"Right, right, that's it. Remember the website of this station:." Gu immediately regained her composure and waved at Mrs. Yang, "Hurry up and call Yang Jianxiu over. If he doesn't want to marry, we won't cling to him shamelessly. But he must say so himself. Mrs. Yang, it's not that I look down on you, but just you can't represent Yang Jianxiu."

  "Who said I want to break off the engagement?" A voice came from the doorway. Without looking, Guan Shi and Ye Zhuo could tell that it was Yang Jianxiu's voice.

  Guan's wife turned her head in surprise and delight, looking at Yang Jianxu: "Jianxu, what did you just say? Auntie didn't quite catch it."

  Yang Jianxiu smiled slightly, and said clearly: "Aunt, I don't want to break off the engagement. If Rong'er's mother doesn't mind that I have no official position or wealth, I am willing to marry her as scheduled."

  Guan took a deep breath and turned his head to stare at Mrs. Yang, raising his chin: "Did you hear what Jianxiu said?"

  Mrs. Yang heard Yang Jianxiu's voice, but her face didn't show any panic. She ignored Guan Shi and turned to face Yang Jianxiu, saying in a low tone: "Jianxiu, you've studied for so many years and struggled in the official circles for over a decade, just to give up your future for a woman? What's so special about her that makes her worth it? Do you know that when your father heard this news, he almost had a stroke? Today I'm here on behalf of your father. If you won't listen to me, will you at least listen to him? If you insist on being stubborn and disregarding your father's life or death, that would be unfilial and disobedient."

  Guan's expression changed upon hearing this.

  Although she hoped that Yang Jianxiu could withstand this test and choose Zheng Manwen over the official position, objectively speaking, as long as she thought about it from a rational perspective, she felt that Yang Jianxiu's choice of the official position over Zheng Manwen was the most sensible decision. With status and wealth, what kind of woman couldn't be found? Although Zheng Manwen was beautiful, she wasn't exceptionally stunning; moreover, she was older, and even if they got married, it was uncertain whether she could still bear children. Yang Jianxiu only had one son, which was somewhat insufficient; in this regard, Zheng Manwen wasn't perfect either. Furthermore, although Yang Jianxiu's relationship with his father was poor, and he couldn't get along with his stepmother, Madame Yang, regardless of how things were, he still carried the honor and shame of the entire Yang family on his shoulders. His rise or fall affected not only his own son but also the status of his brothers and half-brothers. As long as Yang Jianxiu had some rationality left, he wouldn't abandon his entire family for a woman; besides, he was no longer an impulsive young man.

  Guan thought to herself, feeling a bit disheartened and disappointed, just as she was about to turn around and let Ye Zhuo help her inside. But then she saw the expression on Ye Zhuo's face, which was still calm and composed, even with a faint smile hanging on his lips. Guan couldn't help but feel puzzled. Ye Zhuo had never been an unfeeling person, so why wasn't he getting angry at this moment?

  Guan's mind flashed with electricity, just about to open his mouth to speak, but the words reached the tip of his tongue and he closed his mouth in time. His heart calmed down, and he turned around to look at Yang Jian and his mother.

  Ye Zhuo has such an expression, it means that Yang Jianxiu's affairs are not as bad as imagined. If so, then taking a look at what kind of person Yang Jianxiu is would be a good thing. Although they have gotten married, if they don't get along, they can still divorce again. But doing so would completely ruin Zheng Manwen's reputation.

  "Tell me, Second Aunt, what can I do to avoid being unfilial and disobedient? The ups and downs of officialdom are the emperor's will, the superior's orders, how can it be decided by whether I marry Manwen or not? I, Yang Jianxiu, have studied for over a decade, been an official for over a decade, and am approaching middle age. Am I still not as clear-headed as you, Second Aunt, who doesn't even recognize big characters? Do I still need to listen to your orders and act accordingly?

  As for my father, Second Aunt, please don't mention him again to intimidate people. If he really cared about me, why would my brother and I be in this situation today?"

  He finished speaking, reached out and took the letter from Yang's hand, waved it, "You can go now, from now on, you don't need to arrange my personal matters."

  "What have you and your brother become? Tell me, what have you become? When we were young, did I neglect or abandon you? And yet you dare to say such things without any shame! Moreover, do you think I want to help you with matchmaking? If it weren't for your brother coming to beg me, I wouldn't be bothered with this idle chatter. If I don't do well, I'll be blamed; if I do well, I won't even get a word of thanks. You two brothers are both ungrateful wolves. Since you're so capable, why don't you take your brother's family away? That way, no one can say I'm mistreating you."

  Yang Jianxiu heard this and stared straight at Mrs. Yang, after a while, he smiled coldly: "Good! I'll take my brother's family out. However, we need to invite the clan leader and relatives to tell them that the four brothers have divided the house."

  "This was what you said first." Mrs. Yang looked like she had gotten her wish, "I'll go back and tell your father about this right away." After that, she didn't even bother to pay attention to Guan Shi, turned around and walked out.

  Watching Mrs. Yang lead a group of slaves away, Guan's expression turned gloomy as she looked at Yang Jianxu: "Jianxu... if severing ties with our Ye family can really get you reinstated to your original position, think carefully about it. Even if we break off the engagement, we won't blame you. I know Manwen's temperament best; if she finds out that you lost your official position because of wanting to marry her, no matter what, she won't agree to this marriage."

  "Aunt, don't listen to my stepmother's nonsense. She came here today just because I'm not an official and my brother is sick and can't make a living to support the family. She's afraid her son will be dragged down by us, so she wants to force me to ask for a division of the family property. This way, she'll gain both fame and fortune. This woman is really clever at calculating her gains. When we were young, she would pretend to be a good person in front of my father, but behind his back, she would frame us and cause trouble, damaging our relationship with our father, causing him to beat and scold us. Her goal was to make my father dislike us and favor her son, so that he could get more family property."

  "But wasn't it because of us that the Nie family moved against you and took away your official position?" Guan's wife asked in puzzlement.

  Yang Jianxiu did not answer immediately, but turned his head and looked at Ye Zhuo: "Zhuo'er, what do you think about this?"

  Ye Zhuo knew that Yang Jianxiu wanted to test her. She smiled slightly and said, "It is and isn't. The Nie family wants to remove Yang Dashi's official position for three reasons: first, to intimidate Du Gongzi; second, to punish me; third, and most importantly, they want to test the attitude of those in power towards their actions. If Yang Dashi is removed and there is no reaction from the capital, it means that the Second Prince is weak or lacks power or strategy. Then, they will replace all officials in this area with their own people, thoroughly investigate which workshops and shops are affiliated with the Northern faction, eliminate them one by one, and consolidate their rear base. If there is a reaction from the capital, they will observe whether it is strong or weak to decide how to respond. Therefore, even if I weren't involved, Yang Dashi would still be the first target for removal from office."

  Yang Jianxiu's understanding of Ye Zhuo was limited to her initial display of intelligence and cunning in eliminating Yan Qingchun and Gong Zhimin, but he did not think she had any understanding of court politics, let alone the deeper meaning behind the Nie family. Now, upon hearing Ye Zhuo's analysis, which saw through the political situation more clearly than he did, he was shocked and stared at her with wide eyes for a long time before asking: "So, Zhuo'er, do you think I can regain my former position?"

  Ye Zhuo smiled slightly: "Since the Second Prince has reached out to this point, why would he withdraw his hand? To eradicate weeds, one must remove the roots. This is a principle I can understand, and it's unreasonable that the Second Prince wouldn't understand. The fact that the Eldest Prince can contend with the Second Prince shows that their powers are not ordinary. Even if the Emperor has already determined the position of the Crown Prince, the Eldest Prince would still be discontent in his heart. However, if he is clever, he will lie low and wait for an opportunity to strike when the Second Prince makes a mistake or becomes slightly negligent, and then he will pounce and take his place. Therefore, as long as the Second Prince is not a fool, he should now make a concerted effort to uproot the Eldest Prince's foundation. And what is the source of the Eldest Prince's power if not this southern region's jade mine? Without this financial support, the Eldest Prince's power would be like a tiger that has lost its breath and collapsed. Therefore, Nie's family's move will inevitably provoke a fierce counterattack from the Second Prince. Look, in just a few days, Yang Da Shu will not only regain his original position but may also become the county magistrate of this southern mountain county. And Yuan Da Ren, who is not part of the Nie family's camp, may go to the prefectural government to replace the original Prefect."

  "Really?"

  "Really?"

  Yang Jianxiu and Guan's wife spoke out at the same time.

  "It's probably going to be like this." Ye Zhuo nodded.

  Yang Jianxu let out a long sigh, his face full of excitement. It wasn't that he couldn't understand the reasoning after being in the officialdom for over a decade, but rather Ye Zhuo's conjecture coincided with his own, which meant it was unlikely to be wrong. This greatly boosted his confidence.

  "So, Uncle Yang, if you want to divide the family property, take advantage of your mother's willingness and do it quickly. Otherwise, once you get promoted again, I'm afraid it will be impossible to divide it." Yezhuo smiled. She knew that Yang Jianxiu had always wanted to divide the family property, but as an official, how could he possibly convince his mother to let him take a share? Now was the perfect opportunity for him to finally get his share.

  Thinking of this, she secretly felt relieved. If they hadn't separated households, Mrs. Yang would have definitely been bossing her around all the time, and Zheng Manwen wouldn't have known how to deal with it. But now that they've separated households, Mrs. Yang isn't a real mother-in-law, so if she wants to ignore her, she can just ignore her, what a relief.

  "Yes, if you separate the house, our family's Manwen won't have to suffer from this old woman's temper." Gu knew Yang Jianxu's heart knot, so she was not polite to Mrs. Yang at all.

  "Ah, I'll go home and discuss it with my brother." Yang Jianxiu was extremely excited, didn't enter the house to sit, nodded his head and turned around to leave.

  As expected, that night Yang Jianxu sent someone to pass on the message that his four brothers had divided the family property. His elder brother had received some silver and was busy looking for a house to move into, so he wouldn't be coming over for the next couple of days.

  The second prince's hands and feet were also extremely fast. As soon as Yang Jian helped his brother find a house to move out, he received a notification that he was appointed as the county magistrate of Nanshan County, while Yuan Chaolin was transferred to be the prefect of Nan Yun City.

  The Ye family was overjoyed upon hearing this news; while Mrs. Yang and her family were overcome with regret, beating their chests and stamping their feet in remorse.

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