CH 148

Guan Suyi and Mu Mu slept until noon before they got up. This time, Zhong shi didn’t shout at the people with feather duster, but instead indulge them. Jinzi and Minglan received 20 boards each, and now with their injuries they still insisted to guard their miss’s room. Taohong had already been sold, even she cried when she left, it didn’t make Zhong shi’s heart soften.

At noon, when the clan leader heard that Mu Mu had returned safely, he brought a large group of clan elders to the door. On the surface, he said condolences, but in reality he forced the Guan family to intercede for Guan Wenhai and let him out.

“Yunqi’s wife, the Guan clan has studied Confucianism for many generations, has always been a benevolent family, and has always cherish magnanimity. Mu Mu is safe and sound, so why should you kill Wenhai? As long as you say two good words for him, they can let him out. He is talented, young, and has a great future in front him. Someday when he’s successful, he will definitely repay you thousands of times. Now you execute without warning, don’t you violate the rule of the ancestors? You can’t write two ‘Guan’ words in one stroke*, everyone is a relative by blood, one prosperous then everyone prosperous, one falling then everyone falling. If his reputation is ruined, doesn’t it mean that Guan clan’s reputation is also ruined? If he has a loss of virtue, doesn’t it mean that Guan clan has a failing morality and disgraceful? It doesn’t matter if we become a commoner, and we won’t feel hurt just because people gossip about us, but the old master and Yunqi still have to gain a foothold in the court. If the clan’s reputation is ruined, it’s not a small offense. Don’t think about Wenhai, don’t think about the whole clan, you still have to think about yourself, right? As long as you present a memorial to the emperor and say that everything is a misunderstanding and Mu Mu is lost by himself, the reputation of the clan will be preserved, and the virtue of the Guan family will also be preserved. Isn’t it the best of both worlds?”

Because Emperor Sheng Yuan suppressed the news, these people only knew that Mu Mu was safe, but they didn’t know how he returned, and they didn’t know that even Guan Suyi had been missing for a day and a night. Thus, they dare to say those statement.

Zhong shi remembered what happened to the two children, remembered the son who died in vain. Her hatred for the clan had reached its peak.

She slowly turned the teacup in her hand and said, “Guan Wenhai has confessed in prison, saying that it was he who sent people to kidnap Mu Mu and planned to sell him to Tong Valley. Yesterday, the imperial army was the one who search and retrieve Mu Mu from Tong Valley. Why Guan Wenhai was arrested, anyone with a discerning eye can tell, presumably it has spread all over the capital by now. Such a wicked person, but you force us to spare him, this is not to treat Mu Mu as a person at all. Don’t you take our Guan family in your eyes at all? Ah yes, if Guan Wenhai is convicted, the Guan clan’s reputation will be greatly damaged. Outsiders will definitely point finger at your back and scold you for having a heart of wolf and lungs of dogs, losing your conscience. In order to avoid being implicated, I can ask the old master to excuse Guan Wenhai, just pretend it never happened.”

Everyone was overjoyed. They didn’t expect the Zhong shi to be so easy to talk, Guan family’s benevolence name indeed was not false. If even such deep hatred can be endured, it’s not too much to make more demands, right? Anyway, there is no successor in the Guan family. If they don’t want to sever the descendants and lose the family property, aren’t they still have to rely on the support of the clan?

Thinking like this, another clan elder said slowly, “Yunqi’s wife understands the great righteousness and is worthy of being the daughter of literary giant Zhong family. In this case, us here will thank you on Wenhai’s behalf, and when he comes out safely, we will let him come to the door to make amends. Everyone is from the same clan. If one person is in trouble, the whole clan should support, how can we be divided? In the future, Emperor Teacher Mansion have no successor, don’t you still have to rely on everyone’s help to support the lintel? By the way, many of the clansmen are destitute, although there is a clan school, there are not many people who can afford the tutor’s salary. Yunqi’s wife, you let Emperor Teacher be more accommodating, don’t delay the children. There’s also the matter of joint venture to purchase the sacrificial land, the poor should give less, the rich should give more, Emperor Teacher Mansion as the pillar of the clan, shouldn’t you give more silver? With the production of the sacrificial land as a support, the clansmen will be well fed and clothed, and will soon be able to live a good life. Whether the Guan clan can regain its former glory depends entirely on Emperor Teacher Mansion.”

Zhong shi finally deeply realized a sentence – good people will be taken advantage by others. If you take a step back, what you will gain is not understanding and harmony, instead you will back down step by step, until you are squeezed out of all your value, and be trampled under someone’s feet like the dirt on the ground.

The Guan clan was indeed passing down benevolent and magnanimous value throughout the generations, but the one that could genuinely accomplish this was only the old master’s line, so they have been bullied and used by the clansmen for generations, and it had long become the norm. Almost suffering the tragic death of her both children, Zhong shi couldn’t stand it anymore.

She nodded and said, “The private tutor’s salary doesn’t need to be paid, the sacrificial land will be bought for you, Guan Wenhai will be released, and my Guan family will agree to all your requests. When the old master and husband come back from the court, we will write a letter of confessing sin to burn the ancestry, and asked to be removed from the clan. From now on, the Guan family is the Guan family, the Guan clan is the Guan clan, and there is no longer any connection.”

Everyone was shocked, they never expected that Zhong shi would fight back so decisively, actually abandoning the clan and leave. There was no precedent for self-requesting to be removed from the clan, because no one in the world would do this, as people would not be able to live without the clan. However, the situation of the Emperor Teacher Mansion and the clan was completely opposite. The reason why the Guan clan had a superior status in Yanjing was because the powerful Emperor Teacher and Chief off Ceremonies; most of the orphans and widows in the clan were supported by the Emperor Teacher Mansion; the sacrificial lands were purchased by the Emperor Teacher Mansion; the clan school was built by the Emperor Teacher Mansion. Everything was bestowed by Emperor Teacher Mansion, they were nothing more than parasite attached to the mansion, relying on Guan Yunqi have no successor to abuse the power and squeeze them to the extreme.

At present, Zhong shi was finally driven to a dead end by them. Not only did she not charge the clan school’s fee, purchased the sacrificial lands and released Guan Wenhai, but she also wrote a confession of sin letter and asked themselves to be removed from the clan. What they should do and what they can do, they had done their best for the clan. Outsiders knew about this, so they would not scold the Emperor Teacher Mansion as being unkind and unrighteous, but they would only ridicule the Guan clan for killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and drain the lake to get the fishes.

On the surface, it was the clan who removed the Emperor Teacher Mansion, but in fact, wasn’t it the Emperor Teacher Mansion who abandon the clan? They couldn’t bear, then no need to bear it anymore, Mu Mu’s disappearance had obviously stepped on Zhong shi‘s bottom line!

The hall suddenly became silent even the falling needle could be heard. Several elders were sweating and trembling with fear. Only the clan leader said in disapproval, “You are a woman, what qualifications do you have to be Yunqi’s master? Do you know how serious it is to asked yourself to be removed from the clan?”

“I know. After we asked to be removed from the clan, we don’t have to support a group of white-eyed wolves; we don’t have to be forced to choose the so-called heir. My Emperor Teacher Mansion has a lot of property, and I will give it to anyone I want in the future, and it has nothing to do with you. If my father-in-law and my husband are valued by the emperor and they are conferred a nobility title or a Shilu*, it will not fall into your hands. As for whether I can be the master, let’s wait for my father-in-law’s reply.”

These words were not Zhong shi’s whim. Last night, while she painfully waited for her son and daughter to return, the old master ordered them like this. He already had enough. Guan Father even bluntly said that he wanted to abolish the clan, and told them to go back to wherever they came from. They would buy the sacrificial lands and release Guan Wenhai to block the mouth of a lot of people, showing that the Guan family had been extremely benevolence, while the evidence of Guan Wenhai harming people’s life was conclusive, what else could they say?

Seeing her firm attitude, the clan leader started to panic. As if sitting on pins and needles, he waited for half an hour, and sure enough, the serious-faced old master and Guan father finally came.

He cupped his hands at everyone and sighed, “This old man has no virtue, and treated the clan wrongly, so the resentment is increased, and disaster fell to the head. Therefore, asked ourselves to be removed from the clan, and will no longer harm others and harm ourselves. Just now I have already presented memorial to the emperor, begging him to release Guan Wenhai. It may be assumed that he has returned safely now. I dare not shirk the sin of being removed from the clan, and have already reported to the emperor to ask for the Holy Judgment. The emperor is merciful and when he approves it, he ordered us father and son to reflect behind close door, and only after three months can we return to the court. I lost my morals and conducts, which caused my family to suffer this great disaster, and also implicated the junior in the clan to be imprisoned, I really don’t have face to see the clansmen. Everyone please return, Yunqi and I will burn incense and take a bathe, then pray to the ancestor. The confession letter will be handed over to the clan leader in a few days, and will asked him to read it on my behalf. Ashamed too ashamed, everyone please return.”

The old master’s words seemed to indicate that he was wrong, that he had harmed the clan with all his virtues, and had no choice but to extricate himself from the clan. But who would be fooled by this? Afraid even a fool wouldn’t be fooled. Every time he admitted a mistake, he slapped the clansman in the face. Since ancient times, only the most wicked people would be removed from the clan, but the Emperor Teacher Mansion was full of benevolence and righteousness, the virtue was deep and flowing, and to be able to force them to voluntarily leave, the Guan clan was also quite capable.

The emperor said to let the two reflect behind closed doors, but he rewarded many treasure chests, which were now piled up in the garden, which showed that he also knew who was right and who was wrong.

After getting removed from the clan, the Emperor Teacher Mansion could pass the mantle to Mu Mu, or maybe let Guan Suyi recruit a son-in-law, where they need to rely on others? They able to not depend on the clan, but the clan could not but rely on them. Without the banner of the Emperor Teacher’s clan, who else could protect them? No matter how many sacrifice lands were purchased, it would be taken away by the tyrants in an instant; the future of the juniors in the clan would inevitably be ruined just because that Guan Wenhai plot to kill people.

It could be said that the Guan clan without the Emperor Teacher Mansion had no foothold in Yanjing City at all. Wherever they came from was wherever they had to go. However, there was no airtight wall in the world, and when the news reached their hometown, there would only be more people who throw stone at them. In a single thought, the entire clan was overthrown, and the clan leader was terrified. The rest of the clan elders were embarrassed and frightened, racking their brains to figure out how to save the situation.

But Guan Father would not give them a chance to speak, and politely said, “This matter had been reported to the emperor, and it will be known to the whole world in a short time. The Guan family has no virtue, do not dare to harm the clan, and even more too embarrassed to face the clan, please don’t say any more. I have already assigned the steward to handle the purchase of the sacrificial land. The six thousand hectares of fertile land presumably enough to support the young and old of the clan, and it is also the last thought of our Emperor Teacher Mansion for the clan. Everyone, Please.”

The clan elders who were driven to the door by him looked at each other in dismay, and finally returned home in frustration. Even the emperor knew, then there was really no room for redemption. For an unworthy son, but losing the pillar of the clan, when this spread out no one could fathom this. Guan Wenhai’s reputation was already rotten, after saving him what else could he do other than eat rice? If the Guan clan have no protection of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, the six thousand hectares of fertile land would also become someone else’s sooner or later.

“I said at the beginning, don’t anger Emperor Teacher for a junior, but you don’t listen! This time is finish,” the clan elder who had never said a word in the Emperor Teacher Mansion finally said, “You all go home and pack your bags. Yanjing City have no place for our clan to stand!”

“If the clan disposes Guan Wenhai, Emperor Teacher will be soft-hearted, and he should not make things too bad.” Another person said.

The clan leader was furious, but under the resentful gazes of everyone, his back was gradually hunched, and he fled in embarrassment. He also knew that if the Guan clan really lost the backing of the Emperor Teacher Mansion, his position as the clan leader would be over.