SFS Chapter 155 Extermination of the Clan
Chapter 155 Extermination of the Clan
After returning home, the second master wrote a lengthy letter to inform Marquis Chengen of this joyous occasion.
After reading the letter, Marquis Chengen finally felt relieved.
Shao Huai is still the most reliable person.
In just half a day, Shen Qingtan's scandal had spread like wildfire.
Based on his understanding of men, Zhao Yi would most likely divorce his wife; otherwise, how could he face others?
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
Immediately afterwards, a trusted aide said from outside the door, "My lord, I have something important to report."
"Come in." The gloom that had been hanging over Marquis Chengen's heart for days dissipated, and he sat in a round-backed chair, looking at his trusted confidant who had entered: "Has there been any indication from Prince Yu?"
The confidant replied, "Prince Yu did not give any indication."
Seeing that the Marquis of Chengen's face darkened, he quickly said, "I have heard about something else. The eldest son-in-law has fallen out with the Duke and left the capital by carriage."
"Oh?" Marquis Chengen exclaimed in surprise, "Such a thing is true?"
"I heard that the Duke forced his eldest son-in-law to divorce his wife, but he refused." The confidant said with mixed feelings, "The eldest son-in-law doesn't believe that the eldest daughter would elope with someone, so he personally led people to find her."
Marquis Chengen frowned and said quietly, "This Zhao Yi is quite the infatuated lover."
He simply couldn't understand why Zhao Yi would go against the Duke for the sake of a woman with a notorious reputation.
If the Duke were to get angry and choose another heir, wouldn't he be losing more than he gained?
In the eyes of Marquis Chengen, Zhao Yi was utterly foolish.
With his status and position, what kind of woman couldn't he have?
However, this is also a good thing. Since Zhao Yi refuses to divorce his wife, he will definitely be stripped of his status as heir, which gives Zhao Jue another chance to turn things around.
Marquis Chengen had a plan in mind and specially instructed Madam Shen to prepare a generous gift.
He then traveled alone by carriage to the Duke's mansion, intending to apologize to the Duke.
Since the news of Shen Qingtan's elopement spread throughout the streets and alleys, the Duke's Mansion and the Marquis of Chengen's Mansion have received much attention.
Therefore, when Marquis Chengen arrived at the gate of the Duke's mansion to wait, a large crowd of people gathered around to watch the spectacle.
Marquis Chengen had already explained his purpose to the gatekeeper, who then went to inform him.
A short while later, Marquis Chengen saw the steward hurrying over.
Upon seeing that it was the steward, Marquis Chengen roughly understood the Duke's meaning; he intended to avoid seeing him.
Marquis Chengen sneered. It would be better to avoid him. That way, the Duke would definitely not interfere in his decision to sever ties with Shen Qingtan.
Sure enough, as soon as the steward arrived, he said, "My lord, my master is unwell and will not be receiving guests for the time being. If you have anything to say, please let this old servant know, and I will report it to my master later."
Marquis Chengen first handed the apology gift he had brought to the steward, put on a ashamed expression, and said in a deep voice, "I have come today to apologize to the Duke's Mansion on behalf of my unfilial daughter. After all, it is my fault for failing to educate my son properly. Since the Duke is unwell, I will not disturb him any further."
The steward did not accept the gift offered by the Marquis of Chengen: "I will convey the Marquis's wishes to the Duke. As for the generous gift you brought, I am afraid I cannot accept it on behalf of the Duke."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Chengen did not press the matter. As he took back the gift, he said loudly, "Then please rest assured and recover, my unfilial daughter. The Marquis Chengen's mansion will not tolerate what my unfilial daughter has done. I will give the Duke's mansion an explanation for this matter."
Having said that, Marquis Chengen strode away.
After he left, the people lived up to his expectations and began to talk about the matter.
"What does Marquis Chengen mean by this? Does he intend to bring the person back to plead guilty?"
"What crime? This kind of unchaste woman should be drowned in a pig cage."
"What's the use of drowning her in a pig cage? Her mistake has ruined the reputation of all the women in the family. If I were the Marquis of Cheng'en, I would sever my father-daughter relationship with her immediately."
Hearing the indignant words of the crowd, and remembering the arrangements made by the Duke and the Second Master, the steward let the people talk without stopping them.
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After making his statement outside the Duke's mansion, Marquis Chengen returned and sent a message to his clan, inviting the clan elders to come to the capital and visit Marquis Chengen's mansion.
Just a few days later, the people saw Marquis Chengen and his family gathered at the gate to welcome several elderly men with white hair and beards.
Marquis Chengen respectfully said to the elders, "Uncles, I am an unfilial junior and have troubled you to travel to the capital to handle my family affairs."
Afterwards, the group entered the Chengen Marquis's residence in a grand procession.
The people finally understood that the Marquis of Chengen had invited the clan elders.
It seems he is preparing to expel Shen Qingtan from the clan.
Indeed, what's the point of keeping her alive if she doesn't expel her from the clan after committing such a scandalous act?
After inviting the clan elders into his residence, Marquis Chengen embellished the story of what Shen Qingtan had done and told them about it.
In order to spread the news more quickly, the Marquis of Chengen did not dismiss his servants when he spoke of these matters.
The clan elders were all people who strictly adhered to etiquette and propriety, and upon hearing what Marquis Chengen said, they were indeed furious.
One of the clan elders angrily rebuked, "Outrageous! How could such an unruly person appear in my Shen family? He has brought shame upon the clan!"
The other elders also looked grim, truly never expecting that the most outstanding daughter of the Shen family would do such a shameless thing.
Another elder asked, "Wenxian, how do you intend to handle this matter?"
Marquis Chengen had been waiting for these words. With a face full of guilt, he said, "To be honest, my uncles, it is my fault as her father for committing such a disgraceful act. I have failed to raise her properly. However, as the head of the Shen family, I will never protect her because of our father-daughter relationship. Since she dared to do it, she must pay the price. In order to prevent her from tarnishing the reputation of the entire family, I have no choice but to reluctantly expel her from the clan."
At this point, he choked up: "The reason I invited my uncles to the capital is to ask you to be my witnesses. From this day forward, Shen Qingtan is no longer a member of the Shen family and has no connection with them whatsoever."
The elders were very pleased to see that he was so impartial: "According to the clan rules and regulations, Shen Qingtan should not be allowed to stay in the clan after doing such a morally offensive thing. It is best that you think this way."
With the elder's words, it was an indisputable fact that Shen Qingtan had been expelled.
With the matter settled, Marquis Chengen breathed a sigh of relief. After settling the clan elders, he quickly had someone spread the word that he had expelled Shen Qingtan from the clan and severed ties with her.
As the Marquis of Chengen wished, the news caused a great sensation. Not only the common people, but even his colleagues discussed the matter in private.
Therefore, the matter also reached the ears of Emperor Jing'an.