Yan Aohan’s expression remained faint and unchanging, showing no ripple of emotion. "The existence of the Three Great Families has always been about mutual restraint. The founders made it clear: although they are called 'families,' they are essentially ordinary people striving for the world, completely different from your understanding. Their purpose is to balance all forces on this planet. If one hand grows too long, cut it; if one foot grows too long, chop it. They are not to interfere in other matters.
"But your selfishness is excessive. Let’s not speak of the war in wartime. Why did you not suppress the chaos at the end of the Qing Dynasty? The Three Great Families watched as the Eight-Nation Alliance invaded China, caring only for their own interests, ignoring that this would cause China’s overall economic level to lag behind, turning a world power into a nearly backward nation. Since this is the case, the existence of the Three Great Families is unnecessary."
The faces of the three elders changed color. They were not from that generation, but they could guess the mindset of that era: trying to win amidst chaos, taking profit from fire, accumulating more capital for their families. "But our Yan family came through this way too." Knowing they were wrong, they still hoped to struggle out a path.
"Therefore, such a Yan family should not exist. I will overturn it all, and you have become my prisoners." Yan Aohan looked at the three elders, his eyes revealing thick killing intent. The pressure from his entire body made it hard to breathe. "I have never liked managing such matters, but this matter has clung to me. Five years ago, you planned to control me through marriage with women from the Zheng and Yang families. Instead, I outsmarted you. You should have realized then that I am not someone who can be easily controlled. But you were not dead-hearted, or rather, you harbored侥幸心理 (hope for luck), and tried again. Since this is the case, I will conduct a thorough cleanup this time. Not only you, but also the Zheng and Yang families. Since you do not like freedom, then you do not need freedom. Families, hm!" Yan Aohan sneered coldly. "If I am willing to give face, then the families exist. If I am not willing to give face, their existence is a delusion."
When Yan Aohan said this, the three elders’ faces had lost all color. Only now did they realize they had angered not just a person, but a lion. Even if the lion usually did not move, it was still a lion. If you provoked it, you had to bear the consequences.
Looking at the bloodless faces of the three elders, Yan Aohan’s eyes held only faint coldness. "The Three Great Families were originally meant to be a balancing force. Now that they cannot balance, there is no need for balance. I do not like such boring games. Any game is enough to play once. Playing too much only lowers my intelligence. Since the Zheng and Yang families do not like balance, there is no need for balance from now on." Not balancing did not mean letting them go. Yan Aohan’s words were not explicit, but they indicated what he would do next: destroy the Zheng and Yang families, to avoid seeing them and feeling displeased.
The First Elder looked at Yan Aohan, his expression a dead gray. "Actually, you had this idea five years ago, didn’t you?" Unfortunately, he had not seen through this point back then, leading to his current downfall. If he had seen through it then, perhaps their position would have been more secure today. Years as the First Elder had made him blindly believe he was high and mighty. Wrong was wrong, and saying anything else now was useless.