Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 312 - 309: Indulgence_1

Chapter 312: Chapter 309: Indulgence_1

"Eldest Young Lady, Second Young Lady..." Nanny Tong’s expression didn’t look good. After bowing, she said, "Steward Liu, who was sent back to our ancestral home in Shuoyang to oversee the restoration of the ancestral mansion, has returned. He is currently reporting the restoration matters to Madam in the front hall."

"Is there something wrong?" Bai Qingyan put down her teacup and asked.

"The members of the Shuoyang Clan are truly shameless..." as Nanny Tong spoke, her temples throbbed with anger, "When Steward Liu went back, he found that the family of Fifth Granduncle was living in the ancestral mansion. After asking around, he discovered that over the years, our mansion would send a letter in advance before returning, which made them move out temporarily. Once we left, they moved back in to live! Yet, the clan had the nerve to say they were taking care of the ancestral mansion for us and were seeking benefits from our Madam!"

"Every time we returned, they sent people to clean up, clearly to cover up their tracks, and had the cheek to claim credit!"

During the mourning period of the Bai family, Nanny Tong had grown extremely disgusted by the clan’s behavior and demeanor. Hearing Steward Liu’s report about the Shuoyang Clan made her feel as if her heart and lungs were about to explode with anger.

Bai Jinxiu’s face changed too. She set her teacup heavily on the small black lacquer table beside her: "How shameless!"

"Steward Liu also said that as soon as our house was repaired, and even before he left, the family of Fifth Granduncle moved back in. They claimed that the ancestral mansion in Shuoyang was passed down by the Bai ancestors and should be inherited by the firstborn legitimate grandson..." Nanny Tong held her handkerchief tightly, her eyes red, "They said since the Bai Mansion now has no male heirs, the house should belong to the clan. They have lived there for years with the Clan Leader’s permission! If our Bai family women return, the clan would pity them and allocate a small part of the mansion for the Bai family’s women to live in. They even said... they would build a high wall to avoid... to avoid... any bad omens from our Eldest Young Lady affecting them."

Bai Jinxiu slammed her hand on the table in fury: "The clan is bullying us too much! If this is their claim, why didn’t they say anything sooner? They waited until we repaired everything to shamelessly come and seize it! Do they really think there is no one in the Bai family?!"

"Fifth Granduncle’s family relied on their large numbers in Shuoyang and already hired craftsmen to build the wall in the courtyard. Steward Liu sent people to stop them and then rushed back to report to Madam!" Nanny Tong’s chest heaved with rage.

Bai Qingyan’s eyes darkened, a fire seemed to burn within her chest. The clan... for years, like blood-sucking insects, had been taking benefits from the Bai family!

Now, seeing that all the Bai family men were gone, they shamelessly tried to figure out ways to get more benefits from the Bai family.

As Mr. Gu once said, a favor given in small amounts breeds resentment if given in large quantities. Grandfather and Father’s leniency had indeed nurtured the clan’s insatiable appetite.

"Eldest Sister, will you go and ask about it?" Bai Jinzhi asked.

"I will change my clothes and go."

Nanny Tong hadn’t heard all the details. Bai Qingyan needed to ask Steward Liu in person.

As for the house deeds and land deeds of the ancestral mansion, it was unclear whether they were with the clan or had been kept by Grandfather.

If Grandfather had them, then Grandmother should have handed them all to Mother, Mrs. Dong, before she went to Qing Temple for seclusion.

If the deeds were with them, it would be easier to handle. If not... another plan would be necessary.

Although Bai Jinxiu had already married, she still cared about the Bai family matters. She waited for Bai Qingyan to change clothes and followed her to Mrs. Dong’s quarters, where Steward Liu had not yet left.

Mrs. Dong’s face had turned ashen with anger, and the handkerchief in her hand was twisted out of shape. If not for her upbringing and composure, she might have scolded someone aloud.

Seeing Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinxiu enter and greet Mrs. Dong, Steward Liu quickly stood up, his eyes reddening instantly: "Eldest Young Lady! Eldest Young Lady has returned safely from Southern Xinjiang!"

While in Shuoyang, every time Steward Liu heard about the war in Southern Xinjiang, he was on edge. Later he heard that the Eldest Young Lady had killed tens of thousands of Xiliang captives in Southern Xinjiang, securing a great victory. He was both happy and worried, and offered incense to the King of Zhen and the Duke of Zhen, praying for Bai Weiting and Bai Qishan to protect the Eldest Young Lady, and even cried.

Now seeing Bai Qingyan unharmed in front of him, how could Steward Liu not be moved?

"I made you worry, Uncle Liu!" Bai Qingyan smiled at Steward Liu, "Uncle Liu, sit down. Regarding the Shuoyang ancestral mansion, Aunt Tong has already told us some. Please give us the detailed story."

Steward Liu described the events in Shuoyang to Bai Qingyan in detail. It was largely as Nanny Tong had said, with some additional specifics.

For instance, the old steward who was supposed to look after the ancestral mansion for the Bai family had been bribed by Fifth Granduncle. Even the renovation plans came from Fifth Granduncle who wanted the Bai family to spend their silver... making the mansion more comfortable for themselves.

When Steward Liu went back, Fifth Granduncle had pulled out the mansion’s plans and with a grand gesture, divided the house into two parts, with more than half taken by his family and leaving a smaller portion for the Bai family. He claimed that since his family had lived there for years, using those courtyards was right and proper. Moreover, the front courtyards were meant for men, so they didn’t spare them for the Bai family.

It was as if they had taken the ancestral mansion, passed down through the Bai family, and turned it into their own property.

Later, Sixth Granduncle of the clan heard about this and wanted a share as well. Not willing to let Fifth Granduncle take everything, the brothers started fighting.

The resulting commotion alerted the whole clan. Some felt it was unjust, while others wanted a share. Some even suggested that Mrs. Dong adopt a son from the clan to continue the Bai lineage, arguing that Fifth Granduncle’s actions were too ugly while the Bai family could ensure legitimate descendants through adoption.

In short, it was absolute chaos!

Seeing this, Steward Liu sent people to stop the craftsmen from building the wall, and thought that since the clan was in such a mess, nothing would be resolved quickly. So, he came back to report in person.

"Mother, do you have the deeds for the ancestral mansion?" Bai Qingyan asked.

Mrs. Dong shook her head, her brows furrowed: "If we had the deeds, the clan wouldn’t dare to be so presumptuous! We only have the land deeds, the house deeds are with the clan."

Originally, the position of clan leader was usually held by the first legitimate son of the main family, so the house deeds remained with the clan. However, during the previous wars, all the legitimate sons of Bai Qingyan’s generation grandfather’s generation were killed, therefore the clan recorded a concubine’s son under Bai Qingyan’s great-grandmother’s name as the legitimate son and gave him the position of clan leader.

By rights, at Bai Qingyan’s grandfather’s generation, it should have been his brother to become the clan leader, but grandfather had no brothers...