Chad Sullivan had been busy all morning. After lunch, he took a nap on the soft couch for an hour, then started climbing up and down again, spending more than half an hour picking out several books. In the end, he came down hugging a book as thick as three fingers, sat directly on the floor with his back against the bookshelf, flipping through it with great interest, and even took a pen to dip in ink and scribble on it.

Seeing this scene, and remembering how Chad Sullivan had angered Evan Sullivan into leaving that morning, Ethan Reed finally couldn’t hold back.

“Ninth Young Master, there are so many scholars out there who can’t afford to buy books and can only copy them from the bookshop to read. Can’t you cherish them a little more?”

“Poor scholars study bitterly for ten years, and after finally passing the imperial exam, they only become some low-ranking official. Unlike some people who, just by luck, can enjoy wealth and honor, and then waste the sages’ books for fun.”

Emily Reed also made a couple of biting remarks, and seeing that Chad Sullivan seemed not to hear, she said irritably, “Ninth Young Master, at least take care of things a bit. Which young master in the household is as disrespectful as you?”

“‘Disrespectful’—that’s a good use of the idiom.” Chad Sullivan kept his head down, flipping through the thick tome in his hands. After a long while, he finally looked up and said, “But I just like to mess up books. So what?”

He flicked the book in his hand. “These three years, I haven’t been messing up books for nothing. Third bookshelf from the left, first compartment on the third shelf, a set of three volumes is missing. Second compartment on the fourth shelf, a set of twelve volumes is all gone. Want me to recall what other bookshelves are missing books? I heard that your good-for-nothing brother at home has been spending quite lavishly lately.”

In that instant, Emily Reed’s face turned as white as paper, and she began to tremble violently.

Seeing her like this, Ethan Reed immediately realized there was something fishy going on and couldn’t help but gasp.

She and Emily Reed were cousins; Mrs. Foster was her aunt. The reason she could work in a relaxed place like Hè Míng Xuān was all thanks to Mrs. Foster. Now, hearing that her cousin might have stolen books, how could she just stand by?

Ethan Reed forced a smile. “Ninth Young Master can’t even read—maybe you remembered wrong.”

Chad Sullivan didn’t even look up. “When I first started messing up books, Grandpa’s Uncle Ethan spent several days making a catalog of every book in Hè Míng Xuān. After all, when I ruined a book, he had to know what to replace. Back then, neither of you had been assigned to Hè Míng Xuān yet. If you want to know whether I remembered wrong, just ask Uncle Ethan to check the inventory.”

Hearing this, Ethan Reed finally realized that although Chad Sullivan only brought up the topic today, he must have noticed something long ago. No matter how much she wanted to help Emily Reed, at this moment she dared not say another word.

The Yue family’s foundation was shallow, and all the house rules were set by the old master himself. Most things could be overlooked, but stealing was one thing that, if caught, would definitely bring severe punishment!

Noticing that Ethan Reed unconsciously took a step to the side, clearly wanting to distance herself, Emily Reed’s face turned green, her hands twisted together tightly, and the look she gave Chad Sullivan was now devoid of contempt and disdain, replaced by deep resentment.

“Those books are just being ruined in this study anyway. Might as well give them to real scholars!”

Blurting out these words, Emily Reed finally realized she had basically confessed. Her face ashen, she staggered back a few steps, then suddenly dashed out the door. Having caused such a big mess, the only person she could rely on was her mother, Mrs. Foster, who had come as a dowry maid to the main wife and was now a highly respected figure in the household!

She had no idea that as he watched her run away, Chad Sullivan neither shouted nor got up, but simply smiled at the corner of his mouth.

Chapter Five: Four Ounces Move a Thousand Pounds

At the entrance of Hè Míng Xuān, Ethan Reed paced back and forth anxiously, her heart in turmoil.

Even though Emily Reed’s words just now were as good as a confession to stealing the books, and she had run off, Ethan Reed thought of how she had gotten her position through Mrs. Foster’s connections and still didn’t dare do anything rash. What’s more, Chad Sullivan acted as if nothing had happened, not caring at all that Emily Reed had run off, which gave her a sliver of hope.

Maybe the Ninth Young Master only exposed Emily Reed for offending him and didn’t intend to make a big deal out of it?

Because of this, when she saw Emily Reed from afar, following a middle-aged woman in this direction, she quickly lifted her skirt and hurried over.

Facing this woman with a long face, high cheekbones, thin lips, extremely ordinary looks, but dressed in brand-new silk clothes that made her look quite dignified, and wearing a solid gold bracelet on her wrist—a favored figure in the inner quarters—she forced a smile and curtsied before saying, “Auntie, you’re here.”

“Raising such a stupid girl who can’t even speak properly—how could I not swallow my pride and come here myself?” Mrs. Foster scolded Emily Reed with her mouth, but her eyes glinted with a sharp, cold light.

Her daughter, her son—how could she let that little bastard, whose parents were some unknown country bumpkins, threaten them?

“Ninth Young Master, you’re really something. You just drove away Young Master Carter, and now you’re waving your feather duster like an imperial token, scaring the maids!”

Mrs. Foster sneered, not even glancing at Ethan Reed, and walked straight ahead. Only when she reached the door of Hè Míng Xuān did she hesitate for a moment.