Chapter 64: Conflict
“Clan Leader, if you say so,” Lu Xia said with an innocent face as he bowed: “Then your nephew can only accept blame!”
“No need to threaten this old man with quitting all the time.” Lu Shang snorted disdainfully: “The Lu Clan belongs to everyone. This old man is already up to his neck in yellow earth. If you all want to ruin it, go ahead and ruin it!”
After speaking, Lu Shang closed his eyes and no longer paid attention to Lu Xia and Lu Chou. The two looked at each other, then respectfully said: “Then your nephew will take his leave first. We will come report if there is further news to the Sect Master.”
Lu Shang snorted again, and the two quietly withdrew.
Lu Yi waited awkwardly to one side, thinking that if they had known it would be like this, they would have come in later. Regarding the matter with Lu Jian, as an outsider Lu Yi saw clearly that Lu Xia and Lu Chou had received permission from the Elder Council before daring to boldly play both sides. In these past two years, as the Clan Leader grew older, the Elder Council had become increasingly powerful. The landmark event was a few years ago when the Elder Council rejected the Clan Leader’s proposal to promote Lu Xiu to Vice Sect Master.
Everyone knew clearly that the Lu Clan’s current Vice Sect Master Lu Xian was single-mindedly pursuing the Innate Realm and had long ago announced he would no longer handle mundane affairs in the clan. Therefore, once Lu Xiu was promoted to Vice Sect Master, he would naturally be the next Sect Master’s successor. The Elder Council’s stance was also very clear: they did not wish to see the Clan Leader position passed from father to son.
That time, the two sides argued fiercely, and in the end it even alarmed the Lu Clan’s only Heavenly Rank Grandmaster, Vice Sect Master Lu Xian. Under his mediation, the two sides each gave ground: Lu Shang no longer insisted on making Lu Xiu Vice Sect Master, and the Elder Council agreed to grant the Great Steward position to Lu Xiu.
After that incident, the two sides had completely formed a grudge. And Lu Jian was the Elder Council’s favored successor candidate, so Lu Shang wanting to remove him would naturally meet with strong resistance from the Elder Council.
The various Stewards caught in the middle were indeed in great pain. Moreover, many Stewards had their own little schemes, which was the true reason the Lu Clan had become a scattered mess in recent years.
.
While Lu Yi was lost in thought, Lu Shang spoke.
“What matter do you have again?”
Lu Yi quickly composed themself and reported the candidate matter to Lu Shang.
After hearing it, Lu Shang said with a hint of sarcasm: “You just don’t want to offend anyone, right?”
“…” Lu Yi inwardly cursed their bad luck. Who told them not to read the situation and come looking for trouble at this time? “Clan Leader, you wrong your nephew. Your nephew is just worried that if we end up selecting another Lu Feng, it will be hard to explain to the entire clan.”
“Then don’t have you select! Let them compete themselves!” Lu Shang slowly said: “Whether donkey or horse, lead them all out for a trot. What’s the point of just there boasting like a seller praising their own melons?”
“Your nephew was just thinking the same.” Lu Yi smiled upon hearing this: “Since the Clan Leader feels the same, then let them speak with their abilities!”
“Mm.” Lu Shang nodded, looking deeply at Lu Yi: “This old man still says the same: the Lu Clan belongs to everyone. You Stewards, if you do not cherish this clan, what hope does the clan have!”
“Clan Leader overstates it.” Lu Yi hurriedly reassured: “Everyone in the Lu Clan puts the clan first. Lu Chou and Lu Xia are the same; it’s just that in their positions, there are too many unavoidable circumstances.”
“What unavoidable circumstances? Just hypocritical posturing!” Lu Shang sneered: “This old man has been Clan Leader for thirty years; what is there I don’t see through?!” As he spoke, he stared fixedly at Lu Yi, forcing them to state their position.
“The Elder Council has indeed overreached.” Lu Yi sighed inwardly. They also could not tell whether Lu Shang insisting on removing Lu Jian was out of public or private motives. But they knew clearly that this elderly figure before them, who had controlled the Lu Clan for decades as its Clan Leader, even if he could not overcome the numerous Elder Council, could easily make a mere Steward like them wish they were dead. They had no choice but to state: “In any case, we Stewards should listen to the Clan Leader.”
“Good that you know!” Only then did Lu Shang’s face soften somewhat. According to the rules, Stewards reported to the Clan Leader, and the Clan Leader reported to the Elder Council, but in these two years, the Elder Council had bypassed him as Clan Leader and begun frequently pulling in and interfering with various Stewards, which Lu Shang absolutely could not tolerate.
“This matter won’t end just like this,” Lu Shang said coldly to Lu Yi: “I am definitely removing Lu Jian. Let’s see how long the Elder Council can protect him!”
“Your nephew firmly supports the Clan Leader’s decision!” Lu Yi hurriedly declared resolutely. But these words had no nutrition, because replacing a Steward was a deed between the Clan Leader and the Elder Council; this Steward of Ritual Education could not play any role at all.
.
Qing Feng Garden was one of the Lu Clan’s many villas outside Luojing City. Though not large in scale, with pink walls and dark tiles, green willows providing shade, waterside pavilions and towers, and lotus filling the pond, it was truly an excellent place to escape the summer heat.
At this moment, on the lotus pond, in the waterside pavilion, silk and bamboo music played continuously while singing girls danced gracefully. Lu Jian, dressed in a dark blue brocade robe, was hosting several white-haired old men.
Lu Jian raised his wine cup, full of respect as he said to the several old men: “The trouble my son caused has burdened you Elders. This young nephew feels deeply ashamed and can only punish himself with three cups first.”
After speaking, Lu Jian drained a cup fully. The singing girl kneeling sitting to one side hurriedly refilled his wine cup. Lu Jian drank three cups in a row, his face slightly flushing.
The several old men were naturally members of the Lu Clan Elder Council. Seeing this, they stroked their beards and nodded. The leading dark-faced old man smiled: “Wise nephew overstates it. Anyone can see that this time the Sect Master is making a fuss to slap the Elder Council’s face. How can we let him succeed?”
“Rest assured, with us old brothers here, no one can touch you!” The long-faced old man beside the dark-faced old man also patted Lu Jian’s shoulder with a smile: “Though he Lu Shang is Sect Master, the Elder Council exists to check the Sect Master!”
“Second Brother and Fourth Brother are right,” another old man with sparse mustache also twirled his beard with a smile: “He Lu Shang is also getting senile. To remove you this threat, he even doesn’t hesitate to expose family scandals and ruin the Lu Clan’s face. I say he really isn’t fit to be Clan Leader anymore.”
“This matter, your nephew has already figured out.” Lu Jian said softly: “It was that Lu Xin stirring things up inside, which led the Sect Master to the congee kitchen.”
“Old Six, your nephew has been in the spotlight lately.” The dark-faced old man glanced at the short old man sitting to his right, saying with a half-smile: “But that day when your brother held the celebration banquet, why didn’t he invite you?”
The short old man was precisely Lu Xiang’s older brother, Lu Clan Elder Lu Tong. He chuckled dryly upon hearing this: “Lu Xiang has always believed that our father’s noble title should have passed to him. How could he recognize me this elder brother?”
“Whether he recognizes you doesn’t matter; the key is do you still recognize him?” the dark-faced old man pressed.
“He doesn’t recognize me anymore, so why should I stick a warm face to his cold ass?” Lu Tong sneered: “Old Two, no need to test me with words. To deal with Lu Xin, I am the first to agree!”
“Good!” The dark-faced old man clapped with a laugh: “Then there’s no problem.” Only then did he slowly say: “A few days ago, Lu Shang said he wanted to hold a celebration banquet for Lu Xin in the clan’s name. It seems he wants to build momentum for him to take over Lu Jian’s Steward position.”
The long-faced old man frowned upon hearing this: “This is something we can’t block.”
“Yes, for such a small matter, we have no right to interfere.” The dark-faced old man nodded with a smile: “But we can always do as we please, right? When the time comes, not a single Elder Council member goes, and we’ll see where Lu Shang puts his face!”
“Not go at all?” The long-faced old man frowned: “Not to mention there are still quite a few in the Elder Council who are in the same pants as Lu Shang, won’t doing this make other noble clans laugh at us?”
“If anyone’s laughed at, it’s Lu Shang!” The dark-faced old man sneered: “Having fallen out so badly with the Elder Council, how can he still command the crowd!” Pausing, he continued: “As for having the entire Elder Council absent, it’s also simple. Once he sets the date for the banquet, we summon all Elders to Mount Mang the day before for a meeting, then find a way to tie everyone up, and all will be well!”
“This way, we’ll completely tear face with the Clan Leader!” The several Elders looked worried. Though they strongly opposed Lu Shang making Lu Xiu succeed him, they did not have the ambition to openly break with the Clan Leader.
“What time is this, and you’re still harboring illusions?!” The dark-faced old man snorted coldly: “This time he moved against Lu Jian precisely to establish authority over the Elder Council! If we let him succeed, who will dare stand with the Elder Council? The Lu Clan will become his personal domain again!”
“Second Brother speaks reason,” the old man with sparse mustache slowly nodded: “We have already formed a major grudge with Lu Shang father and son. If we let him succeed, we Elders will all have to go home and hold our grandsons!”
“Then…” The other Elders also gradually steeled their resolve, looking at the dark-faced old man: “We do it just like that?”
“Do it!” The dark-faced old man nodded heavily.
