Seeing that Colin Norton remained silent, Calvin Norton knew he was tempted. He smiled knowingly, said nothing more, and began to slowly savor the tea in front of him, his gaze fixed on the entrance of the Birch Garden, as if waiting for something.

Gavin Norton did not keep him waiting long. He and Lydia soon appeared in the Birch Garden. Gavin Norton's face was expressionless, while Lydia's expression seemed a bit odd. However, no one paid attention to Lydia; this maid had betrayed her master, so her feelings were naturally very complicated, and her strange expression was nothing unusual.

"Fourteenth Brother, you finally came! Joe and I have been waiting for you for ages!" As soon as Gavin Norton entered, Calvin Norton's face lit up and he forced a big smile. That smile looked especially awkward to Gavin Norton; clearly just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old brat, yet trying to imitate adults with a fake smile plastered on his face. It made Gavin Norton want to rush over and slap him a few times, but of course, now was not the time.

"Ninth Brother, you're here too!" Glancing at the composed Colin Norton, Gavin Norton also managed a polite smile.

"Hmm?!" Seeing Gavin Norton smile and bow to him, Colin Norton was a bit surprised, but he smiled and returned the gesture. "I just happened to be here by chance. I didn't expect to run into something like this!"

"Nobody wants something like this to happen," Gavin Norton said calmly. "Besides, I still don't even know what exactly happened!"

"You don't know? You have the nerve to say you don't know? Your maid stole Eleventh Young Master's things, and now we've caught her red-handed. Are you still going to deny it?!" As soon as Gavin Norton finished speaking, a sturdy young man standing behind Calvin Norton shouted, as if afraid others wouldn't hear. His voice was extremely loud.

"Young Master, I—I didn't, they're framing me...!"

Kneeling on the ground, Lillian hurriedly tried to defend herself, but before she could finish, there was a crisp "slap"—the sturdy young man struck her across the mouth. The slap was so hard that blood splattered everywhere, and several of Lillian's teeth were knocked out, falling to the ground mixed with blood, looking quite horrifying.

Colin Norton frowned slightly, while Gavin Norton's expression remained unchanged. "Enough, Lillian, don't say anything. I know what I'm doing about this matter."

Hearing this, Colin Norton's brows rose, and his opinion of Gavin Norton dropped a notch.

No matter what, Lillian was his maid. Now she had been caught, the truth was still unclear, and she was beaten like this right in front of him. Yet he didn't say a single word in her defense, instead telling Lillian to keep quiet. It seemed he just wanted to smooth things over, even at the cost of sacrificing Lillian. Such a coward was truly contemptible, especially since he usually acted so proud. Thinking this, Colin Norton's gaze toward Gavin Norton showed a hint of disdain.

Meanwhile, Calvin Norton and the others were all beaming with joy. In his heart, he had always been wary of Gavin Norton, because Gavin Norton had greater potential to advance. Of course, most importantly, he had once tried to have him killed but failed. After hearing that Gavin Norton had woken up, he was very worried that Gavin Norton would expose the incident of being pushed into the pond. Although he wasn't afraid, a big scandal would do him no good. But Gavin Norton hadn't done so, and by rights, he should have felt relieved. Yet the more silent Gavin Norton was, the more uneasy he felt. He suspected that Gavin Norton was biding his time, waiting to deal with him after entering the academy, at which point he would be at a disadvantage. So, he had tried every means to turn the situation around, hoping to completely crush Gavin Norton before he entered the academy. That was why he set up this trap. He hadn't expected Gavin Norton to be so timid, showing a willingness to sacrifice Lillian as soon as he appeared. In that case, there was nothing to fear. With this incident as leverage, even if the boy entered the academy in the future, he would likely be despised by others, and his status in the household would not improve much. With a bad impression planted in people's minds, he probably wouldn't be able to deal with him anymore!

Glancing at the utterly despondent Lillian, Calvin Norton laughed. "Fourteenth Brother, I really didn't want this either. We're all brothers, but the servants you trained are just—!"

"Enough, Eleventh Brother, you don't need to say any more. The rights and wrongs of this matter are not for you or me to decide!" Gavin Norton still wore that calm expression, cutting off Calvin Norton's words.

"What?!" Calvin Norton was stunned for a moment, unable to react.

Chapter Four: A Slave Bullies the Master

"There are laws for the state and rules for the family. Our Great Qi dynasty is a land of propriety, and the Prince Ning's residence is one of the most distinguished noble houses in Great Qi, renowned for both civil and military achievements, upholding propriety and virtue. Now that something like this has happened at home, of course it must be handled according to the family rules. Now, Eleventh Brother, you say my maid stole your things, but my maid says she didn't. Naturally, we must follow the rules and investigate thoroughly!"