I'm reborn, only a fool would spoil you

Fu Yuzheng had already informed the owner of the gambling house, telling him to go ahead and collect the debt boldly, all at once.

Even if it forces the second wife to go bankrupt, it doesn’t matter.

The gambling house owner was indeed very motivated. He heard rumors that Fu Yuzheng had Gao Ni's support, which made him even more confident. He shouted at Fu Xiaolin and Qiao:

"It is only natural to pay back a debt. If you dare not pay, according to the contract, I will chop off your son's limbs to pay off the debt!"

After saying that, he took out a dagger from his arms!

Madam Fu was so frightened that she fainted. That was her own grandson.

The second wife, Mrs. Qiao, knew that it was useless to look for her husband, so she threw herself at Fu Xiaotian's feet and said, "Brother, you are the Marquis and the head of the family. You should be fair and say something!"

It's time to intimidate when necessary, and it's time to pay money when necessary!

The second master Fu Xiaolin also came to ask.

Fu Xiaotian's eyes passed over his loser second brother and fell on his shameless second brother's wife, Qiao. Her bastard son deliberately ruined his little daughter's innocence, and she wanted him to spend money and effort to save her bastard son?

Fu Xiaotian snorted coldly and said to the gambling house owner:

"There are three branches in the Marquis' Mansion, and they haven't split up yet because my stepmother is still alive. But brothers should settle accounts and manage their own money. We, the eldest branch, will not interfere in the private affairs of the second branch."

The words "non-interference" and "private matter" are understood by any discerning person.

What's more, after saying this, Fu Xiaotian still put his arm around Tao Ying's shoulder and left. The couple went to rest in a pavilion nearby, making it clear that they would stay out of the matter to the end.

Second wife, Mrs. Qiao, was completely stunned.

The second master Fu Xiaolin was also furious. Where was the brotherly love they had promised each other?

This is it at the critical moment? This is it?

The owner of the gambling house threatened Qiao: "No money to pay the debt? Then chop off your son's writing hand first!" He grabbed his wrist and was about to chop it off, which scared Fu Jingming so much that he peed, and a pool of smelly yellow urine flowed down his trouser legs.

Qiao and Fu Xiaolin rushed to grab the dagger. During the struggle, Fu Jingming's wrist was cut and he howled like a ghost.

The scene was extremely chaotic.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Fu Yuzheng stood up and spoke: "Uncle and aunt, money is not as important as my brother. You still have two prosperous shops and three farms. If you can't get cash, you can use it as collateral."

Second wife Qiao's eyes widened: "No!"

The second wife only has these valuables left. If they really mortgage them, they will be starving in the future? And their first wife is stingy and refuses to help!

Fu Jingming heard this, as if he had grabbed the only life-saving straw, and shouted: "Mom, is my life more important, or that little bit of money?"

This shout woke up the unconscious Madam Fu. She came over tremblingly with a cane: "Of course my grandson's life is more important! Give it to them!"

There is no grandmother who doesn't love her own grandson. With one final decision, two prosperous shops and three farms were exchanged for Fu Jingming's life!

But the second wife became a pauper in an instant!

The moment the house deed and land deeds were handed over, Qiao's hands and heart trembled together, and he felt so painful!

Unexpectedly, this tragedy is not over yet.

Just after sending away the plague god of the gambling house owner, Tao Ying walked back from the pavilion with Fu Xiaotian on her arm, and announced in the manner of the hostess of the Marquis's mansion:

"As the head of the family, I have to punish you for your mistakes. The second young master is a man of few words, and has devoted himself to gambling and whoring. He is a disgrace to our ancestors. I will punish you by making you kneel in the ancestral hall tonight, and tomorrow morning, you will be sent to the Pudu Temple to repent in front of the Buddha, and practice Buddhism with your hair untied for a year!"

Qiao: ...

Fu Jingming: ...

Madam Fu: ...

Fu Xiaolin: ...

what?

Go to Pudu Temple to confess? Become a monk?

Not going to the academy anymore?

The imperial examination is no longer being held?!

"Why did you just stand by and watch while our second house was short of money? Now you come and give us orders, delaying my son's studies?" Mrs. Qiao roared with red eyes.

"Why?" Tao Ying was not afraid at all, and raised her chin high, "Because I am the wife of Marquis Jingyang, the mistress of the Marquis's mansion."

As she is Fu Yuzheng's biological mother, she will never let that beast Fu Jingming have an easy time!

She was merciful not to kill Fu Jingming, as he dared to sell her daughter to a brothel!

If it weren't for protecting her youngest daughter's reputation, Tao Ying would have wanted to make Fu Jingming's vile act of "selling her cousin to a brothel" known to the whole capital, so that he would never be able to find a wife in this life and would not be able to hold his head up high after his death!

"Bah, now you remember that you are the mistress of the house, what were you doing before?" Mrs. Qiao was furious when she thought of the two prosperous shops and three farms she had lost.

Fu Xiaotian stepped forward in time to support his wife: "Don't want to be under my wife's management? All right, let's divide the family now. Divide the public property into three parts. Take the share that belongs to your second branch and get out of Jingyang Marquis's Mansion!"

Dividing the family is only beneficial to the person who inherits the title. For example, dividing the family into two parts, it will do more harm than good.

The third house was not so bad. Although the third master, Fu Xiaozhen, was a bastard's son, he had real abilities. After passing the imperial examination, he got an official position in the Ministry of Revenue.

But the second room is not the same!

The second master, Fu Xiaolin, is a hopeless person who is neither good at literature nor martial arts. He relies on his elder brother, Fu Xiaotian, to get around. Once the family is divided, the life of the second branch will be dark.

Downgrade several levels!

For example, the noble families would reluctantly invite the second branch to a banquet for the sake of his eldest brother. Once the family splits up, those flower-viewing banquets and deer-chasing banquets will also disappear.

Not only will his son's career be hopeless, but the marriages of his four children will also be affected, and the quality of the matched in-laws will be downgraded.

Therefore, when the topic of dividing the family came up, Qiao and Fu Xiaolin suddenly became silent and were afraid to make a fuss.

Even Old Madam Fu didn't dare to say a word. After all, she was just a stepmother. If she wanted to live a dignified life in the second half of her life, she had to rely on Fu Xiaotian, who was not her biological son.

~

Old Aunt Fang and Third Master Fu Xiaozhen did not go to the second room to join in the fun. The mother and son had a quiet dinner in Ciren Hall and then returned quietly to the small courtyard of the third room.

However, the servants had already found out the dynamics in the mansion that needed to be known.

After learning about this, Third Master Fu Xiaozhen whispered to Aunt Fang: "There will be more quarrels between the First and Second Houses in the future, Aunt Fang, please don't get involved, just keep yourself out of it."

"If you really need to speak up, just side with the eldest wife who is right. If your stepmother dares to make things difficult for you, your son will take care of it for you."

Aunt Fang nodded with relief: "I know, don't worry, my son."

~

As punishment, Fu Jingming knelt in the ancestral hall that night.

But the matter of the 20,000 taels of capital had not yet been sorted out, and Mrs. Qiao was afraid that her son had borrowed it from somewhere else, and that someone would come to collect the debt.

Qiao was so frightened that he couldn't sleep at night.

They simply pulled the second master Fu Xiaolin out of bed, and the couple sneaked into the ancestral hall to interrogate Fu Jingming at night.

"Son, tell me, where did you borrow the 20,000 yuan?"

"Son, tell me the truth. If it turns out that this is another family that's hard to mess with, and someone comes to collect the debt, then I'll be prepared."

After being questioned repeatedly, Fu Jingming became very annoyed and revealed the truth: "I won't ask for it back. It was the money I got from selling my third sister. Both the money and the goods are cleared." He roughly explained how he sold Fu Yuzheng into the building.

After hearing this, Qiao was upset: "Why?"

"Fu Yuzheng has nothing wrong with her, and she even managed to marry Gao Ni. This is all thanks to you, my son! Otherwise, what good thing could she find as a divorced woman?"

"The first wife's family is not only ungrateful, but also adds insult to injury. They are such damn beasts!"

Qiao cursed and rushed out of the ancestral hall to go to the main house to argue.

Second Master Fu Xiaolin was also furious: "I have finally figured it out. The gambling house's debt collection today was a trap set by the eldest family! We jumped in like fools!"

The couple ran out of the ancestral hall in a rage and headed for the main house.