William Grant was almost in tears—let alone being the strongest. Among the 108 lords’ servants and stewards, as long as I, William Grant, am not ranked dead last, that’s happiness enough.

“Don’t look so glum. Go on, tell me,” Ethan Grant encouraged.

William Grant hesitated, swallowed hard, and mustered up the courage to ask, “You really want me to say it?”

“Say it! If you say it well, there’ll be a reward!”

A reward like that is just an empty promise. William Grant looked like he didn’t dare accept it. Ethan Grant did often give out rewards, but even more often, he’d just given you a thousand taels and then might turn around and borrow two thousand from you.

Still, when it came to the strongest steward, the most impressive steward, the ideal state of a steward, William Grant couldn’t help but let his mind wander.

After all, the attendants of the powerful, though not nobles themselves, also have their own professional dreams.

Some people even made up little jokes about it—

Seeing Ethan Grant’s earnest expression, William Grant didn’t know where he got the nerve, but said, “Young Marquis, there are some jokes that are quite popular in the capital. They’re about our line of work.”

“Oh? Let’s hear them,” Ethan Grant was curious.

“The jokes go like this—delicacies from land and sea, fine clothes and spirited horses, private manors, houses full of gold and jade.”

“Joking with the powerful, mingling only with nobles; wives and concubines living in harmony, children and grandchildren enjoying blessings.”

“A regular at Songhe Tower, a patron of Chunhui Garden; whoring with princes, drinking at the same table with ministers…”

William Grant rattled off three or four in one breath, making Ethan Grant clap and laugh heartily: “Not bad, not bad, very interesting. Chunhui Garden, I suppose, is that pleasure house?”

William Grant chuckled awkwardly, but in his heart he was quite contemptuous—haven’t you been there yourself? Why pretend to be so innocent!

“William Grant, after observing you these past days, I trust your ability to get things done. Now, if you can handle this task well, it won’t be long before I help you realize every bit of wealth in those jokes, one by one. By then, you’ll surely feel you’re the most successful steward in the Eastern Kingdom, the proudest steward!”

“Task? What task?” William Grant was stunned. His first thought was that this young master was up to something again—he had to stay alert.

“It’s the list you’re holding. You must keep it safe—this is something money can’t buy. Take it to the Apothecary Hall and find their manager.”

“Find the manager? Any clerk in the hall can fetch these herbs. The manager of the Apothecary Hall is really stuck-up, not someone you can just see.” William Grant grumbled.

“Heh, just go. If the manager won’t see you, tell them: ‘Miss this village, and there’s no other inn.’ If they come begging you later, there’ll be no medicine for regret.”

William Grant couldn’t help wanting to feel the young marquis’s forehead—was he muddled from a beating, running a fever? Was he talking in his sleep?

No one knew better than William Grant how high the threshold of the Apothecary Hall was, and how arrogant its people were. Every time he went to buy elixirs for this young master, he’d experienced it firsthand. They never had time for your nonsense.

“William Grant, you must be cursing me in your heart, thinking I’m talking nonsense. Thinking I’m cheating you by not giving you silver and sending you to buy herbs. Let me tell you, the list in your hand is no ordinary list—it’s a pill recipe, a lost ancient formula. If you put this recipe up for auction, even ten million taels of silver wouldn’t be enough to buy it.”

“A pill recipe?” William Grant forced a smile uglier than crying. “Young Marquis, please don’t tease your subordinate. Since when did the Jiang family have some ancient pill recipe? Do you think my mental endurance isn’t maxed out yet, and want me to experience what it’s like to be utterly desperate?”

As William Grant laughed, his eyes turned red—he really was about to cry.

Chapter 0007: William Grant Shows His Power, Holds His Head High

Facing a master like this, William Grant truly felt on the verge of collapse.

This month’s allowance was already spent, and the herbs on this list couldn’t be bought for less than ten thousand taels. To swap this list for ten million taels of silver—wasn’t that madness?

“Go ahead and cry, men crying isn’t a crime!” Ethan Grant chuckled. “But what if I told you this list was entrusted by a deity—would you think I’m crazy again?”

“I’m treating the princess? Do you also think I’m crazy?”

“Even if I am crazy, would I drag my father and the whole Jiang family down with me? I may be a wastrel, but I’m not that brainless, am I?”

William Grant was left dumbfounded by Ethan Grant’s rapid-fire questions. True, this young master had done plenty of outrageous things, but he wouldn’t risk the entire Jiang family, would he?

Could it be that this business about a deity’s commission was actually true?

“William Grant, let me make it clear. No matter how much silver, we’re not selling this list. Tell the manager of the Apothecary Hall: in the Eastern Kingdom, their hall isn’t the only herbal shop. If they don’t want it, Shennong Hall and Danwang Garden would kill for it. If the Apothecary Hall’s business gets overtaken, there’ll be no medicine for regret. Once this recipe goes into production, all those healing medicines on the market will be pulled from the shelves, swept into the trash, and become worthless!”

Ethan Grant was full of confidence, waving his hand with absolute assurance.