Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 380 - 377: Ancestral Instructions_1

Chapter 380: Chapter 377: Ancestral Instructions_1

Bai Qingyan raised her eyebrows and let out a cold laugh.

"You think you’re worthy of my eldest sister’s attention?" Bai Jinzhi no longer regarded this Fifth Master at all. Just thinking about how this Fifth Master disgustingly occupied their ancestral home made Bai Jinzhi wish she could whip him a few times.

"You!" Fifth Master wanted to get angry but had to consider Bai Jinzhi’s status as a County Lord.

The victims whose hot spring village was forcibly taken by the Fifth Master of the Bai Clan immediately came forward upon hearing they would hold Fifth Master accountable. Kneeling at the six open doors of the Bai Clan, they cried out...

"Princess of Zhen, you must stand up for us poor and unprotected commoners! The Fifth Master of the Bai Clan conspired with Magistrate Zhou to falsely accuse my son of murder to seize our ancestral hot spring village. To protect my son’s life, I had no choice but to hand over the village; yet my son, feeling guilty, jumped from the mountain! Please, Commandery Princess, seek justice for us!"

The old man, with tears in his eyes, finished speaking, bowed heavily to Bai Qingyan, and kowtowed repeatedly until his forehead bled, showing the depth of his hatred.

"You’re talking nonsense!" Fifth Master glanced at Magistrate Zhou, thinking that the old man was bold enough to accuse even Magistrate Zhou. Surely, Magistrate Zhou would not admit to this, so he shouted in confidence, "You sold that village to me willingly and in writing! Trying to deny it now?"

"Old man, do not worry. I said it before, the Shuoyang Clan’s evil deeds over the years, I will ensure they repay them. Please, rise."

As soon as Bai Qingyan’s words dropped, the guards of the Bai family helped the old man up.

"Magistrate Zhou..." Bai Qingyan looked at Magistrate Zhou.

Magistrate Zhou was covered in cold sweat. Luckily, when Princess of Zhen asked him to prepare these things, he had already guessed that she intended to purge the Bai Clan. Naturally, he also thought of all the things he had done to gain favor with the Bai Clan.

He figured he had to admit to these matters; otherwise, if he blocked the Princess of Zhen from cleaning up the Bai Clan, his death would be even worse!

If this time he showed his loyalty to the Princess of Zhen by helping her purge the clan, she would remember his good deed. Then, he might still have a chance to make a comeback in the future.

Especially today, with Quan Yu the eunuch by the Crown Prince’s side present, when Quan Yu reported back to the Crown Prince about today’s event, it would be beneficial for him to have helped the Princess of Zhen.

Magistrate Zhou had already weighed the pros and cons before coming, so without a word, he kneeled toward Bai Qingyan and said, "Reporting to Princess of Zhen, everything this Elder Wang said is true. But at that time... I was not willing to collude with Fifth Master. It was Fifth Master who used the power of the Bai family from the capital to force my compliance..."

Magistrate Zhou’s eyes turned, and he added a new accusation to the Fifth Master: "Fifth Master of the Bai Clan threatened me with my wife and children’s lives. Only then was I forced to comply!"

Speaking of this, Magistrate Zhou even began to sob: "As Shuoyang’s magistrate, I should protect the people. But to save my wife and children, I yielded to coercion. I’m ashamed of the people of Shuoyang!"

"You’re talking nonsense!" Fifth Master, angry to the point of a crooked mouth, retorted, "When did I ever threaten your wife and children! You were the one who wanted to curry favor with me..."

The Clan Leader forcefully pressed down Fifth Master’s hand, signaling him to stop speaking. Fifth Master harshly swallowed his anger and stared furiously at Magistrate Zhou.

"Commandery Princess, you hear this? I knew Fifth Master wouldn’t admit it! Just as he won’t admit... buying the hot spring village for five taels of silver! Forcing that old man’s son to death!" Magistrate Zhou turned his head to face the elder who had lodged the complaint. "Isn’t that right, Elder..."

The elder couldn’t understand why Magistrate Zhou suddenly turned on Fifth Master, but he realized that Magistrate Zhou was testifying for him, so he nodded repeatedly: "Magistrate Zhou is correct!"

Bai Qingyan raised her eyebrows slightly. This Magistrate Zhou... truly had a silver tongue! He always managed to absolve himself completely.

"Although Magistrate Zhou was coerced by threats to his wife and child, he certainly didn’t fulfill his responsibilities as a magistrate! But today’s matter is the Bai Clan’s ancestral hall’s business. After handling Bai Clan’s matters, Magistrate Zhou, you will submit a self-report. Otherwise, I will report on your behalf! Do you understand?" Bai Qingyan looked at Magistrate Zhou and said slowly.

"I understand, Princess! Rest assured! I will be a witness to all the Bai Clan’s misdeeds... I won’t let any criminals hiding behind the Bai family’s power get away."

Magistrate Zhou’s earnest demeanor even convinced Bai Jinzhi.

"Retrieve the land and property deeds for the hot spring village!" the Clan Leader ordered his brother.

Fifth Master, thinking about handing over such a good hot spring village, felt a pang of heartache, but he kept quiet, frowning deeply.

"Hurry up!" the Clan Leader shouted.

Bai Qingyan targeted the Clan Leader’s brother first, so the Clan Leader could only comply. The other elders turned to their own families, urging them to hurry and return anything forcibly taken or face repercussions.

Seeing Bai Qingyan’s determination, they realized that without making significant concessions today, the matter would not be resolved.

Those in the Bai Clan who usually used their power to bully others now had their heads bursting in fear.

Those who minded their own business and kept to themselves were the only ones who remained calm.

Magistrate Zhou had meticulously recorded who in the Bai Clan had seized what and whose death they had caused, saving Bai Qingyan a lot of effort.

Even so, the Bai Clan’s egregious deeds over the years took until nightfall to fully address. Yet, not a single member of the Bai family gathered outside the ancestral hall left early.

Lanterns lit up the courtyard of the Bai Clan’s ancestral hall.

Bai Qingyan slowly stood from her chair and spoke: "The Bai family motto places loyalty and righteousness above personal pride and life. This phrase still hangs in the ancestral hall’s main hall. Bai descendants... must cherish the people as if they were their own children, and use their abilities to support the common folk! This was the ancestral instruction when our ancestor bestowed the Duke of Zhen title upon the Bai family! But look at what you’ve done in Shuoyang over the years—seizing girls, robbing others’ ancestral homes and shops, driving people to death! You’ve brought shame to our ancestors and betrayed the honor of the Bai family, disgracing yourselves as Bai descendants!"

"Though reparations have been made, as long as you remain Bai descendants, the family laws cannot be ignored! The Clan Leader will give the order for punishments!" Bai Qingyan turned to look at the Clan Leader.

In the flickering firelight, Bai Qingyan’s eyes, sharp yet subtle, stared at the Clan Leader.

Having stood all day, the Clan Leader was already exhausted. Clenching his cane tightly, he knew the Bai family laws and regulations were much harsher than the Jin Kingdom’s laws. If truly enforced, who could endure the military punishment?