They sighed and shook their heads, somewhat unwilling to agree.
As an uncle, it is wrong for Gu Jian to treat his eldest brother's children so harshly!
Gu Yanfei stroked his sleeves, raised his eyebrows and looked at Gu Jian, a small dimple appeared on the right side of his lips, "My Lord, we have to talk clearly, who wants to split the family?"
Gu Jian said without hesitation: "Yes, it is me."
"Wouldn't it have been better if you said that earlier?" Gu Yanfei sighed softly, causing Gu Jian to vomit a mouthful of blood that got stuck in his throat.
Gu Yanfei casually played with a purple silk ribbon hanging from his ear, looked around at everyone, and said slowly: "It was the Marquis who wanted to split the family, and the elders can testify to this."
Gu Yuan looked at Gu Yanfei quietly, his eyes were incredibly gentle, like the bright sunshine in March.
My sister is a casual and unrestrained person who likes to get straight to the point. It is for her elder brother that she would go through such a long detour...
The division of the Marquis's family must be initiated by the uncle. Only in this way can it avoid being criticized in the future.
Gu Yuan was laughing, but Gu Jian was about to cry. He felt choked up in anger and his mouth was filled with a strong salty smell.
It was clearly Gu Yuan who proposed the separation, but now, with just a few words, it became like he was the one who insisted on separating the family, and he was bullying Gu Yuan, a junior, by using his status as an uncle.
But he still had no way to explain it.
Gu Jian stared at Gu Yuan and Gu Yanfei with a cold gaze for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying to everyone, "Please ask the clan leaders and elders to witness the division of the family."
This sentence almost exhausted all his strength, and after he finished speaking, a feeling of weakness swept over his body.
The hall was silent for a moment.
The clan leader stroked his beard again, sighed, and confirmed with Gu Jian again: "My Lord, have you thought it through?"
"Once the family is divided, it is impossible to reverse it. Once the arrow is shot, there is no turning back."
"You and Brother Yuan are of the same bloodline, and a harmonious family brings prosperity."
Several elders of the clan also offered some advice, most of them hoping that Gu Jian would consider it carefully.
The division of the family is a serious matter. If it gets out, it will inevitably make people question the discord within the Marquis's mansion, which will be detrimental to the Gu family's reputation.
Gu Jian's ears were buzzing with anger because of what they said. He felt suffocated and a little impatient, but he still put on a smile and said a few words like "I've made up my mind".
Seeing that one of the elders was about to persuade him, Gu Jian spoke before the other party did, "Speaking of which, there is a happy event in my family recently that I haven't had time to tell you about yet. The palace has already arranged for Prince Kang to marry Sister Meng in a month."
"At that time, we will have to invite all the relatives in the clan to come to the mansion to drink a glass of wedding wine."
All the elders present knew that the engagement ceremony had already been made, and when they heard that the wedding date had been set, they couldn't help but show joy on their faces.
Their Gu family is going to have a princess consort soon. This is a huge happy event for the whole family!
After the clan leader exchanged some words with several close clan elders, he stroked his beard and pondered for a long time. He looked at Gu Yuan's siblings, then at Gu Jian and his wife, and slammed the table and said, "Then let's split up the family."
After hearing this, Gu Jian and the Wang couple breathed a sigh of relief.
The clan leader calmed down and said, "My Lord, there are five branches in the Marquis's Mansion. Should we only divide the eldest branch this time, or should we divide the other branches as well? Does my Lord have any suggestion?"
Gu Jian had already made a plan, so he replied sarcastically: "Brother Yuan has his own ideas and can support the eldest house. I think this time I will just divide the eldest house."
"The third wife is a widow, and the fourth brother has always been in charge of the general affairs of the Marquis' Mansion. He can't leave the Marquis' Mansion, and the fifth brother is still studying."
As he spoke, Gu Jian glanced in Wang's direction imperceptibly. He and Wang had already discussed it: if they only separated the eldest son's family, no one would say that he could not tolerate his brothers' children.
Wang pinched her cuffs gracefully, her nails stained with marigold juice gleaming against the gold ring inlaid with tricolor gemstones, and her little finger was slightly raised.
Gu Yuan nodded and said, "Okay."
The clan leader glanced at Gu Jian and Gu Yuan, a pair of uncle and nephew with very different temperaments, and continued, "According to the ancestral system, the branch that inherits the title gets 70% of the property, and the remaining 30% is divided among the other branches. The legitimate branch gets twice as much as the illegitimate branch."
"Do you have any objections?"
The clan leader was talking about you, but he was only asking about Gu Yuan.
After all, according to the ancestral system of dividing the family, the second branch is bound to take the lion's share and be the beneficiary, while Gu Yuan only got 15% of the family property, which is really not worth mentioning. Now it depends on whether Gu Yuan has any objection to this.
Gu Yuan nodded decisively again and said, "Okay."
For Yu Gu Yuan, he split up the family not to fight for the property of the Marquis' Mansion, but to live alone with his sister, away from the bad people and things in the Marquis' Mansion.
He is confident that he can create a good future for himself and become a support for his sister.
Gu Yuan's expression was unusually calm, with a look of unyielding pride on his face, as cold as wind and frost.
"I have no objection." Gu Jian also nodded, and couldn't help but look at Gu Yanfei.
This girl is not only a troublemaker, but also a troublemaker.
Gu Jian was 99% sure that it was this girl Gu Yanfei who was instigating Gu Yuan to split up the family.
"The family that inherits the title can inherit 70%?" Gu Yanfei asked generously.
"That's right." The clan leader stroked his beard and nodded, "This rule was set by your great-grandfather. He said that if the descendants of this noble family are not good enough, the family property will be divided more and more thinly, so the family that inherits the title will support the family property."
Gu Yanfei’s great-grandfather was Gu Yao, the first generation Marquis of Dingyuan who founded the country with Emperor Taizu.
Such division of family property is not uncommon among noble families, as most noble families are unwilling to divide the family property, thinking that they can enjoy the shade under a big tree.
Another elder in his fifties with a round face added amiably, "When your grandfather divided the family, he also took 70%."
"Your third and fourth uncles and I will each take 10%."
Among the elders present were the three half-brothers of the old marquis Gu Xuan, all of whom were the great-uncles of Gu Yuan and Gu Yanfei.
They were also afraid that the eldest son's family would feel that this division was unfair, so they all spoke up to explain.
Gu Jian stared at Gu Yanfei closely, feeling that this girl would not stop. Then he heard her ask again, "Patriarch, what if my Gu family loses the title?"
The clan leader was startled, then sighed and replied, "If the descendants are useless and lose their titles, the family that has been carrying the family business will inherit the ancestral property and take up 70% of the family business."
The title of the Marquis can be inherited for five generations, after which it will be downgraded to Earl, and this title cannot be passed down from generation to generation. Gu Yao also understood this, so he set this rule.
"I understand." Gu Yanfei nodded without raising any objections. It seemed that he just asked the question out of curiosity.
The clan leader and elders were relieved to see that the division process went so smoothly and exchanged glances with each other.
No matter how they divide, they are all from the same clan. Even if there are some conflicts, the Gu family is connected by bones and tendons, so it would be best if they could divide the family in harmony.
Gu Jian was even more delighted, with smiles all over his eyes and brows. He quickly ordered the servants to bring the account books and property list of the mansion.
Two cups of tea later, several servants came into the main hall carrying several heavy boxes. They opened the lids one by one, emitting a musty smell that had not seen the sun for a long time.
The boxes were filled with account books of various sizes. Two of the boxes were very old, with faded covers, yellowed pages, and a lot of dust.
The clan leader and the elders all covered their noses with their sleeves and looked at each other, all feeling a little headache.
Their Gu family originally came from the countryside, and it was the branch of Marquis Dingyuan who followed Emperor Taizu in the uprising, which led to the present prominence of the Gu family.
Most of the elders present had studied for a few years, but they were only able to read and write.
It would take more than a few hours to sort out so many boxes of account books. It would take at least a few days to ask the accountant to help sort them out.
The clan leader took out a handkerchief and wiped his itchy nose. He wanted to have the account books carried to the side hall first, but before he could say anything, he suddenly remembered something and asked Gu Jian, "My Lord, where is your mother?"
Even with such a big event as the division of the Marquis' Mansion, Madam Gu did not show up.
The clan leader remembered that Madam Gu had been ill for quite a while during the New Year, so he asked with concern, "Is she still ill?"
The smile on Gu Jian's lips froze for a moment. It was not until this moment that he remembered that the lady was still kneeling at the Meridian Gate.
Wang's expression also looked a little unnatural.
Just now, the couple was in a hurry to separate the family property, and for a moment they even forgot about Madam Gu.
Noticing that Gu Jian looked a little strange, the clan leader asked, "Is your mother's condition getting worse?"
Gu Jian's hands twitched unnaturally in his sleeves. His mind raced. He looked at Gu Yuan and sighed, "Thank you for your concern, uncle. My mother has recovered, but..."
After a pause, he continued, "Because the incident of Yuan'er beheading Feng He caused a stir in the court, my mother was worried and felt that she had not taught Yuan'er well, so she went to the palace to apologize."
What?! The clan leader and the elders all stared with wide eyes, and several of them subconsciously looked at Gu Yuan who was still calm not far away.
Grandfather tells grandson, this is a major matter concerning the reputation of the Gu family!
Why didn't Madam Gu discuss this with the clan before entering the palace? ! Seeing the clan leader's disapproval, Gu Jian quickly explained, "Uncle, eight years ago, my eldest brother committed a crime that almost implicated the entire clan, and the Marquis's Mansion was almost deprived of its title by the late emperor. Now this matter is not a small matter, and the Marquis's Mansion has been walking on thin ice these years, and my mother had no choice..."
Speaking of Gu Ce's past, the clan leader's expression became more complicated.
Gu Ce grew up under his care and was once the pride of the Marquisate, but ended up dying young and with his reputation ruined.
Gu Yuan is the son of Gu Ce, and this is the karma that he will never be able to get rid of in his entire life. Even if he wants to forget it, others can’t forget it either.
There was a hint of pity in the clan leader's eyes as he looked at Gu Yuan.
Gu Yuan was still sitting in the armchair, his body as straight as a mountain ridge, and his whole body was covered with a cold aura like ice and snow.
"Since the Madam is still in the Meridian Gate, let's go and bring her back." Gu Yanfei said with a smile, her slender fingers casually twisting the silk ribbon that tied her hair. The purple ribbon made her slender fingers look as white as jade.
"How can such a big event as the division of the family be handled without the eldest lady here?"
(End of this chapter)
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