A group of people filed into the room in a formidable procession.
The servants had already served tea, its fragrance curling in the air, yet the atmosphere in the room was far from harmonious.
Tang Jiaquan was the first to speak: "Yesterday, when I went to the storeroom to fetch some tea, I noticed many antique treasures were missing. Unless the Old Master took them out for his appreciation, they must have been stolen and sold off by the servants. This matter could be trivial or serious, so I've come specifically to confirm with the Old Master."
Steward Tang bowed his head and said, "The storeroom ledger records it clearly. I retrieved them on the Old Master's behalf."
"Oh? And where are the items now?" Tang Jiaquan smiled. "The Old Master's bedroom is only so large. I didn't see any of those treasures there."
A flush of anger appeared on Tang Che's sickly pale face. "So, this is an inquisition?"
"You misunderstand, Old Master," Tang Jiaquan said respectfully. "I am merely concerned that in your advanced age, you might have been misled or deceived by some unscrupulous individuals into giving away the Tang family's treasures. Every brick, every tile, every plant and tree of the Tang estate was built through your lifelong toil and sweat. It pains me to think of it being lost."
Tang Che raised his hand and smashed his teacup onto the floor.
Though aged and ill, and largely withdrawn from affairs, his authority remained. The shattering of the cup instantly cowed Tang Jiaquan, who fell silent, trembling like a quail.
Madam Tang also dared not speak, stealing a glance towards the eldest among the clan elders.
That was Third Great-Uncle Tang, Tang Che's cousin.
Third Great-Uncle Tang stood up. "Elder Brother, please don't be angry. We are only concerned about the whereabouts of the treasures. After all, for such a large family, there must be an accounting for the disposition of any significant assets, must there not?"
Tang Che laughed in sheer exasperation. "The fortune I built with my own hands—who I give it to must now be justified to you? Are you taking advantage of my age and frailty?"
Third Great-Uncle Tang took a deep breath. "The ancestral teaching states: 'Accumulate wealth to nurture descendants, store up virtue to shelter future generations.' As the helmsman of the Tang family, you have enjoyed the shelter of our ancestors and the support of the clan. Now, by arbitrarily selling off a vast amount of the family's antique treasures, how can you face so many clansmen?"
Being questioned so directly, Tang Che choked, a wave of violent coughs racking his body.
Tang Youyi's expression changed drastically. "All of you, get out! If anything happens to my uncle today, every single one of you—whether you're a clan elder or not—I, Tang Youyi, will not let it slide..."
Fearing they might actually provoke Tang Che's death, the group fell silent.
"You've had your say. Now it's my turn." Tang Che wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice cold and stern with authority. "I, Tang Che, started as an apprentice in my teens, ventured to Southeast Asia at twenty, built factories at thirty... In those chaotic times, my family was shattered, with no clan to support me. Everything the Tang family has today, I fought for with my life."
He violently tore open his robe, revealing a vicious scar on his chest. "This was from a knife slash in the black market when I was forty. And here," he pointed to another mark, "a gunshot wound from a kidnapping when I was forty-two... Where were all of you hiding then? What were you doing?"
"And now, when I dispose of my own property, you come to lecture me?"
The clan elders dared not even breathe loudly.
Tang Youyi hung his head, tears falling silently, impossible to wipe away.
Back then, to secure his position as heir, he too had brought clan elders to exert pressure. Looking back, he realized how despicable he had been.
Third Great-Uncle Tang was weighed down, unable to lift his head. After a long while, he spoke with difficulty, "E-elder Brother... if you insist on gifting the Tang family property to outsiders without proper cause, then... after your passing, you will not be permitted burial in the ancestral graves, nor will your memorial tablet be allowed in the ancestral hall... There will be no one to sweep your grave during Qingming, no offerings during the Ghost Festival..."
"I've lived a hundred years. I've long seen through such things—a mound of yellow earth, bury it wherever you like." Tang Che closed his eyes. "If you continue to privately investigate how I handle my assets, then don't blame me for selling off the Tang Group shares as well."
This statement completely subdued everyone present.
After all, the antique treasures were just objects. The real money tree was the Tang Group, whose annual dividends represented a colossal fortune.
If those shares were dispersed, the Tang family would truly be finished.
The clan elders looked at each other, sighed silently, cupped their hands in a gesture of farewell, and left.
"Uncle..." Tang Youyi walked to the bedside. "However you choose to handle the property, I have no objections. Whether you choose a descendant of mine as heir or not, I will still ensure your funeral rites are performed, that your grave is tended..."
Tang Che nodded. "I know."
This nephew was a good man, honest and kind-hearted since childhood.
That's why, even if the nephew wasn't the sharpest and sometimes made mistakes after listening to others' whispers, Tang Che could forgive and overlook it.
"The heir I have in mind is Tang Jin," Tang Che said softly. "From now on, focus all your efforts on nurturing Tang Jin. But don't make it too obvious, lest she be toppled before she can establish herself."
Tang Youyi was taken aback.
He truly hadn't expected his uncle to choose a girl.
This granddaughter was the third among the girls. As her father had died early, he hadn't paid her much attention.
He bowed his head. "Yes, Uncle."
After Tang Youyi left, Tang Che instructed the steward: "Have all the antique treasures from the storeroom sent to the auction house. After I'm gone, donate this bank card anonymously to the Fourth Aerospace Research Institute."
The fixed collection would be sold and donated.
The Tang Group would be left to the Tang family.
This was his carefully considered decision.
Tang Youyi walked outside, raised his hand, and delivered a fierce slap to his eldest grandson Tang Jiaquan's face. "You wretched fool! How dare you lead the clan elders here to make trouble! What, did you truly think being the eldest grandson of the main line would let you off lightly?"
"What are you doing!" Madam Tang frowned. "Jiaquan was acting for the good of the Tang family. What has he done wrong?"
"Step aside! Today I must properly teach this disrespectful brat a lesson!" Tang Youyi shoved Madam Tang aside.
Wearing high heels, Madam Tang lost her balance and fell to the floor. Enraged, she cried, "Fine, Tang Youyi! I've been married to you for forty or fifty years, and in my old age, you humiliate me like this? If this is how it is, then none of us will have any peace..."
Tang Jiaquan seized the chaos to slip away.
As the couple argued, a servant approached and said, "Master, Madam, Third Young Miss has returned."
Immediately after, a young woman in a pale pink trench coat walked in.
"Grandfather, Grandmother," Tang Jin greeted them politely. "I've come to see the Great-Grandfather. Is it convenient now?"
Tang Youyi looked seriously at this granddaughter.
Since she was the heir chosen by his uncle, she must have exceptional qualities. He would simply follow orders.
He nodded. "You may go in."
Tang Jin visited every few days and was very familiar with the place. She walked in, smiling. "I brought Great-Grandfather a box of fine tea. It's not a famous or expensive variety. I planted the tea bushes myself. Shall we taste it?"
Tang Che's expression softened considerably.
Among the children of this generation, Tang Jin visited him the most.
Filial piety is the foremost virtue; he always placed it first.
It was precisely because Tang Jin was filial that he had the interest to continue evaluating her other qualities.
Twenty-one years old, a university graduate, she had just joined Tang Jewelry, working in the design department.
She never disclosed her identity as a member of the Tang family to her colleagues. Her exceptional performance at work saw her promoted from intern to full-time employee within just a month. Over her six months at Tang Corporation, she had risen to become the head of the design department, leading a team of several people.
