"Empress Xie went to Xie Zhen's place!"
"Even the Emperor went. It's clear that the Empress and the Emperor value Xie Zhen highly!"
"Is the title of Duke of Cheng'en really going to fall into the hands of Xie Zhen, a mere child who hasn't even grown up yet?"
"Yes, yes! I'm not cursing anyone, but Xie Zhen is only seven years old. A seven-year-old child can die from any accident!"
In the main hall of the Xie family, Xie Hong and other members of the Xie clan sat together, discussing the matter.
They were all from collateral branches, and after Xie Ze seized control of the Xie family, these people all surrounded him.
Xie Ze later died in Lingnan.
When the news came back, no one was worried about Xie Ze, and no one thought about avenging him.
What everyone is more concerned about is who will be the next head of the family.
Xie Hong's wife had some connections with both the Wang and Cui families.
He then desperately tried to curry favor with the two prime ministers, standing out among the Xie clan members and becoming the head of the family.
Before the good days had even lasted two years, Xie Zhen returned.
He is the true descendant of the legitimate line.
He is also the most legitimate heir of the Xie family.
In fact, Xie Hong and the rest of the Xie family had been beating drums since the moment Helian Jue ascended the throne.
Helian Jue is Xie Zhen's brother-in-law!
Helian Jue has returned; how far behind can Xie Yuan and Xie Zhen, the siblings, be?
When they return, will they try to seize the position of Xie family head?
Xie Hong was filled with anxiety for half a year before Xie Yuan led the main force back to the capital.
Xie Hong became increasingly nervous, and he quickly sent people to secretly keep an eye on the brother and sister.
Xie Yuan entered the palace, but instead of taking Xie Yuan with him, they left a seven-year-old child to live alone outside.
"Could it be that the relationship between Xie Yuan and Xie Zhen, this brother and sister, wasn't that deep?"
"Or perhaps the Sage dislikes Xie Zhen, and Xie Yuan, out of respect for the Sage, dares not take too much care of his younger brother?"
Xie Hong and the others secretly speculated.
This speculation gave them a glimmer of hope.
If Xie Zhen is not favored by the emperor, then Xie Hong and others will still have the opportunity to continue to occupy the Xie family.
However, before Xie Hongsong could even catch his breath, he heard the news that the Emperor and Empress had gone out of the palace incognito to visit Xie Zhen.
"Enough! What kind of time is this? How dare you still covet the title of 'Duke Cheng'en'!"
Xie Hong knelt in the main seat, and hearing the chatter of his clansmen, he felt annoyed and irritable.
He slammed his hand on the table in a huff and scolded everyone.
Everyone looked rather grim after being scolded.
yes!
They admitted that they were indeed delusional.
Empress Xie did have a younger brother, even if he was very young, he was still the emperor's brother-in-law.
According to the rules, the emperor's brother-in-law should be granted the title of Duke Cheng'en.
As for the Xie family, although they can still consider themselves Empress Xie's "maternal family," the blood ties are already very distant.
They're separated by several houses, and it looks like they're about to cross the fifth degree of mourning!
As a result, some people shamelessly coveted the title of Duke Cheng'en.
How ridiculous!
Of course, there is some basis to their delusions—the head of the Xie family is Xie Hong!
Xie Hong is the clan chief.
He was Empress Xie's legitimate elder.
In a clan, besides the direct line elders, the clan head also holds a very high position.
If possible, Xie Hong could bypass Empress Xie and directly adopt a son for Xie Yuan.
And this adopted son, once registered in the family genealogy, would be Empress Xie's brother or younger brother.
He was the rightful and legitimate Duke Cheng'en.
Xie Hong had originally intended to do this. Empress Xie did have a younger brother, but he was too young.
In ancient times, when the infant mortality rate was extremely high, no one could guarantee that a seven-year-old child would grow up smoothly.
Even when they grow up, it will still take several years.
During this period, Empress Xie's family had no one to support her, which was truly outrageous!
Xie Hong, as the clan leader, couldn't stand it any longer, so he kindly arranged for Empress Xie to adopt an older brother.
He worshipped his elders, supported the family, cared for his younger brother, and assisted the Empress!
Although it was a bit shameless, it wasn't really nonsense and still conformed to patriarchal rules.
However, there is a major premise: Xie Zhen, who was schemed against by Xie Hong, had no powerful backing and could only be manipulated by the clan!
But the reality is that Xie Zhen has powerful backers!
It's still the biggest and most powerful one in the world!
"I am honored by the elders and elected as the clan leader by everyone, but we are ultimately a branch of the clan!"
Only when the direct line of the family is wiped out can the collateral branches have their turn.
In the past, when Xie Zhen was in Lingnan, they could pretend to be ignorant even when they knew the truth.
But now that Xie Zhen is back, Xie Hong and the elders all know who should be the clan leader!
Xie Hong no longer dared to plot for any title; he was already fortunate enough to continue serving as the clan leader.
What I fear most is that Xie Zhen might even try to take back the position of clan leader!
"Don't worry! Even if Xie Zhen has a saintly brother-in-law, the selection of the Xie clan leader is our own business."
Upon hearing Xie Hong's words, someone stiffened their neck and said arrogantly, "Our aristocratic family has its own set of rules!"
What happened to the royal family?
Aren't they just bumpkins who can't even figure out their ancestral surnames?
"Yes! And Minister Wang and Minister Cui, they should also be willing to speak up for the Xie family!"
The others also possessed the pride of their aristocratic families.
Some people thought that Xie Hong's wife might be related by marriage to the wives of the Wang and Cui families.
If powerful families like the Wang and Cui clans are willing to stand up for Xie Hong, he might be able to retain his position as the head of the Xie family.
And with this incident, Xie Hong's actions became legitimate.
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