But it is easy to invite a god, yet hard to send one away.

Henry Clark had to quickly sit down; otherwise, things would get too bizarre and frightening, and it wouldn’t be good if the soldiers guarding the prison grew jealous and resentful.

He calmed his mind, collected his emotions, and began to ponder the current situation.

Then, a snoring sound came from nearby. In the adjacent cell, a burly man was curled up on the ground, sleeping soundly.

Who is that?!

“Samuel Stone, elder brother of the false king David Stone!” In Henry Clark’s mind, it was as if an echo suddenly appeared, startling him.

Why is there a voice in my head?!

According to history, hadn’t Samuel Stone already fled after the Battle of Wuchang?

“Henry Clark, someone has come to see you.” At this moment, the jailer’s voice came from outside.

A young gentleman walked in. Though simply dressed, he looked refined, with a square face and slightly stiff manners. After slipping a silver ingot to the jailer, he looked a bit uneasy, but still meticulously saw the jailer out the door.

Once only the two of them were left in the cell, the young gentleman seemed a bit more at ease. His gaze toward Henry Clark grew complicated—blame, concern, disappointment.

It was as if he had a thousand words to say, but in the end, all he could do was sigh.

“When I bought you an official post back then, I wanted you to be a civil official, but you insisted on making military achievements. Once you got the post, you didn’t go, and then spent more money to become a military officer.”

“Being a military officer was fine, but when you started buying enemy heads and paying for merit, I advised you to take it easy and be more restrained. But you just kept buying more and more, even spending money to have people spread your fame everywhere. The whole capital was talking about how our Xilin Jueluo family produced a Batulu.”

“Once your reputation grew, those above wanted to put you to great use. In this big battle at Tianjia Town against the Longhairs, you were put in charge of half the battlefield at Banbi Mountain. We put so much effort and paid such a price for you to one day replace Taqibu and become a famous general in the army—do you know how much we invested?”

“And what happened? All the other commanders fought to the death and won, but you got scared by the Longhairs and turned tail. As the main general, you ran, so your soldiers ran too, dragging down the whole battle. What should have been a great victory nearly turned into a rout, with heavy casualties, affecting the entire southern campaign.”

“Zeng Guofan wants to execute you as a warning—who could stop him?”

Listening to the young gentleman’s reproachful words, Henry Clark realized who he was.

This… was the group leader’s official brother, right? His name was William Clark, and he had married an extremely wealthy and beautiful wife.

His sister-in-law was stunning, fierce, and ruthless.

The group leader Henry Clark had even harassed his sister-in-law, which was why he couldn’t stay at home and his family bought him an official post to send him south.

At that moment, Henry Clark couldn’t help but glance at the top of the young gentleman’s head.

“The family has been heavily implicated. E’niang cried for days, and A’ma begged your sister-in-law for days,” the young gentleman William Clark said. “Your sister-in-law cursed you for days, then went everywhere raising silver to come south and save you.”

These terms A’ma and E’niang really took some getting used to.

But hearing that his sister-in-law had spent silver to save him, Henry Clark couldn’t help but ask, his voice slightly hoarse: “Was it a lot of silver?”

William Clark replied, “A lot. We sold off quite a few assets. No matter how useless you are, you’re still A’ma and E’niang’s son.”

Henry Clark asked, “Was the family implicated very badly?”

William Clark didn’t answer directly, half reproachful, half helpless: “If we can save your life this time, our family might still have a chance to recover in the future. If not, don’t blame me as your brother.”

……

“Late-born pays respects to Lord Zeng!” William Clark bowed deeply.

Zeng Guofan hurried forward, helping him up and grasping his hands without letting go. His gaze was gentle, his face warm: “Wenlin, was your journey here smooth? You’ve traveled a thousand miles—let me, as your elder, welcome you.”

Then, several servants brought in simple but tasty dishes.

William Clark bowed again: “The unworthy son of the Xilin Jueluo family has made such a grave mistake and delayed the general’s military affairs. How could I dare trouble the general to treat me?”

Zeng Guofan held William Clark’s hand, gently but firmly pressing him into a seat: “Just keep me company for a meal, will you? I’ve been busy with military affairs all day and haven’t eaten a single grain of rice yet.”

After that, the two ate quietly.

William Clark ate very little, somewhat restrained. Zeng Guofan ate elegantly but quickly, finishing all the food on the table in just a short while, then had tea brought in.

He personally poured tea for William Clark, who hurriedly stood up again, barely daring to sit, both anxious and moved. Zeng Guofan truly respected the talented. Though Xilin William Clark was of the Bordered Blue Banner, he hadn’t come up through the imperial exams, but as a bithe shi, and was now just a lowly seventh-rank official at the Court of the Imperial Stud.

Yet Zeng Guofan was a Vice Minister of Justice, Governor of Hubei, honored with the double-eyed peacock feather, one of the most powerful second-rank officials in the land. And yet, toward Xilin William Clark, a minor official and the family of a criminal, he showed no airs at all. His words and actions made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.

Of course, this was just the surface. At this time, Zeng Guofan held the imperial edict, killing anyone who stood in his way, whether man or god. In recent years, he had killed so many in Hunan and Hubei that heads rolled and everyone feared him.

William Clark sipped his tea, not knowing how to begin.

Zeng Guofan said, “Wenlin, have you come to save your younger brother Henry Clark?”