The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 415 Proceed with caution
"Master! The other day I sent some peaches over, and the concubine tried to test me in a roundabout way! Why not strike while the iron is hot and use the opportunity of the full moon banquet... Why change it to a hundred-day banquet?"

Recently, Zhang Yun逸 has not been out of the city. There is only one maid named Jinchuan in the mansion. Except for occasionally staying overnight at Wang Xifeng's house, he is mostly served by Jinchuan, which makes her very happy.

She was unaware of the impending storm outside.

She thought it was Zhang Yunyi's reward to her and took it more seriously.

Zhang Yunyi took two mouthfuls of porridge and said casually, "I have to finish my confinement before I can come back, otherwise they will be caught in the wind on the way and miss the full moon banquet, which is not good!"

It was a turbulent time and he didn't want to create unnecessary trouble. He planned that things would be settled after a hundred days.

Because a boy's full-month banquet is usually held one day earlier and a girl's one day later, Zhang Yun逸 changed it to a hundred-day banquet on the grounds that Youshi had not completed her confinement.

As he was talking, he suddenly heard someone outside report: "Master! Master Xiaorong is here!"

What is he here to do?
Did you hear some rumors?
Zhang Yunyi thought so in his heart, waved his hand and said: "Got it, tell him to wait in front."

Suspecting that Jia Rong had heard the rumors, he deliberately left him alone.

This kid is a venomous snake. The more times like this, the more we need to be on guard, lest he thinks he has an opportunity and bites back.

After finishing his breakfast leisurely, he moved to the front hall.

"Uncle Yi!"

Seeing Jia Rong nodding and bowing with a smile on his face, Zhang Yunyi could not see anything unusual, so he joked: "It's strange today, why did you get up so early? Didn't you go out to fool around last night?"

Jia Rong said flatteringly, "Uncle Yi really understands my nephew. He was indeed fooling around last night!"

At this point, he changed the subject and said, "However, I have always kept Uncle Yi's instructions in mind. I dare not delay for a moment. I did not dare to close my eyes last night and came to report to Uncle Yi early in the morning!"

"What's the matter?" Zhang Yunyi asked puzzledly.

"Uncle Yi, have you forgotten? You told me to keep an eye on Uncle Xue. Yesterday, I was drinking with him outside and heard that something happened in his shop. Thanks to Uncle Yi's face, Shuntian Prefecture let him off the hook!"

"Hmm?" Zhang Yunyi was stunned when he heard that. He cursed in his heart, but said calmly, "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"I heard that the Xue family's shop sold fake ginseng, and someone discovered it and reported it to Shuntian Prefecture..."

"No one was killed, right?"

"That's not the case, but we found two fake ginsengs in the shop, and a few that had lost their medicinal properties, which confirmed the charges!"

"Okay, I get it, just keep watching!"

He didn't expect that the Xue family would actually sell fake ginseng.

I couldn't help but feel fortunate that I didn't have any deep entanglement with the Xue family.

If it had happened under normal circumstances and nothing serious had happened, he wouldn't mind using this as a threat to force the Xue family to submit.

But now is a time of turmoil, and we must not lose the big picture for the sake of small gains.

After getting on the carriage, he gave some instructions to Xier and headed straight for Shuntian Prefecture.

Shuntian Prefecture Governor Li Mingyuan came out from the hall and said, "Master Zhang! What brings you here?"

"Mr. Li, you are too polite!" Zhang Yunyi bowed slightly and got straight to the point, "I heard that your mansion has recently received a case involving fake ginseng?"

Li Mingyuan smiled and said, "It's just a piece of cake, why do you have to make a trip in person?"

Zhang Yunyi did not argue and said directly: "Ginseng is a life-saving thing. It is related to human life, so we should be cautious!"

"This..." Li Mingyuan didn't expect that his flattery would hit the horse's leg. He asked in confusion, "Then the Xue family... doesn't it have some relationship with you, sir?"

"Friendship is friendship, duty is duty. We are deeply blessed by the emperor, how can we bend the law for personal gain? I also heard about this matter, and came here to ask Lord Zhang to deal with it impartially."

Although he didn't say hello, but when the wall falls, everyone pushes it; when the drum is broken, everyone beats it. There's no guarantee that someone won't take advantage of the situation to make trouble, so it's better to be cautious.

Li Mingyuan was confused for a moment and tried to probe: "This matter is quite strange. I heard that the Xue family is an imperial merchant. I think they are not short of this little money. It may be that the clerk is deceiving his superiors and hiding the truth from his subordinates. Why don't we arrest the clerk and ask him first?"

What Li Mingyuan said makes sense.

The Xue family was originally a royal merchant, and although this was a bit exaggerated, they cut off the caustic soda business, but gained two new sources of income, sugar and glass. They were not so foolish as to be interested in the small profits of selling fake ginseng.

If it is true that the guy is deceiving his superiors and hiding the truth from his subordinates, we should not wrongly accuse a good person.

Zhang Yunyi nodded and said, "Yes! Remember to handle this impartially and don't give anyone a chance to criticize you!"

After leaving Shuntian Prefecture, he came to Tiangongyuan.

Still a little worried, he asked Xier to call Zhang Dehui over.

After explaining the matter in general, he instructed: "Go and ask the shopkeeper who is familiar with the Xue family what the fake ginseng is about."

Although the words have been said bluntly enough, there is no guarantee that Shuntian Prefecture will not make a false confession in order to please himself.

As an elder of the Xue family, it was convenient for Zhang Dehui to inquire about these matters, and he could also verify them with Shuntian Prefecture to avoid listening to one side only and giving others a handle on him.

After the arrangements were completed, Gu Wenhui walked into the duty room.

After closing the door, he whispered, "Sir! His Highness has sent a message that the memorial from Jiangnan will be delivered to the capital in a few days, and we are also making the next plan."

It was Mei Lian who was being too clever. In order to build up momentum, the memorial was not delivered to the capital at full speed. Instead, it was paraded through the streets, escorted by a group of senior students.

It was half a month later than Gu Dashou had originally estimated, which gave Zhang Yunyi ample time to prepare.

However, time was still a bit tight. The iron ship had not yet been completed, but the simple train had been completed for some time, and they even found time to cast a batch of rails.

Fearing that the emperor's enthusiasm had worn off, Zhang Yun逸 remained patient and waited until the memorial arrived in Beijing.

"Okay! Everything has been arranged. I will go to the palace to see the emperor tomorrow!"

……

Mei Lian made such a big fuss, and naturally Zhang Yun逸 was not the only one who got wind of it.

Inside the Ministry of Personnel, Jia Yucun had a frown on his face.

After finally getting through the court session and returning home, he went to Jiao Xing's room.

"Don't go to the old couple's place recently!"

Jiao Xing felt relieved when she heard this. Xiangling and other female relatives were all at the farm outside the city.

Zhang Yun逸 was alone and stayed in the mansion.

Whenever he returned home, he had to go see his son, and it was inevitable that the two would bump into each other.

Although Zhang Yunyi did not do anything extreme, Jiao Xing had a preconceived impression of him and she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable every time she saw him.

However, Jia Yucun's sudden change surprised her, and she wondered, "Could something have happened?"

Jia Yucun did not hide it from her and told her about the impeachment in Jiangnan.

Jiao Xing was horrified and said, "Then...then should I go tell my sister..."

"No!" Jia Yucun hurriedly stopped him.

He thought for a moment and added, "My dear brother and the elder are close friends, how could there be no news? As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. This matter is serious and we can't help much. It is better to protect ourselves. If something really happens, the two elders and your sister will not be left without anyone to take care of them. It can be regarded as repaying his favor."

Having served as an official for many years, he is well versed in how to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune.

He doesn't mind lending a hand as long as it doesn't affect himself.

But if the matter was really too serious, he would not put himself in danger for the so-called friendship.

I was just worried that Jiao Xing would get too concerned, so I just wanted to calm her down temporarily.

With this promise, Jiao Xing did not insist any more. After all, Zhang Yunyi was just an outsider with ill intentions to her.

……

(End of this chapter)