Chapter 288: Watching a Long-Awaited Battle (2)
Translator: Ning LL
Minglan raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t planned to push Fourth Old Master too hard to collect the debt. They were shameless guys, but she wasn’t. However, she liked to possess the right to collect the debt since she could always use that as her tool in the future.
Then, she stepped forward and stood there politely with a smile, “I married into the Gu family less than a year ago, how can I know the details of the past events? Since Fourth Uncle has said that, there must be a reason… Perhaps Old Master has borrowed money from you two?”
She looked to Fourth Old Master at first and then turned to Shao shi and Zhu shi.
Fourth Old Master, choked with words, refused to speak. Shao shi answered with a cold face, “Not that I know of.”
Zhu shi felt angry and said bluntly, “Actually, it’s the other way around. As far as I know, father has offered Fourth Uncle silvers three or four times to help him meet the need, each time the silvers father gave were more than five thousand ounces.”
Minglan gasped and exclaimed ‘in surprise’ with a vivid expression, “Really?!” Then she stared at Fourth Old Master, pretending that she found that hard to believe.
Fourth Old Master felt quite embarrassed after being exposed. He, ashamed and angry, shouted to Zhu shi, “The elders are talking now, there’s no place for you to speak! The past event during the past decades in our family is super complicated! You have only married into our family for a few years, what the hell do you know?!” Saying this, he turned around, “Fifth Brother, did you see the superficiality of human relationship? Eldest Brother only passed away a few years ago, they already treated us randomly! Yesterday you still felt ashamed to come. See? If we don’t teach them a lesson, we wouldn’t even have a place to stand in the future.”
Fifth Old Master thumped on the arm of his chair with a sulky face and scolded, “Tingwei’s wife, you are from a big family after all. Why do you have no manners?! Haven’t you seen that your sisters-in-law didn’t say anything? The juniors shouldn’t get involved in this!”
Zhu shi, eyes turning red, held her belly and stood aside.
Fifth Old Madam fiddled with the lid of her teacup with her long fingernail and said in a weird tone, “Tingwei’s wife, don’t blame your uncle for speaking harshly. The affairs in our family are too many. For the past twenty years, the first, fourth and fifth family always spent money together on celebrating, giving banquets, holding weddings and funerals. It is an ordinary thing that each family would lend or borrow money from each other. You haven’t married into our family for too long, you know nothing!’
Old Madam Qin tried her best to restrain her anger, but the look in her eyes turned gloomier.
Seeing Zhu shi’s pale face, Minglan somewhat felt pity for her and then said, “Sister-in-law, you are pregnant, you shouldn’t stand for too long. Why don’t you go back to have a rest in your own room?” While she was saying that, she wanted to help Zhu shi walk back because Minglan was afraid of being involved in the battle. She felt it would be the best if she could escape first and find a concealed place to watch the fun.
However, Old Madam Qin only added lightly, “Suxin, help her to sit in the inner room. You can listen to us there. Minglan, sit beside me. You and Tingye are the Master and Madam of this mansion. My brothers-in-law, am I right?”
Fourth Old Master snorted. Fifth Old Master turned away his head without saying anything. Minglan could only rub her fingers and resign herself to her fate. Then she moved to the round stool next to Old Madam Qin and sat down. Shao shi held Zhu shi’s hand and walked to the place behind the screen.
Then Old Madam Qin looked at Fifth Old Madam with an indifferent look in her eyes, “I married into this family later than you, Fifth Sister-In-Law. Did you mean that I am also not qualified to talk here?”
After all, as the eldest sister-in-law of Fifth Old Madam, Old Madam Qin still had her imposing manner. Then Fifth Old Madam gave a reluctant smile, saying, “… Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? You are the most qualified one to speak here.”
“Since then, I’ll make it clear once and for all to avoid the future problems.” Old Madam Qin’s words sounded very meaningful. Hearing that, Fifth Old Master put on a bashful look while Fourth Old Master turned more indignant. Meanwhile, Minglan only listened to them carefully.
“Since our generation, the Gu family has divided the family property twice. The first time when it happened, I haven’t married into this family. Father and mother called the elders in the clan over to help divide the family property and all kinds of paperwork still exist. At that time, Old Master Gu was still garrisoning the border, so the property distributed to the First Family was guarded by father and mother. That year, father passed away and mother was at her last gasp. Luckily the emperor was kind enough to call Old Master Gu back to the capital. When I arrived at the capital, the First Family then took over the property from mother. Until then, the property of each family was still very clear, right?”
Fourth Old Master refused to say anything in a rage. Fifth Old Master said in a low voice, “Eldest Sister-In-Law, you are right.”
Then, Old Madam Qin sat upright with a serious look and continued, “Later, before mother passed away, we were summoned to her bedside. She told us that the three families should split father’s property. Her dowry and savings would be left to Old Master Gu. We all heard those words by ourselves! However, Fourth Brother-In-Law, you were unsatisfied with that result. When mother was still alive, you haven’t said anything. After mother deceased, you insisted that mother had been confused that time and her words shouldn’t be treated seriously. You also called my sisters-in-law over to the mourning hall to kick up a row at that time, right?”
The look on Fifth Old Master’s face became more ashamed, and then he stopped talking. Fourth Old Master still acted toughly by retorting, “At that time, mother was so sick that she couldn’t even recognize anyone! Of course we couldn’t take her words seriously! We are all her sons; how could she be partial to Eldest Brother?”
Old Madam Qin said in a serious tone, “It doesn’t matter if mother has been confused or biased, but your Eldest Brother split mother’s property on the spot right away in order not to hurt his brother’s feelings. You both got the property, but the First Family got nothing! Tell me if I am lying now!”
Minglan sighed secretly, ‘Having an elder brother like that is so so lucky!’
Right now, Fifth Old Madam stopped talking. However, Fourth Old Master still didn’t give up and shouted, “That’s Eldest Brother’s decision, if you don’t agree with that, why didn’t you raise an objection at that time? Let alone that Fifth Brother and I haven’t got a big share at last!”
Old Madam Qin gave a sarcastic smile, “A woman should always listen to her husband, how could I go against your Eldest Brother’s decision? Also, Fourth Brother-In-Law, you are the one who called all those relatives over. You couldn’t blame anyone for that result.”
Fourth Old Master went stiff and couldn’t utter a word. After Concubine Liu pulled his sleeve, he finally sat down in anger.
After a long while, there was only the sound of Fourth Old Master exhaling through his big nostrils.
There was a sad look appearing on the clean and pretty face of Old Madam Qin. She said woefully, “Although the accounts of the three families are separated, but all the servants in the mansion, including the stewards, the cleaners, weavers and the night watchmen, no matter which family owned their contracts, are all paid by the First Family. For all these years, all the clothes, the sedans, the horses and the servants are also paid by the First Family! Fourth Brother-In-Law, every time you ate in the restaurant or Fifth Old Master bought paintings in the store, you would only put the price down in the bill and leave. Your Eldest Brother always pays the bill for you.”
Minglan couldn’t close her mouth in surprise. Since she couldn’t hide her feelings, she just stopped doing that. This time, she was truly shocked.
Fourth Old Master’s face was deadly red, and no one knew if he was angry or ashamed right now. But the look on Fifth Old Master’s face showed that he was as shocked as Minglan. Then he turned to Fifth Old Madam at once and stood up directly, “I’ve made it clear with the painting stores, how come you…?”
Under everyone’s gaze, Fifth Old Madam blushed right away, not daring to look into her husband’s eyes, and only tugged her handkerchief with her head lowered.
Fifth Old Master seemed to understand something. Then he sighed deeply and slumped to his chair dejectedly.
“Just now, Fifth Sister-In-Law said that we have spent money on celebrating, giving banquets and holding weddings and funerals together. How about checking the accounts together to see which family suffered losses most and which family has taken advantage of others! Also, tell me, who has offered silvers to help your sons to get a post?!” The more Old Madam Qin talked, the more courageous she became. Under the threatening gaze of her, the couple from the Fifth Family didn’t even dare to raise their heads.
Even Fourth Old Master didn’t dare to retort that. He was not as lofty as Fifth Old Master and Madam, but he did know about the details on the accounts. So, he was only afraid that everyone would find the Fourth and Fifth Family’s proposal making no sense if more truths were found out.