The old marquis left a will, asking for a simple funeral.
The Marquis's Mansion followed the old Marquis's will and did not hold a grand funeral.
However, we still invited monks to chant sutras and Taoist priests to perform rituals.
Filial sons and grandchildren keep vigil every day.
Gu Jiu and Liu Zhao came to the Marquis' Mansion, presented funeral gifts, and then went to the mourning hall to pay their respects.
The filial sons and grandchildren stood up to return the greeting.
Everyone was very tired. Zhou, as the eldest grandson's wife, came out to greet Gu Jiu.
"After the old marquis left, the old lady couldn't hold on any longer. She has been lying in bed for two days."
"Is it serious?"
Zhou said, "The imperial physician examined the old lady and said that she was too worried and weak, and needed to rest. For the past two days, we didn't dare to tell her about the outside situation."
Gu Jiu breathed a sigh of relief. If he was just weak, that would be fine.
She asked Zhou, "Are you in any trouble?"
Zhou pulled Gu Jiu to a corner and whispered, "The eldest master successfully inherited the title. The second and third branches started making some gossip, and it seemed that they wanted to split the family. But they were all suppressed by the Marquis. The Marquis said that as long as the old lady is alive, the Marquisate will not split up. No one dared to disturb the old lady about this, for fear that she would not be able to bear the shock."
The eldest master Gu Zhiwen successfully inherited the title, and now everyone calls him Marquis.
Gu Rui was also asked to be appointed as the prince of the marquisate.
Zhou transformed herself from the eldest lady to the Crown Prince's wife.
Gu Jiu frowned, "Why are the second and third branches clamoring for separation? Logically speaking, separation won't do them much good."
Apart from getting a share of the family wealth, everything from identity to status will be greatly reduced after the division.
If they don't split up, they will be the second and third masters of the Marquis' Mansion, and outsiders will look up to them.
If the family is divided, then there will be no connection with the Marquisate and no longer be able to enjoy the protection of the Marquisate.
Zhou whispered, "The division of the family is fake. In fact, they are just after the private property left by the old marquis."
I see.
Gu Jiu understood.
The second and third wives are not fools. They know that there is no benefit in dividing the family, so it is impossible for them to really want to divide the family.
It turned out that he was just using the division of the family as an excuse to divide up the private property left by the old marquis.
Gu Jiu asked curiously, "How does the Marquis plan to solve this matter?"
"The Marquis means that all of the old Marquis's private property should be handed over to the old lady to manage, and no one else is allowed to interfere."
This is a way to avoid gossip.
Zhou added, "But several of the illegitimate masters all have objections."
The old marquis has three legitimate sons and four illegitimate sons.
The three masters of the Marquis' Mansion are all legitimate children.
The four illegitimate masters were separated from the family and had to live on their own more than 20 years ago.
On this point, the old marquis insisted on a clear distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children.
It is precisely because of this that the Marquis’ Mansion has been able to live in harmony for so many years.
Gu Jiu frowned, "My uncles and aunts have already been separated. It is not their turn to interfere in the affairs of the Marquis' Mansion."
Zhou nodded repeatedly, "Who says it's not? But they don't think so. When the old marquis passed away, they said that as his descendants, they should be given a share of his private property."
It seems that everyone has set their sights on the old marquis's private property.
How much private money did the old marquis save that made everyone greedy.
Gu Jiu hesitated for a moment, "I'd like to ask, how much private property does the old marquis have?"
Zhou took Gu Jiu's hand and whispered, "No one else knows about this, I'm only telling Little Sister Jiu. The old marquis left behind quite a bit of private wealth. The Shaofu Bank alone has a deposit of 100,000 taels. He also bought seven or eight farms in Jiangnan, each with at least ten hectares of fertile land. Some of it is used to grow rice, and some is used to grow mulberry trees and raise silkworms, bringing in a considerable annual income."
In addition, the old marquis owns over twenty shops in the capital and several farms outside the capital. In Xinmin County, the old marquis has also purchased properties in Phases 2, 3, and 4. The rent alone is a considerable income each year. According to the housekeeper, the old marquis has also invested in Xiaojiu's business.
Gu Jiu nodded, "The old marquis did invest some of his private money in my business. One is the cement road, and every year the dividends are deposited into the old marquis' account at the Shaofu Bank. I don't know if you are clear about this account.
In addition, the old marquis also invested a sum of money in the northwest, and the dividends from this money have not yet been settled. If settlement is required, I will have the accountant dig out the account books from previous years for you to review one by one. In addition, the old marquis also invested a sum of money in Jiangnan, and this money has not yet paid dividends. If the principal needs to be withdrawn, I can make the decision."
Zhou was secretly shocked. "The old marquis actually bought so many properties. I thought the old marquis and Xiaojiu sister didn't usually interact with each other."
Gu Jiu said, "Indeed, there is no contact. These investments were all made by the steward. I also arranged for the steward to make the contact. I have no direct contact with the old marquis. I didn't even ask about the specific amount of the old marquis' investment. I have to look through the account books to find out."
Mrs. Zhou quickly said, "Regarding the old marquis's investment, I can't make the decision. I will report this to the marquis and his wife and ask them to make the decision. If this has caused trouble to Little Sister Jiu, please forgive me."
Gu Jiu said, "You are too polite, sister-in-law. The old marquis trusted me and invested in my business. Now that the old marquis is gone, the ownership of these investments must be changed. I will give the Marquisate three months. I hope you can make a decision as soon as possible and decide in whose name these investments should be registered."
Mrs. Zhou didn't quite understand the change in rights, so she asked, "Can't we continue to register it under the old marquis' name?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "No! The reason why Sihai Trading Company can operate smoothly is because of its strict rules and regulations. Even I have to follow the rules and regulations of the company."
Zhou sighed, "Sister Xiaojiu has built Sihai Trading Company so big, there's a reason for that. As the saying goes, there's no order without rules. Sihai Trading Company deals with so much money, so no matter how strict the rules are, they can't be too strict."
"Thank you for your understanding, Madam. I hope the Marquisate can make a decision as soon as possible regarding the change of rights."
"I'll keep this in mind. The old marquis left behind so many private properties, and everyone is concerned about them. After the funeral is over, I'm afraid there will be more quarrels for a while. By then, I may need Sister Xiaojiu to come forward as a witness to resolve this matter once and for all."
Gu Jiu nodded. "If you need me to come forward, just send someone to tell me. As long as the old lady is still alive, it would be the fairest thing for her to handle all the private property left by the old marquis."
Zhou lowered her voice and said, "The Marquis meant the same thing. But those illegitimate masters disagree. They're afraid that the old lady will hold onto the old Marquis's private property, leaving them without a penny. These past few days, they haven't come to observe mourning, but have been busy organizing and contacting the clan elders all day. It's really too much."
If it weren't for the funeral at the Marquis's mansion and my inability to leave, I'd have rolled up my sleeves and slapped them in the face. They're all obsessed with money, and they don't have any filial piety at all. Besides, the old Marquis already divided the property between them more than 20 years ago, so there's no reason to divide it a second time."
As the wife of the Crown Prince and the head of the Gu family, if Zhou really wanted to roll up her sleeves and beat those illegitimate masters, no one would dare to question her.
The status of a clan woman in the clan is very important.
With a lot of responsibilities comes a lot of rights.
For example, when the men of the clan hold a meeting, women and children are not eligible to attend. Only the wife of the head of the family and the clan wives are qualified to participate, and they have to sit in the front and most important seats.
The reason why the Marquis' Mansion disliked Jia Shi at the beginning was because she was unable to shoulder the responsibilities of a clan wife.
The clan wives have heavy responsibilities. Without good health, just the end-of-year ancestor worship alone would be exhausting.
After the two of them finished talking, Zhou went back to busy herself with greeting other guests.
She is a clan member's wife, and during the funeral period, she is more tired and busier than anyone else.
Fortunately, she was in good health and could hold on.
"Second sister, you are here."
In the flower hall where guests were entertained, Gu Jiu met his sisters.
The eldest sister is Gu Zhen, the fourth sister is Gu Shan, the fifth sister is Gu Lin, and the sixth sister is Gu Jun.
Gu Jiu greeted the sisters, "You came early."
Gu Lin said, "I saw my second sister talking to Zhou's sister-in-law, so I didn't bother them."
Gu Jiu pinched Gu Lin's cheek and asked, "Are you here with your brother-in-law?"
Gu Lin nodded and said "hmm".
Gu Lin's marriage was arranged by Lord Gu, and she married the eldest son of a newly-established official family.
Gu Jiu once asked Gu Lin that if she was not satisfied with this marriage, he would find another one for her.
Gu Lin was very shy at the time and was obviously satisfied with the man's conditions.
Gu Jiu didn't bother to do anything else and prepared a generous dowry for Gu Lin so that she could have a grand wedding.
Gu Lin was very grateful to Gu Jiu in her heart.
The makeup that Gu Jiu gave her made her look good in her husband's family.
The annual rent from the two buildings in the second phase of Xinmin County alone is a considerable income.
She also has two sets of head jewelry, which are her first choice for dressing up when she goes out to visit guests.
Today she and her husband went to the Marquis' Mansion to attend the funeral and also to see Gu Jiu.
Her husband wanted to study at Shanhe Academy, but he had taken the exam three times and failed, which was really frustrating.
Gu Jiu pinched her ear and said, "Let your brother-in-law calm down and study hard for the exam. There is no shortcut to study at Shanhe Academy."
Gu Lin was a little embarrassed. "Second sister, you misunderstood. He's not trying to take shortcuts. He will study the exercise book carefully and strive to be on the list next time. He just wants to know what the requirements are for becoming Sanyuan Gong's disciple."
Gu Jiu said: "It's not easy to become Sanyuan Gong's teacher. Sanyuan Gong has been concentrating on teaching candidates in the past two years. If a scholar wants to become his teacher, he must be extremely talented."
When Gu Lin heard this, her heart sank.
Her husband was not a gifted scholar, but an ordinary scholar. He had only been able to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar by studying very hard.
She asked, "Is there no other way?"
Gu Jiu shook his head. "Whether Sanyuan Gong accepts disciples is entirely up to his personal will. Even I cannot interfere with Sanyuan Gong's decision. But even if I cannot become his disciple, the other teachers in Shanhe Academy are all capable people. Soon, Shanhe Academy will have another top-ranked teacher."
"Really?" Gu Lin was pleasantly surprised.
The top scholar came to Shanhe Academy to teach. How awesome must Shanhe Academy be.
Gu Jiu nodded, "Of course it's true. Let your brother-in-law concentrate on his studies and strive to get into Shanhe Academy as soon as possible. Shanhe Academy provides free tuition, so the burden on you and your wife will be much less."
"Thank you, second sister."
"No need to thank me. Whether my brother-in-law can pass the exam depends entirely on his own ability. No one else can help."
"I'll tell him."
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