Leaving the clan, to put it bluntly, even those who commit heinous crimes might not be expelled, unless they commit one of the ten great sins, to do something so extreme.
Sun Qirong was not foolish. He had been the town mayor for many years and had seen and heard everything in the village. He didn't want to offend Fan Zehao because of someone introduced by a subordinate.
Fan Zhang was stumped. He explained simply, "I was provoked by that slut and, without understanding the whole story, made the wrong decision. Now that I know the truth, I want to make amends!"
"Revoking Fan Zehao's household registration is not difficult for me!"
As soon as Sun Qirong spoke, a smug grin spread across Fan Zhang's face.
However, it lasted less than three seconds before he heard the mayor's words again.
"But I can't just take your word for it. Go and call Fan Zehao here. I need to hear it from him directly. I'll be waiting for both of you. You can go now!"
After speaking, the mayor began to usher him out. With the current recruitment drive, he was so busy he wished he could be in two places at once.
Hearing this, Fan Zhang left dejectedly. Upon returning home, he explained the situation to his family.
Fan Mingyue snorted and came up with a wicked idea. "Find a fake Fan Zehao to go first, and get the household registration revoked. Second, if that doesn't work, threaten Fan Zehao's father's grave. If he agrees to return to the clan, his father's grave will remain in the ancestral cemetery. If he refuses, we'll throw his father's grave out of the ancestral cemetery."
At that point, they would even scatter his father's ashes, leaving not a single bone for Fan Zehao.
The whole family looked at her, thinking the plan was too cruel.
The grandfather and father both shook their heads. "Your idea is too ruthless. If Fan Zehao finds out, it will be the least of your worries to have your skin peeled off. It's not feasible."
The father, fearing Fan Zehao's fists, immediately rejected this terrible idea.
Fan Mingyue, finding her father's cowardly demeanor unbearable, declared, "A man must be ruthless."
She continued to sway her father and grandfather, saying, "Grandfather, Father, think about it. If Fan Zehao doesn't agree to our second option, then it's simple. After he leaves, we'll dig up his father's grave. Will he be able to return from the battlefield?"
This made Fan Zhang's heart waver. Perhaps this plan could work!
"Then I'll find someone to impersonate Fan Zehao tomorrow and go to the town mayor. If that doesn't work, we'll do as Mingyue suggested!"
For the sake of his only remaining bloodline, Fan Zhang decided to take the risk.
Outside the door, Fan Fu's concubine, Zhang Hongqin, overheard everything. She turned and quietly slipped away without alerting anyone inside.
Fan Zehao's home.
In the main hall, Zhao Jiaqi looked at Fan Fu's concubine, puzzled. The two families were so hostile in the village, yet today she had come to their doorstep.
"I've come to tell you that Fan Zhang went to the town mayor to have your husband's household registration revoked, and then to have your husband's registration transferred to our family, making you one family. This way, Fan Fu and Fan Shurong won't have to choose one to be conscripted."
"What?" Zhao Jiaqi was shocked, unable to believe what she heard.
"Impossible. That's illegal. The mayor wouldn't do that!" she replied resolutely, as if out of instinct.
Zhang Hongqin sneered, looking at the blue sky and white clouds outside the courtyard, and sighed, "Money makes the world go 'round. The mayor is the highest authority here. What difference does it make if they change it?"
Zhao Jiaqi remained silent, staring at her. After a long pause, she asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
Zhang Hongqin didn't hide anything. "I'm getting revenge on Wang Zhenzhu. My five-month-old child was miscarried because of her torment. And incidentally, I want you to owe me a favor. If there comes a day when you need me, I hope you can help me."
She had heard about the miscarriage from the women who worked there.
It was said that the fetus had already formed and was a baby boy.
To avenge this, Zhao Jiaqi could understand.
Either Fan Fu or Fan Shurong had to go, and either way, it would be a blow to Wang Zhenzhu!
"Also, Fan Mingyue came up with another wicked idea. They plan to use your father-in-law's ashes to threaten Fan Zehao into returning to the clan. If your husband disagrees, they'll dig up your father-in-law's grave after he leaves. As for the ashes..."
Zhang Hongqin left the rest unsaid. The schemes were truly wicked and venomous. Where did a fifteen-year-old unmarried girl come up with such an idea?
Thinking of this, Zhang Hongqin couldn't help but shudder. It seemed that if she wanted to establish herself in the Fan family, Fan Mingyue and Fan Shurong could not be spared!
Zhao Jiaqi felt a chill run down her spine. She accepted this favor. "In the future, if you need my help, just say the word. As long as it doesn't involve murder or arson, I will help!"
Zhang Hongqin's lips curved into a smile. She was truly grateful to her. "You're the only one in the village who doesn't gossip about me or look down on me for being a mistress."
"I also want to be a good person, but I am a woman. My in-laws treat me like a beast of burden. If I don't find a way out, I won't be far from death!"
Zhao Jiaqi looked at the woman before her, unsure whether to offer comfort or disdain.
After a long moment, she sighed softly and said calmly, "A person must love themselves to earn the respect of others."
"I can understand your difficulties at the time, but I don't approve of your final choice. Ruining someone else's family and becoming a concubine yourself, and I detest concubines the most."
Zhao Jiaqi spoke the most cutting words in the gentlest tone.
Zhang Hongqin's eyes instantly welled up with tears.
Did she not know this? But it was too late. "If I could start over, I would never choose this path."
With a heavy sigh, she stood up and left, her mind in a turmoil, contemplating her next move. However, she was determined to avenge her child.
In the afternoon, Fan Zehao returned. Zhao Jiaqi recounted the entire affair, enraging him to the point where he wanted to go to Fan Zhang's house and flay him alive.
Zhao Jiaqi grabbed the furious Fan Zehao. "Calm down. The priority now is to go to the town mayor and explain our family's situation thoroughly. I'll go and see the clan elder about your father's grave!"
"Alright. If the clan members disagree with burying my father in the ancestral grave, then we'll find a place with good feng shui and move the grave. We'll become our own clan!" After instructing his wife, Fan Zehao rode his horse to the town.
There was no time to lose. Zhao Jiaqi locked her house and went to the clan elder, Fan Dongliang's, home.
She was tactful in her questioning, merely inquiring about her father-in-law's grave, without mentioning anything else.
Firstly, she didn't want to implicate Zhang Hongqin.
Secondly, she wasn't sure if the rumors were true. If she blurted them out rashly, Fan Zhang might even turn the tables on her.
Fan Dongliang frowned. It had been almost a year since they left the clan, and his inquiry about the grave left him utterly bewildered.
After a moment of thought, he waved his hand and said, "Your father died before you left the clan. This doesn't pose any problem. After so many years, there's no need to move the grave. If you wish to find a good place for your father, I agree!"
Zhao Jiaqi chuckled. "No matter how good the feng shui, it's not as good as letting my father rest in peace. Since our leaving the clan doesn't affect the clan members, I am relieved."
"If anyone were to object, then I would indeed need to make plans early, while my husband is still here, otherwise..."