Cold-faced Empress

Fu Siying glanced at "Banzhu Shidi" and lowered her head, her face indifferent.

The surname Fu originated from the Shang Dynasty. Legend has it that Emperor Gaozong of Shang was eager to revitalize the weak national power, but he was troubled by the lack of capable ministers in the court. One night, he dreamed of a sage named "Shuo" who looked like a prisoner and claimed to have a good plan for governing the country.

After Emperor Gaozong of Shang awoke, he painted a portrait of the sage and ordered people to search for him. Sure enough, they found a slave named "Shuo" who worked as a bricklayer building a city in a place called Fuyan.

It is said that after being invited back to the court by Emperor Gaozong of Shang, he put forward many good policies for governing the country. Later, Emperor Gaozong appointed him as prime minister, which gradually strengthened the Shang Dynasty. He then took Fu as his surname and became the ancestor of the Fu clan.

This is the origin of the Fu family being known as "the most prestigious family in the country".

Reflecting on the origins of the Fu surname and looking at the current state of her family, Fu Siying felt that her family had failed her ancestor, Fu Yue.

Our ancestors rose from slavery, yet now our powerful clan looks down not only on slaves, but even on their adopted sons. I wonder what face our clan has left to uphold our family name.

The third wife led Fu Siying and her family into the front hall: "Please sit down, sister-in-law. I will go and invite Mother right away."

Having said that, he quickly left. The maids of the main household silently served him tea and refreshments.

Having not visited her ancestral home for a long time, everything here was completely unfamiliar to Fu Siying.

On the wall directly opposite the main entrance hangs a large character, "忠" (loyalty), written neatly and upright. On either side of the character are a couplet: the first line reads, "Building a family reputation through arduous deeds," and the second line reads, "Bestowed with imperial favor, receiving the lasting fragrance of seven prime ministers."

The "seven prime ministers" refers to the fact that the Fu family produced seven prime ministers. Of course, this does not include Fu Siying's father, Fu Qing.

In front of the partition wall is a long table with several scrolls of imperial edicts on it, displaying the rewards and honors the family has received from emperors throughout history.

In front of the imperial edict was a small incense burner with a stick of freshly lit incense inside.

Fu Siying and Madam Li sat in two rows of carved mahogany chairs in the hall, with Madam Li's younger sister and Wei Lanling sitting opposite them, all with solemn expressions.

Unlike previous visits where they were met with indifference, this time the family members quickly and enthusiastically arrived at the front hall. Fu Shi and Fu Wen, holding official positions, were not at home, and all matters were arranged by Old Madam Fu.

Of course, it doesn't matter who's missing, but Fu Yili absolutely has to be there.

Everyone looked grim, and the Second Madam, Zhang, was as black as a zombie.

Madam Fu said to Madam Li, "Last night in the ancestral hall, I made Yili kneel before the ancestral tablets and swear that if he had ever done anything improper to Miss Wei, may he be struck by lightning!"

Such harsh words from the very first word naturally shocked Madam Li. If Old Madam Fu could even swear that her eldest grandson would be struck by lightning, how could anyone dare question whether Fu Yili was lying?

Seeing that Li was stunned and remained silent, Madam Fu continued, "Miss Wei encountered an accident in our family, and our family cannot escape responsibility. Although Miss Wei has preserved her chastity, her reputation has been tarnished, which will affect her marriage prospects. Last night, Zhang and Zhao discussed it, and in order to compensate Miss Wei, we agreed that she can henceforth be referred to as our family's cousin and use our family's reputation to choose a good husband."

The old lady paused, then added, "This is also for the sake of Miss Wei's future."

As soon as she finished speaking, Fu Siying sneered, "Heh, what a huge concession."

The title of "Cousin of the Clan" is truly an immense honor.

Upon being ridiculed by Fu Siying, Old Madam Fu's expression immediately changed, and she glared at Fu Siying with hostility. Fu Siying didn't say much. Although she had gained a new understanding of the family's stinginess and shamelessness, she was naturally delighted that Wei Lanling was the one who suffered the loss.