CHAPTER 780: CHAPTER 780: SERVES YOU RIGHT

"It is as the master commands." Gu Jin’an obediently moved his foot away and took a few steps to stand behind Scholar Shang, once again becoming that gentle and refined scholar.

All the Shang Family People present were shocked. Was that man who just now issued bold proclamations and exuded a murderous aura really him?

The Jiang family people were also very pleased when they heard Gu Jin’an’s words, and Jiang Dahu even laughed out loud, clapping Gu Jin’an on the shoulder and saying, "Very good, very good. Your master did not take on a disciple in vain. With you protecting your master’s family, I can be at ease. You are about to take the exam soon. You no longer need to bother with these annoying matters. We’ll handle them. You just focus on your studies and aim for an official position."

"Yes, Grandpa Jiang," Gu Jin’an replied respectfully, but the words of Jiang Dahu had a different meaning to the ears of the Shang Family People.

Indeed, Gu Jin’an was going to take the Scholar exam this year.

It was said that his scholarship was not bad, that he often went to Jinling Prefecture to attend literary meetings in the past three years, and he met quite a few noble sons. County Magistrate Zheng also thought highly of him, stating that he had a great chance of being admitted, and he might even be the county top scorer.

Among the Shang Family Elders, there had been those who felt that after Scholar Shang’s death, his title may not be preserved, and he would no longer be able to bring benefits to the Shang Family. Now, they had changed their minds.

Even if Scholar Shang was dead, if Gu Jin’an could become a Scholar or even a higher-ranked scholar, he could still support the Shang Family.

Once this master-disciple bond is established, Gu Jin’an will be tied to the Shang Family for life.

The Shang Family Elders are all shrewd people. In a flash, their dissatisfaction with Gu Jin’an all turned to fondness, eagerly hoping he would pass the exam soon to benefit their Shang Family.

As for Shang Shisan, heh, a person useless to the Shang Family and still siphoning clan assets, being expelled from the clan would also save a bit of grain for the clan.

Village Chief Shang saw that several clan elders had gone silent, feeling very satisfied, and directly said, "Then it’s settled. Da He, first take Shang Shisan and Mrs. Wu to the ancestral hall and keep watch. Then notify Shang Shisan’s wife, tell her to pack up her things at home. Tomorrow the clan will calculate silver for her."

Village Chief Shang looked at Shang Xiu Yue, who had been scared silly, and warned Shang Shisan and Mrs. Wu, "Miss Yue could say such things because you taught her. Being expelled from the clan is completely your own fault. If you dare to mistreat Shang Xiu Yue, or sell her off, you won’t have peaceful days in Qingfu Town!"

Shang Family Village is one of the largest and most affluent villages in Qingfu Town, having been established here for several centuries. Making life difficult for an expelled clan member is as easy as flipping one’s hand.

Mrs. Wu, having a venomous mindset, seeing that her family was expelled from the clan, hated Shang Xiu Yue to death, already thinking of selling her off in exchange for some silver for the family.

Hearing these words now gave her quite the fright... Although her family was expelled from the clan, not everyone was dead; they had to figure out a way to live. And if her family wanted to stay in Qingfu Town, they had to do as Village Chief Shang said, otherwise no one in Qingfu Town would be willing to rent a house to them.

Moreover, their family’s household registration was still in Shang Family Village and had not been annulled. Even after being expelled, they were still under the control of Village Chief Shang. If they wanted to keep their household registration, they had to obey.

Mrs. Wu understood this, and she cried bitterly, ruing inwardly, "Oh God, why didn’t you send me a premonition about today’s events? If I had known this would happen today, I would have never dared to let Miss Yue say such words to test the Shang Family even if it killed me."

But no matter how Mrs. Wu cried, it was already too late.

Village Chief Shang did not want to see Mrs. Wu’s ill-fated face, waved his hand, and Da He along with several Shang Family People took Mrs. Wu and Shang Shisan to the ancestral hall.

As for Shang Xiu Yue, Village Chief Shang called in a woman from the Shang Family Clan to take her home and especially instructed her to relay a message: "Tell Ms. Lv if she wants to live well with her children, she can’t keep enduring in silence. Her eldest son is already of age to get married; what is there to fear from Shang Shisan?"

Ms. Lv is Shang Shisan’s wife and Shang Xiu Yue’s mother. It must be said that Ms. Lv is a pitiful person; oppressed by Mrs. Wu in her younger days, and just as her eldest son is about to take a wife, Widow Cen arrives, making her life extremely dismal. Although she is the official wife, her status in the family is like that of a servant.

"Ah, I will tell my niece-in-law your words, Elder," said the clan woman, as she took Shang Xiu Yue away.

Shang Xiu Yue was clever and ruthless; understanding that she could not rely on her grandmother or father, she knew the only way to avoid being mistreated in the future was to make her own mother toughen up.

After getting home, she exaggerated the story of Mrs. Wu’s incitement, then mentioned Shang Shisan: "I heard Dad say that once we get Shang Wen Yuan’s family’s fortune, he will divorce Mom and make Aunt Cen his official wife."

Ms. Lv was already shaken to her core by the news of her family being expelled from the clan and fainted outright upon hearing Shang Xiu Yue’s words.

However, Ms. Lv did not stay unconscious for long; she quickly woke up.

Shang Xiu Yue immediately hugged her and cried, "Mom, Mom, hold on! If you die, Aunt Cen and Dad will sell us off for silver, and my brothers and I will never see you again."

Shang Xiu Yue’s younger brother was only five and, although usually quite assertive himself, now faced with such a grave situation and shocked by Ms. Lv’s fainting, he cried heart-wrenchingly, "Mom, don’t die, we don’t want to be sold."

Ms. Lv, holding Shang Xiu Yue and her young son, cried out in pain, reflecting on how she had been bullied by Mrs. Wu and Shang Shisan for most of her life. Since her endurance and silence were useless, she chose not to endure anymore!

"Don’t be afraid, my children. I’m going to chase Widow Cen away right now!" Saying so, she grabbed the firewood knife and went to chop Widow Cen.

Widow Cen, upon knowing that Shang Shisan’s family had been expelled from the clan, quickly moved past her brief panic and began to plot anew... The Shang Family Clan would spend silver to buy Shang Shisan’s fields and house—a substantial amount of silver. Once Shang Shisan got the silver, she planned to steal it and pin the theft on Ms. Lv.

After Ms. Lv takes the blame for everything, she would leave Shang Shisan to live her own life. After all, without a marriage certificate, she was just a concubine who had a few wedding banquets, a free woman who could leave whenever she wanted.

But while Widow Cen was plotting, Ms. Lv came at her with the firewood knife, and in a panic, Widow Cen grabbed a stool to block it.

Crack—the stool splintered under the blow of the firewood knife; Widow Cen, covered in cold sweat and staring at Ms. Lv, exclaimed, "Have you gone mad, Ms. Lv? If you so much as scratch me, your husband won’t let you off when he returns, and you can wait to be divorced!"

But what responded to her was the swinging firewood knife of Ms. Lv.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Ms. Lv, as though she had lost her mind, kept chopping at Widow Cen with the firewood knife.

Frightened by the ferocity in Ms. Lv’s eyes—a clear intent to kill—Widow Cen hurriedly fled through the door, shouting as she ran, "Help! Somebody help! Ms. Lv is killing someone!"

But no one came to her aid; the community deeply despised such a dishonorable widow, and as they saw her being chased by Ms. Lv, they even said, "You got what you deserved, Widow Cen! Why did you become Shang Shisan’s concubine? If you didn’t want to remain a widow, you could have married a widower; why marry Shang Shisan? He already has a wife and children, and his eldest son is about to get married."