"You think you're something? Tell Laura Clark and Yvonne Foster to come out and talk to me themselves." George Thompson was furious. In the past, he wouldn't have bothered coming to a place like this, but now that no one else in the capital dared to do business with him, he finally thought of coming here. Who was George Thompson? A man who had walked among countless beauties—of course, he wanted to go to the best places.

Now, the most popular spot on Flower Boat Street was this Drifting Snow Boat. It was said they only received guests once every three days, never more than three people at a time. You could listen to a piece of music, drink a pot of tea, and the fee was a hundred taels of gold. You had to know, in the current Blue Cloud Empire, five taels of silver or half a tael of gold was enough for a family of five to live comfortably for a year.

"Heh..." Michael Bolton's lips curled slightly in disdain as he said arrogantly, "Young Master Thompson, you'd better go back. This isn't a place for you. My men may have been out of line just now, but they made a good point. Since you admire William Clark so much, respect him as your boss and role model, even if the princess is out of reach, the maids shouldn't be a problem. I imagine the Thompson family has plenty of maids—why not go home and enjoy yourself there, Young Master Thompson?"

The matter of William Clark raping the princess wasn't exactly a secret among the upper echelons; everyone had their own sources, and the incident had caused quite a stir. But it was only known in those circles. As for Michael Bolton, he only knew the real story because he was close to Laura Clark. He felt a bit smug as he spoke, knowing his master could hear him. When the news first broke, he had clearly seen the look of contempt in his master's eyes.

"Fuck your grandmother! Tell Laura Clark to get out here! I want to ask him how he manages his men. My boss isn't someone a piece of trash like you can talk about. If you weren't from the Clark family, I'd tell you right now—you'd have died a hundred times over by now." Though George Thompson was thin and weak, at this moment he was utterly enraged, his eyes filled with murderous intent. This lackey was sharp-tongued, always sounding righteous and standing on the side of reason, but in truth, he was the most sinister of all.

"What did you just call me?"

The voice wasn't loud, calm and steady, but carried a magnetic quality. Instantly, everyone's eyes turned toward William Clark.

Chapter 8: National Law and Family Rules

William Clark? How could it be him? Why would he come to a place like this?

Could it be that, after just raping a maid, he was afraid of being punished by the old man and ran away? Michael Bolton was surprised to see William Clark, but there was no fear in his expression.

"My young master and Young Master Foster are inside enjoying tea. Outsiders naturally can't approach. If 'you' want to go in, that's fine, but I doubt you'll like the atmosphere or the mood here." Although William Clark was the legitimate grandson of Duke Cheng Xiaotian, Michael Bolton knew very well what the leader of the Four Scourges of Yunge City, William Clark, feared most. Aside from the old master, the person William Clark feared most was Laura Clark. Laura Clark was the younger brother from William Clark's second uncle's family, but he had been a prodigy since childhood, excelling in both literature and martial arts.

Now, Laura Clark had won two consecutive top scholar titles, becoming famous in Yunge City. Among the four great talents of the capital, ranked for their skills in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he was already showing signs of surpassing Zhou Yifan of the Zhou family. If he could win the top scholar title again in two months, he would surely become the foremost of the four great talents. Laura Clark was not only a master of chess, but also an extraordinary speaker, always quoting classics and references, with justice and victory always on his side. Even as a child, the old master would get so angry at William Clark that he wanted to hit him, but in the end, he had to let Laura Clark lecture him. William Clark would be so scolded he'd nearly cough up blood, and after that, he almost never saw Laura Clark again, always avoiding places where Laura Clark was present. That was why Michael Bolton spoke so confidently now.

The cabin was very spacious, and from the second-floor window, you could vaguely see the situation on the shore. The sounds outside were even clearer inside.

An incense burner, a pot of tea, a game of chess. A person in a light blue silk robe, with delicately shaped eyebrows clearly groomed with care, skin so fair and fingers so slender that even women would feel ashamed. At this moment, his right thumb and middle finger were gently picking up a white chess piece and elegantly placing it on the board.

"Your family's eldest young master is here. Aren't you going out to take a look? Don't let them keep arguing in a place like this, letting those filthy people make a mess and sully Miss Piaoxue's peaceful place for nothing." The voice was soft, even more delicate than a woman's. The unique jade at his waist was famous in the capital—this was none other than one of the four great talents, Yvonne Foster.

"Pa." The person holding the black pieces gently closed his fan. His face was as handsome as jade, his eyes deep as a pool, and his features bore some resemblance to William Clark, though his appearance was even more youthful and confident. He placed his piece on the board and said lightly, "It's just a matter between pawns. If they can't even handle this, there's no need for them to follow me in the future."

Not far from them, separated by a thin gauze curtain, sat a person with a zither, playing softly, as if completely detached from the world.

"Young master, am I seeing things? You... your body... you... you're still alive?" George Thompson suddenly saw William Clark and could hardly believe it. After all, his boss had just done something that shocked not only the capital, but the entire world.