Chapter 139: Division of Wu'an Marquis Mansion
When the wife of Marquis Wu'an arrived at the Marquis's mansion, Marquis Wu'an and the masters of the mansion were all there, including Zhao Shuiyun, who had been particularly unpopular recently.
As soon as the wife of Marquis Wu'an entered, everyone stood up and saluted except Marquis Wu'an who sat in the main seat without moving.
"Stand up!" The wife of Marquis Wu'an walked straight to the main seat and sat down without looking around. She glanced at Marquis Wu'an indifferently. She didn't know what was wrong with this guy and why he was so stubborn and wanted to give up his title.
"Sir, tell me! What is going on?"
Marquis Wu'an took a sip of tea, pretended to cough, and then said seriously: "I wrote a letter to relinquish my title, and the emperor agreed, so let's divide the family today!"
"Father"
All of the Marquis of Wu'an's children present anxiously expressed their unwillingness to split up the family line, and Zhao Anping, in particular, didn't want to inherit the title so early. He had learned over the years that the higher the position, the greater the responsibility. He still wanted a few more years of freedom!
"The Emperor has agreed, so the division of the family is inevitable. The Emperor's agreement may not be without the intention of weakening the Wu'an Marquisate. So it's useless for you to disagree."
Marquis Wu'an was a little reluctant at first, but now seeing that his eldest son was really in a difficult situation, he felt that it was okay.
"Father, why do you want to give up the title?" Zhao Anping was still very puzzled and curious. After all, Marquis Wu'an had never revealed such an idea before.
"It's nothing. I think the friction on the border has never stopped and there will always be a war. I want to separate An Wei so that he can earn military merit. Otherwise, if I stay in the position of Wu'an Marquis, An Wei will not be able to get ahead, so I will eventually step down."
This paragraph expresses Marquis Wu'an's true thoughts. Saying that he was going to take care of Meng'er's child was just an excuse.
"But father, what will happen to the three of us brothers? We are all scholars, and the highest honor we can get is just a scholar. We don't have any families yet. What will we do after the family splits up?"
Zhao Ancheng, the fifth son of Marquis Wu'an and also the youngest son of Marquis Wu'an, was a little nervous when he heard his father considering the future of his second brother, so he couldn't wait to speak after Marquis Wu'an finished speaking.
"What does it matter? Those of you who should study should continue to study, and those who should take the imperial examinations should take them. The great tree of the Marquisate will still protect you. Even if we don't split up, you are just brothers of the current Marquis of Wu'an."
When it comes to poking fun at people, Marquis Wu'an is truly a professional.
Zhao Anhe's heart sank when he heard his father say this. It made no difference whether he said it or not; the problem remained unsolved. But he didn't dare say anything more.
"Father, what should I do if you give up the title?"
Among those present, the one most worried about this matter, besides Zhao Anhe, was Zhao Shuiyun. She was originally a concubine's daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an, but before she even married, the head of the family had been replaced by her legitimate brother instead of her father. Furthermore, she had made enemies with the legitimate lineage.
"You're going to be the Third Prince's concubine. What's the impact? Even if I'm still Marquis Wu'an, I won't support you. Marquis Wu'an doesn't take sides."
Marquis Wu'an thought that even if he wanted to stand, he had to stand with the third prince. Now he looked like the boss and he was the second in command. Who would dare to stand with him?
"Father, you know what I mean." A few days ago, Zhao Shuiyun had felt that Wu'an Hou had treated him badly, that he was incredibly cruel. But now that he really couldn't use his influence, Zhao Shuiyun was still very anxious.
"I don't know. Okay, go down! I'll tell the Third Prince to let you into his courtyard as soon as possible."
Wu Anhou simply didn't bother to care about his second daughter, and now he dared to cheat his own people. Who dared to expect that in the future, when the benefits came, he would probably sell them without mercy.
Zhao Shuiyun was about to say something when someone came up to ask her to leave. She could only go down unwillingly. She knew she had to leave, and she didn't want to be forced to leave.
Marquis Wu'an watched Zhao Shuiyun leave, then looked at the three concubines and added, "Don't worry! When the time comes, we will give you houses, and your concubines will also live with you in the mansion.
You will get what you deserve, and the betrothal gifts will be given to you in advance, so you won't suffer any loss. Everything else depends on your true ability, and that's what I've always taught you. The Marquis' Mansion will allow you to borrow a lot of power, but that's all."
When Wu'an Marquis said this, the three concubines didn't feel anything. They must still want to rely on their parents, but it's a pity that their parents won't let them rely on their parents anymore. But when the three concubines heard the Marquis say this, they were delighted.
They were old and faded now, and they only saw the Marquis a few times a year. If they could follow their son in managing the household, they would be willing to do so. That way, they wouldn't have to worry about being beaten to death if they angered the Madam one day.
Seeing their respective aunts' happy expressions, Zhao An and the other two were speechless. After all, there was no way to change the situation, and their father wouldn't listen to them. Even their second brother had to earn his own future, let alone them.
Marquis Wu'an looked at them and saw that no one spoke, so he directly ordered: "No objection, that's it for today. Tomorrow, gather the elders to divide the family. Then go your separate ways!"
"Father, we are dividing the family property tomorrow. Can you ask my sister to come back?" Zhao Anping hoped that Zhao Lingmeng would come back. It was going to be a division anyway, so it would be good to let her have a share. It would not harm his interests.
"No need. The dowry was given to her when she got married. Your mother and I will not divide the private storehouse this time. After all, we are not dead yet."
No one dared to say anything after Marquis Wu'an said this, and they could only respond obediently with a "yes".
A few days later, when Marquis Wu'an and his wife came to Zhao Lingmeng's residence with their luggage, they should now call them Old Marquis and Old Madam. In any case, Zhao Lingmeng was stunned at the time.
It’s not that Zhao Lingmeng didn’t welcome them, but she felt that her father and mother only took a few days to handle the affairs of the Marquis’ Mansion.
Zhao Lingmeng supported her mother and asked curiously, "Father, Mother, have you dealt with the Marquis' Mansion affairs so quickly?"
Old Madam Wei glanced at her daughter, as if she was making a fuss. "What's the big deal? Your father has been raising your elder brother since he was a child. Since I married into your family, I've been raising him by my side as well. Your elder brother and his wife have been able to handle the job for a long time."
What Old Madam Wei didn't say was that the three illegitimate sons moved out very quickly, mainly because their respective concubines were simply impatient to finally be able to be the head of the household and have a considerable fortune.
When Zhao Lingmeng heard her mother say this, she praised, "Father and mother are more far-sighted."
"Your compliment is not sincere at all." The old marquis used his strength to show that he was now an unreasonable old child.
Zhao Lingmeng could only seek support from the old lady: "Mother, look at father, he always picks on me."
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