According to the rules of the Marquis of Changping’s Mansion, on the 15th of every month, all the direct descendants who remained in the capital must sit together to eat.
This rule was set by the first generation of Marquis of Changping, and Ling Yaodong did not change this rule after he inherited the title of Marquis of Changping.
It was not that Ling Yaodong didn’t want to change it, but this rule also involved the late Marquis of Changping, who was Ling Yaodong’s father.
Perhaps every parent hoped to see their children live in peace.
For example, the late Marquis might not be unaware of the jealousy and hatred of his second wife and second son toward the eldest son born to his first wife.
The late Marquis even guessed that the assassination of Ling Yaodong that year might have been the work of his second wife and second son.
But the late Marquis was still a little soft-hearted after all. Facing his second wife who was more than ten years younger than him and his second son who was sweet and talkative since childhood, he was still partial to them.
He knew that once the family was divided, the second son would become a side branch of the Marquis of Changping’s Mansion, and the children of the second branch would lose the initiative in marriage.
So before his death, he still made plans for the second branch and instructed his eldest son before his death that as long as Old Mrs. Wu was alive, the three brothers must not separate the family.
The late Marquis thought that Old Mrs. Wu had at least ten or twenty years to live, and when the family was separated, the marriages of the children and grandchildren of the second branch would be settled, and the second son would be able to set up a household.
At that time, even if the family was separated, it would not be a big hindrance to the second branch. The eldest son inherited the title and got most of his private property, which the late Marquis thought was his compensation to their branch.
He had planned so much because he felt that his eldest son and daughter-in-law were strong enough. Even if Old Mrs. Wu had any bad intentions, the two of them could handle it.
Moreover, his eldest son had become the new Marquis of Changping by then, and the overall situation had been decided. Perhaps Old Mrs. Wu would be obedient from then on.
The late Marquis still hoped that his sons could put aside their past grudges and help each other in the end.
If the Li Dynasty had not ruled the world with filial piety, and if the late Marquis had not invited several old friends to witness his dying wish, the things that Old Mrs. Wu and the second branch had caused in recent years would have been enough for Ling Yaodong to drive them out of the Marquis of Changping Mansion.
In recent years, Ling Yaodong had always followed the practice of the Marquis of Changping Mansion to let the three branches gather in the main hall for dinner on the 15th of every month, which was also a helpless thing.
“In a few days, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengyi’s Mansion will be coming of age. More than a month ago, the Marquis of Chengyi’s Mansion sent an invitation. It just so happens that the Seventh Girl has returned. Let’s choose that day to bring the Seventh Girl to the Marquis of Chengyi’s Mansion as a guest and let everyone meet our Seventh Girl.”
After dinner, Old Mrs. Wu took the cup of strong tea handed to her by the maid for rinsing her mouth and said casually.
“Yes, Mother.”
Speaking of going out to visit someone, Mrs. Xiao Wu suddenly became excited.
“Since we are visiting the Marquis of Chengyi’s mansion, and it is the first time for our Seventh Girl to appear in this circle, the girls in the mansion must not embarrass themselves. Should we prepare new clothes and jewelry?”
When Old Mrs. Wu got married, the Wu family still had some assets, but those things were stuffed into his daughter Wu’s dowry by the face-conscious Old Mr. Wu, for fear that his daughter would be embarrassed after marrying into the Marquis’s Mansion because her dowry was not generous enough.
At the same time, he also wanted to win over Wu, his daughter who had risen to fame overnight so that she would help her parents’ family wholeheartedly.
It was because of this that when Mrs. Xiao Wu was still in the boudoir, the Wu family’s life was a bit tight, including when Mrs. Xiao Wu got married. Her dowry was almost entirely made up from the betrothal gift given by the Marquis’s Mansion.
Now Mrs. Xiao Wu’s private family was rich enough, but it still could not change her stingy and petty temperament, always wanting to take more advantage of the public money.
For example, now.
Mrs. Xiao Wu had the private property that the late Marquis had given to her as the second daughter-in-law, which contained many valuable jewels. But in Mrs. Xiao Wu’s heart, these things were to be left for her precious son.
Even though her two daughters asked for them many times, she was unwilling to give them to her daughters.
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Lucien On ABRWF Chapter 34.1