Chapter 412 Divided Equally
He knew that as long as that matter was brought up, these people would all have to be careful.
"Since we're splitting up the family, naturally there will be..."
Master Gu looked righteous and awe-inspiring, as if he were the one who initiated the division of the family.
The old lady and Gu Jin frowned involuntarily at the Second Master Gu's posture, while the other elders of the Gu family nodded seriously.
As the saying goes, even an upright official finds it hard to settle family disputes. When family conflicts arise, even the King of Hell couldn't resolve them.
“My second nephew is right. The division of the family property should be thorough. Only in this way can the two families avoid any disputes when they come together in the future.”
The speaker was the eldest member of the clan, and because he was the oldest in the clan, everyone had to consult him on any matter that arose.
Seeing that someone was finally speaking up for him, Master Gu's expression was no longer the same as before.
"Now that we've come this far, what exactly are you thinking, Second Brother?"
The old lady turned her gaze to Second Master Gu's face, quietly waiting for him to state his next conditions.
“Besides my second brother and me, Father doesn’t have many children. In that case, I won’t ask for much of the Marquis’s estate. How about my eldest brother and I split it 50/50? As for the Marquis’s mansion, we’ll divide it equally among our two families.”
What Master Gu said seemed reasonable; the division of the family property between the two brothers was all about fairness and justice, wasn't it?
However, this method of dividing the family property is not applicable even to other large families, let alone to families with hereditary titles like the Marquis's Mansion.
Hou Hu valued the reputation of his family. In the past, whether the sons were born of the principal wife or illegitimate children, when it came to dividing the family property, the sons who did not inherit the title would be separated from the family and live independently.
But when Second Master Gu opened his mouth, he wanted to divide all the family property equally with Gu Jin, even the mansion. To the other elders, this sounded like a joke.
"no!"
Before the old lady and Gu Jin could object, several elders spoke up in unison to reject the second master Gu's suggestion.
“Although our Gu family’s title has only been passed down for a hundred years, we have been a prominent family in the capital for hundreds of years. No family has ever been divided like this before. This is a complete challenge to the prestige of our ancestors.”
"That's right. My nephew will naturally inherit the lion's share of both the Marquis's mansion and this vast estate."
One voice of opposition after another, but Second Master Gu remained calm and simply watched the group of elders argue.
“I know that when you uncles and elders divided the family property, you followed the rules of our ancestors and gave each other some houses and land. But that’s because your situation is different from mine. If we had followed Father’s wishes back then, it should be my eldest brother who should have been given the property now. Since I have yielded to my eldest brother for so many years, it shouldn’t be too much for me to take half of the family property!”
The old lady knew that this unfilial son had to bring up those words. Just thinking about that mad old marquis made her even angrier.
Gu Jin's expression darkened slightly after hearing this. He had taken good care of this brother in the past, but he never expected that he would treat him as a brother from the beginning.
Gu Jin watched Gu Er Ye quietly without saying much. As for the other elders, they looked at each other and finally focused their gaze on the old lady's face.
"No, I disagree!"
The old lady objected and continued, "Of course, this family should be divided, but the rules must be followed according to the rules set forth by our ancestors. There is absolutely no way you can divide it like this."
The elders all agreed with the old lady's words. They had been involved in many family divisions, both large and small, over the years and were naturally familiar with the rules left by their ancestors. They also knew something about what happened back then, so they naturally couldn't let Second Master Gu run wild.
“You’re right, sister-in-law. This family must be divided according to the rules, and we must not break them.”
The clan elder glanced at Master Gu as he spoke, “Your mother and your elder brother are people of high character and would never mistreat you.”
The clan leader wanted to say a few words of comfort to Second Master Gu, but Second Master Gu didn't appreciate it at all.
“What about the ancestral rules? Times have changed, and the circumstances are different, so the way to handle things will naturally be different. No matter what Mother and the elders say, since I have put forward this condition today, it is natural that we must follow my wishes to divide this family.”
As a member of the Gu family, Second Master Gu was naturally familiar with the Gu family's rules. However, now that the division of the family was a done deal, he naturally wanted to secure the most favorable terms for himself.
The Marquis's family has considerable wealth, including estates and shops, and their annual income is quite substantial. If they could acquire half of the Marquis's family's wealth, then the Second Master Gu and his family would be able to spend it however they wanted.
Although Master Gu is the second master of the Gu family, he still needs to inform his elder brother and sister-in-law before spending money through official channels. If the amount is too large, they will refuse him directly.
But if you have the assets in your own hands, can you still be so humble? The answer is naturally no.
"What if we don't do as you say?"
The old lady glanced at Second Master Gu, knowing perfectly well what he was planning. This only fueled her anger.
Especially after hearing Second Master Gu say it so shamelessly, the old lady wished she could slap him to death.
Looking into Madam Gu's eyes, Second Master Gu adopted a desperate stance, "Mother and elder brother, are you forcing me to say these things before you're willing to divide the family property according to my conditions?"
To achieve his goal, Master Gu disregarded all inhibitions and bluntly stated his position.
"Are you just trying to say that your father intended to hand Hongfu over to you? If that's the case, I think there's no need to keep some things hidden any longer."
The old lady was truly disappointed in Second Master Gu. In the past, out of consideration for their mother-son relationship, she had never intended to reveal that Second Master Gu was not her biological son.
The old lady even thought that this matter should be kept secret until she was in her coffin, but now that she saw Second Master Gu being so aggressive, she had no choice but to step forward.
"What do you mean by that, Mother? If you hadn't interfered and insisted that my eldest brother was the rightful heir, how could he have been the one to inherit the title after Father's death?"
Before his death, the old master held Gu Erye's hand and instructed everyone that the title of Marquis of An must be passed on to Gu Erye.
Little did anyone know that after the old master passed away, the title was not actually passed to the second master Gu, but was inherited by Gu Jin, who was originally the heir apparent, as the Marquis of Yi'an.
This incident had a great impact on Second Master Gu, so he not only became even more outrageous, but also did many things that harmed the Gu family without any mercy.
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