At that time, "clothing system" was used to determine bloodline affinities, and there were five types of mourning clothes: Zhansei, Qixi, Dagong, Xiaogong, and Qi Ma.
When a king, father, or husband dies, ministers, sons, wives, and concubines must be put into mourning for three years. This is to behead their closest relatives.
"Qishei Qin" refers to paternal relatives, "Dagong Qin" refers to grandfather's relatives, "Xiao Gongqin" refers to great-grandfather's relatives, "Yima Qin" refers to great-grandfather's relatives, and maternal relatives are also included in "Yima Qin"
middle.
Generally speaking, the main family refers to the blood relatives of the clan within the fifth server. Once the clan blood relationship exceeds the fifth server, such as Lin Fu, Lin Mengde, and Lin Jingzhong, they are considered collateral descendants of the Lin family.
Although the Lin family is a powerful family in Dongyang Mansion, only the blood relatives within the fifth server can really benefit. People like Lin Fu, Lin Jingzhong, and Lin Mengde all came from poor backgrounds, and they stand out because of their own talents.
Of course, there are differences in the blood relations among the clans within the five servers. After all, the blood relationship between Xiao Gong's great-grandfather's line and Qima's great-grandfather's line is much more distant.
For a long time, the main affairs of the Lin family have been controlled by the lineage of Lin Tingxun's grandfather. Specifically, among the elders, they are Lin Tingxun's uncles, among the younger generations, they are Lin Tingxun's brothers and cousins, and among the younger generations, they are Lin Xunting's nephews and cousins.
nephew.
Among the people who followed Lin Fu to seek refuge in Jiangning this time, those who were close to Lin Tingxun included Lin Tingxun's two uncles, one cousin, five survivors, one youngest son, one youngest grandson, one cousin, three daughters, and two sons-in-law.
people.
Everyone gathered in the thatched cottage to discuss Lin Tingxun's funeral. In fact, they were discussing the future future of the Lin clan. Due to the service system, only Lin Tingxun's two uncles, one cousin, five wives and Lin Tingxun's nephew Lin Xuhongzhi were excluded from the discussion in the thatched cottage.
In addition, Lin Tingxun’s three daughters and two sons-in-law were excluded.
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Lin Fu walked into the front hall of the thatched cottage, glanced at everyone quietly, and suddenly remembered something, and asked: "It's really strange, why didn't you call the young lady and the young master Sun to discuss the funeral of the family head?"
"
The relationship between the second son, Lin Xuzong, and his wife had always been bad. Lin Xuzong and his concubines lived in Wangxiang Tower on the south bank of Shanglin River all year round, while his wife and their five-year-old son lived in the mansion. Wangxiang Tower was given to Zhao Neng and Zhu Zhuzhu
The horse thief burned him down, but his wife and son escaped and were brought to Jiangning by Lin Fu.
The young lady and young master Sun that Lin Fu mentioned were the orphans and widowed children left behind by the second son, Lin Xuzong.
Two of the three clan elders were Lin Tingxun's uncles, and one was Lin Tingxun's cousin. They were all stunned when they heard Lin Fu's words.
It is said that the orphans and widows left behind by the Second Young Master are one of them a female child and the other a five-year-old child. We will discuss the funeral arrangements here and tell them.
At this time, the official announcement of mourning was actually determining the future future of the Lin clan.
The meaning of Lin Fu's words is very clear. The three clan elders and Lin Tingxun are "relatives of great merit", but when the Lin family passed down to Lin Xuxi's generation, their relationship with the Lin family will become estranged and become "relatives of minor merit".
According to the service system, the Lin family passed down to Lin Xuxi's generation. In addition to the designated heir Lin Xuxi, the only people who have decision-making power on the Lin family's major affairs are Lin Tingli (uncle), Lin Tingli's son (cousin), Lin Xuwen (brother), and Lin Xuwen and Lin Xuwen.
Lin Xuzong’s son and others.
When discussing the future of the Lin clan, the orphans and widowers left behind by the second son Lin Xuzong have a say. However, now the three elders of the Lin family have to be kicked aside, as well as Lin Tingxun's nephew Lin Xuhong.
Go aside.
In fact, except for the third wife, who is the main wife, and the sixth wife, Shan, who is the biological mother of the young master, the other wives will have no decision-making power on major affairs of the Lin family in the future, except for the widow's needs being provided by the Lin family.
After Lin Tingxun passed away, everyone was confused by his last words.
The three clan elders and Lin Xuhong were all worried that Lin Fu would take the opportunity to take the power of the Lin family into his hands, and then seize the huge family property. They had been in panic for a long time, and then they suddenly understood after Lin Fu said something.
Let’s understand: Whether Lin Fu fights for clan rights or not, and whether he seizes clan property or not, actually it has nothing to do with the three clan elders and Lin Xuhong.
Lin Fu's simple words seemed to give these four people a heavy blow, and they were stunned for a long time without saying a word.
"Yes, I was really in a hurry. I immediately went to find someone..." Lin Mengde patted his head, turned around and went out to personally invite the orphans and widows left behind by Lin Xuzong.
Lin Xuzong's wife, Ma, was a thin and long-faced young woman with a few white pockmarks on her face. She could barely be considered a middle-aged lady. She changed into white clothes and walked in holding the hand of her youngest son, Lin Zhaoyi.
He saluted: "We, orphans and widows, would like to thank Master Lin for taking care of us..." He saluted the third lady and several other ladies, and finally saluted the three clan elders.
The third lady is the mother of Lin Xuzong, but she has been on bad terms with her daughter-in-law Ma for a long time. When she saw her coming in to salute, she wanted to pull her grandson Lin Zhaoyi into her arms, but when she saw Ma's face, she gave up after thinking about it.
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Ma is a woman with a strong temperament. When the funeral of her father-in-law Lin Tingxun was being discussed in the thatched cottage, she was excluded. She was very resentful towards the three clan elders and her mother-in-law who were in charge. She was just a female and had no one to rely on in Jiangning.
, there was nothing they could argue about. At this time, Lin Mengde ran over and said that Lin Fu invited her, an orphan and a widower, to participate in decision-making. Naturally, she was very grateful to Lin Fu.
Lin Xuzong hated Lin Fu deeply because of his humiliation, but Lin Xuzong died in the hands of Zhao Neng after all; Ma and Lin Xuzong had a long-term marital discord, and their relationship with Lin Xuzong's mother, the Third Lady, had always been poor.
Lin Fu naturally didn't have any resentment at all.
Mrs. Ma also knew in her heart that if she wanted to interfere in the affairs of the Lin family as a female prostitute, she would have to capture Zhaoyi, the youngest son, in her own hands, and not allow her mother-in-law, Mrs. Third, an old widow, to snatch Zhaoyi away.
Ma was isolated and helpless in the Lin family, and her natal family was in decline and could not rely on her. Lin Fu asked Lin Mengde to invite her over in person. It was as if he saw a big tree floating in front of him when he was drowning, and instinctively wanted to hug her tightly.
.
Gu Yingxiu felt funny in her heart. She didn't know what Lin Fu and Lin Meng had to go out to discuss for a long time. Just by inviting Ma's mother and son out, they ruthlessly defeated everyone present.
The three clan elders and Lin Xuhong were as pale as eggplants with frost, and the other ladies all had different expressions on their faces.
"Uncle Meng De told me the last words of the master of the family." Lin Fu saw that everyone who should be there and everyone who could be there had arrived, and then he started to talk about the business. "The master of the family was kind to me and my parents. I made a big mistake."
, what the family master was thinking about when he was dying actually allowed me to return to the clan, how can I repay the family master's kindness?" Lin Fu's tone was sincere and sobbing, as if he was regretting the big mistake he had made, "In order to be able to justifiably pay tribute to the family master.
Wearing sackcloth and observing filial piety, I naturally want to return to the clan in accordance with the family master's instructions. I don't need all the ladies and clan elders to persuade me. Regarding the changes in the forest, you all know that I, Lin Fu, have always thought of the Lin family, and you can also be a little bit less confused about the mistakes I made in the past.
It's a big mistake. It's just that I don't know how to comfort the head of the family under Jiuquan. I would like to ask all the ladies and clan elders to help me come up with an idea. Although Jiyun Society was founded by me in Jiangning, Jiyun Society
After all, Jiyun Society is not owned by me alone. Jingzhong is also a descendant of the Lin family. It's easy to say, but Jiyun Society also has the silver stocks of Mr. Zhang, a member of the Gu family and Zuo Sikou who joined the army. So it is really embarrassing for me to let Jiyun Society return to the Lin family.
…”
When Lin Fu said this, everyone present was shocked, even Gu Yingxiu was quite surprised. After all, she had been here in the thatched cottage all the time, and she didn't know what the result was after Lin Fu and Lin Meng had gone out for a long time to discuss.
When Lin Fu passed the scholar examination, Lin Tingxun, in order to win over Lin Fu, adopted Lin Fu to a distant cousin of his who had passed away but had no heirs. He was included in the fifth service and became a true son of the Lin family.
Lin Fu came to Jiangning, and the Lin family never proposed expelling Lin Fu from the clan. There was no question of whether he would return or not.
When the Lin family passed down to Lin Xuxi's generation, the relationship between Lin Fu and Lin Xuxi became further distant. They could only be regarded as relatives, which was further than the relationship between the three clan elders and Lin Xuxi.
According to the current court service system, Lin Fu cannot participate in the decision-making of Lin clan affairs. However, after Jiyun Society returns to the Lin family, Lin Fu will be able to have the decision-making power over the actual affairs of the Lin clan by occupying a certain proportion of silver shares in the Lin family's many industries.
.
Whether Jiyun Society returns or not is actually the key to whether Lin Fu can control the power of the Lin family.
Lin Tingxun's last words asked everyone to persuade Lin Fu to agree to return Jiyun Society to the Lin family. Everyone was worried that Lin Fu would take the opportunity to fight for clan rights. They never thought that Lin Fu would refuse to return Jiyun Society to the Lin family. At this time, they were all stunned.
You know what to say, but do you really want to persuade him and ask him to agree to return Jiyun Society to the Lin family?
"That's what my uncle Tingxun said in his last words..." Lin Tingxun's cousin Lin Xuhong said hesitantly.
"Don't try to persuade me. I don't want to go against the family master's legacy. It's just that this matter is really difficult to handle. I'm going to kowtow to the family master and admit my mistake..." Lin Fu said decisively, "The family master's funeral arrangements will take a few more days.
Madam, I have discussed with the clan elders that it would be best to send someone to Dongyang and Yanjing tonight to announce the funeral. If you want people, money or a place, tell me the same thing as Jingzhong told me, and I will do everything."
Lin Fu expressed his position, removing the biggest doubt that was weighing on everyone's minds. The next matters were all in accordance with the rules and laws. There was nothing difficult to decide, and there was no need for everyone to gather in the thatched cottage to discuss.
The body was to be temporarily parked at the Luzeyuan Garden at the mouth of the river, and then transported back to Shiliang and buried in the ancestral grave after the situation stabilized. That night, people were sent to the city to invite Han Zuo and the nun to embalm Lin Tingxun's body.
Afraid of changes on the way, he sent two groups of people to the eldest son of Yanjing and the second master of Dongyang to deliver mourning letters. In the letters, he wrote down all the details of Lin Tingxun's death, his last words, and the amount of property he hurriedly brought to Jiangning.
Ming, three clan elders, five wives and other people with decision-making power on Lin family affairs all signed the letter.
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After Gu Yingxiu arrived at Hekou, she, the fourth lady, and the fifth lady lived in the same single courtyard in the surrounding house. At this time, she and several other ladies had to go to the Luze Garden Yiyuan to hold a wake for Lin Ting. There were many people in Hekou and the surrounding house.
Lin Fu had too many eyes to talk to Ying Xiu alone.
After Lin Fu was busy with other things, he went to the morgue at Yizhuang to pay homage to Lin Tingxun at night, and took Liu Yuer and Xiaoman there with him.
The ladies, Mr. Ma, the young master, and Mr. Sun were all resting in the side room. Lin Fu asked Liu Yuer and Xiaoman to go find Yingxiu and tell her his plan so that she could temporarily feel at ease.
In the main room of the morgue, Lin Fu sat with a stack of yellow paper under his buttocks, burned several stacks of paper money for Lin Tingxun, and looked at the huge nanmu coffin. The most honor he enjoyed after death was just a cold corpse.
, I thought that Lin Tingxun's life could be regarded as magnificent, and he had enjoyed all the wealth and honor. His talents and courage were actually far stronger than his younger brother Lin Tingli. It was not until he was bedridden that he could not speak or move that the Lin clan was out of his control. If
If you live in troubled times, you may become a hero.
"Master Lin is here..."
Lin Fu looked back and saw Lin Tingxun's nephew Lin Xuhong walked in. He stepped aside and gave Lin Xuhong a place to sit down and said, "Seventh brother can just call me Lin Fu.
, I am ranked seventeenth, seventh brother can call me Lao Seventeen, we are brothers, don’t call each other raw." He handed him two more stacks of paper threads, and burned them together to Lin Tingxun under Jiuquan.
Lin Xuhong is only twenty-eight years old this year, ranking seventh among the brothers in his family. He has been the manager of Lin Ji Warehouse for the past few years. Although his ability, knowledge and experience are not as good as those of Lin Meng, his father who died young and Lin Tingxun are not as good as Lin Xuhong.
, Lin Tingli is a direct cousin, and his actual status in the Lin family is much higher than Lin Mengde. After Lin Tingxun became bedridden, he was one of the main managers of the Lin family.
Now that Lin Tingxun has passed away and the Lin family has passed down to Lin Xuxi's generation, according to the rules, several of the previous main managers of the Lin family must be replaced.
"Hey, Old Seventeen," Lin Xuhong chuckled. He felt that shouting like this made the relationship between the two of them much closer. In the past, although Lin Fu was included in the clan after passing the scholar examination, none of his brothers thought highly of him.
, they treated each other as brothers, and deliberately left out Lin Fu. Lin Xuhong sat next to Lin Fu, burned paper for Lin Tingxun, and said, "It's not like I'm going to say it afterward. There are so many children in the Lin family, and I have been the most optimistic about you for a long time.
If it is as I expected, no one else can make a plate as big as Hekou..."
"It's a waste of time and money..." Lin Fu said. He had no contact with Lin Xuhong, so naturally there was no relationship. However, he retreated in order to advance, and forced Lin Xuhong and the three elders of the clan into the impending
In the corner where power fell, Lin Xuhong and the three clan elders had to think clearly that suppressing him, Lin Fu, would not do them any good. So Lin Xuhong took the initiative to seduce his relatives, and Lin Fu would naturally not refuse people thousands of miles away.
.
"Old Seventeen, what do you think the second master and the eldest son will do when they receive the mourning letter..." Lin Xuhong asked.
"The second master is stuck in Dongyang, so he will probably send the fourth or sixth son here to observe his filial piety. I don't know about the eldest master." Lin Fu said vaguely.
If Lin Fu takes a big step back, the struggle for power in the Lin family will not be transferred to him, Lin Tingli, Lin Xuwen and others.
According to the regulations of this dynasty, the young master Lin Xuxi, who is the designated heir, is still young. In addition to Lin Tingli and Lin Xuwen, those who can participate in the decision-making of Lin family affairs include Lin Tingxun's third wife and the sixth wife Shan, the biological mother of the young master Lin Xuxi.
, one is Mr. Sun Lin Zhaoyi’s biological mother, Mrs. Ma; obviously, the third wife, the sixth wife and Mrs. Ma are all women and cannot really show up to take charge. Even if Lin Tingli and Lin Xuwen cannot come in person, they will appoint agents.
To participate in the affairs here, the previous leaders of the Lin family, including the three elders, Lin Xuhong, Lin Zonghai, and the seventh wife Gu Yingxiu, will be marginalized.
Lin Xuhong came to Lin Futou at this time, of course he didn't want to be marginalized.
"By the way, Uncle Mengde just told the three clan elders and me that he would let us take care of Jiangning's affairs. Since all the members of the family are in Jiangning, it would be unreasonable for him to continue to take Jiangning's affairs into his own hands.
It's not appropriate," Lin Xuhong said, "It's just that even if the second master and the eldest son send someone over, they won't be able to arrive for a while. No one can make an accurate decision on everything here, so we can't just let it be a mess, right?"
"Second Master, hurry over there. Send someone across the river to report the news. We will hear back in three more days," Lin Fu said. "Let the Second Master make up his mind first. When the eldest son comes in person or sends someone to come, we can all come together."
Even if we discuss it, nothing will be delayed. You live at the mouth of the river, and although the conditions are difficult, you don't have to worry about anything else."
Lin Fu was sure that Lin Tingli would not be able to escape and come to Jiangning. His arrangement only required two things: first, Lin Tingli would leave Lin Zonghai in Dongyang and send one of his two sons to come over; second, Lin Xuwen would remain in Dongyang for the time being.
Yanjing.
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ps: Brothers, you should develop a good habit of voting red! ,!