Wade Young was seething with anger inside. How could he have forgotten that this Hugh Harris was a great Confucian scholar of the Gongyang school? The Gongyang school preached extreme revenge; ever since the early Han, they’d always been a bunch of madmen, drawing swords at the slightest disagreement. Since this Hugh was teaching Henry Clark, then this Henry Clark must also be a little Gongyang madman!

This situation isn’t right—I’d better get out of here first!

“A sword’s grudge must be avenged one day!” shouted Wade Young. Upon hearing this, Henry Clark and Hugh Harris not only didn’t get angry, but instead nodded and smiled. This fit the Gongyang doctrine of great vengeance perfectly. They welcomed revenge—if you dared to say you didn’t hold grudges, you might even get a sword from this master and disciple!

Wade Young was carried away in a flurry by his attendants.

The chubby boy’s face was flushed red, his sword hand trembling, his eyes filled with both excitement and fear. He looked up at Hugh Harris. Hugh Harris laughed heartily and said, “Truly my disciple!”

Let’s not talk about the turmoil this caused in the marquis’s residence. When Madam Dong heard about it, she was so frightened she nearly fainted. But after learning the old man’s identity, she felt somewhat reassured—this was a great Confucian scholar of the realm, surely able to protect her son. David Smith, on one hand, was worried about his eldest son, but on the other, he was now firmly convinced: my nephew is truly the chosen one! Only the chubby boy acted as if nothing had happened, no different from usual.

Back at his own residence, Wade Young immediately wrote a memorial overnight, accusing the Marquis of Jieduting, Henry, of disrespecting the governor, disregarding Han law, and openly attacking the Prime Minister! He listed several crimes and sent a courier riding at top speed to Luoyang to appeal to the Emperor!

But as this news slowly spread through the marquis’s household servants and those who witnessed the event, the outcome was quite different from what Wade Young had expected. Not only did Henry Clark not gain a reputation for arrogance, he was instead praised as a filial and righteous son. Because he attacked a high official for his mother’s sake, the scholars and knights of Jizhou all lauded him, saying, “The young Marquis is only eight or nine, yet already has the spirit of the ancients!”

At the time, the great scholar Ma Rong, upon hearing that his son-in-law had been stabbed, laughed and said, “Mr. Harris’s scholarship is inferior to mine—how did he get such a disciple?”

Wade Young had messed up. Henry Clark was originally just a piece in the chess game; all he needed to do was anger Henry Clark to achieve his goal. In this era that valued filial piety above all, the governor was like the father of the local people. In hundreds of years of Han rule, no one had ever insulted a governor without being punished. He never expected that Henry Clark would have a great Confucian by his side, and even less that this Confucian would be a leading figure of the Gongyang school!

If Henry Clark had simply ordered his men to throw him out, people would have said he was disrespectful to the governor and arrogant. But when Henry Clark donned the mantle of the Gongyang school and stabbed him with a sword, the nature of the incident changed. It was no longer about the governor seeking justice, but about the governor insulting his mother and the son retaliating. In an era where great vengeance and filial piety were highly praised, Henry Clark became the biggest beneficiary!!!

For the next few days, Hugh Harris stayed directly in the separate residence, tirelessly teaching Henry Clark day and night. Henry Clark became obsessed with the Gongyang school, and when he looked at the old man, he no longer felt any dislike—only the image of a sword-wielding figure standing before him, slaying all enemies. He truly accepted this teacher in his heart and studied the Gongyang school with extra diligence. Though the old man was still proud and overbearing, a smile often appeared at the corners of his mouth.

“Cheng, Di Feng, Feng Di Kui—all are public men.”

“At that time, Shao’s uncle Kui was Grand Tutor.”

“Zhuo heard that Shao had taken Guandong, so he exterminated Shao’s clan, including Grand Tutor Kui.”

In the attic, Henry Clark stared blankly at the heavenly book in his hands. The Wade Young mentioned here—could it be the very one he stabbed a few days ago? But he wasn’t one of the Three Excellencies, was he? What kind of book is this??

Chapter 0010: The Open and Upright Plot

The next day, as usual, they studied the Gongyang Commentary. In this era, most great Confucian scholars specialized in only one classic, dedicating their entire lives to its study. Mr. Harris’s understanding of the Gongyang Commentary was unmatched in his time; in the entire Han dynasty, those who surpassed him could be counted on one hand. The chubby boy had something on his mind and couldn’t hold it in. After the lesson, he stared wide-eyed at Mr. Harris, unsure if he should ask.

But Mr. Harris could tell at a glance that the chubby boy still had doubts. Stroking his beard, he asked, “Do you have any questions?” The chubby boy nodded and asked, “Master, does this Wade Young have an elder brother named Frank Young?”

“Yes. He works with Grand Tutor Chen. You needn’t worry; he is known for his generosity and sincerity and won’t trouble a child like you.”

The chubby boy’s eyes widened. He swallowed and asked again, “And another brother named Cheng?”

“Walter Young died young and is little known. How did you hear of him?” Now, Hugh Harris was a bit puzzled. Frank Young was famous and worked with the Grand Tutor, so it wasn’t strange for Henry Clark to know of him. But Charles Young had died more than ten years ago, and before his death had only served as Left General of the Household, never reaching the status of a renowned minister. How did this boy know about him?

Ever since that auspicious omen some time ago, this boy’s temperament had changed. Before, he couldn’t memorize the classics even after studying all night, but now he could recite them backwards without a single mistake. That alone was impressive, but his comprehension was also getting faster and faster. When I asked, “Can a grudge of nine generations still be avenged?” he instantly understood and drew his sword to kill!

If he weren’t so short, he would have already become famous throughout the land for killing a senior official of the province!

As for whether it would be a good or bad reputation, that would depend on whether the Yuan family or the Emperor put in more effort.