Gong Changfan's face turned cold. "Second brother, since you mentioned the Gong family rules, you should be very clear that all regulations are subject to the opinion of the family head."
"You seem to have some misunderstanding about this family rule. The patriarch's opinion is the only one that matters? That would require a family vote with more than half the support." Gong Changming sneered.
The old man had just passed away, and years of pretense finally erupted, revealing everyone's true colors.
Gong Changming was dissatisfied with Gong Changfan and found fault with him in various ways.
"I've never heard of a family where the youngest son is the pallbearer instead of the eldest," Gong Changming sneered. "Not to mention, this person doesn't even have a child. Traditionally, such a person is simply not qualified to be a pallbearer!"
Gong Changfan sneered, "Second brother, you're the second oldest." The eldest son? When will it be his turn?
"With my elder brother gone, I am the head!" Gong Changming retorted, then looked at the other members of the Gong family, "You tell me yourselves, who should be the pallbearers!"
When someone like Old Master Gong passes away, apart from highly respected individuals, the Gong family can only send one person to carry the coffin.
This person is normally the head of the Gong family, but...
Gong Changfan was not favored in terms of birth order, nor was he favored in the traditional sense of fullness, because he had no children.
This matter is neither a major nor a minor one, but its impact is significant because it represents a public and complete breakdown in relations between the Gong family.
In the past, whether there were disagreements or underhanded tactics, they were all done behind the scenes. Never before had they come to blows in the open like this.
Now, a magnificent robe has been torn open, revealing a truly shameful scene.
Not only was the husband, who was in charge of external affairs, in an awkward position, but the wife was also in an awkward position.
Gu Mingyin was the eldest daughter-in-law. When Gong Changzhou was alive, she made all the decisions in the family, but now that Gong Changzhou has passed away...
Although Gong Changfan has no children, he has a wife. They have been married for many years without children, and their relationship is very harmonious. Moreover, the two met through Gong Chengjue's biological mother. Everyone with eyes can see what kind of person Gu Mingyin has been to Gong Chengjue over the years!
Now that Gong Changfan has become the head of the family, his wife should naturally be the mistress of the house. The change from the youngest sister-in-law to the mistress of the Gong family is naturally different.
For various reasons, Gong Changfan's wife, Xiang Liyi, and Gu Mingyin no longer need to worry about saving face at this time.
So, outsiders only know that Old Master Gong has passed away, and the Gong family must be very sad. But no one knows that the Gong family is actually in quite a mess right now.
The selection of pallbearers is very important; it's a matter of presenting a respectable image to the Gong family. There are eight pallbearers, and all the others have been chosen, except for the Gong family members themselves.
Gong Changming then returned the choice to the others.
Whether to choose him or Gong Changfan, it must be done in a way that satisfies the public; otherwise, Old Master Gong's funeral will become a joke.
If a large family loses its rules and regulations and only acts according to personal preferences, the family cannot survive and its collapse is only a matter of time.
"I'll do it." After watching Gong Changming's clown-like performance for so long and finally quieting down, Gong Chengjue finally spoke up calmly.
The sound wasn't loud, but everyone in the Gong family present heard it.
All eyes turned to Gong Chengjue.
"You..." Before Gong Changming could voice his objection, Gong Changhong had already agreed, "That's right, Chengjue is acceptable."
Gong Changfan was also happy to let Gong Chengjue carry the coffin, "I agree."
"Are you kidding me?" Gong Changming sneered.
How could he possibly agree to let Gong Chengjue carry the coffin? In the Gong family, the status of carrying the coffin already represents something different!
"Who gave him the right to speak?" Gong Changming looked at Gong Changhong. "Changhong, are you trying to make the Gong family a laughingstock?"
“The eldest son and grandson are qualified to inherit the title,” Gong Changhong replied. He knew, of course, that Gong Changming was about to turn against him. If he was capable of hiring someone to kill, why would he care about saving face?
“Exactly.” Gong Changfan nodded in agreement. “No one is more suitable than Chengjue, and the old man said before he passed away…”
"Uncle." Gong Chengjue interrupted at the right moment, preventing Gong Changfan from finishing his sentence. Some things are better left unsaid; everyone understands.
Gong Chengjue looked at Gong Changming and said, "Uncle, if you look at the classics, you'll see that my status as the eldest grandson is very suitable."
A seemingly insignificant matter, yet not a major one, has revealed its ugly true colors. Haha.
"Nonsense," said the fourth son of the Gong family. "How can this be? As the eldest brother, it is only natural that the second brother should carry the coffin."
"Fourth brother!" Gong Changhong shouted.
The fourth son of the Gong family shrugged slightly, but still said, "Third brother, you have always been the most fair. Second brother is now the eldest, so how can he not be the second brother?"
“Changfan is the head of the family, and it should be Changfan who carries the coffin. Since the two of them have their own reasons, then it is most appropriate for Chengjue to be the eldest grandson.” Gong Changhong stated the matter objectively.
“If that’s the case, then Chengkun is the most suitable. His mother is our current sister-in-law, Chengjue’s biological mother…” Before the fourth brother could finish speaking, he was met with cold stares from everyone.
Aside from the Gong family, no one else knows that Gong Chengjue is not Gu Mingyin's biological son!
The selection of a successor could not be finalized in the short term, but the Gong family was already on the verge of falling apart. The discussions were suspended and everyone went to keep vigil for the old man.
In the middle of the night, Gong Chengjue walked out of the mourning hall, trying to clear his head. He hadn't slept for two or three days and was very tired.
The Gong family is in even more chaos than expected.
He took out his phone and looked at it. The screen saver still showed Su Ziqing's photo, but there were no messages or missed calls.
From that day on, the two had no further contact.
He was the one who suggested breaking up, but now that it's actually happened, he feels uneasy.
"Big brother." Gong Chengkun walked over with a yawn. His grandchildren had been keeping vigil for several days in a row, and their eyes were all red from exhaustion.
Gong Chengjue put his phone back in his bag and glanced at Gong Chengkun.
Gong Chengkun lit a cigarette and offered one to Gong Chengjue, saying, "Wake up."
Gong Chengjue took it, took only one puff, and then stopped.
"Is Uncle trying to throw the Gong family into chaos?" Gong Chengkun felt that competition was fine, but if someone lost, they should all go back to their original positions and continue to contribute to the family. That's how the family can prosper, isn't it?
The education instilled in the Gong family from a young age was primarily family-based, with the individual playing a secondary role.
Otherwise, if the Gong family were to fall apart and become just another so-called wealthy family, it would truly be a case of losing more than one gains.
Gong Chengjue had no intention of opening up to his younger brother. Seeing Gong Chengkun's heartfelt expression, he chose to remain silent.
Gong Chengkun didn't think there was anything wrong with his ability to change his mind as easily as turning the pages of a book. "He doesn't even seem to respect my uncle. My uncle's position as head of the family was my grandfather's idea."
The smoke was so thick that Gong Chengjue even felt a bit choked up, so he immediately stubbed out his cigarette after taking a puff.
"Go in and continue keeping vigil." Gong Chengjue said this and then ignored Gong Chengkun.
Gong Chengkun: "..."
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