After tearing up the marriage contract, Mr. Carter and Son turned and left the The Bennett Family mansion. But just as the father and son stepped out the gate, Second Young Master Carter could no longer hold back his complaints to his father: “Father, why did you stop me just now? That Charles Bennett is nothing more than a wastrel. With their The Bennett Family's current situation, they still want to marry off their daughter? At best, she’ll end up with some peasant. I don’t want that kind of cheap woman!”

Hearing his son’s complaint, Mr. Bennett's expression also turned a bit ugly, but he still forced down his anger and said, “Do you think I wanted to put up with that wastrel? But although our The Carter Family has money, we don’t have strong backing. Don’t be fooled by The Bennett Family's current downfall—Charles Bennett is still the prospective son-in-law of Thomas Walker and Mr. Walker. That Mr. Walker once served as Censor-in-Chief. Although he was dismissed for offending Mr. Clark, the head of the Eight Tigers, Mr. Walker still has many friends in the court. With our The Carter Family's strength, we can’t afford to offend Mr. Walker for now!”

When Second Young Master Carter heard his father’s explanation, he immediately turned pale with fright and said, “Dad, if we can’t afford to offend Mr. Walker, then why did we break off the engagement with The Bennett Family? What if Charles Bennett uses Mr. Walker's influence to make a comeback? Wouldn’t our family be in danger then?”

Hearing his son’s words, Mr. Carter revealed a mysterious smile and said, “Didn’t I just say, our The Carter Family can’t afford to offend Mr. Walker for now. But right now, Mr. Clark is at the height of his power. Back then, Mr. Walker and a group of others jointly impeached Mr. Clark, which led to his dismissal. Although Mr. Clark himself may not remember a ‘small figure’ like Mr. Walker, his subordinates haven’t forgotten. I’ve received reliable news that someone wants to use the heads of people like Mr. Walker to curry favor with Mr. Clark. I’m afraid Mr. Walker's good days are numbered. If we’re still connected to The Bennett Family by then, wouldn’t we be walking straight into disaster?”

Hearing his father’s words, Second Young Master Carter was utterly shocked. He hadn’t expected that a broken engagement would be tied to court intrigue, even involving the all-powerful Mr. Clark. This was far beyond his imagination. At the same time, Second Young Master Carter admired his father even more. No wonder everyone says, “Ginger gets spicier with age.” Their The Carter Family could do without anyone, except for his old man.

Moreover, Second Young Master Carter suddenly realized that his father had shared such a secret with him—didn’t that mean his father trusted him more? Although he still had an elder brother, that brother was honest and dull, not cut out for business at all. If he inherited the family business in the future, wouldn’t The Carter Family be ruined?

Thinking of this, Second Young Master Carter's heart burned with excitement, and he became even more determined to marry the daughter of the wealthy merchant from Huating County. With that connection, his status in the family would be completely different.

Chapter Five: Retribution, Oh Retribution

What does it mean to “ruin more than you accomplish”? Steward Evans is a perfect example. Just as Charles Bennett hadn’t even had time to celebrate clearing the The Carter Family debt, Steward Evans came shuffling over, then told Charles Bennett that when he went to fetch the marriage contract, he ran into the young lady Grace. His loose tongue let slip about the The Carter Family breaking off the engagement, and as a result, Grace covered her face and ran off to the back garden in tears. Steward Evans was worried she might do something rash, so as soon as Mr. Carter and Son left, he immediately reported it.

Girls in the Ming dynasty married young and matured early. For example, Grace was only thirteen, but her mental age was about the same as a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl in later generations—already almost an adult. But being mature isn’t always a good thing. In a situation like today’s, Grace fully understood the impact of a broken engagement on her life. For a young girl, it was as if the sky had fallen—no wonder she was so upset.

Originally, Charles Bennett had planned to keep this from Grace for now. After all, since their father’s death, none of the siblings could marry for three years, so Grace shouldn’t have noticed for a while. But he hadn’t expected Steward Evans's big mouth to ruin things. Now that Grace knew, who knew how much she would cry?

Steward Evans knew he was in the wrong, slapping his own mouth as he spoke. Charles Bennett couldn’t be bothered to scold him further and immediately ran toward the back garden.

The The Bennett Family residence in Songjiang Prefecture was in what is now Shanghai, not far from Suzhou and Hangzhou, so the architectural style leaned toward the south. For example, the The Bennett Family garden was built in the southern style, with pavilions, towers, rockeries, and ponds—everything you’d expect. Although some of the valuable rocks had been hauled out and sold by Charles Bennett, opening up the view, most of the winding paths remained secluded. It really wasn’t easy to find someone hiding in there.

Charles Bennett was worried that Grace might do something foolish, unable to bear the blow. After all, for a Ming dynasty girl, a broken engagement was almost the same as being divorced. In later times, some little girls might even commit suicide over unfinished homework. Although Grace was mature for her age, she probably couldn’t bear such a blow either.