Why does this old man always have to bring up the most awkward topics! If it weren’t for the fact that the person in front of him was his own father-in-law, Edward Clark would have loved nothing more than to kick him to death. “If Father-in-law trusts me so little, you can go to the Su residence and ask the scholar for confirmation!” With that, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with Matthew Scott any longer. Supporting his wife, he headed back into the room, still complaining that Emily shouldn’t be out in the wind so late—it was just like a model husband from modern times.

Seeing this, Matthew Scott stood there dumbfounded for a long time, unable to recover his senses. At first, when Emily told him, he would never have believed that a scoundrel like Edward Clark could change for the better, but what he saw and heard left him no choice but to believe. Full of doubts, he could only attribute it all to heaven’s blessing, and went home in high spirits.

That night, without any coaxing from Edward Clark, the exhausted Emily quickly fell asleep, sparing him the trouble of making up excuses. Although he wasn’t exactly a gentleman, he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of Emily, who so closely resembled Xiao Jing, without any real affection between them. For him, “there’s always tomorrow” was the most important thing.

Throwing on his coat and stepping outside, he felt a mix of emotions. Although he’d had a stroke of luck meeting Su Shi today, it was absolutely impossible to rely on this to climb the ranks. Even if he put in the effort to memorize texts, reciting them didn’t mean he understood them, and scholarship wasn’t something that could be mastered overnight. So, while it was possible to make friends at the Su residence, aiming to pass the imperial exams and enter the court was unrealistic. After all, whether it was poetry, essays, or classics, he was far behind those scholars who had studied for decades—something that couldn’t be made up in a day or two.

The only person he could really count on was probably James Carter, the one who might become the infamous Emperor Huizong of Song. As he recalled, Edward Clark remained in favor throughout Huizong’s reign. Besides, James Carter was still young now, so it should be easier to influence him. If he could get close to him early, once James Carter ascended the throne, it would be much easier for him to rise to power—he might even be able to influence the fate of the Song dynasty. Now that he was in this era, he might even have children here, so how could he just stand by and watch his descendants be trampled by the Jin or the Mongols?

Suddenly, a thick cotton coat was draped over his shoulders. Turning around, Edward Clark saw Emily standing behind him, her face full of sleepiness, mumbling, “Husband, why aren’t you resting yet?”

A warmth filled Edward Clark’s heart, and he couldn’t help but hold his wife’s slightly cold hand. “Emily, don’t call me ‘husband’ anymore—it sounds so distant!”

“Then what should I call you?” Emily looked up in confusion.

“Hmm, Little Clark, Old Clark, Clark Jr., Big Clark… anything is fine, just don’t call me ‘husband’—it gives me the chills!” Edward Clark said with a straight face.

At last, Emily burst out laughing, her rare smile making her look even more radiant and gentle. “Alright, I understand. Clark Jr., the wind’s picking up, let’s go back to bed!”

That night, holding Emily in his arms, Edward Clark had a wonderful dream. He dreamed that he had truly become Grand Marshal Gao, with countless soldiers cheering for him below.

Chapter Six: Returning to the Old Trade

Over the next month, Edward Clark visited the Su residence almost every day. To avoid the servants thinking he was just there for free meals, he often helped Su Shi handle correspondence, and when there was nothing to do, he would pester Su Shi’s young son, Su Guo, with questions. Meanwhile, all sorts of court news flowed into his ears like water. From Western Xia harassing the borders to officials exploiting their positions, and even rumors involving the inner palace—Edward Clark truly got a taste of Song dynasty scholars’ love for gossip.

Still, he managed to learn what he wanted to know. James Carter, the eleventh son of Emperor Shenzong and younger brother of the current emperor Zhezong, was eleven years old and held the title of Prince of Suining—one step away from becoming Prince Duan. However, from what those scholars let slip, the current emperor Zhezong was only seventeen and had no shortage of heirs, so none of Shenzong’s other sons were given much attention. Only Edward Clark knew that this emperor, who died young in history, had only one son, who also died early, making it almost impossible for him to leave an heir.

The Su residence was nice, but it wasn’t Edward Clark’s home—life at home still had to go on. Although he thought he was doing something worthwhile now, in the eyes of Mr. Clark Sr. and his elder brother Stephen Clark, he was still idle and irresponsible. Over time, even Mr. Clark Sr. stopped paying much attention to this son, while his father-in-law Matthew Scott, tough-mouthed but soft-hearted, would often bring over some pork or other things to help out. Emily also sold several treasured pieces of embroidery, and that was the only way they managed to scrape by. However, by the end of February, the family’s rice jar was nearly empty again, and this time, even Mr. Clark Sr. avoided his son and daughter-in-law.

“Clark Jr., do you think you could ask Scholar Su for…” Perhaps feeling her suggestion was too outrageous, Emily trailed off halfway, then quickly changed the subject, “Or, I could go to the embroidery or weaving workshop to look for some work?”