Gu Ming: “!!!”

Concubine Yang: “!!!”

Concubine Yang was also very angry. If it weren't for Gu Jin's ability to predict the future and guess in advance that her son would be in urgent need of money, she almost suspected that Gu Jin was waiting for them here on purpose.

Concubine Yang took a deep breath and said sarcastically, "Gu Jin, your third brother and I didn't treat you badly when we separated the family just now. Is this how you treat your own brother?!"

Gu Jin pretended not to hear anything, smiled at Prince Li, bowed politely and said, "Uncle, Awan and I will take our leave first."

Gu Ming was still holding on, wondering if Gu Jin was playing some tricks on him. When he saw that Gu Jin was really going to leave, Gu Ming became even more panicked.

After hesitating for a long time, he suppressed the raging anger in his heart and quickly called out to the man again: "Second brother, please stay."

He started to bargain with Gu Jin again: "Two thousand taels for a shop!"

However, Gu Jin and Shen Wan did not stop.

Gu Ming took another step back with a painful look on his face: "One thousand five hundred taels! One thousand five hundred taels should be enough, right?"

This is already 50% off the market price.

According to the current price, this shop can definitely be sold outside, and it is not difficult to sell it. Gu Ming is confident that he can find a suitable buyer within three days. However, selling a large number of properties at a low price is no different from borrowing money everywhere, and it is very likely that he will be targeted by the Jinyiwei.

Moreover, no one could come up with 300,000 silver coins at once. He would have to borrow from at least seven or eight families to raise the money, which could not be done in a day or two.

The worst part was, he didn't have time to wait.

Gu Ming stood there motionless, staring blankly at the backs of Gu Jin and Shen Wan, watching Gu Jin walk out of the hall without looking back, watching him walk down the stone steps...

Gu Ming seemed to have turned into a stone sculpture, neither blinking nor moving.

Concubine Yang's anger grew rapidly and she became furious.

"A Ming, if they don't want to, then forget it. Why bother you to beg them..." Concubine Yang said to Gu Ming angrily, her tone gloomy and cold.

"Enough!" Gu Ming, who had been silent for a long time, interrupted Concubine Yang's words with a bit of anger, anxiety, and humiliation. This surging negative emotion was like a flood that submerged him.

He turned to Concubine Yang in anger and said, "Mother, how much dowry money can you lend me?"

Concubine Yang was speechless.

When she got married, her family was already in decline, and her dowry was very small, only thirty-two loads of money, and there were not many farms and shops as dowry. To put it bluntly, if she could really come up with a large sum of money, I am afraid that both the people in the Prince's Mansion and outsiders would suspect that she had embezzled money when she was in charge of the palace's finances.

What's more, she really couldn't come up with so much money.

Concubine Yang's face turned blue, purple, and white. Mrs. Gu San didn't dare to say anything when she saw this, for fear that Gu Ming would also ask her to take out her dowry.

Having said that, Gu Ming knew that he had no choice.

His only choice was Gu Jin.

“Second brother!”

Gu Ming gritted his teeth fiercely, and finally made up his mind, shouting: "Second brother, don't leave, I...I promise you!"

These simple words were so difficult to say, as if it took half his life away.

Gu Ming stepped forward again, rushed out of the main hall in two steps at a time, and stopped Gu Jin again.

Gu Jin stopped and kindly advised: "Third brother, I am really not interested in industry or anything like that. You should go back and think about it again."

He had a nonchalant smile on his face and spoke without any sincerity, and his expression almost showed that he was deliberately trying to add insult to injury!

“……”Gu Ming felt that Gu Jin was too shameless and had a very dark heart.

Gu Ming was unwilling in his heart, but he hesitated for only a short while before he saw Gu Jin waving his sleeves and preparing to leave. Gu Ming dared not hesitate any longer and compromised helplessly: "No, no, no, second brother, I have thought about it."

Time was really too tight and he really had no other choice but to let Gu Jinshi speak louder and let his second brother cut his heart with a knife.

Compared to Gu Ming's frustration, Gu Jin and Shen Wan were refreshed. Gu Jin smiled and said, "Okay then."

So, Gu Jin and his wife were respectfully invited back to the main hall by Gu Ming and sat down again.

The two brothers continued to discuss.

Originally, Gu Ming had already calculated that the three shops, a house, and the fields and farms in the suburbs of Beijing would be enough, but now according to Gu Jin's offer, it was far from enough.

For a property worth three hundred thousand taels of silver, Gu Jin was only willing to pay seventy thousand taels of silver.

So, if Gu Ming wants to raise more money, he can only offer more industries.

However, if he wanted to sell it, Gu Jin and Shen Wan had to want it.

The couple looked at the list provided by Gu Ming and were not satisfied with some of the properties: "I remember that this hot spring village is in northern Hebei. It's too far away. It takes a day's journey. It takes two days to go back and forth just to soak in the hot springs. It's not practical."

"This field is not good, and Yuzhou is prone to floods."

"This horse farm has been running at a loss in recent years..."

“…”

Shen Wan has been in charge of the palace's finances for so many years, and is familiar with all the properties in the palace. She picks and chooses, and lowers the price again and again.

Things have come to this point, and Gu Ming can only take out the deeds of the remaining properties and let Gu Jin and Shen Wan and his wife choose.

Prince Li, Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen sat leisurely aside drinking tea.

Concubine Yang felt as if her heart was bleeding, and the pain was as if someone was viciously cutting out pieces of her flesh and blood.

All these properties in the Prince's Mansion should have belonged to his son!

Concubine Yang looked at Gu Jin with almost resentment. The hatred that had been buried in her heart for many years burst out at this moment: "Gu Jin, are you deliberately trying to seize your brother's property?!"

"How could I raise a bastard like you? You are unfilial, disrespectful, and unrighteous. You don't even love your brother."

At this moment, Concubine Yang wished she could eat his flesh and drink his blood. Her usually graceful face was twisted into a hideous and terrifying ghost face, full of sinister aura.

Prince Li frowned. He had only heard that Concubine Yang was partial to someone before, but it turned out that she was “partial” in this way.

Gu Jin is a descendant of the Gu family, a member of the royal family, so it is not her turn as a woman like Yang to be humiliated like this! Prince Li could not listen any longer and shouted, "Enough!"

"Gu Ming, since your mother is not feeling well, let someone help her down to rest!"

Every word Prince Li spoke was more severe than the last, and his tone was harsh and stern.

Concubine Yang was not convinced and her face was still livid, but Gu Ming was afraid. He just wanted to fill the hole as soon as possible and inherit the title smoothly. No matter what, he had to keep a low profile and must not let Prince Li go to the emperor to complain.

Today this matter must end at Prince Jing’s Mansion.

Moreover, Prince Li is the head of the clan. Although he cannot depose Concubine Yang, he can make her reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors, or even worse, kneel in the imperial temple, copy scriptures and chant Buddhist scriptures. If things really get to this point, will Concubine Yang still be able to live as a human being in the future? !

The more Gu Ming thought about it, the more frightened he became. He hurriedly shouted, "Someone, help the concubine down quickly!!"

While giving orders to the servants in the mansion, he winked at Concubine Yang frantically, begging her to stop making trouble.

Concubine Yang looked pale and trembling with anger.

Who did she do all this for? ! It was all for this unfilial son! Although she was angry, Concubine Yang finally let Madam Gu San and a housekeeper help her down in silence.

As soon as Concubine Yang left, peace finally returned to the main hall.

Gu Jin didn't even look at Concubine Yang. He whispered with Shen Wan and picked and picked among the pile of deeds. Finally, he finished picking.

Gu Ming, who was watching from the side, looked increasingly uglier.

All the properties chosen by Gu Jin and his wife were the most profitable properties of the Prince's Mansion. They were accumulated by generations of ancestors in the Prince's Mansion. When the family was divided in the past, each head of the family left these most prosperous properties to the son who inherited the title.

But now he had to hand over this property to Gu Jin.

Gu Ming clenched his fist and released it, then clenched it again, over and over again.

Gu Jin said casually: "Third brother, I have chosen everything here, please take a look. You must think carefully and don't regret it."

Gu Jin was indeed not in a hurry, but Gu Ming was. These properties were indeed valuable, but compared to the title and the charge of embezzlement, they were nothing. He still had the title and salary, and he still had the remaining family property. You can only gain if you give up something. Now these "giving up" were really nothing compared to "gaining".

Gu Ming bit his tongue, gnashed out his teeth and swallowed his anger, then nodded and said, "Second brother, I've thought it through."

He quickly said to Prince Li: "Today, I will bother my uncle to be a witness. My second brother and I will transfer the ownership immediately."

The division of the Prince's Mansion was a family affair, which naturally fell under the jurisdiction of the government but the Ministry of Clan Affairs. However, the sale and transfer of property had to go through the government. Therefore, Prince Li specially invited the Jingzhao Yin to come to his house.

The two brothers signed and sealed the document, which was then filed by the Jingzhao Yin. After all, this was a matter of the royal family, and with Prince Li on board, the Jingzhao Yin handled it quickly, completing all the procedures in just half an hour.

The Jingzhao Yin did not need anyone to see him off and took his leave first. Then Gu Ming saw off Prince Li, Gu Jue and others with a forced smile.

Gu Jin and Shen Wan were laughing from beginning to end, but Gu Ming's laugh was uglier than crying.

As soon as the guests left, Concubine Yang, who was forced to "rest" for a while, was finally "released".

Concubine Yang's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, her lips were still trembling, and she asked anxiously: "What did they take away?!"

Gu Ming smiled bitterly and said, "Thirty percent."

When Concubine Yang heard this, she thought that Gu Jin had taken away 30% of the family property. She felt very distressed and muttered, "Your second brother is really too greedy..."

As a result, Gu Ming's expression became more complicated, and he added: "I still have 30%, and I gave 70% to my second brother."

Moreover, what Gu Jin took away was the most valuable property in the palace, including gold and jade worth two hundred thousand taels.

As for the remaining industries, some barely broke even, some were more than enough, some had a small profit, and some were neither worth eating nor worth throwing away. Apart from these, there was only the 300,000 taels of silver notes that he had just exchanged. If one really counted them carefully, Gu Jin had taken far more than 70%.

What?! Concubine Yang couldn't believe her ears. Her pale lips trembled like sieves and she couldn't breathe.

Her face began to turn blue, and she covered her left chest with a look of pain, breathing with difficulty.

Seeing this, the maidservant beside her screamed, "Tiffany!"

Amidst the sharp screams, Concubine Yang's eyes went dark and she was enveloped by the darkness that surged in like a tide. Then her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

The maids and nannies quickly supported Concubine Yang. Some helped her sit on a chair, some pinched her philtrum, and some called for a doctor...

The hall was noisy and in chaos.

There was still a cold wind outside the hall.

Gu Jin and his wife saw Prince Li, Gu Jue and Chu Qianchen off, and the servants were sent away.

Prince Li suddenly stopped under a phoenix tree and asked in a complicated tone, "Ajin, have you been planning this for a long time?"

The cold wind was biting, but Prince Li was unaware of it at the moment, his mind being occupied by what had just happened.

Gu Jin nodded bluntly.

He knew Prince Li's good intentions, and now he didn't hide it from him. He said frankly: "I know that the third brother has committed some crimes and is in urgent need of money, so he only asked for money when the family was divided today."

At the end of winter, Concubine Yang went to Duke Mu's mansion and said something in a roundabout way, saying that she was anxious for Gu Jin to resign his title as soon as possible. At that time, Shen Wan only proposed dividing the family in exchange, but she did not say how the family should be divided specifically.

Because they all knew that even if they brought it up at that time, it would be useless. Even though Concubine Yang agreed on the surface, she could go back on her word afterwards. After all, there was an ancestral rule for the royal family to divide up the family. They privately agreed that it would be useless even if they asked Concubine Yang to sign it.

Once the matter was brought to the imperial court, Gu Jin would be the one who was not in the right, and Concubine Yang would become the victim who was deceived by Gu Jin. Gu Ming could easily sue Gu Jin on the grounds that Concubine Yang was confused.

Therefore, at that time, Shen Wan only set the condition that "the Prince's Mansion will be divided after Gu Jin resigns from the title". Although Concubine Yang was also unwilling to divide the family, the division would not damage the foundation of the Prince's Mansion, and Concubine Yang should not regret it afterwards.

Therefore, they chose this relatively roundabout way.

Divide the family first, then buy and sell.

Firstly, with Prince Li as a witness, the way out was clear; secondly, Gu Ming had committed a crime, so no one dared to make a fuss.

So, no matter how aggrieved Concubine Yang was, she had to bear it for the sake of her own son's future.

Gu Jin bowed solemnly to Prince Li and said, "Thank you, uncle."

Gu Jin knew that even if Prince Li didn’t know it at first, he would definitely find out later that he was setting a trap for Gu Ming, but he pretended not to know and let him “exchange” the property for himself. He had helped him openly and secretly more than once.

In any case, with Prince Li present today, the transfer of these properties is legitimate. Even after several years, when things have changed, Gu Ming would not dare to say anything outside.

"..." Prince Li stroked his beard slowly, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind. He sighed and said in a deep voice, "Ajin, now that the family has been divided, it's up to you how you live your life in the future."

"You are almost thirty years old. You should be independent at the age of thirty. Don't be so unreliable as before. You should provide for your family well in the future!"

Prince Li kept repeating the same old things over and over again, and Gu Jin stood there and responded obediently.

The crowd continued to move forward and first sent Prince Li onto the carriage.

Prince Li's carriage left the Prince's Mansion first.

As soon as he left, Gu Jin's expression changed like turning the pages of a book. His originally serious face became playful and smiling. He greeted Gu Jue warmly, "Ajue, come on. I'll treat you and your wife to dinner. We've already booked a private table in Yunting Pavilion."

Gu Jin had previously told Concubine Yang and the others that he was in a hurry to go to the main courtyard to pack his bags, but in fact, it was just an excuse to disgust them. In reality, they had already packed their things, and had moved them to Shen Wan's dowry house one after another since the past few days. There weren't many things left in the Prince's Mansion, and the servants had the final say.

As he spoke, Gu Jin raised his right hand as usual. He originally wanted to pat Gu Jue on the shoulder, but when his hand was halfway raised and his eyes met Gu Jue's narrow and cold eyes, he suddenly didn't dare to act rashly.

In the cold wind, Gu Jue stood leisurely beside Chu Qianchen, his clothes fluttering in the wind. He looked like an immortal yet unrestrained person, which made Gu Jin unconsciously respect him just by looking at him.

Gu Jin silently retracted his hand, put his hands behind his back, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Shen Wan glanced at Gu Jin sharply, feeling a little amused at her husband's cowardice.

Gu Jue glanced at Chu Qianchen, and seeing that she did not look tired and was smiling, he readily agreed.

So, Shen Wan got on Chu Qianchen's red-wheeled carriage, and then Gu Jue helped Chu Qianchen get on the carriage, and he rode Jueying instead.

A carriage with two horses went out from the corner gate of the Prince's Mansion one after another. In the red-wheeled carriage, the aunt and nephew smiled at each other.

"Sister Chen," Shen Wan personally poured tea for the two of them and handed one cup to Chu Qianchen, smiling warmly and lovingly, "It's all thanks to you today."

Chu Qianchen held the teacup and smiled: "The prince told me all this."

One day, when Chu Qianchen casually told Gu Jue that her uncle Gu Jin was planning to resign his title and divide the family, Gu Jue told her that when the royal family divides, the inheritor of the title can get 70%.

At that time, Chu Qianchen felt that Gu Jin was really at a disadvantage. Their family of three had been harmed to this extent by Concubine Yang and Gu Ming and his mother, and they had to give up their titles and property to them. This was simply against the will of heaven.

That day, Concubine Yang spoke nonsense to Chu Qianchen in front of Duke Mu, daring to say that Gu Jue was rude, which offended Chu Qianchen.

In Chu Qianchen's heart, no one is more important than Gu Jue.

She has always been a vengeful person, so she naturally cannot let this account go.

So, she asked Gu Jue if there was any way to let Gu Jin get a bigger share of the family property.

Gu Jue asked someone to check if there was any evidence against Concubine Yang and Gu Ming and his mother. It turned out that Gu Ming was so bold as to use the emperor's money to lend money at high interest rates.

Chu Qianchen felt that Gu Ming was handing the handle to her, so she took the opportunity to say a few words to Shen Wan during the follow-up visit to Gu Zhiyan.

At this moment, the red-wheeled carriage turned a corner, and the carriage swayed slightly.

Shen Wan smiled brightly and said in a tender voice: "Anyway, I only remember the good things about Sister Chen."

As early as when Chu Qianchen told him about Gu Ming's embezzlement of public funds, Shen Wan knew that it must have been Gu Jue who told her about it.

It goes without saying who Gu Jue is targeting.

Shen Wan is a smart person. After being enlightened by Chu Qianchen that day, she did not waste this opportunity and went back to discuss it with Gu Jin.

So they took a two-pronged approach.

On the one hand, Gu Jin sent people to investigate Li Er's situation, and on the other hand, he tried to speed up the progress of repairing the Taimiao, just to let Gu Ming experience what it felt like to be in a critical situation.

Because of this, Gu Jin deliberately postponed the date of separation for a few days, and finally chose today.

If Li Er hadn't run away yesterday, Gu Jin would have tried to "push" him again.

The timing was perfect, even the timing when Gu Ming's attendant came to report was "just right". The Second Prince and other royal family members had already left, and Gu Jin deliberately kept Prince Li for a while.

They are not greedy and do not ask for more family property. According to ancestral rules, they take 70%.

Anyway, it's a two-way fight.

Chu Qianchen smiled with curved eyebrows, picked up a candied fruit from the small table and put it in his mouth, his eyes sparkling, thinking: Who dared to say that so-and-so was wrong about the prince! Shen Wan drank the scented tea in the cup in one breath, and felt refreshed.

She was able to separate from that terrible family and get 70% of the property. At this moment, she finally let out the breath that had been held in her heart for so many years.

Shen Wan knew that Concubine Yang always thought she came from a scholarly family and had a high opinion of herself. She also felt that it was a wrong for her to marry the old prince as his second wife, because their Yang family had fallen into poverty and she was unlucky.

Concubine Yang didn't think about it. Even at the peak of their Yang family's prosperity, she was not qualified to be the original wife of the old prince. Her best future was probably to marry a newly-appointed scholar, but among the many scholars in the court, how many could become first- and second-rank officials? Concubine Yang enjoyed the blessing of being a royal family member, but she always felt that she was wronged to be a concubine for Gu Jin's biological mother, and her son was also wronged to be inferior to Gu Jin. Therefore, the title and property of the Prince's Mansion should be given to her son to make up for her years of humiliation.

Did she think she was the wife of the bandit who was kidnapped by the bandits? !

Shen Wan smiled sarcastically. If Chu Qianchen hadn't been there, she would have even wanted to swear.

Concubine Yang had been coveting the family property of the Prince's Mansion for half her life. She also taught Gu Ming by words and deeds, and led her son into obsession. This time, it was enough for her and Gu Ming to feel a great pain that would be unforgettable.

Gu Ming used the silver to fill his deficit. Most of the remaining industries in the palace were hot-selling ones, with little profit. However, the palace had huge expenses. There was such a large mansion to maintain and so many people to feed. After some time, they would only suffer more.

Shen Wan drank another cup of scented tea in one breath and felt very happy. It was as if all the meridians in her body were opened up, and she felt comfortable and relaxed.

(End of this chapter)