diskusbooks Chapter 272 The Troubled Rongguo Duke's Mansion
Chapter 272 The Troubled Rongguo Duke's Mansion
[Jin-jie, they're arguing! That old man actually brought up divorce during the New Year's Eve family reunion dinner.]
[This is explosive! What's going on?]
The old man didn't explain the situation; he only said that since they had finished eating, they should get a divorce.
And the beautiful woman actually agreed, but she said that if the Duke of Rongguo were to sign the divorce papers now, he would give her and her sister's dowry all to her.
That idiot Duke Rong actually agreed! Don't you think there's something fishy going on here?
Dongfang Jin fell into deep thought and did not answer Ruyi's question. Were these two having a fight over divorce on New Year's Eve?
Why would the Duchess of Rongguo agree to this now that she's in her forties? This isn't modern times; this is ancient times.
Ruyi, [You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. It seems this Duke Rong is in for a rough time.]
Oh my goodness, Sister Jin is overjoyed this time! The courtyard they're in now is the same courtyard where your husband's mother lived before she passed away.
It was that beautiful woman's idea to have New Year's Eve dinner here tonight; she said that the Duke of Rongguo hasn't been to this courtyard for almost thirty years.
That's interesting.
"Jin'er, that concubine of the old man Rongguo Gong is indeed quite beautiful."
She actually demanded that the young duke divide the family property after the old lady had signed the divorce papers.
Dongfang Jin: "..." Speechless.
What does this Duke Rongguo want to do?
What was Gu Yunxiao's reaction?
Gu Yunxiao said the Gu family had already divided their property twenty years ago, and he would block the door tomorrow; from now on, his family would use the north gate.
Dongfang Jin was surprised. "Didn't the Duke of Rong speak?"
No, they didn't say a word, and even sent someone to deliver two dowry lists to that beautiful woman.
So decisive?
[It doesn't seem like there's anything fishy going on; it's more like a rebellious kid in a TV drama.]
Is the Duke of Rong being exploited by his wife? No, that doesn't make sense. His wife is a shrew, a ruthless woman.
Her nickname, "the shrew of Hedong," comes from her notorious habit of finding other women for her man.
Those who got into fights were the same gossipy women. Where's the rebellious phase in that? They're all gray-haired now, where's the rebellious phase?
That's hard to say.
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jin flashed into the space and directly asked Ruyi to confirm: "You said that the Gu family had already separated twenty years ago?"
"Aren't they worried that their current unpleasantness will affect their married daughters?"
Ruyi wasn't surprised at all when she saw her come in: "Well, his aunt said that after his eldest brother got married and had a son, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion had already divided its property."
The entire Rongguo Duke's Mansion was divided into two parts, with gates on the north and south sides.
"I knew their residence was a bit strange, now I see."
Gu Chenglin sat quietly to the side, remaining silent and lost in thought.
His father was truly rebellious; just as his uncle said, he was like a child who never grew up.
He had two older sisters. The eldest sister was married to the Duke of Fuguo and was still alive. The second sister was the Empress. His grandfather was a veteran of three reigns, and there were no illegitimate sons or daughters in the mansion to compete with him.
His father practically spoiled him as a child.
Dongfang Jin asked with a gossipy look, "Does this woman think that because she's young, she can give the Duke of Rong a son or daughter and then compete with Gu Yunxiao for the Duke's position?"
Gu Chenglin: "..."
Heart plug!
Ruyi pouted: "Who knows?"
Gu Chenglin frowned: "My uncle said that the Rongguo Duke's Mansion is no longer what it used to be, and that person has been selling off ancestral property and squandering it."
The power in the family is partly in the hands of the eldest brother and partly in the hands of the younger sister.
Over the years, the entire Duke's mansion's expenses have been supported by my aunt's and my mother's dowries.
Of the original properties of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, very few remain after those people have destroyed them.
Moreover, his cousin was lukewarm towards them, and the powerful figures in the capital only treated them with polite formalities.
Those with whom they maintained contact were mainly from their sister-in-law's family and the Duke of Fuguo's family.
Dongfang Jin was somewhat puzzled. The Duke of Rong was almost sixty years old, and it was hard to imagine that he was such a giant baby.
"Your biological father is practically an imperial brother-in-law, so why doesn't he attend court?"
"My uncle said that the remaining dukes like them all hold nominal positions in the court and none of them have any real power."
They were all just going through the motions when they went to court.
To put it bluntly, it's just a sinecure; it's better not to take it.
Since my great-grandfather passed away, the Rongguo Mansion has declined year by year.
My cousin's meaning is that as long as the Rongguo Duke's family doesn't cause him trouble outside, they can do whatever they want.
Dongfang Jin recalled Long Jiu's words: "I heard from Xiao Jiu that your elder brother was a clerk in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, under Changsun Lan, right?"
His father-in-law is the Duke of Wen, so why is his rank so low?
Gu Chenglin gave a wry smile, and then explained to her, "Those who inherit hereditary titles are not qualified to participate in the imperial examinations, and they will not participate in them anyway."
Once they reach adulthood, they will be assigned positions by their superiors.
Dongfang Jin was even more confused: "Then how can Changsun Lan take over the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
This Changsun Lan is the grandson of the Duke of Su, and is also a descendant of a hereditary ruler.
Although this dynasty also had the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was completely different from the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the reign of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang in the Ming Dynasty.
The people here aren't really afraid of them; their government offices operate somewhat similarly to the Dali Temple.
However, it seems that what they did was to do odd jobs for the emperors of past dynasties, managing everything.
The Shadow Guards are responsible for operating in the shadows, while the Dragon Guards are responsible for operating in the open. The Embroidered Uniform Guards are doing what both of them are doing.
When she heard Long Er say these things, she was almost speechless with shock. It was such a waste of the title "Jinyiwei" (Imperial Guard).
It's important to know that during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was a force to be reckoned with.
It is said that when ministers went to court, they would leave a will for their families, but it is unknown whether this is true.
Those people hiding in the shadows of Lingyun Pavilion were all members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and they had no sense of discipline whatsoever. So she said that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was just doing odd jobs for Emperor Shengde.
Gu Chenglin recalled what his uncle and Grandpa Chu had told him: "Changsun Lan is the emperor's cousin's study companion. They've been together since they were three years old, practically living and eating together..."
"So, your brother was the study companion of the Second Prince Cang Lingcheng. The Second Prince is dead, but he is still alive because he is a member of the Gu family? A member of the Emperor's maternal family?"
Gu Chenglin nodded and then shook his head: "That's part of the reason, but my uncle said that my eldest brother did not participate in that struggle for the throne."
Some members of the Gu family support their cousin, while others remain neutral...
Looking back now, it makes sense that my cousin was still somewhat wary of my older brother.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have arranged for his brother to work under Changsun Lan's nose; frankly, it was surveillance.
"What do you mean?"
“My uncle told me not to return to Beijing too early, and from his tone, it seemed he didn’t really like my older brother and sister.”
Dongfang Jin sat up straight, looking surprised: "Why?"
"My uncle said that my eldest sister liked the second prince back then, but my maternal grandfather arranged for her to marry into the Chu family."
So over the years, my eldest sister hasn't kept in touch with her maternal family. When she meets them outside, she only shows superficial politeness, and she's not as close to outsiders as she is to them.
Even the Rongguo Duke's mansion rarely returned after her marriage.
Why is she doing this? Does she still have no contact with your maternal family?
This older sister is also having a hard time. Who could she possibly marry into the Second Prince's family? How could she not see how obvious his intentions were?
Why would she hate someone who meant well for her?
"I don't know. My eldest brother's wife was arranged for him when my grandmother was still alive."
I heard that it was originally this sister-in-law's cousin who was supposed to marry the eldest brother, but it turned out that her cousin liked Xie Wen'an, the eldest son of Prime Minister Xie.
Xie Wen'an was engaged to his current sister-in-law at the time, and they even agreed to get married on the same day.