Chapter 379
“Yet you, despicable worse-than-pigs-and-dogs, had the audacity to rely on the merit of the Bai Clan’s men who died fighting on the battlefield for the kingdom to bully the Jin citizens. You insulted and killed the citizens whom the Bai Clan regarded as their flesh and blood! Such pigs and dogs… Do they deserve to be called descendants of the Bai Clan? It’s simply a disgrace to the Bai ancestors!”
Bai Qingyan looked at the righteously indignant Bai Jinzhi with immense satisfaction. Although filled with fury, she managed to maintain a sense of rationality, taking advantage of the situation to win the hearts of the Shuoyang people for the Bai family.
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Bai Qingjie’s mother wanted to say something, but Bai Qingyan’s cold, bone-chilling eyes silenced her immediately.
Bai Jinzhi turned around, cupped her fists, and, with eyes red from anger, said, “Eldest Young Lady, if these worse-than-pigs-and-dogs are not expelled from the clan, I, Bai Jinzhi, will be the first to request to leave the clan! I would rather share a surname with pigs and dogs than be in the same clan as these beasts and scoundrels!”
Seeing the proud and composed Eldest Young Lady Bai, and the righteously indignant Fourth Young Lady Bai, the citizens were deeply moved.
The citizens, crowded at the entrance of the Bai Clan’s ancestral hall, clenched their fists. After listening to Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi, their hearts surged with passionate emotions.
To live as citizens, to die for the kingdom!
Yes, the Duke of Zhen was indeed a man past sixty, yet he took all the sons of the Bai family to the southern frontier. Not even the youngest, who was ten, survived.
They remembered how scholars and merchants from other places spoke about the Bai Clan of Dadu. They recalled those scholars and merchants saying that the Bai Clan of Dadu regarded the citizens as their flesh and blood. Tears filled their eyes as they realized the Bai Clan of Dadu truly protected and loved the people in this way!
If the Bai Clan of Dadu sought only military achievements and did not protect the people, how could they have taken even a ten-year-old child to the frontier?
The citizens were not ignorant. They knew that families who gained titles through military might did not want their offspring to serve in the military and risk their lives on the battlefield for a future.
But the Bai Clan of Dadu was clearly the most illustrious family in the Jin Kingdom. Even if their descendants lived in idleness like those of the Shuoyang Bai Clan, they would still enjoy endless wealth for generations. Yet they went to the battlefield.
In the past, they did not believe in the benevolence and righteousness of the Bai Clan of Dadu! They did not believe the tales of a century-old military family, the Duke of Zhen’s residence, never producing wastrels. They thought it was merely glorification of the powerful by the people.
Now that they had seen it with their own eyes, they were utterly convinced and deeply respectful of the Bai family’s love for the people!
The Princess of Zhen mercilessly and impartially dealt with the Bai Clan members. The Lord of Gaoyi’s tirade against the clan members came from the heart.
Though both are Bai clans, the Bai Clan of Dadu and the Bai Clan of Shuoyang are truly different.
Once, because the Bai Clan of Shuoyang bullied the people, they were blinded by hatred, praying to gods and Buddhas for the downfall and demise of the Bai Clan of Dadu so that the Bai Clan of Shuoyang would have no backing.
But now, the eldest daughter of the Bai Clan of Dadu, the Princess of Zhen, and the Fourth Young Lady, the Lord of Gaoyi, had returned. Their actions and words filled the people with such shame that they wished to pound the ground in remorse, kneel before the gods, retract their previous prayers, and willingly shorten their own lives in exchange for the return of the King of Zhen and the young generals of the Bai Clan of Dadu.
They did not earn merit through deceit, nor did they regard the people as contemptible. Having such a Bai Clan safeguarding the Jin Kingdom was truly the blessing of the Jin people.
Now, all the men of the Bai Clan of Dadu were gone, leaving only the women…
Though it was a pity, they were fortunate that the Bai family still had such staunch, righteous women who commanded deep respect.
Observing them, one could infer the whole. If the sons of the Bai Clan of Dadu were present, they would undoubtedly be upright and honorable men of unparalleled integrity.
“Expel them from the clan!” the clan leader said, tightly clutching his cane.
“Grandfather, please spare me! I will never do it again!”
“Clan Leader Grandpa! Grandfather, please plead with Clan Leader Grandpa. I don’t want to be expelled from the clan, I don’t want to go to prison!”
“Father, Ah Jie is your grandson!”
“Dad, please plead with the clan leader! We can’t do this!”
The Bai Clan’s ancestral hall courtyard was filled with wails and cries, but outside, the citizens felt immensely satisfied and their blood boiled with fervor.
Amidst the cries, the clan leader summoned the clan register and struck off the names of the offending descendants.
From that moment, these descendants had no connection to the Bai Clan.
“Lord Zhou, you can send people to take these criminals back. Please judge them quickly and fairly according to the law. Give the Shuoyang citizens an explanation!” Bai Qingyan commanded.
Lord Zhou quickly rose and bowed deeply to Bai Qingyan. “Rest assured, Princess. I will judge them strictly according to the law!”
Lord Zhou then bowed deeply to the people outside the Bai Clan’s ancestral hall. “Rest assured, everyone. As the official guardian of the people, I will severely punish these criminals! Tomorrow, the court will convene to determine their crimes and ensure justice for all!”
With that, Lord Zhou waved for the officials to drag out the weeping and wailing criminals who had been expelled from the Bai Clan.
The mothers of the now-expelled Bai clan members, unable to bear it, watched as their pleas to husbands, fathers-in-law, and the clan leader went unanswered. They lifted their skirts and rushed out, clinging to their children outside the ancestral hall, crying and comforting their children that they would later beg Lord Zhou for their release.
Amidst the disdainful and spitting glances of the people, those expelled members of the Bai Clan were finally taken away by the officials.
Within the clan, the clamor of crying lessened considerably.
Bai Qingyan turned to Shen Qingzhu and whispered something. Shen Qingzhu nodded and slipped away to an inconspicuous spot, then climbed out of the ancestral hall courtyard wall.
Fifth Lord furrowed his brows and glared at Bai Qingyan, asking his brother, the clan leader, “Can we disperse now?”
“Why so impatient, Fifth Lord? We have just dealt with the offenses of the Shuoyang Bai Clan members. There are still many more accusations here. The victims should have arrived. I’ll address each of them one by one…” Bai Qingyan looked at Lord Zhou. “Since Fifth Lord is in such a hurry, let’s start with his family!”
The clan leader’s heart sank. Indeed… Bai Qingyan intended to purge the clan.
The clan leader tightly clenched his fists, his gaze lingering on Quan Yu, who was respectfully serving Bai Qingyan hot tea. The weight on his chest made it hard to breathe, his face looked extremely grim.
Even the eunuch closest to the Crown Prince treated Bai Qingyan with such respect. Rumors of the Crown Prince being enamored with Bai Qingyan were likely true. If they went against Bai Qingyan’s will today, and she requested to leave the clan, the Crown Prince’s subsequent fury would be unbearable for the Bai Clan.
Upon hearing this, Fifth Lord’s scalp tightened. He turned to look at his elder brother.
The clan leader closed his eyes and sighed… Even if it meant expelling his brother’s family, as long as he remained clan leader, he could take care of them further.
Seeing the clan leader’s silence, Fifth Lord gritted his teeth and asked, “Bai Qingyan, are you intending to avenge the time I temporarily moved into the ancestral home?”