Long Tengfei's authoritative threat alarmed the elders and the relatives who were present at the meeting. They immediately started denying Iris' allegations, saying that what they were doing were only instilling discipline in the family's younger generation.
Even though the elders wanted to chastise and punish Iris for putting them and the branch families in a tight spot, they controlled themselves (for now). Pacifying Long Tengfei was their immediate top priority.
Ultimately, Long Tengfei held the power and the purse strings of the entire Long clan. Losing his support would mean that their respective branch families might plunge into financial crisis. Not to mention that they would lose their status in high society. In short, it would be an utter disaster to the branch families if Long Tengfei decided to cut them off.
