Chapter 1053: Chapter 1040: Forced Execution Chapter 1053: Chapter 1040: Forced Execution “Well, have you all finished discussing your matters? Is there anything else?” Muria tapped on the table, and the presence he emanated with the backing of his considerable strength suppressed all the elders in the meeting room.

“No, there is not.” The elders shook their heads in unison, indicating they had no further issues to discuss.

“I just thought of something very important, and it might be good to discuss it now.”

“Your Excellency, please speak.”

“It is still about Ovis, the clan’s cancer that I have expelled. Although his actions are despicable, they are inextricably tied to his parents. He has become what he is today, and his parents must bear most of the blame.”

Muria looked around the entire meeting room and then scrutinized the expression of every elder, “You all would not deny this, would you?”

“Yes, Ovis has become what he is today, and his parents must bear the main responsibility.”

“You also share a part of the blame for this matter. I remember there is a rule within the clan that when a clan member lacks the ability to raise their child, the clan will take over.”

Indeed, the Douglas clan had such a rule, but it was only for members with outstanding talent, and the boundaries of this rule were quite vague and undefined.

For example, Muria’s half-sister Daisy, under normal circumstances, should have been raised by her biological parents. But because she and Muria had such a lowly father, he really performed too disgracefully.

Therefore, in the judgment of the clan, such a man could teach Daisy to become a person who might stray from the clan’s standards, becoming a cold and ruthless wretch as well.

So, Daisy was taken away by the clan and sent to the manors to receive customized education from the clan.

However, such cases were the exception rather than the rule. Most clan members were still raised by their parents. This seemed more humane, making the clan appear warmer. Otherwise, centralized management could make the clan’s relationships seem somewhat cold.

A clan that has only blood relations, with no emotional bonds formed over time, is very detrimental to a clan’s power.

This system, while warm, still had problems, such as with Ovis. Because of his character and way of doing things, his talent was outright dismissed, and the Douglas clan would never protect someone of such character.

“The clan’s system is good, but not yet perfect. The clan needs further reform to prevent similar mistakes like those made with Ovis from happening again,” Muria said steadily, wanting to reform the clan’s system.

“Ahem, Your Excellency, how should this be improved? Most parents within the clan would not readily give up their children; they would still prefer to raise them personally.”

“If most are unwilling, then there is still a minority who are willing. Some people are inherently resentful of their children, seeing them as a burden, giving up on raising them, or paying others to take on the responsibility of raising and managing them.

In such cases, the clan can completely take over. And this should not only be limited to official members, but peripheral members who can’t bear the surname should also be brought under clan management.

Talent does not represent everything, nor can it determine everything. An ordinary person, through intellect, can also possess the power to change the world.”

Muria expressed his thoughts. In the highly developed society of today, a family that wants to continue must have at least one person involved in work, which occupies most of the parents’ time and energy, leaving them no time to look after their children.

Under such circumstances, some parents choose to take a portion of their earnings from work and entrust others to care for their children.

But having someone else help to look after or even discipline one’s children—anyone could foresee the issues. All manner of strange and shocking things occurred incessantly.

And the rotten incidents that incited public outrage essentially boil down to some parents refusing to undertake their obligatory duties and responsibilities.

“The first step relies on voluntariness, asking all the clan members with children if they’re unwilling to take on the responsibility and duty of raising their children; if they’re unwilling, the clan will take over.

The second step is to review and inspect those parents within the clan who wish to raise their children. To a child, their parents are their first teachers, as well as the greatest influences in their lives.

Therefore, our Glass Family must exercise strict control over every member, ensuring no problems arise.”

“So, Your Excellency, do you mean to review and inspect every parent who has children?”

“Exactly, it is necessary to do so. Parenthood is a great vocation, but not everyone is qualified for this noble position. The existence of some people simply tarnishes these words.”

Muria’s voice was strong and resolute, causing echoes to ripple through the vast conference room.

Upon hearing Muria’s words, the many elders remained silent, as none dared to voice dissent, fully aware of the clan leader’s troubled childhood, which could hardly be called wonderful.

His father had divorced his mother upon the birth of his sister and had expelled him from the Imperial Capital. Of course, Muria himself was utterly indifferent to such matters.

Muria had a clear stance regarding the parents of his Reincarnated Body, ‘Treat my Reincarnated Body well, and I will reward you doubly. If not, then you are no different than strangers.’
But the elders did not understand this. They assumed the clan leader’s childhood experiences had left a profound mark on him, so they could not openly contradict him on this matter, fearing they might provoke his ire.

“Your Excellency, if you enforce this policy within the clan, I fear it will arouse considerable resentment among the clan members,” an elder finally ventured cautiously after a long silence.

“Explain the reasons to them. If they can understand, all the better. If not, there’s nothing to be done. This policy must be firmly implemented—I will not allow a second Ovis to appear.”

Muria’s resolve was firm. He had already done something similar in the world of Elasia; after becoming Emperor, he incorporated similar legal provisions into the Legal Code of the Empire he founded.

At the time, this legislation also sparked misunderstandings and resentment, but he enforced it anyway. After all, management by the state government was, no matter what, more reliable than irresponsible parents or those they themselves had sought out.

“Your Excellency, I suggest we first discuss a detailed plan and then choose one of the provinces to pilot the program. What do you think?”

“Agreeable,” Muria nodded.

…

Tennessee Province, its capital, Piel.

“That damned woman, how have we treated her poorly? Yet she treats my child this way.”

In a luxurious villa, a man in a suit was raging in the living room, his eyes ablaze with anger, like a wild beast whose most precious possession had been affected.

At his side, a woman of lingering charm was lovingly holding a child. On the surface, the child appeared unharmed with tender, fair skin, but when the woman pulled back the child’s clothes, shocking purple bruises became visible underneath.

This was the reason for the man’s fury. He had spent a considerable sum hiring a nanny, who was also distantly related to his wife. Without giving it much thought, he’d entrusted his child’s care to the nanny.

It was only today when the child’s school conducted a physical examination that they discovered injuries all over the child’s body. The school reported it to the authorities, who immediately called to question his whereabouts in preparation to detain him.

The man was initially baffled, but upon learning what had happened, he immediately became furious and collaborated with the police to find the culprit behind his child’s injuries without much difficulty.

“That woman dares to treat my child this way; I want her to spend the rest of her life in prison without the chance of release.”

Upon hearing her husband utter these words, the wife’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something but eventually closed her mouth. The nanny was indeed distantly related to her, yet this gave her no right to abuse her own child.

A few days later, after the man handled the nanny with his wrath, he was faced with a new dilemma: who would take care of his child?

Soon enough, his trouble was resolved when a butler from his clan approached him, briefly outlining the policy the clan intended to implement.

“The clan will take over the care of the child?” The man’s eyes lit up. Although he was a peripheral member who was not entitled to use the clan surname, his heart was full of Pride, and his trust in the clan had reached its peak.

“What do you think?”

“Of course, there’s no problem,” the man agreed without further inquiry into the details of the clan’s policy. Was there need for any deliberation? How bad could the caregivers arranged by the Douglas family be?

“Your willingness to allow the clan to take over the care of your child is commendable. Yes, let me tell you, this policy is being promoted and implemented by the Clan Leader himself, so the resources invested are beyond your imagination.”

The butler, who had initially prepared to persuade, was very satisfied to see such an accommodating man, saving him the trouble of further explanation.

“That’s wonderful. My wife and I are busy with work and really don’t have the energy to look after our child,” the man was equally pleased.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read