Gu Changfeng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Yu Yan, what do you consider to be unnecessary expenses?"
Yu Yan’s expression remained unchanged, having prepared his speech long ago. "Mr. Gu, I don’t know much about other areas, but when it comes to funding martial arts training, I believe there are too many people." He continued confidently, "As for top-tier combat power, we currently have Master Huang, and in the future, you will have me. We are already not lacking in that regard. As for other entry-level Martial Artists, we don’t lack many; two is enough. I think we can cancel the funding for one person among Chen Yuan, Gao Mingchang, and Cao Yan, and transfer it to me."
Gu Changfeng pondered for a moment before turning his gaze to Gu Ye. "Gu Ye, you are in charge of the Martial Artists. Does our Gu Family currently lack entry-level Martial Artist Nursing Homes?"
Gu Ye considered this before replying, "We aren’t lacking many. Two are sufficient, and three gives us a surplus, providing some leeway in case of special circumstances." Clearly, he had his own considerations in this matter; otherwise, he would have canceled the sponsorships long ago.
Gu Changfeng mused for a moment and said, "Yu Yan, what you said makes sense. Since three is a surplus, we will cancel one person’s funding and focus on cultivating you. Who do you think we should cut?"
Keeping an extra entry-level Martial Artist meant not only funding them now but also paying a monthly allowance in the future, which was a significant expense. It would be better to concentrate their resources on training Yu Yan.
Yu Yan smiled, going for the jugular. "Mr. Gu, I am quite familiar with Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan. Both have good character and aptitude, making them worth continuing to cultivate.
"As for Chen Yuan, he only has an Upper-Ding aptitude. Although his recent performance has been decent, I have interacted with him and found that his intentions are crooked. He lacks basic respect for others and is unfit for any important roles."
Recalling Chen Yuan’s dismissive attitude from over half a month ago, Yu Yan sneered inwardly. "Does he really think he is a big shot? With a mere Upper-Ding aptitude, I can make him scram whenever I want." His willingness to marry into the family was partly to build a good relationship with the Gu Family and obtain more resources, but also to punish Chen Yuan. Someone so insubordinate was far more troublesome than sensible people like Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan. Moreover, Chen Yuan’s performance made him feel a hint of threat, which was the most critical factor. He had to cut off Chen Yuan’s funding and nip him in the bud to prevent him from shaking his own position.
Gu Changfeng appeared slightly hesitant and looked toward Gu Ye and Huang Yan. As the Patriarch, he naturally wouldn’t just listen to a one-sided story.
Gu Ye gave Yu Yan a deep look, already understanding that Yu Yan was deliberately trying to push Chen Yuan out. However, Yu Yan was currently in power as the Gu Family’s live-in son-in-law, so he still had to give him some face. Gu Ye chose his words carefully. "Chen Yuan’s performance in front of me has been acceptable, but since Yu Yan says so, he naturally has his reasons. Perhaps this Chen Yuan is a two-faced backstabber."
These words neither offended Yu Yan nor went against his own conscience. If anything went wrong, the blame couldn’t be pinned on him, fully displaying the slickness of a seasoned veteran.
Huang Yan furrowed his brows and advised, "Patriarch, I actually think Chen Yuan’s temperament and talent are quite good and worth nurturing. If we are to cancel the sponsorships, we might as well eliminate Xue Anping and the other two completely. I believe the three of them combined cannot compare to a single Chen Yuan." Although he also understood Yu Yan’s hostility, Chen Yuan was considered his junior martial brother, possessing both diligence and talent. He truly did not want such a talent to be buried.
Yu Yan’s heart sank. "Can’t this Huang Yan distinguish who is more important now? I am already the Gu Family’s son-in-law with the greatest potential, yet he dares to offend me for a mere Chen Yuan?"
Gu Changfeng also noticed some clues. The statements of these two men did not reflect any deviousness in Chen Yuan, while Yu Yan spoke with absolute certainty. "Yu Yan," Gu Changfeng continued, "you claim Chen Yuan has crooked intentions, but what is your basis? If it’s not too egregious, we might as well follow Master Huang’s suggestion and cancel the funding for the other three."
Yu Yan’s eyes turned cold as he cupped his hands. "Mr. Gu, I naturally have proof. As far as I know, Chen Yuan severed ties with the Chen Family that raised him a few months ago.
"Last month, for some unknown reason, he showed up at the Kaisan Martial Arts Hall and severely injured his half-brother, who is still recovering at home to this day.
"On that same day, members of the Black Dragon Gang broke into the Chen Family’s home, injured Chen Yuan’s parents, and left the house completely trashed.
"I dare to ask, if Chen Yuan can be so ruthless to the Chen Family that raised him, sparing neither his parents nor his brother, how could such an ungrateful person appreciate the Gu Family’s kindness in cultivating him? Perhaps on the day he succeeds in his martial arts, the Gu Family will meet the same fate as the Chen Family.
"As for other matters—such as his ruthlessness in sparring, where he inflicted internal injuries on Gao Mingchang that only just healed a few days ago, or his disrespect toward me, completely disregarding me when I tried to discuss matters with him—I won’t even go into detail!"
After this speech, Gu Changfeng’s brows knitted tightly together. He looked at Gu Ye and Huang Yan, asking in a deep voice, "Is everything Yu Yan said true?"
Gu Ye nodded. "These things did happen, but..."
"No ’buts’!" Gu Changfeng waved his large hand, interrupting Gu Ye’s words. He declared coldly, "Regardless, if he can be so ruthless to his own family, how can we expect him to be fiercely loyal to our Gu Family? Notify Chen Yuan today and tell him to get lost. He shouldn’t even think about getting another penny from my Gu Family!"
Gu Ye sighed inwardly and nodded in agreement.
Gu Changfeng still didn’t seem fully appeased. As the Patriarch, loyalty was the quality he valued above all else. If someone couldn’t be used by him and even posed the risk of biting the hand that fed them, what was the point of cultivating them? To shoot himself in the foot?
His tone carried a hint of reproach. "Gu Ye, when selecting people to cultivate in the future, aptitude is one aspect, but character is another. You must not be biased. Only those with both virtue and talent are the people our Gu Family needs."
"Changfeng, I understand," Gu Ye nodded helplessly. He had already seen the situation clearly. Yu Yan’s words had caused his brother to brand Chen Yuan with preconceived notions. Even if he explained that there were reasons behind Chen Yuan’s actions, it would likely be of no use and might instead bring trouble upon himself.
Yu Yan maintained his composure, feeling incredibly refreshed. He added with a faint smile, "Mr. Gu, Chen Yuan’s funding for this month is seven taels of silver. Now that half a month has passed, if we go negotiate with the Huo Courtyard, we might be able to get back a few taels of silver to make up for the loss."
Gu Changfeng hadn’t let his emotions cloud his judgment. He looked at Huang Yan. "Master Huang, what do you think?" After all, Huang Yan was the one negotiating with the Huo Courtyard.
Huang Yan replied in a low voice, "Patriarch, this is inappropriate. How can there be any justification for taking back money that has already been spent? Not only will it create a rift with the Huo Courtyard, but if word gets out that our Gu Family is haggling over a few taels of silver, wouldn’t we become a laughingstock? It’s better to part on good terms. Let’s just treat these three months of funding as building good karma."
Gu Changfeng nodded. "In that case, let’s do as you suggest." It did indeed carry the risk of losing the big picture for a small gain. As for the so-called good karma, Gu Changfeng scoffed at it; it was more accurate to consider the money thrown down the drain.
He looked back at Yu Yan, his voice softening. "Yu Yan, there’s no need to fret over these few taels of silver. Starting today, Chen Yuan’s seven taels of silver will all be transferred to you, plus an additional three taels of silver, making a total of twenty taels of silver per month. If it’s not enough, just let me know."
Yu Yan was overjoyed and thanked him profusely. Although he hadn’t completely cut off Chen Yuan’s resources, he was already satisfied to achieve this level. The funding of twenty taels of silver per month would be enough for him to viciously trample the defunded Chen Yuan under his feet!