Four Seasons Brocade – CH 089

Chapter 89 ☆、

Fearing complications might arise from delays, the Old Madam acted swiftly, inviting clan elders to oversee the division within just two days.

Three clan elders arrived that day. The first was the second uncle of the Duke of Anguo, Rong Anjie, the most senior member of the Rong family. He had white hair and a beard, but a ruddy complexion, a true elder of old age. The second was Duke of Anguo’s younger brother, Rong Anxing. The third was an uncle from a collateral branch. All were respected elders in the clan.

After the three elders were seated, they inspected the neatly arranged eldest, second, and third branches of the family.

Finally, the old great-uncle spoke up, “Are the second and third sons going to separate today?”

The Duke of Anguo’s face twisted. “Only the third son is going to separate and live independently.”

The old great-uncle tapped his dragon-headed cane, glanced at Third Master Rong, and said in a drawn-out voice with his eyes closed, “Third son, you’ve practically been raised by your great-uncle. Both your parents are still alive, and you are already making a fuss about separating the family. Are you not afraid people will gossip and criticize you behind your back?”

Without a word, Third Master Rong knelt with a loud thud; the louder the sound, the more sincere his intentions. “Grand Uncle,” Third Master Rong cried, tears welling in his eyes, “Please, elder, persuade my father. I am willing to serve you both for many years to come. I do not wish to…”

Lady Cui also knelt, her eyes red as she looked at the grand-uncle.

“Eh, what’s going on?” Grand Uncle turned to look at the Duke of Anguo.

Duke of Anguo’s face flushed. “My sons are all grown up. They cannot stay under their father’s wings forever. While I am still here, let’s send the third son out to gain experience. I can still look after him. Otherwise, once I am gone, if he cannot stand on his own two feet, it will be our fault as fathers.”

Grand Uncle glanced at the Duke of Anguo. Anyone could say such polite words, but why specifically send out the illegitimate son? It seemed the real intention was to expel him.

The eldest uncle and younger brother of the Duke of Anguo chimed in, “That’s exactly right, that’s exactly right! This is how you plan for the future of your children and grandchildren!” Having received money from the Old Madam, these two were naturally loyal to her. The old grand-uncle, highly respected in the clan, did not see through the Old Madam’s attempts to bribe him. Instead, he shook his head; the Duke’s lineage was clearly declining.

The Old Madam, speaking sarcastically, said, “You cannot force a cow to drink water. Why bother? I invited you uncles here today to be witnesses.” Her meaning was clear: stop talking nonsense; she had not called them here to mediate.

Because the Old Madam’s sister-in-law was related to Empress Tian, ​​the old grand-uncle could not intervene further and simply closed his eyes and remained silent.

The Duke of Anguo cleared his throat and said, “Now that we two old folks are still alive, let’s divide the mansion’s property into five parts: two for us and one for each of our three sons.”

The three clan elders all nodded; it was fair and reasonable. Even the Third Master Rong thought it was too fair.

Only the Grand Uncle spoke up: “After all, he’s a son born of a concubine. How can he be treated the same as his two elder brothers? Besides, the Duke’s Mansion will eventually belong to the eldest son. This division is inappropriate.” The Grand Uncle spoke from the heart; in the capital, no one had ever divided a family property the same way for a son born of a concubine.

Hearing this, the Second Madam pursed her lips. She had wanted to speak, but now remained silent.

The First Madam secretly categorized the Grand Uncle as one of her own, smiled, and said, “We are all brothers. What’s this talk of sons born of a concubine? I think Father’s division is extremely fair.”

The three clan elders all nodded, feeling that the First Madam, worthy of her noble birth, was generous and tolerant, befitting an elder sister-in-law.

Next, it was the Old Madam’s turn to speak. Her eyes reddened before she even began. “My uncles and elder brothers know that since My Lord retired these past few years, life has not been as good as before. But the Duke’s Mansion is such a grand place, yet we have to keep up appearances. Before, I was robbing Peter to pay Paul, adding a lot of dowry to keep things afloat. Now, it’s my eldest daughter-in-law who’s holding things together. It looks respectable on the outside, but only my daughters and I know the bitterness inside.”

“Mother!” the Eldest Madam raised her voice. “Why say these things in front of our own relatives?” The Eldest Madam had an expression that said, “Do not wash our dirty linen in public.”

“Why can I not say it? We are all family. Can I, an old woman, not vent my frustrations? I’ve worked hard my whole life, raised several children, and now one is about to leave. Can I not even complain a little?” In the end, the Old Madam brought up the Third Master again, still trying to impose her intention to divide the family property on him.

Third Master Rong, being the man he was, immediately threw himself at the Old Madam’s feet, embracing her legs and weeping, “Mother, your son will not separate from the family! Your son will not separate from the family! If Mother does not like it, your son will resign from his official post and stay home to serve you, bringing you tea and water.” Moreover, Third Master Rong was determined to disgust the Old Madam to death; his snot and tears streamed down his face. If they were not family, someone else might have thought his own mother was dying, crying so bitterly.

The Old Madam was caught in a dilemma. She wanted to scold, “I am not dead yet; what are you wailing about?” but for now, she had to play the role of a loving mother. “Alright, alright, I know you are a good person.” The Old Madam quickly pushed Third Master Rong away and hurriedly said, “Eldest daughter-in-law, please show the family property list to the three elders.”

This list was compiled by the First Madam. Having managed the Duke’s Mansion for so many years, she naturally knew best what properties were involved.

Although the three clan elders had all accepted bribes, when the Duke of Anguo’s younger brother saw the list, he rubbed his eyes, thinking he had not seen it clearly. He rubbed them two or three times before exclaiming in disbelief, “Is this all the Duke’s Mansion has left?”

The other two clan elders frowned as well.

Duke of Anguo, sensing something was wrong, took the list and was also greatly shocked. Compared to when he and his brother divided the family property, the assets had shrunk by more than tenfold.

The Old Madam and the First Madam exchanged a glance, both wiping away tears.

“You do not know the cost of firewood and rice until you are in charge of the household,” one said.

“Now we have no income, relying entirely on the estate for supplies. If it were not for the eldest daughter-in-law’s management, we would not be able to maintain our former prosperity. Now, Yue’er and Wan’er are getting married, and we do not even know how to prepare their dowries. Even a bowl of bird’s nest porridge requires careful calculation. My eldest daughter-in-law is so filial; she does not eat it herself but uses her own savings to buy it for this old woman…” The Old Madam had a lot more to lament about.

Rong Anxing knew his sister-in-law quite well. She always complained about being poor. It was during the family division that she complained about being poor, causing his branch of the family to suffer losses. But after decades, the grudges had faded, and they still needed the eldest branch’s help in some matters. This time, they had received benefits, which was why Rong Anxing was willing to help them. But seeing this situation, he was reminded of his own past. Now, his sister-in-law was using the same old tricks again, trying to scheme against her illegitimate son.

“Mother, what are you saying? It’s only right for your daughter-in-law to be filial to you. Even if your daughter-in-law and eldest son do not eat or drink, we would still support you.” The First Madam was adept at playing the field.

The Second Madam was not as quick-witted as the First Madam and watched helplessly as the First Madam performed her act of virtue and filial piety.

The Second Master nudged her, and she quickly chimed in, like a blind cat crying, “That’s right, Mother, no matter how difficult things are, we cannot let you suffer. Do you not think so, Third Brother-in-law?”

Third Master Rong could only nod.

“Then how should we divide it?” The Grand Uncle spoke up, stopping the three women from crying further.

“These businesses are currently managed by Second Uncle. The shops are connected and interdependent. It would not be fair to suddenly divide them. Mother’s idea is to convert them into silver and give 20% to Third Uncle.” The First Madam wiped away her tears.

The Old Madam quickly nodded.

Finally, it was decided that the third son’s family would receive five thousand taels of silver as a settlement, thus severing all ties and ensuring their future separation in property matters. Of course, the First Madam knew this sum was rather small. Could such a large mansion as the Duke’s only be worth five thousand taels of silver for twenty percent? The house alone would be worth a hundred thousand taels in the capital, and even that might not be enough to buy it.

On the surface, the Old Madam’s words were firm and unequivocal, determined not to mistreat the third son’s family. But in reality, she was not willing to give them a single hair.

“Third son, what do you say?” the Grand Uncle asked.

“A son always listens to his father and mother.”

The three elders present nodded in agreement. This was truly a person of principle and consideration for the greater good. Clearly, the whole family was driving them away, treating them so harshly, yet they insisted on acting as if the third son wanted a division of the family property—such pretense and affectation were truly disgusting.

“Oh dear, Third Brother-in-law is so filial. Actually, Third Brother-in-law let go of the Education Commissioner’s post; that’s a land of plenty, a prosperous place. Third Brother-in-law is not short of money,” the Second Madam said with a smile, having received a wink from the Old Madam.

Third Master Rong’s face darkened. “Second Sister-in-law, watch your words. Although I am not talented, I know how to be honest and serve the people as an official. Jiangnan is prosperous, but it’s not my moneybag.”

The Second Madam was rebuffed, her face turning grim, but she dared not continue.

Third Master Rong turned and respectfully kowtowed three times to the Duke of Anguo and the Old Madam. “Your unfilial son, even after separating from the family, will never forget the kindness of Father and Mother in raising me. The debt of life is so great that I could never repay it even with my death. Everything I have is given to me by my father. When the family property was divided, I was already deeply grateful to receive twenty percent of the property from my father. This unfilial son kowtows to Father and Mother here.”

In contrast, how filial and fraternal Third Master Rong was! He uttered not a single complaint, only disappointment and forbearance.

The clan elders actually felt guilty. Even a fallen camel was bigger than a horse; the Duke of Anguo’s mansion, though a wrecked ship, should still have three nails. They actually managed to come up with five thousand taels. This was clearly bullying. Judging from the Old Madam’s expression, she was determined to separate the third branch of the family, while the third son clearly did not want to. Everyone was aware of the recent events at the Duke of Anguo’s mansion; it seemed the legal wife could not tolerate her illegitimate son. Everyone shed a tear of sympathy for Third Master Rong.

After the third son stood up, his great-uncle personally took his hand and said, “Good child, we all see your filial piety. From now on, if anyone dares to gossip outside, your great-uncle will be the first to stand up for you. But then again, blood ties cannot be broken, and parents are never wrong. Even if you go out, remember your parents.”

The Third Master naturally agreed and also asked his parents to allow him to return home with his wife and children to pay respects to their ancestors during festivals.

As for the Duke of Anguo, who remained silent for a long time, he did not know what to say. His wife was determined to divide the inheritance among the third son, but refused to share any property. Too much entanglement would only breed resentment, and he knew his wife very well. For the sake of his third son, he held back, hoping his wife would not tarnish his son’s reputation since he had not received much money.

Duke of Anguo felt it was better for his third son to be separated. He felt guilty as the father for his actions regarding his concubine, and now his eldest and second sons were tarnishing his reputation. Separating them might offer him a better future. After all, they were all his sons; could they really cause any trouble?

This division of the family property finally ended perfectly, thanks to Third Master Rong’s silent suffering.

However, the Old Madam was incorrigible. Immediately after the division, she pressured the third branch to move.

During the division, some pretended to be ignorant, others feigned ignorance, and even the three clan elders pretended to be confused. Not a single person asked where the third branch would live after the division.

What kind of place could five thousand taels of silver buy in the capital? Not even a large courtyard house.

But on the third day, the main kitchen stopped providing meals to the third branch, and all the servants belonging to the mansion were removed.

Third Master Rong, however, remained calm. He first submitted a memorial to the Longqing Emperor, apologizing for his filial impiety, stating that he was unable to serve his living parents and was ashamed to continue serving as an official in the Ministry of Rites.

The result surprised everyone.