Chapter 852 - 68: Gu Clan’s Hidden World, The Thorny Path

Julu, ancestral home of the Gu Clan.

Inside the hall, elders of the clan stood solemnly, their expressions grave, as an almost palpable solemnity lingered in the air.

Gu Xiuyuan stood at the forefront, his posture straight like a pine tree.

His gaze calmly swept over the ancestral tablets in the shrine, then he took the lead in burning incense and performing the rituals. The clansmen followed suit, kneeling in unison, their movements solemn and aligned, completing a silent sacrificial ceremony amidst swirling incense smoke.

After the ceremony, everyone stood up, but the tension in the atmosphere only intensified.

All eyes inevitably turned to Gu Hui, who stood in the center. His figure was lean but stood straight, calmly accepting the scrutiny from everyone.

An elder of the clan was the first to break the silence, tightly holding a scroll, his knuckles slightly white from exertion, his voice trembling with incredulity: "Gu Hui...is this truly written by you?"

"Do you realize how shocking its contents are?!"

"Today, in front of our ancestors—"

"You must explain this matter clearly!"

The silence was instantly shattered.

This was the fundamental reason for today’s gathering; only some elders of the Gu Clan could be present, with Gu Hui being the only youngster among them.

As Gu Yi had anticipated, this matter was indeed quite significant.

It hadn’t even been spread outside yet.

Among the Gu Clan, it had already stirred a great reaction.

—This is like flipping the table!

For all the scholars under heaven today, what Gu Hui was about to do was exactly this!

It was to tell everyone under heaven, all learned people!

Everything you once learned is wrong!

No such thing as a family’s domain;

No infallible Emperor;

No eternal Saint!

How could such a thing not cause a massive reaction?

Just from the current situation, one could see how significant this matter truly was!

"Explain clearly?" Gu Hui faced the gazes that were either in shock, anger, or confusion, his voice clear and calm, "Is it that the uncles and grandfathers wish to know why I wrote these ’heretical’ words?"

An elder with white hair and beard looked at Gu Hui and promptly said, "Hui, we have all read the arguments above."

"What you said is profound, we have foresight, we old bones are not ignorant."

Another elder next to him added in a deep voice, "It is precisely because we understand, that we fear more."

"You are not just moving a few bricks and tiles, you are shaking the foundations that have been taken for granted by everyone for millennia."

"Outside, it will be a mammoth wave, can our Gu Clan... truly remain unscathed in this tide?"

"What we fear is not being able to protect you, let alone this family."

With these words, the atmosphere in the hall immediately sank once more.

The faces of nearly all the elders were filled with worry, Gu Xiuyuan included.

How could they not understand?

As descendants of the Gu Clan, no matter how insufficient their talents might be, it was only relative; those who reached their current position in the Gu Clan were selected through strict criteria for their identity, loyalty, and ability.

But precisely because they understood, they feared even more!

—Matters of ritual and law have existed since ancient times.

These rites and laws have long been not merely ceremonies, but the very order deeply rooted in the vast land of Kyushu for millennia.

It defines ruler and subject, father and son, setting the framework for hierarchy, constructing a comprehensive code of conduct and value system from court to countryside.

In truth, if Gu Hui was to do this, his opponents would not just be the people of today, but the ancient sages too!

Gu Hui’s gaze swept over the concerned faces of each elder, seeing clearly their unspoken words and fears hidden in their hearts. He did not directly refute the warnings about the sages but instead steered the topic deeper, speaking with a calm and sincere tone:

"The worries of the elders, I fully empathize with."

"The weight of rituals concerns the foundation of order, how dare I lightly discard it?"

"However, my thoughts are not to sever the roots of Kyushu’s civilization. On the contrary, it is to find the true spirit of these rites’ inception for our clan and the world—’adapting to circumstances, putting people first’."

He paused slightly, letting his words echo in the silent ancestral hall.

"The ancient sages, like Duke Zhou and Confucius, made rituals and music to quell chaos and stabilize the people."

"Their greatness lay in finding the most suitable order for the world at that time."

"However, a thousand years later, our world’s territories, population, level of skill, and even people’s thoughts are incomparable to the past."

"If we descendants only adhere to the texts without daring to change, is it not truly betraying the sages’ true intent of ’flexibility and adaptability’?"

His voice gradually firmed up, bearing an undeniable logical force:

"Our Gu Clan’s ancestors were able to support the realm through chaotic times precisely because they understood the essence of ’change’."

"What they safeguarded was never a dynasty under one surname, or an unchanging rule, but the stability for the countless people to live in peace and prosperity."

"Now, the old framework can no longer bear the new world trends. The entrenched problems are deepening, and chaos is emerging."

"If we only fear the label of ’betraying tradition’ and watch the house collapse, when the floodwaters rise, how much can our Gu Clan, despite its ambition, save?"

Gu Hui’s expression remained calm, showing no sign of wavering from beginning to end.