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"You can all stop shaking exactly like frightened dogs," Madam Li told them.

"I have already made other arrangements to pay the Emperor’s tribute."

For a second, nobody spoke. The silence inside the grand Audience Hall was very suffocating as every clan elder was staring directly at Madam Li.

Then the hall broke into noise as several elders supporting Madam Li who did not know what Madam Li had up her sleeve, but they immediately straightened up, their eyes brightening as if they had just found the elixir of immortality.

One gray-haired elder stroked his beard and smiled, "As expected of Madam Li. Always one step ahead."

Another elder laughed softly, "I said it before. The Gu Clan cannot rely on the old guard. Some people always talk big, but when trouble comes, they stand there with empty hands."

That sentence hit Gu Yangtian like a slap on his face. He gripped the carved armrests of his seat, his face turning ugly shade of pale green as he looked down at his beautiful, domineering wife, unable to comprehend how she had prepared a backup plan behind his back.

"What exactly do you mean by you have made arrangements, Li Hua?!" Gu Yangtian demanded, "How could you possibly secure enough resources to satisfy the Emperor?!"

Madam Li simply let out an arrogant scoff, casually crossing her arms under her breasts that were already distracting Gu Fan from afar.

"Because unlike you, husband, I actually use my brain to run this clan instead of blindly praying that a pathetic, incompetent boy would actually bail us out," Madam Li sneered viciously, perfectly aiming her sharp words to actively humiliate Gu Chen, who was still kneeling in the bloody mud, "I place my bets on the dragon that will win."

She then turned to address the elders of the Gu Clan.

"I have already negotiated a loan directly with Pavilion Manager Su Mei of the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to secure enough premium spirit stones and rare artifacts to cover the Emperor’s tribute in full."

The hall instantly violently erupted into massive, highly enthusiastic gasps of pure relief. A few of the younger elders glanced at Gu Yangtian, then at Gu Chen, then back at Madam Li.

They did not say it directly, but the meaning was easy to read.

Maybe the clan had been leaning on the wrong people.

Maybe the old direction was dragging everyone down.

Maybe the clan needed a different hand at the wheel.

"At times like this, it is not about who speaks loudest, but who can actually keep the clan standing." One elder even said it out loud, not fully, but enough to sting.

The Third Elder immediately stepped forward, slamming his cane against the jade floor as a victorious smirk formed on his wrinkled face.

"Heavens be praised! The Matriarch is our absolute salvation!" The Third Elder roared loudly, his voice booming into Gu Yangtian’s ears, "While some threw our best disciples directly into a meat grinder and lost the tribute, Madam Li saved our seven generations from the execution!"

"The Third Elder is absolutely right!" another elder yelled passionately, violently pointing an accusing finger directly at the kneeling Gu Chen and the shaking Patriarch, "Gu Chen has proven himself to be completely useless, and the current leadership is dragging our clan straight into the dirt!"

"Absolutely! And since the Matriarch is the only one who seems to be actually concerned with the survival of our clan, perhaps it is time to seriously rethink the absolute direction and leadership of this clan!"

The First Elder’s face turned completely purple with sheer rage, aggressively stepping forward to violently defend Gu Chen and the Patriarch, "You treacherous dogs! How dare you suggest a rebellious thing during a crisis?!"

"What leadership?!" the Second Elder spat right back, entirely backing Madam Li, "We only follow strength and results! Gu Chen is an arrogant failure who actively blames his dead brothers, so he has absolutely no right to ever inherit the Patriarch’s seat!"

"Heavenly Treasure Pavilion?" One of the elders whispered in surprise, "Su Mei personally?"

"How much support did she get?" Another asked.

"Enough to replace the tribute?" Madam Li smiled generously, "More than enough."

A few of the patriarch’s supporters immediately shifted in their seats. This was bad. Very bad.

The Emperor’s tribute was not just a simple delivery, it was in favour of the Emperor’s promise to make sure even at the end of their ropes, the Gu Clan would continue to exist.

Losing the tribute was already a big blow to the Gu Clan and the Patriarch.

If Madam Li stepped in and fixed the mess with outside resources, then the failure would no longer belong to chance alone. It would seep not just Gu Yangtian, but Gu Chen as well in her tide.

Gu Chen felt that pressure immediately.

"This is why some people should think less about their own face and more about the clan’s future." The elders added, taking a dig at Gu Chen openly.

Gu Chen’s expression became darker and darker and he finally spoke, his voice carefully controlled.

"Patriarch, this disciple failed the mission. The enemy was prepared. Their methods were dirty and their traps were vicious. We were ambushed by the Blood Fiend Sect, then the Phantom Sirens, and then we were cut off inside the Weeping Gorge. But none of that takes away the blame from me."

He paused. He kept his tone steady, but the meaning was obvious.

Too many enemies.

Too many accidents.

Too much bad luck.

Still, he was willing to take responsibility.

It sounded reasonable enough, at least to the ears of those willing to believe him.

Several elders on his side nodded.

"The expedition’s difficulty was indeed extreme."

"A failure of this scale cannot be placed entirely on Young Master Chen."

"The enemy clearly came prepared."

But Madam Li’s side did not let that sit as one elder tilted his head.

"Perhaps the question is not whether the enemy was prepared. Perhaps the question is whether the commander was prepared."

Gu Chen’s fist tightened so hard that his knuckles almost cracked.

He wanted to answer.

He wanted to tear into them.

He wanted to say that if Gu Fan hadn’t been wandering around robbing corpses and making himself look useful at random moments, maybe the whole expedition would have gone differently.

But he did not say it because there was no point.

In front of these elders, any excuse would only make him sound weaker.

Even Gu Yangtian had begun to look more and more annoyed, headache building behind his eyes as the elders fought among themselves while his wife tried to steal the limelight.

The patriarch sat in the highest seat, his fingers resting against the armrest, his face hard to read. The hall was turning into a contest of blame, and every breath was becoming heavier.

The shouting match overwhelmed the Audience Hall, allowing Madam Li’s faction to trample over Gu Yangtian’s dwindling authority, since the Patriarch had absolutely no results to actively defend his position with.

"Enough!" Gu Yangtian finally raised his hand, violently slamming his fist onto the throne to silent the bickering elders.

Silence fell through the hall as the elders went silent the very next moment. His gaze moved towards Gu Chen and then slowly towards the elders.

"We will look into the matter," His voice was cold and unforgiving, "The failure of the expedition will not be treated lightly. Not only did we not manage to get the tribute back, we lost the backbone of her clan. Our future."

"First elder!" Gu Yangtian called out, "You take care of this matter. I don’t care who is responsible. Be impartial in your judgement."

He paused briefly, then with some reluctance, he turned to glare down at Madam Li, grinding his teeth together since he was completely cornered and was forced to accept her help to save his own neck.

"Since you have already taken the initiative to strike a deal with the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, I will leave the matter of the Gu Clan tribute to the Capital as soon as possible," Gu Yangtian stated, "We can’t delay it any longer."

A few elders from Madam Li’s side immediately smiled hearing Gu Yangtian’s orders. This was another victory for them.

Well, involving the first elder was not what they wanted, but it was enough to corner the Patriarch and his underlings for now.

Madam Li gave a slight nod, "As you command, Patriarch."

"Everyone is dismissed!" And with that, Gu Yangtian stood up and without giving anyone else the chance to question his orders to do this or that, he stormed out of the grand hall.

On the other hand, Gu Chen remained heavily kneeling on the floor as he watched everyone else leave one by one, his eyes turning bloodshot with hatred as he glared at Gu Fan’s retreating back.

’Gu Fan! You have played the useless bastard for so long.’

’I will find out who is behind you.’

’And once I am done with him...’

’I will give you the death that will make those Blood Fiends shiver.’

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