The clan elder, who had been smiling heartily moments ago, suddenly heard his words and felt his joy wither away, his good mood plummeting to the lowest point.
The Emperor truly intended to disown the ancestral elder of the Fan family completely.
Originally, having an emperor among their ancestors was a source of immense glory. If he were to disown him, it would not only fail to bring honor to their ancestors but would utterly disgrace them.
Fan Jianmin pondered for a long time and came up with a compromise: "Your Majesty, this matter is neither too big nor too small, and it's not good to have no ancestor in the family genealogy!"
Fan Zehao lowered his gaze and remained silent, also contemplating the elder's words and finding them reasonable.
"How about we compile a new family genealogy, strike out Fan Zhang's family, and establish them as a separate branch from now on?"
A separate branch?
This was essentially removing Fan Zhang's family from the genealogy, leaving the rest of them together. It was equivalent to expelling Fan Zhang's family from the clan.
Although it brought some satisfaction, it ultimately severed basic familial ties. If their grandfather hadn't been so biased back then, the situation might be entirely different now.
"Then I shall trouble the clan elder. There will be generous rewards once this is accomplished!"
The Emperor agreed, and no one was happier than the clan elder.
As Fan Jianmin left, he left his son and daughter-in-law behind to help the Emperor and Empress sort out the residence.
In the evening, after dinner, Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao sat in the courtyard, gazing at the familiar scenery. She spoke her mind.
"It's been almost eight years since we left this place. Time flies so quickly!"
"What a pity that the house where we first married is gone. Otherwise, I would have stayed here, and when we grew old, we could have moved back to experience those old feelings!"
This was Fan Zehao's first attempt at romance, but it went astray, and Zhao Jiaqi pinched his waist fiercely.
She shot him a glare: "You dare talk about the past. If you hadn't come into the house and scared me, I wouldn't have..." Wouldn't have soul-traversed?
It all started on their wedding day. Fate had changed her, and it had changed him.
Whenever this matter was brought up, Fan Zehao would lean in and stare intently at his wife: "I remember when I married you, you were as timid as an ant. You trembled like a sieve when I carried you back. How is it that after you fainted, your courage became as vast as a leopard's?"
Zhao Jiaqi had no recollection of this particular incident. Perhaps the original owner was too agitated to retain the memory.
"Everyone is scared the first time they get married. If I were to get married again, I'd definitely be calmer than now. Don't you understand!"
She found an excuse to gloss over it. She couldn't possibly tell the person in front of her that his wife had been scared to death, and then she had soul-traversed into this body.
What if, by telling him, she scared him to death as well!
Fan Zehao withdrew his gaze, a hint of suspicion lingering in his heart. A moment later, he stealthily glanced at his wife as if he were a thief, and seeing her wiping the sweat from the children's faces, he quickly looked away.
When he married her, he hadn't carried her back at all; her own family had brought her over to save on a meal. Yet, his wife had forgotten this.
Life in the village became even more hectic.
The village chief visited three times a day. The town magistrate, the county magistrate, the prefect, and even the governor from a distant prefecture came, giving Fan Zehao a headache.
After repeated warnings and instructions, these officials finally calmed down.
In early April, the ancestral hall and the cemetery were completed. A propitious date was chosen, and their father's memorial tablet was placed in the ancestral hall.
During the Qingming Festival, he took his sons to sweep their father's grave. Although Fan Yao and Fan Sen found their grandfather somewhat strange, seeing their father's solemn demeanor, they dared not ask more questions or cause trouble. They were very well-behaved.
As they descended the mountain, a crowd of people stood outside the residence.
Before the two could get close, an old woman rushed out from the crowd and ran directly towards Zhao Jiaqi, shouting, "Qi Qi, Mother misses you so much! Why have you only just returned, my girl!"
Good heavens, Zhao Jiaqi shivered with revulsion. The goosebumps that fell from her body could have made a large pot of stew.
Calling her Qi Qi... and saying she missed her, as if they had a close mother-daughter relationship.
Shi He, the guard by her side, immediately stepped forward and blocked the old woman, preventing her from getting within half a step of Zhao Jiaqi.
Shi He spread his arms and reprimanded her: "How dare you! How can commoners address the Empress by her given name! Kneel and beg for forgiveness!"
Chen Haijuan was momentarily stunned by the reprimand. When she came to her senses, she pushed him away and yelled back at him: "I am the Empress's mother! How dare you, a mere servant, yell at me! Be careful, or I'll have my daughter chop off your head!"
This expression was so repulsive that it made Zhao Jiaqi want to vomit her yesterday's meal.
She took a few steps forward, replacing Shi He, and narrowed her beautiful eyes, her gaze filled with disdain and contempt: "Shi He is a sword-bearing Imperial Guard and holds rank. You, a village woman, would have him beheaded with a single word. Are you using my influence?"
"Daughter, this blind fool is bullying your mother. What, am I not allowed to say a few words!" Chen Haijuan always believed she was in the right, rolling her eyes aggressively.
Ever since Fan Zehao became a prince and she became a princess consort, Chen Haijuan and Zhao Hongchang's lives had improved significantly.
They acted arrogantly in the village, with no one daring to speak against them. They freeloaded meals at one house and drinks at another, and the villagers, though resentful, dared not voice their complaints.
Last year, when Zhao Jiaqi ascended to the throne as Empress, Chen Haijuan was ecstatic. She roamed the town and county, using the names of the Emperor and Empress to swindle people.
Seeing Zhao Jiaqi return with Fan Zehao for the ancestral rites, they had rushed over to demand favors. However, they were intercepted by the guards before they could even approach, intensifying their displeasure.
She had grown accustomed to her domineering ways over the years and utterly disregarded these so-called servants and attendants.
She was not just overbearing; she was outrageously arrogant.
Zhao Jiaqi surveyed Chen Haijuan from head to toe. She wore a brocade dress with intricate patterns, and her sparse hair was adorned with gold hairpins, haphazardly placed as if she wanted to cover her entire head.
She wore large gold earrings that threatened to fall off, multiple gold bracelets on her wrists, and an even more ostentatious gold necklace.
She was a walking treasure trove of gold. If the security in Yun Kingdom wasn't so good, this nouveau riche would have been robbed countless times by now.
However, what had Zhao Hongchang and Chen Haijuan been doing all these years to be adorned in gold and silver, even Zhao Dagou was dressed so handsomely.
Inside the courtyard.
Zhao Jiaqi, for the first time, looked properly at Zhao Hongchang, the original owner's biological father.
He was around 1.7 meters tall, slightly hunched, with a timid and unpresentable demeanor. He couldn't even meet her gaze directly.
In contrast, Chen Haijuan, the stepmother, had a sharp and shrewish face that was irritating to behold.
Not only had she sold her for a mere five taels of silver, but she also constantly sought to take advantage of her family afterward.
When she couldn't achieve her aims, she had even tried to marry Zhao Yaru to Fan Zehao. Even more maliciously, she had spread rumors that Zhao Jiaqi was infertile. If not for Fan Zehao's genuine affection and unwavering devotion, and his mother treating her as her own, she would have been drowned in a torrent of curses.
And now, she had the audacity to show up and say she missed her, affectionately calling her Qi Qi.
Truly, a shameless person is invincible in this world.