Ryan Carter thought to himself, here comes the main act. Putting on an Oscar-worthy performance, he feigned distress and said, “It’s not good. They never let me go out to play, and the food isn’t as tasty as it is here. Also…” He thought for a long time but couldn’t come up with anything else, so he awkwardly added, “Anyway, it’s just not good.”

Chancellor Parker gave a mysterious smile and asked, “How about I send you back to The Carter Family?”

Ryan Carter immediately put on a look of terror and asked anxiously, “Why?” He even started to tremble a little.

The Prime Minister was surprised and said, “The Carter Family is your homeland. Don’t you want to go back?”

Ryan Carter shook his head firmly and said, “No, Eagle Carter said The Carter Family is ten thousand li away from here. What if there are bad people on the road? And also…”

“And also what?” Someone nearby couldn’t stand his constant hesitation and hurriedly asked.

“And also, Boss Carter said that when Dahei gives birth in the autumn, he’ll give me one to raise.” He said this a bit embarrassed.

The audience was completely confused and turned their gaze to Eagle Carter. Eagle Carter wished he could find a hole to crawl into and explained weakly, “Dahei is Boss Carter’s guard dog…”

The guests burst into laughter, and even the Prime Minister couldn’t help but smile. He turned to talk to others, ignoring him.

Ryan Carter and Eagle Carter exchanged a glance, both thinking: We’ve pretty much passed the test.

The two of them had already arrived late to the banquet, and after all that had happened, it wasn’t long before the gathering dispersed.

……

According to etiquette, the host should personally see the guests off, or if he has adult sons, they can do it on his behalf.

Chancellor Parker had three sons and four daughters, all adults. Ryan Carter thought the Prime Minister’s eldest son would see the guests off, but unexpectedly, Richard Parker came in person. Seeing the portly, yellow-bearded old man surrounded by admirers, he realized this was a heavyweight figure. Small fry like them were just lucky to be included.

After the two big shots finished their farewells, the yellow-bearded, fat old man casually swept his gaze over the crowd, finally locking onto Ryan Carter. His eyes were cold and murderous, devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking at a dead man.

From the way others addressed him, Ryan Carter already knew that this was the very man who, sixteen years ago, had commanded the Qi-Chu allied forces, dealt a crushing defeat to the Qin army, seized a thousand li of territory, demanded thirty million in annual tribute, and incidentally caused him and his aunt to become exiles—the chief culprit, the Duke of a Hundred Victories of Eastern Qi, Henry Clark.

He lowered his head, avoiding Henry Clark’s gaze, but inside, flames of anger blazed: After nearly two months in this world, Ryan Carter knew he couldn’t go back and had accepted his new identity. He knew this person had parents and siblings—even if they weren’t around, it was still better than being all alone as he was before.

So he rarely bothered to distinguish between himself and the little hostage anymore.

The Emperor’s spring heart entrusted to the cuckoo, Zhuangzi’s morning dream lost in the butterfly.

Now, being stared at by his fated enemy, it took all his strength to suppress his anger. When he looked up again, the man was already gone.

Since he had personally seen off Henry Clark, the host couldn’t show favoritism, so he smiled and bid farewell to every guest, making them feel valued and treated with kindness. This way of winning people’s hearts cost nothing, and Chancellor Parker had already mastered it thirty years ago.

The guests, according to their rank, stepped forward to say goodbye to the Prime Minister. Most only received a polite phrase like, “Sorry for any shortcomings in our hospitality, please forgive us.” In Ryan Carter’s eyes, it was just like the greeters at a modern luxury hotel.

When it was Ryan Carter’s turn, the Prime Minister chatted with him. At the banquet, they’d been far apart and couldn’t see each other clearly; now, looking closely, he found the little hostage well-proportioned, with delicate features—if not for the heavy scent of powder, he’d actually be quite dashing. Mr. Parker couldn’t help but laugh at his own thoughts.

The Prime Minister took his hand and felt it was a bit rough. Surprised, he asked Eagle Carter beside him, “Does the young lord do anything reckless? Why are his hands calloused?”

Eagle Carter replied awkwardly, “His Highness has recently become obsessed with blacksmithing. He hired a smith to work at home, banging away all day. I’ve tried to persuade him many times, but he just won’t listen.” He looked utterly hopeless. The Qi guards nearby nodded in agreement.

The Prime Minister gave an “oh,” put on a stern face, and lectured Ryan Carter for a while. Seeing the little hostage could chat with the Prime Minister, everyone was very envious.

Ryan Carter gripped Old Master Parker’s hand tightly, nodding obediently, looking like he was taking the lesson to heart, and immediately decided to take the Prime Minister as his teacher. By now, the Prime Minister had sobered up and had no intention of accepting this troublemaker as a disciple. He brushed him off vaguely, promised to find him a good teacher, and pried Ryan Carter’s fingers off with effort to retrieve his hand.

Seeing the finger marks left on his right hand, the Prime Minister complained angrily, “You little blacksmith, do you think my hand is an iron rod?”

Ryan Carter quickly apologized and wanted to massage the Prime Minister’s hand. Richard Parker, perhaps in too much pain, said coldly, “I can’t hold my liquor, so my son will see the guests off in my place. Please excuse me, everyone.” With that, he hurried off to the back courtyard.

Amidst the resentful stares of the crowd, the master and servant left the Prime Minister’s residence contentedly, both feeling quite relaxed.

At this moment, the entrance to the residence was packed with sedan chairs and carriages, causing a traffic jam.

Ryan Carter’s carriage was stuck in the middle, unable to move forward or back. The two of them leaned against the carriage shaft, chatting idly about how beautiful this carriage was, how grand that sedan chair looked, and other such nonsense, making the Qi guards so embarrassed that they all retreated a full zhang away, distancing themselves from this pair of scatterbrained master and servant.