Legend of Concubine’s Daughter Minglan - Chapter 286
286. Real Winner in the Family Feud (4)
Translator: Iris
Minglan sighed deeply and then answered in a gentle voice, “The reason why we chose to live separately was that we didn’t want to be enemies with your family. Now Master is still in a rage, you have to let him vent his anger first. As time goes by, his niece and nephew would grow up and he would be surrounded by his grandkids… We are all the Gu’s people. Master is a kind person who wouldn’t hold a grudge against the juniors.”
Minglan never wanted to hurt innocent people. Although Gu Tingying was Fourth Old Master’s daughter, Minglan still hoped that this girl could have a happy marriage.
Hearing that word ‘juniors’, Madam Xuan felt her heart beating fiercely. The people she was most concerned were her three sons. Actually, a while ago, Minglan had already tipped Madam Xuan off: Gu Tingye has already found a post for Gu Shiqu, Madam Xuan’s eldest son, in the Thousand Guards Camp.
Gu Shiqu, with his uncle’s help and his own hard work, would at least have a good life. However, Madam Xuan knew that she couldn’t tell anyone about this right now, otherwise the people of the Fourth family would all condemn her for being not loyal to the family. Therefore, Madam Xuan planned to announce this after they had moved away from Marquis Ningyuan’s mansion. Gu Tingxuan felt sorry for his father and brother, so he had been running about for his brother these days.
Madam Xuan sensed the grudges between Gu Tingye and her father-in-law long ago. If they lived together and quarreled with each other all day, which side should Gu Tingxuan help? If he helped Fourth Old Master, he would offend Gu Tingye. If he helped Gu Tingye, he would be accused of being unfilial.
So, in Madam Xuan’s view, it would be better if they and Gu Tingye could live separately. It was unlikely for Fourth Old Master and Gu Tingye to meet each other again. As long as Gu Tingye still remembered the good things Gu Tingxuan had done to him and Madam Xuan could have close contact with Minglan, Gu Tingxuan’s family might get more help from Gu Tingye.
Therefore, Madam Xuan agreed on living separately from the beginning.
After this conversation, no matter how stupid Fourth Old Master was, he still knew that he couldn’t muddle through this time. After three or four days, seeing that Old Madam Qin was still ill abed and had no intention to put in a good word for the Fourth and Fifth family, Fourth Old Master finally gave up. Then he told the elders in the family clan that he would move away soon.
After that, the people of the Fourth Family also got busy preparing their luggage.
Over the past decades, the Gu’s family had lived together the whole time. Therefore, lots of financial affairs needed to be sorted out and many servants needed to be distributed. They needed to take everything they should take and leave everything they should leave. Everything was thrown into a turmoil, and the Gu’s mansion was bustling with activity for quite a while.
Autumn was cool and dry. In the room where all the windows had been opened, Minglan leaned on the soft purple cushion with cloud threads, holding a bowl of warm white fungus with sugar candy in her hand. As she took one spoon after another of the dessert, she showed an ironic smile on her face.
Although she had never met Old Master Gu who had already passed away, she assumed that he must be a kind and fatherly elder. That was why he had protected his two brothers, which made the Fourth and Fifth Master remain careless and ignorant now.
Of the two uncles of Gu Tingye, one was a rascal man who was rude to his own family, and the other one always acted as if he was morally better than others.
If either of them was a sophisticated one, he should think of how to bury the hatchet they had with Gu Tingye and apologize to make the latter forget about the past grudges. However, the two uncles had only thrown their weight about as elders. They wanted to take advantage of Gu Tingye and keep up their appearances at the same time. As a result, their loud voices meant nothing. Gu Tingye didn’t need to deal with them by himself, and they had already lost.
When facing great power, they would only seem extremely weak with their threatening gestures.
Let alone that Gu Tingye had every reason to ask to live separately this time.
Ever since the Qin Dynasty, this country valued one principle, which was maintaining the uniqueness at the height of power.
On the country level, this theory would be described as ‘Two suns cannot be in the same sky, two Kings cannot rule the same country.’ On the family level, this theory would become the hereditary principle. On the marriage level, it would become monogamy with several concubines.
After the people of the ancient times had learned the lessons paid for with blood, they realized clearly that once the power was shared, there would be endless troubles and disputes. Therefore, Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty had to reduce the power of the seigniors and kept bothering their uncles, cousins and nephews over and over again to make sure that they wouldn’t make any trouble. Also, the unfaithful men in the ancient times had made the rules of the system of monogamy with several concubines to restrain themselves. Only when their families were governed well by their wives would they be able to do their own business outside without needing to worry about the family affairs.
The case of dividing family property was the same. When the parents were alive, the sons didn’t need to live separately, because their fathers, as the leaders of the families, had the authority to deal with the inner conflicts inside the families. When eldest brothers were alive, the younger brothers didn’t need to live separately because there was a saying ‘Eldest brothers are like fathers.’ However, what if the eldest brother had died?
When a nephew became the leader of the family, it would be inappropriate for his uncles to live with him. Because once there were disagreements among the family members, the nephew should have the right to make the final decision according to the law in the family clan, but the nephew should also respect his uncles’ opinions since he had to respect the elders according to the custom.
As a result, the power would be shared, which was very harmful for a family.
Therefore, Fourth Old Master couldn’t find a single point in the law to support his stay in the family, let alone Gu Tingye had already become a powerful guy now. So, Fourth Old Master would be defeated for sure. Gu Tingye didn’t need to anything except for looking on this coldly.
The real problem was Old Madam Qin.
She had a good reputation. Even if someone questioned her intention, she could still complain about the whole thing tearfully while pretending to be afraid that she would be bullied by her stepson with a pitiful look and then beg the elders in the clan to let Gu Tingye’s uncles stay. By then, things would be quite difficult.
“This time, we have to deal with that woman first. The rest of them won’t be a problem.”
Gu Tingye said that with a cold look on his face. His black eyes were like the sea, which was filled with indifference.
Day after day he waited and observed. Finally, when Old Madam Qin decided not to interfere with this, which meant that she had permitted this, Gu Tingye offered to live separately. This time, he would harm those people without hurting himself a bit.
He was born to be a tough and straightforward person. However, this world was too complicated. After all those difficulties he had been through, he finally became an endurable man.
“You are too upright. I’m afraid you cannot withstand all those evil tricks.” He whispered to her ears with calmness in his eyes, but his voice sounded caring and loving, “Wherever there are people, there are conflicts. After those people all leave, you can sort the rest things out.”
Minglan knew what he was worrying about. He was afraid that he was not able protect her.
She suddenly got softhearted and put her arms around his neck. As her face rubbed his stubbly chin, she only felt warm deep down.
She was still not talented in dealing with the family feud. There were so many things she needed to learn.
