“Brother, that Foster Ministry of War has been somewhat... towards our Changsun family these past few years... You’d better be careful when dealing with them. You should know that the eldest son of that Ministry, David Foster, is always absolutely obedient to his father’s words.” Although Emily Grant was still young, her words were so clear and logical that I couldn’t help but pause in my steps, turning my head to look at my sister, who seemed hesitant to speak.

“Brother, you should also know that in recent years, our Changsun family has already declined.” My sister hesitated for a moment, but then gritted her teeth and spoke. “Brother, do you know that mother and uncle have been worried all these years? The Duan family from the Ministry of War hasn’t really interacted with us for the past three years. During the holidays, mother even had Steward Lincoln bring some gifts over, but...”

“But what?” Hearing this, it felt as if someone had thrown a burning stick into my heart, making me feel unbearably uncomfortable.

My sister’s expression only fueled the fire in my heart. I glared fiercely at Benjamin Lincoln. “Since it was your father who went to deliver the gifts, you tell me!”

“Young master... My father went to deliver gifts several times, but the Duan residence, except for accepting the first two times, after that, as Charles Foster became more favored by the emperor, their attitude grew colder and colder... This year, when my father brought gifts, they didn’t even let him in the front door.” The honest smile on Benjamin Lincoln’s face disappeared, replaced by unwillingness, grievance, and anger.

If I still didn’t understand what was going on after hearing this, I’d really be a fool. At that moment, I felt a gentle, soft hand rest on my wrist, and saw the intelligent and lovely gaze of my sister, full of concern and worry.

Taking a deep breath, I suppressed my anger, smiled, and reached out to gently rub her head. “Don’t worry, little sister. Your brother knows what he should do.” Yes, deep inside, besides the ever-rising fury, there was also a bit of helpless amusement. I really didn’t expect such a melodramatic plot to happen to me.

In history, there is no record of who William Grant’s wife was, nor whether he endured humiliation and continued to obey his father’s dying wish by marrying the daughter of the Duke of Xiangguo, or if he resisted.

But all that has nothing to do with me now. Now, it’s time for me to make my own choice. Endure humiliation? That’s not my style.

“William greets elder brother.” As I entered the front hall, I saw a rather sturdy young man sitting on the low couch. When he saw me at the entrance, he finally stood up. “Heh, a few days ago, I heard that my dear brother was seriously ill, and I was very worried. Unfortunately, my father’s official duties kept him busy, and even I was running around nonstop. Only today did I finally have time to visit you. I hope you won’t mind.” He returned my greeting, and his words sounded pleasant enough, but those eyes of his could only be described with two words: arrogant and proud.

“That’s no matter, please have a seat, elder brother.” Already knowing what was going on, I didn’t care about his gaze. I walked over to the couch and sat down at ease. A servant brought over tea and snacks, while the loyal servant Benjamin Lincoln stood behind me, still faithfully performing his duties as both servant and bodyguard. Hmm, not bad—having such a powerful and intimidating fighter squatting behind me really makes me feel dignified.

There were already tea and snacks set before David Foster, but the tea brewed with salt and ginger slices was still full, and the snacks were untouched.

“Thank you, elder brother, for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit. I am truly grateful. Unfortunately, I am only a guest in my uncle’s house and have nothing to offer but plain tea. I hope you can forgive me.” I took a sip of the tea with ginger and salt. Though the taste was odd, it had a unique flavor.

“It seems your illness has truly recovered.” David Foster sat across from me, a faint, mocking smile on his face, half-smiling as he spoke.

“I’m almost recovered. Elder brother, I suppose you didn’t come here today just to check on my health, did you?” I looked at David Foster without backing down, smiling as I asked in return.

“Oh? Why do you say that, dear brother?” David Foster replied with a forced smile. That look of his was truly annoying. It made me want to slap him with a shoehorn.

“If you really came to check on my health, would you have come empty-handed, without even a token of goodwill? That can’t help but make me curious and suspicious, don’t you think?” I chuckled, raising my eyebrows and glancing at the hall entrance, where I caught sight of a fluttering pale green skirt. My heart warmed—this girl really couldn’t stop worrying about her brother.

Hearing my words, the smile on David Foster’s face froze. His expression was like someone enjoying a delicious meal only to bite into something hard, and when he spat it out, he found it was a rat dropping. “You!……”