The only person Madam could think of was Mr. Harris. Although she was kind, she was no fool—otherwise, how could the household be so well managed? Thinking of this, Madam’s expression grew a bit cold, and she said indifferently, “Alright, you may go and rest now. In the future, you are not to say such things again.”

Adam Sullivan returned together with the steward of the outer residence. William Cooper was very excited, feeling that Adam Sullivan had brought honor to the outer court and had a bright future ahead. Becoming a study attendant meant being a trusted aide to the young master, and also being favored by Madam; in the future, he would surely be someone with influence in the household.

Because of this, William Cooper was very warm toward Adam Sullivan, cheerfully congratulating him and agreeing that they would support each other in the future. Adam Sullivan smiled at him, “Mr. Cooper, you think too highly of me. I’m just a study attendant, nothing more. Compared to you, I’m far behind.”

Hearing this, William Cooper felt very pleased, thinking that Adam Sullivan really knew how to conduct himself, so he earnestly advised him, “Today you embarrassed Mr. Harris. When you get to the inner residence, you must be careful. If Mr. Harris gives you trouble, come and tell me. Not to brag, but I, William Cooper, still have some standing in this household.”

Adam Sullivan agreed, saying, “Mr. Harris is nothing compared to you, Mr. Cooper. In my opinion, the inner residence should be managed by you.”

Although the stewards of the inner and outer residences had similar authority, the inner residence had far more perks than the outer. Not to mention anything else, just the commissions from the purchases of clothes and paintings for Madam and the young ladies amounted to several hundred strings of cash a year. The outer residence was hard work, and though one toiled away, neither the Duke nor Madam noticed. William Cooper had long been thinking about moving to the inner residence. Hearing Adam Sullivan say this, he was overjoyed and personally escorted Adam Sullivan back to his quarters before returning with his lantern.

When Adam Sullivan returned, Sam Walker greeted him excitedly, “Well? Did you beat the scholar?”

Adam Sullivan laughed heartily and said arrogantly, “Dealing with him was a piece of cake. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be moving to the inner residence. The monthly wage is four strings, with extra rewards on top.”

Sam Walker was both excited and a little upset. “If you move out, I’ll be the only one left in this room.”

Adam Sullivan said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Cooper is very shrewd. He won’t let you have a room to yourself for nothing. In a couple of days, he’ll probably arrange for someone else to move in.”

Sam Walker was troubled. “I just hope it’s not someone with smelly feet or who snores.”

Adam Sullivan tapped him on the head and laughed, “I’ve already made arrangements for you. San’er, being a house servant has no future, you know?”

Sam Walker clenched his fists and said angrily, “How is there no future? I do the work of two people all by myself.”

Adam Sullivan shook his head. “That’s exactly why you have no future. It shows you’re not clever enough—you don’t even know how to slack off. How can you be a good house servant like that?”

Sam Walker was dejected. Adam Sullivan wasn’t wrong. When they worked together, this guy always found ways to slack off, while he himself did the work of two. Now Adam Sullivan was moving up to the inner residence, while he was still doing odd jobs. It felt unfair.

Adam Sullivan said, “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you behind. Have you ever thought about leaving the household to do some business?”

“Do business?” Sam Walker’s eyes nearly popped out. He stammered, “I don’t know how to do business, and besides, you need capital to start…”

Adam Sullivan sat on the bed. “We’ll pool our money together. If you don’t know how, I’ll guide you. We’ll be partners and invest in some ventures. You can’t be a house servant your whole life.”

“Alright.” Sam Walker was excited, counting on his fingers. “I have a fellow townsman who’s also doing business in Bianjing. He’s doing pretty well these days. I’ll go ask him for advice tomorrow.”

“Wow, amazing! So Sam Walker actually has friends in business.” Adam Sullivan was pleased. “Who is he? What kind of business does he do?”

Seeing that Adam Sullivan now looked at him differently, Sam Walker was a bit smug. “His name is James Walker, and he sells baked cakes at the City God Temple. When business is good, he can make three hundred cash a day.”

Adam Sullivan was quite shocked and didn’t mention this business friend again, changing the subject. “That’s not what I meant. I’m not talking about selling baked cakes or candied hawthorn. That’s business, too, but it’s too promising for someone as clumsy as you. So I’m thinking of opening a private club.”

“Private club?” Sam Walker found this unfamiliar term hard to digest.

Adam Sullivan explained, “It’s like a teahouse, but of a higher class, a place for the celebrities and scholars of Bianjing to drink tea. To raise the standard, the first thing is to rent a big house by the Bian River, then decorate it nicely, and that should do.”

“A big house by the Bian River?” Sam Walker immediately lost his confidence. “Without several hundred strings—no, a thousand strings—I’m afraid we can’t pull off such a deal.”

“Money’s not a problem.” Adam Sullivan already had a plan in mind. For him, money was never an issue. “I’ll take care of it. I have about twenty strings on me. Here, you take this money first.”

Adam Sullivan opened up his bedding. Under his pillow was a small box built into the bed, filled with glittering bits of silver and coins—this was all of Adam Sullivan’s savings.