nycdaug Chapter 73 Drive away
Chapter 73 Drive away
Shangguan Chengfeng was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost knelt on the ground. He cried out, "Elder Chief, I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? I'll leave right now, I'll leave Wuliping right now, and I'll never cause you any more trouble! Please have mercy and don't expel me from the clan!"
The people of the Western Liang Dynasty valued filial piety. A person who was expelled from his clan would be looked down upon wherever he went! Once expelled from the clan, it would be almost impossible for him to return to officialdom without a powerful backer!
Even if he had a powerful backer, it would be a major stain on his reputation, and becoming a high-ranking official would be out of the question! No! He has absolutely no hope of ever becoming an official of the fifth rank or above!
He pleaded desperately, but Cao spat at him, saying, "You spineless coward, why are you begging this old man! Expelling the clan is fine, what's the big deal! You and I are the father-in-law and mother-in-law of the Prince of Rong'an's heir. With that status, what are you afraid of? Once Zhihua gives birth to a son, we won't have to worry about anything! It's good that the clan is expelled. If we want to take revenge on Shangguan Zisu in the future, this old man will no longer have the right to stop us!"
Instead of being angry, the old clan chief laughed: "Good! Good! Very good! Today, I will grant your wish! Xiaoshan, quickly find a few clan elders and call on the villagers to go to the ancestral hall for a general meeting!"
After saying that, he raised his cane and struck Shangguan Chengfeng, saying, "What are you still doing in my house? Get out of here right now! Otherwise, I'll take you to the government office for trespassing!"
The cane struck Shangguan Chengfeng's leg hard, with all its might, showing no mercy.
Shangguan Chengfeng winced in pain, but ignoring the pain in his leg, he turned around and slapped Cao Shi hard across the face: "You vicious woman! How dare you speak like that?" He then bowed repeatedly to the old clan leader: "Sixth Uncle, please calm down and forgive me this once!"
The old clan chief didn't even look at him, and said firmly, "Don't call me that. I'm not your sixth uncle. If I don't expel your whole family from the clan today, I'm not a Shangguan!"
With a wave of his hand, he shouted sternly at his family, "What are you all standing there for? Grab a big broom and throw them out!"
Upon hearing this, the sons and daughters-in-law immediately raised their brooms and began beating Cao Shi and the maids and servants. Shangguan Chengfeng was more cooperative, and since he had already been beaten by the old clan leader, they didn't hit him too hard. They just swept the brooms vigorously at his feet, saying, "Get out of here! This isn't a place for you. If you don't leave, don't blame us for being impolite!"
Several people simultaneously took brooms and vigorously swept his feet, raising clouds of dust and making Shangguan Chengfeng look extremely disheveled, coughing incessantly.
The villagers joined in, pushing and shoving, and led the family to the ancestral hall.
The old clan chief gave everyone a stern look, explained the situation, and asked for their opinions: "This family is so vicious and despicable. I have decided to expel them from the Wuliping Valley Clan. Do you agree?!"
Upon hearing this, the clan elders exchanged glances and simultaneously replied, "Agreed! Every single one of these families must be expelled from the clan!"
The villagers enthusiastically echoed, "We all agree! Let's drive this shameless family out!"
The old clan chief smiled with satisfaction.
And so, Shangguan Chengfeng's family was expelled from the clan, arriving in a huff and leaving in disgrace.