He quickly understood what Eunuch King meant. Normally, it was impossible to escape from the lowly status, unless... unless there was an opportunity. Eunuch King had provided him with such an opportunity. After all, it had been nearly a hundred years since Emperor Yingzong’s time, and for a century, the family members of that disgraced official surnamed Xu had all been relegated to the lowly class. By now, their descendants had already spread out and multiplied. But now that the case was to be redressed, those family members naturally could no longer be considered of lowly status; at the very least, they should become commoners. The biggest problem, however, was: who exactly were the descendants of that official surnamed Xu? There was no DNA testing at this time, and genealogies seemed unreliable as well. After all, when someone in the family was convicted, it was common for scattered relatives across the land to change their ancestral home or even their surname.

In the end, it was up to the officials to decide. If they said you were related to that Xu, then you were—even if you were as distant as the cousin of his son’s aunt’s nephew.

And someone of Eunuch King’s status was clearly the kind who had the final say. Although this sort of matter wasn’t under his jurisdiction, with his position, a casual word from him could connect Quentin Bennett to the right people. Since he was now considered a descendant of a loyal official, how could the court let him remain in a lowly profession? After all, the emperor himself had issued an edict, proclaiming it to the world.

So... the game could be played like this. Truly, where there’s a policy from above, there’s a countermeasure below.

Having figured it out, Quentin Bennett was filled with emotion. He even suspected that, for those officials like Yu Qian who had been posthumously rehabilitated, eight or nine out of ten of their so-called descendants and relatives were just people stuffed in by local officials. If even ten percent were truly of the Yu or Xu bloodline, that would be impressive. If the old emperor knew how his subordinates were muddling through, he’d probably be furious.

Quentin Bennett knew that as long as Eunuch King was willing to help this time, the The Bennett Family would instantly become a family of loyal officials. Not only could they escape their lowly status, but they’d probably also receive some preferential treatment from the court. But what exactly would that preferential treatment be?

Besides, he had accumulated a bellyful of learning. If he could get the chance to pass the county-level exam and become a xiucai, he’d be a man of scholarly rank. In Qiantang County, that might not mean much, but in the countryside, it would make him a truly important figure. In the past, when his father saw his superiors at the county yamen, he had to bow and scrape, but even a mere xiucai could get a seat in front of the county magistrate. The benefits of this didn’t need to be spelled out.

There were downsides, too. Now that they’d be freed from lowly status, his father would probably lose his job, and the entire The Bennett Family would no longer belong to the lowly class. The whole clan had over a hundred people, and seven or eight out of ten were menial workers—a hereditary occupation. When the time came, there would definitely be trouble.

For most members of the The Bennett Family, their place of origin was secondary; their jobs were their iron rice bowls. Eunuch King’s idea was a good thing for Quentin Bennett, but for the whole The Bennett Family, it was a mixed blessing.

Seeing Quentin Bennett’s silent expression, Eunuch King couldn’t help but feel a bit more favorably toward him. For someone so young to remain calm in the face of honor and disgrace—he hadn’t misjudged him. He nodded to himself in approval. Little did he know, Quentin Bennett was torn between the iron rice bowl and his future prospects.

After much thought, Quentin Bennett finally made up his mind. He had been here for a year and accomplished nothing. Now that opportunity was knocking, even if there might be some temporary sacrifices, the benefits of gaining scholarly rank would be enormous. So Quentin Bennett resolved to give it his all.

“Thank you, Eunuch, for your support.”

A faint smile finally flickered across Eunuch King’s stern face. He pressed his hand down and said, “Helping others is helping oneself. You are clever and learned; for me, it’s just a small favor. But to get this done, I’ll need to make a trip to the Ministry of Revenue in Nanjing, so it may take some time. Prepare yourself early. Since you plan to pursue scholarly rank, you should get ready and not neglect your studies.”

Quentin Bennett quickly replied, “Yes, yes, I will certainly live up to your expectations.” But in his heart, he was a bit suspicious. Who was Eunuch King? It wasn’t impossible that he truly valued him, but their statuses were worlds apart. For him to go to such lengths—something didn’t add up.

No one shows such kindness for no reason; if not a thief, then a schemer.

Judging Eunuch King by his own standards, Quentin Bennett tentatively asked, “May I ask, Eunuch, is there anything else I can do for you?”

Eunuch King just gave a faint smile and said calmly, “It’s not the time yet. For now, focus all your energy on your studies.”

As expected...

Quentin Bennett felt a bit uneasy. Eunuch King said it wasn’t time yet, which meant he would need him in the future. He was going to be a scholar—if he got too close to such a eunuch, would it ruin his reputation?

Thinking of this, Quentin Bennett felt he might be being a bit petty. He hadn’t even become a scholar yet and was already thinking crooked thoughts.

In a daze, he took his leave of Eunuch King. As Quentin Bennett left Eunuch King’s residence, he saw Charles Bennett waiting by the gate. When Charles Bennett saw Quentin Bennett come out, he felt a huge weight lifted from his heart and hurried over, saying, “I was afraid Eunuch King wouldn’t keep his word and would make things difficult for you. So, what did Eunuch King say?”

Quentin Bennett looked around and said, “Father, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s discuss it at home.”

Charles Bennett became cautious as well. He gave his son, who seemed different from before, an approving look and nodded, “Good, whatever it is, we’ll talk at home. By the way, does your arm still hurt?”