William Carter couldn’t help but look down on him—damn… turns out he’s just a three-second hero too. This also showed that the old patriarch must be a strict disciplinarian at home.

However, William Carter genuinely admired his big brother James Carter from the bottom of his heart. Amazing—his ability to play the victim was truly eye-opening.

James Carter, hearing the old patriarch’s tone, realized that the old man felt sorry for him. With this confidence, he wailed even more miserably: “Grandfather, you must stand up for me! The county exam is about to begin, and your grandson has been beaten like this—how can I take the test? This time, I’m sure to fail miserably.”

This sentence finally broke the old patriarch’s composure.

What the old patriarch valued most was this year’s county exam. For a gentry family, no matter how big the trouble, could it compare to the importance of the younger generation winning honors? If, because of William Carter and Thomas Carter, the most promising grandson missed the county exam, it would be as if the sky had fallen.

The old patriarch was furious. He slammed the teacup he was holding onto the ground with a loud crash, and porcelain shards flew everywhere.

Second Uncle on the side just watched William Carter coldly. Of course, he felt sorry for his son being beaten, but right now, he seemed more interested in what punishment William Carter would receive.

His brother’s return had already put a lot of pressure on Second Uncle. Although he was still in charge of the household, in name, the family belonged to the eldest branch. Even if the family split, how much could he, the second son, really get?

Most important was the old patriarch’s attitude. The more the old patriarch disliked the eldest branch, the more at ease he felt.

The old patriarch finally spoke, his voice trembling, no longer hiding his anger: “You… why did you beat your own brother? Speak—explain yourselves!”

Thomas Carter hesitated, unable to say a word.

William Carter, on the other hand, remained calm. He stepped forward and said slowly, “Grandfather, your grandson did not hit big brother.”

Flat denial.

Of course, this didn’t win the old patriarch’s favor. On the contrary, it made him inexplicably more disgusted. Could it be that James Carter was lying about being beaten like this? Or that Master Zhou would lie?

But William Carter ignored the old patriarch’s feelings and continued, “If Grandfather doesn’t believe me, there were many people present at the time. Call them in and ask, and you’ll know.”

James Carter, aren’t you good at pretending? Actually, so am I.

So, as William Carter spoke, he wore an innocent, harmless expression, his eyes full of innocence.

James Carter also knew that many people had been present at the time. If they really investigated, the evidence might not be conclusive. He just never expected William Carter to defend himself so calmly. If it were someone else, even someone as bold as Thomas Carter, they would have been too scared to speak by now.

James Carter quickly shouted, “Even if you didn’t do it yourself, you incited Thomas to beat me…”

The word “incite” made the old patriarch even angrier. For a little kid, hitting someone was already wrong, but if he was scheming enough to incite others to beat his own brother, wasn’t that just too vicious?

The old patriarch was already showing signs of impatience. He slapped the table and stood up: “William, stop arguing! You…” He originally wanted to say something harsh, but seeing William Carter’s pure and innocent face, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He just snorted coldly a few times: “With something like this happening at home, if we don’t punish you properly, how can we face our ancestors? Someone—!”

Seeing the old patriarch utterly disappointed and even disgusted with William Carter, Second Master Edward Carter breathed a sigh of relief. Besides, it was time to use the family discipline. The Ye family’s family rules were not something a child could endure.

Edward Carter couldn’t help but feel a bit of anticipation.

Several strong servants were peeking in from outside. Hearing the old patriarch’s order, they were about to come in and carry it out.

“Grandfather, I’ve only been home for half a month, and I hardly interact with cousin Thomas. How could I have incited him to hit anyone?” William Carter looked at the different expressions in the hall, still calm. “Cousin Thomas did come to see me, but he just happened to ask about Third Aunt. I answered honestly, and cousin Thomas got so angry that he rushed over and beat big brother. I’m innocent, Grandfather, please uphold justice.”

A sharp look flashed in the old patriarch’s eyes as he said menacingly, “Third Aunt? What does this have to do with her?”

William Carter scratched his head and said, “I don’t know. Anyway, cousin Thomas kept mentioning Third Aunt’s mole, and asked how big brother knew about it. Grandfather, it’s really strange. What’s so special about Third Aunt having a mole? William has a mole too, right on my belly, and big brother and cousin Thomas never cared.”

Taking a deep breath, William Carter showed a very pure smile.

So silly, so innocent, so pure, so sincere.

On the clean face of a half-grown child, that innocent and harmless expression—William Carter had truly mastered the role of a child to perfection.

Chapter 8: Purity Is the King’s Way

Suddenly, coughing broke out all around the hall.

In this era of strict propriety, anything about a woman’s body was absolutely not to be spoken of. Of course, William Carter could say whatever he wanted—he was just a child, after all.

The old patriarch’s face darkened. Thomas Carter probably wouldn’t have dared to hit James Carter for no reason. Since William Carter said Thomas Carter’s mother had a mole, could it be… this involved the third daughter-in-law’s privacy?