Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress
Chapter 383 - 380

Chapter 383: 380

In the end, the Clan Leader still decided to abandon his son to wash his own hands clean!

Bai Jinzhi looked at a bamboo slip, then put it back on the small table with a heavy sneer. "You may say that you are unwilling to take on the role of Clan Leader, but that won’t get you out of this mess. Most things here are items bestowed by His Majesty. The Bai family in Dadu could send them back to the clan; that’s understandable. But if they were lost or given away... that would be a crime offending the Emperor’s dignity. If His Majesty is displeased... a death sentence would be minor. The disaster brought upon the Nine Clans. Do you want the entire clan to die because of your son’s greed?!"

Magistrate Zhou sharply added, "Indeed, those bestowed items must be properly honored. Losing them, giving them away, or damaging them is a great disrespect! The Bai family in Dadu returning the bestowed items to the clan for worship is proper, but Bai Qiyun hoarding these items for personal use is already a capital offense of offending His Majesty! If the bestowed items cannot be found... then, I have no choice but to report this fairly. I hope the Commandery Princess will understand!"

"The head of the household!" The Clan Leader’s wife felt her legs weaken upon hearing this. Would it really endanger her son’s life? Many of the precious items given by the Emperor were secretly sent to her mother’s house by the Clan Leader’s wife. Her brother was someone who would never return good things!

The remaining clan members were terrified upon hearing this, and began berating the Clan Leader harshly with sharp words.

Bai Jinzhi sneered at the right moment, "Previously, Bai Qiyun came to our Bai family in Dadu, forcing us to gather forty thousand taels of silver for the clan. Could it be... it was all a ploy by Bai Qiyun to embezzle the money? After all, these tens of thousands of taels of silver are unaccounted for to this day. Even if thrown into water, there should be a splash, at least!"

These words ignited the clan members’ anger further. Their attitude toward the Clan Leader’s family became increasingly unrestrained, airing all their years of dissatisfaction with shouts and curses.

The noise in the courtyard of the ancestral hall grew louder and escalated. The sky was black, and the wind began to blow, followed by drizzling rain. Yet, it did not dampen the fiery rage of the Bai clan members.

Under the faint yellow light of the gallery, the slender and tall Bai Qingyan slowly stood up. The light leaking from the bottom of the lantern swayed, reflecting on the intricate carved partitions of the ancestral hall and the green stone floor. It also lit up her delicate, pale, and serene features, appearing weak and ethereal, yet elegant and composed, exuding noble dignity.

Seeing Bai Qingyan stand, the clan members gradually quieted down and looked in her direction. They heard Bai Qingyan say, "As Clan Leader, you failed to fulfill your duties. You did not adhere to the ancestral teachings and family rules, privately took the bestowed items for personal use, did not admonish and educate the clan members, shielded your family members, and covered up for them, resulting in the deterioration of the Bai Clan! The clan’s offspring became unscrupulous, acted recklessly, bullied the common people, and even harmed lives. This is all due to the Clan Leader’s lack of integrity, misconduct, and inherent greed, failing in his responsibilities!"

She glanced at the pale-faced Clan Leader. "You are hereby dismissed from your position as Clan Leader. You are required to return all the embezzled items and silver that the Bai family in Dadu sent to the clan within ten days. If not returned within ten days, Magistrate Zhou will proceed according to the law."

"Yes! They must return everything, not a single coin less!" the clan members shouted in righteous anger.

"This time, the people of Shuoyang suffered greatly due to the Bai Clan’s reliance on the power of the Bai family in Dadu. Now, with frequent bandit incidents around Shuoyang and the court unable to take action against them, Bai Qingyan will use the silver embezzled by the former Clan Leader of the Bai Clan to eliminate the bandits and bring peace to Shuoyang, as a form of compensation to the people!"

"Good!" someone outside shouted, followed by applause and cheers from the people.

Although the bandits had not entered the city, the continuous appearance of bandit incidents around Shuoyang made the people uneasy. If the bandits could be eliminated, it would surely ease the people’s biggest worry.

Bai Qingyan bowed to the people outside, then called Bai Qingping’s name.

Bai Qingping, taken aback by the attention, quickly stepped forward and bowed to Bai Qingyan. "Commandery Princess..."

"You reported your cousin to Magistrate Zhou and handled the matter with the mute mother well. You did very well! Justice does not exempt relatives. Your cousin made a mistake, and you reported it and then handled it accordingly, just like a descendant of the Bai family!" Bai Qingyan’s deep, profound eyes gazed at Bai Qingping.

Bai Qingping felt a surge of emotion and shame, lowering his head even more. In his heart, he was actually ashamed.

"You are still young, and your father taught you well. Your father did not fail the Bai family’s ancestors." Bai Qingyan’s gaze fell on Bai Qihe, Bai Qingping’s father.

Bai Qihe was stunned and looked up at Bai Qingyan, who exuded the same majestic aura as the King of Zhen. He slightly lowered his eyes and clasped his hands in salute to Bai Qingyan.

Having experienced the battlefield and returned from a mountain of corpses and seas of blood, no matter how young, the killing aura would still be impossible to hide.

After all, the battlefield was a Shura battlefield; one who couldn’t be ruthless could not return whole.

The fine rain soaked the hair and clothes of the people outside the ancestral hall and the Bai clan members inside. Except for the spot where people stood, the green stone floor was wet, faintly reflecting the light from the lanterns.

"Today, many were expelled from the clan, and the Clan Leader has also been dismissed. The Bai clan is significantly weakened. But the clan members must know, to replace the old with the new, great destruction is needed for great establishment. From now on, I hope the entire Bai Clan will remember the Bai family’s ancestral teachings, remember the Bai clan’s heart to protect and love the people, stand upright, uphold integrity, and be people who are worthy of the world."

The elders all nodded, whether they were genuinely convinced or simply intimidated by Bai Qingyan’s authority.

"The Bai Clan is in a period of renewal and must not go without a Clan Leader. Bai Qihe will temporarily act as the Clan Leader," Bai Qingyan said as she looked at Bai Qihe. "Consult with the elders on all matters. When the Bai family in Dadu relocates back to Shuoyang, we will then decide on a new Clan Leader! In the future... Bai Qingyan will reside in Shuoyang. If I hear any more about Bai clan members bullying the common people, there will be no leniency! And no one in the Bai Clan shall support those expelled from the clan for bullying the common people. If violated, the Clan Leader must deal with it severely."

Having done what needed to be done and said what needed to be said, Bai Qingyan bowed to the elders and people, then handed the remaining matters over to Bai Qihe and left first.

Standing in the drizzling rain, Bai Qihe was in complete shock. He had never imagined the Clan Leader position would suddenly and unexpectedly fall on him. It was Bai Qingping’s reminder that brought him back to his senses.

·

On the carriage, Bai Jinzhi was not satisfied. As soon as he sat down, Bai Jinzhi remarked, "Eldest Young Lady, why did you not fully deal with the Clan Leader’s family? That Clan Leader’s whole family should have been expelled. Why did you let his son become the Clan Leader? What about the other family members... Their family also disregarded the ancestral laws; they should all be expelled for the Bai clan to be clean!"

This time, Bai Qingyan did not show any leniency and struck hard to rectify the clan. It seemed like she wielded her power like lightning. However, she did not uproot everything entirely, as each family was left with someone. This deeply dissatisfied Bai Jinzhi.