ carriages waited.

Peter Wright gazed into the distance and said with a smile, “As the ancients said, hunting is a way to discuss military matters. Group hunts are also a good method for training the army. The Jin army has always been famous among the lords for its ‘orderly leisure.’ Today, Wright will watch and see the Zhao clan’s troops.”

Edward Carter was about to respond modestly, but at a glance, he noticed that his own carriage team was unexpectedly noisy and disorderly.

This scene felt like a slap in the face to Edward Carter. He forced himself to apologize to Peter Wright, then instructed the charioteer Frank Bell to drive over and see what was going on.

He saw that in the Zhao clan’s carriage team, there were three conspicuous single riders more than usual, and one of them was actually his illegitimate son William.

At this moment, William Carter was sitting on horseback with his eyes lowered, gripping the reins tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force, as if he were enduring something. His two attendants in plain clothes also looked sullen, but, due to their low status, dared not act out.

The people around wore mocking expressions, pointing and whispering about the three riders.

Had this disappointing illegitimate son gotten himself into trouble again?

Edward Carter rested his hand on his long sword, his face growing even darker.

Chapter 6: The Disordered Shall Die

William Carter never expected that riding alone on horseback would make him so unwelcome.

When he arrived at Mianshang with Stephen Ford and Matthew Hill, appearing before the orderly Zhao clan carriage team, they were first met with silence, then with uproarious laughter.

It turned out that during the Spring and Autumn period, riding alone on horseback was extremely rare. The nobles much preferred to sit in various comfortable carriages, dressed in long robes with wide sleeves, fully displaying their aristocratic style. In their eyes, those who rode alone were either defeated soldiers or hurried, disheveled travelers.

William Carter began to understand why his “descendant” two hundred years later, King Wuling of Zhao, faced collective resistance from the nation’s nobility after introducing Hu-style attire and mounted archery, and ultimately suffered a coup that left him starved to death in the Sand Dune Palace.

The advice from George Carter that morning was truly a poisoned fruit! By now, William had completely seen through his sinister and cunning nature.

At this moment, George Lane was watching William make a fool of himself with a fake smile, saying nothing.

“Truly, being sold and still helping count the money.” Although William felt indignant, he could not lash out immediately.

The current situation was that, as the family Sima in charge of the troops, he was not even allowed to join the Zhao clan’s carriage team. The three of them, on horseback, could only awkwardly pace around the outskirts, enduring the pointing and whispering of the Zhao family retainers and nobles.

John Sr. was an honest man. He kept inviting William to dismount and find a supply or summoning carriage to ride in, but if he did so, William would be treated as a child not yet grown, unable to ride at the forefront of the hunt.

The most excessive was David Jr., who glared fiercely at William Carter’s trousers and loudly rebuked him in public: “You wretched illegitimate son, wearing Di attire and riding alone, you truly disgrace the nobility! Get off your horse and change your clothes at once!”

Having been secretly set up and made the target of everyone’s ridicule, and now being publicly scolded by this man, William Carter was furious. But Henry Blake had explained to him that, according to the rites of the Spring and Autumn period, as a younger brother, showing disrespect to an elder brother was a serious offense. If the elder brother scolded, the younger had to accept it unconditionally—this was the so-called virtue of filial piety and brotherly respect.

So he could only endure as best he could, thinking of a countermeasure, gripping the reins and whip so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

However, this appearance made others think he was someone anyone could trample on.

The charioteer of David Carter’s war chariot was the senior officer Paul Evans. He knew that William had a very low status in the clan and was always disliked by the legitimate wife and David Clark.

So he boldly mocked, “Everyone, William’s mother is a Di woman. As the saying goes, like mother, like son. It’s only natural that his Di nature hasn’t changed. We should be understanding.”

Sure enough, David Carter on the same chariot snorted in disgust after hearing this, and the other nobles on the war chariots also showed knowing, contemptuous smiles.

The laughter reached William’s ears, stinging him deeply. In his memories of this life, his Di mother, though a vague figure, still held an important place in his heart: she had helped the young William onto a short-legged pony, taught him to ride and shoot, made him warm sheepskin winter clothes in the twelfth month...

And there was that time she took William riding freely in the wild, only to be slapped hard by the legitimate wife—David Carter’s mother—so hard her mouth bled: “Wretched maid! The Di nature never changes!”

Fragmented memories suddenly surged forth.

No matter her status, as her son, how could he let his deceased mother be so humiliated?

The senior officer Paul Evans, dressed in dark red leather armor, was quite pleased with himself. He thought this wretched illegitimate son was used to being meek and would surely slink away in silence. In doing so, he would also curry favor with David Clark, who currently had a good chance of becoming the heir.