William never expected his father to be so heartless, not caring at all whether he lived or died, as if killing a dog or a cat. He thought again of his father’s indifference toward his deceased mother, and how he had ignored him for the past two years. William was filled with rage.

He struggled in the hands of the servants, cast a deep look at his father, then suddenly pointed at Patrick Harris and his son, and shouted in a childish yet fierce voice, “I, William Harris, swear here: if I do not die today, I will repay this a hundredfold in the future!”

The look of deep hatred in his eyes and his resounding oath made everyone in the room feel a chill in their hearts. Patrick Harris swallowed hard, unable to say a word, and felt his own son trembling all over.

Even Philip Harris felt a chill in his heart. He was a bit regretful, but couldn’t bring himself to back down. He shouted again, “Ignore him, drag him out and beat him!”

Just then, a loud voice came from outside the door: “Wait! Stop!”

They saw Raymond Ford rushing in, holding up his robe. When William saw him, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief—he was saved. Raymond Ford was a trusted adviser to Thomas Harris, and the Philip Harris brothers respected him greatly. They both stood up to greet him. Philip Harris smiled and asked, “What brings you here, Mr. Ford?”

Raymond Ford pointed at William, “Chancellor Harris and Mr. Howard want to see him!”

Philip Harris was stunned. He and Victor Harris looked at each other in confusion. Why did their father want to see William? And Chancellor Howard as well—what was going on?

Patrick Harris was filled with fear and quickly asked, “Are you sure, Mr. Ford? Why would father and Chancellor Howard want to see a five-year-old child?”

Raymond Ford knew what was happening. He gave a wry smile and said, “Chancellor Howard has been full of praise for William, saying he’s extraordinary, which made Chancellor very proud. That’s why I was sent to bring him. You must not beat him—if you do, Chancellor will be furious.”

“This…”

Philip Harris was burning with frustration. He now realized there must be more to the story and that he had been rash. Fortunately, it was his own son, so there was still a chance to make amends. He glared fiercely at Patrick Harris—it was all this fool’s fault for hiding the truth and making a complaint. There was no need to save face for him.

“I’ll explain to you later. Chancellor is waiting impatiently. I’ll take the child first.”

Raymond Ford took William by the hand and led him out. Philip Harris was in turmoil and said coldly to Patrick Harris, “Are you satisfied now?”

Patrick Harris looked extremely embarrassed and stammered, “I didn’t know the details, I’m truly sorry!”

He glanced at his son and was instantly furious. He slapped him hard on the back of the head, then kicked him viciously, cursing, “It’s all your fault, you troublemaker! I’ll beat you to death!”

Andrew Harris was beaten and burst into loud, ear-piercing wails. Philip Harris was even more annoyed. “Enough! Stop disgracing yourself!”

Patrick Harris was both angry and resentful, not knowing what William would say about him in front of their father. He dragged his son away, scolding and beating him as he went.

Philip Harris sighed and said to Victor Harris with emotion, “I really don’t know why father values a five-year-old child so much.”

Victor Harris was thoughtful. “Big brother, I was thinking about his oath just now. At that moment, I felt he wasn’t a five-year-old at all. He’s truly strange—there’s something about him that’s hard to describe, something different from others. I have a feeling that when he grows up, he will not be an ordinary person.”

Philip Harris was startled. “Will that be a blessing or a curse?”

Victor Harris shook his head. “I don’t know either. But if he’s raised well, it should be a blessing.”

Philip Harris pondered for a moment. Thinking of how his wife didn’t accept William, he muttered to himself, “Since father values him, let father raise him. We shouldn’t interfere. I think father understands better than we do.”

Victor Harris sighed inwardly. His big brother was just too afraid of his wife.

……

William was brought by Raymond Ford to the door of Thomas Harris’s study. Raymond Ford whispered to him, “Be brave, make your grandfather proud. It will be good for your future.”

At first, William rather disliked Raymond Ford, but at this moment he felt he was actually quite nice—every word hit home. Though he was slick, at least he knew how to handle people, which was a skill in itself.

He stood on tiptoe, patted Raymond Ford on the shoulder, and said with a grin, “Old Ford, thank you for saving me today. I’ll repay you in the future!”

Raymond Ford was both amused and exasperated by his gesture. “Alright, repay me when you grow up. For now, come in with me—don’t keep your grandfather waiting.”

He immediately announced loudly, “Chancellor, William is here.”

“Bring him in!” came Thomas Harris’s voice, sounding in a good mood.

Volume One: A Boy Grows Up in the {Yang Family}

Chapter 9: I Want to Learn Martial Arts

Albert Howard couldn’t forget William’s words: ‘If I can’t even beat a few spoiled brats, how can I ever defeat the Turks in the future!’ The statement was incredibly bold, and coming from a five-year-old, he couldn’t help but mention it to Thomas Harris.

Although William had been quite favored by Thomas Harris when he first arrived, Thomas Harris had many descendants, and after he succeeded David Scott as Right Assistant Minister a year ago, he became busy with court affairs and soon forgot about William. So when Albert Howard brought up the name William, he was stunned for a long time, unable to recall which grandson it was.