Jason Brooks pushed aside several brothel guards who wanted to catch him but didn’t dare, deftly hooked his hand, and retrieved the ten taels of silver from the servant attending him, then strode away.

Several guards scratched their heads. The Minister of Personnel was said to have the surname Li, but whether he had a son named David Thompson, no one knew.

Chapter Seven: The Forest Longs for Stillness, but the Wind Will Not Cease

The council hall of the The Harper Estate was the core of the entire clan, a standalone building covering two mu, with interlocking brackets and massive beams. The hall was spacious and bright, able to accommodate hundreds of people. At this moment, the The Harper Family family was discussing important family matters, deciding on the candidate from the The Harper Family to compete for the position of Registrar of Households.

The candidate for Registrar of Households had been under discussion since a month ago. The earliest proposal came from the third master, Benjamin Harper, who suggested that the legitimate second grandson, Jade Harper, should be the candidate for the The Harper Family. The reason was simple: Jade Harper was the legitimate grandson—if not him, then who?

But the clan leader, Brian Harper, opposed Jade Harper as the candidate. Jade Harper couldn’t even pass the scholar’s exam; how could he compete with the outstanding youths of the other five families? Just then, William Harper passed the tribute scholar exam, bringing great honor to the family. Brian Harper then proposed that William Harper be the candidate for the The Harper Family to compete for the Registrar of Households.

Today would be the moment to decide the final candidate. More than twenty high-ranking elders of the clan gathered together. The clan leader, Brian Harper, sat in the center, with a long row of seats on each side filled with family members. At the far end of the left sat William Harper; the seat opposite him was empty—that was the seat of the legitimate second grandson, Jade Harper, but he hadn’t come. Thus, William Harper was the only third-generation member present.

‘Dong!’ A bell sounded—the meeting was about to begin. Brian Harper, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them. He glanced at the empty seat at the end, a trace of dissatisfaction flashing in his eyes. For such an important clan meeting, someone actually dared not to come.

His gaze then fell on William, and he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, a surge of endless disappointment rising in his heart. He had thought that William, whom he favored, could shoulder his heavy trust and fight for it together at today’s clan meeting. Unexpectedly, he too was a cautious person, willing to let his own son lose a finger rather than offend the second brother.

In the end, William still lacked a certain boldness. Someone lacking boldness could never shoulder the heavy responsibility of the The Harper Family and compete with other families. Brian Harper felt a wave of dejection.

His grandfather’s piercing gaze made William lower his head in shame. His grandfather had placed great hopes in him, but he didn’t dare to fight for it. He knew what the consequences of taking this spot would be—it would surely cause a huge uproar within the family, possibly even splitting it. Without the support of his second uncle, he had no chance of winning, and would only offend his second uncle in the process. If his second uncle became clan leader in the future, he would never have good days ahead.

William longed deeply for this spot, but he hoped even more that his second uncle would let go of his prejudice and fully support him. That was why, when his son lost a finger yesterday, he swallowed his anger—he hoped his second uncle would feel guilty and finally agree to let him represent the family in the competition. At this moment, William couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. He felt he had been a bit naive. Losing a finger was one thing, but the candidacy was another. How could his second uncle give up his son’s future for this?

In the hall, the first seat on the right was naturally occupied by the legitimate eldest son, Alex Harper. He noticed the dissatisfaction in his father’s eyes and inwardly cursed his son for being useless. At such a critical moment, he was nowhere to be found—no doubt off to see that prostitute at Ruyi Brothel again. Although he hated his son’s incompetence, he secretly felt pleased. He had already received word last night that his father was likely to abandon William as the candidate for Registrar of Households. He knew this must be the work of Charles Harper behind the scenes.

“The time has come. Since someone is still absent, we won’t wait. According to clan rules, anyone who misses three clan meetings without reason will be disqualified from participating in clan rituals for three years, no matter who it is!”

Brian Harper’s gaze was stern as he swept a glance at his son Alex Harper—a warning to him. Alex Harper wiped the sweat from his forehead, not daring to explain.

“Today’s meeting is to decide who will represent our The Harper Family in the competition for Registrar of Households. This position has been vacant for a long time. The county office has already announced that a new registrar will be chosen from the six major families of Huaiyang County. The Registrar of Households is a very important position, directly affecting our The Harper Family’s vital interests in Donghai County. So I hope our The Harper Family can secure this position. As for who will represent The Harper Family, let everyone make their proposals!”

The clan leader’s words stunned everyone. Wasn’t it already decided that William would be the candidate? Wasn’t today’s meeting just a formality? How had it become a matter for everyone to propose? Those who were quick-witted immediately realized that Alex Harper must have stirred up trouble again—something had changed. The hall fell silent; no one spoke.

At this moment, the third master, Benjamin Harper, stood up with a smile and said, “Clan leader, I would like to recommend someone.”

A wry smile appeared on Brian Harper’s face. He still held a sliver of hope that William would volunteer, but now it seemed William had no chance. He nodded, “Go ahead.”

“I recommend the legitimate second grandson, Jade, as the candidate to represent the The Harper Family. He is the legitimate second grandson—no one else is more suitable. What does the clan leader think?”