"Then there's nothing I can do about you. Anyway, the key to my cash box is in your hands. Whatever you want to buy, just decide for yourself!" Henry Carter yawned again and said helplessly.

"Master!" Even though she knew he was already very sleepy, Violet still mustered her courage, propped up her head, and gazed foolishly into his eyes. "Xueyan is not young anymore, Master. Why don't you take her into your rooms one of these days?"

"I see you really deserve a spanking, you little thing!" Henry Carter reached out and pressed her down again, scolding her face to face. "You're actually jealous of Xueyan! How many years has she been with me? She doesn't even know what snacks I like in the morning—how could she possibly surpass you?!"

"I'm not jealous. I just feel I shouldn't be too greedy!" Violet struggled a bit but couldn't break free from Henry Carter's big hand, so she forced a smile and confessed. "Rather than keep you from enjoying yourself, it's better to let someone else serve you. That way, I won't risk annoying you so much one day that you kick me out of the house and never bother with me again!"

"You silly girl, so that's where your petty thoughts were hiding!" Henry Carter finally realized, raised his palm, and gave her two hard smacks. "These are to teach you a lesson, so you won't bring trouble on yourself again. Alive, you're a member of the Wang family; dead, you're a ghost of the Wang family. Don't even think about escaping from my grasp in this lifetime!"

Although her bottom was burning from the spanking, Violet felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction in her heart. Curling up, she snuggled under Henry Carter's arm a couple more times, then lifted her head and asked in a mosquito-like voice, "Then, Master, what about tonight..."

Halfway through her question, her face flushed red all the way to her neck, and she quickly buried her head under the covers, refusing to come out again.

"You little thing!" Henry Carter was stunned at first, then couldn't help but smile wryly. In front of such a sensitive little girl, he certainly couldn't admit that he'd been thinking of another woman during their lovemaking just now. Shaking his head, he added softly, "I ran into some trouble today, so I was a bit distracted! It's not that I'm tired of you. Even when you grow old, I won't drive you away. Just like my grandfather treated Aunt Yun, this home will always have a place for you!"

Hearing this, Violet's heart instantly warmed. Fate had her born into a poor family, her life as rootless as duckweed. But she didn't want to be used and discarded by others, rotting away in the mud like Qiuping. So she was determined to give her true heart to Henry Carter, and at the same time, do everything she could to secure her own place.

Since he wasn't tired of her, everything else could be worked out. With this in mind, Violet set aside her anxiety, poked half her head out from under the covers, and earnestly plotted for Henry Carter, "Did you get the short end of the stick with Sister Bai? Master, don't let her trouble you. In my opinion, she's just waiting for a better offer. If you ignore her for a few days, I'm sure she'll send someone to beg for forgiveness!"

"Get out of here, don't meddle in this kind of thing!" Henry Carter shook his head in exasperation, scolding her with a smile.

"There's another way. If you want to win her over quickly, just give in to her for now—agree to whatever she asks. Anyway, once the bridal sedan enters the Wang family gates, how you deal with her is all up to you, isn't it?" Seeing her first plan rejected, Violet's eyes darted around, and she quickly offered another clever idea.

"I can see it now. The one who most deserves to be dealt with tonight is you!" Henry Carter said, both annoyed and amused, reaching out to tickle Violet hard under her arm. Only when she begged for mercy did he stop smiling and say helplessly, "This has nothing to do with Miss Bai, so stop meddling. I got into a fight with someone today without even knowing what was going on, and now I really regret it!"

"Master, are you hurt?" Violet was startled and quickly turned over to light a candle.

"Just lie still! I didn't even lose a single hair!" Henry Carter pressed her down with one hand and stopped her in a low voice. "You've seen my skills before!"

"Then did you hurt someone else?" In the moonlight, Violet's bright eyes scanned Henry Carter up and down. Once she was sure he wasn't hurt, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and comforted him softly, "It's fine even if you did hurt someone. At worst, we can just pay more compensation! I doubt the magistrate of Chang'an County would come after us for such a small matter!"

"No one was hurt!" Henry Carter sighed lightly. "I'm just annoyed because that Bennett kid deliberately tricked me. If he really needed my help in a fight, he could have just said so. Why use such underhanded tactics?"

"That Bennett boy?" Violet looked utterly disdainful at the mention of him. "He's really awful, tricking even you, young master? Was the other side that tough, so he was afraid you wouldn't help?"

"That's exactly the problem. By rights, that Li Bai may have an official post, but in the emperor's eyes, his status is probably about the same as Big Brother King." Henry Carter shook his head again. Since he was already wide awake from all the fuss, he simply recounted the whole incident to Violet, only omitting the name of the carriage's owner and his own momentary, stunning loss of composure.

Big Brother King, also known as Charles King, is a veteran in the cockfighting circles of Chang'an. Since the age of thirteen, he has been the leading figure in the cockfighting world. He could organize three hundred fighting cocks and command them like an army, following orders to advance and retreat. Because of this, he was summoned by the emperor to take charge of training and organizing palace cockfighting competitions.