Your Majesty, Please Stop!

Chapter 181: The Domineering Ancestors of the Jiang Family

In front of the main gate of the Jiang Residence, an old woman with silver hair hugged a teenager who looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old and wailed loudly.

At this moment, there was no longer the Jiang Family's Old Lady, nor the Crown Prince or King Xin.

All that remained was the scene of an ordinary grandmother reuniting with her lost grandson, attracting the attention of onlookers.

But those who were observant suddenly realized that this was the meeting between the Jiang Family's matriarch, the silver-haired Old Lady, and the last direct descendant of the Jiang Family, who was also the only legitimate heir of the super family that had dominated the Jiang Family for hundreds of years and stood at the pinnacle of the Great Zhou Dynasty's social pyramid.

That's right! According to the Jiang Family's rules of establishing the eldest and legitimate heir, Xin Zhuo was now the only legitimate successor of the Jiang Family.

Even though Jiang Yu Gui was also a legitimate descendant, he was the second son of the deceased Second Young Master of the Jiang Family, not the eldest direct descendant.

From a certain perspective, this scene had already changed the subtle situation of the Jiang Family and even the entire Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Old Lady might not have realized it yet.

Xin Zhuo was even more confused.

It wasn't until half an incense stick's worth of time had passed that an old concubine who had come from the harem behind them sighed and consoled, "Old Lady, stop mourning. The Crown Prince has returned, and the guests are still here."

Only then did the Old Lady react. She let go of Xin Zhuo, wiped the corners of her eyes, and the grief on her face, which had dissipated when she regained her grandson, turned back into the stern expression of the Old Lady who came from a prestigious family, possessed great power, and had been in charge of the Jiang Family for over a decade. She gave a serious order:

"The Jiang Family's direct descendants are not prosperous. It should be the princesses, daughters-in-law, and the second grandson, Jiang Yu Gui, who entertain the guests. After the ancestral temple has been swept, let the old servant lead the eldest grandson, Jiang Yu Qing, to pay respects to the ancestors and acknowledge their heritage! Open the ancestral temple and offer incense!"

"Yes!"

The strict door rules of the Jiang Family immediately began to operate like a machine. Princesses, noble ladies, young ladies, and thousands of servants moved swiftly. They first invited the guests into the residence, then arranged the courtyard, rang the bells and drums, and set up the feast.

Meanwhile, in front of the main gate, which led to the depths of the courtyard, a brand new brown embroidered tiger carpet had been laid out. A large group of male stewards and hundreds of male servants hurriedly ran forward.

The Old Lady grabbed Xin Zhuo's hand and said, "Grandson, come with your grandmother to meet the ancestors!"

Without any explanation, she pulled Xin Zhuo forward, not giving him any time to consider or exchange pleasantries.

Stepping through the main gate, walking on the brown embroidered tiger carpet, passing by numerous braziers, and bypassing dozens of pavilions and buildings that were both hidden and solemn...

The old and the young, both standing tall and solemn.

At this moment, they were no longer ordinary grandmother and grandson, but the imposing presence and prestige of the Jiang Family's Old Lady and her eldest grandson.

They walked for a good three to four miles.

Just as Xin Zhuo was about to get dizzy from going in circles, a majestic and peculiar Great Hall appeared in front of them.

At this moment, the doors of the hall were wide open!

Hundreds of male servants knelt on both sides of the entrance.

An old steward with white hair stood in front of the Great Hall and carefully whipped the whip seven times, his voice resounding loudly:

"The ancestral altar is open! Jiang Yu Qing, the seventeenth generation eldest grandson of the Jiang Family, enters the ancestral temple to pay respects to the ancestors, to bring glory to the Jiang Family, and to enter the eternal prestige of a hundred generations. Enter!"

The Old Lady tightly held Xin Zhuo's hand and walked step by step towards the Great Hall.

They ascended eighteen steps of white jade, and Xin Zhuo subconsciously looked at the main gate. He saw the words "Jiang Temple" on the plaque, with two halves of a couplet on either side:

"Following the command of the Holy Emperor, sweeping across the eight wildernesses, swallowing thousands of miles like a fierce tiger!"

"Cultivating the Profound Martial Dao, transcending into the realm of saints, battling immortals and martial arts, opening up the sun and moon!"

This couplet was a bit strange, completely unlike the educational, loyal, patriotic, or boastful couplets that a ancestral temple should have.

But it gave people a sense of grandeur and respect that was hard to describe.

Without waiting for him to figure it out, he was pulled into the ancestral temple.

In front of him were layers of curtains embroidered with golden dragons with three claws, and opposite were rows of densely packed memorial tablets.

A huge incense burner with nine dragons was burning with faint blue smoke.

"Kneel!"

The old lady's voice was stern, pointing to the cushion in front of the memorial tablets.

Xin Zhuo was not accustomed to kneeling, but seeing the seriousness of the old lady's expression, he knew he had to kneel. He reluctantly softened his knees and knelt down.

"Speak to your grandmother!" The old lady stood aside. "Jiang Yujing, the 17th generation eldest grandson of the Jiang family, has been wandering outside for fourteen years. Today, he acknowledges his ancestors and returns to the clan. In the future, he will follow the ancestral customs, whether it be serving as a general or a vassal, conquering all directions, and ensuring the peace of the Great Zhou!

He will cultivate the supreme martial arts, fight in the realm of immortals, create the heavens, and seek the power of his ancestors, never giving up on his aspirations!"

Xin Zhuo paused for a moment, feeling that these words were too arrogant and boastful. It might bring bad luck. But he still honestly repeated them.

The old lady listened silently to the last word Xin Zhuo said, her expression becoming extremely complicated. She trembled as she lit three incense sticks for each memorial tablet.

This was not something a woman of her generation should do, but now the Jiang family had already declined, and there was no respectable elder left.

After finishing everything, she took a few steps back and pointed to the topmost memorial tablet, saying softly, "Jiang Huai Taixu, the master of the Qingyuan Sword, reached the 22nd realm of Hunyuan Void!"

"..."

Xin Zhuo hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "What is the Qingyuan Sword Master and the 22nd realm of Hunyuan Void?"

Martial Dao has nine grades and eighteen stages, and there are also twenty-two realms? Could it be true that there are immortals in the world?

The old lady shook her head. "Grandmother doesn't know either, just kowtow!"

Xin Zhuo kowtowed three times.

The old lady then pointed to the second memorial tablet:

"Jiang Yuan, the founding ancestor of the Great Zhou, the only loyal and martial Duke, the first generation King of Qin. He and the Great Zhou's founding ancestor, Mr. Zhuge, both rose from Fulong Mountain. They were known as one ruler, one teacher, and one general. Leading six hundred thousand armored soldiers, they swept through the twelve provinces of the world!

In the eighteen provinces of the Great Zhou, your ancestor conquered twelve provinces alone, and passed away at the age of ninety-one, reaching the 19th realm of Yinshi Void in Martial Dao! Respected by the world! His portrait is still hanging in the Eighteen Virtuous Tower of the Great Zhou's founding, ranking first!"

This was simply incredible! No wonder the Jiang family could be so prominent! But... the 19th realm of Martial Dao?

Xin Zhuo suppressed his curiosity and kowtowed three times.

The old lady then pointed to the next memorial tablet and began to speak, and then the next one.

Each one had astonishing achievements that shook the heavens and made ghosts and gods weep. They were either prime ministers or kings, but without exception, they were all from the main branch.

He realized that there were no female ancestors or branch ancestors here!

The old lady had been talking about fourteen people, and when she reached the fifteenth, her eyes suddenly became moist. She subconsciously walked over to wipe the memorial tablet, her voice carrying a hint of resentment:

"Your grandfather, Jiang Ce, was also your grandmother's husband. He was rebellious and arrogant throughout his life, but he lost the position of King of Qin for the Jiang family, causing the entire Jiang family to be slaughtered, with a hundred and twenty people killed. Before he died, he helped the late emperor seize the throne from the original Crown Prince Chongyu, maintaining the glory of the Jiang family. However, the position of King of Qin was divided into five, and your father and your four uncles were each given a fiefdom. This is also the origin of the Five Marquis of the Jiang family..."

Sighing, she pointed to the five memorial tablets below. "Your father, Marquis of West Qin, Jiang Wen; your uncle, Marquis of Sishui, Jiang Xu; your uncle, Marquis of North Latitude, Jiang Yun; your second uncle, Marquis of Nanling, Jiang Qing; your fourth uncle, Marquis of North Sea, Jiang Buwei!

Let's talk about your father. When your grandfather died, he was only fifteen years old, but he inherited the title of Marquis of West Qin and the position of Grand General of the Divine Might Army. He experienced thirty-six major battles in his life, annihilated three kingdoms in the Western Regions, and expanded the territory of the Great Zhou by four thousand eight hundred li!"

Xin Zhuo thought for a moment. "What about the third uncle? I don't know why these people are missing. Judging by their age, they should only be in their forties or fifties. Why..."

The old lady's face turned extremely ugly, as if she didn't want him to ask any further.

Xin Zhuo had no choice but to stop and curiously looked at the bottommost memorial tablet, which had only one lonely name: Jiang Wuxie!

He couldn't help but ask, "Who is this person?"

(End of this chapter)