Chapter 110 Division of the Family 2

There was no way around it; any one of these three esteemed figures who came today was an unapproachable figure to them, the commoners.

General Wu and Lord Li were also familiar with each other, having been friends with the General for over a decade.

In particular, General Wu, being a military officer, had fought alongside the Grand General on the battlefield. When the Grand General of Ningyuan and his son suddenly died and their remains were brought back, General Wu led several thousand soldiers from the capital out of the city to welcome them. He also came to pay his respects at the funeral and the seventh day after their deaths.

As for Lord Li, although he hadn't known the General as long as he had, they were still close friends, so no one was surprised by their uninvited arrival.

Thinking everyone had arrived and ready to begin the discussion, the Earl of Nanping raised his hand and said:

"Wait a minute, we have another distinguished guest arriving today."

Everyone was stunned. Old Madam Ning hadn't expected that this in-law had invited other people besides General Wu and Lord Li.

Before she could ask, a servant rushed in to report: "Madam, the Duke of Li has arrived at our gate."

The Earl of Nanping immediately stood up and went outside to greet them, saying repeatedly, "Quickly, welcome them in."

The group hurriedly followed them out.

Soon, a tall, handsome man was ushered in by the crowd. This was Duke Li, around fifty years old, with a round, plump face and a kind smile.

Among these people today, the Duke of Li is the highest and oldest in terms of both rank and age, so he is naturally arranged to sit at the head of the table. The others sit down according to their status.

Duke Li's plump, round face still smiled kindly: "Although General Lu did not have much contact with me during his lifetime, I respected the General's character and his deeds of sacrificing himself for the country. So I accepted the invitation of the Earl of Nanping to come and join in the fun. Just listen, just listen. Everyone, please don't be so formal."

Duke Li spoke modestly, but none of the Lu family members sitting below dared to say anything.

Madam Ning: "You are all important officials of the Emperor, busy with countless affairs of state. I am truly grateful for your presence today, which is just a small matter concerning my family."

The officials bowed and said, "Madam, you are too kind. General Ningyuan and his son sacrificed their lives for the country. His Majesty has repeatedly mentioned them in court and expressed his deep sorrow. For both public and private reasons, we should make this trip."

Yu Jingsheng: "Now that everyone is here, let's begin. As a relative by marriage, I'll take the liberty of saying a few words."

General Ningyuan, as the elder brother, had devoted himself wholeheartedly to his younger siblings over the years, fulfilling his duties as an elder brother to the utmost. However, all good things must come to an end, and now that he has passed away, the family must be divided. As long as the affection remains, we will always be family, no matter where we are.

Duke Li and the others nodded in agreement.

General Wu, a seasoned military commander with a rough and forthright personality, spoke directly to Old Madam Ning:

"Madam, just tell us how to divide it, and we brothers will all listen to you."

The faces of the second and fourth wives tightened, and the second master stood up and cupped his hands, saying, "This humble subject greets all the esteemed officials. It is truly an honor that you have graced our humble abode with your presence today."

"I dare not ask you gentlemen to make a decision. It's just that we haven't communicated well with my sister-in-law about some family matters. Yesterday, my fourth brother and I even planned to take the initiative to apologize to her. We promised to restrain our wives and children from causing her any trouble in the future, and that we can all live together peacefully as a family. It's best if this family doesn't separate."

The fourth master quickly chimed in, "Yes, now that my elder brother and nephew have passed away, the eldest branch is left with only my sister-in-law, niece, and nephew's wife, a few weak women and children. As brothers, we absolutely cannot stand aside at this time, ignore the situation, and go our separate ways to live our own lives, leaving my sister-in-law to raise her daughter-in-law and niece, a few orphans and widows. What kind of people would we be?"

"That's right, that's right,"

The Wei and Ma families echoed in hushed tones.

The various branches of the family have already discussed it privately, and it would be best if the family remained united.

Even if the family were to split up, the matter of choosing an heir would be resolved first. Regardless of which branch of the family the heir was chosen from, the benefits would be shared among everyone in the end.

After hearing the two brothers' words, Duke Li looked puzzled and asked, "So you don't want to divide the family?"

The second and fourth masters nodded hurriedly.

General Wu's booming voice rang out immediately: "If you don't want to divide the family property, why did you call us here?"

Second Master and Fourth Master: ...Who wanted to call you over?

The smile on Duke Li's face disappeared: "If word gets out that you don't want to separate the family, it won't sound good."

General Ningyuan was benevolent and righteous. Throughout his life, he acted as both an elder brother and a father, raising his younger siblings to adulthood and careers. You two have lived comfortably under your elder brother's protection for so many years, and now you have a house full of children and grandchildren—a truly joyous occasion! Who in the entire capital doesn't praise General Ningyuan's benevolence and righteousness?

The group nodded in agreement. Their eldest brother was indeed kind and righteous, so even if he were gone, the family should not be divided.

Duke Li changed the subject: "But now, things are unpredictable. General Ningyuan has passed away, and your two families are full of children and grandchildren. Do you really expect your widowed sister-in-law to continue supporting your two large families?"

Lord Li stroked his meticulously trimmed beard and agreed:

“That is indeed true. Although the eldest brother is like a father, the General has done his best to raise you for so many years. Now that he has passed away, you are still crammed into the General’s mansion and refuse to move out, expecting your widowed sister-in-law to support you. This is really outrageous.”

In the past, it could be said that they were seeking the protection of their elder brother, but now that their elder brother is gone, it doesn't sound good for the younger brother and his wife to rely on their widowed sister-in-law for a living. This family should probably be divided.

Yu Jingsheng also spoke up: "In the past, you two stayed in the General's Mansion and could be said to be brothers who helped each other. Now, the eldest branch only has a few women and children left, and you two have a house full of children and grandchildren. You are both old and still reluctant to move out and live separately. If this gets out, it will become a joke."

These men, all in high positions, were well-versed in how to deal with those below them. Therefore, they were impatient with riddles and spoke more bluntly than the last. The Second Master and the Fourth Master were about to lose face, but they dared not speak out of respect for the official authority of these men.

Madam Ma, however, was not one to read people's expressions. Seeing her husband's face turning red and his neck contorted with embarrassment, she couldn't help but stand up and say:

"How is this a joke? My sister-in-law is willing to support us, and we are willing to be close to her. What business is it of hers?"

Several sharp gazes shot over immediately, and Madam Ma was so startled by their stares that she couldn't continue speaking.

The fourth master felt ashamed that his wife had actually stood up and spoken, so he quickly tugged at her sleeve and scolded her a few times:

"What right do you, a woman, have to interrupt when a man is speaking? Sit down now."

After pulling Madam Ma down to sit, he smiled obsequiously at the officials at the head of the table:

"Actually, we had discussed the division of the family when my elder brother was alive. He meant that as a general of the court, he was always leading his nephew in battles at the front and was really worried about his sister-in-law and niece who stayed in the mansion. He hoped that we two younger brothers would stay in the mansion to help our sister-in-law."

"My elder brother's body is barely cold, yet my sister-in-law is telling us to move out. Anyone who didn't know better would think she's heartless and can't tolerate her nephews and nieces."

After saying that, he cupped his hands to the group and said, "My lords, you must stand up for us."