The Eldest Legitimate Daughter is Both Beautiful and Valiant (ELDBBV) - Chapter 104

Saying this, Elderly Mr Gu suddenly stood up and threw himself toward the solid wooden altar in the mourning hall.

“Elderly Mr Gu!” Bai Jinxiu’s eyes widened and she spread her arms to block him, only to be knocked down together with him.

The mourning hall instantly fell into chaos. Some rushed to pull away Elderly Mr Gu, some hurried to help Bai Jinxiu up.

The common folk outside were outraged.

“The Zhenguo Duke’s residence is too unfortunate! Are they not leaving any way for the Duke’s widows to live? In just one day, they nearly killed two people! What evil is this? Isn’t the clan afraid of heaven’s wrath?!”

“Bah! So shameless! The Duke’s residence is in such a state of mourning, but instead of sending people to support the widows and orphans, the clan act like bandits trying to seize the inheritance!”

“Truly greedy! Each year the Zhenguo Duke’s residence gave half of its revenues to the clan, who else can be so generous?! I say it was because the Zhenguo Duke was too kindhearted, that those beasts with wolf hearts and dog lungs became all the more ungrateful, and now they have brought such a calamity upon the Duke’s widows.”

“I think they’re just bullying the Zhenguo Duke’s residence because there are no men left! The Duke’s sons died for the country and the people, and this shameless clan still dares to bully the widows?!”

Seeing the civilian’s roused into outrage, Bai Qiyun took two steps back and stood with his two half-cousins, clearly shaken by the Duke’s spirit “manifesting”.

“What is this ruckus?!”

The First Madam of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence, Dong-shi, entered the mourning hall supported by Bai Qingyan. Her presence was truly impressive.

“Such a disturbance, do you mean to alarm the Princess Dowager?!”

Elderly Mr Gu, stricken with guilt, kowtowed heavily to the ground, “First Madam! This old servant failed to live up to my promise of being loyal. This old servant is not worthy of being a servant of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence!”

Dong-shi stepped forward to him, lifted up the red-eyed Elderly Mr Gu, and said, “Elderly Mr. Gu, how can you say such a thing? Your family, from Great-Grandfather’s time, has served the Zhenguo Duke’s residence for generations, labouring tirelessly! How could I not know this?!”

“First Madam!” Elderly Mr Gu wept bitterly, choking with sobs and unable to speak further.

“Although this time the Zhenguo Duke’s residence has been forced to sell everything just to scrape together the silver in order to purchase land for the clan and to repair the ancestral hall, ancestral temple, ancestral tombs, and school, yet I, Dong-shi, hereby vow that I shall devote my entire dowry to support the loyal servants who work so hard for the Zhenguo Duke’s residence. So long as I have a mouthful of food to eat, never shall I allow anyone in this residence to starve.”

“First Madam!”

“First Madam!”

The Bai family’s servants all dropped to their knees, deeply moved by Dong-shi’s kindness and benevolence.

Though she was a woman of the inner residence, Dong-shi was a clever and decisive person.

Bai Qingyan gazed at her mother, her heart full of admiration and respect. Just now her mother had restrained her, keeping her waiting in the back, not stepping forward until Elderly Mr Gu had been driven to attempt death and the anger in the common folk’s hearts had been stoked. Only then did her mother emerge, calm and unhurried, to settle the matter.

Today, before the ancestral spirits, her mother declared that she would use her dowry to support the loyal servants of the Bai family. This meant that, when the time came for them to return to Shuoyang, the clan would see the Zhenguo Duke’s residence returning with its servants in a grand procession, and see that their living expenses were the same as before. Also, they could no longer use the clan’s principles to force the residence to hand over money. After all, these expenses were from her mother’s dowry.

No matter how shameless the clan might be, they could not impose on a daughter-in-law’s dowry under the pretext of contribution to the clan, nor could they extend their hands so far as to probe into the Bai family’s other daughters-in-law’s dowries.

Otherwise, who would dare marry a man from the Bai family in the future?

She had thought of a plan, but her mother had made it even more watertight. When it came to matters within the household, she still had much to learn from her mother.

“This time, for the sake of the clan, our Zhenguo Duke’s residence has scraped together the money at the cost of everything we have! But I first must make it clear to our cousin from the clan…” Dong-shi looked at Bai Qiyun, enunciating each word, her voice like a bell, “This time, our Zhenguo Duke’s residence has borne the burden by dismantling our family wealth and breaking up our property. In future, if the clan requires something again, don’t try to set your sights upon our widows’ dowries. After all, our dowries must also feed our daughters, and must sustain the loyal servants who have devoted themselves to the Zhenguo Duke’s residence! When we return to our native home in Shuoyang, I ask the clan to at least allow the widows of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence a way to live in peace.”

Bai Qiyun stood with his two half-cousins. Originally, he should have spoken in defence of the clan’s reputation. Yet, recalling the candles that had flickered without wind and the incense sticks that had snapped in half twice, he pressed his lips tightly shut, not daring to open his mouth.

Reputation was the foundation of a clan’s standing in the world.

He had never imagined that this group of women and young girls from the Zhenguo Duke’s residence, who would have to rely on the clan for their livelihood, would go so far as to disregard the very foundation of the family’s reputation, completely severing ties with the clan.

If Bai Qiyun’s father, the current clan leader, were to learn of this, Bai Qiyun feared he would lose his legs.

“It doesn’t matter if the Zhenguo Duke’s residence’s wealth is gone. Fortunately, we women still have our dowries. We’re not afraid that we won’t be able to feed our children and the loyal servants of the residence!” Fifth Madam Qi-shi, heavily pregnant and supported by her personal maid, came forward. She bowed to Dong-shi respectfully, “As long as spending money can buy us widows of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence a way to live, don’t let the clan drive us to death! What does it matter if the family wealth of the residence is exhausted? Not only is there Elder Sister-in-Law’s dowry, there’s also mine. Elder Sister-in-Law… We of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence are all in this together. There’s nothing we cannot endure together!”

Leaning against her son’s coffin, Fourth Madam Wang-shi rasped out, “And my dowry too!”

“And mine! Though my dowry cannot compare to Elder Sister-in-Law’s, back then it was a grand procession… The dowry was carried throughout the entire day like a flowing stream!” Third Madam Li-shi came when she heard the news, her voice preceding her steps.

Since ancient times, married women have valued their dowries more than their lives! Yet with the clan seeking to force the Zhenguo Duke’s residence into ruin, demanding money to buy peace, the ladies of the residence stepped forth, declaring their willingness to use their dowries to support the remaining children of the house, and to sustain the servants!

By contrast, what magnanimity the ladies of the Zhenguo Duke’s residence displayed! And what sordid shamelessness the Bai clan of Shuoyang revealed!

Among the common folk, it was not uncommon to have families who had lost their men, with no male heir left. For them, how could the widows and daughters possibly hold onto the inheritance left behind by their husbands and fathers? More often than not, such property was seized by their clans.

Who would have thought that even a noble family like the Bai family could be so despicable?

Bai Qingyan lowered her burning eyes. She had always known that her aunts were righteous and loyal. Though in daily life the family inevitably had quarrels and disagreements, when faced with true hardship, the Bai family was unwaveringly united.

This… was the reason why the Bai family had flourished for centuries, its glory and prosperity growing ever greater.

In this world, only the bonds of bl00d could never be measured by money. Grandfather’s words were right…

“The Zhenguo Duke often said to the clan that the Zhenguo Duke’s residence’s contributions to the clan should be selfless and without regret! The clan has never harboured any ulterior motives to force the widows of the residence into submission! Yet First Madam speaks of dowries, truly making our clan lose face! Leading the world to believe that the Bai clan’s head is a man who seizes the property of widows! Since that’s the case… even if it goes against the Zhenguo Duke’s wishes, the clan will not accept this token of goodwill. I take my leave!”