HLnovel Chapter 948 Complex Interpersonal Relationships
Chapter 948 Complex Interpersonal Relationships
Although the imperial court ruled that all of the Chen family's property should be returned, twenty years have passed, and some of the houses are already occupied, yet they still haven't returned.
The imperial court could only make up the difference in silver based on the market price.
As for the houses that were returned, they were either dilapidated and uninhabited for a long time, requiring renovation to be equivalent to rebuilding, or they were located in too remote areas.
In the capital, there are certain rules about which type of family lives in which area, though there are no hard and fast rules.
For example, the officials on either side of the General's Mansion were of similar or slightly higher rank than Fang Yin.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion has just opened; if the accommodations are too poor, other nobles will look down on us.
It was only thanks to the steward left behind by Wan Sheng that Master Chen was able to buy the house that is now considered quite luxurious.
Wan Shengren left, but he specially arranged for a manager to take care of the Chen family in addition to managing the business.
Today, Master Chen is moving with his clansmen. Well, to call it a move is a bit of a stretch; they don't really have any proper gifts to give.
The clansmen had all been imprisoned.
We're moving into our new house today, and we need to buy quite a few things.
Fang Nanzhi arrived early, intending to help, but upon arrival she realized that she wasn't needed at all.
The Chen family had indeed enjoyed a period of great success and possessed a unique approach to handling affairs.
First, by leveraging the connections of the Wan family steward, he acquired three stewards from the brokerage firm.
There was a front yard manager, a back yard manager, and a general manager. All three of them were experienced and had been thoroughly investigated for their clean backgrounds.
With them there, the framework was set.
If the front yard is lacking anything, or how it should be arranged, or how many servants should be assigned there, or which clansmen need servants or pageboys, all these requests should be directed to the front yard manager.
Once the masters have capable servants around them, even if they lack small items, their servants will naturally help them obtain them.
The backyard was much the same.
The head steward is the most capable; he needs to understand the basic situation of various families in the capital, identify those who have connections or favors with the Chen family, and compile a list.
Then the master will decide how the two sides will get along in the future.
Master Chen was very good at using people, so he entrusted this matter to his grandson, Chen Feng.
Chen Feng is eighteen years old, and although he doesn't have many memories of the Chen family's glorious past.
But he was personally taught by the old man, and he memorized the Chen family genealogy from a young age, as well as learned about the various ways the Chen family had treated him in the past.
Fang Nanzhi followed him around with great interest.
"The eldest son of the Yuan family is a prefect in the local area. However, the second son of the Yuan family is related to our family by marriage. The second daughter of the second son of the Yuan family is our sixth aunt."
"When the incident happened, Sixth Aunt severed ties with the original family and was exiled with Chen. Unfortunately, the journey was arduous, and Sixth Aunt died of illness before reaching her destination."
"Although the Yuan family is heartless, we should still maintain contact with the second branch of the Yuan family because of Sixth Aunt. When Sixth Uncle comes to the capital, he can pay a visit to them."
Chen Feng explained in detail because he wanted Zhizhi to learn more about the Chen family.
"Jin Zhongxing, who was a compiler at the Hanlin Academy at the time, was a son of the third branch of the Jin family and was our third aunt's husband. When the incident happened, he divorced her and sent her back to her parents' home."
"There's no need to associate with such a heartless and fickle person. Given Aunt's temperament, she probably finds him disgusting too."
Fang Nanzhi was stunned.
"Is our family related to the Jin family?"
Chen Feng looked up at her and smiled shyly: "Of course, the Chen family is also a large and powerful family, and when our children get married, we inevitably have to associate with other prominent families."
Even though Chen Zijun and the aristocratic families were at odds, it wasn't a life-or-death struggle from the beginning.
When Chen Zijun was favored by the late emperor, many families were willing to form marriage alliances with the Chen family.
Fang Nanzhi clicked her tongue in surprise; this marriage relationship didn't seem very reliable.
She knew that when Jin framed her uncle and attempted to assassinate her, she showed no mercy.
Only Jin Yunting has a pure heart.
"My grandfather once said that there are no eternal enemies in the world." Seeing her surprise, Chen Feng couldn't help but elaborate.
"Although we will not have any dealings with Jin Zhongxing, it does not mean that we will not have any dealings with the Jin family."
"If the Jin family comes to apologize and make amends later, we cannot simply lose face."
"If the Chen family wants to establish itself in the capital, must it always be at odds with all the powerful families?"
Fang Nanzhi finally snapped out of her shock.
Yes, the Chen family can choose not to deliberately befriend powerful families, but they cannot remain in opposition indefinitely.
"Is this what you mean by harboring hatred in one's heart while wearing a smile on one's face?"
Chen Feng was amused by her statement, but nodded.
That's what it means.
Fang Nanzhi thought to herself, "I don't know why, just like Mr. Deng told me to befriend Cui Shicheng and the others."
Aristocratic families are like large trees; with many branches and leaves, they inevitably develop their own ideas.
Just because she became mortal enemies with some of them doesn't mean she couldn't get along smoothly with others.
In some areas, a firm stance is necessary; in others, a more tactful approach is required.
However, excessive rigidity can easily lead to breakage.
From another perspective, it's not that the powerful families can't tolerate the Chen family now.
Firstly, Chen Zijun is gone.
Only Chen Zijun touched the core interests of the aristocratic families. Now, the remaining members of the Chen family, after more than a decade of trials and tribulations, may not have the same ambition as Chen Zijun.
Secondly, they suffered heavy losses this time, but it was Grand Princess Mingzhu who stirred up the trouble, and it was Yao Xin who muddied the waters.
The Crown Prince and Fang Nanzhi persisted in investigating the case, while Fang Yin, the Crown Prince, and the Ministry of Justice were the ones who ultimately made the arrests.
The one who unveiled the whole truth was Yun Congsheng.
In the whole incident, the Chen family was the trigger, but they didn't really have much initiative.
If the powerful families harbor hatred, they should hate the Fang family, Lord Zhu, the Crown Prince, and Yun Congsheng even more, right?
Fang Nanzhi scratched her head. Could this be what the gentleman meant by "times change"?
If this had happened a decade or two ago, and my uncle were still alive and had proven his innocence, the powerful families would have racked their brains again to frame him, and Chen would have become the meat on the chopping block.
She shook her head, pulling her thoughts back to the Chen family's relatives and friends by marriage.
After sitting with Chen Feng for half a day, Fang Nanzhi vaguely began to understand that the old case had been overturned, and her Ninth Grandfather had been granted a title; everything seemed to be a good outcome.
However, it will be difficult for the Chen family to truly gain a foothold in the capital.
Beyond these matters of social interaction, there is also the most fundamental basis for the family's survival.
Right now, we're relying on Chen Zijun's achievements and the emperor's slight sense of guilt. But what about in the future?
An emperor's guilt will not last forever.
If Chen wants to truly integrate into the capital, she will have to rely on herself.
Grandfather Jiu is getting old. As a lowly lord, he can no longer fight for the emperor and it is difficult for him to be given important positions in the court.
Firstly, Ninth Grandfather was not a government official before; he mostly managed family affairs and it was difficult for him to make any achievements in the imperial court.
Secondly, if Ninth Grandfather were to set aside his pride and choose to curry favor with his superiors, that would also not work.
Don't underestimate the power of flattery. How did Gao Qiu rise to power? It was all thanks to his skill in playing football and his mastery of flattery.
Although doing this is really lacking in integrity, many people throughout history have taken this path.
But the Chen family cannot leave. Even though the emperor has overturned the verdict and acknowledged Chen Zijun's achievements, he may not necessarily like the Chen family much.