Of the dozen or so high-ranking members of the Shi family present, none of them were shrewd and calculating.
If it were the previous head of the family, whose health was poor and who had no children, they would naturally support Shi Ying as the heir without hesitation.
But now, not only has the head of the family recovered his health, but he also has twins, a boy and a girl, and the strength of the young lady and the young master has exceeded their expectations.
Especially the young lady, who completely surpasses Shi Ying in every aspect.
Moreover, given that they were ambushed on the way and still managed to successfully sign a contract with the King organization, and even exceeded their targets, any smart person would know who to choose as their successor.
Furthermore, with the patriarch backing them up, they naturally wouldn't be threatened by the Grand Elder's group.
Before long, his men collected the slips of paper with names written on them and publicly tallied the voting results on the spot.
One person is responsible for opening the slip of paper and announcing the names, while another person is responsible for recording the votes for the three candidates on the paper.
During that time, it was obvious to anyone that Shi Miao's name was mentioned the most times.
The elder's eyes darkened; in fact, he had anticipated this outcome.
"Shi Miao." As the last name was called, the final voting results were officially announced.
The Grand Elder took the paper recording the votes and looked at the vote counts for the three people, his expression darkening slightly.
"Elder, what's wrong? Is the result not to your liking?" Shi Jing rested his forehead on his hand, looking at the Elder who was standing silently with a half-smile.
The elder's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing this, but he composed himself and smiled, "How could that be?"
Shi Jing raised an eyebrow slightly and gestured for them to proceed. "Then please, Elder, announce the final voting results for us."
The elder's fingers twitched slightly. He turned his gaze to Shi Miao across from him and gritted his teeth, saying, "Congratulations, Miss, on becoming the new generation heir of our Shi family!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire conference room erupted in enthusiastic applause.
As for Shi Ying, who had remained silent, she closed her eyes, a bitter smile curving her lips, a sense of resignation that everything had settled.
In fact, after the first assessment, she already knew that no matter what she did, she could not catch up with Shi Miao.
Shi Ying glanced casually in the direction of the Grand Elder and Shi Song, her eyes flashing slightly, but fortunately she had left herself a way out.
After receiving news that the assassins who ambushed Miao and her convoy had been wiped out and that they had been rescued and taken away by unknown people, she had a premonition that things were not so simple.
Moreover, she herself knew that Shi Song and the Grand Elder had chosen her as their successor simply because they wanted to control her in the future, thereby achieving their goal of completely controlling the Shi family from behind the scenes.
I am nothing more than a pawn in their game.
So rather than handing the reins over to Shi Song and his group, it's better to take a gamble yourself.
The First Elder, of course, was unaware that Shi Ying had secretly betrayed him. He snorted inwardly, flicked his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, and said in a dignified manner, "Patriarch, since the result is out, I'll take my leave if there's nothing else."
Shi Jing tapped the table with his pen, raised his eyes, and swept his sharp gaze across the elder's face, carrying a chilling sense of oppression. His voice was slightly cold, "Elder, wait a moment."
The elder paused, a sudden sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He lifted his buttocks from the chair but sat back down, his smile not reaching his eyes. "I wonder if the patriarch has any other instructions?"
"The selection of the successor is over, but it's time to settle our scores."
The elder's heart tightened, but he remained calm on the surface, showing no sign of error. "I wonder what the patriarch means?"
Shi Jing's face adopted the imposing aura of a superior, "Doesn't the Grand Elder intend to give me an explanation for the ambush that happened to Steward Zhen and the others this time?"
He paused, then looked at Shi Song sitting next to the Grand Elder. "And you, you were probably involved in this whole mess too. Oh, and you were the one who planted the bomb on the plane, weren't you?"
Shi Song slightly tugged at the corner of his lips. He wasn't surprised at all that Shi Jing had called him out in public. He looked up and met his gaze. There was no panic in his eyes. He just said slowly, "Patriarch, don't pin things on me without any evidence."
“Yes, Patriarch, I naturally won’t admit to doing something I didn’t do,” the First Elder echoed.
Shi Jing nodded, not intending to waste words with them. He looked at the dozen or so high-ranking members present and said directly, "According to the 134th family rule of the Shi family, anyone who engages in behavior that harms their clan in private will be stripped of their position and expelled from the Shi family."
The First Elder's face darkened slightly, and his fingers unconsciously gripped the armrest of his chair. He clearly hadn't expected Shi Jing to pull this stunt, and said coldly, "Patriarch, what do you mean by this?"
Shi Jing smiled and said in a soft voice, "It means you are no longer the eldest elder of the Shi family."
The elder narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing full well that Shi Jing was preparing to take a hard line, but fortunately he had made two preparations.
He concealed the ruthlessness in his eyes, exchanged a glance with Shi Song beside him, and in the exchange of glances, it seemed that they had made a decision.
"Since the patriarch insists on sentencing me to death without distinguishing right from wrong, how can I not resist and live up to my status as the Grand Elder of the family?" The Grand Elder sneered and clapped his hands in mid-air.
The next second, dozens of armed men filed in through the door and surrounded everyone at the conference table.
The dark muzzles of the guns were pointed at everyone's heads, cold and ruthless.
Apart from Shi Miao and Shi Si, the faces of the rest of the people turned deathly pale. They sat motionless in their seats, not daring to even breathe, all of them shocked by this sudden turn of events.
“I think the Shi family’s system should have been changed long ago.” The First Elder’s gaze slowly swept over everyone present, then he looked directly at Shi Jing in the main seat and said unhurriedly, “Patriarch, after so many years, it’s time for you to retire.”
Shi Song chuckled twice, slowly stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes, and said with the composure of a victor, "I think we should settle the position of family head today."
As soon as she finished speaking, Shi Ying, who had been barely noticeable from beginning to end, suddenly stood up.
Perhaps because she was one of their own, the man with the weapon didn't do anything to her; instead, he took a few steps back.
In an instant, all eyes in the room fell on her.
Shi Song originally thought she was going to walk towards him, but to his surprise, she walked straight towards Shi Jing.
The next moment, Shi Ying respectfully called out, "Master of the Clan."
The moment Shi Song heard the title "Patriarch," his face changed instantly. Before he could even properly ponder the meaning behind it, Shi Ying stopped behind Shi Jing and stood upright.
This scene was extremely familiar to him.
In the past, when Shi Ying accompanied him to handle affairs, she always stood in this position.
Upon seeing this, Shi Song and the Grand Elder's expressions instantly turned ugly.
Shi Song's brow twitched. Coming to his senses, he stared sharply at Shi Ying and said sternly, "Shi Ying, what are you trying to do?"
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