After Bai Qingping finished shouting himself hoarse, tears were streaming down his face.

He didn’t know whether these tears were for himself or this already rotten Bai clan.

Looking at this roomful of clan elders filled with greed and devoid of integrity, he didn’t understand how the once loving elders had become so unrecognizable, their inner ugliness too unbearable to look at.

This Bai family was no longer the Bai family he had once been proud of.

This Bai clan had drifted too far from the Capital City Bai family.

The Capital City Bai family had inherited the aspirations and integrity of their Bai ancestors, while their Shouyang Bai family… had rotted from the clan leader down, rotten to the very core.

Bai Qingping could foresee that shortly, the Zhenguo County Princess would abandon this Bai clan that parasitically lived off the Capital City Bai family like maggots, yet still acted arrogantly toward the Capital City Bai family.

“Aping! How dare you speak like that? Stand down!” Bai Qingping’s mother scolded.

“Child, your words are far too exaggerated. Abandon the clan? I’ve lived this long and never seen anyone abandon their clan. Even prime ministers with the highest positions and greatest power would never dare abandon their clan and invite criticism! What does a young child understand?” Fifth Master glared at Bai Qingping and questioned his mother, “How do you usually teach this child?”

“In this world, there are only descendants abandoned by their clans – where are the people who abandon their clans?” Someone chimed in.

Bai Qingping closed his eyes, feeling a tragic sense of being the only sober person among the drunk. His voice hoarse, he said: “Those in high positions cannot abandon their clans because they rely on clan members to pass imperial examinations and become officials, having more blood relatives in court… trustworthy allies who can watch their backs. And humble descendants cannot abandon their clans because they rely on the clan’s care and support.”

“But what about our Shouyang Bai clan? In the imperial court, the clan has no officials… these years we’ve completely relied on the Capital City Bai family’s prestige, let alone being able to help the Capital City Bai family in court. Although the Capital City Bai family now consists of orphans and widows, the legitimate eldest daughter Bai Qingyan and fourth daughter Bai Jinzhi are a County Princess and County Master, respectively. Even without the Bai clan, no one would dare bully them! But can the Bai clan say… that without the Zhenguo County Princess and Gaoyi County Master, they could still live as unscrupulously as before in Shouyang City?”

“All these years, Duke Zhenguo was lenient, but our clan members, both elders and juniors, all acted as if lard had clouded their hearts! Where does the Bai clan get the confidence to think the Capital City Bai family needs to rely on our clan for survival?”

“Bai Qingping, you’re being impudent!” Fifth Master slammed the table hard. “Have you gone mad? How dare you speak to your elders like this? Is this how your teacher taught you proper etiquette and filial piety?!”

Bai Qingping didn’t even look at Fifth Master, only gazing at the clan leader as he shouted: “I once heard grandfather personally say that when Great-grandfather Duke Zhenguo wanted to take clan children over fifteen to the battlefield for training, all the families were unwilling, using every possible means to prevent their children from going!”

Later, the clan said the children should focus on imperial examinations. Duke Zhenguo also rebuilt the clan school and hired learned scholars, but looking at the entire vast Bai clan, not even one tribute student has emerged. Are the Bai family descendants not intelligent enough?”

Bai Qingping shook his head: “No… no! It’s because the Bai family descendants relied on the Capital City Bai family and lived too well, so they lost their ambition and aspirations! This laziness, greed, and complacent indulgence are contagious!”

“The Bai family descendants who were originally studious and ambitious saw their ignorant cousins living comfortably despite being illiterate. They saw the Capital City Duke Zhenguo’s family fighting desperately with blood and lives on the battlefield, their children dying in battle, yet letting clan members parasitically drain them. Who would be willing to become the second Duke Zhenguo, letting their entire family be exploited by the clan like this?!”

Bai Qingping shouted until his face was red and his neck thick – these words had been suppressed in his heart for a long time.

But normally, his father wouldn’t let him say these things, claiming it would be defying his elders!

Today, if he continued like his father, seeing through these matters but not speaking out, he could only watch helplessly as the clan sought its destruction.

“Grandfather, various great-uncles and great-aunts, why don’t you put on your airs and go to the Capital City Bai family to demand explanations and compensation!” Bai Qingping’s voice was weak. “Just continue indulging the Bai clan descendants to act arbitrarily and commit evil deeds! Destroy the entire Bai family!”

After speaking, Bai Qingping turned around, supported by a servant’s hand, dragging his legs that were sore and weak from kneeling for a day and night as he left.

“Elder Brother! Look at this! Look what Bai Qingping has been taught to become!” Fifth Master turned to look at the clan leader in exasperation. “Does he still respect his elders! Does he still respect you as his grandfather?”

The clan leader was unusually silent, actually seriously considering his grandson’s words.

Indeed, even those with the highest positions and greatest power had no precedent for abandoning their clans.

But descendants not being able to abandon their clans wasn’t the law. Although there had been no precedent… that didn’t mean Bai Qingyan wouldn’t do it.

Moreover, Bai Qingyan was someone who had burned and killed over a hundred thousand Western Liang surrendered prisoners – one could see how great her decisiveness in killing was.

Thinking of the consequences if Bai Qingyan abandoned the clan, the clan leader suddenly gripped his walking stick tightly.

He gritted his teeth and spoke: “Fifth Brother, your entire family must move out of the ancestral residence immediately today and return to your mansion!”

Fifth Master was stunned: “Elder Brother! You’re my real elder brother…”

“I said, move out immediately. Won’t you even listen to the clan leader’s words?” The clan leader looked at Fifth Master with eyes like torches.

Fifth Master shrank his neck, forcing a bitter smile: “Brother… my mansion, I lost it gambling…”

“You bastard!” The clan leader was so angry his chest hurt, his walking stick pounding loudly. “When you begged me to redeem that mansion for you before, what did you promise me?! Didn’t you say you’d never gamble again?!”

Fifth Master stammered: “I just thought that since Bai Weiting’s family wasn’t coming back anyway, the ancestral residence would just sit empty. Our family is also a Bai family descendant – why can’t we live there?”

The clan leader was so angry he could barely catch his breath, covering his chest: “If you still want to rescue your grandson, get out of the ancestral residence immediately! This time, I’ll personally take the ancestral residence’s property deed to the capital. Even if I have to sacrifice this old face, I’ll beg Bai Qingyan to release those children.”

“Where will my large family live then?” Fifth Master asked.

The clan leader was utterly disappointed with his incompetent younger brother: “You think I don’t know how much silver you have on hand all these years? Four days ago you forcibly seized that estate with hot springs from the Wang family, plus those hundreds of acres of good farmland! I don’t care whether you move to live on the estate or buy a new mansion! In any case, before the first day of the fifth month, get out of the ancestral residence!”

The clan leader made the final decision, ordering people to pack for the journey. He would personally depart for the capital early tomorrow morning.