The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Soon, all the people Gong Chenghai was looking for arrived. This was the first time that the brothers had gathered together since the old Duke passed away.

Gong Chenghai didn't waste any time and went straight to the topic of today, how to divide the family, because he knew that the imperial edict to appoint his son as the Earl of Changyuan was about to arrive.

If he didn't divide the family before the imperial edict arrived, these vampires would definitely try their best to stick with Gong Jianzhou and go to Changyuan Earl's Mansion with him, and then cause trouble for Gong Jianzhou and make Gong Jianzhou responsible for supporting them for the rest of their lives.

Gong Chenghai was simply unable to get rid of the situation before, so he chose to give up.

But now the opportunity is right in front of him to get rid of these vampires, how could he not take advantage of it?

He was not a good father, but he would also consider his son. He knew best how difficult life was when being watched by a group of vampires.

"I called you here for no other reason than to divide the family."

As soon as Gong Chenghai said this, his brothers and sisters-in-law began to whisper to each other.

However, Gong Chenghai doesn't have time to argue with them now. It's more important to deal with the business first.

"Because the Fourth Prince colluded with the Western Rong people and betrayed the country, the Queen has decreed that his title of Duke of Tang be revoked. Furthermore, she has ordered that the former Duke of Tang's mansion be vacated within three days."

"The fact that we can still stand together and discuss the division of the family is both a grace from the Queen and something that Jianzhou fought for for you."

"Actually, there's nothing much to divide in this house. Just pack up your own things."

"The Duke of Tang's Mansion has only had a good reputation over the years. In reality, it's just an empty shell."

"Once the accounts at the mansion are sorted out tomorrow, I will give each of you a settlement allowance. It won't be too much, but it will be enough for you to settle down."

"Master, the eldest son has already ordered one thousand taels of silver for each room's settlement fee, and I have already prepared it."

Originally, Liu thought that although the Duke of Tang’s Mansion was gone, the whole family would still have to live together.

But no one expected Gong Chenghai to be so tough this time and actually propose to separate the family.

This made Liu feel relaxed all over. It turned out that what Gong Jianzhou had said to her just now was true.

Liu looked up at Hui, and Hui immediately understood. They both had no objection to the division of the family and fully agreed.

Hui Shi immediately said, "I have already prepared all the silver and will give it to you, Master."

After saying this, Huishi turned around and went into the house to get the silver without waiting for anyone to react.

Before the heads of the family could speak, the third wife, Mrs. Dong, who was always a troublemaker, spoke.

"Uncle, although the Duke of Tang's Mansion is gone, we are all still here. A family is a family after all, especially in times like this, we all need to work together."

"If we split up at this time, it would inevitably lead to gossip from outsiders."

No one present was a fool, and Dong was a calculating person.

Although the Duke of Tang's Mansion is gone, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. With the whole family together, they don't have to worry about daily expenses and food and clothing, and they can also keep their assets and small treasury. Why not do it?

If they split up and move out now, not only will they have to be self-reliant in the future, but they will also have to spend their own money to eat their own meals, and they will also have to deal with all kinds of social interactions on their own. No matter how you look at it, this is not a cost-effective thing.

"Yes, big brother, our Tangguo Mansion is in decline now. Especially at times like this, our family must unite as one."

"If we split up now, wouldn't that make those people laugh at us and humiliate us even more?"

The person who spoke was Gong Chengming, the second son of the Gong family. He really didn't mean to consider the Gong family at all when he said this. He was a selfish person, so how could he consider the family?

He did this only for his own benefit. Over the years, he had gained a lot of benefits by selling intelligence, and of course, he had also offended a lot of people.

He knew better than anyone else that the reason why nothing had happened to him until now was simply because of the sign of Duke Tang's Mansion that protected him.

Now that the Duke of Tang’s Mansion is gone, it means that he has completely lost his umbrella of protection and shelter.

If it weren't for his elder brother Gong Chenghai protecting him, his enemies would have eaten him up without leaving even a bone.

Gong Chenghai didn't say anything. He looked up and looked around. Although the others didn't say anything, the expressions on their faces had already betrayed their true thoughts.

Even at this point, they still want to be vampires and suck out all their last value and benefits.

Although Gong Chenghai already knew these people's true thoughts, he still couldn't help feeling a little angry at this moment.

This group of people really have no conscience at all. What on earth did I do wrong in the first place? For the sake of their so-called face, they endured not to split up the family.

But before Gong Chenghai could say anything, Hui Shi came out of the room and said, "Please don't embarrass my master. The division of the family was actually the will of the Empress."

As soon as Huishi said this, everyone in the yard looked at her.

Gong Chenghai was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat. When did the division of the family become related to the Queen Mother's will?

Hui was too bold. To convey the emperor's will privately was a capital crime punishable by extermination of the entire clan.

The Gong family has just escaped a disaster, are they going to suffer another disaster?

After a brief moment of surprise, Gong Jianzhou quickly calmed down.

He understood why Wyeth said that. If the division failed this time, it would be even more difficult to divide the family in the future.

By saying that the division of the family was the order of the Queen Mother, Gong Chenghai's path was blocked and he would no longer have the chance to be soft-hearted and compromise.

It also left those people speechless and they dared not have any unreasonable thoughts anymore.

In this way, the division of the family has become a foregone conclusion and cannot be changed.

Facing the gazes of so many people, Hui Shi felt nervous, but did not show it on his face.

She just said that the division of the family was the order of the Queen Mother, but in fact, she said it casually in a hurry.

Because she knew very clearly in her heart that if the family was not divided, Gong Jianzhou would be the one who would be implicated in the future.

What mother would want her son to be sucked by a group of vampires before he even gets married?

If Gong Jianzhou cannot get rid of these vampires, his life will be ruined.

This is something that Wyeth cannot tolerate or accept.

Although Hui lived in the inner house, she had seen many worldly people in the Duke of Tang's Mansion over the years, and her family was not from a small family like Liu's.

Before her family fell into decline, some members of her family held official positions.

Moreover, Hui Shi was very clear about one thing, that is, in today's situation, even if everyone knew that she was lying, no one dared to say it out loud.

After all, Hui said in front of everyone that the division of the family was the order of the Queen Mother. Who would dare to question it at this moment?

And even if we knew that Hui was lying, who would dare to go to the palace to ask the Queen Mother to verify the truth of the matter?

So although Hui Shi played a risky game, she had no chance of losing.

Hui Shi knew this principle, and Gong Jianzhou naturally understood it as well, so it was time for him to take the stage.

"Father, this is the Queen Mother's order. You don't have to hide it anymore. Speak it out so that everyone can understand and avoid any further disputes."

"If this gets out and reaches the Queen's ears, I'm afraid she'll accuse us of disrespect again."

Gong Chenghai finally understood what Gong Jianzhou said. This time, he agreed with Gong Jianzhou without hesitation and said, "That's right. This is the Queen's will."

Since Gong Chenghai said so, even if this matter was false, it became true. If anyone still doubted it, it would be a serious crime of disrespect to the queen.

Dong wanted to say something, but was grabbed by Gong Chengxin, the third brother of Gong. He glared at Dong fiercely, signaling her to shut up and not cause trouble.

After being glared at by Gong Chengxin, Dong instantly shrank like a quail, keeping silent.

She was afraid of Gong Chengxin from the bottom of her heart. No one knew better than her what kind of ruthless person Gong Chengxin was.

"Master, this is the settlement allowance that the eldest son has given us. It's four thousand taels in total, with one thousand taels in silver notes for each family."

Seeing that no one in the yard was talking, Hui Shi hurriedly took out the prepared silver note and handed it to Gong Chenghai, fearing that Gong Chenghai would change his mind if she was a little late.

Gong Chenghai held the banknote and looked up at Hui. It was only today that he realized that Liu and Hui were such bold and opinionated people.

Facing Gong Chenghai's gaze, Hui was not afraid at all. The Duke of Tang's Mansion was gone, and Gong Chenghai was no longer a duke. He was just an ordinary old man. There was nothing to be afraid of.

"Come on, each of you will receive one thousand taels of silver as resettlement allowance. After that, you can go your separate ways and go back to pack up your things and settle down."

Gong Chenghai handed the banknotes in his hand to the servant beside him and signaled him to distribute them to everyone.

The division of the family is now a foregone conclusion and no one can change it, but the issue of the resettlement fee still needs to be argued over.

After all, who would complain about having too little money? If you don't fight for it now, you won't have the chance to fight for it later.

The first person to start a fuss was Gong Laowu Gong Chengjun's wife, Hou.

"Uncle, although we are going to divide the family, isn't this one thousand taels of silver a little too little for settling in?"

"We all have families to support, and now we have to move out and live our lives. We need money for everything, and we are in a difficult situation."

As soon as Hou said these sarcastic words, Gong Chengming's wife Ma immediately followed.

"Yes, we are from a small family, and we can't compare to your uncle's noble status. I don't know how we are going to live in the future."

"One thousand taels of silver for settling in. Ugh, if I tell anyone about it, I'm afraid everyone will laugh their teeth off."

"Even if our Tang Guogong Mansion is in decline, it is still the Tang Guogong Mansion. Uncle, are you going to give this one thousand taels of silver as a resettlement allowance to beggars?"

When it comes to their own interests, these ladies who usually pride themselves on their status are all ruthless and reveal their greedy and despicable faces.

"That's right, if I tell anyone about this one thousand taels of silver as a resettlement allowance, I'm afraid others will laugh their heads off."

"No matter how poor our Tang Guogong Mansion is, it is still a noble family after all. It's unlikely that we would only give such a small amount of resettlement allowance, right?"

Immediately afterwards, at Gong Chengxin's signal, Dong began her performance.

Listening to these words and looking at the people in front of him, Gong Chenghai was so angry that he almost laughed.

Over the years, these people have been like vampire leeches, sucking his blood without even a hint of gratitude. He has fallen to such a state, but they still only want to squeeze more money from him to satisfy their own selfish desires.

Gong Chenghai sneered. Since they were all ungrateful people, why was he still being a good man here and giving them 1,000 taels of silver as a settlement allowance?

Bah, now forget about a thousand taels of silver for settling down, don’t even think about a penny.

"Humph! What's the matter? You think the settlement allowance I gave you is not enough and you want more, right?"

"Then I'm sorry, I tell you, no!"

"Now, let alone more, I don't even have the one thousand taels for resettlement."

Gong Chenghai looked fiercely at these so-called relatives standing before him and said, "Duke Tang's mansion has been completely eaten away by these termites. Don't you know what's going on?"

"Don't think I don't know what you did."

"It's not that I don't know, I'm just too lazy to bother with you."

"Which of your families doesn't have their own private houses, shops, and fertile fields outside? Where did all those things come from? Did they appear out of thin air?"

"Those things belong to my Tang Guogong Mansion. If you don't want them anymore, just tell me and I'll take them back."

"Don't think that just because I lost my title of Duke of Tang, I, Gong Chenghai, will become a useless waste."

"I haven't been in the court for nothing all these years. Although I don't have a title anymore, I still have some favors."

"Do you think that Gong Chengyu committed such a serious capital crime, and just because Jianzhou killed him, the entire Tang Guogong Mansion will be pardoned, without having to confiscate his property and exile him to the frontier?"

"Wake up, the most important reason is that Jianzhou belongs to the Second Young Master of Zhenbei Marquis."

"Think about it with your brilliant brains. I can't do anything to you, so what about the Zhenbei Marquisate and the Empress? Can they do nothing to you either?"

"If you're not being kicked out penniless, then get out of here now. Right now, right now!"

"Remember, once you leave the gate of Duke Tang's Mansion, we will be strangers. We will never have any contact with each other again. Even if we meet on the street in the future, we will pretend not to know each other."