Tianliangyuan

Chapter 190 The Duchess instructs her son

How could Xu Zhaozhao's intervention simply result in Liu Huaien being scolded and then the matter being settled?

This is just the beginning.

Duke Su has no shortage of sons, and he has several legitimate sons. There is no need for Liu Huaien to inherit the title.

Liu Huaien has now committed a grave error by having an affair with his stepmother!

Violating human ethics is absolutely unforgivable.

However, since it involved the entire Duke's mansion, no matter how angry the Duke of Su was, he had no choice but to suppress the matter.

For the sake of his own reputation, and for the sake of the Duke's mansion's dignity.

However, after this incident, he became even more disappointed in his eldest son.

Duke Su has begun to consider whether to replace his eldest son with his second son, as the eldest son is so dissolute and incompetent that he is really not at ease entrusting the glory and future of the entire family to Liu Huaien.

But if it were the second son of the legitimate wife, there would always be a reason.

The affair between Liu Huaien and his stepmother must not be exposed. Moreover, Liu Huaien's wife is the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Jiang. Therefore, if this matter is not handled properly, it may cause resentment from the Jiang family.

The best solution would actually be for Liu Huaien to state that he no longer wanted to be the heir apparent.

But Liu Huaien wasn't stupid. If he wasn't the heir apparent, how would he inherit the family business in the future?

The Duke of Su has been having a terrible headache these past few days, mainly because of this matter.

As his wife, Lady Song Wanyi was naturally able to sense some of his emotional changes, and even more so, she sensed that he was planning to replace the heir apparent.

Actually, for Song Wanyi, it didn't matter if she changed partners or not.

Anyway, even if it's changed, it will still be the legitimate son, and it will still be her son.

The problem is that her second son is not the second son of the entire Duke's mansion.

Song Wanyi directly suggested, "I think the reason our Duke's mansion is so chaotic is because there are so many people. It would be reasonable to separate the married sons from the concubines. As elders, it's not unreasonable for us to make such an arrangement."

In a large family, a son born out of wedlock is indeed not valued.

This is especially unimportant for someone like the Duke of Su, who has several legitimate sons.

In fact, even the Duke of Su might not be able to recognize all his children.

"That's fine. With fewer people in the manor, there will naturally be less work to do."

The main reason Song Wanyi proposed separating was because she was worried that Liu Huaien would suffer another great loss in his pursuit of women.

This time it's the Duke's concubine; who knows who it was last time?

Therefore, Song Wanyi thought it best to nip this problem in the bud.

No matter how bad Liu Huaien is, he is still my eldest son, and I won't allow others to laugh at him!

Song Wanyi was not a harsh stepmother. Since she had discussed it with the Duke, she naturally had to show her attitude.

“There are three married sons in the family. Give each of them a courtyard house, though not large, it is still a two-courtyard house. Also give each of them two hundred acres of fertile land, a shop, and one hundred strings of cash. What do you think, sir?”

Duke Su was very satisfied; his wife's arrangement was perfectly appropriate.

Moreover, the illegitimate sons of other mansions might receive far less than their family.

"As for the furniture and other items in the courtyard, I had them all prepared. I also arranged some servants for them, and naturally, I had the grain delivered and stored there. After all, they are the sons of the Duke, and they cannot be too shabby."

Duke Su nodded repeatedly, "That's right, you've thought it through very well. Let's go with your suggestion, Madam."

The three sons, born out of wedlock, all married women from humble backgrounds.

Once the Duke and his wife bring it up, all that's needed is to carry it out.

The three illegitimate sons can now take anything from the courtyard they own, as long as it's not a gift from the emperor.

This can be considered Song Wanyi's generosity.

Once the three illegitimate sons moved out, the Duke's mansion immediately became much quieter.

After all, this involved dozens of people, including masters and servants!

Each of the illegitimate sons who got married was allocated two hundred acres of fertile land, which was quite a lot!

To put it bluntly, as long as they don't do anything reckless, even without official rank, the output from these two hundred acres of land would be enough to ensure they have enough to eat and wear.

Moreover, each person also received a shop.

If you don't know how to manage it yourself, you can rent it out directly and have a stable income throughout the year.

If he manages his business properly, he will surely become a wealthy man in the future.

It must be said that Song Wanyi was quite prescient.

Because Liu Huaien had indeed set his sights on one of his half-sisters-in-law, feeling that although she wasn't particularly beautiful, she had a unique charm.

If they stay in the Duke's mansion any longer, they will likely fall victim to Liu Huaien's cruelty sooner or later.

After Song Wanyi had everything arranged, the three vacant courtyards were first cleaned up and then simply furnished, so that they could be used by her second son to take a concubine later.

"Mother, why did you summon your son?"

Liu Huaien entered and gave a rough greeting, then sat down as if he had no bones. The dark circles under his eyes were enough to show how hard he had worked with women these past few days.

Despite her many grievances against her son, Song Wanyi still felt a deep affection and protectiveness towards him!

"Look at yourself! You've become increasingly outrageous these days! It's one thing to be lustful, with all the maids around you in the manor being exceptionally beautiful. But how can you squander money on these women? Look at how much silver you've withdrawn from the accounts these days! Do you think the money in our Duke's manor grows on trees?"

Liu Huaien didn't care much; it was just a little money, what was the big deal?

As the heir apparent, he naturally knew how much property the Duke's mansion owned. Just the more than 1,000 acres of farmland alone amounted to several properties, and there were more than ten shops in the capital. How could he possibly squander the family fortune because of his own spending?

“Mother, I think you’re overthinking it. Father is favored by the Emperor, and the rewards keep coming one after another. This year alone, he’s already given quite a few silver ingots and silks, hasn’t he? The little money I spend is nothing to you, so please don’t worry.”

When Song Wanyi saw that her son was so ungrateful, she was naturally furious.

"You wretched child! Do you really think the Duke's mansion's heir can't do without you? Let me tell you, if you continue to be so stubborn, your father will petition the emperor to strip you of your title of heir sooner or later!"

Liu Huaien was startled; this was the first time he had ever seen his mother mention the abolition of the title in such a serious tone.

"Mother, you must be joking. I am the eldest son, and besides, I have never made any serious mistakes."

At this point, Liu Huaien's confidence clearly waned.

Song Wanyi sneered: "Speak up! Why aren't you talking? You've done things that violate human ethics, so what exactly do you consider a serious mistake? Do you want to kill your brother and father? Besides beauty, what else do you consider a serious matter?"