Chapter 44 Opening the Ancestral Hall

With a creaking sound, the heavy wooden doors slowly swung open.

Sunlight poured into the ancestral hall of the He family.

Rows upon rows of spirit tablets bore the names of the He family's ancestors. The largest among them belonged to the Marquis of Wuning, known by his posthumous name, He Sheng.

He Chong'an stood behind Madam He, accompanying the elders of the various He family branches as they entered the hall.

Hailing from the northern frontiers, the He family lacked the rigid etiquette of the south. In a place like Yulin, there was even a touch of nomadic influence. Coupled with their military heritage, it had happened multiple times in the He family's history that when the men perished, the matriarch would take charge of household affairs, and sometimes even command troops in battle.

Thus, the southern taboo of women being barred from ancestral halls simply did not exist here. Not only could wives enter, but daughters also had their names inscribed in the genealogy.

When true war broke out, gender made no difference.

Together with Madam He, he kowtowed to the ancestors.

After offering incense and kowtowing, Madam He remained kneeling in silence for a long time, murmuring words known only to the ancestors. Suddenly, she said, "He Chong'an, step forward."

He Chong'an stepped forward, knelt solemnly before the ancestors of the He family, and paid his respects.

Madam He declared, "He Chong'an, a descendant of the He family, has wandered afar. Today, his true identity has been verified, and he returns to his ancestral root. May the ancestors bear witness."

Following Madam He's guidance, He Chong'an kowtowed to the ancestors once more and said in a clear voice, "He Chong'an, a scion of the He family, has returned today. May the spirits of the ancestors in heaven bear witness."

With that, He Chong'an raised his head and gazed at the tier upon tier of spirit tablets, feeling as though countless eyes were watching him from above. A sudden tightening gripped his heart.

His emotions were overwhelmingly complex.

Opening the ancestral hall and entering the genealogy.

This signified the He family's complete and utter trust in him. No one doubted He Chong'an's identity. Everyone had grown accustomed to calling him the Third Young Master, or Third Master, as if he were naturally a part of the He family by birth.

It also meant that the He family's period of probation had come to an end.

From now on, barring any unforeseen calamities, the He family would not even dispatch people to investigate this matter further—even for a marquis's estate, sending investigators all the way to Guangdong to look into a household was an exhausting endeavor.

In other words, as long as He Chong'an did not commit any catastrophic mistakes, his identity would remain a secret forever.

He would forever be He Chong'an.

Yet at this moment, in this place, even though he did not believe in ghosts and deities, a lingering sense of apprehension stirred within his heart.

Man may deceive man, but can he deceive the heavens?

He Chong'an muttered inwardly to himself, "With the ancestors of the He family as my witness, He Chong'an's life is of little consequence. I killed him, and I do not regret it. Today, having assumed the identity of He Chong'an, I swear to bring prosperity to the He family and elevate its prestige. May the ancestors of the He family watch from the heavens. If I fail to accomplish this, I shall accept whatever retribution follows. If I succeed, let all past grievances be wiped clean. For the rest of my life, I am He Chong'an."

These words felt as though they were spoken to the ancestors of the He family, yet equally as though they were spoken to himself.

As a military lineage, the He family perpetually faced the grim reality of descendants falling in battle. Internal strife was rare, fostering an atmosphere of meritocracy—on the battlefield, social standing counted for nothing.

This was precisely one of the factors that allowed He Chong'an to rise to prominence so swiftly.

And for this very reason, he truly could not have found a better platform or backing than the He family.

Sometimes he even thought, since heaven allowed him the fortune of transmigration, why had it not granted him an even better birth?

He genuinely hoped that the secret of He Chong'an's identity would never, ever be leaked.

And that he would never, ever have a falling out with the He family.

Once He Chong'an had finished kowtowing to the ancestors, an elder immediately stepped forward with the genealogy book. In front of everyone, He Chong'an's name was inscribed beneath that of Marquis Wuning, He Zizhong—and specifically recorded under Madam He's name.

This made him a legitimate嫡 son.

The genealogy was then passed around for all clan members to inspect.

With this final step, He Chong'an's status as the third young master of the He family was firmly etched in stone.

Following these proceedings, further rituals such as offering more incense and burning paper money for the ancestors were carried out—one could hardly open the ancestral hall, enter the genealogy, disturb the ancestors, and simply dust off one's hands and leave.

When all these duties were finally concluded,

Madam He's expression grew solemn, as if she had reached a resolute decision. She instructed, "You all go outside first; I wish to stay a moment longer."

The others withdrew, leaving Madam He alone in the ancestral hall for quite some time before she finally emerged.

No sooner had Madam He stepped out of the hall than a messenger arrived from below, reporting that the Shuntian Prefecture had summoned the He family to appear in court.

He Chong'an took a deep breath. "Mother, I shall go."

"No. I am going with you," Madam He replied firmly. "Our household has never had the custom of letting a single person shoulder everything alone."

She took hold of He Wan's hand and said, "Wan'er, the household is in your hands now."

He Wan nodded resolutely. "Mother, rest assured. Everything at home is taken care of."

Little He Rou's tiny mind sensed that something was amiss.

Only moments ago, He Rou had been overjoyed—whenever the ancestral hall was opened, offerings were prepared for the ancestors. No one could be slighted, least of all the ancestors; typically, this meant the Three Grand Sacrifices, along with an assortment of fruits and candied preserves.

As everyone knew, the ancestors did not partake in eating them.

Therefore, they were left for the children.

As the ringleader of the children, He Rou had naturally secured a share, and she was happily nibbling on a candied fruit.

A child's intuition is the sharpest. Seeing this scene, she froze instantly. She had no idea what was happening, only feeling that the candied fruit in her hand had suddenly lost its sweetness.

"Mother, Third Brother, where are you going? Can you not go?"

He Chong'an crouched down, flipped his wrist, and produced a tin frog. "Rou'er, look what this is."

He Rou gazed at it with curiosity. He Chong'an wound up the mechanism and placed it on the ground; the tin frog sprang forward, leaping a great distance.

Having carefully studied the inner workings of pocket watches and music boxes, simple mechanical structures like this were effortless for him. This tin frog was merely a byproduct of his tinkering, originally intended as a toy for He Rou.

Only he had been too busy lately and had forgotten all about it.

Only now did it come to mind.

Watching the leaping tin frog, He Rou's eyes filled with wonder. Her suspicious little eyes darted back and forth, as if trying to figure out whether a real frog was hidden inside the tin shell.

After a brief moment, however, He Rou shook her head, forcing herself to look away, and grabbed the sleeve of He Chong'an's robe. "Third Brother, I don't want this. Can I use this to trade so Third Brother doesn't have to go?"

He Chong'an stroked He Rou's little head and said, "grown-ups have their own duties to fulfill. No matter how difficult, arduous, or dangerous those matters are, they must be done."

"Don't worry, though; I will be back soon."

He Wan took hold of He Rou's little hand, placed the tin frog into her palm, and said, "There now. Play nicely at home." Then, turning her gaze to He Chong'an, she murmured, "Third Brother—"

A myriad of unspoken emotions swirled in her gaze. She was one of the few who had witnessed He Chong'an's arrival at the He estate with her own eyes.

That once frostbitten, cringing, wretched younger brother was now draped in prestige, having stirred up a monumental storm in the capital.

It could be said that the biggest event in the aristocratic circles this winter was the feud between the Ningguo Duke's Mansion and the Wuning Marquis's Mansion.

He Chong'an's various decisions had already established him as the pillar of the Wuning Marquis's Mansion, fully capable of supporting the family's honor.

At last, she let out a lingering sigh and asked, "Third Brother, have you taken Lei Caor into your inner chambers yet?"