Qin Fen spun an exaggerated tale, piling accusation upon accusation onto Qin Chen. He concluded dramatically, **"If not for Qin Chen, how could our Qin family have offended Master Liang Yu, causing us to lose so many treasures? If this continues, soon even the simplest dealings with the Artificers' Pavilion will become impossible for us!"**
Standing in the center of the hall, Qin Chen felt the weight of countless hostile gazes and listened to Qin Fen's performance with cold amusement.
*"All those so-called 'losses,' including the Black Abyss Ore, amount to just seventy thousand silver coins—a drop in the bucket for the Qin family. Yet they're acting as if I've bankrupted them. Ridiculous."*
One of the elders, the Second Elder—a senior figure who had once hoped Qin Yuechi's marriage into royalty would secure him a court position—glared at Qin Chen. **"Qin Chen, do you have anything to say for yourself?"**
Qin Chen couldn't be bothered to argue. **"I have nothing to say."**
**"Hmph! Even now, this little beast shows no remorse! Does he even consider himself part of the Qin family?"** Another elder slammed the table and turned to Qin Yuanxiong. **"Family Head, I propose we expel this wretch from the Qin estate before he brings further disaster upon us!"**
**"I agree!"**
**"If we don't cast him out, the Qin family will suffer for it sooner or later!"**
**"An ungrateful viper!"**
Voices rose from the elders and stewards, demanding that Qin Chen be expelled.
Zhao Feng hid a smirk. These elders had already conspired with her. Today, the mother and son would be driven out for good.
**"Elders, this is too extreme!"** Qin Yuanzhi interjected urgently. **"Expulsion is a grave matter. At the very least, we should wait for the old master to return!"**
**"Qin Yuanzhi, the old master, is stationed at the border, fighting the Zhao Kingdom. He won't return for three to five years. Are we to wait that long?"**
**"Exactly! Exceptional circumstances call for exceptional measures. This brat has already offended Master Liang Yu and Prince Rui. Who's next—the Emperor himself?"**
**"A disgrace like him tarnishes our family's honor!"**
The elders' voices were laced with venom. Despite their advanced age, their eyes were as sharp as daggers, glaring at Qin Chen not as a family member but as an enemy.
Qin Yuanzhi sighed inwardly and turned to Qin Yuanxiong. **"Elder Brother..."**
Qin Yuanxiong raised a hand, cutting him off. His gaze was icy as he addressed Qin Chen. **"Qin Chen, rules exist for a reason. The Qin family's rise in the Great Qi Kingdom is built on strict discipline. But you are, after all, my nephew. I'll give you one final chance to explain yourself."**
**"Family Head, why bother?"**
**"The facts are clear. Just cast him out—he's not even formally registered as a Qin family member!"**
**"We've fed and housed him all these years. That's more than he deserves!"**
The elders and stewards protested, baffled why the Family Head would still entertain an explanation.
Faced with their ravenous hostility, Qin Chen merely smiled. **"If you're so eager for me to leave, then I'll go. Why the theatrics? As if I care."**
**"Qin Chen!"** Qin Yuanzhi's voice was strained with urgency. His eyes darted to Qin Yuechi, only to find her expression resolute yet desolate, her gaze sweeping coldly over the assembly.
Zhao Feng, however, pounced on Qin Chen's words like a vulture. **"Elders, did you hear that? This is how the little beast speaks of our family!"**
**"Hah! You all just said I'm not a Qin family member. Why should I care what you think?"** Qin Chen's voice dripped with scorn. **"The Qin family? Spare me. I've never considered myself one of you, nor do I want to. Don't force your delusions on me."**
**"You—how dare you!"**
The elders trembled with rage, their faces paling as if on the verge of collapse.
**"How dare I? Hah! How could I possibly dare? You're all esteemed figures of the Qin family, while I'm just a lowly outsider. But let me ask you—in all these years, has anyone in this family ever treated my mother and me as human beings?"**
**"My mother is the Qin family's eldest daughter—your flesh and blood! Yet look how you've treated her. Strangers humiliate her, fine. But you—her own family—join in bullying a defenseless woman. Don't you feel ashamed? Don't you see how despicable you are?"**
**"Take you, Zhao Feng. You've harassed my mother at every turn. Days ago, when I lay near death from my injuries, my mother knelt outside your door all night, begging for a mere Revitalizing Pill. And what did you do? You made her grovel before Prince Rui!"**
**"That dog Zhao Qirui—do you not know his reputation? A beast in human skin! And you sent my mother to him, pushing her straight into the abyss!"**
Qin Chen's roar shook the hall, each word a blade of righteous fury that left the elders reeling.
A deathly silence fell. Except for Qin Yuanzhi, who had only just returned, every elder and steward wore expressions of guilt—because they knew Qin Chen spoke the truth.
**"A Revitalizing Pill is just a second-grade pill. And my mother—the Qin family's eldest daughter! Your sister, your niece, your blood! Yet you let Zhao Feng torment her for it. Did any of you lift a finger? Did any of you see us as human?"**
**"And now you dare speak to me of family rules? I was never a Qin to begin with. Don't you dare try to judge me by your hypocritical standards!"**
His voice, sharp as a sword, echoed through the hall. The killing intent in his eyes left everyone speechless.
**"You—you—this little beast is utterly lawless!"** Zhao Feng shrieked, her face twisted with venom.
**"Elder Brother, what is the meaning of this?"** Qin Yuanzhi demanded, his voice harsh. As the manager of the Qin family's external affairs, he was often away from the estate. Had he been present, he would never have allowed this.