Chapter 53 Shut up, you have no right to speak here.
Princess Jiaoyang unsurprisingly took the seat of honor.
Fearing that Madam Min would make her sit in the main seat, Madam Zheng quickly asked Magistrate Wang for a seat and sat down in the head seat on the right.
So, the seats on the right were moved back one by one.
It took quite a bit of effort to move it to Wang Zhangshi's house.
Princess Jiaoyang complained impatiently, "Why is she here causing trouble instead of resting at home after breaking her leg? She's just causing everyone a lot of trouble."
Upon hearing this, Lady Wang's face flushed red. However, upon realizing the speaker was Princess Jiaoyang, Lady Wang didn't dare utter a single disapproving glance, let alone a word of rebuttal. She could only silently grit her teeth and swallow her anger.
Madam Min Qiao glanced at Princess Jiaoyang with delight, thinking that this little troublemaker had come to cause her trouble, but she didn't expect that she would speak her mind as soon as she arrived.
Seeing Wang Zhangshi's aggrieved expression, Min Qiaoshi couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth.
However, the next moment, Princess Jiaoyang said, "Madam Qiao, won't you sit down? I am the junior, and I am sitting while you are the elder, yet you are standing. Doesn't that make me seem disrespectful to my elders?"
Min Qiao choked and quickly sat down awkwardly in the main seat next to Princess Jiaoyang.
Well, Princess Jiaoyang is just indiscriminately attacking anyone she doesn't like!
Madam Zheng was sitting below Princess Jiaoyang. Upon seeing this, she coughed twice and gave Princess Jiaoyang a wink.
Princess Jiaoyang then pursed her lips and said nothing more.
With everyone seated, the division of the family property officially began.
As the head of the Marquis's mansion, Min Rong explained the purpose of gathering everyone together today, then said some polite words before handing over the initiative to Min Qiao Shi.
Madam Min didn't stand on ceremony and went straight to the point: "Dividing the family property is nothing more than dividing the family property and the profits. Min Rong, Min Yao, and Min Hui, according to the old rules of the Marquis's Mansion, 90% of the family property will remain in the Marquis's Mansion and be inherited by Min Rong. The remaining 10% will be inherited by Min Yao and Min Hui, with two shares for the legitimate sons and one share for the illegitimate sons."
"You three brothers don't have any objections to this, do you?"
No sooner had Madam Min Qiao finished speaking than Madam Wang Zhang angrily said, "Wait! We haven't even agreed to divide the family property, so how did we get onto the topic of dividing the family property?"
"We don't agree to the division of the family! If we're going to divide it, then the second wife should be separated! We won't!"
Everyone looked at Wang Zhangshi with strange expressions. Wang Zhangshi muttered indignantly, "I didn't say anything wrong, why are they looking at me like that?"
Madam Min chuckled lightly, "Auntie, this is a division of the Xuanping Marquis's family, and also a division of the Min family's descendants. What business is it of yours, a woman surnamed Wang? Do you even have the right to speak?"
"How can it not concern me? I'm Minhui's aunt! Minhui was bullied, can't I, as his aunt, stand up for him?"
Wang Zhangshi argued vehemently, "Min Hui clearly said he didn't want to separate the family, yet you still insist on separating him. What are your true intentions?"
Min Qiaoshi wasn't angry. She just looked at Wang Zhangshi with a half-smile and said indifferently, "Does not wanting to separate the family mean you can choose not to? There are plenty of children and grandchildren in the world who don't want to separate the family, but look at them, which family's children and grandchildren can go against their parents?"
Before Madam Wang could say anything more, Min Hui stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said in a sorrowful tone, "Mother, your son has grown up under your care since childhood. Your son wishes to remain by your side and serve you until the end. Please do not send your son away."
Madam Min frowned slightly. "If you are filial, you can still come to see me often even after we separate from the family. You don't necessarily have to live under the same roof to fulfill your filial duties."
Min Hui choked, then gritted his teeth and said as a second choice, "Mother, I have just been engaged to the Marquis of An'nan. Now that we are separating from the family, what should I do about my marriage? Please let me get married in the Marquis's mansion and then separate from the family."
Madam Min frowned even more deeply. Could she not see through such an obvious delaying tactic?
Once Miss Feng enters the mansion, it will be even more difficult to separate the family property.
Miss Feng was not a kind person to begin with, and on top of that, there was her troublesome and gossipy mother, and the power of the Marquis of Annan as her backing... Tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes me feel troubled.
Just then, Princess Jiaoyang spoke up.
“Madam Qiao, this is where you are wrong. Even if Master Min is not your biological son, he is still your son. As a mother, isn't it only right that you help your son get married?”
"A tree that grows big branches out is not inherently wrong. But you have to choose the right time, don't you?"
"At this crucial moment, when Master Min is getting married, how can we divide the family property?"
"If you ask me, we should just go along with what Master Min says and wait until he gets married before dividing the family property."
"What do you think, Madam Qiao?"
Upon hearing this, Min Hui's face lit up with joy, and he quickly kowtowed to Princess Jiaoyang, saying, "Thank you for speaking up for justice, Your Highness."
Wang Zhangshi's face lit up with joy, and she looked at Princess Jiaoyang with gratitude in her eyes, completely forgetting the anger and embarrassment she had felt from being teased by Princess Jiaoyang earlier.
Even Wang Mian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He originally didn't want to come, but he couldn't resist the persistent pleas of Min Hui and Wang Zhangshi.
He thought, "Let them come if they want. If I can swallow my pride and beg Madam Min not to separate Min Hui from the family, that would be the best outcome."
If they absolutely have to split up, at least he'll be there to keep an eye on things; they can't let Min Hui suffer too much.
Now that Princess Jiaoyang has spoken, it seems this family won't need to be divided.
However, in the face of Princess Jiaoyang's accusations, Madam Min Qiao remained silent and turned to give a wink to Granny Fang beside her.
Granny Fang nodded, took out a wooden box from her bosom, and handed it to Madam Min Qiao.
Madam Min Qiao gave Min Hui a half-smile. She hadn't wanted to break off relations, but Min Hui clearly wasn't going to let it go, so she couldn't blame him.
She deftly opened the wooden box and took out a thick letter. "Granny Fang, show this to your uncle first."
Wang Mian was taken aback, wondering what Madam Min Qiao wanted him to see.
But after taking the stack of letters and quickly reading them, Wang Mian's face turned deathly pale.
He suppressed the trembling in his heart and looked at Madam Min with the last glimmer of hope, "Madam, what do you mean by showing me this? This letter is not my sister's handwriting!"
Madam Min smiled. "Uncle, tell me, is the content of this letter true?"
Wang Mian did not respond.
Madam Min Qiao continued, "The copy that Uncle has is one I made myself. Your sister's handwritten letter is in my possession. I'm afraid that if I show you the original, Uncle or Min Hui might get too excited and destroy it. Uncle, don't you agree?"
Wang Mian lowered his head, not daring to look at Min Qiaoshi again.
Madam Min Qiao reminded him, "Uncle, that letter should be shown to Min Hui."
Wang Mian suddenly looked up, staring at Madam Min Qiao in horror: "Madam, is that really necessary? I've already agreed to the division of the family property on behalf of Min Hui."
"The distribution of the family property..."
Wang Mian replied in a deep voice: "Min Hui only wants what he deserves. If the Grand Madam has any objections, Min Hui may refuse to take a share of the Marquis's estate."
Before Min Qiaoshi could even speak, Wang Zhangshi jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Why shouldn't he get a share? Min Hui is the legitimate son of the first wife! It's one thing that he can't inherit the Marquis's estate, but shouldn't he be compensated more in the distribution of the family property? How can he not get a share? What kind of logic is this?"
"Shut up! You have no right to speak here!"
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