"Dad, Dad..." Chen Hao stumbled and crawled to the portrait, letting out a howl. He collapsed to the ground and wept bitterly.
"Grandpa, I've found my cousin." Chen Liang said calmly.
"If your uncle hadn't died, would all I have received have been Chen Hao's corpse?" Chen Wanning couldn't suppress his anger.
Chen Liang neither admitted nor denied it. He stepped forward and threw a few pieces of paper money into the fire.
The man's tone remained calm: "A life for a life. My father is dead, so one of them, father and son, has to die." Chen Liang said coldly.
"Fine, fine, so you admit it? You took Chen Hao away and locked him up?" Chen Wanning laughed angrily, "Great! I've really raised a bunch of good descendants."
"Why should I?" Chen Liang suddenly raised his head.
"What?" Chen Wanning exclaimed.
"Why can Chen Zhengyi kill my father, but I can't lay a hand on his son? A life for a life, a debt for a debt." Chen Liang's eyes were bloodshot: "In your eyes, you've always favored your eldest son's family, haven't you?"
"He's your uncle, he's your uncle..." Chen Wanning's roar was somewhat weak.
"So if he wants to kill our whole family, all we can do is wash our necks clean and wait for him to kill us, right?" Chen Liang laughed.
Chen Wanning was speechless after hearing this.
“You’ve always looked down on us, father and son, because you’re a martial arts enthusiast,” Chen Liang continued. “Chen Zhengyi is a formidable figure across the four borders, deeply admired by you. You feel proud and satisfied to have such a son, don’t you?”
Chen Liang suddenly stood up and roared with all his might: "He's dead, and a mourning hall has been set up for him. The Chen family's collateral and direct descendants have come to pay their respects. But what about my father? He's still lying in the cold morgue."
"This is the first time I've realized that you can spoil someone to this extent. Isn't he your son? When your other son killed him, was he just supposed to wait to be killed? Did he deserve it?"
Chen Wanning remained silent. He did not deny that he cared for Chen Zhengyi.
But both sons are his flesh and blood. He often said that his sons could not be weak and that the position of head of the family should be awarded to whoever fought for it. But when these things actually happened, he realized how painful it was.
“I told you I would make it up to you,” Chen Wanning said. “Your great-grandfather also designated you as the successor of the Chen family. Are you satisfied now?”
"I'd rather not have this successor." Chen Liang roared like a madman, "Is the future my father risked his life for me something to be proud of, something to brag about?"
Chen Wanning fell silent again. Yes, was this the result Chen Liang wanted?
In wealthy and powerful families, there is no real kinship; every person who rises to power climbs over the corpses of others.
He was like that, and so was Chen Liang.
"Things have come to this point." Chen Wanning closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Whether you accept it or not, you are the future head of the Chen family. I am getting old, and I am increasingly unable to handle the affairs of the family."
“Your father and your eldest uncle are both gone. Now your cousins and their sons, along with other members of the collateral branches, are starting to make their moves. Since you are the one to take over the Chen family’s future, you’re in charge of these matters.”
"Why must there be a collateral branch?" A cruel look appeared on Chen Liang's face.
"What do you want to do?" Chen Zhengyi's heart skipped a beat.
"The Chen family is undergoing a power transition, and it's a time of great uncertainty. Decisions must be made with utmost care, especially during such times." Chen Liang tossed down a few more sheets of paper money: "Give up some of the profits to reassure the higher-ups."
"Impossible. All the interests of the Chen family are shared. If you give up a portion of your interests, the interests held by everyone will be divided equally. They will not agree to that." Chen Wanning was taken aback.
“If you disagree, just kill him.” Chen Liang said coldly, “The power of the Chen family is too decentralized. A decision requires dozens of people to make it. No matter what decision you make, there will always be someone who disagrees with you.”
"Take this opportunity to centralize power. And by relinquishing some of the benefits to reassure those above, the Chen family can go further. Otherwise, do you really think those above will allow the Chen family to dominate Yanjing?"
Chen Wanning fell silent, gazing intently at his grandson, his eyes gradually growing deeper.
He really is a wolf cub; he's only just taken over the Chen family and he's already planning sweeping reforms.
However, he was right. Although the Chen family appeared to be indifferent to worldly affairs and kept a low profile, they actually affected the interests of too many people.
Having a monopoly is definitely not a good thing. The greater your power, the more uneasy those above you will be.
Moreover, with too many people involved in decision-making, there are always dissenting voices, which is certainly not a good thing.
If the Chen family wants to go further, they have to give up some of their interests. Moreover, killing off a group of disobedient people is more suitable for consolidating power.
“Good, good…” A glimmer of light rekindled in Chen Wanning’s eyes: “Courageous and decisive.”
"I trust you with the Chen family in my care. Go ahead and do your job. Don't embarrass your father, so he can rest in peace in the afterlife."
"I'll put his mind at ease." Chen Liang nodded, tossed a few more sheets of paper, and then prepared to leave.
At that moment, a gust of cold wind swept through, and Chen Roujin walked in.
Chen Roujin, dressed in a black dress, has a deep, dark gaze that gives the impression of being unfathomable.
Before her was her father's funeral hall, yet there was not a trace of sadness on her face.
Upon seeing the woman, Chen Liang instinctively took a few steps back, trying to keep his distance from her.
He looked at Chen Roujin warily, his face full of vigilance, because he had heard some rumors that Chen Roujin seemed to have taken a very powerful master and was practicing some kind of powerful evil magic.
Whether it's true or not, seeing her like this, Chen Liang felt it was better to stay away from her.
"Are you afraid of me?" Chen Roujin glanced at Chen Liang.
"It's not that I'm afraid of you." Chen Liang shook his head: "We can be considered enemies now."
"Hehe, we're family, what's there to grudge about?" Chen Roujin smiled, but her eyes made no attempt to hide her ruthlessness: "A life for a life, that's only right and proper."
"Besides, Chen Zhengyi, oh, my dad, didn't die at your hands."
Chen Liang nodded, looked at Chen Roujin warily, and then left.
Chen Roujin walked into the mourning hall, respectfully lit incense, and then knelt before the spirit tablet, kowtowing several times earnestly. She looked at her father's portrait without any sadness.
"Dad, I've come to see you and bid you farewell." Chen Roujin rarely called him "Dad."
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