I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 898 Why didn't you consider the bigger picture?
Zhang Chen was unaware that someone was secretly watching him, and especially when he saw that Zhang Shen was not giving an inch in the face, a hint of admiration appeared on his face.

"Hmph, this boy disrespects his elders and is rebellious and rude; he should be expelled from the family!" Someone, however, disapproved of Zhang Chen's actions and shouted angrily.

The old man who had spoken of praise glanced at the other person sideways: "Elders? Respecting elders depends on whether they are truly worthy of respect. If they only know how to blindly obey and compromise, they are mediocre and not capable of supporting the Zhang family's vast fortune."

"Zhang Laosi, what do you mean by that? The head of the Zhang family is Zhang Shenqi. Whether the Zhang family will rise in the future and whether the family can be supported will naturally be upheld by the descendants of Zhang Shenqi. What does it have to do with him?" The person who couldn't stand it immediately retorted.

"Hehe! Zhang Laoba, you're mistaken! Zhang Chen is the true heir of the Zhang family, Zhang Shenqi is merely a temporary replacement. Now that Zhang Chen has returned, and given his ability to overthrow the Pingbian Prince's Mansion and disrupt our Zhang family's centuries-old plan, he is a man of great ability. Only when the Zhang family is in the hands of such a person can we feel at ease!" Zhang Laosi retorted.
“The head of the Zhang family originally belonged to someone else. Now that the master has returned, he should relinquish the position.”

The people inside the pavilion were arguing incessantly, and the atmosphere below was also tense.

"Zhang Chen, don't be so arrogant. You ruined the great cause of the Pingbian Prince's Mansion, and we haven't even settled accounts with you yet. How dare you bring it up?" Zhang Shenqi was losing his composure at this point, and his mentality was somewhat unbalanced.

How could he not understand the meaning behind Zhang Chen's previous words?
Wasn't Zhang Chen's statement, "The Prince of Pingbian probably won't have a chance to help me change it, but I wonder if my second uncle will have a chance to help me change it," a clear act of defiance? The last Prince of Pingbian who opposed him had already been defeated by him, and now that he had met Zhang Shenqi, Zhang Shenqi would naturally suffer the same fate.

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhang Shenqi was immediately enraged. How dare a junior speak to him like that? Where was he supposed to put his old face?
"If you're going to block my way and spout this useless nonsense, you'd better get out of my way and not waste my time." After hearing the other party's angry words, Zhang Chen's attitude became even more arrogant.

"How dare you be so arrogant? Believe me, I'll order someone to throw you out right now!" Zhang Shenqi said coldly.

"You think the Zhang family belongs to you alone? You shameless bastard who usurped the throne and betrayed your brother, how dare you show your face in front of me? You really have a thick skin." Zhang Chen made no attempt to hide his mockery and hostility towards Zhang Shenqi: "Come on! I'm standing right here now. You can send someone to throw me out and stop me, Zhang Chen, from recognizing my ancestors!"

Zhang Chen confronted General Zhang Shenqi directly, cornering him against the wall. Zhang Shenqi trembled, his face turning green with anger, his eyes fixed on Zhang Chen, but he couldn't utter a word.

Would he dare to kick Zhang Chen out?
Zhang Chen is originally a member of the Zhang family, and returning to acknowledge his ancestors is the right thing to do. If he dares to drive Zhang Chen out, it would be against family etiquette, and the elders would never allow him to do so. They might even make things difficult for him and threaten his position as family head. What's more, the Great Victory King previously mentioned in court that he would allow Zhang Chen to return home to acknowledge his ancestors. Although it was just a brief mention, it still reflected the Great Victory King's will. If Zhang Shenqi dares to stop Zhang Chen, he would be slapping the Great Victory King in the face, giving the Great Victory King an opportunity to seize the opportunity to label him as disrespectful, imprison him, and then use the opportunity to support Zhang Chen to ascend to the throne, making the Zhang family's situation even more passive.

“We’re all family, what can’t we talk about properly? Why be so tense? Let’s all calm down and talk things out.” Seeing Zhang Shenqi being cornered by Zhang Chen, Zhang Gaqi quickly stepped forward and spoke up.

He was also cursing Zhang Shenqi in his heart for being utterly useless, unable to even argue with a child, and for having lived a wasted life.

Zhang Chen gave a cold snort and remained silent. Zhang Shenqi glanced at Zhang Chen and said, "You're just a child who hasn't received proper upbringing. I won't hold a grudge against you. I've come to you today to reason with you."

"Oh?" Zhang Chen glanced at Zhang Shenqi: "I haven't received a good education, isn't that because of you, you despicable scoundrel? You beast who betrays even your own brothers, I see your education is of no use at all?"

The bluestone beneath Zhang Shenqi's feet cracked and sputtered, his breathing became labored, his face turned a purplish-brown, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

“Let’s talk this out. The important thing is to resolve this issue. What’s the point of just arguing?” Zhang Gaqi quickly intervened to smooth things over.
"Second brother, say what you have to say quickly, or I'm going to leave with Zhang Chen."

Zhang Shenqi took a deep breath, trying his best to control his emotions and speak in a calm voice: "Do you think I stopped you today for my own sake? Actually, I did it for the greater good of the Zhang family! Do you know what would happen if you returned to the Zhang family?"

Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Shenqi without saying a word, simply watching the other's performance.

“As you know, you are the direct descendant of the Zhang family. After your father went to the north, the elders of the family put me in the position of clan leader. I have already cultivated my own trusted followers and loyalists in the family, which involves the entire Zhang family business. With each new emperor comes a new court. The faction your father cultivated back then has long been exiled or demoted by me. If you return to the Zhang family now, what do you think they will think?” Zhang Shenqi looked at Zhang Chen, and before Zhang Chen could speak, he continued:

"To turn the tables, they'll choose to elevate you to the top, to overthrow my faction. I will never compromise. In that case, we'll have no choice but to fight to the death. The Zhang family's division is imminent, a terrible disaster is just around the corner. When the internal strife breaks out, it will inevitably involve the eight great families, giving the Prince an opportunity to uproot my eight great families. You will then be the culprit in the destruction of my Zhang family." Zhang Chen remained silent, simply looking at Zhang Gaqi. Zhang Gaqi said, "If you consider the bigger picture and leave the Zhang family now, never to return, I can arrange for you to live a life of luxury, ensuring your descendants will always have inexhaustible resources."

As Zhang Shenqi finished speaking, the air seemed to fall silent. Dozens of Zhang family elders in the distant pavilion stared intently at the scene, awaiting Zhang Chen's reply.

"Zhang Laosi, what do you think he should do?" Zhang Laoba suddenly asked.

Zhang Laosi, who had always been optimistic about Zhang Chen, remained silent, his fists clenched tightly in his sleeves, lost in thought.

"If it were you, what would you choose for the sake of the family?" Zhang Laoba asked again.

"Family heritage is more important than anything else!" After a long silence, Zhang Laosi finally spoke up in a low voice, "But this kid is no pushover. I hope he can give me a different answer."

At this moment, everyone was watching Zhang Chen, and Zhang Gaqi, standing to the side, dared not breathe, afraid that he might inadvertently influence Zhang Chen's choice.

The future of the Zhang family rests in the hands of the person standing before them. How the Zhang family will develop in the future, whether they will face a storm or weather the storm peacefully, all depends on this moment.

Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Shenqi, a strange smile slowly curving his lips: Using family righteousness to pressure him?

Do they really think they're made of clay? Moral blackmail only works on true gentlemen, but it's useless against petty people.

Unfortunately, Zhang Chen was not a gentleman; he was a complete scoundrel.

"You keep talking about the family's great cause. It seems you always keep the future development of the family in mind. In your heart, the family's glory and development are more important than anything else?" Zhang Chen looked at Zhang Shenqi.

“That’s right. In my heart, the development of the family is more important than anything else. No matter who dares to hinder the development of the family or stand against the family, I will use swift and decisive measures to eliminate all hidden dangers.” Zhang Shenqi said very solemnly.

Upon hearing Zhang Shenqi's words, Zhang Chen's lips curled up: "Since the family is more important than anything to you, then in order to prevent the family from being divided and to prevent bloodshed, I ask you to step down as the clan leader and return the position of family head to my lineage. This is the only way I can think of to avoid the bloodshed and division of the family."

Upon hearing Zhang Chen's words, Zhang Gaqi was stunned. The elders watching the play in the pavilion in the distance were dumbfounded. Zhang Shenqi, who was opposite Zhang Chen, was even more struck by lightning. He stared blankly at Zhang Chen, his brain seemingly frozen and unable to say anything.

"The Zhang family's crisis stems from your betrayal of the family head and your illegitimate rise to power. If you truly care for the family and consider the family's interests and honor above personal gain, then simply stepping down and relinquishing the position of family head will restore order to everything, and everything will resolve itself naturally." Zhang Chen smiled at Zhang Shenqi.
"You're not some hypocrite who just shouts slogans and talks about benevolence, morality, and family righteousness, are you? No way! No way! How could the head of the Zhang family be a hypocrite!" Zhang Chen spoke again, directly cornering the other party against the wall.

Previously, Zhang Shenqi had been upholding the slogan of family righteousness, attributing all his actions to the good of the family. At this moment, Zhang Chen suddenly raised a fatal question, directly cornering the other party.

Didn't you use the pretext of family loyalty? Are you trying to bind me with the shackles of family loyalty?
Alright, now all you have to do is abdicate and pass the throne to me, and all the problems will be solved!

Zhang Shenqi's face darkened completely, and he was at a loss for words due to Zhang Chen's question.

If he truly cared for the family, he should have passed the throne to Zhang Chen to prevent bloodshed!

(End of this chapter)