Chapter 371: Chapter 207: Fig Leaf
He attempted several times to push past the people blocking the entrance to the ancestral hall, but it was all in vain.
Upon hearing the shouting, Wang Yue smirked coldly. This kind of man, and they still treat him like treasure?
If it werenât for his familyâs wealth, who would bother to be nice to him?
Donât be fooled by the years she spent with Gu Chengyi, heâs as shrewd as they come and didnât offer her much benefit.
Take Lin Wu, for example; despite not having money, he knows how to be considerate, saving some private funds to buy her jewelry and win her favor, showing at least some sincerity.
Gu Chengyi was entirely different; he pinched every little coin and took advantage of her without remorse.
If she hadnât wanted to marry into the Gu Family, she wouldâve been better off picking anyone else in the village.
Wang Yue glanced at Mr. Gu, now hoping only for him to soften his heart; otherwise, she would face dire consequences.
The other members of the Gu Family couldnât care less about the child in her belly.
"Three thousand taels is indeed too much, Yang Clan Leader. If you genuinely wish to reconcile, then propose a sincere amount."
Three thousand taels! Who wouldnât feel the pinch? Even Uncle Gu felt it was excessive.
Gu Chengyi was even more resistant, realizing that the Yang Family was aiming to extort money; otherwise, why spend such effort in a dispute?
He glanced at Gu Chengyu, who appeared lost in thought, sitting in his seat.
Feeling indignant again, the Gu Family was about to compensate with money, yet Gu Chengyu didnât step out to curb the Yang Familyâs arrogance. What was his scholarly achievement for, now bullied by the Yang Clan?
How could he know that Gu Chengyu was pondering the Gu Familyâs clan rules? He was the familyâs only scholar, naturally responsible for drafting them.
Once he completed the draft, he would present it to Uncle Gu for review. From today onwards, the clan rules would commence.
Gu Chengyiâs incident brought disgrace to the clan, and punishment was essential.
After he heads to the Capital, he wouldnât be able to oversee the clan members, but Uncle Gu holding the clan rules would have reasonable grounds for penalties.
Yang Clan Leader and Yang exchanged a glance, understanding well that the Gu Family would refuse the three thousand taels.
Especially with the drugging incident involving Wang Yue, even taking it to the government office, after some arguing, might turn into accusations of Wang Yue scheming for fortune and even her life, or in extreme cases, framing their own Yang Family.
Yang pulled the Yang Clan Leader aside for a private conversation.
For Yang, collecting more money was better, proposing initially two thousand eight hundred taels to later negotiate for less, which the Yang Clan Leader agreed to.
Then, the two clans plunged into a new round of heated debate. Gu Chengyu, disinterested in listening to their bickering, stood up intending to return to the Gu Family.
"Xiao Bao!" Mr. Gu couldnât hold back, calling out hurriedly as he saw Gu Chengyu about to leave.
Regarding Wang Yue, he had no idea what the solution should be!
"Father!" Gu Chengyu approached Mr. Gu, aware of his fatherâs predicament.
Yet, since Gu Chengyi paid the Silver, the Yang Family wouldnât proceed with drowning Wang Yue. Should Wang Yue be drowned in a pigsty while Gu Chengyi remained unscathed, wouldnât outsiders accuse the Gu Family of bullying due to their scholarly status?
"Father! Whether to keep the baby, weâll have to ask Second Brother, since itâs fundamentally his fault."
Gu Chengyu wouldnât make a decision; if he did, Gu Chengyi would have something to hold against him in the future.
Mr. Gu agreed it made sense, so the matter must be addressed with Second Brother.
Gu Chengyu contemplated. Given his belonging to the Gu Family, leaving at this juncture appeared inappropriate, and thus he sat back down.
Nonetheless, the issue unresolved, nobody was attending to Wang Yue; he couldnât let this woman tarnish the Gu Familyâs reputation.
After the Yang Clan and Gu Chengyi verbally battled for over half an hour, both parties reduced the money to two thousand taels, which on the Yang side, they were adamant about not further reducing.
"Yang Clan Leader! Now that the money is settled, as a scholar, itâs improper for me to intervene unless accused of abusing authority."
Seeing them reach an agreement, Gu Chengyu prepared to propose his plan.
"Indeed, Mr. Scholar is just and fair; we admire his integrity."
Irrespective of Gu Chengyuâs motives for not intervening, their success in obtaining the Silver smoothly owed gratitude to Gu Chengyuâs generosity.
Yang Clan Leader considered him approachable, nodding, then continued, "This incident brought disgrace to both the Gu and Yang Families, yet Iâve devised a proposal to preserve the reputations of both families while ensuring every penny of yours, Yang Clan Leader, remains intact. Would you care to hear my plan?"
Yang Clan Leader was momentarily surprised by such a favorable plan; pleased, knowing it was their Yang Family most reputation at stake.
"Delighted to hear the details!" Yang Leader bowed slightly towards Gu Chengyu.
"The root cause lies in Wang Yueâs status as a widow. Should the Yang Family issue Wang Yue a divorce paper before today, then the incident would amount to mere unmarried cohabitation, not adultery."
While such an action could still mar the reputation, the Yang Family would have superficially preserved its face.
Our Gu Familyâs reputation wouldnât suffer significant loss. In ancient times, men faulted are deemed romantic, whereas women are criticized as shameless, labelled immoral.
This tale would merely become romantic gossip.
Yang Clan Leader felt a surge; this plan, though clever, but?
"Mr. Scholar, this plan serves both parties, yet the village knows Wang Yue is still a Yang Family member, claiming we divorced her wouldnât be believed!"
Gu Chengyu smiled, "What importance are their doubts? If we proclaim it, thatâs that. Theyâre not Yang Family members. Once your family issues the divorce paper, would you really shout it across the village?"
Yang unhappily protested. If followed by this logic, what of their morningâs scandal?
"But thatâs unacceptable; our Yang Family would become ridiculous! Upon granting the divorce, we have no rightful cause for upheaval!"
Yang glanced askance at Yang Clan Leader, aware of his consideration for the clan, but what of his household?
"Wouldnât that resolve the issue simply? Just claim ignorance of your motherâs issuance of the divorce paper."
Though the reasoning seemed lame, Gu Chengyu felt if the Yang Family firmly stuck to this stance, labelling todayâs event as an error would leave villagers no option.
Of course, behind-scenes ridicule was inevitable. Yet today should the Yang Family refuse, their reputation would plummet.
Gu Chengyuâs suggestion merely sought to preserve both familiesâ outward reputation. Internal whispers and laughter were beyond their control.
Yang Clan Leader scrutinized Gu Chengyu, finding him smiling mysteriously, a chill running down his spine, recalling Gu Chengyuâs followersâ treasure sword.
In truth, regardless of agreeing or not, the Yang Familyâs reputation was already shredded. This legitimate explanation served merely as cover.
Gu Chengyu ignored Yang, confident Yang Clan Leader could persuade him.