Having read all the books of the sages, ascending the imperial hall at dusk—this is the golden age of scholars.

With the emperor’s sword in hand and a beautiful lady by his side—this is the dandy era of Quentin Bennett.

Songs of orioles and dances of swallows, spending money like water, the banks of the Qinhuai River—endless tales of romance.

Topping the imperial examination, brimming with youthful spirit, pointing out the fate of the nation—endless stories of rise and fall.

None of this originally belonged to Quentin Bennett.

Now that I am here, I am destined to become famous throughout the land!

Chapter One: The Scandal Breaks

“You, come here.”

“I’m not coming over.”

“Are you coming or not?”

“Only a fool would go!”

The speaker, Quentin Bennett, was about twelve or thirteen years old—a mere child. Even if he killed someone in the street, it would still fall under the protection of juvenile law. But here, at twelve or thirteen, he was not considered young. This was the Ming Dynasty, and it was already time to get married.

Unfortunately, Quentin Bennett didn’t have a wife yet. It wasn’t for lack of matchmakers, but the candidates were either Ma Dajiao or Wang Jinlian. Not only did Quentin Bennett look down on them, even his father Charles Bennett, who now glared at him angrily, wasn’t impressed.

In Charles Bennett’s words, a daughter-in-law of the Xu family, regardless of looks or temperament, must at least come with a decent dowry—no matter what, a generous dowry was a must.

That’s just the kind of money-grubber Charles Bennett was.

At this moment, the father and son were sitting across from each other at a table in the main room, staring each other down like a pair of cross-eyed roosters, neither willing to back down. Old Bennett’s expression was even more animated—his eyes bulged like copper bells, his mouth twisted in anger. Quentin Bennett was certain that if his father had a brush in hand and a blank sheet of paper on the table, he could easily write a poem as full of indignation as “Man Jiang Hong.”

But Old Bennett was clearly not a man of letters, but a rough-and-tumble fellow. In his hand was a ruler—the kind used in government offices—about two feet long, heavy, and jet black.

If such a ruler landed on Quentin Bennett’s head, it would surely split it open. Right now, his father was in a rage, and as Quentin Bennett had just said, only a fool would go over to him.

“You…” Charles Bennett panted heavily, unable to hold back his curses: “You little beast!”

Quentin Bennett retorted without hesitation: “If there’s a little beast, there must be an old one too!”

“…” This time, Charles Bennett was at a loss for words. Furious, he slapped the ruler on the table with a loud crack, then sat down heavily on the bench.

Quentin Bennett was secretly delighted—it looked like he’d escaped a beating. He’d been living with Charles Bennett for a year now and knew his temper inside out. The old man was quick to anger, and when he blew up, it was earth-shattering. Under his father’s stick, Quentin Bennett had long since developed a tough hide and a sharp wit.

“You…” Charles Bennett grabbed the teapot on the table and poured himself some tea, growling, “Let me ask you—answer honestly—those prescriptions you sell on the street, has anyone from the Chief Eunuch’s residence ever come to buy them?”

Quentin Bennett rolled his eyes. Sparring with the old man had left him breathless, but he didn’t dare relax for a second. He was wary—his father was like a dog: wagging his tail one moment, baring his teeth the next. He watched Charles Bennett warily and said, “Prescriptions… those prescriptions… I just sell them, how would I know who’s buying? Am I supposed to ask every customer for their name, age, and whether they have an unmarried daughter at home?”

Charles Bennett flew into a rage, almost leaping up again. Quentin Bennett tensed his legs, ready to dodge. The two were like fighting cocks again. Charles Bennett pointed at Quentin Bennett and shouted, “Fine, fine! Still being stubborn at a time like this! Do you know that one of your prescriptions was bought by someone from the Chief Eunuch’s residence, and now someone has died after taking it? Eunuch King is furious and has already notified the county office. The magistrate has issued a warrant for your arrest as a murderer. What did I always say? I told you to behave yourself. Back when you just stayed home reading, it was fine. Our Xu family can’t earn official titles, but at least we could live in peace. But lately, you’ve changed—becoming more and more unruly. Now look, you’ve landed us in a lawsuit. Let’s see how you get out of this!”

“No way.” Quentin Bennett was stunned for a moment, and seeing Charles Bennett about to explode again, he dared not get distracted. He said, “My prescriptions may not guarantee a cure, but they definitely wouldn’t kill anyone. There must be some mistake, or maybe the person already had a terminal illness and it was just a misunderstanding.”

Charles Bennett snorted coldly, “What’s the use of saying all that? You wretch! Do you think they’ll care about that when they come for you? Do you know who Eunuch King is? Even if no one offends him, he’ll still skin people alive. Now that he has an excuse, do you think you’ll survive?”

Quentin Bennett said bitterly, “That damned eunuch!”

Though father and son often quarreled and disagreed, they were of one mind when it came to Eunuch King. Charles Bennett even nodded and said, “That ball-less freak.”