The young woman, seeing that he didn’t answer, couldn’t help but sigh. This child was always lost in thought, different from the others. Fortunately, he was very healthy—only three years old, yet he looked as big as a five-year-old.

She didn’t know that this was exactly her husband’s worry. The child’s body was growing too large, not at all like a three-year-old. What if his father refused to acknowledge him?

The ox cart gradually slowed to a stop. “We’re here!” came the voice of his uncle from outside.

William hurriedly climbed up and looked out through the small window, only to see a grand and imposing mansion before him, surrounded by tall walls. On either side of the steps stood two stone guardian lions, and at the top of the steps was a vermilion lacquered gate.

Above the gate hung a huge gilded plaque. Even though the script was seal script, he still recognized three characters—something Duke’s Residence. The first character looked very familiar to William, but he couldn’t recall it for the moment. Still, there was no doubt this was the home of a powerful court official.

A gatekeeper boy ran out from the residence. After asking about their business, he went back inside. After quite a while, a middle-aged man who looked like a steward came out, cupped his hands to William’s uncle, and said, “Have you brought the child?”

He had already seen the adorable little face in the window, and a faint smile appeared on his face. “The master is waiting for you. Please follow me!”

Of course, they couldn’t enter through the main gate. Instead, they circled around to a side entrance. William’s aunt carried him as they passed through doors and courtyards, not knowing how deep they went, until they finally arrived before a black door. There, a housekeeper who looked like an owl approached. She gave William a cold, scrutinizing look, her face devoid of any smile. “Is it him?”

He was an illegitimate child, unable to enjoy the treatment a young master should receive. Even the servants treated him coldly; only the old steward was a bit kinder, smiling as he said, “This is the young master, just arrived from Yingzhou.”

“He doesn’t know anything yet!”

The housekeeper, displeased, pointed at his uncle and aunt and said, “Take them to the outer rooms.”

The housekeeper stepped forward and picked him up. William immediately noticed a pungent, musky odor coming from her, almost making him vomit. He covered his nose and turned his head away, just in time to see his uncle and aunt looking at him with longing. He suddenly realized this was the moment of their parting.

He struggled desperately to get down, but the housekeeper’s hands were like eagle claws, holding him firmly so he couldn’t move at all.

“I don’t want to go! I want to go home!”

At last, William cried out loud like a three-year-old child. His uncle and aunt’s eyes turned red as well, but they were just ordinary people. In such a noble residence, they had no right to speak. They lowered their heads and turned to leave.

William was carried into the inner quarters, and his crying stopped abruptly. He suddenly realized that the more he cried, the happier the owl-faced housekeeper became. Why should he make her happy?

But the stench on her body was overwhelming. William hadn’t noticed it while crying, but now that he’d stopped, he could smell it clearly. He wondered how anyone could stand sharing a bed with her.

William had no choice but to hold his breath and look around at the inner quarters. Unlike the outer residence, this place was lush with trees and filled with exotic flowers and plants. Pavilions and towers were everywhere, and the buildings were nestled amid vibrant spring greenery.

The housekeeper noticed he had suddenly stopped crying and was a bit surprised. She asked him in a low voice, “You little brat, why aren’t you crying anymore?”

William ignored her, thinking to himself, ‘You old hag are the one who stinks!’

At that moment, two young girls in long dresses approached, one in red and one in green. Both were beautiful, with tall, graceful figures, moving like fairies. They asked with a smile, “Third Mistress, is it him?”

“It’s him!”

The housekeeper grinned obsequiously and handed him to the girl in the red dress, then gave his proof of birth to the girl in green. Held in the arms of the girl in red, William smelled a faint, pleasant fragrance and immediately let out a long sigh of relief. “I was suffocating!”

Both girls looked at him in surprise and asked, “Why were you suffocating?”

William remembered the housekeeper’s eagle claws, which had pinched his calves painfully. He pointed at the housekeeper with his little hand and said angrily, “She stinks too much. I can’t stand it.”

The two girls were stunned, then covered their mouths and giggled, their bodies shaking like flower branches in the wind. The housekeeper’s face turned as red as pig’s liver, her eyes full of anger, but she didn’t dare to lash out. She just glared fiercely at William. “Miss Autumn Grace, Miss Spring Rose, I’ll take my leave.”

She turned and left. The two girls ignored her, carrying William deeper into the inner courtyard. Only then did William learn that one was called Autumn Grace and the other Spring Rose—they were both maids. Even the housekeeper was afraid of these two inner residence maids, which showed how strict the hierarchy was in this household.

Others might have beauties in their arms, but for him, it was the other way around—he was in the arms of beauties. Yet, even in their embrace, he couldn’t enjoy it.

They walked to a room, where Autumn Grace set him down and led him inside. The room wasn’t large, but it was lavishly decorated. Brightly colored Shu brocade hung on the walls, and in each corner stood a tall celadon vase. On either side stood zitan wood screens inlaid with white jade, painted with flowers and birds—exquisitely precious.

Between the two screens stood a sitting couch: eight feet for a bed, three and a half feet for a couch, and one and a half feet for a seat. This was a typical two-person sitting couch.