“Shut up!” William Carter snapped. He was in a bad mood today and didn’t want to hear any flattery. He pointed to another son. “You speak.”

“The rebels in Bingzhou are at their peak, and even Governor Shen can’t suppress them. The court is sending twenty thousand troops, but I fear... I fear they may be underestimating the enemy.”

“You’ve attended these meetings for days, yet you’ve made no progress at all. Do you think the Bingzhou situation is that simple? Anyone else?”

The sons and grandsons all hesitated, pushing each other forward. Charles Carter, who was at the end of the line, stepped out, saluted first, and then spoke: “There’s something I don’t understand, and I’d like to ask the Grand General for guidance.”

William Carter pulled his belly in a little and looked at the son in the distance. “Which one are you? You look a bit unfamiliar.”

“Seventeenth son, Charles Carter. Today is my first time attending.”

“Oh, go ahead.” William Carter clearly still didn’t remember this son.

“In the west, bandits in Qinzhou have been rising for years and haven’t been quelled. The court has been slow to send reinforcements. In the north, the Bingzhou bandits have just rebelled. By rights, the provincial governor should handle it first, and if that fails, then the court should send troops...”

“If you don’t understand, just come listen for a few more days. Do I have to explain everything from the beginning every time someone new comes?!” The Grand General interrupted bluntly, his gaze moving on, but then suddenly returning to the seventeenth son. “You’re not young anymore. Why are you only coming to these meetings now?”

In the Lou family, sons and grandsons were eligible to attend the selection hall from the age of twelve or thirteen. Charles Carter was clearly older than that.

Charles Carter didn’t know the reason either. He had always thought he’d never have a chance to enter this place.

Another of the Grand General’s sons stepped forward and whispered, “Charles Carter is the Wu State Princess’s...”

William Carter let out a long “Oh,” finally recalling this son’s background. “Right, I was the one who called you here. Come forward and let me have a good look at you.”

Charles Carter came before his father and bowed again.

“Raise your head.” William Carter examined him closely, ordering a servant to hold a candle to illuminate the seventeenth son’s face. After a long look, he straightened up and laughed heartily. “He is my son, no doubt about it. He looks just as handsome as I did when I was young, though his body is too thin—he takes after your mother more. Do you study literature or martial arts?”

“I am currently studying at the Youxue Hall.”

“You are under restriction... No matter, the court will show mercy eventually. Even if you’re not allowed to become an official, following your father, you’ll still enjoy wealth and honor.” The Grand General seemed to be in a better mood. “Come listen more often in the future, interact and learn from your brothers and nephews. They may be a bunch of fools, but they have more experience than you. By the way, when did you start speaking?” William Carter suddenly remembered this son’s old peculiarity.

“When I was young and ignorant, but after a few years of study, I finally understood and spoke at thirteen. As foolish as I am, I don’t know how long I’ll need to learn from my brothers and nephews before I become enlightened.”

“Haha, ‘In troubled times, those who speak are heroes; in peaceful times, those who keep silent are virtuous.’ So you’ve been speaking for a few years now, and the world hasn’t fallen into chaos. There’s been some minor unrest, nothing to fear, no great disorder. The Tiancheng dynasty will last for ages, at least people like us have nothing to worry about. One of these days, I’ll drag Liu the fortune-teller over here and settle this account with him.”

William Carter got up to attend the banquet in the front hall, taking only a few sons and grandsons with him. The others dispersed.

Charles Carter returned to his own residence. On the way, many people greeted him, allowing him to get to know a few of his brothers and nephews.

A few years ago, Charles Carter had moved out of the Grand General’s mansion to a small house in a back alley. All his neighbors were Lou family relatives, but they rarely interacted.

The kitchen was rarely used at home. An old servant would go to the Grand General’s mansion every day to fetch meals, which was convenient and effortless, though it left little choice.

After eating, Charles Carter wasn’t sleepy. He took the sword from the wall, drew it from its sheath, carefully wiped it down, then went out into the small courtyard. Under the moonlight, he practiced with the sword until he was drenched in sweat. Only then did he stop, wash up, and go to bed. Lying in the darkness, tossing and turning, he thought this birthday had actually been pretty good: his best friend had invited him to join an assassination plot, and his long-absent father had allowed him to attend the meeting in the hall.

After thinking for a while, Charles Carter sighed silently. On reflection, neither of these things really counted as true change. The assassination plot was a joke, and even if his father remembered him today, he’d forget him again tomorrow. Besides, the Grand General was old, and once he passed away, Charles Carter would still be unable to escape the “restriction” placed on him.

Sure enough, in the days that followed, Victor Mason didn’t seek him out again. When they met at school, it was just a nod in greeting. The Grand General was busy with state affairs, gone day and night, and the sons and grandsons had no chance to attend meetings.

Tomorrow was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Victor Mason once again invited Charles Carter to his home for drinks.

Victor Mason’s great-grandfather had been the emperor of Liang. The country had already fallen before he was born, and the whole family was forced to move to the eastern capital, Luoyang. When he was just a year old and still ignorant of the world, his father took part in a rebellion and lost his life for it. The young Victor Mason survived by chance, but was placed under restriction.

The Ma residence was not small, but it was rather desolate, with few servants and simple food and drink. Charles Carter was used to it and thought it was still better than his own home.

After a few cups of wine, the two of them, as usual, began to discuss current affairs.

“The unrest in Qinzhou to the west hasn’t been quelled, and now there are bandits in Bingzhou to the north. I fear the world is truly about to fall into chaos. What do you think, Brother Chu?” Victor Mason was seven years older than Charles Carter, but they addressed each other as brothers.

In front of his friend, Charles Carter showed his more unrestrained side. He raised his cup with his right hand and drank heartily, while his left hand gestured grandly. “Far from it. The troubles in the west and north are just minor disturbances.”