……

When the chubby boy opened his eyes, Donna Smith was kneeling beside him. The chubby boy affectionately called out, “Mother,” but Donna Smith remained motionless, kneeling silently by the bed, not even turning her head. The chubby boy wondered if he had angered his mother, so he obediently got down and said softly, “Mother, Hong knows he was wrong, please don’t be like this…”

But Donna Smith still squinted her eyes and didn’t move. The chubby boy grew anxious, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and began to plead and beg for forgiveness. Seeing it was useless, he started to push her, but Donna Smith still didn’t move. The chubby boy suddenly burst into tears, crying for a long time, yet Donna Smith did not comfort him. He quietly stopped sobbing. In this way, half an hour passed, and the chubby boy felt it was unbearable. He called out to the servants outside, but no one answered. At this moment, Donna Smith finally slowly raised her head and stared at the chubby boy.

“Mother, why are you scaring me like this?”

“Did that old man come up with some crazy idea again?”

“Pa~~” Donna Smith slapped the chubby boy across the face. His left cheek immediately swelled and reddened, and he was stunned, staring at his mother, eyes brimming with tears. This time, he truly cried.

“Is this how you respect your elders? Who taught you this? Are you a child without discipline?” Donna Smith questioned sternly. The chubby boy didn’t know how to answer, sobbing softly without speaking. Donna Smith frowned and said slowly, “You lost your father at a young age, but you still have me! Our Han dynasty rules the country by filial piety. If you disregard your elders, how will you stand in the world?” Of course, the last part about ruling the country, Donna Smith swallowed back.

“I have been kneeling here for a full seven hours. Look, did I faint? Did I cry in pain?”

The chubby boy looked at his mother, dared not speak, and shook his head.

“Kneel!”

“Respect your teachers and the Way. Heaven, earth, ruler, parent, teacher—though I am but a woman, I still understand this and can kneel for seven hours without complaint. You are a grown boy—why can’t you?”

“Mother, Hong knows he was wrong!” The chubby boy, half understanding, still bowed deeply in apology. Donna Smith nodded, stood up, and said, “Tomorrow, Master He will come again. Remember what I said today!” With that, Donna Smith left without looking back. The chubby boy stood there in a daze for a moment, still not fully understanding. By now it was midnight, pitch black outside, the candle inside flickering and about to go out. Soon, the chubby boy covered his face and fell sound asleep on the bed. About an hour later, Donna Smith quietly pushed open the door and tiptoed inside.

Looking at the chubby boy covering his face, Donna Smith almost burst into tears from heartache. She sat down beside him, gently stroked his cheek, and became lost in thought.

The next day, as expected, the old man hurried over again. This time, the servants had learned their lesson and no longer dared to block him, all bowing in greeting. When the old man reached the study, he saw the chubby boy kneeling motionless in front of the wooden desk, his gaze especially resolute. When he saw the old man arrive, the chubby boy stood up, bowed deeply, and said, “Hong was young and ignorant, offended his teacher. I beg your forgiveness, Master!” The old man’s stern gaze gradually softened, but he still waved his hand arrogantly, slinging the bamboo slip behind his back with his left hand and drawing his sword with his right.

“No more words. Recite what I taught you yesterday!”

“What is the first year? It is the ruler’s first year. What is spring? It is the beginning of the year. Who is called the king? It refers to King Wen. Why mention the king before the first month? Because it is the king’s first month. Why say the king’s first month? It is the great unification. Why not say ascension to the throne? It is Duke Cheng’s intention. What is Duke Cheng’s intention? The duke will pacify the state and return it to Huan. Why return it to Huan?”

……

And so, the days passed one after another. The people of Jiedu Pavilion gradually forgot about the auspicious sign from that day. Rumors spread among the common folk that it was just the marquis’s servants putting on a show to amuse the young lord, that the fish was bought and sprinkled with gold dust, and no officials came to investigate. Only then did Donna Smith feel at ease, though she was secretly alarmed by Clark Steward’s methods.

On this day, however, an ox cart slowly made its way toward the marquis’s residence. A young man led the way, pulling the ox’s rope, grumbling under his breath, “There are so many servants at home, why does father make me drive the cart?” He didn’t dare say this aloud. In this era of filial piety, not to mention driving a cart for one’s father, even carrying him on one’s back would be praised. Still, his father could easily guess his thoughts. Inside the cart, dressed in fine clothes and wearing a headscarf that looked out of place, he didn’t care, holding a bamboo slip and reading something.

This man was none other than Donna Smith’s elder brother, David Smith.

He certainly knew what his eldest son was thinking. Looking helplessly at his disgruntled son Donald Smith, he sighed inwardly. His son had been clever and quick-witted as a child, and he had always raised him as his heir. But the older he grew, the more disappointed David Smith became—impatient, emotions written all over his face. How could such a person achieve great things? Now, he couldn’t even understand his father’s intentions. To boost his son’s reputation as a filial child, David Smith had deliberately staged this scene, making his son drive the cart for him, telling others it was voluntary. But with that look on his face, who would believe he was willingly serving his father as a filial son?