kvmb Chapter 184 Family Tree 2
Chapter 184 Family Tree 2
The patriarch of the Sheng clan stood in front of Sheng Yunzhu, with the ancestral tablets of the Sheng family behind him.
Standing beside the clan chief was a highly respected elder of the clan, while Duke Sheng stood on the other side.
The others stood on either side below, one side for the women and the other for the respected members of the clan.
The current Sheng family is not the branch of the Duke of Sheng's mansion.
The branch of the old Duke of Sheng's family was not the direct line, but a branch outside the five degrees of kinship, and had almost completely severed ties with the direct line of the Sheng family. After the old Duke rose to power and became a Duke, although he had power, he was alone in the court. So he approached the direct line of the Sheng family and, in exchange for favors, adopted his branch to his father, the then clan leader, becoming the clan leader's brother, and successfully connected with the direct line of the Sheng family.
Although the Sheng family is not as powerful as the top families, it has been passed down for a hundred years and has flourished. Therefore, although the Duke of Sheng is powerful, the position of clan leader is not his.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, the clan chief looked at Sheng Yunzhu kneeling below and said, "Our aristocratic families have always valued bloodlines. Now that the third daughter of the Duke of Sheng's mansion has been confirmed not to be of Sheng family blood, she naturally cannot be included in our Sheng family genealogy. Does anyone have any objections to this matter?"
Duke Sheng glanced at the crowd, and an old man stepped forward. “Our Sheng family has always been kind and generous. While bloodline is important, etiquette and upbringing are equally important. The Third Miss has grown up in the Duke’s mansion since childhood and represents the face of the Duke’s mansion. Over the years, her virtue, speech, appearance, and skills have all been outstanding. The Duke’s mansion also needs an eldest daughter to socialize with noble ladies from other mansions. We have put a lot of effort into raising the Third Miss. If we remove her from the family tree just because of bloodline issues, wouldn’t all our efforts over the years be wasted?”
"Besides, the Sheng family has a history of having adopted daughters listed in the family genealogy. If it's just a matter of bloodline, wouldn't it be enough to just recognize them as adopted daughters? If they are so hastily removed from the genealogy, how will we explain it if this matter comes to light later? Will it be because the Duke's mansion is confusing bloodlines? Wouldn't that become a laughing stock? What if this affects the marriage prospects of the women in the family?"
As soon as he said this, someone immediately echoed, "There are quite a few girls in the clan who are about to come of age. If this affects their reputation, that would be absolutely unacceptable!"
“I think Fourth Uncle is right. If it’s because of bloodline issues, why not just adopt her as a goddaughter? The Duke’s mansion has raised a girl with so much care over the years, how can we just give her up so easily?”
The crowd immediately began to discuss the matter. Even the respected elder beside the clan leader frowned and said, "The question raised by the fourth brother is indeed unprecedented. Although bloodline is important, the upbringing of the Duke's mansion is equally important. In that case, why not adopt her as a goddaughter and let her continue to represent the Duke's mansion in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Lan said coldly, "Second Uncle, adopting a daughter requires the consent of both parents. Now that I disagree, are you trying to force me to adopt her?"
The second uncle's face darkened, and he turned to look at the Duke of Sheng: "Duke, you are now in charge of the Duke of Sheng's mansion. What do you have to say about this matter?"
Duke Sheng stepped forward and said sincerely, "Clan leader, second uncle, although Yunzhu is not my biological daughter, she has grown up in the Duke's mansion all these years and has been loved by my parents. How can I abandon her because of blood relations?"
He cupped his hands and bowed to the two of them, saying, "Please, clan leader and second uncle, have mercy on my fatherly heart. I am willing to adopt Yunzhu as my goddaughter and include her in the Sheng family genealogy. I hope the clan leader will grant my request."
"You!" Lan's voice trembled with anger. "I disagree!"
Sheng Yunzhu's eyes were red and swollen. She looked up and bowed deeply to the Duke of Sheng, tears streaming down her face: "Father, Yunzhu is grateful for your kindness and will never let you be troubled because of me. I also cannot bear to see Mother upset and harm her health because of this. All the faults are my fault. I only hope that Father and Mother will take care of their health. I ask for nothing more."
"Father, please don't upset Mother because of Yunzhu. Mother and Yangyang have been separated for many years, and it's only natural that she hates me. Yunzhu understands Mother's feelings and can't bear to make things difficult for her."
"It is because Yunzhu is unfortunate that she cannot continue to be by her father's side and to be filial to her parents."
Sheng Yunzhu's words moved many people present.
Someone chimed in, "She's just a young girl, why make such a fuss?"
"Alas, fate is cruel. Sure enough, the one I raised with my own hands has become a weed."
The crowd immediately began to discuss the matter.
Outside the door, Sheng Yunjiao, who was eavesdropping at the window, clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, muttering under her breath, "She's such a hypocrite. Who came up with this terrible idea to adopt a goddaughter? It's outrageous."
"Isn't this blatantly forcing the clan chief to agree to adopt a daughter? Otherwise, it would be considered bullying a young girl. And what's more, bringing up the issue of affecting other girls' marriages is utter nonsense!"
Sheng Yunjiao was filled with righteous indignation. After finishing her rant, she couldn't help but want to rush in, but Lu Yangyang grabbed her in time: "Wait!"
"Yangyang, why aren't you worried? We finally managed to get rid of that troublemaker Sheng Yunzhu, and now it's all going to be for nothing!" Sheng Yunjiao was quite upset. She already disliked Sheng Yunzhu, and after seeing what Sheng Yunzhu had done, she wanted to get rid of her immediately.
"The reason they hesitated and were persuaded is simply because they know that the Third Prince is behind Sheng Yunzhu. They are watching and waiting. Just wait, Sheng Yunzhu definitely has a backup plan. If I'm not mistaken, people will be here soon!" Lu Yangyang said sarcastically.
"Really? Who can back up Sheng Yunzhu? If someone really does, wouldn't Sheng Yunzhu's background be exposed?" Sheng Yunjiao said, puzzled.
Just then, a noise came from outside the door.
Sheng Yunjiao stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Lu Yangyang promptly pulled her to a corner.
The Sixth Princess led a large entourage in, with Sheng Junyi leading the way.
"Yangyang, you, you, you, can you tell fortunes?" Sheng Yunjiao couldn't understand why the Sixth Princess would come at this time, and even head straight for their family's ancestral hall. Was this reasonable?
Lu Yangyang covered her mouth and whispered, "I can't tell fortunes, but Sheng Yunzhu's biggest reliance right now is the Third Prince. Just you wait."
Sheng Yunjiao stared in disbelief as the dog cautiously poked its head out and pressed itself against the window.
The Sixth Princess followed Sheng Junyi into the ancestral hall with an arrogant air, her gaze sweeping around: "What are you all doing? I, the princess, am here on my mother's orders to bring your Third Miss to the palace for a chat. I've been waiting in the front hall for ages and she hasn't shown up. What, is it that I can't invite your Third Miss, or that my mother can't invite her? Should I go and ask my father for an imperial decree to let the Third Miss come to the palace to keep my mother company?"