Aoyama

Chapter 313 A good show

The candlelight flickered in the Wendan Hall.

Four red-robed officials gathered in a family hall. It didn't look like a home, but more like a government office.

Chen Ji looked at Chen Lizun who was rushing over. Sweat was oozing from his forehead. He must have got off the carriage in front of the Chen Mansion and ran all the way in.

Elder Chen looked up at Chen Lizun, then closed his eyes again to rest. He seemed to be old and listless, or he seemed to be unwilling to see the chaos of the clan's internal strife.

Chen Lizhi stood up and explained, "Brother, no one blamed anyone for your trip to Tanggu. Today is February 15th, which is the day for family meetings."

Chen Wende whispered: "Uncle, it is true that Chen Ji's personal maid Yao Man reported the matter. Chen Ji..."

Chen Lizun interrupted him and turned to look at Chen Ji: "Is there any?"

Chen Ji said firmly: "No."

Chen Lizun looked at Chen Wende and said, "He has already said no, so don't dwell on it anymore."

Chen Wende was startled: "Uncle..."

At this moment, a rooster’s crow rose into the sky, tearing apart the night sky in the distance.

Chen Lizun launched his attack amid the crowing of cocks.

He no longer paid attention to Chen Wende, but turned back to look at Liang outside the door, and then at Chen Liqin: "The third branch of the family has no way of educating their children, and has raised a son of our Chen family to be a traitor to the country. It would be fine if he didn't repent, but he came to complain first. He doesn't care about the reputation of the clan, and he still wants to bring up the past in Wendan Hall?"

Chen Liqin lowered his head slightly under his gaze, and Liang's crying stopped abruptly.

Chen Lizun asked in a serious tone, "Sister-in-law Liang, let me ask you, do you admit what Chen Wenxiao did in Guyuan?"

Liang kept silent.

Chen Lizun turned around and bowed to Chen Ge Lao and said, "Father, I would like to ask for the clan rules to punish the culprit who ruined the family's reputation."

Elder Chen spoke slowly: "Third brother, what do you think?"

Chen Liqin hesitated for a few breaths, and finally bowed and said: "I, the unworthy descendant Chen Liqin, have taught my family a scum, which almost led to a serious mistake. I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Okay," Elder Chen slowly opened his eyes. "From the day you enter school, the first book you will learn in Kuizhang Pavilion is not the Four Books and Five Classics, but the history of my Chen family. So you should remember that the ancestors of the Chen family followed Taizu to rise up in Haozhou, which took sixteen years, traveled thousands of miles, and experienced nine lives and nine deaths, before we have the Ning Dynasty and the Chen family today."

Elder Chen continued to speak slowly, "If a playboy appears among our disciples, it would only ruin our family fortune. Our Chen family can afford to lose money, just don't cause trouble. But if a rebellious son colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country appears, it might shake the foundation of our Chen family. It was not easy for our Chen family ancestors to lay the foundation. You should be prepared for danger in times of peace and think twice before doing anything."

Chen Lizun, Chen Lizhi, and Chen Liqin all bowed their hands and said, "Yes."

Elder Chen ordered: "The third branch will be fined 600 mu of clan land, Liang will be confined to Qingzhu Garden for a month, and she will be required to copy the "Female Instructions" 300 times. Mother and son will not be allowed to see each other until Chen Wenzong's imperial examination is over. Do you have any objections?"

Liang fell down on the blue bricks outside the Wendan Hall, feeling unwilling, but could only mutter: "I will repent behind closed doors and never do it again."

In the Wendan Hall, Chen Lizhi sighed, "After all, this Chen Wenxiao is the legitimate son of my Chen family..."

Before he could finish, Chen Lizun turned around and bowed to Chen Ge Lao again, saying, "Second son Chen Wenren holds an important position in the Yulin Army, but he indulges himself in the Eight Great Hutongs. Last year, he and Hu Jiazi had a big fight over a singing girl, and they almost became the laughing stock of the government. Now he has made a fool of himself in front of foreign envoys, and he was almost dismissed and exiled. My son wants to ask the clan rules to punish him slightly to prevent him from committing the same mistake again."

Chen Lizhi's pupils shrank.

Elder Chen looked at Chen Lizhi: "Second Brother, what do you think?"

Chen Lizhi hesitated for a moment, and finally said respectfully: "I am willing to accept the punishment."

Elder Chen nodded. "The second branch will be fined 600 mu of clan land and Chen Wenren will be required to copy "Learning", "Governing" and "Chapter 1" 300 times. If he commits the same offense again, he will be removed from the family tree."

Chen Lizhi's eyes twitched, and he bowed and said, "Yes."

Chen Ji stood still and watched Chen Lizun settle accounts with the second and third houses one by one without him having to say a word.

Just when he thought it was over, Chen Lizun bowed again and said, "Father, Chen Ji has made great contributions in Guyuan and has preserved the country's foundation. My Chen family will include him in the family tree."

Chen Lizhi frowned and said, "No!"

Chen Lizun turned to look at him: "Why?"

Chen Lizhi said to Chen Ge Lao: "Master, the clan rules state that only a concubine's son who has reached the sixth rank of an official can be included in the family tree. The ancestral rule cannot be abolished."

Chen Lizun said in a deep voice: "There are always exceptions to everything. Chen Ji's achievements in Guyuan are enough to make an exception."

Chen Lizhi lowered his eyes and said, "Brother, our ancestors set the clan rules for a reason. It is better not to break them casually. If you break them for a small matter today and another one tomorrow, the clan rules will become meaningless if you keep breaking them."

Chen Lizun was about to say something else, but he saw Chen Ge Lao slowly stand up and said, "Okay, let's follow the clan rules. Since he is a young talent, I think it won't take too long to be promoted to the sixth rank. You still have to report to the government office, so don't delay your work."

After saying that, he walked through the crowd. Just as he was about to step out of the threshold of Wendan Hall, he heard a sudden voice: "Master, wait a minute."

Elder Chen looked back and saw Chen Ji in the hall, bowing and saying, "Master, my aunt left behind a fortune, including the Gufu Tower outside Donghua Gate, Yujing Garden in Bada Hutong, Chen's Grain and Oil Shop, the Silk Shop outside the Bell and Drum Tower, and 320 acres of fertile land in Changping. The deeds to these land and houses are all in the hands of my stepmother. Now that I have come of age, please return my aunt's belongings to me."

Elder Chen looked Chen Ji up and down and smiled: "You really know how to pick a time. You're so brave."

Chen Ji said respectfully: "I just remembered it."

Elder Chen looked at Liang outside the hall and asked, "Is what Chen Ji said true?"

Liang hesitated for a moment and said, "Return to the master. What Chen Ji said is true. I have kept it for him." Elder Chen nodded and said, "Then return it all together."

Liang gritted her teeth and said, "Go back to the master. I can't pay it back right now."

Elder Chen stared and said, "Oh?"

Liang explained in a low voice: "It's not that I don't want to return it, but these properties have yet to be handed over, and I can't do it in a hurry. It just so happens that Chen Ji has come of age, and I am looking for a suitable marriage for him. When he gets married, these properties, plus Tianbao Pavilion, Baoxiang Bookstore, and 500 acres of fertile land in Changping in my hands, will be used as his assets. Although Chen Ji is a concubine's son, I, as his legal mother, cannot let him lose face in his wife's family."

Elder Chen thought for a moment and said, "Yes."

After saying this, he got on the sedan chair prepared outside the Wendan Hall without looking back.

……

……

Inside the Wendan Hall, Chen Lizhi did not leave in a hurry. Instead, he sat back in his chair, tapping the armrests with his fingers, and lowered his head in deep thought.

Chen Lizun looked at Chen Ji and said slowly, "Don't worry, my Chen family is a reasonable place and will not let you suffer any injustice. If this happens again in the future, you should go to Xiaodi Garden to find me as soon as possible."

Chen Ji bowed and said, "Thank you, Master."

Chen Lizun smiled and patted his shoulder: "The head of the family has said that it is only a matter of time before you are included in the family tree. You don't have to call me 'Master' like a servant. Just call me Uncle."

Chen Ji thought about it and bowed again: "Thank you, uncle."

Chen Lizun thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you move to the Humble Administrator's Garden? I..."

Chen Liqin suddenly stepped forward and said, "Brother, Chen Ji is from my third house, how can he move to the Humble Administrator's Garden? We have something else to do, so we'll take our leave first."

After saying that, he took Chen Ji and left without giving Chen Lizun a chance to speak.

The Chen family meeting finally ended.

At this moment, Chen Lizhi, who was sitting on the chair, suddenly looked up and pretended to be curious and asked, "Brother, you have already set out for Tanggu. Who called you back?"

Chen Lizun stroked his official robe and said calmly, "My servants saw something unfair and immediately went to report it to me. Why, you want to check it out, brother?"

Chen Lizhi smiled and said, "I dare not. Brother, hurry up and leave, otherwise it will be too late. I am afraid you won't be able to reach Tanggu tonight."

Chen Lizun turned and left.

After everyone in Wendan Hall had left, Chen Lizhi suddenly laughed out loud: "Damn it, the old man is still the wisest. He actually got tricked by the old man."

Chen Wende was puzzled: "What does father mean?"

Chen Lizhi restrained his smile and looked outside the Wendan Hall and said slowly: "How could any servant in the family dare to approach the Wendan Hall casually? This is clearly a good show performed by the old man and the coward Chen Lizun. First, Chen Ji and the third branch were alienated, and then the eldest brother came forward to win people's hearts, and incidentally weakened the momentum of my second and third branches... It seems that they really want Chen Ji to be adopted by the first branch, and they have taken great pains to do so."

Seeing that everyone had left, Chen Wenren also stepped into the Wendan Hall and said, "Father, what are they trying to do? If they want to adopt someone, why not just do it directly? Why go through so much trouble?"

Chen Lizhi glanced at him and said, "Fool, they don't want some random person, but a son who shares the same ideals as them, a son who has no connection with the family. If they just want a son or a grandson, can't they just find one from the side branches to adopt? It would be no problem to adopt a hundred. But the problem is, no matter who is adopted, the other party will never completely forget his biological parents."

Chen Lizhi sighed, "Blood ties are the hardest to break. You have to use a blunt knife to cut them slowly, piece by piece. You have to make it hurt so much that you can't bear it, and it hurts so much that you feel a piercing pain when you think of this ties. Only then can you break it."

Chen Wenren asked doubtfully, "Why not just find an orphan?"

Chen Lizhi picked up the teacup at hand and splashed the remaining tea in the cup on his face: "Why did I give birth to such a fool like you? Can anyone take over this huge Chen family? Not only must you have ability and courage, but you must also have brains. Why do you think the old man went to read the memorials from Guyuan one by one? Chen Ji caught his eye. If it were three years ago, the old man would never let Chen Ji go to Luocheng."

Chen Wenren raised his hand to wipe the tea and tea leaves off his face, then lowered his head and said nothing.

Chen Wende was puzzled: "Father, since they have decided to adopt Chen Ji, why didn't they let Liang return the property to Chen Ji directly? Wouldn't it be possible to take it to the eldest house?"

Chen Lizhi looked at his two sons and sighed, "That little bit of property is nothing in front of the Chen family. It's just a few shops and a few hundred acres of good farmland. Even my second wife gets more every year. Can the old man see it? What the old man cares about is that once these properties are given to Chen Ji, Chen Ji will not be able to control them... Chen Ji can have money, property, and power, but it must be given by the first wife. Do you understand?"

Chen Wende cupped his hands and said, "I understand."

Seeing that Chen Wenren didn't say anything, Chen Lizhi kicked him on the calf: "I'm asking you, do you understand?"

Chen Wenren bent down and rubbed his calf and said, "I understand, I understand!"

Chen Lizhi was furious when he saw his little son. "You disgraceful thing. If I hear that you go to Bada Hutong again, I'll break your legs. And that damn little Lihua, I'll send someone to buy her and send her to Prince Fu today. You'd better give up the idea as soon as possible."

Chen Wenren hesitated to speak.

Chen Lizhi waved his hand: "Get lost!"

Chen Wenren hurriedly left Wendan Hall.

Chen Lizhi stroked his beard while sitting there, and said to himself, "Strange, I went to so much trouble to transfer Chen Liqin to Los Angeles, but who transferred him back?"

Chen Wende asked in a low voice: "Father, that Chen Ji..."

Chen Lizhi narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I can't keep him. I just found out today that a wolf cub was raised in the sheepfold of the third room."

(End of this chapter)