The Su Family Ancestor had publicly decided to punish Su Zhongyuan, and Su Mingqi and the other collateral-line disciples watched the place where the ancestor was in seclusion with eager anticipation.
They knew that the Su Family Ancestor had always been fiercely protective of the direct bloodline. He had never severely punished them; at most, he had given them a few scolding words and let it go.
But now, the Su Family Ancestor had actually sentenced Su Zhongyuan to a hundred lashes. That was enough to leave him gravely injured. It seemed the ancestor really was furious with Su Zhongyuan's behavior.
But no one expected the Su Family Ancestor to cough and then say to Su Mingqi and the others, "As for you, you are also members of the Su Family, even if you are collateral relatives. Has anyone in our family ever treated you like outsiders?
"Gathering together to cause a scene today was sheer nonsense! The Su Family is not what it used to be, and we have outsiders here. What kind of spectacle are you making of yourselves? Everyone who came today will forfeit a month's worth of their pill stipend. If you make trouble again, you'll be sent to the Law Enforcement Hall!"
Su Mingqi and the other collateral-line disciples were dumbfounded.
They had thought they could force the Su Family Ancestor to yield this time and change the status of collateral-line disciples within the family.
Who could have guessed that this would be the result? The Su Family Ancestor still refused to give them the status they deserved, brushing them off with a half-hearted compromise. And in the end, he had even given them a small warning.
Su Mingqi's eyes were bloodshot. He wanted to say something, but forced the words back down.
It wasn't