Mulan's marriage is scheduled for the sixth day of September. Time is a bit short, but the dowry must be bought.
Although Chen Zhonghe hated Master Chen San, he wouldn't be harsh on his niece's dowry and asked Mrs. Chen San to draw five thousand taels of silver from the public school.
Mrs. Chen San quit: "Mu Qing married to the palace, and my family doesn't dare to compare with her. But Mu Dan has a dowry of seven thousand taels of silver, so why my family has only five thousand taels."
Chen Zhonghe said: "It's not that the third child has received six thousand taels of silver from the Cai family, you ask him to take it out to buy a dowry for Mulan."
Mrs. Chen San wouldn't just take a good break, she cried when she saw that Chen Zhonghe didn't plan to increase money.
Chen Zhonghe can't help the Cui family, but he won't be intimidated by Mrs. Chen San: "If you feel wronged, I will let the third child send you back to your natal home."
Mrs. Chen San is the second daughter of a sixth-rank official in the Hanlin Academy. Her father is Hanlin, and most of this Hanlin is too poor. Mrs. Chen San's family is also very poor. Every time I go back to my natal house, I have to be shaved off a layer of oil. To be sent back, she must be beaten to death by her mother.
So Chen Zhonghe's use of this threat was very effective, and Mrs. Chen San was so scared that she dared not cry.
The surnamed Cai married Chen Mulan, but he was sincere. The betrothal gifts I gave were all good things. But Mrs. Chen San left behind the golden pigs and silk and other valuable things, and Mulan took the worthless preparations. For the other five thousand taels of silver for the dowry, she was only going to take out one thousand to buy the dowry.
At this time, the Chen family grew up in the capital. This Chen family chief is the second-in-law of Chen Ran's elder brother Chen Yu, one year older than Chen Zhonghe's father. The situation in the capital was turbulent that year, and Chen Ran couldn't walk away by himself, so he sent the only remaining nephew back to Jiangnan. In this way, even if their family is not preserved, the Chen family's direct line will remain rooted.
Chen Zhonghe got the news, so he took leave and went back. Seeing Patriarch Chen, Chen Zhonghe said, "Uncle, why don't you tell me in advance when you come to the capital, so I can send someone to pick you up."
Chief Chen didn't answer this, but instead asked, "Why didn't you see your wife?"
Chen Zhonghe paused and said, "Huanzhang's mother is ill. She went to Tongzhou to recover."
Patriarch Chen frowned and said, "Could the doctor in Tongzhou be better than the capital?" The grand niece is the concubine of the Prince You's mansion.
Chen Zhonghe said vaguely: "She has a complicated disease. There is a doctor in Tongzhou who is good at treating this disease."
Clan Chief Chen, who is in his sixties, knows that there is something tricky in it. Thinking of the news he had received, Patriarch Chen's face suddenly became hard to look.
Chen Zhonghe asked, "Uncle, I don't know why you came to Beijing this time?" Although Clan Chief Chen is in good health, he is still 60 out of 5 people. If it weren't for a major event, he would never come to the capital.
Patriarch Chen didn't round the corner with Chen Zhonghe, and asked, "I heard that Zhongsheng went to gamble and owed huge gambling debts. Is this true?" Zhongsheng was the name of Master Chen San.
Although he was asking, the Chief Chen believed that this was true, otherwise he would not come to Beijing. Asking Chen Zhonghe is just a common practice.
Chen Zhonghe nodded gravely and said, "Yes. My mother used his private room to help him pay off the gambling debt." This matter, even if you want to conceal it, it's better to tell the truth.
Clan Chief Chen said with a cold face, "How can our children be gambled. You should be punished severely when you discover this. But how did you do it?" If you were severely punished at the beginning, there would be no case of selling a girl later.
Although these are all connivances by the Cui family, Chen Zhonghe also has an unshirkable responsibility as the head of the family.
"Zhonghe is ashamed."
Patriarch Chen's expression was very calm. At this age, he would no longer be easily irritated when he encountered problems: "I ask you, how much do you know about Mulan?"
Chen Zhonghe didn't expect that Clan Chief Chen knew everything about their family: "The third son received six thousand taels of silver from the family, and then he betrothed Mulan to the other party." He thought that although the surname Cai was old, he was still married. Just leave it alone.
Clan Chief Chen held the crutches tightly in both hands, and asked in a cold voice: "The third child sells his daughter, so you indulge in it?"
Chen Zhonghe said: "I asked him to return the money to dissolve the marriage contract, but he was unwilling. He also said that it was his daughter. It is his business that he wants to marry Mulan to whom I have no right to interfere."
When Patriarch Chen heard this, his face was disappointed: "You don't care if the third child says that." This is reasonable. After all, the wedding is decided by the parents. However, the premise must be a single family. Master Chen San's family is supported by Chen Zhonghe, and he can manage this matter.
"Uncle, I really can't control it. Every time I control it, my mother will..." He swallowed back and said nothing.
When Cui had a fight with him recently, he would faint. Last time I was just saying that I was going to separate the family, and I was so angry that I was in a coma for a day. If Cui was so angry, he would be unfilial. In desperation, he could only compromise.
Clan Chief Chen sneered and said: "You are filial, but you know that our Chen family's century-old reputation was almost destroyed by your mother and son."
In recent years, the Chen family has also produced some scholars. But these tribe officials are the largest, and only rank four. Therefore, the members of the Chen family have relied on Chen Ran and the others for decades. If this one is abolished, the Chen family will be hurt.
Chen Zhonghe's expression changed drastically: "Uncle, why did you say this?"
Clan Chief Chen said coldly: "Do you know that the merchant has a wife and a son at home, and the eldest son is fifteen years old. When Mulan entered his house, it was not a wife or a concubine. Our Chen family sold women as concubines. He Yanmian said it was the family of scholars. "It was because of the seriousness that he came to the capital regardless of his old age.
Chen Zhonghe reflexively said: "Impossible, uncle, it is impossible for Cai Derui to dare to come to Chen Mansion to cheat marriage." He thinks Cai Derui wants to marry an official daughter to improve his family. Fraud in marriage.
Hearing this, Patriarch Chen almost knocked the crutch in his hand on his head.
After all, Chen Zhonghe was in officialdom. After saying this, he knew it was wrong: "Uncle, where did you get the news?" What he didn't know, his uncle even knew about it in Jiangnan, which in itself was unusual.
Clan Chief Chen said: "Mu Qing knew about this accidentally. She didn't know what to do, so she wrote to Huan Zhang. Huan Zhang received the letter and ran to me for advice."
Chen Zhonghe's face turned blue and purple after hearing this.
Clan Chief Chen said with a cold face: "Why didn't Mu Qing tell you about such a big matter? Have you thought about the reasons?"
Chen Zhonghe felt uncomfortable in his heart. His wife left home, his daughter didn't trust him, and his son was estranged from him. He didn't even know why he was mixed up like this.
Clan Chief Chen said: "Since Mu Qing said that there is a wife and a son in this family named Cai, he must have evidence in his hand. You go to Prince Yu's Mansion and bring the evidence back."
Chen Zhonghe was silent for a while and said, "Okay."
After Chen Muqing knew that the Chen clan came to Beijing, he asked Chen Zhonghe: "Is the patriarch came to Beijing for Mulan?"
"Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing?" These words were questioning, but also disappointed and sad.
Chen Muqing was silent and said, "Father, if I tell you about this, the matter will be irresistible in the end. He can sell Mulan to the merchant as a concubine for six thousand taels of silver. Who knows that he will do it again next time? What happened?"
Chen Zhonghe said: "Your third uncle must not know that Cai Derui has a wife at home."
Chen Muqing chuckled lightly, her smile full of sarcasm: "Father, I believe this matter is useless. Once it comes out at this time, outsiders will not believe it. They will only think that the Chen family's selling girls are concubines and are not worthy of being called the scholars. Family."
Chen Zhonghe was embarrassed, but couldn't refute it, so he could only be silent.
Chen Muqing stared at Chen Zhonghe and said, "Father, are you really going to destroy the Chen family for the sake of grandmother and third uncle?"
Chen Zhonghe said: "I will handle this matter."
Chen Muqing has a personal certificate and is the companion of Cai Derui's wife. Anyway, it's not going to the yamen, a personal certificate is enough.
Cai Derui knew that the incident had failed when he saw his wife's companion room. He immediately changed his words and said that it was not convenient for him to do business in the capital and wanted to marry a wife and take care of his daily food.
Patriarch Chen didn't raise his brows when he heard this excuse.
Cui almost fainted when he heard this: "You have a wife and a son in your hometown. Which kind of wife do you marry?"
Cai Derui was prepared for an accident, and had already written a letter of resignation a month ago and sent it to his hometown.
Chen Zhonghe smiled and said: "Your wife gave her in-laws to the end of life and kept her filial piety. This is not a seven-year-old. The government will not recognize your divorce letter."
After speaking, Chen Zhonghe sent Cai Derui to the yamen on the charge of defrauding the marriage.
Although the Chen family is not as prominent as it used to be, it is easy to kill an unfounded Cai Derui.
Patriarch Chen didn't pay attention to a merchant at all. He came to the capital mainly to solve the scourge of Master Chen San.
Although the Cui family is used to being domineering in the backyard of the Chen family, he is also timid when facing the Chen patriarch: "Brother, Zhongsheng is also kept in the dark."
Master Chen San cried and said, "Uncle, I really don't know that his wife is still alive. He told me that his wife passed away three years ago and now wants to marry another one." Six thousand taels of silver, he agreed in a muddle.
Clan Chief Chen didn't even look at Cui Clan and Master Chen San, and said to Chen Zhonghe: "According to the clan rules, the clan must be removed."
To Cui's and Chen San's words, it was like a bolt from the blue.
Master Chen San was so frightened that he cried: "Uncle, I really don't know about this." To be extermined, he has only a dead end.
Seeing that Patriarch Chen was unmoved, he begged Chen Zhonghe again: "Big Brother, Big Brother, please help me plead. Big Brother, I'm your brother!"
Chen Zhonghe stood motionless in the middle like a green pine.
Patriarch Chen felt that he was an eyesore, and ordered his followers: "Drag him out."
The Cui family knew that it was useless to ask the head of the Chen family. She looked at Chen Zhonghe and said every word: "If you remove the third child from the clan, I will die in front of you."
Patriarch Chen said blankly: "If you let Zhonghe bear the reputation of unfilial piety, I will never let you into the ancestral grave of our Chen family."