The waiter spoke enthusiastically: “Of course it’s Miss Bennett. Lately, for some reason, she wants to study. You know what kind of family the The Bennett Family is, and Miss Bennett is like the apple of their eye. If she wants to study, naturally they’ll hire a tutor. Young master, you may not know, but recently there have been many people like you who have come running at the news.”

Charles Harper found it strange—people actually competing for a teaching position? Could it be that scholars these days have lost all integrity, and, like this young master himself, have fallen to the point of begging for work?

The waiter noticed Charles Harper’s confusion and chuckled, “Young master, you don’t know the half of it. Think about it: the The Bennett Family just rejected a marriage proposal from the The Harper Family of Songjiang Prefecture. Now, Miss Bennett is still unmarried and waiting for a match. If you become her tutor and, by chance, win her favor, wouldn’t that be a wonderful match? You should know, the The Bennett Family is powerful and influential, and as for Miss Bennett, she’s said to be a rare beauty. Countless young men in Zhenjiang Prefecture dream of her. Who wouldn’t want to be the one closest to her? If you ask me, young master, you’re quite a fine-looking gentleman yourself—why not give it a try? But the The Bennett Family has very strict rules for selecting tutors. Many have come back empty-handed. Even the magistrate’s nephew, Mr. Clark, was turned away at the door. You’d better be careful.”

Charles Harper’s heart skipped a beat. So these guys are here to steal this young master’s woman! At this thought, Charles Harper was instantly furious and sneered, “Outrageous, simply outrageous! I’m from Songjiang Prefecture, and I heard that the young master Miss Bennett was once betrothed to was actually a decent person. For the The Bennett Family to reject the marriage like this is really unreasonable.”

The waiter exclaimed in surprise, “Are you talking about that Young Master Harper? Tsk tsk…” Speaking of this rumored Young Master Harper, the waiter immediately sneered, “Who in Zhenjiang Prefecture doesn’t know? This person was peeping at the maids bathing at age five, visiting brothels at nine, and by eleven had lost thousands of taels of silver gambling. He’s a notorious scoundrel! The The Bennett Family only hesitated to break off the engagement out of respect for the old friendship between the families, always hoping that the Young Master Harper would grow up and change. But recently, it’s said he spent several days whoring in Hangzhou Prefecture and racked up a huge debt. With someone like that, the The Bennett Family was right to break off the engagement. If Miss Bennett married such a person, she’d regret it for life. To be honest, everyone in Zhenjiang Prefecture would be sighing in regret.”

That bad? Charles Harper felt the waiter was slapping him in the face—how hateful!

But at the moment, he didn’t want to argue with the waiter. He had more important things to do. While nibbling on peanuts and sipping tea, he muttered to himself, “Good deeds go unnoticed, but bad news travels fast. So this young master is already infamous in Zhenjiang. Luckily, I didn’t rush over to visit. With a reputation like mine, the The Bennett Family must feel relieved to have refused the marriage. A few words from me wouldn’t change their minds. If I’m not thrown out, it’s only because the The Bennett Family wants to save face for the sake of our families’ old friendship. Looks like… I’ll have to take a roundabout approach—apply to be a tutor… become Miss Bennett’s teacher…”

Scenes from all those movies about rogue teachers flashed through Charles Harper’s mind. His eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but say, “Good, I’ll start by being a teacher.”

Having made up his mind, he handed over a few copper coins and asked the waiter to sign him up. The waiter didn’t ask any questions and hurried off.

Chapter Four: Selected

It had been a sunny day, but in the blink of an eye, a fine drizzle began to fall. Weather like this made people reluctant to go out.

Charles Harper’s enthusiasm was forced by necessity. The days were getting colder, and his money was running out. If he didn’t find a way soon, he’d be left hungry and cold. Henry Wood had signed him up, and today was the day of the recruitment. There was no warm sun, nor a gentle spring breeze, but Charles Harper was fully prepared.

The raincoat he wore was borrowed from the inn. It kept out the rain but not the cold wind, so he shivered uncontrollably. Still, he didn’t complain. Turning a few corners in the rain, he suddenly found himself in front of a white wall that hid many buildings behind it. Occasionally, a few tree branches stretched over the wall, and through the high wall, he could see the rooftops of closely packed pavilions.

It was said today was the last day to apply. After this, there would be no more chances. So the place was crowded, with many braving the rain to come, and others leaving in disappointment.

Charles Harper’s heart skipped a beat when he saw so many people leaving dejectedly. He quickly grabbed a well-dressed young man and said, “Brother…”

The man sneered at him, “You’re here to apply too? Let me give you some advice—don’t bother. You really think it’s that easy? Let me tell you, people like you can’t even get past the old nun. There have been over a hundred applicants in Zhenjiang Prefecture these past few days, and only one barely made it past the old nun. When she glared at me, my heart turned cold. She even made me recite the Four Books for Women! That old nun must be crazy. I can’t even recite the Four Books, let alone the Four Books for Women. This isn’t a tutor recruitment—it’s the imperial exam!”

Apparently, this young man had just been thrown out and was full of grievances, venting them all before Charles Harper could even ask.

At first, Charles Harper was confused—what nun, what imperial exam? But after thinking it over, he understood.