Chapter 180

Chapter 180

When Han Zhang arrived at the Sun residence with the Han family members.

Inside, before the funeral casket of Sun Kangsheng, his several sons by concubines, concubines who had once vied for his favor, and distant relatives who had smelled the opportunity to claim a share, had already turned the solemn mourning hall into a smoky, chaotic mess.

Everyone was arguing heatedly, faces flushed red, over land deeds, property titles, and warehouse keys.

Emboldened now by the backing of her natal family, Seventh Aunt Han stepped forward and, putting on the airs of a matriarch, scolded:

"In this mourning hall, with the Lord's body barely cold in his coffin, you dare to squabble and scuffle like this? What kind of behavior is this? Do you want the whole of Quyang Prefecture to see the Sun family make a laughingstock of themselves?"

"Furthermore, with the Lord's sudden passing, the distribution of the family estate is clearly stipulated by imperial law—how dare you ignorant juniors take it upon yourselves to divide things up privately? I, his lawfully wedded principal wife, am still very much alive!"

Seventh Aunt Han felt a surge of satisfaction at the deflated looks on their faces.

The old man was dead, and that bitch Dai was dead too. She had the status of the lawful principal wife, and now with her natal brothers and nephews present in person to back her up, from this day forward, she would be the one and only Dowager Lady of the Sun household, with the final say in everything!

No one would ever bully her senior branch again, nor dare lay a finger on her grandchildren. Her dowry had all been sunk into the Sun family, so the Sun estate rightfully belonged to her grandson—these people could forget about getting their hands on any of it!

"..."

In stark contrast to Seventh Aunt Han's inner satisfaction were the sour looks on the faces of the Sun family members in the mourning hall.

Because according to the current laws of the Zhao State, when the head of a household dies, the estate is divided as follows:

The eldest legitimate son receives 60%, the second legitimate son receives 20%, and the remaining 20% is divided equally among all sons by concubines.

To modern eyes, this ratio might seem harsh on sons by concubines.

But there was no helping it—in ancient times, the family unit was paramount, and to ensure the family's prosperity and continued lineage, having the eldest legitimate son inherit the bulk of the estate was the best choice.

If the estate were divided equally, the result would mirror the famous historical strategy known as the "Order of Grace" (Tui'en Ling), which was used to weaken the feudal lords.

Although Seventh Aunt Han's biological son had died long ago, she still had grandsons by the principal line. According to the law, the senior branch was entitled to inherit the largest portion, and by rights, that was only proper.

Under these circumstances, it was no wonder the Sun family members wore sour faces at the sight of the Han family showing up!

Among them, Sun Yaozu—the son of Concubine Dai—had the darkest, most grim face of all, so dark it looked ready to drip with water.

Because his mother, Concubine Dai, had monopolized the Lord's favor for years and held the purse strings of the household, the principal senior branch had withered and barely clung to life. The vast Sun family fortune had long been regarded as their own personal prize, just waiting for their father to kick the bucket so they could smoothly take over.

But who could have expected such a huge twist at the last moment!

Their father dying was one thing—after all, the old man had to die before they could inherit—but they never dreamed Concubine Dai would die too!

Without their mother's crucial support in the inner chambers, they were at a severe disadvantage as juniors trying to fight for the estate against their stepmother and the clan elders!

Yet watching the fat that had been practically in their mouths fly right into someone else's, Sun Yaozu refused to accept it.

After a moment of frantic scheming, he stepped forward and struck first:

"Stepmother, I beg to differ with what you've said! Our father has passed away suddenly, and the entire household is in mourning, with everything in complete disarray. We have gathered before Father's casket with the uncles and elders of the clan precisely to discuss how to settle the household's affairs and let Father rest in peace—how is that 'squabbling and making a scene'?"

"Rather, Stepmother—though you are Father's lawful wife, with his body barely cold, you, a woman who hasn't managed the household in years, rush to bring your natal family swarming into the residence, intending to preside over your husband's family affairs in this mourning hall... isn't that a bit too hasty and overstepping your bounds?"

Then he shifted his tone and raised his voice:

"Moreover, Stepmother seems to have forgotten—before his death, Father had already grown dissatisfied with you and brought up the matter of divorce. It was only because his death came so suddenly that the divorce papers were never drawn up. But the words were spoken, and spilled water can't be gathered back—your status is already compromised!"

"Now, you, a stepmother without proper standing, bring a pack of outsiders to carve up the Sun family's flesh-and-blood inheritance—do you even bother to ask whether my uncles of the Sun clan will stand for it?!"

Sun Yaozu was quick-witted, immediately using the lure of shared interest to pull the Sun clan relatives—who had been at each other's throats moments before—into his camp.

The clan elders caught on and immediately chimed in, nodding:

"Yaozu speaks truly. Lady Han, if you know what's good for you, take your natal family and leave at once, and stop meddling in the Sun family's private affairs. Otherwise, don't blame us for divorcing you on Kangsheng's behalf and making you, old woman, lose all face."

Their words weren't entirely baseless—back in ancient times, clan elders did have the authority to divorce a wife on behalf of a deceased husband.

However, that was only under specific circumstances where the wife had committed some wrongdoing.

Without even needing the Han family's help, Seventh Aunt Han sneered and shot right back:

"Divorce me? Ha, what a show of authority. I, Seventh Lady Han, have been married into the Sun family—upward I was filial to my in-laws, downward I was kind to my husband's younger siblings, and I bore the Sun family children. I haven't violated a single one of the Seven Grounds for Divorce—what right does the Sun family have to divorce me?"

"Even on the charge of 'jealousy,' I'm completely blameless! When I managed the household, I personally arranged all of Sun Kangsheng's many concubines, and all his sons and daughters by concubines were born safely..."

"I've done nothing wrong in my conduct, and you still dare to divorce me? Then let's see what family would ever marry into the Sun clan again!"

Her marriage to Sun Kangsheng had been a strategic alliance between the Sun and Han families—there was never any real love between them.

Therefore, she had never been jealous or contentious, and her every action conformed to the contemporary ideal of a "virtuous wife and good mother"—no one could find any fault with her.

The Sun family wanted to use this to get a handle on her? Not a chance!

Han Zhang also stepped forward at just the right moment, revealing the prefect's identity token at his waist, and clasped his hands in greeting to the Sun family members:

"I am Han Qinzhang, unworthy as I may be. Last year, by good fortune, I received the Emperor's favor at the palace examination and was named the top scholar. I have now been dispatched by imperial decree to govern Yunyang Prefecture."

"I have only just arrived in the Yan Province region and am still unfamiliar with many of the local customs and practices. I would appreciate any guidance from the Sun clan elders."

After all, unless someone specifically investigated his affairs in the capital, people here in Yan Province wouldn't know the truth for the time being—this bluff was more than enough.

"You... you..."

The Sun clan relatives were rendered speechless, their pupils contracting sharply at the sight of the prefect's token at Han Zhang's waist.

A prefect! This young grand-nephew of the Han family was the new prefect of Yunyang?!

Though Yunyang Prefecture wasn't as wealthy as Quyang, for someone so young to be appointed to a fourth-rank post meant either he had powerful backing at court or he was held in high favor with the Emperor himself!

And then thinking of Han Baniang and Han Jiu...

The faces of the Sun family members all changed.

At the same time, Seventh Aunt Han shifted her tone again, adopting a conciliatory stance with a sigh:

"However... what the elders and uncles have said is not without merit. I am but a woman, and managing such a vast estate alone, without anyone to help, is truly difficult. I hope the clan uncles, out of kinship, will help look after Xing Wang."

"To that end, I am willing to offer the Sun family's two properties—the 'Runfeng Cloth Shop' in the western city and the 'Xinglong Grain Store' on South Street—as compensation, to be turned over entirely to the clan as a token of my gratitude."

Hearing this, the Sun clan relatives, who had been so righteous moments before, had their eyes light up instantly.

The Runfeng Cloth Shop and the Xinglong Grain Store were the two fattest pieces of meat under the Sun family name! Each brought in no less than several thousand taels a year!

"Lady Han, do you mean what you say?" the clan chief practically rushed to ask, his face crinkling into a beaming smile, the stern elder persona from moments before completely gone.

"I would never dare jest with the elders. My Xing Wang has no brothers or elders to rely on; I hope the clan will continue to look after him in the future."

Seventh Aunt Han lowered her gaze, her voice soft and submissive.

She would indeed give these clan relatives of the Sun family the shops, but by then they would be nothing but empty shells. Whether these people were satisfied or not was no longer her concern.

Between choosing the orphaned widow and child who were easier to swindle out of their inheritance, or the cunning, numerous Sun Yaozu and his lot, the outcome was obvious.

"Good! Good! Good!"

The Sun clan chief immediately exclaimed three resounding "good"s, then swiftly turned his aim, pointing at Sun Yaozu and the few concubine sons who still wanted to argue, and said sternly:

"You brats, all of you shut up! The distinction between legitimate and concubine-born, the order of inheritance, are all governed by the court's clear statutes and regulations. How could you, a bunch of snot-nosed whelps, change them by making a fuss here?!"

"Han is our Sun family's lawful wife, married through proper rites, her status indisputable! Now she is racking her brains for the future livelihood of the Sun family, and you are still here stirring up trouble. Do you really think we clan elders are just for show?!"

With that, he put on a genial expression and said to Seventh Aunt Han, "Han, rest assured, with us elders here, we'll make sure your main branch gets its due."

"Indeed, indeed, Han, you are the matriarch of the Sun family, and it's only right that the main branch inherits the estate..."

"Sister-in-law, rest assured, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, just speak up. The clan will never let you and your grandson be bullied!"

The few clan relatives who had been itching to move earlier now also stepped forward, beaming with smiles, fussing over Seventh Aunt Han with flattering concern.

When they turned to look at Sun Yaozu and the others, their eyes were already tinged with warning and hostility.

—Han's side offered tangible benefits! How dare Sun Yaozu and his crew block their path to riches?

"You, you..."

Sun Yaozu and the other concubine-born branches watched as the juicy prize that was about to land in their laps not only flew away but also got them dragged through the mud. Each of them was furious, trembling all over.

These old bastards were truly a bunch of money-grubbing scoundrels!

But no matter how furious they were, with their inherent disadvantage in ritual propriety and being outnumbered two to one, defeat was inevitable.

In the end, it was all for naught—like drawing water with a bamboo basket.