Chapter 298: 298 Qicheng
Chapter 298 Chapter 298 70%
"Ahem." Prince Li cleared his throat and returned to the main topic of family separation, "Today the Jingjun Prince's Palace is dividing the family. All relatives and friends are invited to be present as witnesses."
As he said that, he looked at Concubine Yang aside and said, "Brother and sister, the rest is up to you."
When these words were spoken, Yang Taifei and Gu Ming, mother and son, exchanged glances with each other. Both of them were eager to try, especially Gu Ming, whose thin single-lidded eyes shone with greedy anticipation.
Today, Taifei Yang wore an autumn-colored coat with a gourd and vase pattern, a neatly combed bun, and a pair of white jade flat squares carved with plum blossoms at both ends. The wind and frost of the years left faint fine lines in the corners of her eyes. Elegant and dignified, with outstanding grace.
"I have annoyed all my relatives and friends today." She smiled apologetically, and her well-maintained face looked energetic and radiant, looking several years younger.
She slowly looked around the crowd, her loving and helpless eyes fell on Gu Jin, and sighed quietly: "A Jin, this child has been independent since he was a child. He has no control over his mother. Since he has made up his mind, I am the mother." It’s not easy to comment…”
She spoke in a high-sounding way, and the underlying meaning behind her words seemed to be that Gu Jin did not want to be filial to her stepmother, so she insisted on dividing the family, shirking all the responsibilities between her and Gu Ming.
Prince Deli couldn't stand hearing what Mrs. Yang said and interrupted her coldly: "Brothers and sisters, since we have decided to separate our families, let's keep the story short."
"..." Concubine Yang didn't expect that Prince Li would be so disrespectful. Her expression froze slightly, and she almost couldn't maintain her elegant smile.
"..." Gu Ming's expression also froze.
As for the other royal princes who came to testify today, their expressions became very complicated. Many people glanced at Gu Jin, and they could see a bit of pity from his handsome face, as if he was a Like a little cabbage that no one cares about or loves.
Some people lamented, some sighed, some sighed, and some felt pity.
The few concubines from Prince Li's dynasty and Prince Jing's palace glanced at each other and asked directly, "Gu Feng, Gu Jun, Gu Zheng, do you three want to separate your family as well?"
Gu Jun and the other three concubines all shook their heads in unison, shouting the word "no distinction" in all directions, and each of them couldn't wait to express their position.
These concubines made a decision a few years ago and chose to stand on the same front as Mrs. Yang and her son. Over the years, they have been openly and covertly embarrassment for Gu Jin. To put it harshly, their grudges have been deep. It's impossible to stand on Gu Jin's side.
What's more, for these bastards, staying in the prince's palace with their back to enjoy the cool air is definitely more advantageous than disadvantageous.
Seeing this, Prince Shun, Prince Rui and others exchanged complicated glances. They remembered what Prince Tianli said when he went to their house a few days ago. Their expressions became more and more complex, and they looked at Gu Jin more or less sympathetically. , lamenting that this stepmother is not the biological mother after all!
Mrs. Yang and Gu Ming, mother and son, did not notice the expressions of Prince Shun and others at all, and were very satisfied with the expressions of Gu Jun and others.
Today it is said that the Jingjun Prince's family is splitting up, but in fact it is just Gu Jin's room that needs to be separated to live alone. Since among such brothers, Gu Jin is the only one who wants to split up the family, then naturally Gu Jin has a problem.
Anyone with eyes can see and understand this.
From now on, people in the capital will only say that Gu Jin and his wife are unfilial and disrespectful, and are eager to distance themselves from her stepmother.
Concubine Yang smiled again, putting aside the unhappiness she had just felt, and the smile on her face became calm again.
This is a kind of superiority that belongs to the winner.
She stroked her sleeves calmly and gracefully, and continued the topic of family separation: "According to the Gu family's ancestral system, the person who succeeds to the title will receive 70% of the ancestral home and the family property, and the remaining property will be divided equally among the other sons. ”
Gu Ming, Gu Jun and other brothers all nodded and agreed with Mrs. Yang's statement.
At first glance, everyone in the Duke's Mansion seems to be working together, except for Gu Jin and Shen Wan, the couple in the second room, who seem out of place.
Concubine Yang smiled slightly and looked deeply.
According to her original intention, she actually did not want to separate the family so early.
However…
Concubine Yang's eyes flashed, thinking of Shen Wan, a woman who threatened her when she went to Duke Mu's mansion at the end of last month: "Mother, I've thought about it carefully. Ah Jin is indeed too impulsive. The emperor's uncle is right, the title is not a child's play. , how can you just give up, don’t you think so?”
Shen Wan's words echoed clearly in Yang Taifei's ears, and she recited them backwards and every word was thorny.
Shen Wan used her title to force Concubine Yang to agree to the separation of the family, otherwise she would not give up the title of Gu Jin...
How could Mrs. Yang give up the easy-to-get advantage of a title? She weighed the pros and cons, and in order to appease Shen Wan, she could only agree to the separation of the family.
The premise is that as soon as Gu Jin resigns, she will immediately preside over the separation of the family.
Although she agreed, Mrs. Yang still held her breath in her heart.
In her opinion, everything in the Prince's Palace belongs to her son Gu Ming. Why should others take it away? Gu Jin only has a daughter and a fool. In the future, the property of the Prince's Palace must be passed on. to her grandchildren.
Her eyes once again glanced at Gu Jin and Shen Wan, who were diagonally opposite.
The couple sat side by side, arm by arm, expressionless, as if whatever others said had nothing to do with them.
The next moment, she saw the couple exchange a look with each other. There was tenderness in their eyes, and a silent understanding filled the air.
Concubine Yang frowned, as if she was stung by the scene in front of her. She felt uncomfortable from her heart to her limbs to her bones.
Concubine Yang has always been dissatisfied with Shen Wan as her daughter-in-law. Unfortunately, this marriage was arranged by the old county prince when he was still alive. The old county prince did not ask her what she wanted, so she had no chance to object.
Shen Wan was born into a noble family, and Duke Mu was a long-established nobleman, and his position in the court was very stable. Ever since she married Gu Jin, they had been happily married. If there was any flaw, it was probably that they had been married for many years. She has only one daughter, Gu Zhiyan.
However, both Gu Jin and Shen Wan were still young, and the imperial doctor also said that Shen Wan's body was injured when she gave birth to Gu Zhiyan, and her health has been much worse in the past two years. It was only a matter of time before she gave birth to Lin'er.
Concubine Yang knew clearly that once Gu Jin became the heir apparent, her son would have no hope of regaining his title.
A cold light flashed across the eyes of Mrs. Yang, her pupils were dark and faint, like two deep whirlpools, and seemed to be covered with a thick layer of haze...
Her smile became more gentle and appropriate, and she looked at the superior Prince Li with a smile, and deliberately asked him:
"Prince Li, what I said is right."
Prince Li nodded slightly and expressed his agreement.
According to the ancestral system of Da Qi, this is indeed the case.
The purpose of dividing the families in this way is to allow the heirs to keep the accumulation of the palace and most of the family property, while the other children who are separated can at least have enough food and clothing, but if they want a more glorious future, they have to work **** their own. .
This was decided by Emperor Taizu in order to maintain the wealth and bloodiness of the Daqi clan. Therefore, the Daqi clan was not as corrupt as the previous dynasty and could still enjoy its wealth.
Concubine Yang ordered the steward to fetch all the account books of the county prince's palace as well as land deeds, house deeds, banknotes and other bills, and piled them in boxes in the center of the hall.
The stewardess took a thick list and began to read about the properties of the county prince's palace, including fields, houses, shops, mines in the northeast, etc.
This recital takes a full stick of incense, because the cash, banknotes, gold and jade in the house, as well as the antique calligraphy and paintings in the warehouse, etc. need to be recited again.
Gu Sanye Gu Ming's eyes are getting brighter and brighter. He has not inherited the title yet, but everyone knows that he will be the new Prince Jingjun, and all these family properties will belong to him soon.
For people outside the Jingjun Palace, this was as boring as chanting sutras. Chu Qianchen couldn't help but cover his mouth with a handkerchief and yawned a little.
Gu Jue didn't listen at all. He peeled the orange slowly and handed half of the peeled orange to Chu Qianchen, asking her to eat something to refresh herself.
Chu Qianchen ate the orange happily.
Others didn't pay attention to the couple at all. After all, they were not the protagonists today. Only the second prince, Gu Nanzhao, glanced towards Chu Qianchen from time to time, his smile becoming increasingly bitter.
At this time, the stewardess finished reading the list. This time, Mrs. Yang deliberately asked Shen Wan: "Awan, is there anything wrong with this list?"
Although Concubine Yang wanted to hold on to the royal family’s middle-age gift, since Shen Wan married in, it was the old county prince who personally gave the middle-age gift to Shen Wan. Even if the old county prince passed away, there was no suitable excuse for Concubine Yang to take it. Feed back.
Shen Wan has been the mistress of the house for so long, and she still knows how much property and property there is in the prince's palace.
Shen Wan put down the tea cup and nodded calmly: "That's right."
"That's good." Concubine Yang smiled faintly. At this moment, the smile became more and more confident.
She continued: "According to the ancestral system, 70% of the family property belongs to the heir. There are five rooms in the palace. Except for the heir, the remaining four people share the remaining 30% of the property equally. Ah Jin, you are the legitimate son, so you are better than Gu Jun." They get 10% more.”
Concubine Yang was scornful and proud in her heart. Even if Gu Jin got 10% more than Gu Jun and the others, she would only get less than half of the 30% of the family property.
Their mother and son are the final winners of this war over titles.
In the future, without the protection of the county prince's palace, there will still be times when Gu Jin and Shen Wan come to ask for help.
Suddenly, Gu Jin spoke and said his first sentence of the day: "All of my property will be converted into cash or banknotes."
“…”
“…”
“…”
No matter it was the other people in Jingjun Palace, or Prince Li, Prince Shun and others who came here specially to testify about the separation of the family today, they were all shocked and couldn't believe their ears.
There was silence in the hall.
There seemed to be one sentence written on everyone's faces. Was Gu Jin's brain damaged? !
When the family is separated, he doesn't want the property, but insists on cash. He must be mentally ill.
Concubine Yang and Gu Ming also came to their senses after a brief surprise. Mother and son exchanged looks again, both of them were overjoyed and their eyes were shining brightly.
Prince Li frowned as he had a headache. He felt helpless and angry, and persuaded Gu Jin in a good voice: "A Jin, don't be impulsive."
"Now that you have cash, you don't want to buy properties. There are certainly many good properties in Beijing, but they are hard to come by."
To put it bluntly, if it is a good property, the owner will not be willing to sell it, unless the family has urgent needs or has a prodigal son, and has to sell the property.
Prince Li felt that Gu Jin was just out of anger and wanted to completely cut off the relationship with the Prince's Palace, so he didn't even want the property of the Prince's Palace and just wanted to share the money. Alas, Gu Jincijue has already suffered a big loss, which is equivalent to handing over a huge share of the family fortune. When the family is divided, he cannot suffer any more losses.
Gu Jin also knew that Prince Li had good intentions, so when he faced Prince Li, he said with a smile: "Uncle, I have thought about it clearly, I am not impulsive."
His expression and tone were firm.
After a pause, he clasped his hands to Prince Li and asked respectfully: "If these properties are converted into cash, how much can I get?"
Prince Shun and others looked at each other, and the development in front of them was completely beyond their expectations.
When Prince Li went to see them a few days ago, he only asked them to help Gu Jin properly speak to him when the family was separated and to fight for more benefits for him, such as the fields around the capital and a few shops in the busy city. But now, it was like Gu Jin once again gave up what should have been his. Prince Li advised again: "Ah Jin, even if you don't want other properties, you should still want the house." Mr. Gu Jin wouldn't live in Duke Mu's mansion with his wife and children from now on.
Who wants to—
Gu Jin said matter-of-factly: "It doesn't matter, Awan has a dowry house, and the three-in house is enough for us to live in. Now I live separately, I have a lot of things to buy, servants, etc., and I have some money on hand. More convenient.”
"Uncle Emperor, don't worry, I already have a plan."
Gu Jin spoke with confidence and high spirits. However, the people present were not as confident as him. The elders of the clan had all watched him grow up and had some understanding of his conduct.
Gu Jin has been a dandy since he was a child, ignorant of the sufferings of the world. He is a thief who siphons off money. To put it nicely, he is eager for justice and is generous with money. To put it worse, he is a prodigal who cannot hide money in his hands.
Today, it seems that Gu Jin is too short-sighted. No wonder he can't even keep his title and gives it to others.
Prince Shun and others all disapproved of Gu Jin's choice, secretly shaking their heads and sighing.
Prince Li tried to persuade again: "Ajin..."
With a smile, Gu Jin got ahead of Prince Li and said plausibly: "Uncle Huang, look at Prince Chen."
"Back then, when King Chen was still the ninth prince, when he was separated from the palace, the late emperor only gave him a house and some money to settle down."
No one expected that Gu Jin would actually use Gu Jue as an example. Prince Shun, Prince Rui and others were all speechless.
How can Gu Jin and Gu Jue compare?
When Gu Jue was fifteen years old, he invited himself to go to the North. The late emperor originally disagreed. After all, Gu Jue was only fifteen years old at the time.
In order to scare Gu Jue away, the late emperor kicked him out of the palace and randomly gave him 50,000 taels of silver to open his own mansion. This meant that if he had to go to the north, he would be considered an adult and should take care of himself. .
However, Gu Jue had made up his mind, so he took the Nine Dragon Sword given by the late emperor and went to the Northland with one man, one sword and one horse.
No matter how many people didn't think highly of Gu Jue back then, now Gu Jue has proven his ability with his achievements.
The question is, how many "Gu Jue" have there been in Daqi's clan in the past hundred years? !
Gu Ming raised the corners of his mouth in disdain and glanced at his second brother with a sneer. He felt that the second brother was still as out of tune and overestimating his abilities as before!
Prince Li hesitated for a moment, his eyes twitching.
He was a little helpless, and looked at Gu Jue with everyone, who seemed to be aloof from the incident, and couldn't help but said: "Ah Jue, you should also persuade this kid!"
Gu Jue's brows and eyes were as cold as the bright cold moon and the cool breeze. There was always an awe-inspiring and unapproachable noble demeanor about him, which made people unconsciously sit upright in front of him and even lower their voices when speaking.
Gu Jue didn't even look at Gu Jin, he slowly flicked the floating leaves in the tea cup with the tea lid, and said quietly with an attitude that it had nothing to do with him: "Jingjun Prince's family is divided. If the concubine has no objection, we No need to say anything more.”
No one was surprised at Gu Jue's attitude. In other words, if Gu Jue said anything, they would be surprised.
Of course Princess Yang was willing, and she nodded hurriedly and said, "If Ah Jin insists, I will naturally have no objection."
These properties of the palace have been accumulated by several generations. They are all hens that can lay golden eggs. They must be firmly held in the hands of their mother and son. In comparison, silver and other things are not important at all.
Concubine Yang was afraid that Gu Jin would regret it again, so she smiled and said to Prince Li: "Prince Li, to show justice, please come and see how this property should be converted into cash."
She looked magnanimous and had a clear conscience.
Prince Shun, Prince Rui and others all felt that Gu Jin was hopeless and were too lazy to speak. They came because they were from the same clan, and since Gu Jin had to be stupid, they couldn't do anything about it.
The stewardess immediately presented the list in her hand to Prince Li at the instruction of Concubine Yang.
Prince Li called Prince Shun and others to gather around and calculate the property of the county prince's palace.
They need to convert these fields, shops, etc. into the current market price. When the amounts are totaled, there will be some deviations, so each industry must be listed. If anyone questions it later, they can make slight modifications.
It took them half an hour to calculate the property. If they only divided cash and banknotes, Gu Jin's house could be divided into five hundred thousand taels.
The property of the Prince's Palace is mainly based on property, and cash is generally used to purchase properties. The total cash on the books plus banknotes is only 300,000, and with the addition of gold and jade, it is barely enough to reach 500,000.
Prince Li also asked Concubine Yang to review the densely written list after settlement.
When Mrs. Yang saw "five hundred thousand taels" written on the list, she felt that these words were so dazzling that she couldn't help but frown.
She could see that Prince Li and Prince Shun were clearly helping Gu Jin and gave him some extra cash. For example, the land in the capital was supposed to be about fifteen taels per acre, but on the list it was Calculated based on eighteen taels per mu; the house originally worth two hundred taels was converted into two hundred and fifty taels...
Gu Jin originally received at most 400,000 taels, but now he got an extra 100,000 taels. This time, the palace's cash and banknotes were almost emptied.
Concubine Yang felt very unhappy and held her breath, but hesitated and did not speak.
If she said that the division between Prince Li and Prince Shun was unfair, then the scene would naturally become unpleasant. If the family division could not be separated today, Prince Li might bring the matter to the imperial court...
She was still hesitating, but Gu Ming couldn't help but came over to take a look. He also frowned and blurted out: "Five hundred thousand taels?! This is too ridiculous!"
In Gu Ming's heart, the title and property of this county prince's palace were already in his pocket. Giving such a huge sum of money to Gu Jin was like cutting out a piece of flesh and blood from his heart.
Upon hearing this, Prince Li, Prince Shun, Prince Rui and others frowned in displeasure, feeling unhappy with Gu Ming.
Gu Ming was a junior, so it stands to reason that he had no right to speak out when the family was separated. His words were tantamount to scolding them for the unfair separation.
Although they favored Gu Jin, everyone knew that the one who really benefited from this separation was Gu Ming. Gu Jin had already given up his title and family property, but Gu Ming was still not satisfied and was greedy. It's too much!
Several clan princes exchanged glances with each other. Prince Li confirmed with Gu Jin again without giving up: "A Jin, have you really thought it through?"
When Prince Li said this, the last hesitation in Yang Taifei's heart disappeared. She glared at Gu Ming and told him to shut up and say less.
It doesn't matter if you give Gu Jin an extra hundred thousand taels. Anyway, it's just the income of the county prince's palace for a year.
Then, everyone's eyes, including Mrs. Yang's, fell on Gu Jin again, with burning eyes and different expressions.
"I accept." Gu Jin nodded without hesitation, his eyes clear.
Prince Li was helpless and sighed again: "Then let's make a contract."
Concubine Yang was afraid that things would go wrong, so she hurriedly sent someone to prepare the Four Treasures of the Study. Then Prince Li came to personally draw up the terms of the separation of the family, and a stewardess read them over.
Then, both parties simply signed and pledged their signatures.
If it is a private family division, then it needs to be registered with the government, but for a clan, it only needs to be registered with the clan government.
As the Zongling, Prince Li can represent the Zongren Mansion.
Therefore, Prince Zaili checked the deed, and everything was settled.
The deed was made in triplicate, one was kept by Princess Yang, one was given to Gu Jin, and the last one was filed with the clan office.
Calculating the time, it only took an hour to settle the separation. No one raised any objections to the separation this time, and it was considered peaceful.
The separation of the family was so smooth, but Prince Shun and others felt as if they had overturned the five-flavor bottle, and all kinds of tastes were mixed together, as if they were watching a big show.
That complicated emotion finally turned into a sigh. Every family has a sutra that is difficult to recite.
Although Mrs. Yang intended to stay with the guests for dinner, Prince Shun and others had no such intention and left one after another.
After a while, the main hall was mostly empty.
Prince Li had a dry mouth, so he drank a few more sips of tea. The middle-aged servant he brought was drying the deed and carefully put it into a small box.
On the other hand, Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen were still sitting calmly and calmly, as if they were not in a hurry to leave, and seemed to be waiting for Shen Wan and his wife.
No matter what she was thinking, Mrs. Yang still had a gentle smile on her face, as if she was wearing a perfect mask. She said to Gu Jin and Shen Wan magnanimously: "A Jin, A Wan, you don't have to be in such a hurry. , It doesn’t hurt to take care of it for a few more days, Qiniang is young, and the children may not be used to the sudden change of place. "
At first glance, Mrs. Yang looks like a perfect grandmother with a kind smile.
Now that they have already broken up, Gu Jin is too lazy to socialize and smiles casually: "Mother is not in a hurry, but we are."
What he said was so sarcastic that Mrs. Yang felt that she was a winner and was too lazy to argue with Gu Jin.
Gu Ming said sarcastically: "Mom, you have good intentions, but others must appreciate it!"
Shen Wan didn't even bother to talk to Mrs. Yang, and pretended to pick up the tea cup. Out of the corner of her eye, she happened to see Chu Qianchen wink at her.
Shen Wan also blinked quickly at her.
The rest of the people had almost left, and Prince Li also stood up, intending to say goodbye to Concubine Yang, but at this moment, a man in Tsing Yi came running towards here panting.
He stopped outside the hall, and before he could catch his breath, he walked quickly to Gu Ming's side and shouted anxiously: "Third Master, no..."
The man in green leaned down and whispered to Gu Ming in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Third Master, Li Er ran away."
The man in Tsing Yi only said these six short words.
"..." Gu Ming's pupils shrank sharply, his smile froze on his lips, and he almost blurted out, "What did you say?" !
His face turned slightly pale, and he looked at the man in Tsing Yi with a questioning look. The man in Tsing Yi definitely nodded.
It’s over!
(End of chapter)