These two hall names, to some extent, also reflect the Zheng family's ideals of both civil governance and martial prowess.

George Sullivan got off the carriage outside Anyuan Hall and said to David Sullivan, “David Walker, settle the child first... Oh, and later I’ll have someone arrange a wet nurse for you, so it’ll be more convenient to take care of things. Once you’re done, come find me.”

A simple sentence, yet it revealed David Sullivan’s extraordinary status in Anyuan Hall.

At this moment, Mrs. Cooper came over, holding Charles Sullivan and Richard Sullivan.

George Sullivan glanced at Mrs. Cooper, pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, “Let’s do this, let Mrs. Cooper go over and take care of them.”

Although Mrs. Cooper was nearly thirty, she still had a mature charm.

George Sullivan had bought Mrs. Cooper and her son in Luoyang simply because Charles Sullivan’s mother had just passed away, and the child needed a wet nurse.

But he noticed that Samuel Sullivan seemed to be interested in Mrs. Cooper.

George Sullivan had to be extra cautious. Samuel Sullivan was in his prime, his wife had passed away, and George Sullivan was considering finding him a suitable match from a family of equal status. He already had someone in mind and didn’t want any complications at this time.

For aristocratic families, marriage alliances were also a matter of reputation.

Samuel Sullivan’s wife had just died; if any rumors spread about him and a servant, it would be a stain on his character and could affect future marriage prospects.

But Richard Sullivan’s heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

The reason was simple: that little girl Duoduo had a green jeweled blade in her arms, and her identity was extremely mysterious. There really shouldn’t be too much involvement. Instinctively, he wanted to refuse, stretching out his hand from the swaddling clothes and babbling in protest.

But David Sullivan smiled, “It seems this child is quite fated with Mrs. Cooper, so let’s do as the master says.”

He had accompanied George Sullivan since childhood and naturally understood George Sullivan’s thoughts best.

But Richard Sullivan was unwilling, mainly because the origins of Duoduo and her mother were unknown, and keeping them close was too dangerous.

However, he had no room to object in this matter.

While Richard Sullivan was still struggling internally, he saw a white horse galloping from afar.

A scholar sat upright on the horse, dismounted outside Anyuan Hall, and quickly walked up to George Sullivan.

“Philip, what brings you here?”

George Sullivan was a bit surprised and said, “I was just saying that after washing up, I’d go to the Scripture Hall to pay respects to our ancestors, but you’ve come ahead of me.”

The man, though dressed as a scholar in wide-sleeved robes with fluttering sashes,

was actually tall and robust, exuding a heroic aura.

He saluted George Sullivan, then said, “Uncle, Lord Guichang heard you’ve returned and asked me to invite you over immediately—there’s an urgent matter to discuss.”

Lord Guichang was Matthew Sullivan’s eldest son, named Stephen Sullivan.

George Sullivan was taken aback and immediately realized something serious had happened. He quickly asked, “Philip, the clan leader wants to see me—what’s happened?”

Although Philip Sullivan deliberately lowered his voice, Richard Sullivan still caught the gist of it.

He heard him whisper, “Uncle, news from Chang’an—ten days ago, the Crown Princess passed away!”

George Sullivan’s face instantly turned ashen...

Chapter Four: People with Stories

Richard Sullivan only learned later that this Philip Sullivan was the son of Matthew Sullivan’s brother. With Matthew Sullivan’s connections, Philip Sullivan had just stepped down from his post as Prefect of Yizhou and been promoted to Right Grand Master for Splendid Happiness, a position far above George Sullivan.

But in front of George Sullivan, Philip Sullivan was just a junior.

Even though he was from the main line, when facing a clan uncle with a lower official rank, he still had to be extremely respectful.

The ‘Crown Princess’ Philip Sullivan mentioned was the principal wife of Sui Crown Prince Yang Yong.

Later historians often sympathized with Sui Crown Prince Yang Yong, saying he was gentle by nature and had the bearing of an elder. However, he was fond of luxury and somewhat addicted to women.

Richard Sullivan didn’t quite believe this.

Since ancient times, history is written by the victors. The Li-Tang dynasty seized the Sui dynasty’s empire, so naturally, they would embellish things. As the last emperor of Sui, Emperor Yang was inevitably vilified. As his rival, Yang Yong would naturally be beautified. Otherwise, how could the great achievements of the Li-Tang be highlighted? Moreover, the Book of Sui was written by Tang historians...

Yang Yong’s dislike for the Crown Princess had a long history.

Later, he even took Yun Zhaoxun as a concubine, completely neglecting his original wife.

The Crown Princess was also of noble birth—how could she endure such neglect? Coupled with health issues, she eventually died suddenly of heartbreak.

The Zheng clan of Xingyang had always supported Crown Prince Yang Yong.

Although no one knew what consequences the Crown Princess’s death would bring, the Zheng family keenly sensed something ominous.

Emperor Wen of Sui’s wife was Empress Dugu, a notoriously jealous woman.

Back when Emperor Wen was rising to power, he relied heavily on Empress Dugu’s family, so he always listened to her.

Yang Yong’s indulgence in women had already lost him Empress Dugu’s favor.

The Crown Princess was chosen for Yang Yong by Empress Dugu herself. With her death, conflict between Empress Dugu and the Crown Prince was sure to erupt. What’s more, now that Yang Guang, the Prince of Jin, had returned to Chang’an from Jiangdu, he was eyeing the position of Crown Prince hungrily.

Therefore, the Crown Princess’s death was bound to trigger turmoil.

And the Zheng family had to prepare in advance, analyze the situation, and make the right choice.