William Carter put on a very sincere expression and said, “Yes, Grandfather, I just returned and don’t quite understand all the rules yet. Mr. Harris has been very good to me, always caring for me and looking after me. I will definitely follow Mr. Harris’s teachings from now on.”

The attitude of admitting fault was very good.

Most importantly...

Mr. Harris was slightly taken aback, sensing something different.

These past few days, Mr. Harris had come angrily every time to complain about how mischievous and disrespectful William Carter was, to the point that Old Mr. Carter’s ears had grown calluses.

But, looking at this grandson, although Old Mr. Carter didn’t particularly like him, he hadn’t made any major mistakes. Most importantly, William Carter praised Mr. Harris to the skies. In William Carter’s mind, was Mr. Harris really so good to him? If he was so good in front of William Carter, then why, when facing me...

Mr. Harris felt something was wrong. He knew this might leave a bad impression in Old Master’s mind, making him seem two-faced, acting one way in public and another in private. He felt that this William Carter was almost like a little monster—every word seemed gentle yet sharp, with a lot of impact.

An illusion, it must be an illusion. What could a little kid possibly understand? Maybe it was just a careless remark.

Mr. Harris quickly said, “William, you just started school and you’re not willing to work hard. The county exam is coming up soon, so of course I have to push you a bit more. Tell me yourself, you’re always drowsy in class, and as soon as class is over you run off with your book box—does that look like a scholar? I am paid by the lord and must be loyal to my duty. Since I have received Old Mr. Carter’s trust, I must be strict.”

William Carter couldn’t be bothered to argue with him, simply replied “yes,” and took his leave.

Everyone in the hall dispersed, leaving only Old Mr. Carter and Mr. Harris.

Mr. Harris was silent for a moment before saying, “Mr. Carter, I have something I must say. William Carter’s studies are a complete mess. For this county exam, I think it’s best if he doesn’t go.”

Chapter 9: The County Exam Approaches

Originally, Mr. Harris had intended to use William Carter’s situation to curry favor with Edward Carter, but who would have thought he’d end up shooting himself in the foot? William Carter wasn’t punished, and instead his favorite student James Carter got scolded. So Mr. Harris decided to make up for it.

Old Mr. Carter was already a bit tired. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Let him go anyway. Treat it as a kind of tempering.”

Mr. Harris was full of regret, but still nodded. “Sigh... I just worry he’ll make a fool of himself.” Mr. Harris was trying to distance himself—this William Carter is not a student I taught. If he gets laughed at, don’t blame it on my teaching.

Old Mr. Carter said nothing. He understood the implication in Mr. Harris’s words: this grandson was surely hopeless, probably couldn’t even recite the Four Books and Five Classics, so how could he be expected to write a good essay? Of course, Old Mr. Carter had no expectations for William Carter, just sighed inwardly: “Let them laugh if they want. Maybe if he stumbles, he’ll turn over a new leaf and work hard from now on.”

So Old Mr. Carter smiled and said, “Let him get familiar with the county exam. If his essay is too poor and he’s laughed at, hopefully he’ll feel ashamed and be motivated to improve.”

When William Carter returned to his own residence, he finally felt relaxed. His father was reading in the study. Looking at his father’s back, it seemed he was unaware of what was happening outside. William Carter shook his head inwardly: “This father of mine, he has no idea how dangerous things are in this big house. His son almost got killed.”

Early the next morning, William Carter went to the academy. With the county exam approaching, the atmosphere there was especially tense.

There weren’t many people at the academy yet. His eldest cousin James Carter had arrived early to study, but with his bruised and swollen face, he looked quite comical. He shot a glare at William Carter and ignored him.

Instead, Thomas Carter from the third branch came over to William Carter’s side, grinning. “Cousin William, ha... did you do your homework? Oh no, my dad beat me last night, so I didn’t have time to do it...”

Just then, Mr. Harris arrived. Thomas Carter immediately felt a chill down his neck and hurried back to his seat.

“Homework inspection.” Mr. Harris said expressionlessly.

William Carter had already done yesterday’s homework, but as Mr. Harris went to each student’s desk to check, he treated William Carter like air, not even bothering to check his homework, skipping right over him and moving on to James Carter’s desk. After looking at James Carter’s homework, Mr. Harris couldn’t help but nod and smile with satisfaction. “Your regular script has improved again, and your homework is very thorough. You are a teachable child.”

James Carter replied modestly, “It’s all thanks to your good teaching, sir.”

Mr. Harris nodded approvingly and put down the homework. “You must work hard this time, and don’t follow the example of certain people.”

Certain people... that must be me, William Carter thought with a wry smile.

After checking the homework, Mr. Harris brought up the county exam again. In his mind, only a handful of students like James Carter had any real hope this year. The county exam would be held on July 16th, and the list had already been posted in the county; it was time to submit the guarantees.

Mr. Harris had been hired by The Carter Family’s Second Master. Since he was teaching the clan school, if a few students passed the exam this year, it would be especially important for him. After finalizing the list of candidates for the joint guarantee the next day, he began teaching the lessons.