Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 84 Gu Tingye

However, Sheng Hong was used to being a smooth and tactful official, and he even applied this tact to his family life.

It can be said that the word "smoothness" is ingrained in Sheng Hong's very being.

To put it bluntly, being tactful is just being a peacemaker.

Sheng Hong didn't want to offend the Yuan family, and he was also worried that overturning the table would cause public opinion to be unfavorable to him.

After all, he was about to enter the capital and didn't want to take any risks.

After all, the Yuan family must have had a reason for sending two juniors.

It's hard to predict how public opinion will react if things really turn sour.

Zhou An, being an outsider, couldn't really say anything, so he just did whatever he was told.

Next, Sheng Hong explained the process.

In fact, the original plan he had devised was for Sheng Wei to lead a team to the dock to welcome the Yuan family into the city.

Since it's a junior who's come, the Sheng family naturally can't send an elder. Otherwise, people will definitely gossip that the Sheng family is currying favor with the Yuan family.

Originally, there was no intention to have Zhou An and the other juniors do anything, but now that they need to step forward, it's natural to tell them exactly what to do.

.........

The Bianjing Wharf at night was brightly lit and very noisy.

Gu Tingye stood by the window, watching the bustling scene at the dock, lost in thought.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and his attendant walked in.

"Young master, I've found out!"

The attendant approached Gu Tingye and whispered, "The second and third branches of the Bai family have each adopted one son into the eldest branch, and the family business will be divided equally between the two adopted sons! Also, the Bai family is preparing for the funeral of Old Master Bai in a few days!"

"What a fine even split!"

Gu Tingye sneered, his hand clenching tightly in his sleeve. The pain from his nails digging into his flesh kept him somewhat conscious and prevented him from losing his mind.

Going to the Bai family now would mean missing my maternal grandfather's last moments, and his dying wish was for him to inherit the Bai family business.

Although he has his maternal grandfather's will, inheriting the family business will be extremely difficult.

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the inheritance of family property should follow the principle of "correspondence among members of the same clan and generational order," and it is not permissible to establish an heir of a different surname.

This "different surname" also includes Gu Tingye, his grandson.

In other words, legally, Gu Tingye is not eligible to inherit.

Even though Old Master Bai left a will, it is still not legally recognized.

However, there is one exception: those who have no descendants.

The succession of a childless person is not subject to any other restrictions.

However, the term "extinction of the family line" does not only refer to one's own lineage, but also includes other members of the family who have not yet separated.

Old Master Bai had no children, but as long as he and his brothers did not separate from the family, his brothers and nephews would be the first heirs.

The Bai family was originally considered relatively wealthy, but not particularly rich.

Although Old Master Bai was the eldest son, he was an illegitimate eldest son and had been separated from his family at a young age.

Later, the second and third wives squandered the family fortune, while Old Master Bai was good at business and became a wealthy merchant in Yangzhou.

After becoming wealthy, Old Master Bai softened his heart and brought back the people from his second and third wives.

Among the wills he left for Gu Tingye were the documents from when the family divided their property.

Under these circumstances, Gu Tingye is capable of inheriting the family business.

However, the witnesses to the division of the family were all elders of the Bai family.

Even if Gu Tingye went to the Bai family now with the will and the family division documents, no one in the Bai family would recognize him, including those who witnessed the family division back then.

After all, Gu Tingye is an outsider. The Bai family clan members are all supported by Old Master Bai. What will they do if Gu Tingye inherits the family property?

Gu Tingye's only option now is to take the will to the government and let them decide who should inherit the family business.

However, the Bai family had lived in Yangzhou for many years and had dealings with the officials there.

As long as the officials in Yangzhou favored the Bai family, Gu Tingye remained helpless.

Gu Tingye pondered for a long time, realizing that even if he revealed his identity, the officials in Yangzhou might not help him.

Moreover, how to verify his identity is also a problem.

You can't expect people to believe you just because you say you're the son of the Marquis of Ningyuan, can you?

Suddenly, Gu Tingye remembered what Yuan Wenchun had asked him to do.

He had only agreed perfunctorily, thinking he would just go through the motions.

It seems that won't work now.

He not only had to do it, but he also had to make a big fuss about it.

.........

"Can your brother-in-law ride a horse?" Sheng Changbai asked.

Zhou An nodded: "Yes, I've learned it before!"

He learned horseback riding with Guan Yan in Tongzhou, since boats and horses were the most important means of transportation in ancient times.

Although one could ride in a horse-drawn carriage, traveling long distances by carriage was simply torture.

If I become an official in the future, or go to other places, it's impossible to have waterways for everything.

Learning to ride a horse will make traveling in places without waterways much easier.

Although Zhou An's riding skills were average, he could still ride a horse for a normal journey without any problems.

"That's good. We'll ride over there tomorrow morning," Sheng Changbai said.

"Um."

Zhou An nodded. In any case, Sheng Changbai was in charge of this matter, and he was just there to make up the numbers.

.........

Early the next morning, Zhou An, along with Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changsong, each on a horse, led a large number of porters to the Yangzhou dock.

These porters were there to help carry the betrothal gifts. The Yuan family lived far away in Bianjing, so it was impossible for them to bring a bunch of people from Bianjing to carry the betrothal gifts.

Not long after they left, prominent families in Yangzhou began to come to their door to offer their congratulations.

The news that Sheng Hong was about to be promoted to the position of Minister of State had already spread.

Even some officials from nearby prefectures and counties came to attend the betrothal banquet.

Those who came from further away arrived in advance and stayed at inns in Yangzhou.

.........

Upon arriving at the Yangzhou dock, the Yuan family had already hired people to unload the betrothal gifts from the ship and place them on an open space near the dock, where a large crowd of onlookers had gathered.

The Yuan family, after all, is a noble family, and this betrothal was a considerable expense for the sake of face.

The value of the items is hard to say, but judging from the number of those dragon and phoenix-shaped carrying poles adorned with red silk and the wooden crates, it was quite a grand affair.

Yangzhou is a wealthy city, but it is rare to see such a large dowry prepared for a betrothal.

Most importantly, one of the wooden cages even contained a pair of live geese.

Geese are monogamous, and if one dies, the other will commit suicide to stay with it.

Since the Zhou Dynasty, wild geese have been regarded as a symbol of love, and live geese were used in the betrothal gifts.

However, due to the long period of hunting, it has become very difficult to catch a live goose.

Gradually, people began to use wooden carvings of wild geese or geese as substitutes.

Listening to the discussions among the onlookers and the occasional gasps of amazement, Yuan Wenchun and his wife smiled with great pride.

As people from Bianjing, and from noble families, even though they always thought Jiangnan was wealthy, they naturally looked down on other places.

"Zhonghuai, why have you looked so preoccupied these past few days? Is something wrong?" Yuan Wenchun asked.

"It's just a bit of a change in environment, nothing serious!" Gu Tingye shook his head slightly.

He thought that if he rushed to Yangzhou, he could see his maternal grandfather one last time.

Upon arriving in Yangzhou, I learned of my maternal grandfather's death, and I was filled with grief.

Even if he wanted to pretend that nothing was wrong, he couldn't.

Yuan Wenchun feigned concern, offering a few words of advice to remind Gu Tingye not to forget his promise.

At this moment, the onlookers were dispersed to make way for the Sheng family's wedding procession.

Sheng Changbai and his two companions dismounted and walked towards Yuan Wenchun and his wife, who greeted them with smiles.

Zhou An didn't speak, letting Sheng Changbai exchange pleasantries with them, while his gaze swept over the melancholy-looking young man behind Yuan Wenchun and his wife.

"This must be Gu Tingye, right?"