Chapter 295: All Is Rubbish

Today’s council meeting of the Song Clan was destined to be quite lively. Ever since the first council meeting, even during the mourning period, the meetings proceeded without fail.

The elders might argue, but they weren’t all just empty talkers. They managed to both bicker in the meeting and plot in secret, reaching many private agreements over the past days. Many of these secret agreements were then brought to the table and formalized through the elders’ consensus.

Of the ten issues that reached a consensus, eight pertained to the division of the Song Clan’s various assets and interests. The primary target for division was the communal assets, which were now being divided among the different branches under various pretexts. Some of the other schemes, however, were aimed at the main branch led by Song Zhongnian.

Song Zhongnian had been the head of the clan for many years, and his main branch naturally benefited from it, far surpassing the other branches in terms of asset benefits, especially after Song Zhongcheng was stripped of his position as the great elder, leaving no one to challenge the main branch’s dominance.

However, once Lady Anyue left, the situation changed. All the branches were astonishingly unified in their desire to dethrone Song Zhongnian as the head of the clan. So, during the council meetings, often only Song Zhongnian and a few of his loyal elders would object, while the rest of the elders would overwhelm them with their numbers, thus settling the matters.

This repeated occurrence naturally infuriated Song Zhongnian, and he eventually stopped attending the council meetings. Without his presence, the other elders grew even more audacious, even targeting the main branch’s fixed assets, advocating for “wealth equalization.”

They spoke with righteous indignation: “We are all descendants of the Song Clan. Why should your main branch have so much more property?”

When discussing the total amount of properties, the elders naturally avoided mentioning the number of people supported by the main branch, the expenses for the clan’s school, social activities, and support for distant relatives, all of which were funded by the clan head.

This warped logic was presented as a fair argument. Song Zhongnian, despite his cultivation and education, could not stoop to the level of petty bickering, like haggling over prices in a market. After a few heated exchanges, he would leave in a fit of anger.

One after another, the agreements were reached, and the elders seized every opportunity to allocate the assets and place their people. Some, after securing long-desired rights, even set off for their new posts before the mourning period was over.

Although the properties currently being divided were mostly communal, the Song Clan’s main and many collateral branches had lived in close proximity for generations, relying on public facilities such as roads, energy towers, and private armies. The allocation of these public benefits was traditionally decided by the clan head. Thus, dividing the communal assets also served to diminish Song Zhongnian’s power.

As Song Zining and Qian Ye entered the meeting hall, the elders were just beginning their new agenda for the day.

“Thirty-two shops in the Western Territory, with sixty percent of the annual profits going to the fourth branch, and the rest to be split equally between the third and ninth branches. The shop managers will be provided by the fourth branch. Does anyone have any objections to this proposal?”

“Seconded.”

“No objections.”

“Shouldn’t the fourth branch be treating us to a feast tonight?”

A plump elder stood up, bowed to the others, and said, “Of course, of course! I’ll host the dinner tonight, everyone must come! If you don’t, it means you look down on our fourth branch!”

The elders laughed and agreed.

At that moment, a cold voice came from the door: “I do look down on the fourth branch. What can you do about it?”

The council instantly fell silent. The plump elder, furious, turned to the source of the voice but immediately paled, exclaiming, “Zining, why are you here?”

Song Zining had gained considerable influence in recent years, and his cultivation had advanced rapidly. Although many elders’ impressions of him were still based on the clan’s last major examination, they had heard of his deeds and knew that no one in the younger generation of the Song Clan could match him.

The person beside Song Zining, however, was familiar to many. That face, too beautiful to be human, left a lasting impression.

An elder pointed at Qian Ye, trembling, and asked, “You, you are…?”

Qian Ye smiled and said, “I am Qian Ye. Please don’t mistake me for someone else.”

An elder immediately put on an angry face and shouted, “How dare you come here? Do you know where you are?”

Qian Ye remained calm and replied, “Where am I? It’s certainly not a dragon’s den or a tiger’s lair, nor is it a battlefield or an impregnable city. I come and go as I please, why should I care where I am?”

The elder trembled with rage and said, “How arrogant! Don’t you fear my command to arrest you?”

Qian Ye stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the room, and chuckled, “Not even a Divine General present, and you think you can capture me? I’m not saying this to hurt your feelings, but with the current level of cultivation in this room, you would all be worthless on the battlefield.”

“Arrogant!”

“Insolent!”

“Who is this ignorant brat? Get out now!”

Amidst the scolding, Qian Ye stood firm at the doorway. The elders cursed, but none dared to approach within three meters of him, instead hiding in the crowd and cursing from a distance. Those in the front row tried to retreat, but found themselves unable to squeeze into the crowd, and had to face Qian Ye with pale faces, not daring to say a word.

These elders secretly cursed, but not at Qian Ye, but at their fellow clansmen who had pushed them forward.

Seeing this, Qian Ye mused, “Seems my reputation is rather intimidating, huh?”

Song Zining rolled his eyes and said, “What’s there to be proud of?”

Song Zining walked to the center of the meeting hall, placed a stack of agreements on the table, and said, “These are the agreements made by the council over the past few days. In my opinion, we should burn them right here.”

The elders erupted in outrage. These were the fruits of their labor, and they couldn’t simply give them up. Several elders, ignoring Qian Ye’s presence, leaped up and cursed at Song Zining.

Ignoring them, Song Zining activated his origin power and said, “These agreements have the signatures of the related elders. To put it bluntly, they are ironclad evidence. Burning them is for your own good.”

His voice, though soft, drowned out all the noise, and the elders clearly heard him, causing many to think, “Young Seven’s cultivation is already so high?!”

Song Zining’s sixteen-level origin power made him a true powerhouse, and his combat strength on the battlefield was formidable. He could almost be considered unbeatable among his peers, surpassed only by super geniuses like Zhao Jundu and Qian Ye.

“This is the elders’ council, not a place for you to act rashly!” an elder from the crowd said, but his voice was low, and he lowered his head, softening his tone. The other elders echoed him, but their fervor had cooled.

Song Zining said, “The Song Clan has its rules. These agreements are dividing the clan’s documented public assets, which is a blatant violation of the rules. Moreover, without the public assets, how will the private armies and mercenaries be maintained? How will you pay the wages of the thousands of mercenaries and over a hundred strong warriors? Do you want to experience the dangers of a moonless, windy night, with assassins and arsonists lurking?”

“These are decisions made by the council, already finalized. You, Young Seven, don’t need to worry about it!”

“Exactly.”

“You have no place in the council. A mere youngster, what right do you have to speak here?”

The elders’ voices grew louder, and they became bolder, gradually surrounding the meeting table.

Coldness flashed in Song Zining’s eyes, and he raised his voice, shouting, “What you are doing is tantamount to dividing the clan! How will you face our ancestors in a hundred years?”

Some elders showed guilt, while others remained indifferent. They were loath to give up the gains they had already made. It was harder to make them give up than to kill them.

Song Xiuwen stepped forward and shouted, “Young Seven! You have no place to speak here. Many of these agreements have the signature of the head of the main branch. Do you want to deny them?”

The head of the main branch and the head of the Song Clan were both Song Zhongnian.

Song Zining flipped through several documents, indeed finding Song Zhongnian’s signature on some, and sighed, “Does anyone who signed these agreements have the face to enter the Song Clan’s ancestral hall? Our ancestors have barely left, and you are already dividing the clan. There are so many outsiders in the garden! Even if these agreements remain secret, the Song Clan’s reputation will be ruined. And what do you think your reputations will be like?”

Pausing, Song Zining added with a touch of self-mockery, “Now, the Song Clan has no face left. But as merchants, you should know the importance of reputation. Acting without integrity, who will want to do business with you? Your wealth will be squandered anyway.”

Though this was true, some elders felt ashamed, but most were furious.

Song Xiuwen, having taken the lead, decided to go all-in and snarled, “If the clan’s wealth is lost, it will be lost by us. We are willing to lose it, so what? Decisions made by the council must be enforced! Don’t talk about ancient laws. Even the Great Qin laws change, and so can our clan’s laws. The council can amend them!”

Song Zining was dumbfounded by this declaration.

Qian Ye, leaning against the doorway, suddenly asked, “Zining, where is your grandfather?”

Song Zining smiled bitterly and said, “Better not to mention it.”

How did these clan agreements end up in Song Zining’s hands? It was a story better left untold. At this point, Song Zhongnian’s absence was a clear sign that he didn’t want to face the elders, leaving the pressure on Song Zining to bear alone.

The current situation of the Song Clan was dire. Once the public assets were divided, the clan’s collapse was inevitable. Yet, Song Zhongnian still refused to step up, and it was no wonder Song Zining had nothing more to say.

If Song Zhongnian had been firmer earlier, with his rank and the status of his son-in-law and granddaughter, he might have been able to protect the clan’s status, even if it was difficult. But now, the clan was on the brink of fragmentation.

Understanding this, Qian Ye remarked, “Your Song Clan, with its thousand years of history, truly produces talent!”

Song Xiuwen, feeling emboldened, wasn’t pleased and pointed at Qian Ye, yelling, “What are you, to criticize our Song Clan…?”

Before he could finish, a sharp sound rang out as Qian Ye slapped him across the face!

The slap was heavy, sending Song Xiuwen spinning, crashing into the wall, and passing out. Along the way, he knocked over several elders, causing chaos in the meeting hall.

Several elders, shaking, pointed at Qian Ye and said, “Our Song Clan is a place of reason. How could you…?”

Qian Ye slowly withdrew his hand, smiled brightly, and said, “I have a short temper. When someone points and curses at me, I prefer to use force rather than reason.”