"Alright, is everything you needed to discuss finished? Is there anything else?" Muria tapped the table, his aura, backed by his powerful strength, suppressing all the elders in the meeting room.
"No, nothing else." The elders shook their heads in unison, indicating that they had no further matters to address.
"I just thought of something very important that we should discuss."
"Please, go ahead, sir."
"It's still about the family troublemaker I expelled, Ovis. Although his actions have been outrageous, they are inextricably linked to his parents. The reason he turned out this way is largely due to the responsibility of his parents."
Muria looked around the room, then scrutinized the expressions of each elder. "You all wouldn't deny this, would you?"
"Yes, Ovis has turned out like this, and his parents must bear the main responsibility."
"You are also at fault here. I remember that there is a family rule stating that when a family member is unable to raise their own children, the family will take over the responsibility."
The Douglas family indeed had such a rule, but it only applied to formal members with outstanding talents, and the scope of the rule was rather vague without clear boundaries.
For instance, Muria's half-sister, Daeslee, should have been raised by her biological parents under normal circumstances. However, because her biological father and mother, especially her worthless father, had performed poorly, the family decided that Daeslee was at risk of being influenced by them to become a cold-hearted, unworthy person.
Thus, Daeslee was taken away by the family and sent to the family estate to receive the family's custom education.
However, this situation was rare. Most family members were raised by their own parents, which made the family seem more humane and affectionate. Otherwise, if the family were to manage everything centrally, it would make the relationship among members feel somewhat cold.
A family should have both a blood connection and a bond built over time. Without the latter, it would be detrimental to the family as a whole.
Though this system was more compassionate, it still had its issues. For example, Ovis, due to his character and actions, was not protected by the Douglas family because his talents were nullified by his poor conduct.
"The family's system is good, but not perfect. It needs further improvement to prevent situations like Ovis from happening again," Muria said calmly, wanting to reform the family's policies.
"Excuse me, sir, how do you propose to improve this? Most parents in the family wouldn't want to give up raising their own children. They still want to take care of them personally."
"While most wouldn't want to, there will always be a small portion that will. Some people naturally find their children burdensome and choose to give them up or pay others to take care of them."
"In these cases, the family can fully take over the responsibility, and not just for formal members. Even those outside the core family, who do not have the right to the family surname, can be brought under the family's care."
"Talent doesn't define everything. Ordinary people can also have the power to change the world through wisdom."
Muria outlined his thoughts. In today's highly developed society, a family needs at least one person to participate in work, which takes up most of the parents' time and energy, leaving them with little time to care for their children.
In these cases, some parents would choose to allocate a portion of their income to hire others to take care of their children.
However, asking others to care for or even discipline their children often leads to many strange and shocking incidents. The cause of these problems ultimately stems from parents avoiding their responsibilities and obligations.
"The first step is to rely on voluntary participation, asking all family members with children whether they are unwilling to take responsibility for raising their children. If they are unwilling, the family will take over."
"Second, the family will review and assess the parents who wish to raise their own children. For a child, their parents are their first teachers and the most influential figures in their lives."
"So, we must strictly control this process in the Douglas family to ensure that no problems arise."
"So, sir, you mean to review every parent who has children?"
"Exactly, this step is necessary. Being a parent is a great responsibility, but not everyone is qualified for this noble role. Some people's very existence tarnishes the meaning of these words."
Muria spoke with a firm and powerful tone, causing the large meeting room to echo.
Upon hearing Muria's words, the elders fell silent. No one dared to oppose him, as they all knew the difficult childhood this family head had experienced, which was far from ideal. His father had divorced his mother after his sister's birth and drove Muria out of the capital. Of course, Muria didn't care much about such matters.
Muria's attitude toward his biological parents was very clear: if they treated his reincarnation well, he would repay them doubly; if not, they were just strangers to him.
However, the elders didn't know this. They assumed Muria's difficult childhood had left a deep psychological scar, so they refrained from openly opposing him, fearing it might anger him.
"Sir, if you implement this policy within the family, it could stir strong resentment among many family members," one elder finally spoke, cautiously offering a warning.
"Explain the reasoning behind it. If they understand, that's great. If they don't, then so be it. This policy will be enforced no matter what. I will not allow another Ovis to happen again."
Muria's tone was resolute. He had already implemented similar policies in the world of Erathia. When he became the Emperor of the Empire, he had incorporated such laws into the Empire's legal code.
At that time, the legal articles also caused misunderstanding and resentment, but he still enforced them. After all, government management was far more reliable than irresponsible parents or the people they hired to care for their children.
"Sir, I suggest we first draft a detailed plan, then choose a province to test the policy. What do you think?"
"That's fine," Muria nodded.
...
Tennessee Province, Capital, Peir
"That damn woman, what did we ever do to her? How could she treat my child like this?"
In a luxurious villa, a man in a suit was roaring angrily in the living room, his eyes burning with fury, like a beast whose most precious possession had been touched.
Beside him, a graceful woman was holding a child, looking distressed. The child appeared healthy, with fair skin and no visible injuries. But when the woman moved the child's clothes, she revealed horrifying purple bruises covering the skin hidden beneath the fabric.
This was the source of the man's fury. He had spent a lot of money hiring a nanny, who was even related to his wife. Without much thought, he had asked her to care for his child.
It wasn't until today, during a school check-up, that the school discovered the child's body was covered in bruises. The school reported it to the police, and the police immediately contacted him, preparing to arrest him.
The man was stunned, but when he learned what had happened, he immediately flew into a rage. He cooperated with the police, and within no time, he found the culprit responsible for the child's injuries.
"This woman actually dared to treat my child like this. I'll make sure she spends the rest of her life in prison."
The wife, hearing her husband's words, opened her mouth as if to speak but then closed it again. Though the nanny was related to her, there was no excuse for her mistreatment of the child.
Days later, after the man angrily dealt with the nanny, a new problem arose: who would take care of their child?
However, his troubles were soon resolved when a family steward came to him and briefly explained the new family policy.
"Let the family take care of the children?" The man's eyes gleamed with excitement. Although he was an outsider without the family surname, he was immensely proud and trusted the family to the highest degree.
"What do you think?" the steward asked.
"Of course, no problem," the man replied without much hesitation, agreeing immediately. What was there to consider? The Douglas family could surely provide care for his child.
"You're willing to let the family take over the care of your child? That's great. Let me tell you, this policy is personally pushed by the family head, so the resources involved are beyond your imagination."
The steward, who had prepared a lengthy explanation, was pleased with the man's immediate understanding, saving him a lot of effort.
"This is fantastic! My wife and I are both so busy with work, we simply don't have the energy to care for our child," the man said, equally satisfied.
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