Finally, the elders of the clan forced Gu Jian to hand over the money house deed that he had hidden privately. It was only then that Wang realized that Gu Jian had hidden an asset privately, and she didn't know whether to be angry or heartbroken.

It took four full days to complete the inventory of all the account books and property in the mansion.

The clan leader personally checked and divided up the properties one by one, even the mother and daughter of the third branch, Yan, had a share.

Logically speaking, since Yan, the third wife, was a widow and had no sons, her property would not be divided and of course she would not get any. The only thing she could get was a dowry from the public property when Gu Yunzhen got married.

However, Gu Yuan took the initiative to suggest that the third room should also have an industry.

Although the third room has no sons, it has daughters, so it should be treated the same as the fourth and fifth rooms.

After explaining the details of the division and showing the list to each family, the clan leader looked around at everyone in the hall and asked loudly, "Do you have any objections?"

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat stagnant and impetuous.

"..." Third Madam Yan pinched her handkerchief uneasily, looked at the clan leader, then at Gu Yuan, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Are they going to divide up all the concubines? They are an orphan girl and a widow, so even if they get the family property, it is still a question whether they can keep it.

Since ancient times, if there is no male in the family, it is easy to be bullied.

Moreover, my daughter has not found a husband since she broke off the engagement with the Murong family...

In Yan's heart, the most important thing is always her daughter's future.

She was also worried that once she and her daughter moved out, she, as a widow, would have many inconveniences and how could she find a good marriage for her daughter. Dividing the family is not just as simple as dividing the property.

Gu Yunzhen saw Yan's uneasiness, held his mother's hand soothingly, smiled gently, and his eyes were gentle but firm.

"Third aunt," said Gu Yanfei, who was sitting on the other side of Gu Yunzhen, "Eldest sister's surname is also Gu. Although there are no male offspring in the third branch, eldest sister is also of the Gu family's bloodline and can inherit the third branch's property."

"If those shopkeepers and village heads dare to bully their masters, don't we still have my eldest brother at home? If anyone is not honest, we can just beat him up and he will become obedient." Gu Yanfei raised his eyebrows and said in a joking tone.

After his sister made such harsh remarks, Gu Yuan naturally took on the responsibility of being a thug and nodded, "I'm here."

Yan understood the implication of the brother and sister's words and felt relieved, with a look of joy on her face. In other words, their third branch did not have to move out and could still live in the mansion.

That's good, that's good! Yan held her daughter's hand, her eyes shining.

This property is also a pleasant surprise for the third wife. When her daughter gets married in the future, she can not only add a portion to her daughter's dowry, but also keep a portion with her as a support and retreat for her daughter.

Fourth Master Gu and Fifth Master Gu looked at each other with a little hesitation.

Since the third wife got a bigger share, strictly speaking, the proportion of the property they received was reduced. However, since the money house secretly hidden by the second wife was uncovered, after a calculation, the actual amount of property they received was more than expected.

Seeing that they did not answer for a long time, the clan leader asked again: "Does anyone have any objections?"

Fourth Master Gu and Fifth Master Gu had already made up their minds and nodded to each other.

They knew that they had mediocre talents and were born out of wedlock, so they never coveted the title. They just wanted to live a stable life like their uncles who were born out of wedlock.

The two brothers expressed their opinions to the patriarch one after another: "Uncle, I have no objection."

"Uncle has divided it fairly."

Originally, they had the title of Marquis Dingyuan. As long as they did not split up the family, their son would be the son of the marquis, and their daughter would still be the daughter of the marquis. It would also be easier for them to talk about marriage in the future.

But now, the Marquis' Mansion has even lost its title. All that's left is this huge mansion. The Marquis' Mansion will be just the "Gu Mansion" in the future. In this case, it would be better for the family to separate and live more comfortably.

It's not like they don't have a male heir to support the third branch, and they can only live under someone else's roof. It would be better for them to divide the family peacefully, and also to look good in front of Gu Yuan.

Fourth Master Gu added with a smile on his face, "Thank you for your hard work, uncle and the other elders. I will invite you all to my house for a drink someday when I move into the new house."

From beginning to end, no one asked for the second wife's opinion.

Gu Jian, who was standing aside, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot and was so angry that he couldn't control himself.

Their second branch was supposed to get 15%, but because the third branch got a share, it was reduced to 12%, leaving only a mere 12%.

He felt that these two half brothers were simply too cowardly for just allowing the third branch to take away another layer of flesh and blood from them.

But he dared not say a word, for fear that if he said one more word, the clan leader would propose to expel the second branch from the clan.

After seeing off the clan leader and other elders, Gu Yuan returned to the main hall and said directly without showing any mercy: "Second uncle, second aunt, I will give you ten days. The second branch must move out within ten days."

Gu Yuan's expression was stern when he spoke, and his tone was calm and resolute, giving people the impression that he would carry out his words with decisiveness.

Gu Yuan has always been a man who dares to speak and act. Gu Jian has no doubt that if he dares to leave a day later, his unruly nephew will pack up their second branch's luggage and throw them out of the house.

After saying that, Gu Yuan didn't care about the reactions of Gu Jian, Wang and others, and called Gu Yanfei to leave the main hall together.

Just as the brother and sister walked down the stone steps in front of the hall, Gu Yunyan's slightly nervous voice came from behind: "Brother!"

Gu Yunyan held up her skirt, hurriedly stepped out of the door and called out to Gu Yuan.

"Can it be another month?" Gu Yun'er looked at Gu Yuan who was a few steps away and asked softly.

"No." Gu Yuan said without thinking.

"..." Gu Yun'er's face froze.

Her eyebrows twitched, and she asked calmly, "Brother, are you really going to be so heartless?"

Gu Yun'er's eyes were filled with a kind of sad tenderness as she looked at Gu Yuan, and her tense fingers turned slightly white.

Gu Yuan also looked at Gu Yunyan on the stone steps and asked, "Should I have feelings for someone who hopes that I will die and make room for him?"

Gu Jian and Madam Gu submitted that letter of apology because they wanted him dead, but he was not that broad-minded.

"..." Gu Yunyan was speechless for a moment.

She also felt that the letter of apology submitted by Madam Gu and Gu Jian was inappropriate and seemed to be adding insult to injury. If she had known about it earlier, she would definitely have given some advice.

Gu Yunyan took a deep breath and asked with difficulty: "What about me?"

"Brother, I'm getting married soon."

They had been siblings for fourteen years, so was he unwilling to consider her? Her slender figure stood straight, like a birch tree in the wind and rain, and her expression was vaguely filled with the sadness of a desperate gamble.

It was obvious that he and she had depended on each other since childhood and grew up together. Were all the little things that happened in the past fifteen years fake?

Gu Yuan stared at Gu Yunmeng deeply, his dark pupils were like the calm sea, without any waves, yet carrying a shocking power.

Gu Yuan said slowly: "What kind of relationship do you and I have?"

"I was kind to you because you were my sister."

"Since you are not my sister, why should I be tolerant of you?"

He spoke those few words very naturally, his calm voice was emotionless and his face showed an unfamiliar indifference.

Gu Yunmeng couldn't believe her ears. She felt that Gu Yuan in front of her was so strange.

Even though her elder brother had become less like the elder brother he used to be in the past few months after Gu Yanfei came back, she always felt in her heart that Gu Yuan still had a trace of brotherly love for her.

In the past, she could still deceive herself by telling herself that those cruel words her elder brother said were all because of Gu Yanfei, and that her elder brother did so out of consideration for Gu Yanfei.

But now…

Gu Yun'er stared at Gu Yuan without blinking. Gu Yuan's eyes were as deep as the sea and as firm as the mountains.

She recalled how Gu Yuan had defended Gu Yanfei time and again regardless of right or wrong, and now, Gu Yuan completely ignored the fact that she was about to get married.

Gu Yun'er felt a sour feeling in his heart, and that sour feeling spread all the way to his eye sockets, faintly covering them with a layer of hazy mist.

The sourness gradually turned into bitterness, making the corners of her eyes dry and tight.

Even though the Gu family has been stripped of their title, the imperially bestowed mansion has not been taken back. Marrying in this mansion is completely different from marrying in the small house allocated to the second branch.

Her wedding to King Kang was the most important day in her life.

She hoped that her wedding would be grand and perfect, as it would be her last bit of dignity.

This was also her last request to Gu Yuan.

She really didn't understand why Gu Yuan treated her so cruelly. It felt like several ice spikes were piercing her heart at the same time, causing her so much pain that even her lips turned slightly white.

In addition to feeling heartbroken, a bit of embarrassment appeared on his face.

"Yanfei, let's go." Gu Yuan called Gu Yanfei who was standing beside him, and the brother and sister left side by side.

Gu Yun'er's cherry lips were tightly pursed into a straight line as she stared fixedly at Gu Yuan's back as he left.

After a while, she seemed to have finally made up her mind, and seemed to have gritted her teeth and given up something, and said word by word: "You are the ones who let me down."

It's you.

From then on, Gu Yuan was no longer her elder brother.

Gu Yun'er raised his chin, his expression showing three parts arrogance, three parts determination, and four parts sarcasm. There was no trace of his usual friendly smile on his lips anymore, as if he had suddenly become a different person.

Gu Yanfei in front felt a vague chill coming from behind him, like a gust of cold wind, and the hairs on his neck instantly stood up.

As Gu Yanfei walked, he looked back.

What caught her eyes was the boiling golden aura surrounding Gu Yunmeng.

Gu Yun'er was still standing under the eaves in front of the main hall, motionless, but the aura around her was stirring wildly.

The black air mixed in with the golden luck suddenly became thicker. Before, it was just a few strands, like a few strands of expensive silk being hooked, but now, nearly one-third of the luck was covered by the inky black air.

The black air was spreading out with fangs and claws, making a lot of noise.

Gu Yunmeng's fair face, set against the misty black air, looked like a female ghost returning from hell, cold and gloomy, yet with a hint of madness.

(End of this chapter)