Chapter 1248 – The War Is Coming (Nine)
Everyone was secretly suspicious as Jiang Pengji patiently inquired about Yang Si.
“Then, what insight does Jingrong have?”
Yang Si changed his tone, “In my opinion, my lord might consider the painful choice of splitting the clan to become an independent household. Although it’s hard to let go, this move can not only protect the Liu Clan and prevent Huang Song from having a justifiable reason to get rid of them, but it will also help my lord avoid the predicament of trepidation.”
Before he could finish, Jiang Pengji decisively rejected his suggestion.
Her tone turned somewhat stern and her expression was resolute.
“Yang Jingrong, your suggestion is truly heartless and highly inappropriate!”
In this era, splitting the clan was a huge matter.
Only in desperate circumstances would someone choose to do so, and those who proposed splitting often received bad reputations.
For ordinary scholar families, the disadvantages of splitting were numerous.
Firstly, there was the clan land, which was communal land shared by clan members, categorized into various types such as ancestral hall land, temple land, burial ground, sacrifice field, charitable land, and school land… The earnings from these lands were enjoyed by all clan members, somewhat similar to family-run businesses known to idle viewers. If they split, they would lose these earnings and could only take their private possessions.
Secondly, there was the clan school. After a split, unless extraordinary circumstances arose, the split clan members would not be qualified for free education.
In this era, education was a privilege enjoyed only by specific social classes.
Splitting meant giving up that right.
Besides those two major points, there were plenty of other public benefits as well.
Why were scholar families so united and supportive of their clans?
Because supporting the clan’s interests meant supporting their own.
Once you leave the clan collective, the likelihood of an individual thriving alone is nearly zero.
Hence, many side branches of scholar families lived in dire straits and had to accept the meager assistance their clan provided. Even so, they regarded themselves as superior because they enjoyed benefits that ordinary people couldn’t. It was their innate privilege.
Jiang Pengji was not an ordinary person; splitting wouldn’t impact her much. However, according to mainstream thinking, splitting was simply wrong!
【Wei Yan Is Sick?】: Ugh, isn’t this suggestion from Xiao Rongrong harmless? The host looks so fierce; I’ve never seen her this fierce before.
【Stowaway Non-Money】: The upstairs commenters are too young; the host’s feigned anger definitely isn’t real.
If Jiang Pengji really got angry, who would be able to bear her aura?
They could even feel the killing intent across planes!
【Ruler of the World】: Isn’t splitting like splitting the family? It’s not a big deal.
【I Want to Be Emperor】: How can splitting be the same as splitting the family? The latter just means living separately, while the former cuts the ancestral genealogy! In ancient times, if one proposed splitting without a solid reason, they’d surely be skewered—ancients cared a lot about face!
Many idle viewers felt that Yang Si’s suggestion was intended to throw Jiang Pengji into the fire.
While the live chat was fervently discussing, there was new progress on Jiang Pengji’s side.
Yang Si seemed to have latched onto her, tirelessly persuading her with an unwavering determination that he wouldn’t relent until she agreed.
“My lord, the situation is urgent; how can we be indecisive? If we want to resolve this situation without bloodshed, splitting is absolutely the best method.”
Yang Si kept insisting; when Jiang Pengji said no, he would find a new way to coax her.
They exchanged ideas a few times, and Jiang Pengji’s firm stance began to soften.
At this point, if the others still didn’t understand, their IQ must have serious issues.
Wei Ci stepped forward, saying, “Although I believe Jingrong’s words are inappropriate, they are indeed the safest method at present. My lord is not only a Liu clan member now, but also the shared lord of millions of common people in the four states. How can one neglect the safety of thousands for personal interests?”
If my lord truly cared for the Liu clan, now would be the time for a decisive cut—split the clan!
Once split, Jiang Pengji and the Liu clan would have little connection, and Huang Song couldn’t use the Liu clan to threaten her.
As long as the Liu clan didn’t make major mistakes to be caught by Huang Song, the lives of the entire clan would be secured.
With Wei Ci speaking up, Qi Guanrang and Feng Zhen also fueled the fire.
Although Feng Jin and Cheng Yuan were a bit slow to join, they soon caught up.
The situation had turned into everyone “pressuring” Jiang Pengji to split the clan while she hesitated, unwilling to part with her blood relatives.
After a quarter of an hour of confrontation, Jiang Pengji ultimately “relented under pressure.”
Relented under pressure?
Their host actually relented?!
The sun had risen from the west?
The idle viewers in the live chat were dumbfounded.
When everyone “banded together to attack,” they initially thought these subordinates were about to rebel by daring to force their host.
Unforgivable!
Reflecting back on the dialogue, they suddenly realized—
This was a completely shameless play!
Table flip (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻!!
【Stowaway Non-Money】: The host and her overworked team have once again set a new low; it’s clearly they who want to kick the Liu clan out and go solo, yet now they’re pretending to split for the sake of Liu clan? I bet ten bags of spicy strips that the host looks all pained on the outside, but inside, she’s laughing her head off.
【Genius Guo Fengxiao】: Hehe, laughing? Shouldn’t it be blooming flowers? Waking up laughing in the middle of the night!
They were still too naive!
Faced with Jiang Pengji and her shameless team, there’s nothing others can think of that they can’t achieve.
【Old Driver Alliance】: I’ve finally understood why Xiao Rongrong stepped forward to persuade the host to split the clan. Do you remember that during the time the host was fighting the Gaoyue Tribe in Cangzhou, she accidentally let slip in front of Xiao Rongrong that she wanted to use a cute panda design as a future battle flag or clan emblem—whoops! She’s clearly been planning to go solo since that time.
At this moment, even “interpretation flower” Wei Ci couldn’t guess Jiang Pengji’s thoughts, but it was Yang Si who got it right.
Why?
Because this old dude had seen the answers to the exam papers!
【Stowaway Non-Money】: The guy above has an excellent memory, but I think the host has probably been thinking about going solo from the very beginning. If you carefully observe, how many times have the Liu clan members appeared in her streams over the years? Even during the times when she needed people the most, she didn’t think of asking the Liu clan for help; she left the clan hanging the whole time. The host is truly social; we are no match for her!
The idle viewers chattered away and finally “solved” the mystery.
Jiang Pengji revealed a helpless expression, her face pale and sorrowful, as she reluctantly accepted the proposal to split the clan, “If it’s to split the clan, then so be it—after all, I can’t let the whole clan suffer because of me. If the entire clan faces disaster because of my actions, a hundred years later, I’ll have no face to meet my ancestors.”
News of Jiang Pengji wanting to split the clan spread like wildfire, met with mixed reactions outside.
Liu Zhao panicked and shattered a teacup.
“Splitting the clan is a significant matter; should we inform father?”
Jiang Pengji gazed out at the greenery and smiled.
“No need, because the split will start from me!”
