His own relatives and friends—there really weren’t many—and none of them were the type to become officials.

“You are James Bolton, right?” Nathaniel Brooks suddenly caught sight of, at the very back of the large group following him, a trembling yamen runner in black uniform. It was his neighbor, and once his biggest creditor, the son of Old Lady Liu.

Because they were neighbors, even though they didn’t interact much in daily life, he still recognized him.

James Bolton immediately stepped out of the line, jogged forward, and knelt down, saying, “I am Mr. Bolton, greetings to Your Excellency!”

He was so nervous he was about to wet his pants. He’d heard that on the day James Brooks was granted his title, his mother had even gone to the Lu family to demand repayment. Wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

He had only barely managed to become a yamen runner, and in the yamen, he was the lowest of the low, with no one caring about him. When on duty, he could act all high and mighty in front of the commoners, but in the yamen, his status was especially low.

Now, his mother had even offended the former James Brooks, who was now the lord of the entire Donghai County. At any moment, he could be stripped of his position, or even thrown into prison and tortured daily. Who knew how miserable his life would become in the future?

“Mm, get up.” Nathaniel Brooks had intended to just greet him casually, but forgot how strict the social hierarchy was now. Seeing James Bolton shivering like he had a fever, he lost interest in chatting.

“You can all go back now!” Nathaniel Brooks waved his hand.

“Yes, we take our leave!” The yamen clerks all bowed and withdrew.

Just then, a burst of angry shouting came from the direction of the prison.

“What’s going on?” Nathaniel Brooks was slightly startled.

Henry Clark quickly stepped forward. “Your Excellency, there’s a fierce bandit locked up inside who often roars like a wild beast.”

He was the judicial assistant, working on the front lines of the legal system. If the county constable was the head of the combined public security, prosecution, and judiciary, then Henry Clark was the chief clerk of that system—a big figure in the eyes of the common people.

“You all may leave! Henry Clark, come with me into the prison for a look!”

Cold sweat broke out on Henry Clark’s forehead. The other clerks were a bit envious—after all, being able to stay close to the lord for a long time would surely bring some benefits.

Especially now, with all the official posts in Donghai vacant, and the lord himself having been a farmer, it was likely he had no suitable talents to promote. Maybe he’d select the best from among the clerks. Now was the perfect chance to make a good impression.

But Henry Clark’s legs were cramping. Earlier, when the lord had bet with Peter King, he’d boldly spoken up in support, but every time he thought of how terrifying this lord was, he broke out in a cold sweat.

……

The prison wasn’t large. As the lord entered, the yamen runners lit the torches inside.

The smell in the prison almost made Nathaniel Brooks turn around and leave.

This was the men’s prison.

There were two iron cages. One held more than a dozen people, all in ragged, filthy clothes, so crowded they could barely stand. When people entered, they seemed numb, not even glancing over. Some were lying on the ground, their condition unknown.

The other cage held only one burly man, disheveled and dirty, pacing in circles and occasionally letting out furious roars.

Nathaniel Brooks suddenly looked at the group of prisoners in the cage. Among them was a middle-aged man, also in rags and with a face covered in mud, but Nathaniel Brooks’s sharp senses immediately noticed that his demeanor was different from the others.

“What are you roaring about?!” Henry Clark strode over, took the wooden stick from a runner, and banged on the cage.

The big man spun around. His face was covered in black mud, but his eyes were bright and piercing. Henry Clark felt as if he’d been targeted by a wild beast, shuddered, and involuntarily took a step back.

Then Henry Clark grew angry—he’d lost face in front of the lord. He picked up the stick and struck at the cage. “Filthy thing! How dare you roar in front of His Excellency!”

Nathaniel Brooks’s attention shifted to this side.

The burly man stood still. Henry Clark’s stick hit him, but it was as if he was just being scratched.

“I am innocent!” he suddenly roared.

Henry Clark was actually very afraid of him, but with the lord right there, he grew even angrier. “You criminal! Are you looking for death?”

“Wait.” Nathaniel Brooks suddenly spoke.

Henry Clark quickly stepped back two paces. Seeing Nathaniel Brooks’s look, he understood what he meant and bowed, speaking in a low voice: “My lord, this fellow claims to have come from the Northern Kingdom to look for relatives. He calls himself Andrew Todd, though we don’t know if that’s his real name. He got drunk and argued with someone, claiming to have killed a man in the Northern Kingdom. The innkeeper reported him, and it took more than ten of us to barely subdue him. He’s incredibly strong—if he hadn’t been drunk, I doubt even ten more of us could have caught him.”

“My lord—oh, I mean, Rebel Clark said he was either a Northern Kingdom spy or a violent criminal, so he was locked up. He hasn’t even been tried yet, and then Rebel Clark was…”

Nathaniel Brooks nodded slightly, looked at the big man, and asked, “Why did you kill someone in the Northern Kingdom?”

The man remained silent.

Nathaniel Brooks shook his head. “Since you won’t speak, then wait until your trial.”

He glanced once more at the man in the cage, then turned to leave, saying to Henry Clark, “The hygiene here is terrible. Tell the jailer to clean up more often. Also, who are all these people being held here?”