The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 40 Kill two birds with one stone

Three poles in the sun.

A four-wheeled carriage with the Ning Mansion logo on it drove into the Xuanzhen Temple.

Jia Zhen hurriedly got off the car and headed straight for the hall at the back.

"Master!" He shouted as he stepped into the hall, "The old lady and the mistress went to Huifang Garden for an outing yesterday and came to see my cousin."

Jia Jing narrowed his eyes and said indifferently: "The emperor has established the Tiangong Academy. It's not surprising that they know about such a big move."

Jia Zhen sighed, "Master, you don't know. Yesterday I saw that the way the lady looked at my cousin was not right. Before the New Year, the old lady mentioned intentionally or unintentionally that my elder sister was leaving the palace. Could it be that..."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!" Jia Jing suddenly opened his eyes.

"Didn't my son come to report to the master early in the morning?" He looked up at Jia Jing and said slowly, "My son thought that even if they didn't have this plan now, if they delay any further, they might not have much choice."

"If you have any ideas, why not tell me first."

In recent years, he has been devoted to practicing Taoism and has neglected to discipline Jia Zhen. He would test him whenever he had the chance.

"In my son's opinion, Master, you might as well do the West Mansion a favor and take the eldest sister out of the palace as soon as possible." He paused, and then said, "As long as Yun Yi can use filial piety to control her, and the eldest sister is old, if she is taken out earlier, I believe the West Mansion will not have to waste three years."

Jia Jing pondered and said, "It's not that what you said is unreasonable, but if we don't find a suitable candidate within these three years, I'm afraid the West Mansion will have to rely on your cousin."

"But my son carefully calculated last night. If my elder sister leaves the palace when she is old enough, it will be after my cousin's mourning period is over. How could the West Mansion not make plans in advance by then?"

Jia Jing did not comment. After a long silence, he suddenly asked, "Has he behaved in any unusual way in the mansion recently?"

"Abnormal behavior?" Jia Zhen asked doubtfully, "Master, what do you mean?"

"I'm asking you if he has any suspicions?"

"How could that be possible? Don't worry, sir. I haven't even asked, let alone doubted it."

At this point, he hesitated a little and asked, "Could it be that he did something wrong outside and the master heard about it?"

"No, I've just been feeling a little upset lately..."

"Could something have happened?"

"Not really." Jia Jing pondered, "It's just that he reported the method of the immortals, which would have been fine, but he had to bring up such merits and virtues, which made the emperor practice less. Now that I think about it carefully, I'm afraid he is trying to dig up our roots, right?"

"Uh..." Jia Zhen could not help but be stunned, then he said with relief, "Master, I'm afraid you are worrying too much. There is something that I haven't reported yet. A while ago, my son just asked his wife to take care of him more, and he was so grateful that he even offered to give his wife a share of the sugar to help with the expenses."

He didn't dare tell Jia Jing that he had instigated Youshi to seduce Zhang Yunyi. However, in order to dispel his doubts, he could only whitewash his actions a little.

"Oh? Is this happening?"

"How can it be false?"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Thinking of his previous suspicion, Jia Jing felt a little embarrassed and yelled, "You made me suspicious!"

"My son hasn't had time to report yet, so I want to talk about the most important things first!" Jia Zhen hesitated, "Besides... he is just being considerate of his sister-in-law, and my son is too embarrassed to ask for it..." "As long as the benefits fall on our family, these are all trivial matters. The key is that he has this intention." Jia Jing waved his hand, "In this case, we should really make plans for the West Mansion."

"Master, do you have a better way?"

Jia Jing said calmly, "Prince Ning sent someone to find me a while ago, wanting me to help win over your cousin, but I dissuaded him..."

"Why is this?" Jia Zhen was quite puzzled.

"Stupid! If he knew about our relationship with Prince Ning, and suspected the death of your uncle and himself, wouldn't that be counterproductive?"

At this point, he showed a smug look on his face, and then changed the subject: "However, now we can kill two birds with one stone."

"Kill two birds with one stone?" Jia Zhen couldn't help but fall into deep thought, but after thinking for a long time he still couldn't figure it out, so he looked up at Jia Jing.

"You! You still need to learn more from your father. It is not convenient for us to come forward, but what if the West Mansion comes forward?"

Jia Jing said, "Although the prince should avoid the women in the harem, the emperor is busy with his cultivation and has no time to take care of the harem. Moreover, the eldest girl has always been with Concubine Zhen. She is the birth mother of Prince Ning. If she proposes to give the eldest girl to Prince Ning as a concubine, wouldn't it be justified?"

"Great! Master, this move really impresses your son!" Jia Zhen couldn't help but applaud, "If he can become the concubine of Prince Ning, the West Palace will no longer miss my cousin."

"That's not all!" Jia Jing stroked his beard, shook his head, and said ostentatiously, "By then, we can ask the Western Mansion to help Prince Ning win over your cousin. That way, even if he knows about our relationship with Prince Ning in the future, he won't think too much about it."

"Yes, yes, yes! Father is wise, and I have learned a lot from him." Jia Zhen hesitated a little and said, "But, will Prince Ning disagree? After all, my elder sister is already in her early twenties."

"Don't worry about this. As a prince, he can have any woman he wants. How can he be so superficial? She is just a concubine. If she can win over your cousin's money bag, what's the harm in taking her back as a decoration?"

Jia Jing explained: "Now that white sugar has been produced, the emperor has set up the Tiangong Academy for it. Who can't see that there is a lot of money to be made from it?"

"So when does father plan to go and negotiate with Prince Ning?"

Jia Jing shook his head and said, "Everything has to be prioritized. After all, this is the business of the West Mansion, and we can't just do it. Go back and talk to the old lady, and ask them to follow the Zhen family's lead."

Jia Zhen nodded heavily, and said in agreement: "Father is right. We have done such a big favor to the West Mansion this time. I believe they will not be embarrassed to compete with us for my cousin's marriage in the future."

His words reminded Jia Jing, who hurriedly said, "You might as well speak out this time, especially in front of the old lady. Cunzhou is a man of honor. Since we have helped this time, there is no need to worry. We are just afraid that..."

Although he hadn't said what he was afraid of, Jia Zhen had already understood and said with deep conviction, "Yes, yes, yes! Son, don't worry. Uncle She is a money-grubber, so how can he not be jealous? My second sister is almost reaching the age of marriage, so this matter has to be suppressed by the old lady."

Seeing that his son understood, Jia Jing nodded and said, "Well! There is no need to rush about this matter. Wait a few days before going. Your father must also inform King Ning in advance."

"If there's nothing else, you can go back first!" He waved his hand and lowered his voice, "Remember to win over your cousin. Who knows, when Prince Ning ascends to the throne in the future, he may have to rely on him to fabricate some stories in the name of the late emperor."

After hearing this, Jia Zhen froze and looked at Jia Jing in horror. It took him a long while to come back to his senses.

"Yes! My son will follow the master's instructions."

……

(End of this chapter)