William gave a bitter smile in his heart. The position of Registrar in the Household Department was not something he could obtain through effort alone. In reality, it was a power struggle within the officialdom of Donghai Commandery, a competition of wealth among the six great families, and actually had nothing to do with him.

At this moment, William was more concerned about his own origins. His grandfather had mentioned his father, which stirred his desire to learn about his background, so he asked in a low voice, “Grandfather, I am already twenty-seven, soon to reach the age of thirty. Can you tell me a little about my father’s true identity?”

Brian Harper shook his head. “I promised your father that I would only tell you the truth about your background when you turn thirty. But there is one thing I can tell you now: your father’s real name is not Tianzhu, but Tianfeng.”

Brian Harper lowered his voice: “You must remember, at this moment, only you and I know your father’s real name. You must not reveal it to anyone, including Jason Brooks, or you will bring disaster upon yourself.”

“Don’t worry, Grandfather. I will keep the secret.”

‘Tianfeng!’ William savored the name carefully. Suddenly, he asked again, “Before my father passed away, he told me that if his true identity were ever revealed, it would bring a bloody storm to the Great Ning Dynasty. Grandfather, is that true?”

“There’s no need to test me. As I said, when you turn thirty, I will naturally tell you.”

Chapter Eight: The Little Whip and the Spirited Horse

Jason Brooks escorted Hong Qixiong and the others back to the big ship. When the captain heard they had caused trouble, he was shocked. They were supposed to head south to Fuqing Port to pick up a shipment. Originally, they planned to rest for two days and maybe take on some extra cargo, but now the captain couldn’t afford to wait and set sail immediately. Jason Brooks and the others bid each other a reluctant farewell, promising to meet again.

After the ship departed, Jason Brooks washed his face right at the dock and changed into a new set of clothes. Now, no one could recognize him as the young master ‘Li Die’ who had caused a scene at the Ruyi Pavilion. He left the dock, and a few miles ahead was Weiyang County. It was afternoon, and the main road was bustling with people and carts. Shops lined both sides—pharmacies, bookstores, silk shops—every kind of store imaginable, and nearly every shop had customers. Business was thriving.

As Jason Brooks walked along, looking at the shops, he was actually thinking about his future plans. Coming from the future, he naturally had a bit more foresight than the people of this era, which would be advantageous for his development.

But what troubled him was that he didn’t know which dynasty the Great Ning Dynasty actually was. Geographically, the Great Ning Dynasty had two capitals: Yongjing and the Eastern Capital Luojing. He suspected these were Chang’an and Luoyang. Moreover, the culture and political structure of the Great Ning Dynasty were very similar to those of the Sui and Tang dynasties. He had even suspected at one point that he had arrived in the Tang Dynasty.

This Weiyang County should be Yangzhou. Historically, Yangzhou was the economic center during the Tang Dynasty. But to his disappointment, Yangzhou was not a coastal city in history, while Weiyang County was right by the sea. In fact, it seemed more like Hangzhou. Wasn’t the Chu River actually the Qiantang River?

But if it was Hangzhou, then where was West Lake? There was an East Lake in a neighboring county, but it had no cultural significance—just a wild lake where local fishermen farmed freshwater pearls.

Everything he saw and heard didn’t match up with history at all. Jason Brooks was truly confused. What surprised him most was that the technology of this era seemed quite advanced. He had seen his fifth uncle’s ticket—it was in color and beautifully printed. There even seemed to be glass, so there was no opportunity for him to get rich by inventing glass. Jason Brooks’s gaze fell on a glass shop, whose owner was a blond, blue-eyed merchant from the country of Luohan.

Where was Luohan? Could it be just a different transliteration of the Roman Empire? And that night, the gunpowder projectile he fired was clearly a firework—so they even had gunpowder. Good heavens! What dynasty was this, really?

Jason Brooks felt that if he kept thinking about it, his brain would short-circuit. So he decided to set aside his research into history for now. Whatever dynasty it was, with his skills as an advertising planner, surely he could make a living.

His thoughts turned back to his family. Today was only his third day home, and so much had already happened, leaving him with mixed feelings. But by breaking Jade Harper’s leg, he had not only vented his own anger but also eliminated a rival for his eldest brother within the family. He felt he had handled the matter quite brilliantly.

Jason Brooks couldn’t help but feel a bit smug, walking with a spring in his step, even humming a little tune.

“I love you, love you, just like a mouse loves rice…”

“Clear the way up ahead!”

Suddenly, a loud shout came from behind him, the voice as harsh as a broken gong, startling Jason Brooks. He turned around to see a dozen mounted attendants escorting a carriage speeding toward him. The carriage was moving fast, so Jason Brooks quickly dodged to the side of the road. The carriage sped past him, its compartment trimmed with gold and gleaming in the sunlight. Laughter from a young woman could be faintly heard from inside. Judging by the carriage’s decoration and the attendants’ clothing, this was clearly the family of a wealthy household.

The carriage screeched to a halt a dozen paces ahead. A small head poked out of the window, her face full of surprise and delight. “Brother Sanlang, is that you?”

Hearing the words ‘Brother Sanlang’, Jason Brooks immediately felt a sense of reunion after a long separation. Wasn’t this the adorable little girl Eve Foster from the ship?

The carriage door opened, and the little girl Eve Foster jumped out and ran toward him. She was wearing a red pomegranate skirt, which was a bit long and tripped her up. She stumbled, and it looked like she was about to fall.