The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Qinghe had already relayed every word of the conversation in the front hall back to Qingshuiyuan.

After listening, Chu Wanqing sneered, "Let them say what they want. I'm definitely going to be included in this family tree. They think they can intimidate me by bringing up clan rules? Dream on!"

Yunxiu also received the news.

Upon hearing Li Xiang's words, Yun Xiu's eyes lit up immediately: "Really? All the clan elders are against it?"

Lixiang nodded: "Yes, Miss. Several elders said that it is acceptable to adopt a goddaughter, but it is against the rules to add her to the family genealogy."

Yunxiu felt much better immediately.

Mother was right after all. Those clan elders are all stubborn old fogies; how could they possibly agree to include someone from another clan in the family genealogy so easily?

Now, Mother should understand the difficulties, right?

After lunch, Chief Yun put down his teacup and said to Yun Heting, "Call your wife over. You can't make decisions for her, so we old folks will talk to her."

Yunheting responded and hurriedly sent someone to invite him.

Upon receiving the news, Chu Wanqing calmly got up.

She called Qinghe and Bitao, and then sent someone to fetch Chai Hu and a few others from the outer courtyard before heading towards the front hall.

Yun Jin followed and said softly, "Mother, I'll go with you."

Chu Wanqing looked at her gently and reached out to smooth a stray hair from her temple: "Don't go. Those old women say nasty things, and I don't want them targeting you. Go ahead and wait for your maternal grandmother and Madam Zheng. When they arrive, go with them."

Yun Jin felt a warmth in her heart and nodded in agreement: "I will listen to my mother."

Chu Wanqing then led her entourage in a grand procession towards the front hall.

Yun Jin then led Chunxi and Cuizhu to the gatehouse in the front yard to wait for Lan Ying and Old Madam Zheng.

In the front hall, several clan elders were drinking tea while waiting for Chu Wanqing.

From afar, a group of people could be seen approaching. Leading them was Chu Wanqing, followed by several maids, and then a dozen or so guards, all of them strong and sturdy, marching in unison.

The elders were taken aback.

Why make such a big show of it?

Chu Wanqing stepped into the front hall and glanced around.

Chief Yun sat in the main seat, with Yun Heting sitting to his left, while the other elders sat on either side of the hall.

After scanning the area, they found no seat reserved for her.

Discontinued?

Instead of getting angry, she laughed, her tone laced with sarcasm: "All the elders have arrived."

She wasn't annoyed. She pointed to the open space in the middle of the hall and said to Qinghe, "Bring me a chair and put it here."

Qinghe responded and went out, quickly bringing back a grand chair, which she placed steadily in the center of the hall.

Chu Wanqing gracefully sat down, facing off directly against the Yun Clan Chief in the main seat.

The elders looked at each other, then at Yunhe Pavilion, and then at Clan Chief Yun.

Chief Yun coughed lightly, put down his teacup, and cleared his throat: "He Ting's wife, He Ting just told us what you meant. We old folks discussed it and we disagree. Normally, you want to adopt a goddaughter, which isn't a big deal; you can raise her in the household. But putting her in the family genealogy is against the rules."

Chu Wanqing took the teacup from Bitao's hand, took a slow sip, and then said, "Grand Uncle, since Jin'er has recognized me as her mother and Heting as her father, she is our daughter. What's wrong with our daughter being included in the family genealogy?"

Chief Yun choked.

An elder with a goatee immediately chimed in, "He Ting's wife, that's not how it works. That girl's surname is Bai, and she's not a member of the Yun family. Even if they're adopted as godparents, she's still an outsider. There's no precedent in the Yun family for outsiders being included in the family genealogy."

Chu Wanqing looked at him, a half-smile on her face: "Does Sixth Uncle mean that as long as one has the surname Yun, one can be included in the family genealogy?"

The goatee elder held his head high: "That's natural."

Chu Wanqing chuckled lightly: "That's not a problem. She'll change her surname to Yun, and from now on she'll be called Yun Jin, and she'll be a member of the Yun family."

The chubby fifth uncle coughed and said, "He Ting's wife, changing your surname doesn't make you a true member of the Yun family. We're doing this for your own good. If you really feel you have few descendants, you should adopt a son. That way, when your Xiu'er gets married, she'll have a brother to help her."

Chu Wanqing gave him a mocking look: "Adopt a son? Adopt whom? Judging from what Fifth Uncle is saying, you have someone in mind? Could it be... that you want to give me one of your grandsons to adopt?"

Fifth Uncle's eyes lit up, but he quickly suppressed the smirk and coughed lightly, "If you insist on adopting someone, I'm not unwilling to part with him..."

Chu Wanqing sneered, "So, Fifth Uncle doesn't agree to me acknowledging this daughter because he wants your grandson to recognize me as his mother!"

Fifth Uncle sensed the sarcasm in her words and immediately became somewhat angry: "I didn't mean that, you said it yourself!"

Chu Wanqing stopped looking at him and turned her gaze to the Yun clan chief: "Grand Uncle, what do you mean? Please speak frankly."

Chief Yun stroked his beard, feigning contemplation: "He Ting's wife, we're not trying to make things difficult for you. It's just that the clan rules are what they are. We can adopt a goddaughter, but there's no need to add her to the clan genealogy. There's nothing to discuss here, so let's just leave it at that."

Chu Wanqing looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Clan Chief Yun," she began slowly, "have you forgotten who funded the construction of the Yun family's ancestral hall?"

Chief Yun's face stiffened.

The Yun family was not originally a prominent family; Yun Heting was just a branch of the Yun family.

When he married Chu Wanqing, he was just a minor scholar in the Hanlin Academy. It was only after the marriage, thanks to the influence of the General's Mansion, that the Yun family included his branch in the main branch.

At that time, the Yun family ancestral hall was just a dilapidated little courtyard. It was Chu Wanqing who funded its renovation.

The Yun clan elder blushed and said awkwardly, "As a daughter-in-law of the Yun family, isn't this what you should do?"

Chu Wanqing ignored him and instead glanced at Yun Heting, who seemed unconcerned.

She stood up, looking down at the Yun clan chief: "Yun Heting was originally just a collateral branch of your Yun family. Did anyone in your Yun family sponsor his studies back then? Why was he later recorded in the main branch's genealogy? Do you need me to help you recall?"

Upon hearing this, the elders' expressions turned rather unpleasant.

Yunheting's hand holding the teacup tightened slightly.

He recalled the hardships his widowed mother had endured to support his education, and the cold stares and ridicule he received when he sought help from the main branch of the Yun family. The Yun clan chief didn't think highly of him, and the others said he was overestimating himself.

He had originally intended to say something, but now he lowered his head and silently drank his tea.

Chu Wanqing looked around, her gaze slowly sweeping across everyone's faces.

"I'm making this clear today." Her voice wasn't loud, but every word was distinct. "I've made up my mind about this daughter. She's definitely going to be included in the family genealogy. If you all disagree, then please remove the ancestral tablets from the ancestral hall. I don't mind if the Yun family starts a new branch!"

Sixth Uncle was the first to jump up: "Absurd! How could a woman like you be in charge of Heting?"