771-780

Chapter 771 Hearing that the big troll has not failed,

An Guogong weighed the pros and cons and felt that the benefits he got were the real ones.

If his daughter can marry the next Duke of Qing, she will be a real noble.

By then, no one will say anything about the legitimate concubine.

His daughter is the royal wife, the majestic Duke of Qing.

In the future, if his daughter gives birth to an heir, she can also inherit the title of Duke of Qing. That is an unlimited future.

For the sake of his daughter, Duke An Guo did not care whether he would make the emperor unhappy.

Could the emperor and empress still forcefully disagree with their reasonable demands?

Thinking of this, An Guo Gong nodded, "In that case, let's go according to the original plan."

The next morning, there was a report from the imperial censor, saying that Qing Guo Gong's legitimate son was mentally unsound, and it was difficult for him to challenge the queen. Damn his qualifications for becoming a knight.

As soon as the censor spoke up, there were courtiers who seconded his opinion.

But Yuan Xiu was sitting at the top, but he didn't say a word, and his thoughts couldn't be seen from his face.

At this time, Wen Dafanzi stood up and said: "Since the founding of the country, our dynasty has implemented the eldest son inheritance system. There are direct eldest sons and no direct eldest sons. The son of Duke Qing is both the legitimate son and the eldest son. Don't you think so? Do you want to mess with the rules set by our ancestors? "

"Rules are dead, but people are alive. The eldest son of Duke Qing is mentally retarded, let alone being unable to honor his family, he may cause trouble even if he leaves the house. "Such a legitimate eldest son, should he be allowed to inherit the title and then turn the Qingguo Palace into a joke?" an official retorted.

These officials who supported the abolition of the imperial family and the establishment of the common people all had a close relationship with Anguo Gong.

The reason why they stood up and spoke was because Anguo Gong granted them many benefits.

Originally, this was a reasonable matter. It wouldn't hurt their interests to help a bunch of them, and they could also sell Anguo Gong a favor, so why not do it.

Duke An, on the other hand, blamed Duke Qing for this matter.

This loser says he doesn't care about worldly affairs, but he really only cares about eating, drinking and having fun.

People with noble titles from other families stayed away from the court to avoid suspicion.

But privately, he still makes friends with officials from North Korea and China.

Only Duke Qing is a fool. Chengjue has not made one or two good friends for so many years. As a result, if something happens now, there is no one to help him.

All connections need to be handled by An Guogong alone.

If Duke An Guo didn't like his title, he wouldn't even bother to associate with him.

However, An Guogong's connections tried their best to argue, but Wen Datai didn't buy it at all.

He looked coldly and taunted, "Isn't it a joke that the Duke of Qing's Palace does not allow his legitimate son to inherit the title? In my opinion, it is probably not the legitimate son's turn to corrupt the lintel of the Duke of Qing's Palace. "

The implication is that the current Qingguo Duke is just a useless snack. The ancestral accumulation and glory of the Qingguo Duke's mansion have been almost defeated by him.

His words were too pointed. Although the officials who spoke out were all friends or stakeholders of Duke An, and did not care whether Duke Qing was scolded, it was still harsh to hear what Mr. Wen said.

A slightly younger official came out and said: "Mr. Wen, let's discuss the matter. There is no need to involve Duke Qing."

Mr. Wen rolled his eyes, looked at this young man like a fool, and said arrogantly: "That's right. It's his son's business. If we don't involve him, what else can we say?"

The young official was speechless and had no choice but to give up.

There was no burden in his heart. He was originally a low-key person and couldn't save his face to help An Guogong.

Now that he has tried his best and has not said anything about the big troll who is famous inside and outside the capital, An Guogong should not blame him.

Seeing that he could not speak, another official came out and said: "Master Wen, this has not happened to you, you can stand and talk without pain. Let me ask, if we were in another position, this idiot is your son, Master Wen." "Aren't you anxious about inheriting your family business in the future? Why can't you think about Duke Qing when you think about this idiot?"

Wen Dajun was amused by his remarks and retorted: "I am an honest official." It was for the sake of Duke Qing that I opposed his stupid move. You must know that the Duke of Qing is already incapable of civility and military prowess. If his virtue is still bad, he will be useless. Abandoning the throne and establishing a concubine, you don't care about the reputation of Duke Qing?"

"That's nonsense!" An old minister stood up.

This man has been friends with An Guogong for many years. In today's wave, it was planned that the young man would charge first, but if he couldn't resist it, he, the old guy, would hold the battle.

He felt it was time for him to stand up.

So he said: "Master Wen, you claim to be old and new, open-minded, but you didn't expect that you actually upheld the rules of your ancestors. Could it be that your normally open-minded appearance is just for others to see?"

Is it a personal attack? , who wouldn't!

Wen Datai can attack Qing Guogong, but he can't attack Wen Datai?

Today he is going to let Mr. Wen know what is ginger or old and spicy!

However, the world will eventually disappoint him.

Wen Dafanzi didn't panic at all, and said word by word: "The lower official should be enlightened when he should be enlightened, and he should be disciplined when he should abide by the rules. There is no conflict between the two. Even the emperor has not said that if you are enlightened, you don't need to abide by the rules. , What, you decided this matter for the emperor?"

He moved out to suppress the emperor, and the old man had nothing to do.

Hearing that the big troll was fighting against many enemies without losing, he curled up his lips with a look of disdain.

Then, he turned to Yuan Xiudao: "Your Majesty, I believe that the rules set by our ancestors are to prevent disasters from happening. If there are rules, we should abide by them. Otherwise, if everyone does things according to their own ideas, wouldn't this world be in chaos? "

Your Majesty, the legitimate son of Duke Qing is indeed unworthy of inheriting the family business. Please think again," the old man said quickly.

He finally understood that it was useless to argue with Mr. Wen. The emperor still made the final decision.

He didn't want to waste his time with Wen's big troll, so he should directly ask the emperor for orders.

Yuan Xiu glanced at the two of them, thinking deeply.

After a while, he said: "I thought that the rules of our ancestors cannot be violated, but everything is possible. Perhaps our ancestors did not consider that much when setting the rules. The legitimate son of Duke Qing cannot inherit the title. Reluctantly letting him take the title will probably not be a good thing for him and the entire Duke of Qing."

Upon hearing this, several officials who spoke to Duke An were heartbroken.

Sure enough, their emperor was still sensible. Even his wife and legitimate son, who sympathized with An Guogong, still gave a reasonable judgment based on the facts.

Yuan Xiu continued: "In that case, the ancestors' rules should also be improved... Let's do this. From now on, if the eldest son of a noble family is ill and unable to inherit the title, he can choose someone else to inherit the title. Yes. A direct descendant can also establish a concubine without a direct descendant. However, half of the property in the mansion must be given to the eldest son to ensure that he has no worries about food and clothing for the rest of his life. "

Chapter 772: If you can't reason, let's talk about human relations.

Among the big families, no one is willing to divide the family and divide the property.

Once you have chosen your favorite heir, you must of course let the heir inherit everything.

Therefore, as soon as Yuan Xiu's words came out, they were immediately rejected by several courtiers.

"Your Majesty, you can't. If you do this, the family property will become thinner and thinner. This is not good for the development of the aristocratic family!"

"Not only the aristocratic family, but also any family cannot afford to divide it into two, two into four, and so on. There will be no more in the future."

"Your Majesty, all families talk about inheritance. How can there be inheritance if we do this?"

Faced with the criticism from the courtiers, Yuan Xiu did not answer, but looked at Wen Da silently. A troll look.

Wen Dashouzi immediately understood that this was the emperor's intention to let him show off to his fullest.

Ever since, Wen Dataizi came forward.

When he stopped, the heads of the opposing courtiers were buzzing.

Why is this guy everywhere?

Didn't he just disapprove of abolishing the heir apparent and establishing concubines?

Why did the emperor compromise now and he changed the direction of the situation?

What a villain! What a villain!

When it comes to flattering the emperor, there is no one better than me to flatter the emperor!

Facing the contemptuous looks of everyone, Wen Dazi turned a blind eye and spoke up, "If you ask me, you aristocratic families are simply inhumane. You don't even think about it, if the eldest son is fine and has no illness or disaster, what else can he do? Is it a bad thing that the second son and the concubine took over the title? "

The implication is that the eldest son is fine, so don't use any crooked ideas.

As long as you don't use your brain, trouble will naturally not come to your door, and there will be no need to divide the family property.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately retorted, "My lord, what you said is wrong. People are prone to misfortune and good fortune. Who can guarantee that the eldest son of a family will always be free from illness and disaster? What if there is a real son like the eldest son of the Duke of Qing? In that case, wouldn't it be necessary to consider the candidate for the title?"

Wen Dafanzi snorted and said, "You have said that this is a rare thing, and it doesn't happen often that a person gets sick at a young age. The chance is not great, not to mention that this person has to be the eldest son. Even if he meets a problematic eldest son like the Duke of Qing, he cannot give up his title and family fortune. Pass it on to the second son or concubine."

"Why not?" Several protesting officials were fed up with Wen Da's strong words and felt like they wanted to kill him at this moment.

Wen Dafanzi said: "Because people have to accumulate virtue before they can ask God to bless their family with prosperity. You don't have any virtue yourself. Seeing that your eldest son is useless, you want him to purify himself and leave the house. God can't bless you." I'm afraid that in the future, there will be more prodigal sons in the family, and sooner or later your family fortune will be ruined!"

This perfect curse made all the adults angry.

Someone said: "Master Wen, please don't say such unclean things in the court!"

Mr. Wen didn't take it seriously at all, and asked: "I asked you to accumulate virtue, why are these unclean words? You want me to "You all have good intentions, don't give God a chance to deal with you, it's no better than anything else."

Several adults were so angry that they almost burst into smoke.

Someone who reacted quickly and was rather cunning immediately caught the flaw in Wen Da's words and asked: "According to what you said, what kind of evil things did Mr. Qingguo do to end up in such a trap?" Stupid eldest son?"

When he said this, he immediately transferred the conflict between Wen Dafanzi and Qing Guogong.

If Wen Dafan admitted it, he would have offended Duke Qing.

If he doesn't admit it, then everything he just said is untenable and can be easily refuted.

However, the official still failed to estimate how fearless Wen Datai was.

I heard the big troll said carelessly: "Excuse me, have you lost your memory? At the birthday banquet of Duke An Guo, both the emperor and the queen reprimanded Duke Qing Guo for his lack of talent and virtue. Doesn't this mean that he is wicked? In my opinion , Qing Guo Gong is afraid that he has such a legitimate son because of his personal ethics. If he wants to pass on the lintel of Qing Guo Gong's family, he really can't do anything." As

soon as these words came out, everyone present. Whether they were helping Mr. An Guo carry the flag or those who had nothing to do with it, they all felt that the big troll's mouth was too poisonous.

There is no enmity between the Duke of Qing and Wen Datai. He is just an idle Duke who stays away from the court. How can he be the same as Wen Datai?

Hearing the big troll didn't take it seriously. Anyway, in the court, only the emperor and the queen could not be scolded by him. He could scold anyone else who did something that deserved scolding. This was his duty as a censor.

Several courtiers who spoke for An Guogong couldn't stand hearing the big troll, so they had no choice but to turn their eyes to their emperor, hoping that the emperor could give them an explanation.

Yuan Xiu, who was at the top, saw that they were all coming to see him, and gave a look that said, "If you have anything else to say, I'll ask Mr. Wen to reply to you one by one."

Several courtiers: Nothing to say.

At this point, Yuan Xiu asked: "My dear friends, do you have any objections to my decision?"

Several courtiers looked at me and I looked at you. No one dared to say that they had objections, but they also did not dare to say that they agreed.

If the words of agreement come out of their mouths, doesn't it mean that they have not accomplished what Duke An Guo asked them to do.

Who is willing to take the blame for this? Most of them want to muddle through.

The other courtiers did not support An Guogong. Some of them had clearer minds and could probably understand what the emperor wanted to do.

First it's your honor, who's turn will be next?

Will it be my turn one day?

This decision cannot be agreed to easily.

However, if they disagree, do they have the ability to argue with Wen Daxizi, or do they have the ability to oppose the emperor?

The courtiers had no good solution for the moment, and everyone responded to the emperor's questions with silence.

Yuan Xiu, on the other hand, saw that all the courtiers were silent, so he said: "Since all my dear friends have no objections, then this matter has been decided. I will have people draw up specific regulations later. After they are announced, all my dear friends will Let's discuss it later."

"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate." The veteran who stood up for An Guogong had no choice but to stand up.

Among all the people in the court, only he and Duke An Guo had the best relationship.

Even if others remained silent, he could not shirk it.

"Oh?" Yuan Xiu raised his eyebrows and looked at him with interest.

The old minister knew that the emperor's eyes were asking him who liked to make himself uncomfortable so much that he even wanted to argue with Mr. Wen.

The old minister was a little upset, but he still said bravely: "Your Majesty, the ancestors of Duke Qing have made great contributions to our dynasty. Now that the Duke of Qing's palace has declined, please forgive the Duke Qing for the sake of his ancestors." This time."

His words were quite clever. He bypassed the fact that the emperor wanted to rectify the noble family and only brought up Duke Qing to talk about it, which turned a big conflict into a small one.

If you can't talk about reason, then talk about human feelings.

Chapter 773 The situation of one ebb and flow

is still the old one, so the veteran's official career these years was not in vain.

He was talking about Duke Qing openly, but secretly he was referring to the distinguished family represented by Duke Qing.

If the emperor refutes his intention, it will appear unreasonable, and his intention to attack the nobles will be exposed, which will inevitably lead to food for thought.

But if the emperor agrees to forgive Duke Qing, then it will not be easy to touch other noble families with this precedent.

As for the veteran himself, no matter whether he can accomplish this or not, he cannot be blamed.

He is just asking for a favor for Duke Qing. It has nothing to do with the justice of the family and the country, and it has nothing to do with the harmony between the king and his ministers. Don't put any big label on his head.

He thought that this was a foolproof statement and would make the emperor carefully consider how to deal with it.

But he didn't expect that the emperor still didn't need to take action to deal with his rhetoric.

Wen Daxiuzi took over the conversation lightly and asked: "May I ask whether the decline of the Qingguo Duke's Palace is due to the emperor's lack of forgiveness, or to the fact that the descendants of the Qingguo Duke's Palace have failed to live up to their expectations?"

These words are too sharp, that veteran minister How dare you say anything wrong about the emperor?

He murmured for a moment and said, "It's the problem of the Duke of Qing's Palace."

"That's fine. Now you come to ask for forgiveness from the Emperor. Could it be that if the Emperor forgives you, the lintel of the Duke of Qing's Palace will be revitalized?" Wen Dashouzi came again with another soul torture.

The old minister was speechless. He racked his brains for a long time and said, "But if we divide half of the property of the Duke of Qingguo, wouldn't it make the Duke of Qing's family even worse?"

"The decline of the Duke of Qing is because of it. Is it a matter of family property?" Wen Dashouzi grasped the flaw in his words and asked.

This time, the veteran was completely speechless.

Hearing that the big troll might not have said it clearly enough, causing these nasty things to continue to bother the emperor, he simply said a few more words.

"The emperor and the empress encourage scholars, farmers, industry and commerce. If a person wants to make progress, he can take any path. But in the past few generations of the Duke of Qing, one did not take the imperial examination, the other did not work in agriculture, the third did not work as a craftsman, and the fourth They are not engaged in business, they have no involvement in any walks of life, and they just rely on the shadow of their ancestors to live their lives. Colleagues, do you really think this is a good phenomenon? I want to ask, do you, your colleagues, want your descendants to live in vain? The prosperity of a family depends on its people, not its existing property."

When Wen Daxizi said this, he looked at the veteran, "Do you think that all the property should be left to Duke Qing? Can a concubine change the fate of their family? In my opinion, it is just a matter of time before they lose all their wealth. It is better to give up half of it, so that they who are not enterprising may have a sense of crisis after this. , we can force out a few motivated people."

As soon as these words came out, all the courtiers fell silent.

It is true that no one wants to have a prodigal son in their family.

But as parents and elders, who can guarantee that future generations will not have prodigal children?

All they can do is accumulate more for future generations.

Therefore, they naturally do not want the interests of the family to be influenced by anyone or anything.

He knew that what the Wen Da Tuzi said was reasonable, and he also knew that everything the emperor did was just to make this country better.

However, once their own interests are touched, they still have to fight to the end.

No matter what anyone says.

Yuan Xiu saw that all the civil and military officials in the court were silent, and he understood their little plan.

As a king, he naturally has things to do.

Despite all difficulties, we must achieve our goals.

However, one cannot push people too much.

A slap in the face means a sweet date.

So, Yuan Xiu threw out the sweet dates that he had discussed with Lin Xuezhu early in the morning.

"Dear dear sirs, above the court, I have high hopes for you, and below the court, I have high hopes for your descendants. I hope that your descendants can inherit your talents and continue to serve the court and for the people. Therefore, I have decided that the sons of those who have a title in their family, or who have an official rank of fourth rank or above, can enter the Imperial College without taking the exam and study in the Imperial College for five years. After studying for fifteen years, you will be exempted from the provincial examination and will be directly admitted to the imperial examination. After that, you can take part in the general examination."

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Taking a detailed look at the past dynasties, there were also privileges given to the powerful and powerful so that their descendants could be exempted from taking the childbirth examination.

But there has never been a time when even the provincial examination was exempted.

In this way, as long as their children study in the Imperial College for fifteen years, no matter what kind of bullshit they study, they can become candidates.

Such policies are very tempting to them.

You must know that among the dignitaries in the capital, there are only a few who are as unwilling to make progress as Duke Qing.

Most people, whether they say they are enterprising or seeking fame, are willing to let their children take part in the imperial examination.

If you can pass the imperial examination and enter an official career, it will naturally be a good thing to bring glory to your family.

Even if you can't, having the title of Juren next to you can be regarded as bringing glory to the family.

In particular, if the children at home do not want to go to school, if they take the scientific examination on their own, they will never be able to become a scholar in this life.

Comparing colleagues with each other, the incompetent child will naturally feel inferior to others.

But if everyone is treated equally and is exempted from taking the exam to become a civil servant, then who is good and who is bad will be clearly distinguished.

If the children in the family are ineffective, they can naturally rely on this to get through.

Therefore, they would not disagree with the emperor's proposal.

And if the children at home are adults, they will naturally not object.

Everyone knows that studying is hard work. If you can become a Juren without pain and directly take the examination, it will save a lot of trouble for the children.

What's more, in families like theirs, children usually become enlightened at the age of three or four.

If you are sent to the Imperial College at the age of five or six, you can become a Juren at about the age of twenty.

Twenty-year-old Juren, this sounds nice to say.

Therefore, most of the courtiers, except those who were helpless in matters of heirs, were in favor of Yuan Xiu's proposal.

Of course, they are vested interests, so they naturally have to use corresponding support to repay the emperor who opened the back door for them.

They cannot object to changes in the rules for honoring noble families.

In short, there is no better thing than the emperor fighting with nobles and their courtiers benefiting from it.

Therefore, except for a few courtiers who stood up for An Guogong and some who had doubts about the emperor's proposal, most people expressed their approval for the new policy proposed by Yuan Xiu today.

Faced with this situation, Yuan Xiu raised an imperceptible smile on his lips.

Sure enough, as his wife said, if you want to harm the interests of one party, you must give benefits to the other party.

This caused a situation of ebb and flow, so there was no need for him to waste any words. Naturally, there were people cheering for him on this matter.

Chapter 774: Is the Queen's appearance something she can learn from?

The ministers of His Highness were still chattering, but Yuan Xiu was a little lost in thought.

He remembered that when he and his wife were discussing this plan yesterday, they mentioned that there was only one flaw in the plan, which was that it was unfair to the poor students who participated in the scientific examination.

You must know that students from poor families need to pass five levels and kill six generals before they can be sent to the capital to take part in the examination.

And those children of high-ranking officials and noble families can easily become Juren, and easily obtain the qualifications for the examination that they have worked hard for many years to obtain.

Once this policy comes out, it will definitely chill the hearts of students from poor families.

However, the couple also weighed the pros and cons.

It is urgent to weaken the Lord's family. If we don't deal with these moths, how can we replace the resources!

Only with excess resources can we better support truly insightful people.

As for whether it would be too advantageous for officials and the descendants of noble families to be exempted from examinations, it was not within the scope of the couple's consideration at all.

In short, there will be examinations and palace examinations later. Without real talent and practical learning, these people's path to the imperial examination will stop at being elected.

It's just a name. The nobles from aristocratic families like to show off their face, so let them do it.

After all, face is for outsiders to see, and heritage is the inner foundation for a family's development.

Half a month later, the new policy was released.

Knowing how this new policy of abolishing heirs and establishing concubines came about, Anguo Gong had an ominous premonition.

The deep meaning of the emperor and the empress...

I am afraid that this time, he will be their raft.

The Duke of Qing, whose political sensitivity was almost zero, was really angry when he first heard that his concubine had inherited half of the family property and had to give it to his legitimate son.

But think about it, if your family property is handed over to that stupid son, 80% of it will be lost.

If you give it to the bastard, you can still keep half of it.

Besides, it's said to be half, but who knows how much half is.

As long as he does something and takes some out to kill the mother and son, the matter can be settled.

Duke Qing Guo thought so and went to his concubine's room.

Over the years, his wife has been in charge of the power in the mansion openly, but secretly it is this concubine who has the final say.

Even the account books of the private treasury of the mansion were held in the hands of the concubine.

Duke Qing was overjoyed. He entered his concubine's room and told her about the dethronement of the concubine.

I thought that his little heart would be happy to know that his son could inherit the title.

Unexpectedly, before he finished speaking, the little man's expression changed.

"Master, this thing was actually done?" The little man's face didn't look like he was surprised, but rather frightened.

"It's done, your master, I'll take action. Of course there's nothing that can't be done." Although Qing Guo Gong felt that the cautious look was a bit weird, he still took this opportunity to brag and establish his majestic image.

The little man's body trembled and he almost sat down on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Duke Qing was a little dissatisfied.

He had accomplished such a big thing, which was a great gift to their mother and son. Why wasn't she happy?

After thinking for a while, he felt that this little man probably didn't want to give away half of the property in the mansion, so he was unhappy.

So he quickly comforted: "I came to you just to discuss this matter. You have always been in charge of the accounts of our house. Let's take it out today. Let's take a look and see how to deal with the mother and son. Don't worry, I will leave all the good properties in this house to our son."

I thought that this reassurance would comfort me a little.

Unexpectedly, when he heard that he was going to do an accounting, the little man's face became even uglier.

Duke Qing Guo saw that there was something fishy in this matter, and his cheerful face suddenly fell, and asked: "What's wrong?" He

said with a trembling heart: "The account books in the mansion were taken away by the madam before."

"What?" Duke Qing, who was hoping to falsify the account books and fool his wife and his legitimate son, became uneasy.

He walked around the room twice like a headless chicken, and said angrily: "How could you give her the account book?"

The little man was frightened by the master's roar and shook even more, and said: "Go ahead, master." Didn't you offend the empress by attending An Guogong's birthday party? After returning, the lady asked people to come to my room, saying that she wanted to pay some money or valuable items from the account to help the master take care of things. Why should she go to her mother-in-law and ask the chief steward of the palace to say something nice to the emperor to calm him down? I thought, I must not let the emperor complain about the master because of this matter. I gave the account books and the keys to the warehouse to Madam."

"You are so confused!" Qing Guogong lamented, "That woman clearly had an idea and acted first, but now the account books and keys are in her hands. I really want to give her half of it!"

Xinggan cried and said, "I am a housewife, so I don't know about many things outside. I heard that this matter is not good for the master, so I was worried at first. Thinking that the property in the mansion belongs to the master, it is right to use it on the master, so he followed the madam's words. Who knew that the madam was actually deceiving me? "

This concubine is really the Duke of Qing. " If you think about it, you will be confused if you care about it.

If she hadn't treated Qing Guo Gong sincerely, Qing Guo Gong wouldn't value her and her children so much.

At this moment, both this concubine and Duke Qing were extremely regretful.

Especially Duke Qing, he wanted to blame this stupid woman, but he couldn't bear it when he saw her dejected look.

The two were speechless for a moment, and then Duke Qing stood up and said, "The matter is over, I'm going to talk to the woman."

"Master, is there any room for change in this matter?" There was a trace of hope on his cautious face. .

If it were in the past, Qing Guogong felt that he still had a slight chance of winning.

But since her wife came back from the palace last time, it was as if she had opened up some connections between Ren and Du. Not only did she not care at all about his sarcastic remarks, but even his words to suppress her had no effect at all.

That mother-in-law may have received the Queen's guidance and is counting on success in her work.

No matter what Duke Qing Guo thinks, he feels it is unrealistic.

Would a high-ranking queen really take care of an unknown Duke's wife?

Is the queen really not afraid of being criticized for extending her hand to the Duke's palace and taking care of other people's inner affairs?

Duke Qing thought about it and thought it was impossible.

The only possibility is that my wife saw the Queen living a wanton and flamboyant life, and imitated her, and wanted to behave like the Queen.

Humph, she deserves it too!

I really don't know what kind of virtue it reflects on me to urinate.

Is it something she can learn from the queen's appearance?

joke!

Duke Qing was full of resentment. When he arrived at the courtyard where his wife lived, he kicked down the door angrily.

After kicking for a long time, no one came out to open the door.

Duke Qing became even more angry and called his servants to come over and force the door open.

But he found that there was no one in the yard at all, from the master to the servants, everyone was not at home.

Chapter 775: It's so frustrating

that the person disappeared. When did he disappear?

Duke Qingguo felt that the breath in his heart was stuck in his throat.

He quickly asked the concierge to be called.

After some inquiries, I found out that my wife had gone back to her parents' home, and she had been gone for almost half a month.

"Why didn't you say anything when she returned to her parents' home?" Qing Guo Gong was angry.

The concierge felt very wronged. He said so, but as soon as he said "ma'am", the master waved his hand and told him to get out.

He didn't want to hear a word about anything related to his wife.

The concierge was thinking about how to tactfully take away his responsibilities when Qingguo said: "Get the car ready, I'm going to get that woman back."

The concierge trotted over to get ready.

In this mansion, if the master and his wife don't get along, the servants often suffer, and it's not easy to earn a living.

The servants prepared the carriage as quickly as possible, and Duke Qing got on the carriage without saying a word, and asked the driver to drive quickly to the natal home of Duke Qing's wife.

Mrs. Qingguo's grandfather served as prime minister to the late emperor.

Although her father was not that ambitious, he also served as Minister of Rites. He later resigned and returned home due to poor health.

Now the mainstay of the mansion is Zheng Xi, the eldest brother of Duke Qingguo, who serves as a deputy in Zhongshu Province.

Although it is a deputy position, he is still a close official of the emperor, and his status is not comparable to that of ordinary officials.

Therefore, the natal family of Duke Qing Guo's wife was a powerful person in the court, and they were not the same as Duke Qing Guo, who relied on the protection of their ancestors.

But why did Duke Qing's wife marry Duke Qing in the first place?

That was the foresight of Mrs. Qingguo's father.

As the saying goes, accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. Although being an official in the court is noble, it is also risky. Maybe when there is a change of dynasty, there will be a big reshuffle in the court.

If you take the wrong side, or if you are framed, it may bring disaster to the whole family.

Therefore, Mrs. Qingguo's father wanted to marry his daughter to a noble family, preferably away from the court.

As long as the daughter is married, her status will be guaranteed. If something happens to her mother's family, she will not necessarily be affected.

I have to say that this father loves his daughter very much.

But Zheng Xi has always looked down upon the Duke of Qing. He felt that the man had ambitions in all directions. If such a man was not enterprising, his mind would not be on his official career, but would be spent on other places. He might not be a good man.

As expected, he found out that Duke Qing was a dandy, a dandy with a despicable temperament.

If his sister hadn't written a letter in advance to remind him that the emperor and empress had their own arrangements, he would have had to argue with those pawns of Duke An Guo in the court that day.

Later, when his sister returned to her parents' home with her nephew, he made room for the mother and son to settle down in the upper room without saying a word.

After some discussion, the brother and sister decided to go with the flow and take this opportunity to reconcile with Duke Qing.

Mrs. Qing Guo Gong brought out the account books and warehouse keys in advance to prevent Qing Guo Gong from playing tricks.

As the eldest brother, I feel very pleased with my sister's arrangement.

He was not afraid that there would be many divorcees in the family, and he would be ridiculed by others, but he was afraid that his sister would be bullied and plotted by the despicable Duke Qingguo.

Now it seemed that the emperor deliberately weakened the privileges of nobles and gave those who were useless to the court a chance to commit suicide. He only felt that it was very satisfying.

At this time, when he heard that Duke Qing was coming to visit, Zheng Xi said with a solemn expression: "Please come in."

After that, he continued to read his official documents.

After looking at it for about half an hour, he put down the official documents and went to the living room alone.

In the hall, Duke Qing had already drank two pots of tea and was urged eight times. He was very anxious.

Zheng Xi looked at his uncontrollable look and felt contempt in his heart.

When Qing Guo Gong laid his eyes on him, he immediately changed his smile and said affectionately: "What kind of wind brought my brother-in-law here today?"

Qing Guo Gong did not hear the yin and yang in his words. He asked anxiously: "Where is the madam?"

He came to see the woman, and did not expect to meet his uncle.

When he married that woman, it was because his father was interested in her family background and felt that a powerful family could just make up for his own shortcomings.

But in his heart, Duke Qing looked down upon such people who worked hard, and felt that no matter how hard they worked, they could not compare to the hard work of his ancestors in opening up new territories.

The stable life they lived was created by their ancestors who assisted the founding emperor. These people really benefited from it.

Therefore, Duke Qing did not take the Yue family seriously.

Zheng Xi smiled and replied: "Hui'er has been feeling cold these days, and my sister is taking care of him in the backyard. If your brother-in-law needs anything, you might as well tell me. If I can help, I'll be happy to help you."

His tone was very sincere, and he didn't listen at all. Out of hostility.

Having been an official for many years, he is very good at cheating and submissiveness.

Although he despises this brother-in-law, as long as his sister spends a day with him, he cannot break up with him.

Otherwise, it will only make my sister's situation in the Qingguo Palace more difficult.

At this time, he would not show his fangs easily.

The other party's temperament is inherently unstable, and he wants to guard against the other party jumping over the wall in a hurry and doing something that will harm his sister's interests and reputation.

This is like a confrontation between a man and a dog. Although a man is not afraid of a dog, it is not worth being bitten by a dog for no reason.

As for Zheng Xi's attitude over the years, in the eyes of Duke Qing, he only felt that the other party was trying to curry favor with him.

Honorable people sometimes have the illusion of being superior to others, especially those with limited vision and limited knowledge.

When Qing Guo Gong saw what his uncle said, he squinted his eyes and asked, "You really don't know what she did?"

Zheng Xi smiled and asked, "What should I know?"

Qing Guo Gong was filled with anger and said, "She As a woman, she has been away from home for more than half a month. How will people treat her when this news comes out? Brother, why don't you try to persuade her?"

Zheng Xi smiled deeper and said calmly: "My father was not in good health a while ago, and my sister was the one who took care of her. I wanted my nephew to come back to visit my father, but I didn't expect that my nephew caught a cold, so he was delayed. My wife and the child had been away from home for more than half a month, so they came to pick them up. "

At this time, Duke Qing came to pick him up. Hearing his strange mood, he felt very upset.

He was annoyed by the smiling face of his uncle, who looked like he was not a good person.

Qing Guo said fairly: "Since you are married, you should give top priority to your husband's family in everything. How can you go to your mother

's family for everything?" Zheng Xi smiled and replied: "Filial piety is the first thing. If the father is sick, the daughter should also Can't you turn a blind eye?"

There's nothing wrong with this.

If his daughter is filial, can he still block her?

Duke Qingguo and his uncle failed to gain the upper hand after several exchanges, and they couldn't help but feel more anxious.

Originally, he came to ask for help, but his uncle always greeted him with a smile and talked to him in such a nice voice that he couldn't get angry. It was simply aggrieved.

Chapter 776: Not wanting to live with despicable people,

Duke Qing thought, he couldn't just let his uncle keep pushing him down. He was here to do business, how could he just be joking around like this!

So, Qing Guo Gong said: "If you go home to visit your doctor and serve your father, there is no reason to take away your husband's warehouse keys and account books, right?"

Finally he got to the point, but in his unabashed words, It can indeed be seen that this person is without any strategy.

Of course, part of the reason was that he didn't take the Yue family seriously.

Zheng Xi suppressed the annoyance in her heart and still smiled: "Actually, my sister also cares about you, brother-in-law. At the birthday banquet of An Guogong, brother-in-law, you were severely reprimanded by the empress. My sister was afraid that you would get into trouble, so she brought the account books and Key came to discuss with me and wanted to find some connections in the palace to sort things out. Of course, she is careless and careless in handling things. I have already told her about this, and I hope my brother-in-law Haihan

said this lightly . , almost made Duke Qing happy.

His wife is confused if she cares about him? His wife didn't even dare to say that.

Moreover, is it a good thing that he was reprimanded by the empress? What does the uncle mean by saying it so unabashedly?

Duke Qing was even more annoyed, but seeing that his uncle was tepid and matter-of-fact, he couldn't say anything.

The breath was stuck in my throat, it couldn't go up or come down, it was so tight and uncomfortable.

After waiting for a long time, Qing Guogong said: "The account books and warehouse keys are always in her hands, which is very inconvenient in the house. Now that I am here, let her give the things to me."

Zheng Xi said: "My brother-in-law has come to pick up my sister. Home, my sister should go with her brother-in-law."

After saying that, without waiting for Duke Qing's reply, he said to the boy next to him: "Go and invite my aunt out. In addition, my nephew is not well yet, so let him go. Stay here and continue to recuperate. The Qingguo Palace cannot live without a mistress. Let my aunt pack up and go back to the Qingguo Palace."

There is an undoubted meaning in the words, and it sounds like she is on the side of the Qingguo Palace.

The anger in Duke Qing's heart could no longer be expressed.

If he hadn't gone to court to ask the emperor to let his concubine inherit the title, he would have fallen out with this woman today.

The blame must be placed on the New Deal, which stipulated that the matter of abolition of a direct descendant or the abolition of an elder and the establishment of a child must be signed by the wife of the royal family before it can be reported to the court.

Doesn't this make him beg the old woman?

Duke Qing suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth without making a sound. After

Zheng Xi arranged things, he stood up and said, "Brother-in-law, I am busy with official business, so I would like to excuse you now."

After saying that, he ordered the boy beside him: "Serve Duke Qing well, and don't offend the nobleman." Shi Ran left.

Duke Qing Guo is so angry, he really feels like he has nowhere to vent his anger.

After waiting for another half an hour, the woman didn't come out yet.

The boy went to ask for help almost ten times, and his legs were almost broken.

But just like the old man at that time, no matter how he invited him, he was directly stopped by the mother-in-law in his aunt's room, who just told him to let Duke Qing wait.

Neither of the boys dared to neglect, as they had to work hard on their own to do this useless work.

And Duke Qingguo was not a patient person. If it weren't for the account books and warehouse keys, he would have left long ago.

He jumped up and down and waited for another half an hour before he saw Mrs. Qing Guo's wife walking out slowly.

"What took you so long?" Qing Guogong stepped forward impatiently and asked.

Mrs. Qing Guo Gong glanced at him and said nonchalantly: "Pack your things. Could it be that I go back with you without taking anything?"

With one sentence, Qing Guo Gong was choked again.

Both brothers and sisters are so choked today.

Duke Qing Guo said angrily: "Let's go back to the house quickly. I have something to tell you."

Duke Qing Guo's wife ignored him and went out of the yard on her own and got into the carriage.

"Did you bring out the account books and warehouse keys?" Duke Qing asked worriedly.

"If you don't bring it out, why don't you keep it at your parents' house?" Mrs. Qingguo still choked him.

Duke Qingguo stopped talking.

Mrs. Qing Guo Gong looked out the window all the way, not wanting to give Qing Guo Gong another look.

The two returned to Duke Qing's mansion, and Duke Qing couldn't wait to follow them back to his wife's courtyard.

As soon as he entered the house, he shouted: "Why don't you return the warehouse keys and account books to your aunt?"

Mrs. Qingguo said funnyly: "I am the principal wife, and I should be in charge of the house. Why should I return it to my aunt? In the past It's just because I'm busy taking care of Hui'er that I asked my aunt to do it for me. Now that Hui'er is gone, I can take care of the house, so I won't bother my aunt."

Qing Guogong was helpless, but he thought that this woman also knew how many people there were in the house. The family's fortune is gone. Even if the account books and keys are to be returned, it doesn't mean much. Let her keep them.

Business was pressing, so Duke Qing told his wife that he wanted to abolish the throne and establish a concubine.

Finally, he added, "If you don't agree with this, don't blame me for being ruthless. You can't survive Hui'er. If one day you are gone, I can't guarantee how the tribe will treat Hui'er.

" There are no words that a father can say!

Normally, Mrs. Qingguo would be furious, but today, she felt calm and even wanted to laugh.

There is nothing greater than sadness. If you don't have expectations for a person, you will naturally not be disappointed.

Duke Qingguo said: "You want your concubine to inherit the title. It's not impossible, but I have a better way. It depends on whether you are willing."

"What method?" Duke Qingguo asked immediately.

Duke Qingguo said: "I only have a son like Hui'er. If I sign this, Hui'er will not understand and my conscience will be uneasy. How can I be a mother?" "Then what

do you think ? How about it? If the idiot you gave birth to is the Duke of Qing, he will be the laughing stock of the world, and you and your son will be fine?" Duke Qing said angrily.

Mrs. Qingguo rolled her eyes at him with disdain and said, "You can't sign, but you can reconcile with me. After the reconciliation, you straighten your aunt, and your concubine will become your legitimate son. In this way, when you ask for an order, you can It is to abolish the eldest son and establish the young, rather than to abolish the direct line and establish a concubine. The new wife can sign and the concubine can be legitimate and blameless. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"

Qing Guo Gong's eyebrows jumped and he felt that this method was very good.

But based on his understanding of this woman, she would definitely not be so kind, so he asked: "What are your conditions?"

"I will take away my dowry, and I want 50% of the property in the house." Duke Qingguo The reason why the lady wanted to take this path of peace and separation was to take away her dowry.

She didn't want to live with this despicable person anymore, she just didn't want to give him any advantage.

Duke Qing thought for a while and said: "If you and I reconcile, you can take away the dowry, but it doesn't make sense to divide 50% of your family property. The 50% of the family property is for the direct descendants who cannot inherit the title. The eldest son's compensation is not for you and your divorced wife. "

Chapter 777: Mrs. Qing Guo, who doesn't even want to give our mother and

son any family property, felt disgusted when she saw Duke Qing Guo looking like he was calculating.

According to the new policy issued by the imperial court, if the Duke of Qing wants to abolish the legitimate son and establish a concubine, he must give half of the family property to the legitimate son.

And when she wanted to reconcile, she just wanted to get back her dowry, which was originally hers.

She didn't do anything to blackmail the Duke of Qing, but he was arguing with her about half of the family property.

Mrs. Qingguo only felt that she had been wronged. In her life, she had never expected to marry a husband who would take every crime seriously, but she never expected that she would be so aggrieved.

She couldn't bear to reason with Duke Qing, so she only said: "Since the New Deal requires the signature of the royal family to abolish the direct line and establish a concubine, why don't you think about it carefully. If you don't agree with the conditions I proposed, then let Hui'er inherit the title. Okay."

After saying that, she made a "please" gesture toward the outside of the house, signaling Qing Guo Gong to leave.

Duke Qing was already very angry. Seeing that this woman dared to threaten him, he said, "Okay, you go back to your parents' house to discuss this matter with them, right? You guys have figured out how to deal with me. You just want to move all the belongings of Duke Qing to your place, right?"

The Duke of Qing couldn't bear to argue with him, so she said, "If you don't want to divide the family property, but also want your concubine to inherit the title, then... There is another way to kill Hui'er and me. However, the Emperor and Empress already know what happened between you and me. If Hui'er and I have any shortcomings, you will definitely not be able to escape. So, the best way is to agree to it. Conditions, make peace with me. Give you one day to think about it carefully. After this time tomorrow, I will not agree to any conditions you offer. "

She really doesn't want to delay this kind of man. She was a couple who stayed with him for one more day, and she felt sick.

Mrs. Qing Guo Gong continued: "If you don't want Hui'er, I can take her away. Come and see the guests off!"

Qing Guo Gong wanted to say something more, but a tall and thick woman walked in outside the door.

Duke Qing Guo saw that the woman was no longer the same one as before, and when he was puzzled, the woman pulled off his arm and carried her out of the yard.

Duke Qing Guo felt that he had been humiliated and was about to yell out loud, but the woman had already closed the courtyard door and there was no response no matter how hard he banged on the door.

Duke Qing was so angry that he turned around and went to his concubine's room.

As soon as he entered the house, he scolded his concubine and blamed her for giving the account books and keys to the woman, which led to his current passive situation.

The concubine's room was full of pear blossoms and rain, and she cried hard, and this matter was finally over.

There was a fire in Qingguo's palace, so he didn't stay in the concubine's room. He ran to the study to think about countermeasures.

The concubine thought for a while and ran to the yard of Mrs. Qingguo.

Mrs. Qingguo's head ached when she saw her eyes were red and she looked pitiful.

Now a man comes, and now a woman comes. Is the house in a state of chaos now?

Mrs. Qingguo drank tea one mouthful at a time without saying a word.

The concubine knelt on the ground and wept silently.

After a long time, the concubine saw that the lady was silent, so she had to say: "Madam, I'm sorry for you."

Mrs. Qingguo didn't even look at her, and said calmly: "The matter has been done. Is it too late to say I'm sorry now?" Too late? "

The concubine choked and was speechless for a moment.

Due to her identity, status, or background, she was not qualified to say these words to the royal wife.

But she really couldn't do anything.

Normally, when she is in the house, her master will pamper her.

Madam is not someone who likes to cause trouble, and she is not that aggressive, so they are getting along well.

As for the fact that the master wanted her son to inherit the title, she was just happy to hear it, but it was not her intention.

But now... the master blames her for this, and she only feels aggrieved.

After much deliberation, I had no choice but to come to Madam.

The concubine tried hard to organize her words in her mind and said: "Madam, this matter is all my fault. Please don't blame the master. The master is not merciless to the wife, but as the head of the family, the master has more things to consider. Madam, if you want to blame me, blame me. Don't lose your friendship with me."

Mrs. Qing Guo Gong glanced at this concubine and felt no resentment towards her.

This person is not a bad person, but he has limited knowledge and thinks too simplistically.

She didn't hate her, but there was no point in teaching her about it.

So he said: "What do you want me to do, you might as well tell me directly."

I wiped my tears and said: "My wife was busy earlier, so I handed over the stewardship of the house to me. If my wife thinks this is inappropriate, in the future, I will Even if Madam is in charge of the house, I don't dare to argue with Madam. Please don't make peace with the Master, even if the eldest young master cannot inherit the title, there are also positions of Madam and Young Master in this house, so why should Madam be so decisive? Duke Qingguo 's

wife laughed at this and asked: "So, the positions of my wife and the eldest young master were given by you and the concubine?"

The concubine quickly lowered her head and said, "I don't dare, I don't dare." It means that the wife is the royal wife and the eldest young master is the legitimate son. This is a fact that no one can shake. Whether it is a title or not is a matter of the court. What does it have to do with our house? What will our house be like in the future? , or what? I don't want to compete with my wife."

Mrs. Qingguo stared at this concubine playfully and asked, "So, the master usually likes you to be this stupid?"

She felt that she was different from this kind of concubine. If someone says more than a word, it is a waste of time and energy. It is better to send her away quickly and still have peace of mind.

So he said: "I know you are shallow-minded, but I still want to advise you. The man in your heart is a ruthless and unrighteous person. He can love you now because of your appearance, but he can also dislike you because you are old and yellow in the future. . You have invested all your wealth in him, so you might as well seize this opportunity and let your son inherit the title so that you can have something to rely on in your later years. As for me, madam, you don't have to worry about it. You get your husband and you get the title. "From now on, this Duke's mansion will be your mother's and your son's. You won't want to give us any property, right?"

After saying that, Mrs. Qingguo ignored the concubine's panicked eyes and shouted to the door: "Here comes someone." , send my aunt back. From now on, no visitors will be allowed in my wife's yard, unless the master is here to talk about reconciliation with me."

"Madam, I didn't mean that, I just..." The concubine still wanted to defend. .

Mrs. Qingguo didn't have the patience to listen anymore.

This kind of woman will not benefit from being around that arrogant old man.

She didn't want to embarrass her, but she didn't have the heart to sympathize with her or save her.

The advice has been given, it is up to her whether to listen or not.

Mrs. Qingguo waved her hand, and the stout woman brought from her natal family threw the concubine out of the courtyard without explanation.

Chapter 778: It can't be better after all.

Duke Qingguo thought about it all night in the study, and with his small brain, he actually came up with a way to deal with his wife.

The next day, he drafted a letter of divorce, listing the seven crimes of Qing Guo's wife.

Three of them were barely included - disobedience to parents, childlessness, and jealousy.

If the concubine can be divorced before the concubine inherits the title, and the concubines can be rehabilitated, then the concubine will become the legitimate son.

They are both legitimate sons, so it is more acceptable to abolish the eldest son and establish the younger one.

Not to mention, without the woman, there is only a fool left, not at his mercy.

At that time, he can keep most of the family property and just take out some to send that fool away.

Moreover, if a woman is divorced because she violates the rule of seven outings, the dowry cannot be taken away.

In this way, he kept his family property and got his wife's dowry, which was really a foolproof strategy.

When Qing Guogong thought this way, he felt that he was really smart.

Then, he summoned the clan elders and expressed his desire to divorce his wife.

Ordinarily, his lineage is the most prominent in their clan. Even if there is a clan leader, he should have the greater say.

Unexpectedly, Qing Guo Gong was a man of no great potential. He just relied on his good fortune to be reincarnated and inherited the title.

Therefore, everyone in the clan who has some ability looks down upon him.

Even the clan leader's words occasionally reveal that he is not making progress and is wasting this title.

Hearing that he wanted to divorce his wife, the seventy-year-old patriarch stood up with a cane.

"What did you say?" The old man stared at this unworthy descendant in disbelief.

What kind of family background does the Zheng family have that allows him to divorce his wife?

Besides, with the current status of the family having no title, if the younger members of the clan want to become officials in the future, they will need the support of the Zheng family.

If you offend the Zheng family at this time, will you get kicked in the head by a donkey?

The patriarch was so angry that he trembled and pointed at Duke Qing and cursed: "I thought it would be difficult for our family to develop in your generation if you were such an unenterprising person. But I didn't expect that you wanted us to The family is ruined in your hands! What's wrong with Mrs. Zheng that you want to divorce her? "

She is disobedient to her parents, has no children, and is jealous. She has committed three crimes, so she can't divorce her?" Angry.

He has a title in this family and is also a Duke.

Even if the clan leader is a bit more senior or older, he can't point his nose and scold him like this without saving him some face!

With this thought in his mind, his tone became worse.

Seeing him like this, the patriarch suppressed his inner anger and sneered: "Which of these three things you said is valid? Not long after Mrs. Zheng got married, the old Duke passed away. Mrs. Zheng stayed with you. She has been mourning for three years. You said she was disobedient to her parents. Didn't she stay with you

when she was sick ?

The patriarch retorted, "At that time, Hui'er had a brain disease. One was her biological son and the other was her mother-in-law. How did you let her choose? Besides, although she didn't accompany her, she always cared about her. Her father was ill, and she always got something good. She will also send a copy of the medicinal materials to your mother, why not?"

Qing Guozheng was about to argue, but was interrupted by the patriarch's hand.

The patriarch continued: "You gave birth to Hui'er with her, but Hui'er suffered from a brain disease, and she looks like this now, but when she was born, Hui'er was a healthy child. You said that she was childless, and you can't stand it. Feet. And jealousy. Why is she jealous of you? How many concubines have you married over the years, and how many children have you given birth to? Does she feel sorry for you, even the power of the housekeeper? That aunt. Even the emperor accused you of doting on your concubine and killing your wife, but you still dare to say that she is jealous. Do you want to go against the emperor?"

The patriarch's last words made Duke Qing break into a cold sweat.

Everything else is easy to talk about, but offending the emperor and empress is not easy to deal with.

Seeing that his expression finally calmed down, the clan leader also softened his tone.

There is no way, no matter how useless this person is, he still has a title, so he can't cause too much trouble.

Therefore, the clan leader said earnestly: "There is no one in our clan in the court. If you push Mrs. Zheng into a hurry and her brother reads some of your books in the court, our family will have no power to fight back. Before doing something, don't just You have to think about the consequences as well as the antecedents. "

This is a very euphemistic statement. It would be nice if I didn't say that Duke Qing is a fool who cares about his head rather than his body.

However, with Duke Qing's mind and character, he would not analyze the patriarch's words carefully.

He just felt that since divorce was a dead end, he should find another way.

As for which way to change, he had no idea for the time being and had to seek help from an expert.

Thinking of this, he quickly pretended to be taught something and wanted to send the clan elder and others away.

Seeing his perfunctory look, the patriarch knew that this matter would cause trouble in the future, so he had no choice but to leave.

While walking on the road, several clan elders felt angry when they talked about this.

It's okay for an ignorant boy to inherit a title and not make the family prosperous. Offending the empress and the Zheng family at the same time is simply seeking death!

Qing Guo Gong's branch accounts for the most resources in the clan, but he has caused the whole clan to be implicated. I really don't know what to say!

Several clan elders talked and found a place to hold a small meeting.

They felt that having such a prodigal son like Duke Qing in the clan was already in danger.

If they don't do something, they will have to wait for the whole family to be in trouble.

For the current plan, we can only give up on Qing Guo Gong, a man who has failed to achieve anything but failed, and think of a way out for other tribesmen.

Several clan elders, all of whom had lived for decades, discussed the matter and weighed the pros and cons.

In the end, it was decided that the clan leader would serve as the representative and go to the Zheng Mansion to take the initiative to confess what Duke Qing had done and his intentions.

In this way, the anger of the Zheng Mansion will be directed towards Duke Qing himself, and will not affect their entire clan.

In doing so, even though he betrayed his own clan, Duke Qing, it would inevitably give people the feeling of being deceived.

But they can't.

As long as Duke Qingguo has a normal mind, they will not abandon him to show kindness to outsiders.

After the greetings were given according to the proper procedures, the clan leader led two of the clan's disciples, walking very heavily.

When I arrived at Zheng's Mansion, I stood at the door and breathed for a long time before someone called the door.

Although Zheng Xi expressed a certain degree of surprise at his arrival, considering the recent tense relationship between the girl and the gangster, she was not completely unprepared.

However, he felt that Qing Guo Gong's clan members must have come to gain more benefits for Qing Guo Gong.

Thinking of this, his hands suddenly tightened.

It seems that the girl and the bastard have not reached an agreement.

Now that everyone is turning their efforts on themselves, it seems that this matter will not be good after all.

Thinking of this, Zheng Xi's face showed a hint of solemnity.

He didn't try to hide it.

There is no need to be serious when talking to that bastard Duke Qing, but the one who comes now is, after all, the other party's clan leader.

Basic respect is still needed.

Chapter 779 It's so bad that the prodigal thing is bad.

Zheng Xi met with the clan leader. They exchanged a few words and the atmosphere seemed pretty good.

However, neither of them felt relaxed.

Zheng Xi thought, since it was the other party who took the initiative to come to the door, then the other party should take the initiative to make any demands.

If he had mentioned it first, he would have been at a disadvantage.

With this thought in mind, he picked up the tea cup, took a few sips of tea slowly, and waited for the other party to speak.

Taking advantage of this air raid, the clan leader also calmed down.

To be honest, he has lived for more than seventy years, and now he has to do such a thing because of the dissatisfaction of his juniors. He himself cannot pass this test.

But thinking about the future of the children in the clan, he still lowered his face and forced a smile: "Master Zheng, it is a bit presumptuous for me to come here today. But there are some things that I still need to talk to Master Zheng, so that Master Zheng can make an idea. . "

Here it comes!"

Zheng Xi put down the tea cup and said calmly: "Please tell me."

The patriarch then tactfully told the story that Duke Qing wanted to divorce the Zheng family.

He had concealed many details, trying not to make Qing Guo Gong's face look so hateful.

But when she heard the word "give up", Zheng Xi was so angry that she slammed the table.

"It doesn't make sense. Back then, Hui'er was suffering from brain disease, and the old lady in the house was ill. The girls below were taking care of her. His new concubine, Duke Qing's, was pregnant. He couldn't wait to devote himself to that concubine and give birth to his daughter. He doesn't care about his son or his old mother. Now it's the girl who is being criticized, does he have any conscience?" Zheng Xi said angrily.

Although he is angry, he will not lose his mind.

Since the other party took the initiative to come to the door today, he must not let the other party take advantage of this.

When you get angry, you also want to overwhelm the opponent in terms of momentum.

After saying that, he seemed to have calmed down, restrained his emotions very openly, and asked: "Why did you come to the door today?"

With such a family, it doesn't matter whether it's a peaceful settlement or a quarrel. Anyway, as soon as possible.

He didn't want to waste time on this kind of thing, and he also wanted his sister to be relieved as soon as possible.

The clan leader sneered, "This matter is because our Qingguo Duke's government has failed the Zheng family and the whole family. I am here to apologize for the unscrupulous descendants."

Zheng Xi was greatly surprised by these words.

He glanced at the clan leader inquiringly, and saw that the other party's eyes were frank and without any cover-up, which showed that he was sincere.

His thoughts changed rapidly, and he could probably understand the other party's intention.

Then he said: "Fortunately, there are sensible elders like you here, don't let Qing Guo Gong make too many mistakes. In this matter, I think that my sister did not make any mistakes. As for Qing Guo Gong, I also ask you to give me more advice. I will definitely remember your kindness."

This is a promise that I will not vent my anger on Duke Qing to their entire family, and I will even take care of them. .

The clan leader was relieved.

He felt that if he didn't do this well today, it would be easy for the other party to misunderstand him, and he thought he was bargaining.

Fortunately, the other party was not confused and understood what he meant.

This actually saved him a lot of time.

The clan leader sighed silently in his heart. If the Duke of Qing State owned 10% of Master Zheng, he wouldn't have to be so upset.

Sure enough, all good children belong to other people's families.

The patriarch realized that this time, what he wanted to express was clearly expressed.

However, he was somewhat unable to meet Zheng Xi's requirements.

After organizing his words, he said: "Master Zheng, I know that Zheng was born in a famous family, received good boudoir education since childhood, and is a virtuous wife. However, I'm afraid it will not be so easy for Duke Qing to be deceived by that charming concubine. Change your mind. I'm afraid that even if I try hard to persuade you, I can't stop the couple from separating."

When he said this, the patriarch felt guilty.

Mr. Zheng is a cheerful person with clear grievances and grudges.

On the other hand, he only wanted benefits but could not do much to help, which seemed to be a bit of a waste of money.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Xi listened to his words but didn't take it seriously and said: "My daughter from the Zheng family will never beg for mercy from her husband's family. He doesn't care about the girls below, he is dignified and kind, and he lets her go." Just go home. If he hadn't been too greedy and wanted to abandon my girl in disgrace, I wouldn't be angry. If this matter can be negotiated and resolved peacefully, why bother to break up. , don't you think so?"

The patriarch was surprised, but he didn't expect that his unworthy descendants wanted to divorce him, and he had long since given up on living with his unworthy descendants.

If you put it this way, this matter can indeed be resolved decently in a way that causes the least harm to both parties.

The patriarch felt that this was a turn of events today.

He quickly asked: "What does Master Zheng have to ask for?"

Zheng Xi smiled and said: "I naturally have no requirements regarding my sister. I believe that I have already discussed this matter with Duke Qing, and it is just the condition that I put forward. "It's just that Duke Qing doesn't accept it. If you can always deal with it and help this girl escape as soon as possible, I will be very grateful."

After hearing this, the patriarch thought about the matter.

He couldn't help but curse Qing Guo Gong for being nothing, but he said politely: "Don't worry, Mr. Zheng, I will try my best to reconcile. Zheng is a good boy, and I can't bear to see him being teased by those unscrupulous descendants."

Zheng Xi was kind and kind . He smiled and said: "Since you are always here, I can feel more at ease with my sister."

After a pause, he added: "When spring starts, the clan school in the lower clan will recruit students. If you don't give up, you can Send the children from the clan over to see if there are any who are good in character, talent and learning, and study together with the children from the lower clan, so that they can compare and supervise each other."

Zheng Xi's words really touched the heart of the clan leader. .

Originally, their clan also had clan studies.

It's just that in this generation, Duke Qing didn't care about his own official career, nor did he care about the future of his children.

Since no good master could be found in the clan school, it declined more and more.

The younger members of the clan wanted to hire a good master, but they were unable to do so because they had no connections.

Now that there is an opportunity to study in the Zheng family, it is much more reliable than them finding random ways!

If the clan leader was still uneasy about betraying Duke Qing before he came, after Zheng Xi proposed this condition, this uneasiness was replaced by joy and disappeared.

The patriarch looked at Zheng Xi carefully again and felt that he was very capable in terms of determination and insight. He looked at him with more appreciation.

The more I admire Zheng Xi, the worse I feel when I think of that loser in my clan.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before the clan leader stood up and left.

When he reached the door, he had made up his mind - no matter what conditions the Zheng family put forward for reconciliation, he would try his best to promote it.

If the younger generation in the clan could have a future, he would naturally not have to place all his expectations on the Duke of Qing who could not hold him up.

Chapter 780 Stop talking nonsense

. When the clan leader returned home, he saw that several clan elders had been waiting for him for a long time.

They didn't dare to neglect this matter, which was important to the entire clan. They came early to wait for the news.

Seeing that everyone was worried, the clan leader told him everything he had discussed with Zheng Xi.

Several clan elders felt that they saw hope when they heard that after the spring, the children of the clan would have the opportunity to study in the Zheng family.

It would have been better not to mention this matter, but once it was mentioned, everyone's resentment also rose.

"How can anyone in a wealthy family not know the importance of education for their children and grandchildren? Even the wise man with mud legs knows how to send his children and grandchildren to study. But our Duke Qing is not at all concerned about this matter. He doesn't He doesn't even care about the younger members of his clan when he wants to make progress, and his knowledge is not as good as that of those mud-legged ones. "

Everyone has complained about Duke Qing for a long time. When someone speaks up, others immediately agree.

As we talked, it became a crusade in which the protagonist was not present.

The clan leader allowed the elders to vent before bringing the topic back to the right track.

"Fortunately, Mr. Zheng is a sensible person and does not resent all of us because of the actions of the unscrupulous descendant. Since Mr. Zheng is determined to support the children of our clan, we must also handle the Zheng family's affairs properly."

" "Exactly."

"You can't count on the Duke of Qing. It's better to count on other children." "

That's right, he didn't support the children of the clan at all when he became the Duke. Now the Zheng family doesn't give up the chance. Shall we catch him?"

"I agree."

"I agree too."

Everyone was talking, and all the remaining guilt in the patriarch's heart was gone.

Finally, the patriarch said: "It is not convenient for Mr. Zheng to get involved in the matter between my sister and my brother-in-law, so he entrusted me to facilitate this matter. I will go to see Mrs. Zheng and see what she thinks."

"Then go quickly. Well, if you need us to do anything, just ask." The clan elder said.

The clan leader nodded and sent someone to the Qingguo Duke's Mansion to send a message saying that he wanted to see the Zheng family.

When the person who brought the news came back, the clan leader set off for the Duke of Qing's mansion.

In order to avoid suspicion, two clan elders were also brought along.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered Duke Qing's mansion, he was stopped by the housekeeper and said, "The master learned that the patriarch is here and was planning to invite the patriarch to the study for a talk."

Now that the patriarch heard that Duke Qing was upset, he said angrily. : "I'm here to see Mr. Zheng, please wait a moment."

Seeing that the old man was slightly angry, the housekeeper didn't dare to say anything more, so he could only take him to the madam's yard.

Zheng's courtyard is guarded by her mother-in-law, and she has given orders not to see any guests.

But seeing that the person coming was the clan leader, the mother-in-law went in to report.

After a while, he came out and said: "Madam, please invite the clan leader to come in for a talk."

The clan leader and the two clan elders entered the room.

This is a room specially designed for guests. In order to avoid suspicion, a screen was added between the host's seat and the guest's seat.

After having tea, Mrs. Qing Guogong spoke first, "Why are some elders from the clan here today?"

"It's because of your affairs with Duke Guo." The clan leader said, "We are old. We only hope that the family will be harmonious, even if the two of you are in trouble, we also hope that it will end with dignity. The Duke of Guo is an ignorant person. Please be more patient with him. We know that it is not easy for you, and we will not make it difficult for you. Why don't you tell us first and let us mediate between you two to prevent your conflicts from getting worse?"

The patriarch's words did not mince words, but it made Mrs. Qing Guo feel quite comfortable.

Moreover, her brother had sent a letter before, saying that he had reached a consensus with the clan leader and would help her reconcile.

Let her not worry too much when meeting the clan leader, just tell her what she thinks.

Therefore, Mrs. Qingguo had no precautions and just waited for the two parties to slowly talk about the matter.

At this time, Mrs. Qingguo will inevitably express some of her grievances in order to increase her bargaining chips.

He said: "Several clan elders, although my Zheng family is not as high as the Qingguo Duke's family, I have been strictly trained and educated by the family since I was a child. I think I have nothing to do to let the Qingguo Duke's family go. I don't know why I have to be treated like this by my husband. Since my husband wants to favor his concubine and let his concubine inherit the title, I feel unlucky. But my husband refuses to leave any way for my mother and son to survive. Isn't this forcing my mother and son to die? !"

What she said was true, and the patriarch felt uncomfortable after hearing it.

No one wants his son to have a brain disease.

If she didn't focus on taking care of her son, Mrs. Qingguo would definitely be a more competent matron.

The patriarch said: "We all know how difficult it is for you, and we will never do anything unjust in the name of Duke Qingguo. Just tell us what you think and let us consider it."

Mrs. Qingguo didn't want to do anything wrong. No more words, and he directly stated the conditions he proposed to Qingguo Gong.

The clan leader and the two clan elders exchanged a look, although they felt that taking away half of the family property and taking away the dowry was a huge expense for the Qingguo Duke's government.

But, everything makes sense.

Half of the family property is the new policy of the court and the compensation for the transfer of the title to the legitimate son.

As for the dowry, since there is no reason to divorce the wife, the only option is to reconcile. It is only natural for a married woman to take away her dowry.

The three of them quickly reached a consensus with their eyes.

Mrs. Zheng is not a lion who speaks loudly. She deserves everything she advocates.

If they don't give it, they will go to the Yamen or the emperor and the empress, and the Duke of Qing will not listen to him.

The only solution for now is to satisfy her so that both parties can be decent and meet again in the future.

However, there is also a Qingguo Duke here.

This bastard wants to divorce his first wife for nothing and then use some random things to compensate his legitimate son. This is an uncontrollable variable.

The clan leader did not dare to speak too fully, so he said: "We know what you mean, so let us go back and discuss it before giving you an answer."

"Let the clan elders worry about it." Zheng said across the screen Bow down and give a gift.

The three of them left the courtyard of Mrs. Qingguo's house and saw the housekeeper waiting at the entrance of the courtyard.

The clan elder knew that this must be the prodigal Duke Qing Guo waiting for them. All three of them lowered their faces and followed the housekeeper to the study.

In the study, Duke Qing was like an ant on a hot pot, anxious.

When he saw the three clan elders arriving, he looked relieved.

Seeing his uncontrollable look, the clan elder could only shake his head secretly.

For a duke who has no palace and no long-term plans, and only knows how to hang around women, no wonder the emperor wants to deal with him.

They would all feel it was inappropriate if such people occupied high positions.

"Sit down quickly." Qing Guo Gong said: "What did the mother-in-law tell you? You didn't agree to her unreasonable request, right?"

The patriarch almost rolled his eyes and said impatiently: "Ms. Zheng is your wife, too. Mr. Zheng's daughter, Mr. Zheng's sister, you should respect her no matter what, and stop talking nonsense."