Chapter 73

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The Su family of Meishan, said to be descendants of Su Weidao, a prefect of Meizhou during the Tang Dynasty, but at that time, only the scholar-gentry had family histories... The Cheng family called themselves 'Jiangqing' because they had a family history... The Su family had no family history, so there was no solid evidence. This confusion continued until the time of Su Xun. His elder brother, Su Huan, passed the imperial examination, bringing glory to the entire Su clan. After the patriarch, Su Xu, passed away, when his tombstone was erected, someone suggested that they should also compile a family history.

This glorious and arduous task fell to Su Xun, who was recognized as the second most learned in the clan. After years of relentless research, he finally clarified the nine generations of the Su family from Su Weidao to Su Xu, allowing over 300 households in Meishan with the surname Su to find their ancestors...

Do not underestimate this small family history; it can unite people of the same bloodline into a clan. Indeed, after seeing this family history, the Su clan members felt a sense of kinship. They unanimously decided to engrave it on a stele and place it beside the ancestral tomb for future generations to venerate and worship.

To protect the family history from the elements, the Su clan members pooled their money to build a pavilion. The task of engraving the stele was entrusted to Su Xun, who was particularly skilled in this area. Today was the day the family history stele was erected, and nearly a thousand male members of the Su clan gathered at the ancestral tomb to celebrate this grand event.

Chen Ke and Song Duanping were invited by Su Xun as guests to witness the ceremony. They were not particularly interested but stood solemnly by the pavilion out of politeness, watching the Su clan members being directed by the master of ceremonies to do various tasks.

Song Duanping's eyes were fixed, and his voice was barely audible: "What do you think Su Lao asked us to come for?"

Chen Ke shook his head; he was also at a loss.

"I feel he has ulterior motives," Song Duanping whispered. "On the way here, he looked like he was ready to fight to the death."

"Um." Chen Ke nodded, also sensing that Su Xun was about to make a big move.

As they were talking, they saw Su Xun standing in front of the stele pavilion and fell silent.

Su Laoquan, dressed in a blue-black sacrificial robe, scanned the crowd with a deep gaze and declared in a loud voice: "Our Su clan has been in Meishan for ten generations. In Meishan alone, there are no fewer than a thousand people with the surname Su, but those who are closely related do not exceed a hundred. During festivals, we cannot gather together to celebrate. Those who are more distant do not even visit each other, making it impossible to show the village that we are one clan. As a result, we are often bullied by powerful families. Therefore, I, at the request of the clan elders, have compiled this 'Su Clan Family History,' built a pavilion in the southwest of the high ancestor's tomb, and engraved it on stone as a memorial."

"I have worked tirelessly to compile this family history to tell the entire clan that blood is thicker than water, and we are all one family! We should not speak of two families. I hope that everyone here, from now on, will attend funerals when an elder passes away, participate in weddings when someone gets married, and if there are widows, orphans, or the elderly without support, the wealthy in the clan should take care of them. If any clan member is bullied, everyone should support them! If anyone does not do this, the entire clan will shun them!"

Su Xun's opening remarks were indeed heartfelt and righteous, bringing tears to the eyes of the clan members. Even Chen Ke thought he was there to witness the formation of a clan society... Before this, people did not have a clan concept and lived in small families. But from the way Su Xun was speaking, it seemed to be the beginning of the large clan era of later generations.

However, when he heard "If any clan member is bullied, everyone should support them," his expression became somewhat strange. Could it be that Su Laoquan...

Indeed, after the buildup, Su Xun's true intentions were revealed. He changed his tone: "Why emphasize this? Because the village customs have already deteriorated. I remember when I was young, the villagers still knew to reject evil and promote good. When they saw someone acting unjustly, everyone would shun them, making it impossible for them to stand. But now? They treat such unjust acts as normal and live in peace with those who commit them. All of this started with someone in the village!"

The clan members looked at each other, wondering who Su Laoquan was criticizing.

Su Xun's voice suddenly rose, and he said sternly: "This family is the so-called 'Jiangqing' clan, a prominent family in the village. Because of this, they have greatly corrupted the village customs, far more than others!"

"Since this person neglected his brother's orphaned children, the affection between family members in the village has become thin!"

"Since this person seized his ancestors' land and deceived his orphaned children, the practice of filial piety and respect for elders in the village has been lacking!"

"Since this person was accused by his orphaned children, the principles of propriety and righteousness in the village have been abandoned!"

"Since this person made his concubine his wife, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children in the village has been blurred!"

"Since this person indulged in sensual pleasures and did not maintain a strict separation between father and son, the household management in the village has become chaotic!"

"Since this person was insatiable in his pursuit of wealth, only the rich were considered virtuous, and the path of integrity and shame has been blocked!"

Chen Ke, Song Duanping, the Su brothers, and all the Su clan members present were stunned. Even a fool could tell who he was criticizing, and he did it so viciously!

It didn't stop there. Su Xun continued his criticism: "These six evil deeds were what we all strongly condemned when I was young. Now, some ignorant people say: 'What kind of person is he? If he can do it, we can do it too.' But they don't realize that his luxurious carriages and beautiful concubines are enough to corrupt the small people in the village! His official rank and wealth are enough to influence the local government! His deceitful and polished words are enough to deceive the virtuous, making him a great thief in the village!"

Pausing, Su Xun then softened his tone: "I dare not tell this to the villagers, so I have written it in the 'Family History Pavilion Record' to privately warn my clan members not to be influenced by him, and to make him feel ashamed and unable to eat!"

What a deep-seated grudge! Not only did he criticize them viciously, but he also had it engraved on the stele. Su Laoquan's ruthlessness was truly chilling.

'But I like it...' Chen Ke secretly praised, just as Confucius taught us—'If you repay evil with kindness, how will you repay kindness? Repay evil with justice, and kindness with kindness!'

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On the boat back to Qingshen, Su Xun's gloom had lifted. He held a jar of wine, drinking and laughing as if he had accomplished something very satisfying.

Chen Ke and the others sat at the stern of the boat, speaking in low voices.

"Your father's move was too harsh, actually criticizing Cheng Jun so viciously on the family history stele, forcing the Cheng family into a corner." Song Duanping raised his thumb. "Indeed, the old fox is cunning!"

"Not just cunning, but vicious!" Chen Ke also admitted. "Old Su's move is higher than mine, truly a decisive move!"

"..." The Su brothers were somewhat embarrassed. After all, it was a family scandal, and now their father had exposed it. They couldn't be as relaxed as Chen and Song, and it was difficult for them to comment. But both brothers were very intelligent and knew that this move had completely reversed the situation.

Su Xun's approach, though seemingly rash, was a strategic 'first strike' in military terms. Knowing that conflict was inevitable, he took the initiative to expose the other party's problems, aiming to make the conflict public and clear.

Moreover, Cheng Jun was a provincial official. Any future conflicts between the two families would attract widespread attention.

Once the matter gained public attention, it would be easier to handle. If the local officials showed favoritism, they would be accused of 'officials protecting each other.' This was not a big deal in other dynasties, but in the Song Dynasty, it was a different story. Not to mention the Censorate and the Imperial Censorate, the complex official system of the Song Dynasty made it even more complicated.

The Song Dynasty's top official appointment system is not detailed here, but it is important to know that 'Prefect' and 'County Magistrate' were not official titles but 'assignments.' Their full names were 'Prefect of the Prefecture' and 'Magistrate of the County.' Their actual positions might be in a central government office, but they had never actually worked there.

It wasn't that the officials were deliberately absent, but there were no positions for them. The actual occupants of those positions were from other offices, also assigned to these roles.

Even the officials themselves were confused about which office they belonged to.

This was precisely the subtle imperial strategy of the founding emperor. You don't need to know which office you belong to; you just need to know your 'assignment' and be ready to move wherever the empire needs you.

As for those officials without 'assignments,' they became the 'redundant officials' of legend. Being numerous and useless, they made up almost half of the official corps, creating a situation where there were more wolves than meat. Especially for the coveted positions, several people were always waiting for the current holder to make a mistake so they could take over the 'assignment.'

Without fixed terms and with so many waiting to take over, officials had to be cautious, 'steady and conflict-averse,' becoming the norm for most officials.

Therefore, once the matter became public, the government could only handle it impartially, and all 'precedents' would be irrelevant...

By engraving the criticism of the Cheng family on the family history stele, Su Xun made it impossible for the Cheng family to erase the influence... Unless they destroyed the Su clan's stele, which would be like desecrating the ancestors' tomb, making the matter even bigger.

So the Cheng family could not destroy the stele but had to send people to guard it to prevent any false accusations.

But the Cheng family dared not sue Su Xun for defamation because every accusation he made was well-documented. If investigated, the shame would fall on the Cheng family.

This is like a fight where, no matter how strong you are, if I grab your testicles, you can't do anything.

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It's hot, and the fan is making my eyelids red, swollen, and itchy, affecting my vision. What can I do? Please give me some advice.

Of course, don't forget to vote...

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