Chapter 843: I Use the Ancestral Hall as a Card Table
If he chose the latter, the Tang family would very likely face turmoil, even a split, while the former ultimately had a greater chance of success.
Thus, this multiple-choice question became very simple.
The Old Master of the Tang family decided to support Shang Xingzhou, and naturally, he had to abandon Chen Changsheng.
The Old Master decided to pass the Tang family to the Second Branch, and naturally, he had to start suppressing the First Branch.
If Tang Thirty-Six had been a mediocre person, this matter might have been relatively simple.
But he wasn’t, and he had a friend who was the current Pope.
So the Old Master could only lock him in the ancestral hall.
He might be imprisoned for a lifetime, turning into a white-haired madman after decades or a century.
More likely, when Shang Xingzhou reconquered the National Religion and eliminated Chen Changsheng, he would be given a bowl of poison.
Yes, poison, a dagger, white silk, a pit—no matter the method, it all ended in death.
If this had been a few years earlier, Tang Thirty-Six certainly wouldn’t have believed the Old Master would do this.
Now, he had long understood that the so-called kind grandfather was merely an illusion, or a delusion.
The Old Master had held him on his knee, telling those ancient stories, painting a glorious future, doting on him endlessly—this was love.
But he didn’t love the little boy in his arms or on his lap; he loved the Tang family’s future.
Now, the Old Master had arranged a new future for the Tang family and had a new grandson.
So, for the sake of the Tang family’s future, however much he had once doted on Tang Thirty-Six, he was now just that cold.
From the moment he understood this, Tang Thirty-Six never again hoped his grandfather would release him.
He didn’t want to be imprisoned in the ancestral hall for life, nor did he want to die silently.
He wanted to leave this place, but he had never made any attempt.
Because on the second day after he was locked in the ancestral hall, many of his father’s loyal subordinates tried to rescue him.
Those people died, and afterward, even more from the First Branch died.
He could only become more silent.
Whether it was notes hidden in stones thrown over the wall or secret marks carved on the bottoms of serving dishes, he could only pretend not to see them.
Gradually, no more children threw stones over the wall, and no kites appeared in the sky.
The main door of the ancestral hall had not been opened for a long time.
……
……
No matter how well maintained, when a door that hasn’t been opened for a long time swings open again, it always makes some unpleasant creaking sounds.
The main door of the ancestral hall opened, and a cold winter wind mixed with snowflakes drifted in.
Tang Thirty-Six sat on a cushion, staring at a spot among the top row of memorial tablets, not turning around.
The old Tang family elder stood behind him and said, “The Old Master has words for you.”
There was no casual chat after a long separation, no warm greetings, not even a summary of what had happened.
The old elder looked at his back, his face expressionless.
“You need to investigate two matters: whether the Second Master poisoned anyone and whether he colluded with the demon race.”
“You have one hour. During this time, the entire Tang family is yours.”
Tang Thirty-Six didn’t turn around. He still quietly stared at those tablet-like memorial tablets in the dim ancestral hall.
After an unknown amount of time, he finally spoke.
Speaking for the first time in half a year, his voice was slightly hoarse and his pronunciation a bit stiff.
“That guy’s here?”
The old elder said, “Yes.”
Tang Thirty-Six still didn’t turn around and asked, “What did he and the Old Master talk about?”
The old elder was silent for a moment, then repeated the conversation between Chen Changsheng and the Old Master in the old mansion earlier, without a single word wrong.
Then he said, “You’ve already wasted the time it takes to drink two cups of tea.”
“This is the Tang family. If I want to do something, why would I need that much time?”
Tang Thirty-Six stretched lazily, and dust burst from his clothes.
This stretch was extremely relaxed, and faint cracking sounds could even be heard.
Then, he got up from the ground, patted the dust off his butt, and pulled out a grand armchair from the ancestral hall to sit in.
Now, he was still disheveled and covered in dust, but his eyes were no longer indifferent—they were extremely bright, even sharp.
There was no longer any sense of lifelessness; his body was filled with a vitality that seemed to come from nowhere.
Seeing this scene, the old Tang family elder narrowed his eyes slightly.
“That freak from the Longevity Sect is called Chu Su? The name’s pretty arrogant. I appreciate it.”
Tang Thirty-Six reached out, took a bowl of tea from the mute servant, took a sip, and continued, “If he’s already left Wenshui by now, where would I catch him?”
The old elder thought of something and had a strange expression. He said, “From the first day he entered the city, the Old Master had people watching him. He can’t leave.”
“Then what do you need me for?” Tang Thirty-Six dipped his index finger into the tea bowl, flicked some tea water toward the dense rows of memorial tablets behind him, and said, “As for the second matter, it’s very simple. Don’t worry, Great Elder. I have my own way to prove to the Old Master the relationship between Second Uncle and the demon race.”
The old elder said expressionlessly, “So what are you going to do now?”
“Call over Seventh Uncle, call over Sixteenth Uncle, and invite the maternal uncle from Jia’er Lane.”
Tang Thirty-Six said casually, “Haven’t seen these relatives in a long time. I have to say, I kind of miss them.”
The old elder didn’t know why he wanted to see these people or how it related to the two matters to be investigated.
Neither did the people guarding outside the ancestral hall.
But the Old Master had made it very clear: for this one hour, the entire city of Wenshui was under Tang Thirty-Six’s authority.
Even if he just wanted to see these few people, or even if he wanted to summon the entire clan to the ancestral hall, it had to be done.
Even though the snow was heavy today, no one dared to defy the Old Master’s will. Before long, those three people arrived at the ancestral hall.
Looking at Tang Thirty-Six sitting in the grand armchair, the three of them felt very conflicted, unsure how to face him.
The Pope had come to Wenshui City, the ancestral hall’s door had opened, and it was said the Old Master had given Tang Thirty-Six great authority—what did this mean?
Could it be that the First Branch, on the verge of losing power, was about to turn things around?
“Nothing special. The Old Master rarely gave me an hour of freedom and said I could do whatever I wanted.”
Tang Thirty-Six looked at them and said, “So I called you three here to play cards with me.”
The three were startled, exchanged glances, and then looked at the old elder.
Tang Thirty-Six looked at the old elder and said, “I can do anything, so that includes playing cards, right?”
The old elder said expressionlessly, “Yes.”
A card table was quickly prepared.
The emerald-green jade mahjong tiles were arranged neatly, a pleasing sight.
“It’s really a joy to look at, don’t you think, Seventh Uncle?”
Tang Thirty-Six gently rubbed the back of a tile with his fingertip and said with emotion, “I wonder how the scenery in the Bamboo Garden is in this cold winter.”
Including his Seventh Uncle, the other three at the card table only stared at the tiles before them, without response or reaction.
“Send people from Maple Hall to check it out. Seal off the Bamboo Garden. Not a single file or person can be lost.” Tang Thirty-Six said, looking at the tiles.
The old elder said nothing, but if one looked closely, he nodded slightly.
Outside the ancestral hall, countless stewards and subordinates from the old mansion were waiting and then dispersed.
Hearing this, that Seventh Uncle finally couldn’t help but look up at Tang Thirty-Six.
Tang Thirty-Six showed no reaction. He drew a tile and continued, “Cloud Team goes to Jingyu, River Hall goes to Hesi. I want the map of Jingyu and the bills from Hesi.”
By this point, the remaining two at the card table also finally lifted their heads.