The prime minister’s invitation was indeed extraordinary. This time, the Jinwu Guards surrounding the Progeny’s Residence did not block the Progeny’s carriage; instead, they dispatched half a battalion of soldiers to escort Charles Carter on the road.

At noon in early summer, the areas without shade were already somewhat hot and dry. On the slowly moving carriage, Ryan Carter, wrapped in layers of complicated ceremonial robes, had already begun to sweat. He wondered what material James Sullivan had used—amazingly, the powder on his face was waterproof. It would definitely sell well in the twenty-first century, Ryan Carter grumbled inwardly. Seeing Eagle Carter across from him trying hard not to laugh, he snorted, “If you want to laugh, just laugh! Anyway, this trip is just for people to laugh at me.” Despite his calm tone, he couldn’t hide his frustration.

Amid Eagle Carter’s muffled chuckles, they arrived at the Prime Minister’s residence.

Volume One: Grass on the Plain

Chapter Nine: Prime Minister Qi Hosts a Banquet, Lord Zhige Plays the Fool

Eastern Qi prided itself on its traditions of ritual and music, with the royal family venerating the Supreme Sage Confucius as their ancestor, placing utmost importance on etiquette and strict systems. As the seat of the nation’s chief minister, the Prime Minister’s residence was naturally grand: a thousand-year-old locust tree, its canopy like a royal parasol, shaded the main gate. The pair of vermilion doors, each two zhang high and three zhang wide, were studded with forty-nine gilded nails in seven vertical and seven horizontal rows, and together with the imposing stone lions at the entrance, proclaimed the master’s status as noble as a prince.

Ryan Carter got out of the carriage and stood at the foot of the high steps of the Prime Minister’s residence, seeming a bit uneasy, his gaze wandering, his body slightly hunched. Eagle Carter, with a dark face, handed the wrinkled invitation to the steward, then strode into the residence without a word.

Only then did Ryan Carter react, hurrying to catch up with Eagle Carter. But the narrow hem of the Qi ceremonial robe and the high steps of the residence made the little Progeny stumble awkwardly, his face scrunched up as he lifted his robe and chased after.

The guards and stewards of the residence exchanged glances, then began to snicker quietly. After a while, they remembered their duties and hurriedly chanted together, “Lord Zhige has arrived…”

The Prime Minister’s residence was indeed deep and layered; the repeated announcements still reached the banquet hall ahead of the guests. By this time, the celebratory feast had long since begun. Judging by the guests’ slightly tipsy appearances, it seemed they had already drunk three rounds…

Upon hearing the announcement, the hall suddenly quieted. The high officials and nobles all turned to look at the entrance, eager to see what this recent talk-of-the-town figure looked like.

The first to enter was indeed a giant of a man, eight feet tall, with a full beard like a door god. When the guests saw the guard’s uniform he wore, they breathed a sigh of relief—reality was far from their expectations, which was always a bit disappointing.

The giant stopped, cupped his fists, and said in a booming voice, “Envoy of Great Qin, His Highness the Fifth Prince congratulates the Prime Minister of Great Qi on the birth of a son!” After speaking, he stepped aside, and only then did the crowd see a person emerge from behind the iron tower of a man. This person’s face was deathly pale, his gaze unfocused, his posture stiff, his demeanor flustered, timid and cautious. Now this was right! This was exactly the unlucky look a pitiable Progeny imprisoned for sixteen years in Great Qi should have. The officials relaxed, putting on the mocking, disdainful, or sympathetic expressions they had prepared, and turned back to their drinking and merrymaking.

Ryan Carter bowed to everyone, taking in the scene in the hall. The white-bearded, thin old man in the seat of honor was surely Old Parker, who was currently twirling his wine cup and conversing with the first guest on his left, a yellow-bearded, fat old man whose expression was particularly unfriendly. The third person to catch his attention was a scruffy, bearded man in plain clothes sitting by the door, about thirty years old, who kept his head down drinking and didn’t talk to anyone, looking out of place among the richly dressed crowd.

It seemed no one had heard Eagle Carter’s announcement; the host and guests were all busy chatting and drinking, with no time to look toward the door, leaving the master and servant standing there, red-faced.

Eagle Carter was about to lose his temper when he heard a barely audible cough by his ear, forcing him to hold back, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked. Using his peripheral vision, Eagle Carter glanced at His Highness, who was bowing his head slightly, seemingly at a loss. But from Eagle Carter’s angle, he caught a fleeting glint of mischief in His Highness’s eyes.

Ever since receiving the invitation, Ryan Carter knew that he and James Sullivan’s plan was already half successful. James Sullivan’s countless small tricks and a few major moves had finally led to this meeting. The Prime Minister of Qi wanted to see if the supposedly foolish and dull Progeny was truly useless. If he posed no threat to Qi, then giving the Emperor and Empress Dowager some face, while also avoiding war and buying Qi a few years to prepare, was all to the good.

Through his discussions with James Sullivan, Ryan Carter was almost certain of Richard Parker’s intentions. In psychology, if someone wants things to go a certain way, they will focus on information that supports their assumptions and ignore information that contradicts them—what’s commonly called confirmation bias.

As someone who began his life as a hostage in swaddling clothes, he really shouldn’t attract the attention of Qi’s top leaders. If not for Richard Parker’s cautious nature, even this meeting would have been unnecessary.

So from the very beginning, Ryan Carter’s task was to conform to Richard Parker’s expectations of him, naturally reinforcing them and letting things develop in the direction the Prime Minister hoped for. This would save a lot of trouble—going with the flow, as the saying goes.

With his thoughts clear, he was no longer angered by the ridicule around him. On the contrary, he felt a certain pleasure in fooling others—at least, Ryan Carter was quite pleased right now.

……