Fear spread rapidly through the exiled Lin family.
Many genuinely believed that being removed from the family registry would condemn them to become wandering ghosts after death, unable to be buried with their ancestors or reincarnate peacefully.
Even the wives of the second and third branches began whispering among themselves.
Perhaps they should hand over part of their money, secretly keep some for themselves, and at least avoid being expelled from the family register.
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Some had already started taking hidden silver out of their belongings.
Seeing this, the Old Madam was delighted.
Her trump card was working exactly as planned.
In her mind, once Lan Luoyun surrendered her possessions and became penniless, she would finally have the opportunity to properly deal with her.
A trace of smug satisfaction flashed across her face.
Unfortunately for her, Lan Luoyun caught it immediately.
“Anyone willing to entrust their silver to me for safekeeping may come register it now!”
“Anyone who refuses will be removed from the family registry afterward!”
The Old Madam raised her voice again.
She was determined to strike while the iron was hot.
If people had too much time to think, they might realize what she was doing.
She couldn’t allow that.
Seeing what was happening, Lan Luoyun quietly leaned toward Lin Nancheng.
“I have no intention of handing anything over.”
“You don’t object, do you?”
After all, what she intended to do next might be difficult for him to accept.
For the sake of their future relationship, she wanted to hear his thoughts first.
Lin Nancheng, however, already knew about her storage space.
As far as he was concerned, their small family would never lack supplies.
Besides, he had long been dissatisfied with the Old Madam’s treatment of them.
Especially toward his mother, Chu Yi-niang.
The Old Madam and Su Yuping constantly found excuses to make life difficult for her.
He had endured it for years.
Naturally, he had no objection.
Instead, he smiled.
“Whatever my wife decides to do, I’ll support her completely.”
His response caught Lan Luoyun off guard.
For a moment, she actually felt a little embarrassed.
Turning back toward the crowd, she noticed that several people had already begun registering their belongings.
The timing was perfect.
She stepped forward and raised her voice.
“Uncles, Aunts, brothers, sisters—please listen to me!”
The crowd immediately quieted down.
Over the past few days, everyone had watched Lan Luoyun repeatedly outmaneuver Su Yuping.
Many were curious to hear what she had to say.
The Old Madam, however, instantly sensed trouble.
“Lan!”
“This isn’t your place to speak!”
“If you refuse to hand over your belongings, then our Lin family doesn’t need you!”
“And let me make one thing clear!”
“You won’t be taking those two children with you!”
“They carry the Lin bloodline!”
The threat was obvious.
She was trying to use Dabao and Erbao to force Lan Luoyun’s compliance.
The tactic disgusted everyone.
Lan Luoyun ignored her entirely.
Instead, she addressed the crowd.
“Everyone here knows exactly what kind of people the Old Madam and Su Yuping were back in the Prime Minister’s Residence.”
“I’m sure you know them even better than I do.”
“If you hand your belongings to them now, you’ll never see those things again.”
The Second Madam immediately nodded.
“Luoyun, we know you’re right.”
“But we’re afraid of being removed from the family registry.”
The Third Madam nodded as well.
Many others agreed.
Lan Luoyun smiled inwardly.
Good. That’s the real concern.
“Second Aunt. Third Aunt.”
“The Lin Residence is gone.”
“Most likely, we’ll never return to it.”
“The most important thing now is staying alive.”
“The family registry is meaningless if you’re dead.”
“If someone dies halfway to Gannan, what good will it do to still have their name recorded there?”
The crowd fell silent.
The logic was impossible to refute.
Survival was already uncertain.
Why should they worry about ancestral records after death?
Seeing the mood shifting again, the Old Madam exploded.
“Lan!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
Lan Luoyun calmly met her gaze.
“I am not speaking nonsense.”
“Ask yourself honestly how you’ve treated everyone over the years.”
“If people weren’t already dissatisfied, they wouldn’t be so easily persuaded.”
She knew exactly what would happen if the silver was handed over.
The Old Madam and Su Yuping would protect themselves first.
Everyone else would be abandoned.
“Don’t listen to her lies!”
The Old Madam shouted.
“I am the head of this family!”
“You must obey me!”
“What is this?”
“Are you trying to rebel?”
She was so angry that her voice trembled.
Unfortunately, those words struck directly at the hearts of the second and third branches.
Rebel?
That’s exactly what we want to do.
For years they had endured oppression from the Old Madam and Su Yuping.
Now that the family had fallen, why should they continue suffering under them?
After exchanging a glance, the Second Madam spoke first.
“We want to divide the family.”
The Third Madam immediately followed.
“So do we.”
“In the past, your branch relied on the Prime Minister’s position to suppress us.”
“Now we’re all commoners.”
“Why should we continue taking orders from you?”
Their grievances poured out.
Years of resentment finally erupted.
The moment those words were spoken, many others found their courage.
“We want to divide the family too!”
“That’s right!”
“Separate the households!”
Voices rose one after another.
Lan Luoyun blinked in surprise.
She hadn’t even needed to suggest it.
Everyone had arrived at the same conclusion on their own.
Nearby, Lin Yixiao watched the scene unfold.
His heart felt heavy.
Once, the Lin family had been prosperous and united.
Now it was breaking apart before his eyes.
Yet he couldn’t blame anyone else.
Many of today’s problems stemmed directly from his mother’s actions and his wife’s behavior.
The bitterness of that realization weighed heavily on him.
Meanwhile, the Old Madam finally began to panic.
The situation had slipped entirely out of her control.
At that moment, Su Yuping quietly whispered in her ear.
“Even if we divide the family, we still have enough silver to reach Gannan.”
“As for Lan Luoyun…”
“At noon she was still drinking rice porridge.”
“Her family probably didn’t give her much.”
“She won’t be able to show off for long.”
The Old Madam considered this.
It wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Since everyone was already demanding separation, perhaps it was better to retreat gracefully.
After a moment, she raised her voice.
“Very well!”
“If that’s what everyone wants…”
“Then we’ll divide the family!”
The crowd stared in shock.
Nobody had expected her to agree so easily.
Still, since she had finally consented, there was no reason to delay.
Someone suddenly shouted:
“Then let’s draw up a written agreement!”
“We’ll use a document as proof!”
The suggestion was immediately met with approval.
Everyone agreed.
A written contract would ensure that no one could later deny what had happened.
And so, on the dusty road of exile, the once-powerful Lin family prepared to formally split apart.