Chapter 1249 – The Oncoming Conflict (10)
“Starting from Eldest Sister?”
Liu Zhao was taken aback, as if Jiang Pengji’s suggestion had left him dizzy.
If it began from Jiang Pengji, wouldn’t that mean she was going out with nothing?
To outsiders, Jiang Pengji had her father and brothers, while Liu Zhao hadn’t even married yet; such a division would surely attract criticism.
Yet Jiang Pengji had her own reasons. From her perspective, she was doing this for Liu Zhi and Liu Zhao’s benefit.
She explained, “If it weren’t for Bo Gao’s surprise attack on Hejian County, imprisoning the Liu clan, I wouldn’t need to resort to this drastic measure. Division is a major affair, and as a woman of the clan, it’s not a big deal for me to split off. My father is the head of the second branch, and you are the only direct male descendant—how could you rashly leave the clan? After thinking it over, I’ve decided to take this step alone. If Bo Gao knows about this, he won’t target the Liu clan anymore.”
Jiang Pengji emphasized the word “woman.”
In today’s societal views, women are meant to marry. While they don’t have to change their names, they adopt their husband’s surname. For instance, Qi Guanrang’s wife, whose maiden name is Wei, is referred to as Qi Guan Wei when addressed publicly.
From this angle, Jiang Pengji’s splitting off might be seen as her early “marriage,” despite her leaving with nothing.
After all, she was a woman, and eventually, women were destined to marry and become part of another household. Jiang Pengji’s division seemed to bear little significance?
Jiang Pengji was indifferent, but Liu Zhi and Liu Zhao were different.
“My grudge with Bo Gao is mine to bear; how can it implicate our father and the clan? Moreover, time is pressing, and I don’t have the luxury to inform my father. If I wait to consult him before making this division, it would be too late. Hence, I believe it’s safer to start the division from me,” Jiang Pengji reasoned, leaving Liu Zhao unable to find a rebuttal.
Because Jiang Pengji was always considering the welfare of Liu Zhi and Liu Zhao as well as the Liu clan, her logic seemed sound.
However—
Liu Zhao knew all too well that this person wasn’t so altruistic!
The division was likely a ploy she’d been planning for a long time.
While Huang Song seemed to have outmaneuvered her, he didn’t realize he had actually pushed her forward, aiding her plan.
Seeing the frown on Liu Zhao’s face, Jiang Pengji asked with a smile, “Are you worried, Zhao’er?”
Liu Zhao replied, “Eldest Sister, you are wise and strategic; while others think a step ahead, you have already taken a hundred steps. What should I worry about?”
Despite not considering Liu Zhao blood-related, Jiang Pengji still took him under her wing, protecting him like a younger brother.
“There are some things I’m not afraid to tell you,” she said. “You might enjoy playing, but you’ve read a lot, so you should know the saying: ‘When the end is too large, it will break; a big tail won’t drop.’ The Liu clan seems settled for now, but can they maintain their resolve in the future? To eliminate potential future threats and safeguard the Liu clan, there are some powers they should refrain from meddling with.”
The power of authority is too great; anyone in its presence can become unrecognizable.
Jiang Pengji had not changed; she simply looked down on it. What she coveted was the position of the Federation’s Marshal!
She would not change her original intent, but the Liu clan might not.
Liu Zhao’s expression was filled with complex feelings, but he ultimately managed a bitter smile.
“Eldest Sister has deep thoughts; I feel inadequate by comparison.”
While others misunderstood Jiang Pengji’s actions as being for the Liu clan’s benefit, Liu Zhao understood all too well—it was all preparation for a future confrontation.
With no objections from Liu Zhao, the others were even less qualified to voice opinions.
The most qualified to comment, Old Patriarch Liu Zhi, was enjoying his retirement in Chongzhou.
In the absence of the tiger, the monkeys claimed the throne.
Ultimately, what Jiang Pengji decided went!
The news of the division flew out of Wanzhou, shocking scholars everywhere, while Huang Song was both astonished and enraged, overturning two tables in private.
“She chose division?” Huang Song’s eyes widened in disbelief. After a moment of shock, he broke into a bitter smile, “Lan Ting’s tactics are truly surprising; she isn’t willing to concede an inch. Just as the Liu clan fell into my hands, she chooses to sever ties with them.”
Ordinarily, a clan division is complicated, needing the clan leader and elders to convene, bring out the family tree, and navigate through a labyrinth of procedures.
Now, however, with the entire Liu clan captured by Huang Song, convening a clan meeting or accessing the family tree was impossible.
Exceptional times call for exceptional measures; extraordinary situations warrant a special response.
Jiang Pengji publicly announcing her division effectively yielded similar results.
Huang Song initially intended to use the Liu clan as a means to restrain Jiang Pengji, but he never expected her to be so resolute, severing ties on a whim.
“Swiftly cutting through the tangle, Lan Ting’s temperament is not something ordinary people can match,” Cheng Jing remarked, shaking his head. He’d thought he could easily take Hejian County and contain the Liu clan with it. Everything appeared to be going smoothly—who knew Jiang Pengji would break the rules and directly choose division to draw the line? “If she were a man, such actions would inevitably draw countless criticisms; but since she’s a woman, the impact of this division isn’t significant—”
Jiang Pengji had suffered the disadvantages of her gender for many years, but finally, she gained some advantage this time.
Huang Song lamented, “Now she cannot be restrained with the Liu clan—”
Cheng Jing shook his head. “As long as the Liu clan doesn’t stir up trouble, the lord won’t be able to do anything to them.”
If the Liu clan weren’t an aristocratic family, they’d be easy pickings and simply killed off, incurring nothing more than Jiang Pengji’s enmity.
However, the Liu clan was indeed an esteemed aristocratic family.
Without a plausible excuse to eliminate them, the entire scholarly community would disagree.
Looking back on the past, Jiang Pengji had elaborately dealt with the Chongzhou aristocrats, and it was only after placing countless blame on them that she took action.
Feng Jue spoke up, “Do the Liu clan members know this news?”
Cheng Jing replied, “They should be unaware, but they’ll know soon.”
The Liu clan members were imprisoned within their territory, their movements restricted, making it difficult to receive outside news.
It would take them some time to become aware of Jiang Pengji’s division.
Feng Jue remarked, “If the Liu clan learns about this, I wonder what their reaction will be.”
What seemed like a casual remark landed in Huang Song and the others’ ears with a different layer of interpretation.
Cheng Jing asked, “Are you implying plotting against the Liu clan?”
“The Liu clan isn’t as foolish as the Zhang clan; even if Liu Xi splits off, the Liu clan isn’t likely to turn against her. They’re not easily divided,” Feng Jue replied with a smile, shaking his head. “I just find one thing puzzling—why is Liu Xi’s relationship with the Liu clan so fraught?”
Even if they said it was for the Liu clan’s sake, that claim could fool the common people, but truly clever individuals wouldn’t be easily deceived.
Rather than saying the division was for the Liu clan’s safety, it sounded more like it was to discard the Liu clan as a burden.
Feng Jue believed this possibility was greater.
The children of aristocrats are taught clan loyalty from a young age; unless under extraordinary circumstances, how could they not side with their clan?
Individuals like Jiang Pengji, who would slip away at the first sign of trouble, were indeed rather rare.
What hidden motives lurked behind this?
Feng Jue took note of this.
Before long, this news reached the ears of the Liu clan members.
