Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 383

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.