The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 12 The Maid Must Wait for Delivery

Fearing that something else that shouldn't be said might be brought up, Jia Jing lost interest in the conversation.

Over the years, he followed the emperor in practicing Taoism and took a lot of elixirs. His health was not as good as that of his peers. In addition, the temporary shed was drafty, which led to insufficient sleep last night. In the shaky carriage, he could no longer hold on once he stopped talking.

Jia Zhen was equally exhausted and soon began to snore.

It was just hard for You who was sitting next to Zhang Yunyi...

In short, they spoke nothing along the way and didn't even dare to breathe, for fear of disturbing the father and son's sweet dreams and being punished.

Seeing that they would reach Ningguo Mansion after turning two streets, she glanced at Zhang Yunyi with a hint of resentment and moved away.

He smoothed the hem of his clothes behind him, calmed down, and waited until the carriage drove into the corner gate of Ning Mansion before he stood up and said, "Master, we're here!"

Without waiting for Jia Jing and Jia Zhen to open their eyes, she hurriedly got out of the car, felt the cold wind blowing on her face, took a deep breath, and then she calmed down a little.

It's not that she is fickle, but she is choosing the lesser of two evils. If she has to choose between Zhang Yunyi and Jia Rong, she would rather choose Zhang Yunyi... at least the seniority is not messed up.

One wrong step leads to another. If she had known from the beginning that the father and son cared so much about this marriage, she would not have made such a stupid move.

With the previous experience, she did not dare to count on Jia Jing. As for Jia Zhen... if he could exchange herself for Qin, he would probably be willing to sell the goods to both families.

Not only would it be of no help, but it would also offend Zhang Yun逸.

Jia Zhen had no idea that when he dozed off in the carriage, Youshi was already in the hands of Zhang Yunyi, who even regarded her as his only lifeline.

Seeing Zhang Yunyi looking around after getting off the car, he said with a smile: "My cousin hasn't been home for two years. Let's go to Ning'an Hall to rest for a while. After dinner, I will take you to get familiar with the mansion."

Arriving at Ning'an Hall, Zhang Yunyi saw two rows of sixteen nanmu chairs placed inside the hall. He shook his head secretly.

In ancient times, furniture arrangement was much more particular than it is today. It was far less casual than it is today. In the main hall of officials' homes, armchairs and official hat chairs were often used to entertain guests.

As for the chair, it is not worthy of being on the stage.

In ancient times, mountain bandits and thieves were rampant. All the leaders in the mountain strongholds were called by their rank. The reason was simple: the rank you sat in determined the order in which you selected the women to be robbed, and this chair was a tool for them to assist in committing crimes.

As long as the abducted women were placed on the chair, their hands were placed on the handles, and the weapons were passed through the armpits or knee joints to make them unable to move.

In The West Chamber, Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying used a cross-legged chair, which is why Hongniang brought a mandarin duck pillow.

After all, girls in ancient times never left their homes and lacked exercise. Without something to support their waists, they really couldn't stand up straight.

In such a noble family, such a chair was placed in the main hall, which shows their family style.

However, this chair looks quite old, and when I think about how Jia Yuan and Jia Yan also came from humble backgrounds, I suddenly understand a little.

If I remember correctly, the Rong Mansion was also decorated like this in the original novel.

Zhang Yunyi leaned against the back of the chair, feeling its curvature, and silently calculated in his mind how large a mandarin duck pillow would be needed to place You on the chair.

Just as I was thinking about random things, I suddenly heard footsteps and saw Jia Rong leading a charming woman in.

"Grandson, granddaughter-in-law, greet Grandpa!"

Before Zhang Yunyi could take a closer look, the two of them had already prostrated themselves.

"Alright, everyone, get up! Come meet your uncle Yi."

The two men stood up and greeted Jia Zhen and Youshi before turning to Zhang Yun逸.

"Jia Rong meets his uncle!"

"Niece-in-law Qin, meet uncle!"

Although they had not seen each other for several years, Jia Rong was not much different from what he remembered. Zhang Yun逸 looked at Qin Keqing attentively.

Her lips were slightly parted, as if a cherry was on her lips; her rosy and delicate nose was translucent, like a beautiful jade; her face was pale as a pear blossom, and her apricot face and rosy cheeks exuded an indescribable charm and allure.

Accompanied by a voice that sounds like a soft singing or a moan, it is so refreshing that it becomes even more captivating.

As she spoke, Qin Keqing had already bowed to Zhang Yunyi, revealing every detail of her narrow-sleeved long coat the color of water and moon. Her every move, every frown and smile tickled the man's itch, and she really deserved the evaluation of being good at romance and having a beautiful face.

"Stop being so polite, we are all family." Zhang Yunyi was speechless for a moment.

When he heard yesterday that Jia Rui was seriously ill, he had a preconceived notion that Qin Keqing would not live long.

Looking at his complexion today, it seems that something is not the case. Could it be that he did not die of illness, or that the Tianxiang Tower was really deleted?
Just as he was thinking about it, he caught a glimpse of Qin Keqing's eyes, which were filled with resentment.

This……

Although he tried his hand at it with Youshi and achieved some success, that was also because of Jia Zhen's cooperation.

He didn't think that Qin Keqing was flirting with him the first time they met.

Then there is only one possibility...

Because he did not know the art of medicine and was unwilling to do useless work, he was only slightly curious about the most beautiful woman in the Red Mansion.

Therefore, when Jia Zhen told Jia Rong to give up the yard, he did not care and did not refuse.

At this moment, it seems that this feeling of resentment is probably due to this reason.

"My cousin didn't prepare any gifts, so I can't let you guys go through all that trouble." He turned to Jia Jing and said, "If my nephew remembers correctly, there is a Dengxian Pavilion in Huifang Garden, and Yun Yi is in charge of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory. Living there will also be convenient for observing the celestial phenomena at night."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the hall suddenly became colorful.

The most anxious person was Jia Rong. To him, it didn't matter where Qin Keqing lived. Even if they lived under the same roof, he would make room for her if Jia Zhen came.

Living in Tianxiang Tower, you can out of sight, out of mind.

The problem is that Jia Zhen's promise is subject to certain conditions. Whether it can be fulfilled if something unexpected happens is another matter.

If he wanted it, then naturally Youshi wanted it too. She had no choice but to let Zhang Yunyi take advantage of her.

If you walk by the river often, you will get your feet wet. What’s more, Ningguo Mansion is Jia Zhen’s one and a half acres of land.

But if Jia Rong was unable to contribute, why would Jia Zhen give up himself for nothing and let Jia Rong benefit?

She secretly made up her mind to try her best to avoid Zhang Yunyi in the future. If she really couldn't avoid him, she would just deal with it as she did in the car.

You can't blame her for being so tactful, but you have to consider the consequences. Jia Jing also felt that Jia Rong was a bit too much in giving up the yard, so he nodded and said, "Since it's for the job, I'll let you down."

"This..." Jia Rong glanced at Jia Zhen, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.

Seeing this, Jia Zhen glared at Jia Rong and quickly said, "It's New Year's Day and the servants have been busy for two days. I don't think we are in a hurry to move back. It's more important to put my cousin's room in order first."

With the previous experience of Youshi, he was afraid that Jia Rong would also say something without thinking, so he quickly spoke to calm his son down.

For him, it didn't matter where Qin lived. Living in Tianxiang Tower was more for her consideration. After all, there were many people in the backyard and he could ignore them. However, Qin was thin-skinned. Last year, before the matter was settled, she fell ill just because some bad rumors spread in the mansion.

Although Zhang Yun逸 moved into the Dengxian Pavilion, which had some impact on his subsequent plans, Jiao Da was driven out before. If Jia Jing knew that Qin and Jia Rong lived separately, it might cause unnecessary associations, so he had to keep it secret.

Jia Jing didn't want to dwell on these trivial matters, so he waved his hand and said, "You can handle this kind of trivial matter as you see fit."

"Ahem!" Jia Zhen coughed twice, winked at Jia Jing, and said, "Father, if you don't have any other instructions, I will give them first."

The two maids around Qin were the Qin family's dowry maids. Now that Jiao Da is gone, only these two maids are a hindrance to him.

Although it is possible to forcibly transfer the two, he is worried that it will cause Qin's worries. However, by using Jia Jing's words, Qin can let down her guard.

It has to be said that Jia Zhen took great pains to choose this daughter-in-law.

After being reminded, Jia Jing also remembered, and said to Zhang Yunyi with a smile: "Since you have moved into the mansion, you will naturally be treated as a proper master. Your uncle has selected two maids for you, and will ask your cousin to send them to you later."

Hearing this, Qin Keqing couldn't help but lower her head.

The resentment in her eyes just now was not because Zhang Yunyi occupied the yard, but because of the two maids Baozhu and Ruizhu.

Last year, Jia Zhen had bad intentions. Although he later explained that he was drunk and had mistaken the person, she could not hide the look in his eyes that was aimed at the person and wanted to swallow him in one gulp.

Fortunately, two maids accompanied him and fell seriously ill, so Jia Zhen gave up.

Being in Ningguo Mansion, she is surrounded by Jia Zhen's people. Even her husband Jia Rong has become a coward. She can only rely on the two maids who have followed her since childhood.

Yesterday, first Youshi made the rumor, and then Jia Rong moved. Although neither of them came from Jia Zhen's mouth, she was very thoughtful and guessed that Jia Zhen must be the mastermind behind it.

If it weren't for Zhang Yun逸's sudden arrival, even if Jia Zhen had the intention, he would not have such a high-sounding excuse, and the look he gave him was inevitably filled with a hint of resentment.

I originally thought that even if Jia Zhen and Zhang Yun逸 asked for it, I would argue for it, but I didn't expect that it was really Jia Jing's intention.

Although Jia Zhen was her father-in-law, she was right. If she wanted to disobey Jia Jing's wishes, she could not have no reasonable excuse.

Just when he was at a loss of what to do, he heard Zhang Yunyi say, "No, uncle!"

To her, this voice was like a ray of light in the darkness, and she looked at Zhang Yunyi with expectation.

"Why?"

"A gift from an elder cannot be refused. Besides, this has always been the way our family does. Cousin, please do not refuse it."

Jia Jing and Jia Zhen said it almost at the same time.

Zhang Yunyi was embarrassed and sighed, "It's hard to go from luxury to frugality. Yunyi can't live in the mansion forever. If he gets used to ordering servants around, he will move out in the future..."

Jia Zhen heaved a long sigh and said with a smile, "My cousin, you worry too much. This is nothing. Not to mention two maids, when you get married, your father will definitely buy you some more. I will send you the indenture contract later."

"Really?" Zhang Yunyi said with joy.

"Of course!" Jia Jing smiled and nodded.

“In that case, can you let your nephew choose personally…” At this point, Zhang Yunyi hesitated and said, “After all, he will always be with you. If he is not satisfied…”

"Hahaha!" Jia Jing twirled his long beard and laughed, "Why are you being shy in front of your uncle? It's settled. If you like any of them, just tell your cousin."

He originally thought that Zhang Yun逸 would refuse, but now it seems that he is a pervert. As the saying goes, different people have different tastes, and he was also worried that Jia Zhen’s choice would not suit Zhang Yun逸’s taste.

Although things were different from the plan, Jia Zhen was not panicked at all. Baozhu and Ruizhu were the most outstanding ones in the mansion. Zhang Yunyi was a pervert and he would not let them go. The worst that could happen was that he would just send a few more.

So he agreed with a smile.

Zhang Yunyi then smiled at Youshi and said, "I have to trouble my cousin and sister-in-law again."

Seeing Zhang Yunyi looking at her, Youshi felt mixed emotions.

Unlike Jia Jing and his son, she thought Zhang Yun逸 did it for her.

He was a stranger here, unfamiliar with the place. If he had a maidservant, it would make it even more difficult for him to commit sneaky acts.

Now he is pretending to refuse, probably planning to take care of me first and then find a reliable candidate for me.

I thought that since he had just arrived, he would not ignore me. I did not expect that his obsession with me was so deep that it would be difficult to resolve it.

In fact, Youshi was a little too self-sentimental. The reason why she was a little too self-sentimental was that only children would make multiple-choice questions. For Zhang Yunyi, who had lived two lives, he naturally wanted them all.

However, as a modern man, he still has a bottom line and it is impossible for him to accept just any cat or dog.

The Ning Mansion is different from the Rong Mansion. The only maids ranked among the golden hairpins are Baozhu and Ruizhu, but these two are Qin Keqing's personal maids.

Even if Jia Jing and Jia Zhen wanted to make a profit from the rare commodity, they might not agree to this request.

He didn't know about Jia Zhen's arrangements. He only had one chance, so he had to make good use of it.

Therefore, he planned to show his talents and attract enough attention from the emperor, and then ask Jia Zhen for people, which would reduce the possibility of being rejected.

As for Qin Keqing's attitude...

He has always believed that what is in his stomach is his. Not to mention whether Qin Keqing would die, even if she didn't, he had no reason to give up what he had just to win favor.

Besides, young ladies need to be coaxed, and madams and grandmothers have to be nudged, so don’t maids have to wait to be sent?

It's already right in front of my mouth, why shouldn't I eat it in one gulp? It makes no sense to push it away instead.

In this era, maids had no autonomy. Before they got the contract, even if they hooked up with someone, it would only lead to Siqi's tragedy.

As for Qin Keqing, at least we have to confirm whether she will die of illness.

……

(End of this chapter)