Now Ethan Grant had lucked out and obtained the former Ethan Grant’s physical body. But this body was truly badly injured—if he didn’t do something about it, let alone entering the palace in three days to diagnose the princess, he might even miss the end-of-month exam for the Qianlong Society this month.

The Qianlong Society held a minor exam every month, and the results were cumulative. Missing even one month’s assessment would mean falling behind on a lot of coursework.

The previous Ethan Grant had already fallen behind on a mountain of assignments. If he delayed any further, he might be kicked out before the final exam even arrived.

This was something Ethan Grant absolutely did not want to happen.

If it were his previous life, with injuries like these—as the son of the Heavenly Emperor, having studied alchemy for a million years, a total failure in martial arts but a grandmaster of alchemy renowned across the heavens—even many alchemy immortals would come to consult him. In his past life, a single pill, taken casually, could have him instantly restored to full vigor.

But now, the conditions were nothing like before.

Fortunately, in his previous life, Ethan Grant had presided over the Tianlang Library for a million years, reading through all the classics of the heavens. From the mortal realms to the divine paths, his knowledge was vast.

Dealing with injuries like these was a trivial matter.

After resting for a night, the next morning, Ethan Grant thought for a moment, then took out brush and ink and wrote a list.

“William Grant!” he called out toward the door.

William Grant was a servant specially assigned to Ethan Grant by Marquis Jianghan, responsible for taking care of Ethan Grant’s daily life, food, and lodging. This time, when Ethan Grant got into trouble eating breakfast at Songhe Tower, William Grant had taken quite a bit of blame.

He’d been restless all night. As the saying goes, “When the master is disgraced, the servant dies.” By rights, he, William Grant, should have offered his life in apology.

But he was really unwilling. He’d served this young marquis with all his heart, but the young marquis was just not very motivated.

Servants and stewards of other noble families’ young masters lived the good life, eating and drinking well, and were welcomed wherever they went. But the one he served, William Grant, was always up to some mischief, coming up with strange antics every other day.

And whenever the young master got into trouble, it was always William Grant who had to take the blame.

So, these days following Ethan Grant, he was constantly putting out fires and taking the fall. Far from feeling any honor in his position, William Grant only felt exhausted and overwhelmed.

Not to mention, this young master had no sense of money. Today, a friend got into trouble, and he paid to settle it; tomorrow, a brother caused a mess, and he paid again.

Although Marquis Jianghan was generous with money, even he couldn’t keep up with the young master’s spending. Look, it was only mid-month, and this month’s expenses were already used up.

So now, William Grant considered peace and quiet a blessing, and just hearing Ethan Grant’s voice gave him a headache.

But when the master called, he had to answer.

“Young master, I failed in my duties and didn’t take good care of you. Please punish me severely. Even if you dismiss me from this post, I will have no complaints.” As soon as he entered, William Grant knelt on the ground.

All that “failed in my duties, please punish me” talk was just polite words. Since Marquis Jianghan wasn’t pursuing the matter, it meant William Grant had dodged a bullet.

Although this young marquis was a bit of a wastrel and unambitious, he didn’t have the bad habit of abusing his subordinates.

If it were the previous Ethan Grant, he probably wouldn’t have caught the true meaning behind William Grant’s words. But the current Ethan Grant, with a million years of experience from his past life, was worldly-wise and adept at reading people.

He could hear the hidden meaning in the words, knowing that this steward William Grant had been tormented by the previous Ethan Grant and wanted to quit.

Ethan Grant didn’t call him out on it, just chuckled and said, “William Grant, my father assigned you to me hoping to grant you wealth and honor. But these days, you haven’t enjoyed any of that. You’ve been running around cleaning up my messes, and I remember all your hard work.”

William Grant was stunned. What’s gotten into him today? When did the young master learn to say such considerate things?

“William Grant, this month’s allowance is already used up, isn’t it?” Ethan Grant didn’t wait for William Grant to answer, and asked with a half-smile.

“Well… um…” William Grant had never experienced such concern before and was at a loss, almost wanting to pat his chest and promise, “Don’t worry, young master, I’ll take care of it.”

But then he thought, wait! If I make that promise, where am I going to find the money to fill these holes? The young master’s words are so sweet today—could he be up to something new?

In an instant, William Grant’s guard shot up tenfold.

Seeing William Grant’s wary expression, Ethan Grant laughed heartily. “William Grant, here’s the thing. I have a list here with some medicinal ingredients. Go to the Apothecary Hall and get them for me, according to the quantities listed.”

William Grant took the list mechanically, but didn’t move his feet. There’s the list, but what about the money? The Apothecary Hall’s herbs aren’t free, are they?

It’s not like you own the Apothecary Hall, right?

“William Grant, let’s say we’re not master and servant right now, just friends chatting. Tell me, as a steward, what do you think is the ideal level to reach in your profession? Or, in other words, what’s your idea of the strongest steward?”

The strongest steward?