Chapter 112 Insatiable Greed

Yu Jingsheng scoffed, "You're nothing but parasites living off the General's Mansion. Who gives you any face? You dare to dream of taking two-thirds of the General's Mansion's assets?"

Seeing this, the third aunt sitting to the side did not dare to speak up. She did not expect that the big shots invited by her niece-in-law would speak so bluntly. How could she make a request?

She's gotten used to taking advantage of her parents' family over the years, so how could she be left out when the family is dividing up the property? That's why she's sitting here refusing to leave despite everyone's sour faces, just trying to squeeze some benefits out of her own family.

Now that the accounts from these past years have been read aloud in public, her second and fourth brothers, who have long relied on the eldest branch of the family, dare not utter a word. How could she possibly speak?

If this evil person digs up her past records of taking things from the General's mansion, will she still be questioned by these people about when she will return them?

This is not a division of the family; it is a blatant favoritism towards the eldest son's branch of the family. They are bullying the young women because they are weak and powerless, stripping them naked and leaving them to dry in the sun for everyone to see.

How awful!

No matter how much he cursed in his heart, he ultimately dared not utter a sound.

Seeing that everyone had finally quieted down, Yu Jingsheng said to Old Madam Ning:

"I wonder if the in-laws have already drawn up the terms and conditions?"

Madam Ning and her daughter-in-law had already discussed this, so she said, "There are certainly rules in place."

He gestured for Yu Qingci to take out the contract that had already been written.

The deed clearly lists all the existing properties, shops, and income of the General's Mansion, including how these assets were acquired.

Furthermore, the assets that the second and fourth wives would receive after their families were separated were also clearly written down, with several copies made and given to the various adults and the second and fourth masters for their review.

The second and fourth masters examined the contract carefully from top to bottom, and their expressions changed completely after they finished reading it.

Madam Ma was the first to exclaim in surprise: "What? They only gave our family five hundred taels of silver and two shops, and that's it?"

Madam Wei exclaimed in disbelief, "This is outrageous! Our second branch only gave us four hundred taels of silver. How can it be less than the fourth branch? Is this how you treat beggars?"

The fourth master jumped up and said, "Sister-in-law, you can't go too far! We have a whole family to support, with elderly parents and young children. How can this little bit of money be enough for our future? Sister-in-law, you're not giving us a way to survive!"

Madam Ning looked somewhat uneasy and secretly glanced at her daughter-in-law. She said that the amount given was too small and these people would definitely make a fuss, but her daughter-in-law said that she had her reasons.

Enough, enough. Today she'll just be a silent Bodhisattva, watching but not saying a word.

Yu Qingci said calmly, "Uncles and aunts, please don't get excited. The amount of things we gave you was suggested by my mother. Each branch will receive three hundred taels of silver and two shops. Considering that my cousin Yunli from the second branch is not yet married and my cousin Yunbing from the fourth branch is about to get married, we added one hundred taels and two hundred taels respectively to give them good luck for their weddings."

After all, the money for the marriages of the brothers and sisters was all paid from the family covenant. Among the legitimate children, only these two cousins ​​are still unmarried, so Mother is giving them a dowry in advance. The two aunts should not think it's too little.

As for the remaining cousins, after the family divides up, it won't be our eldest branch's responsibility to worry about them too much.

The implication is that the child born out of wedlock will have to pay for their own marriage.

This is also the practice of all aristocratic families when they split up, and it is impeccable.

Those shops were also selected by Yu Qingci. The shops were originally in good locations and had good business. After her second and fourth aunts took over, they stuffed their relatives into the shops one after another. Over the years, the shops have been ruined by these people and are now just empty shells, suffering losses year after year.

Now that we have nothing else to offer but the location, let's divide these shops between the two families.

Wei seized on the key point in Yu Qingci's words: "You made the suggestion? What right do you, a newly married daughter-in-law, have to suggest such a small thing to us? With such a large and wealthy General's Mansion, all you're offering is a pittance to kick us out? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Yu Jingsheng slammed his teacup on the table with a bang, his gaze turning cold as he looked over, his voice equally icy:

"What makes my daughter so special? It's because she's the young mistress of the General's Mansion, and because she has me as her father."

What, you think the payment isn't enough? Then tell me, what wealth have you accumulated for the General's Mansion over the years? Of all the things listed in this deed, which ones were earned by your second and fourth wives?

Yu Qingci's contract was very detailed, and all the assets were clearly marked with their origins, making them readily available. All the assets were earned by the general and his son through their military achievements.

The fourth master muttered resentfully, "Even if all these assets were earned by my eldest brother, we've lived with them for so many years. We're all family and have long been integrated into one family. Why bother distinguishing who earned them?"

In my opinion, it should be divided equally into three portions, one for each family.

The second uncle was so angry that he pointed at the fourth master's nose and scolded, "How dare you say such a thing? You always consider yourself a scholar, but you've learned nothing of propriety, morality, and shame in your life."

For so many years, your two families have relied entirely on your eldest brother for support. Now that he's gone, you still dare to try and seize his property. If you really dare to do that, don't blame us elders for turning our backs on you!

Yu Jingsheng: "As the saying goes, a small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment. If I were General Lu, I would have separated you and made you fend for yourselves long ago after helping you get married. That would have been more than enough as an elder brother, so as not to end up raising an ungrateful child."

The second and fourth masters shrank their necks and remained silent.

Madam Wei muttered under her breath, "Even if the family fortune was all earned by my eldest brother, our two branches of the family have also put in a lot of effort over the years. Take those shops, for example; most of them were carefully managed by our two branches of the family, and the money earned was all handed over to the public."

Yu Qingci said to Wang Mama, who was standing beside her, "Go and bring me all the account books from the shops outside over the years."

Upon hearing that the account books were to be brought out, Madam Wei quickly stopped her, saying:

"No, no, what are you doing, niece-in-law? Why are you digging up old accounts when we're dividing the family property?"

They know best what's been going on with the shop's accounts over the years, but that can't be brought up in public.

Unfortunately, no one heard her inner complaints, and soon several accountants carried in a small box.

Yu Qingci stepped forward and took out several account books, presenting them to the adults and clan uncles: "Elders, please take a look. These shops are under the jurisdiction of the second and fourth branches of the family. They are all large storefronts with five rooms and wide courtyards, and the locations are all in the bustling city. When the shops were still in my mother's hands, the annual profit was not much, but it was at least a thousand taels."

But ever since they took over, the business has been losing money year after year. To date, the total profits from these shops are not even enough to cover the monthly allowances for the second and fourth aunts' families.

Since the aunts have mentioned the shop, let's take stock of the accounts from all these years. Why don't you and your uncles first make up for the losses incurred over the years, and deduct it from the money we've given you?"