Amidst the shocked, terrified, and bewildered gazes of the crowd, William Carter walked up to Harris Monument.

Harris Monument's face was covered with smiles.

He had put in quite a bit of effort to get this job of delivering the imperial edict.

The merit of welcoming and establishing a new emperor—surely this would allow him to rise even higher, right?

Just as Harris Monument was preparing to present the edict to the new emperor, he saw the new emperor kneel down before him.

When the new sovereign raised his head, his face was already streaming with tears.

"This unworthy youth, Mao, how could I possibly deserve such favor from the Empress Dowager?!"

"The imperial clan of Wei is full of virtuous and talented men—there are those with higher moral character than I, those with greater literary talent than I, those braver than I, those better at uniting friends and family than I. I am still young and lack ability. How could I dare to covet the exalted position of Son of Heaven?"

"With such shallow virtue and mediocre talent, to receive the Empress Dowager's great favor and have all you lords come here—my heart is filled with shame!!"

"It is not that I defy the edict, but that I do not possess the virtue to sit upon the throne. I ask you all to return and truthfully inform the Empress Dowager. Having failed to live up to her great favor, I am willing to accept punishment!"

"What?!"

Harris Monument was stunned.

He was refusing??

Not only Harris Monument, but the onlookers were all dumbfounded. The news that the former emperor had been deposed and the Duke of Gaogui Township was to ascend the throne was already shocking enough, and now the Duke was actually refusing??

Harris Monument was at a loss, a situation he had never anticipated. He hurriedly looked over at Richard King.

Among the three ministers who had come, the Minister Steward Matthew Wright, who had remained silent, now looked the youth up and down again, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Richard King remained as calm as ever.

He spoke slowly.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that what elders bestow, the younger generation must not decline, or else it is an act of unfiliality."

This was the "righteous iron fist" from the Han and Wei-Jin periods.

The Han dynasty placed great importance on the morality of officials—virtue above talent, and filial piety, loyalty, and trustworthiness were all part of the evaluation.

Wei considered itself the legitimate successor to Han and preserved these values, though they dared not loudly proclaim loyalty.

By the time of the Sima family, the promise of Ji Bu was blown away like a fart over the Luo River.

Killing the emperor in the street made them even more reluctant to mention loyalty.

So it became "May the holy dynasty rule the world with filial piety."

But no matter the era, the iron fist of filial piety was always effective.

William Carter immediately became even more anxious and fearful.

"You are absolutely right, but the very reason I dare not accept the mandate is because of this!"

"In my residence, I often hear wise men speak of how my ancestors founded the dynasty. The three sage emperors created the current flourishing age, and I have been deeply inspired by their example. But now, my abilities are insufficient to inherit their legacy—I fear I cannot unify the realm or continue this golden age."

"If the great achievements of three generations of sage emperors were to end with me, would that not be the greatest unfiliality of all?"

"The Empress Dowager thinks so highly of me, believing I can be entrusted with great matters, but in truth I lack the ability. If I lose the Way and accomplish nothing, I am willing to accept the condemnation of the world. But what of the Empress Dowager? If I fail her, how could I bear it? How could I even speak of filial piety?"

William Carter spoke rapidly, giving his answer without hesitation.

William Carter was intelligent from a young age; Stephen Bell once evaluated him as:

As talented as Chen Si, as martial as the Grand Ancestor.

His literary talent was like Cao Zhi, his martial prowess like Cao Cao.

When it came to eloquence, William Carter was certainly skilled.

Sure enough, after hearing this, even Richard King felt a headache coming on.

"To trouble you all to come here, I am truly ashamed of the Empress Dowager's great favor. Please return and inform her that I am willing to accept punishment!"

As William Carter spoke, he bowed deeply in the direction of Luoyang. After rising, he quickly turned and walked into the residence, closing the main gate behind him.

Outside the gate, everyone looked at each other in astonishment.

Harris Monument helplessly put away the edict and walked over to Richard King.

"Mr. King... what should we do now..."

Richard King looked directly at the county magistrate, who was slumped on the ground. "Ethan Brooks, right? Find us a place to stay."

Ethan Brooks hurriedly scrambled to his feet. "Yes, yes."

The envoys left the scene, but the onlookers did not disperse.

Today, they had witnessed the most sensational news here.

"The Duke of Gaogui Township actually refused?!"

"Who would've thought, the Duke of Gaogui Township is so virtuous?"

"Now that's a true man of worth!"

"The virtue of Yao and Shun!!"

For some reason, they all avoided mentioning the deposition of the former emperor Cao Fang, and instead praised William Carter's moral conduct.

Because humility was also an important part of the moral society characteristic of the Han dynasty.

Officials used humility as a way to gain fame—if someone became well-known locally, the court would send people to recruit him.

If you refused the recruitment, your reputation would soar.

Even Emperor Wen of Wei, John Carter, who had great merit and virtue toward the imperial clan, refused the abdication from the Han emperor three times.

William Carter's actions might seem foolish to some, but to the scholar-official class, they undoubtedly met their standards of moral scrutiny.

And at this moment inside the residence, James Lee was looking at William Carter with a complicated expression.