William Thompson caught a chill during the night. After drinking a cup of hot tea, he felt much better. Gently stroking the ancestral spirit tablet on the small table, he said to his third brother Richard Thompson, “Third brother, don’t plead for him anymore. Anyone can collect taxes; it doesn’t have to be Henry Brooks. Henry Brooks has caused a lot of trouble, and many branches of the clan have strong opinions about him. In the past, Father spoiled him and let him do as he pleased. After Father passed away, not only did he not restrain himself, but he became even more outrageous, bullying the clan members. This time, his son even set fire to the ancestral hall. If I let him off again, I’m afraid I won’t be able to remain clan leader for long. I’m determined to drive him out this time, and it’s not just for the ancestral hall. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”

One of Richard Thompson’s duties as the local baozheng was to oversee the collection of taxes and corvée in the township. The imperial taxes were heavy and the exploitation severe, so the people strongly resisted, making tax collection difficult for the lower-level officials. Although Henry Brooks was fierce and brutal, he was very effective at collecting taxes and had always been Richard Thompson’s right-hand man, also serving as the head of the tax-collecting team.

Richard Thompson had just rushed back from the county seat. Upon learning that the ancestral hall had been burned and that his eldest brother intended to expel Henry Brooks, he became anxious. Without even checking on the ancestral hall, he hurried to find his eldest brother to plead for Henry Brooks.

Now that his eldest brother had made his position clear, Richard Thompson could only sigh inwardly and force a bitter smile. “I’ll listen to you, big brother. Henry Brooks has indeed offended too many people. Maybe it’s for the best if he leaves. What do you think about letting Steward Scott take his place?”

Steward Scott was also a trusted aide of Richard Thompson. Since it was settled that Henry Brooks would be expelled, Richard Thompson could only settle for the next best thing and promote Steward Scott, whom he had personally groomed, to become the chief steward of the Li household.

William Thompson sighed and said, “Something major happened tonight, and my mind is in turmoil. Let’s talk about Steward Scott in a couple of days.”

Richard Thompson glanced at the ancestral spirit tablet on the table and asked in a low voice, “Is the major event you mentioned about the manifestation of the great ancestor’s spirit?”

“You’ve heard about it too?”

Richard Thompson nodded. “Everyone in the household is talking about it, but I find it a bit odd. Nothing like this has ever happened before—why did it happen tonight?”

William Thompson glared at his third brother, a little annoyed. “Because the ancestral hall has never been burned before, and the great ancestor’s spirit tablet has never been touched by fire. Of course the great ancestor’s spirit wouldn’t manifest. How many times do you want something like this to happen?”

Richard Thompson was truly embarrassed and hurried to explain, “Don’t be angry, big brother. That’s not what I meant…”

“I know that’s not what you meant!”

Perhaps realizing he’d spoken too harshly, William Thompson softened his tone. “You weren’t there tonight, so you don’t know what happened. I saw it with my own eyes. All the other children were so scared they ran far away, but that child actually rushed into the fire. In the thick smoke and flames, if it weren’t for the guidance of the great ancestor, how could he have found the spirit tablet? And without the great ancestor’s guidance, how could he have escaped the fire?”

“But… isn’t that too much of a coincidence?”

If you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes, it would indeed be hard to believe. Besides, Richard Thompson had always been shrewd, so it was natural for him to have doubts.

But William Thompson had witnessed it himself and was utterly convinced. He waved his hand to cut off Richard Thompson, “I know what you’re suspecting, but he’s just a six-year-old country boy. Do you really think he set the ancestral hall on fire?”

Richard Thompson also felt he was being too suspicious, actually doubting a six-year-old child. He quickly apologized, “You’re right, big brother. I really shouldn’t be making wild guesses.”

William Thompson’s thick, stubby fingers tapped lightly on the table, his eyes shining with an excitement he could barely conceal. Lowering his voice, he said, “Third brother, you still don’t understand. The key is that the great ancestor’s spirit manifested. If the Li clan in the capital and the south hear about this, our Li clan in Xiangzhou can finally stand tall.”

After all, William Thompson was just a local rich man with limited vision, always thinking about his own small domain. He never considered what would happen if the manifestation of Li Jing’s spirit was discovered by the court or the emperor.

“I understand, big brother. So what’s your next step?”

William Thompson thought for a moment and said, “Tomorrow morning, go check the ancestral hall and consider plans for rebuilding. I’ll personally make a trip to Liwen Village.”

……

In his sleep, David Thompson was catching fish in the little creek at the entrance of the ancestral hall. Suddenly, the water grew deeper and submerged him. He flailed about in panic, unable to grab even a single straw to save himself. Just as he was about to suffocate, David Thompson woke up with a start, gasping for breath.

Opening his eyes, he saw a chubby little face full of mischievous smiles hanging over him, and his nose was being pinched by two tiny fingers. No wonder he’d dreamed of drowning.

“Second brother is awake!”

Little Grace clapped her hands in delight. David Thompson could finally breathe freely and quickly sat up. The big black dog beside him had slipped away at some point, and daylight was already streaming in from outside.

“How did you get here, Little Grace?” David Thompson patted her little head and asked with a smile.

“Grandma sent me to bring you something to eat.”

Little Grace placed a small basket in front of him, inside were a few coarse wheat buns. David Thompson was truly starving, so he grabbed one and started gnawing on it, mumbling with a smile, “You’re not calling me silly second brother anymore?”

“Mm!”

Little Grace nodded vigorously, imitating her father’s serious tone, “Little Grace, your second brother is a smart child. Don’t call him silly second brother anymore.”