According to the regulations of the Great Zhou regarding hereditary titles, by the time it reached Brian Brooks's father's generation, their family was left with nothing but the name of a noble house, with no actual title. His father and his two brothers struggled for twenty years on the frontier, and even though his two uncles sacrificed their lives, all they managed to earn for his father was an insignificant, honorary title of "General of Divine Might," which didn't even count as a proper rank.

As for the The Carter Family, although they too were gradually declining, they had already sensed this change.

Both Richard Carter and Peter Carter came from scholarly backgrounds, and both had passed the imperial examinations as jinshi. Clearly, the The Carter Family was determined to shift from a military noble lineage to the path of civil officials, wholeheartedly seeking to transform their family into one of scholarly and official prestige, a household of bells and feasts.

In contrast, the The Brooks Family still seemed rather oblivious, relying on their noble status and stubbornly clinging to military achievements and honors.

His nominal father seemed to still be plotting a comeback, hoping to return to Datong Town, yet failed to see that the Great Zhou dynasty, following the precedent of the previous Ming, remained deeply suspicious and restrictive toward military men.

As civil officials grew ever more powerful, the status of military officials became increasingly lowly; even those of noble birth found it hard to compete with the civil officials.

Nowadays, every time an expedition was launched, it was always a civil official who served as the chief commander. No matter how high your rank, you could only be the deputy. If the battle was won, the chief took the credit; if it was lost, you took the blame.

"Master, do you think Uncle Philip will be alright? Why has he been gone so long and still hasn't come back?" Nathaniel poked his head out nervously to look in the direction Uncle Philip had gone, swallowed hard, and asked.

"Just stay put. Uncle Philip has been through fire and water countless times—this is nothing to him." Brian Brooks tried to reassure him, while also bolstering his own courage.

In such chaotic times, if they really ran into bandits, there would be no chance to talk their way out—it would be a matter of life and death. In his previous life, he hadn't felt it, but now, Brian Brooks felt the danger of this world more and more keenly.

Philip Brooks and the others returned quickly, calling for Brian Brooks and his companion to get up at once, and they skirted along the courtyard wall to circle around from the side.

"Uncle Philip, Yongqing Gate...?" Brian Brooks looked at Philip Brooks, but when Philip Brooks shook his head expressionlessly, Brian Brooks's hopes quickly faded.

"Little Ethan, Yongqing Gate has long been closed. The garrison up there ignores everyone. Anyone who approaches the barbican, they shoot arrows at them."

There was little emotion in Philip Brooks's tone. If he were in their place, he would also put his own safety first in such circumstances—who would dare open the gate and let people in? "I'm afraid we can only return to the old residence for now."

Fortunately, the old residence was close to the Yongqing Gate barbican. Although all the doors were shut and the streets deserted, it was clear that the chaos hadn't yet reached this area. Still, everyone sensed the danger and was hiding away.

Stephen Carter was almost in despair.

He was not strong enough to defend himself, and he was accompanied by an old woman and a young girl—how had he managed to run into a peasant uprising at such a time?

If he hadn't reacted quickly, they would have already been captured by the mob.

But even if they escaped for now, how could they avoid disaster in the long run? The city of Linqing was in utter chaos, and they had narrowly avoided several groups of rioters. Not to mention whether the chartered boat at the dock was still waiting—even if it was, how could they possibly get there?

At this thought, Stephen Carter glanced irritably at the old woman and the young girl.

The old woman was already pale with fear, trembling, but at least she was holding the girl tightly. The girl, dressed in a light pink skirt, was also terrified, biting her lip and not daring to make a sound.

If it hadn't been for the girl's desire to pick out a fine Linqing lion cat, he wouldn't have come ashore with them. If they had stayed on the boat, they could have cast off and left at the first sign of trouble. But now...

Section Eight: Someone Even Quicker

"Mr. Carter, what should we do now?" The old woman, though frightened, still managed to hold the little girl tightly.

"I'm afraid it's unlikely we can go back." Stephen Carter huddled in the narrow alley, carefully using two piles of straw to shield the three of them. Earlier, two ruffians had run past, and it was only thanks to the straw that they avoided being seen.

Straw dust clung to their clothes, and after running for their lives, sweat had soaked through their garments. It was truly uncomfortable, but if they wanted to survive, they dared not make a move and could only hide motionless in the straw.

Stephen Carter's gaze fell on the black gate flanked by two stone lions ahead.

The threshold of green stone was swept clean, and the house looked like a wealthy family, but the gate was tightly shut. Earlier, they had knocked, but no one answered.

If they tried to find another place, this stretch was all courtyard walls with no other doors. If they went further, they might run into danger, so they could only curl up in the alley for now.

"Sir, are you thinking of hiding in that big house?" The little girl, nestled in the old woman's arms, suddenly asked timidly.

Stephen Carter was a bit surprised. He had been the girl's tutor for over a year and knew that, though she didn't speak much, she was very opinionated—a true child of a noble family. But still, she was only seven years old. Faced with such a calamity, even he was at a loss, let alone a little girl.

"Yes, I'm afraid this unrest won't die down anytime soon. On our way here, did you see a single soldier?"

He pressed himself closer to the wall, stroked the black beard on his chin, and said thoughtfully.