William Harper knew that his younger brother had always been a bit simple-minded and forgetful since childhood, so he didn’t mind and explained with a smile, “Your sister-in-law was fortunate and gave birth to a pair of twins—a boy named Lily and a girl named Daisy. In Huaiyang County and even the entire Donghai Commandery, they’re the only pair.”

　　Mentioning the children reminded Jason Brooks that he should prepare a meeting gift. He quickly patted himself down and, finding two pigeon-egg-sized sea pearls on him, felt relieved.

　　Just then, someone suddenly shouted, “The Golden-Eyed Pixiu is coming!”

　　Everyone hurriedly stood up and lowered their heads. Not far away, several people rode over on horseback. Leading them was a young gentleman in a white robe, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, holding his head high, looking smug. His face was as fair as jade, and he was quite handsome, though his eyelids were rather puffy, giving his gaze a somewhat frivolous look.

　　This man was named Jade Harper, the legitimate second grandson of the Donghai Huangfu clan. He was a year younger than William Harper, but because he was born of the main wife, the second grandson listed in the Donghai Huangfu family genealogy was him, not William Harper. According to the family rules, one must bow and salute when meeting legitimate sons and grandsons, as a sign of respect.

　　William Harper pulled his brother behind him, but he himself did not bow. Jade Harper stopped his horse in front of him and curled his lip disdainfully. “So what if you passed the tribute scholar exam? You don’t even acknowledge the family rules anymore.”

　　William Harper smiled slightly. “You must be mistaken! The family rule is that those who have earned academic honors are exempt from the peer salute—Family Rule, Article Fourteen, Clause Three. Go check it yourself!”

　　“I certainly will.”

　　Jade Harper snorted. Suddenly, he noticed Jason Brooks. Seeing how tall and sturdy he was, a mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Isn’t this the village idiot? What, just got out of prison?”

　　Jason Brooks smiled faintly and ignored him. In his memory, it was this very person who had played with fire and burned down the ancestral hall years ago, then framed him for it, resulting in a severe beating and seven years of exile to Qizhou. But now, Jason Brooks was no longer the fool he once was, and there was no need to bother with such people.

　　Seeing that Jason Brooks ignored him, Jade Harper’s face twisted into a malicious grin. He leaned down and whispered, “Hey, fool, want to play the game of burning the rattan-armored army again?”

　　There was a string of burn scars on Jason Brooks’s back, the origin of which he had never known—turns out it was this bastard’s doing. He sneered coldly, “Sure! I’m game.”

　　“What an idiot! Look at him, he’s still the same idiot!”

　　Jade Harper burst out laughing. He laughed for a long time, but aside from his few attendants’ forced chuckles, no one joined in. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he stopped laughing and said to William Harper, “I advise you to give up that position yourself, or you’ll be in for a rough time.”

　　William Harper said nothing. Having run into a wall, Jade Harper spat viciously and rode into the residence.

　　Once he was gone, the bridge became lively again. William Harper paid for the kite and pulled his brother along with a smile. “Come on! Let’s go home. Today we’ll have a good drink.”

　　After entering the residence, Jason Brooks asked his elder brother, “Who was that just now? I can’t quite remember his name.”

　　“He’s Second Uncle’s second son, named Jade. He went to the capital seven years ago, supposedly to study, and only came back last year—a typical good-for-nothing wastrel.”

　　“So what did he mean by that ‘position’? It sounded like he was threatening you.”

　　William Harper glanced around and, seeing people coming and going, lowered his voice. “I’ll tell you at home. It’s not convenient here.”

Chapter Three: The Struggle Between Legitimate and Illegitimate Heirs

　　The Donghai Huangfu clan had several hundred members, with strict hierarchies between legitimate and illegitimate branches. You could see it just from their residences: from above, the compound was an irregular circle, with rings upon rings of houses, like a giant cabbage. The illegitimate children lived on the outer cabbage leaves and stalk, while the legitimate children lived in the cabbage heart.

　　William Harper’s situation was a bit better. According to Fifth Uncle’s classification, he belonged to the legitimate-illegitimate branch, so he lived just outside the cabbage heart, in a small standalone courtyard with three and a half rooms—the half-room being the kitchen, one room as the parlor, one as the bedroom, and a small study. The family of four lived here, getting by on William Harper’s monthly teaching salary of two taels of silver. The clan also provided a subsidy of five hundred copper coins and five dou of rice. Life was frugal, but just manageable.

　　William Harper felt especially gratified—his brother, who used to be like a fool, seemed to have suddenly become enlightened. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he called out, “Cynthia! Come see who’s here.”

　　A young woman came out of the kitchen. Though plainly dressed in homespun clothes and a bramble skirt, she was very delicate and refined, with the bearing of a lady from a noble family. She was Jason Brooks’s sister-in-law, named Cynthia Reed, born into a scholarly family. Her father was William’s teacher and a renowned Confucian scholar in Huaiyang County.

　　Cynthia Reed had met Jason Brooks once seven years ago. She thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “This must be Jason Brooks, right?”

　　“That’s right, my brother!”

　　William Harper slapped his forehead and laughed. “Oh, I forgot—you hadn’t married into the family yet back then.”

　　He then introduced, “This is your sister-in-law.”

　　Jason Brooks quickly stepped forward and bowed. “Jason Brooks greets sister-in-law!”