He was greatly alarmed in his heart—this matter could not be questioned any further. Who knew what else William Carter might say? William Carter was young and didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. As for having Thomas Carter asked about it in private, that was even worse. If he himself were to ask Thomas, “Why did you hit James?” and Thomas ended up revealing his mother’s affairs, wouldn’t he then be prying into the third daughter-in-law’s secrets?

For the head of a family renowned for its scholarly tradition, this was an utterly disgraceful matter. If even the slightest hint of it leaked out and someone started gossiping, who knew what rumors might spread?

Old Master couldn’t help but glance at Mr. Harris off to the side.

Mr. Harris was an outsider. If he let slip even a bit of idle talk, the The Carter Family would become a laughingstock.

He couldn’t let William Carter continue speaking, nor could he question Thomas Carter.

This matter must end here, otherwise...

“Grandfather...” Suddenly noticing the strange look on Old Master’s face, James Carter was unwilling to let it go. He hadn’t figured out what Old Master was thinking, but he had never suffered such humiliation in his life. That scoundrel Thomas Carter actually dared to hit him, and then there was that disgrace William Carter...

He immediately burst into loud sobs, tears streaming down his face as he cried, “Grandfather, Thomas beat your grandson so badly—look, my nose is almost broken...”

In the past, not to mention crying and making a fuss, even the slightest bit of sulking would earn him a few comforting words from the doting Old Master. Now, as he wept like rain, he was certain Old Master would stand up for him.

William Carter shook his head inwardly. Just now, when this guy was scheming against me, wasn’t he quite clever? How could he be so stupid today? Could it be that Thomas Carter beat the sense out of him?

Old Master’s already gloomy face darkened even further. A flash of anger passed through his eyes—the more James Carter said, the more likely it was to bring disgrace and ridicule upon the The Carter Family. He barked sternly, “James, that’s enough.”

James Carter was stunned. Why was Old Master treating him like this today? He’d been beaten, after all! He felt even more wronged than Dou E, and stubbornly continued, “But...”

“Pa!” Old Master slammed the armrest of his pearwood chair viciously and barked again, “James, look at what you’ve become!”

He stood up abruptly, his manner now cold and unfeeling.

Every word struck home. James Carter was dumbfounded. What the hell was going on? This wasn’t right. He looked up at Old Mr. Carter, then at his own father. Edward Carter’s face was clearly grim, and he shot him a warning look. James Carter hesitated—he was the legitimate grandson and had been beaten! His heart turned cold, and he glared at Old Master through gritted teeth, saying, “Grandfather... I... the county exam is coming up, and I’ve been beaten like this by William Carter and Thomas Carter... I... I... I won’t be able to take the exam...”

This trump card, in James Carter’s mind, was still quite effective. Let them deal with it as they wished—William Carter had ruined his future, and he was the legitimate grandson. Could it be that his own grandfather didn’t care about his grandson’s prospects?

Old Master’s face grew even darker, and his body began to tremble slightly.

This kid... really... If this matter was pursued any further, would the The Carter Family have any face left? For the first time, he felt his grandson was truly lacking in sense, and he was even more determined not to let James Carter continue making a scene. His expression grew even more severe.

How could Edward Carter, standing to the side, not understand Old Master’s attitude?

He’d gotten himself mixed up in his younger brother’s wife’s affairs, and it even involved some birthmark on her. Old Master valued the family’s reputation more than his own life. If James Carter kept pushing, the standing of the second branch in Old Master’s eyes...

Edward Carter knew he couldn’t hesitate any longer. He strode forward, raised his hand, and slapped James Carter hard across the face.

Smack...

He didn’t hold back—the sound was crisp and loud.

James Carter let out a miserable cry, then clutched his cheek and burst into tears again.

Edward Carter shouted sternly, “You worthless thing! Always loafing about—do you even know the county exam is coming up? Still causing trouble? Get out of here!”

James Carter trembled in fear, feeling both wronged and aggrieved, but under Edward Carter’s murderous glare, he dared not utter another word.

But Old Mr. Carter, after all, still doted on this grandson and couldn’t bear it. He said, “Edward, the child doesn’t understand—don’t be too hard on him.”

With things having reached this point, Edward Carter couldn’t be bothered to go after William Carter anymore. He simply shot William Carter a resentful glare and hurriedly left with James Carter.

William Carter felt a chill at the angry look from Edward Carter. This second uncle... it seemed he wouldn’t let things go so easily.

But then again, second uncle’s decisiveness and ability to read grandfather’s mood was truly impressive.

His mind was a jumble of thoughts when Old Master suddenly said, “William.”

William Carter snapped back to attention and quickly replied politely, “Grandfather, what are your instructions?”

Old Master’s face darkened. “Mr. Harris says you’re usually idle and neglect your studies—is that true? You should know that the The Carter Family has strict family discipline and will never tolerate such unruly behavior from its descendants.”

William Carter felt embarrassed. It seemed Old Master wanted to give him a warning—this Mr. Harris must have spoken ill of him to Old Master more than once.

A person like Mr. Harris, in a modern workplace, would be nothing but a petty schemer, currying favor with second uncle by putting him down.