After Old Master Ren returned home, he rested in bed for three days, and his condition finally improved. Apart from coughing up blood once more in the middle of the night on his first day back, he hadn’t coughed up blood again in the following days.

However, perhaps due to Old Master Ren’s advanced age, his body lacked the recovery power of younger people. Although he could get out of bed after several days of rest, his vitality was far from what it used to be. When Old Madam Ren saw this, the hidden worry in her heart never dissipated.

Nevertheless, Old Master Ren still had outside affairs on his mind. After he was able to get out of bed, he began handling the matters that had accumulated during his absence from the Ren family.

Although Old Master Ren usually devoted himself to cultivating his eldest legitimate son, First Master Ren, he was inherently a person with a strong desire for control. The actual person in power of the Ren family was still him, and when he wasn’t present, there were many matters that even First Master Ren couldn’t handle.

Old Madam Ren and First Master Ren worried that Old Master Ren’s body, which had barely recovered some vitality, wouldn’t be able to bear the strain. But since Old Master Ren insisted, they had no way to stop him.

On the fifth day after Old Master Ren’s return, the Ren family again summoned people from all branches for a meeting. Since Ren Shijia and his wife were still staying at the Ren residence and hadn’t returned to Yunyang City, this time Old Master Ren made an exception and let Lin Kun attend as well. During this crisis, Lin Kun had helped the Ren family considerably and hadn’t avoided them to prevent suspicion like other relatives and friends had done. This earned him favorable impressions from most of the Ren family members.

Old Master Ren sat at the head seat, his gaze sweeping across his sons, sons-in-law, and nephews one by one. Everyone respectfully lowered their heads and stood below. Old Master Ren nodded with satisfaction, placed the account book he was holding on the small table beside him, and said to First Master Ren: “Eldest, tell them about the Ren family’s current situation.”

First Master Ren stepped forward respectfully upon hearing this: “Yes, Father.”

He looked at the others and said slowly, “The Ren family must produce one million five hundred thousand taels of silver before April next year. We’ve already paid five hundred thousand taels. Although our Ren family can grit our teeth and produce this money, it will still hurt our foundation. So for the next three years, our outside businesses absolutely cannot make major mistakes, otherwise we’ll have trouble with cash flow, and the Ren family might never recover from this.”

Everyone couldn’t help but look at each other upon hearing this.

Fifth Master Ren hesitantly asked: “Big Brother, is it really this serious?”

First Master Ren sighed: “Our Ren family can now be considered to have substantial wealth and extensive business. Although we can’t be called the richest in all of Yanzhou, our assets could at least rank in the top ten. However, while the Ren family’s assets are far more than one million five hundred thousand taels, the silver we can use is limited, because maintaining a huge family business itself requires large amounts of readily available silver; otherwise, our coal mines and coal warehouses simply couldn’t be sustained. Among you, like Third Brother, you rarely deal with these matters and might not understand. To put it simply, if our Ren family wants to maintain the industries we already have, most of our silver cannot be touched.”

Everyone felt heavy-hearted upon hearing this.

First Master Ren continued: “As for the consequence of surrendering sixty percent of all annual profits, the Ren family probably won’t be able to have major development for ten years.”

Although they had already mentally prepared themselves somewhat, Old Madam Ren still couldn’t bear the blow: “How can it be so serious? Isn’t this like having our throat seized?”

Everyone remained silent upon hearing this. The impact of this incident on the Ren family was more severe than they had originally imagined.

First Master Ren consoled them: “However, thinking about it, compared to those other two families, we at least barely preserved our family business this time. Our whole family is also safe. As long as the green mountains remain, we need not worry about lacking firewood.”

The two families implicated by the Zeng family along with the Ren family had assets no less than the Ren family’s, but in the end, everything was confiscated by the government.

Thinking this way, everyone felt somewhat better.

Just then, the voice of the East Residence’s Old Madam could be heard outside. Because Liao Shi had forced her way in last time and caused an unpleasant scene, the maids guarding outside didn’t dare let her in easily this time.

However, First Master Ren said to Old Madam Ren, “I had someone call Second Sister-in-law over. Let her in.”

Old Madam Ren nodded to Shanhu, who then went out to escort Liao Shi inside.

As soon as Liao Shi entered, she glared at Old Madam Ren, who sat at the head seat with an unchanged expression.

Old Master Ren nodded at Liao Shi and instructed Shanhu to bring a chair for her. After Liao Shi sat down, she said to Old Master Ren: “Is Big Brother feeling better?” When facing Old Master Ren, Liao Shi still knew to exchange pleasantries.

Old Master Ren smiled and nodded: “Much better.”

Liao Shi smiled: “That’s good, that’s good.” She glanced at Old Madam Ren, then asked Old Master Ren again: “So Big Brother called me here today to discuss dividing the family with me?”

Second Master below tried to dissuade her: “Mother, Big Brother’s illness has just improved. This matter should wait a while longer.”

Liao Shi glared at Second Master: “You child, some matters should be handled sooner rather than later! If we divide early, your Big Brother’s burden will be lighter, and he can recuperate peacefully afterward. I heard that Big Brother’s illness requires peace and quiet, isn’t that right?”

Old Madam Ren frowned and wanted to speak, but Old Master Ren gestured for her to stop. He pondered for a moment before asking: “Second Sister-in-law, are you truly determined to divide the family?”

Liao Shi hurriedly said, “Naturally, did you think I was just saying it for fun?”

Old Master Ren nodded and asked again: “Is this your opinion alone, or the unanimous opinion of everyone in the East Residence? If it’s just your personal opinion, then we’ll probably need to discuss it further.”

This time, Liao Shi paused before replying: “You know our old master’s temperament. He listened to you when he was young. When you said not to divide the family back then, he never brought up dividing again. When you told him to take Fourth Son to the capital, he obediently took Fourth Son to the capital. But if you ask whether our East Residence wants to be our masters, then naturally we do. After all, the children are all grown now, and even the great-grandchildren generation is coming out. We can’t always be dependent on others, can we?”

Old Master Ren raised his eyebrows with an indecipherable expression: “Dependent on others? So that’s how Second Sister-in-law sees it?”

Liao Shi was also somewhat afraid of Old Master Ren. Knowing she had spoken carelessly and said the wrong thing, she hurriedly said: “No, no, what I mean is that our East Residence is now also a large family. If we always have to come and ask Big Brother for instructions for everything, it’s somewhat inconvenient, isn’t it?”

Old Master Ren nodded without pursuing Liao Shi’s mistake further. He said, “I heard from Eldest that you came to the West Residence about dividing the family. I’ve thought it over carefully, and if this is the opinion of everyone in your branch, then as the Ren family head, I cannot ignore it.”

Liao Shi was delighted upon hearing this: “So Big Brother agrees to divide the family?”

Old Master Ren raised his hand to indicate that Liao Shi should let him finish speaking. Seeing that the matter had prospects, Liao Shi immediately stopped interrupting.

Old Master Ren said, “I already had Eldest write a letter to the capital for Second Brother the day before yesterday. If he also agrees to divide the family and accepts my method of division, then we’ll proceed with this matter.” Old Master Ren leaned back in his chair somewhat wearily.

Liao Shi was first delighted, but after thinking it over, she felt something was wrong and hurriedly said: “Big Brother has already specified in the letter how the family should be divided? You should tell us about it too.”

Old Master Ren nodded at First Master Ren.

First Master Ren spoke: “Father intends that all coal warehouses outside Yanbei, including those in Jiangnan and the capital, will be taken over by Second Uncle in the future.”

The Ren family had invested considerably in Jiangnan and the capital in recent years. In terms of scale, the coal warehouses in Jiangnan and the capital were no fewer in number than those in Yanbei.

Originally, the coal warehouses in the capital weren’t profitable, but ever since the Fang family helped the Ren family connect with that noble person, the southern warehouses’ profits had become quite considerable.

The Second Master below couldn’t help but have his eyes flicker slightly as he listened.

Liao Shi had previously received letters from the Second Master and the Fourth Master, knowing that the southern coal operations were doing quite well now. So she was fairly satisfied with this division method in her heart, especially since Second Master had been operating in the south all these years while the Yanbei warehouses were all managed by the West Residence.

However, Liao Shi still put on a somewhat dissatisfied appearance: “Our Ren family has been operating the Yanbei coal warehouses for many years. Although Jiangnan has greatly improved compared to the past, it still cannot compare with the Yanbei warehouses. This division would still put our branch at a disadvantage!”

Old Master Ren didn’t argue upon hearing this, only nodded: “Then we can use the second division method. Second Brother and I are both not young anymore, and the Ren family’s future still depends on the younger generation. So I’ll divide all of the Ren family’s coal warehouses in Yanbei and the south into five portions, giving them to Shizhong and the other young people to manage. I’ll become a completely hands-off manager.”

Liao Shi couldn’t help but frown upon hearing this: “Why five portions?”

Old Master Ren said flatly: “There are only five brothers in their generation, so naturally it’s five portions.”

Liao Shi couldn’t help but choke. She only had two sons, while this side had three. Wasn’t this disadvantaging them?

“How about it?” Old Master Ren raised his eyebrows.

Liao Shi coughed lightly: “Let’s set aside the warehouse matter for now and talk about how to divide the coal mines.”

Old Master Ren pondered for a moment: “Father’s dying words were that the Ren family should not divide. If descendants insisted on disregarding ancestral instructions and dividing the family, then all of the Ren family’s coal mines would belong to the Ren family’s legitimate eldest branch.”

“What!” Liao Shi’s eyes nearly turned red with urgency, and she almost jumped up.

Coal warehouses could be opened with money, but good coal mines couldn’t necessarily be bought even with money.

Old Master Ren made a gesture for calm: “This ancestral instruction was written down by Father back then, and Second Brother also knew about it. I’m not making this up.”