Chapter 102 - 96: Take a Step Back
Zhao Ming did not feel in the slightest that he was an unfilial son, but he refrained from provoking his father further, so he obediently went back to his room.
Zhao Song calmed down for a while and decided to vent his anger on Tan Zhong, thinking that if it weren’t for his arrival, there wouldn’t have been any disputes between father and son over ancestral and clan properties, nor would there be mutual resentment due to different attitudes towards Zhao Hanzhang.
After all, isn’t it these properties that are causing the trouble?
So Zhao Song angrily wrote a letter to Zhao Zhongyu. His letter and Tan Zhong’s letter reached Zhao Zhongyu almost simultaneously through different channels.
Zhao Zhongyu opened Tan Zhong’s letter first. Tan Zhong objectively described what he saw and experienced after arriving in Xiping.
Then he candidly stated that Third Lady, using the influence of the eldest branch and extending favors, had gained the people’s support in Zhao’s Fortress. If the enmity between the two branches could not be resolved, he feared that the master’s prestige within the clan would be damaged, and the second branch would also find it difficult to proceed in the future.
He also said: As for the ancestral and clan properties, although Fifth Grandfather has relented, he doesn’t trust outsiders and has criticisms of the master. However, from Tan’s perspective, the old family in Xiping is still willing to support the master, so it would be better to be straightforward about the difficulties, which might resolve the current predicament.
After reading Tan Zhong’s letter, Zhao Zhongyu’s heart sank deeper, and he then opened Zhao Song’s letter, which made his heart even heavier.
Zhao Song, driven by anger, spoke rather bluntly, not as tactfully as before.
He first mentioned the rent exemption matter, then said: Tan Zhong cannot make decisions and still needs to write to consult with you, but this back-and-forth takes ten days. If the roads are difficult and the messenger encounters trouble, this letter might never be delivered. Shouldn’t clan affairs, no matter how big or small, be resolved only after your decision?
Do you not see the disappointment in the eyes of the clan members and tenants? One time might be tolerated, but in the long term, what prestige does the clan leader’s line have within the clan?