After the qualifying exam, after the results came out, William said goodbye to his friends, left Oxford University, where he had studied for a year, and returned home.

The academic year at Oxford University is four years, starting on January 7 every year, with a day off every ten days until June, after all, many students do not have enough living expenses and are away from home for a long time, so it is time to go home.

On August 1st, classes resumed.

William had just finished his studies, turned eighteen, and went his separate ways.

"Young Master William, the master ordered me to pick you up!"

As soon as he packed up his salute and arrived at the door, William saw one of his family's dilapidated carriages parked in front of the university.

The carriage was open-topped, and except for a little yellowing, the cushions were clean and tidy, and the feeling of cheapness came to the face.

The coachman was five big and three thick, with thick arms, and his face was full of traces of time, like a farmer.

He was a servant of his own house, a groom, a steward, and a guard......

All right! William looked at his classmates who were also riding in the family carriage with some shame, gorgeous and expensive, and he felt that he was embarrassed.

Although he was a little ashamed, he still said 'en', lowered his head, and got into the car with a salute.

Not to mention the gorgeous carriages of those rich classmates, it is said that in the eyes of those students who pitifully carry their bags and go home in a public carriage, William's carriage is enough for them to envy for a lifetime.

"Young master, you don't know, the original white horse is already pregnant, so you can only let this new big black horse come to pick you up, or the mare is steady, the stallion is too jumpy!"

…………

Before William could speak, his housekeeper and groom moved his mouth up and down, and the words were constant and a little noisy along the way.

Compared with the housekeepers cultivated by aristocratic families, it is still too bad.

Helpless, William could only close his eyes and recuperate.

"Still, it's a good horse!"

Soon the carriage left the city of Oxford, and after a dozen or so miles, it came to a place called Burton Village.

Since it was once a fiefdom called the Knight of Burton, after the Wars of the Roses, the Knight family dissipated and the name remained.

As the carriage passed through the village, the villagers passing by gave him respectful glances as a college student, which made William a little proud.

Immediately after, the carriage stopped in front of a country house.

Red brick and white windows, large triangular window sills, sloping roofs, large chimneys, and columned balisings in front of balconies are the style of country houses (Tudor style) that was popular throughout England.

Outside the fence, a gray-white shepherd dog was barking in the direction of the carriage, while a middle-aged man and woman were waiting with anxious faces.

"Mother, father!" When the carriage stopped, William hurriedly jumped out of the carriage and hugged the waiting parents tightly.

"William, it's a pleasure to finally be back!" His mother said with red eyes, touching his arm with her hand, looking him up and down, and said.

And his father, William Sr., slapped him on the shoulder, very proud:

"Boy, you are very good, you actually obtained the qualification, it really wins glory for me!"

"Father, Mother, how do you know I'm qualified?"

William was amazed.

As soon as the news came out, his parents, who were far away from his hometown, actually found out, which surprised him.

You must know that his family is not a nobleman or a gentleman, but a Yomannon who rents hundreds of acres of aristocracy and then runs it, and lives by relying on his farming skills.

The annual income is only a hundred pounds, and in the countryside it is considered an upper-class person, but in the city, it is just a farmer who cultivates the land in the countryside, and the news is blocked, how do you know?

"Oh! This news was told to me by the head of the hundred households and the head of the district, and some gentlemen and squires in the neighborhood also sent a large number of gifts, piling up the entire courtyard! ”

At this, his father smiled, then pointed behind him and said.

William took a look at the situation, and his yard was full of all kinds of gifts, and in the stable, there were a few new horses with bright coats, which unconsciously attracted his attention.

"Yes, young master, even the old man of the village sent a few fat pigs, saying that it was to make up for your body!"

The butler and groom, who had just put him down, hurriedly came over and said excitedly.

Seeing this, William breathed a sigh of relief and began to chat with his parents, and for a while, the courtyard was filled with a happy atmosphere.

Since the inception of the official entrance examination, every year those who have obtained qualifications in the county have been given gifts by squires and gentlemen from all over the county.

Especially the squires and gentlemen near their hometowns are particularly active when giving gifts.

William qualified in the Shire, which meant that within three years he could go to London to sit for the exam without having to qualify again.

Three chances, the odds of becoming an official are very high, and it is worth betting once.

The family sat in their chairs and chatted non-stop, most of the time the parents were talking and William was listening.

Boom! Knock knock!

The butler hurried over to open the door, while William and his parents stood up to greet the guest.

I saw that in front of the gate, a middle-aged man wearing a high-end linen dress and looking thoughtful walked in, but he was wearing the clothes of a housekeeper.

"Are you Mr. William Jr., please?" The butler glanced at it, then bowed to his parents before greeting William politely.

"Yes, excuse me?" William was stunned for a moment, looked at his high-grade linen clothes, compared his own clothes, and asked suspiciously.

"My master is the Baron of Alston of Oxfordshire, and I have been sent here today to congratulate you, Mr. William, on your second place!"

The butler didn't look down on William's expression at all, but said very kindly.

As he spoke, just as William was stunned, a box appeared in front of him, and then the butler opened it gently, and a box of gold coins dazzled his eyes.

"Please forgive me for my faux pas, such a valuable gift, please forgive me for being difficult to accept!"

William swallowed and frothed, looking at the glittering wooden box, which was conservatively estimated to be thousands of pounds, but he refused with difficulty.

He understood that although there was nothing to give a gift, such a big gift made him understand that it was not normal.

"It's just a small gift, Mr. William doesn't have to care too much!" The butler smiled and continued.

"Our Lord Baron intends to marry Miss to you, and these are just deposits in advance!"

Speaking of this, the butler showed a hint of domineering, as well as that tiresome and enviable sense of superiority, which made William feel like he was being chared.

Although marrying the daughter of a baron is no less than a step up to heaven for him, William still wants to go to London to become an official and marry a noblewoman with a higher rank, and his heart is a little entangled.

Seeing William's hesitant look, the housekeeper frowned, people's hearts are really insufficient, and the conditions are still too low?

"Mr. William, Miss Anna is the only daughter of Lord Baron!"

According to the new inheritance law, the daughter still owns half of the property, and if she marries her, it is equivalent to owning half of the baron's assets, and the dowry is really amazing!

"Do you still need to think about it now?"

The butler looked at William and asked with a smirk.

Thinking of this, William is also a smart person, and he immediately agreed.

An unknown future, a property and connections of the current baron, do not need to be considered at all.

And all over England, such deals were going on and on, and the bureaucracy began to merge with the aristocracy, and you have me, and I have you!