Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 322 - 319: Caught Off Guard_1

Chapter 322: Chapter 319: Caught Off Guard_1

Magistrate Zhou’s face paled slightly, family scandal? Disturbing them?

The implication was... the Princess of Zhen planned to tear completely with the clan?

But didn’t Bai Qiyun say that whether it was the then King of Zhen or the current Princess of Zhen, they both respected his father, the clan leader, and nearly obeyed without question?

Seeing his subordinates had already brought the horses over, Bai Qingyan spoke, "I still need to return to the clan. I won’t delay the two gentlemen’s business. Farewell..."

The Governor hastily stepped aside from the stairs. Bai Qingyan, along with Bai Jinzhi, mounted the horse and quickly galloped away with a flick of the whip.

"My lord, has the clan fallen out with the County Princess?" Magistrate Zhou’s face was extremely unpleasant, "Didn’t the clan leader’s son say the Princess of Zhen was just a little girl who followed everything the clan leader said? But why does it sound like... the County Princess intends to tear completely with the clan."

The Governor stood with his hands behind his back, squinting his eyes, recalling the rumors he heard yesterday.

It was said that the clan leader’s younger brother had taken the ancestral home of the Bai family in Dadu City, which had just been renovated.

The Governor smirked coldly, "No matter how the Bai family exaggerates, the Princess of Zhen has not hidden her intent to break completely with the clan during this return. The Lord of Gaoyi has also spoken so plainly... Magistrate Zhou needs to watch the wind, lest you get overturned!"

Magistrate Zhou had always been on good terms with the Bai Clan, covering up many of their unscrupulous activities over the years. If the Princess of Zhen decided to deal with the Bai Clan this time, those matters would inevitably be brought to light. Then, he who helped cover them up would likely not only fail to gain favor with the Princess of Zhen but also... indeed get overturned!

Magistrate Zhou’s face became even more unsightly. He turned his head and respectfully saluted the Governor, "Thank you for your guidance, my lord."

·

The Bai family’s clan leader was having breakfast. Upon hearing that Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinzhi had returned, he was startled. Thinking about his younger brother forcefully seizing the Bai family’s ancestral home, causing chaos within the clan, he immediately understood that Bai Qingyan must have returned because of this matter.

The clan leader put down his chopsticks and ordered someone to change his clothes.

In the courtyard of the clan leader, a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy was kneeling, seemingly all night. Dew had fallen on his dark hair, and he was shivering from the cold, almost unable to support himself.

Seeing the clan leader come out, the boy quickly kneeled a few steps forward, "Grandfather, if the elder brothers continue this lawlessness, they will ruin our Bai family! Please step in to stop them from forcefully taking others’ shops. Hand over the elder brothers to the official government. Otherwise... if someone reports to the Emperor in Dadu City, revealing what happened over the years, even the County Princess cannot protect our Bai family!"

The clan leader, looking at his anxious grandson, became enraged and said sternly, "Punish them? How?! Kneeling all night and you still don’t understand?! They are your brothers! Even if it’s a huge mistake... they are still your blood brothers. How can you side with outsiders to deal with your brothers, even sending people secretly to the Governor? If I had been a step later... your brothers would have ended up in prison! What is the crime of hiring murderers?! A Ping... grandfather isn’t dead yet! Are you planning to kill your brothers?!"

Bai Qingping gritted his teeth, his eyes turning red, choked with sobs, "The Emperor’s crimes are punished the same as those of commoners, even King Xin, the Emperor’s legitimate son, was demoted and exiled to Yongzhou! Grandfather, you are the clan leader... shouldn’t you value the family’s reputation and not act selfishly?"

"Such a lack of selfishness!" The clan leader’s eyes widened in anger, "Grandfather isn’t dead yet, and you want to turn against your family? You were taught to read... you truly have read books full of great principles!"

Bai Qingping’s fists clenched tightly, stubbornly refusing to yield.

"If you can’t understand, then keep kneeling! Never get up!" The clan leader shouted, leaning on his cane as he walked out.

Bai Qingping, stubborn all along, finally sat dejectedly on the ground after hearing his grandfather’s footsteps fade. He had always admired the upright character of the Bai family in the Duke’s mansion in Dadu City. He once took pride in being a descendant of the Bai Clan.

But later, he found the Bai family in Shuoyang clan was different from those in the Duke’s mansion in Dadu City.

Especially since his childhood, he witnessed his clan leader’s branch bullying the collateral branches, using the influence of the Bai family in Dadu City to run rampant in Shuoyang. Over the years, due to a lack of control, Shuoyang’s official government courted favor with them due to their ties to Dadu’s Bai family, making the clan even more unscrupulous.

He felt deeply ashamed. Compared with the Bai family in Dadu City, their actions were hardly those of a single family.

Now, the Shuoyang Bai family and his generation of elder brothers had reached the point of killing unchecked. If not controlled... the Bai house would be finished!

Bai Qingping couldn’t understand why his grandfather couldn’t see what he could already, despite being clear to him.

His servant peeked into the courtyard and seeing no one else, hurried over to Bai Qingping’s side, placing a cloak around him, and whispered, "Sixth young master, the Princess of Zhen and the Lord of Gaoyi have returned."

Bai Qingping lifted his head, eyes widening, feeling an overwhelming surge of emotion.

Since Bai Qingyan and Bai Weiting went on an expedition, they hadn’t returned to the clan, first due to continuous battles, and later due to injuries recuperating in Dadu City.

Excited and also ashamed, Bai Qingping thought of how his grandfather’s younger brother had forcibly taken the ancestral home.

Bai Qingping wished to find a hole to hide in. Their clan, while flaunting the Bai family’s banner in Dadu City to gain power in Shuoyang City, was simultaneously bullying the widows and orphans of the Bai family in Dadu City. First, they pretended to mourn, forcing the Bai family in Dadu City to spend their wealth for the clan’s repairs and then occupied the newly renovated house. How could he, a man knowledgeable of sage texts, preserve his dignity?

·

The news of Bai Qingyan’s return was like a thunderclap, shaking the Bai family in Shuoyang three times over.

The most uneasy one was the Fifth Elder who had seized the Bai family’s ancestral home. He paced anxiously in the room but dared not go to the clan leader to inquire about Bai Qingyan. After all, Bai Qingyan had burned and slaughtered a hundred thousand surrendered prisoners in Xiliang!

Who knew if Bai Qingyan, once enraged, would resort to violence?

Bai Qingyan, with the status of a County Princess, saw the clan leader approaching. With a smile on her face but not rising to salute, the clan leader, considering his seniority, walked straight to the seat of honor, smiling, "Qingyan and Jinzhi, why didn’t you inform us beforehand about your return? So that the granduncle could prepare a feast to welcome you?"

Recognizing that the clan leader was leveraging his elder status to press her, she casually placed the teacup on a small table beside her, "This time, I’ve come back to retrieve the deeds of the ancestral home..."

The clan leader did not expect Bai Qingyan to be so direct, catching him off guard.

"The ancestral home deeds have always been kept by the clan leader. What happened that made you return in such a hurry to claim them?"