The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

"Let's forget about these bad debts until they are settled. Let's first settle the servants in the mansion."

"For those who didn't have indentures, we gave them ten ounces of silver each and sent them out to find other ways to make a living."

"For those who have indentures, pick out the loyal and reliable ones and take them away. For the rest who wish to redeem themselves, let them redeem themselves and be freed."

"If they can't redeem themselves, they can be sold to a pawnbroker."

"For those people who were bought, we will give them three taels of silver each, which can be regarded as a living wage for them."

"As for the servants in each room, we will leave them alone and let them deal with it as they please."

There were hundreds of servants, maids, domestic servants, and old women serving in the Duke of Tang's mansion.

Even if Gong Jianzhou wanted to take them all away, he was powerless.

According to regulations, the Changyuan Marquis' Mansion is much smaller than the Tang Duke's Mansion. Not to mention how to support these people, there is not even enough room for them to live.

"It would be difficult to let each family handle it on their own." Liu had been in charge of the affairs of the mansion for many years and knew the difficulties best. None of the people in these families in the mansion were easy to deal with.

"It's not difficult. The Duke of Tang's Mansion is gone, and now is the time to separate and live on our own."

"Who can support them for the rest of their lives?"

Not to mention Liu, who was in charge of the internal affairs, who had a headache with those families, even Gong Jianzhou was extremely annoyed with them.

"I'm afraid the master won't agree." Liu knew Gong Chenghai's character best. He was very particular about appearances and face. It was obvious that the family had been in chaos for a long time, but he was unwilling to split up for the sake of face.

"He's already agreed. He's already busy with his own affairs, so how can he care about these things? Second Mother, just do as I say."

"Also, give each of their families one thousand taels of silver as a settlement allowance."

"Only one thousand taels, no more. If they make a fuss, just tell them to come find me."

This time, the Duke of Tang's Mansion was only stripped of its title, and its property was not confiscated. Each of their families had its own assets, and Gong Jianzhou was able to give an extra thousand taels, which was already a consideration for the family relationship.

If those people become greedy again and want more, then it's not his fault. By then, don't even think about taking half a penny from him, let alone one thousand taels.

"Besides you and Sanniang, each of my father's other concubines will be given one thousand taels of silver. Send them all away."

Although Gong Jianzhou also knew that Liu and Hui had no friendship with Gong Chenghai anymore, he still felt a little uncomfortable with so many women hanging around in front of him.

Moreover, he was unwilling to make the Changyuan Marquis's Mansion a mess again. He would not do such a thing as keeping a woman for his father!

Liu looked up at Gong Jianzhou and had an indescribable feeling in her heart. She felt both proud that her son had grown up and a sense of strangeness.

Noticing Liu's strange gaze, Gong Jianzhou turned around and asked, "Second Mother, what's wrong?"

"It's okay, I just think that the eldest master has really grown into a responsible adult."

Liu smiled at Gong Jianzhou and said, "Everything will be done according to the eldest master's orders. Hui and I will handle this matter together."

"Well, thank you for the trouble, Second Mother and Third Mother." As soon as Gong Jianzhou finished speaking, there was a noise outside.

"It's the Fourth Madam's voice. What is she doing here at this time?" Liu frowned. Although the Fourth Madam was a person without her own opinions, that did not prevent her from being a troublesome person.

She came to make trouble at this time, probably because of the Fourth Master's matter. He is a troublemaker and is not easy to deal with.

"Young Master, please go and hide for a while. Leave it to me."

Although Liu was also afraid of the Fourth Lady, she was even more unwilling to let Gong Jianzhou get involved with such a person.

If she came to deal with the Fourth Madam, at most she would suffer a little humiliation, but Gong Jianzhou was a man, how could he handle such a situation?

Not only will he suffer losses, but if it gets out, people will say that he bullied his aunt, which will damage his reputation. When he discusses marriage in the future, he won't be able to find a girl from a good family.

"No need, I'll do it." Gong Jianzhou stopped Liu. In the past, it was indeed inconvenient for him to step forward to solve such matters, but now is different from the past.

Now that the Duke of Tang’s Mansion is gone, who else does Gong Jianzhou need to consider his face?

The inside is gone, it's been torn to pieces, so what's the point of having face?

Take advantage of this opportunity to tear off both the inside and the outside, and everyone will have nothing to worry about in the future.

"The Duke of Tang's Mansion is gone, but the Gong family's rules still exist. How can Fourth Aunt be so loud and noisy here?"

Fourth Madam Mei, who was making a lot of noise outside, was startled by the sudden sound behind her.

She turned around and looked at Gong Jianzhou without saying anything for a long time.

"Why, wasn't Fourth Aunt still making a lot of noise just now? Why is she silent now?"

Gong Jianzhou looked at Mei with a cold face. Mei must have been instigated by someone behind the scenes to make trouble at this time. Since someone insisted on causing trouble at this time, he didn't mind slapping them in the face.

Mei shuddered, staring at the person who killed her husband, and suddenly rushed over like a madman to hit Gong Jianzhou.

Fortunately, Liu was quick-witted and stopped Mei in time, but she herself was slapped a few times.

"Have you had enough?" Gong Jianzhou really didn't want to see Mei go crazy, so he couldn't help but scold her.

After being yelled at by Gong Jianzhou, Mei calmed down.

Gong Jianzhou looked at the slap marks on Liu's face and couldn't help but feel furious. He looked at Mei and said, "You come from a family of poetry, literature and etiquette. Is this how you behave now? Is this the upbringing of your Mei family?"

Mei, who had calmed down, immediately became angry again and jumped up when she heard what Gong Jianzhou said.

"No matter what I say, I am your elder. How can a junior like you be so rude and say such things? You are indeed a bastard who was born but not raised by his mother. You even dared to kill your own uncle!"

As soon as Mei finished speaking, Liu, who was always gentle and never quarreled with others, jumped up and slapped Mei in the face.

This shocked everyone present, including Gong Chenghai who hurried over.

Before this, everyone had the impression that Liu was always docile, tolerant, and submissive.

This is the first time I've seen him so irritable.

Liu was so angry that she was shaking all over, not because of anything else but because of what Mei had just said: Gong Jianzhou was a little beast who was born by a mother but not raised by her, and who even dared to kill his own uncle.

A mother doesn’t mind any kind of injustice she suffers, but her own children cannot.

"If that's what the Fourth Madam said, you should be thanking Zhou'er, that little bastard who dared to kill even his own uncle."

"If he hadn't put justice before his own family, he would have killed Gong Chengyu, who was worse than an animal, a traitor who wanted fame and fortune, and who chose to be a dog instead of a human."

"How can you still stand here and show off your power and spout nonsense at this moment?"

"You should be on your way to exile with your two children by now, or have already been imprisoned by the Imperial Music Bureau, stripped of your noble attire and reduced to dust and mud."

"Your Mei family's upbringing is truly not very good. After all their upbringing, they managed to produce a brainless, unruly, evil woman like you."

Mei, who was stunned by the beating, stroked her burning face and kept staring at Liu. She never thought that Liu, such a lowly concubine, would dare to hit her.

This Mei is really a brainless person. Even at this time, he still can't grasp the key points and can't understand the situation.

"You bitch, you actually dared to hit me, who the hell do you think you are?"

Following Mei's roar, Hui's slap came down.

Hui Shi, who was sorting out account books in the room, heard the noise outside. When he came out, he heard what Mei had just said.

Hui is different from Liu. She has a hot temper. It's okay if you provoke her, but if you provoke her, she will make it all over with you even if it means destroying herself along with you.

Over the years, she and Liu have depended on each other, living in the Duke of Tang's mansion, trembling with fear and walking on thin ice. The two have long become as close as sisters.

Gong Jianzhou was raised by her and Liu together, and the relationship between them was like that of mother and son.

How could Huishi tolerate someone who dared to bully her sister and humiliate her son?

She had suffered enough injustice over the years, so she didn't care what the consequences would be today. She just wanted to vent her anger first.

"Who are you calling a bitch? A lady from a wealthy family. Oh, no, I forgot. You are not a lady from a wealthy family either."

"After being a lady in the Duke of Tang's mansion for so long, you've forgotten that you were born to a concubine."

"Have you forgotten what despicable tricks you used to become the fourth lady of Duke Tang's mansion?"

"If you've forgotten, I don't mind helping you recall it in front of everyone."

Mei, who had been humiliated and beaten repeatedly, was so angry that she could only roll her eyes.

"Sister, what did she say just now? She colluded with the Western Rong people and betrayed her country. She is worse than an animal and everyone has the right to kill her."

"Jianzhou killed him out of loyalty to the country and to rid the Gong family of harm. What did he do wrong to deserve such insults and humiliation?"

"Could it be that your Mei family, like Gong Chengyu, has also colluded with the Xirong people to betray the country in order to gain wealth and glory and bring honor to your family?"

Hui Shi was known for his sharp tongue, and now that he was angry, he naturally became more ruthless in his words.

"You, you, you are talking nonsense." How could Mei be better than Hui in an argument? This was the harshest thing she could say now.

"I'm talking nonsense. How am I talking nonsense? Aren't you the one who's been talking nonsense?"

"Jianzhou sacrificed his own family for the sake of justice. Even the Empress praised him for doing the right thing. How dare you speak so rudely and insult him?"

"He is the eldest son of the Gong family. No matter what happens in the future, he will be the head of the Gong family."

"You are a wife of the Gong family. You spoke rudely to him. Do you want to be kicked out?"

When Hui said this, she looked up at the third wife Dong who was huddled aside watching the show.

This made Dong tremble inexplicably and lower her head.

"Mei, I advise you to use your brain a little more and stop listening to other people's nonsense all day long."

"You are so careless. You have been cheated so many times. You are sold out by others and you are still counting money for them."

"Gong Chengyu deserved to die. He acted out of selfish selfishness, not to mention the interests of the country. He disregarded the lives of hundreds of people in the Gong family and colluded with the Xirong people. He deserves death!"

"I advise you to stay put and stop letting others fool you and cause trouble."

"Do you think if you were kicked out, would the Mei family take you three in?"

Hui's words were like a steel nail, nailing Mei to the spot and making her behave herself instantly.

Yes, Huishi was right. Now that her husband is dead, who else can she, an orphan and a widow, rely on except the Gong family?

When Gong Chengyu was alive, her family members had little contact with them, not to mention that Gong Chengyu was now guilty of colluding with the Xirong people and committing treason, a capital crime.

For fear of getting themselves into trouble, her relatives avoided them and were anxious to cut ties with them, so how could they possibly take them in?

Now, the three of them have no other way to survive except relying on the Gong family.

If she really angered Gong Jianzhou and Gong Jianzhou drove them and their three daughters out, she would be so miserable that she would have no tears to cry.

As a woman, it is impossible for her to support herself and her two children.

At this moment, Mei was filled with fear and regret. She really regretted that she should not have listened to the instigation of the third family and come to trouble Gong Jianzhou to seek justice for the useless dead man in her own family.

This person is already dead, what justice is there to seek? The living are the most important.

Gong Chenghai was dumbfounded by the scene just now. Although Liu and Hui did not hit him, he felt as if he was the one being beaten.

He could even feel the burning sensation on his face from being beaten.

Gong Jianzhou glanced at his father who was watching the show in a daze, and couldn't help but cough lightly to remind him that he still had important things to do.

Gong Chenghai came back to his senses when he heard Gong Jianzhou's cough. He had just packed up and was about to announce the division of the family business.

But before he could talk about dividing the family, Mei came and caused trouble under the instigation of Dong.

Gong Chenghai rushed over just now because he wanted to stop Mei and prevent her from causing any more trouble.

But he didn't expect that before he could make a move, such a wonderful drama was staged, which made him forget about his business.

"Go call the Second Master, the Third Master, and the Fifth Master over here. I have something to announce."

"You wait here too. What I'm going to announce soon is also related to you."

Seeing that Dong was about to sneak away, Gong Chenghai directly called her.

When Dong was called, she panicked and an ominous feeling instantly filled her heart.