“Is there someone in the official residence who does your laundry and cooks for you? With ready-made food available, why would you cook for yourself? Can you even keep accounts?!” William Carter scolded his son with a stern face.

“That would be living off others, wouldn’t it?” Charles Carter muttered under his breath as he followed his father, heading in the direction of his maternal grandfather’s house.

“As long as you can eat, who cares if it’s living off others or not…”

Father and son chatted as they walked westward.

……

Once the eldest and his son had disappeared from sight, Albert Carter emerged from the alley with his hands behind his back.

It turned out he had secretly followed behind and had heard every word exchanged between his two sons.

“Sigh, is living off others really that enjoyable? Not a single one of them has any backbone…” Albert Carter sighed repeatedly, seemingly blaming himself for his failure in raising them.

Amid his sighs, a low-key yet luxurious double-horse carriage came to a steady stop beside Albert Carter.

A corner of the carriage curtain was lifted, and a delicate fragrance wafted out.

A graceful, still-charming woman smiled and beckoned to Albert Carter.

The coachman, dressed in a blue silk robe, opened the carriage door, and a maid adorned with jeweled hairpins stepped down to set a brocade footstool for Old Master Carter.

Albert Carter maintained his composure, straightened his back, and stepped onto the brocade stool to board the carriage.

As soon as Albert Carter got in, the maid closed the door and went straight to the carriage behind, leaving the two inside undisturbed.

The two carriages slowly made their way along the banks of the Qinhuai River.

……

Inside the carriage, soft carpets were laid out, and a small sandalwood table held several exquisite pastries and fruits, as well as a silver square box.

Once Albert Carter was seated on the mat, the woman in her forties gracefully knelt before him, her eyes brimming with joy.

“Thank you for waiting, sir.”

“I told you to wait outside the city—why won’t you listen!”

Albert Carter showed no sign of softening, scolding sternly, “What if my children or grandchildren saw us? How would I explain it?”

The noblewoman seemed utterly unconcerned, her tone growing even more tender: “I was just worried about you… When I heard you’d suffered such a calamity, I rushed here overnight. Only after arriving in Nanjing did I learn you were already safe.”

Albert Carter snorted, lifting his chin slightly: “I’ve been in officialdom for years—what trouble can’t I handle? Why should you worry?”

“Yes, yes, I misspoke. What I admire most is your confidence.” The woman’s eyes were full of admiration.

“Sigh…” Only then did Albert Carter sigh, reaching out to help the woman up.

She opened the silver box, revealing a steaming hot cotton towel.

She looked dignified and noble, clearly someone used to giving orders. Yet at this moment, she took up the towel and personally served Albert Carter, wiping his hands and face like a maid.

“I see the Zhao residence has changed hands, and your two young masters seem to have nowhere to go. Why not let me make some arrangements for them?” The woman bent down to remove Albert Carter’s boots and helped him into a pair of soft-soled silk shoes.

“Mind your own business!” Albert Carter refused her offer bluntly. “They’ve lived in comfort for decades and have all become useless. I intend to use this opportunity to toughen them up.”

The noblewoman looked suddenly enlightened and nodded repeatedly: “I spoke out of turn. So you have a deeper plan—truly worthy of respect…”

As they spoke, the carriage arrived at a dock along the Qinhuai River. Albert Carter lifted the curtain and saw a passenger boat flying the ‘Wu Ji’ flag, quietly moored there. The boat had three decks, with ornate carvings and painted beams, every bit as luxurious as the pleasure boats of the nobility passing by on the river.

When Albert Carter and the woman got off the carriage, not a single idle person was on the dock. The dock itself was privately owned by the noblewoman, and dozens of servants and guards had already sealed off the entrances to keep out prying eyes.

Seeing such overwhelming opulence, Albert Carter frowned slightly, then quickly put on a stern face again: “I’m just a commoner now—there’s no need for such a grand display.”

“In my heart, you’ll always be… as heroic as you once were.” The noblewoman tilted her head slightly, gazing dreamily at Albert Carter’s profile. Who knows what charm this little old man possessed?

“Just take me home. I won’t stay at your place.” Albert Carter said as he boarded the boat at a leisurely pace.

“I know you want to avoid suspicion and can’t enter a widow’s house.” The noblewoman sighed with a hint of grievance, then smiled considerately: “How about this—let me accompany you to Suzhou for a little getaway. Once you’ve rested and made up your mind…” As she spoke, a shy blush appeared on her face. “Wherever you want to go, I’ll follow.”

Only then did Albert Carter nod in satisfaction, a barely noticeable look of pride flashing across his face: “That’s more like it.”

The woman boarded the boat as well, and the two stood side by side at the bow. The passenger boat drifted downstream, soon leaving Nanjing behind.

Chapter Eleven: The Bell and Drum Tower

It wasn’t until the mist drifting in from the Yangtze River lazily dispersed that the warm sunlight once again shone over the city of Jinling.

As a great metropolis, Nanjing was a land of luxury and beauty, with the misty waters of six dynasties, the Jiangnan Examination Hall, grand mansions stretching to the clouds, and the romance of the Qinhuai River. Its splendor and prosperity were unmatched in the southeast; its literary grace and elegance, the best in the land.