The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 446: Bringing the Wolf In for the Second Time
The eighth day of July.

Jia Zheng, who had been staying at the Jiangnan Imperial Envoy's Office for seven or eight days, was pacing in the room.

Suddenly, he rushed out of the door, came to the courtyard gate, and said to the two servants guarding outside: "Is Yucun back?"

"I don't know, little one!"

Jia Zheng hesitated a little and said, "Forget it. I'll come back and tell your master that I've been out for too long. I'll go back first."

When the Zhen family sent someone to invite him, he agreed without a second thought.

I originally thought that a round trip would only take seven or eight days.

But now, including the time on the road, it has been almost half a month since he opened the Zhejiang Education Office.

If I continue to delay like this, I will be impeached by someone with ulterior motives, which would at least be considered as desertion from duty.

"My Lord has ordered us to take good care of you until he returns!"

"This..." Jia Zheng said angrily, "How long do we have to wait? I still have a lot of things to do in the government office..."

As he was speaking, Jia Yucun walked in with several guards.

Jia Zheng hurriedly called out: "Yucun..."

As soon as he shouted, Jia Yucun on the other side raised his right hand over his shoulder and waved forward.

Several guards stepped forward quickly, held Jia Zheng down like a lamb, and then pulled out ropes and tied him up tightly.

"You...what are you doing?"

Jia Yucun said with a fake smile: "My uncle also said that if you eat the emperor's salary, you should worry about the emperor. I was ordered to go south to investigate thoroughly, but you left your post without permission and came to the Zhen family to lobby for them. I can only kill my relatives for the sake of justice!"

"What...what did you say?"

He waved his hand, and several guards immediately stepped back.

Jia Yucun leaned over and whispered in his ear, "However, since we are related, as long as your uncle tells the Jinyiwei the whole story and slanders Your Majesty as a traitor, I will help your uncle conceal something!"

"So...it turns out you have been lying to me all along!" Jia Zheng woke up as if from a dream.

Jia Yucun burst out laughing. He was originally worried that Jia Zheng would see through his double-faced behavior and threaten him with aiding and abetting the tyrant, but he didn't expect that he was worrying too much.

"Uncle, what do you think? If I wasn't worried about alerting the enemy and giving them time to cover up the evidence, why would I pretend to be friendly with someone as disloyal and unfilial as you?"

Jia Yucun raised his hand and said to the guards beside him, "Go! Take him away and hand him over to Lord Lu of the Imperial Guards!"

"Jin...Jinyiwei?" Jia Zheng's legs went weak and he would have almost collapsed to the ground if he hadn't been supported by the guards.

"For the sake of our family ties, I would like to advise you again, Uncle. The Zhen family is in trouble right now. Lord Lu has already sent the Royal Guards to surround the Zhen family. They are just waiting to find out the charges and wait for the Emperor to make his decision. Don't take the blame for them and put your family in trouble!"

After saying that, he was too lazy to pay any more attention to Jia Zheng. He returned to the study, lay down on the desk, and wrote a letter.

Fang summoned a servant and ordered, "Ride as fast as you can and deliver this letter to Ningguo Mansion..."

……

Rongguo Mansion, Xue family courtyard, side hall.

Xue Pan's face was red and he raised his wine glass and said, "I didn't treat you well last time. I'm sorry to trouble you to carry me back. I'll drink a glass as punishment first!"

Xue Pan failed to find an opportunity at the Hundred Days Banquet. After returning, he proposed to invite Zhang Yun逸 to his house again on the grounds that he had not entertained him well last time.

Aunt Xue also reluctantly agreed.

With the experience from last time, Zhang Yunyi was familiar with the situation this time, and half-jokingly said, "One cup is not enough, if you want to punish me, I'll punish you with three cups!"

As he spoke, he looked up and down at Aunt Xue, who was sitting restlessly beside him, with a greasy face. The sight made her tremble with fear. She unconsciously closed her legs and kept glancing at Xue Pan out of the corner of her eyes.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Xue Pan was not vague and drank the three glasses of wine in one gulp.

He started the conversation, and Zhang Yunyi took advantage of the situation and toasted him twice. After three rounds of drinking, Xue Pan felt a little tipsy, so he said to Aunt Xue, "Last time, mother didn't drink much, and I was very rude to you. This time, I should share my burden and drink a few more cups with you, my benefactor!"

Fearing that Aunt Xue would interfere, Xue Pan decided to get his mother drunk first so that he could bring them together with Baochai.

In other aspects, Aunt Xue was willing to go through fire and water, but she was unwilling to share the burden of drinking with her son.

She was about to refuse, but unexpectedly, Zhang Yunyi came closer with a wine glass in hand.

He said with a double meaning, "We are all family, it doesn't matter who accompanies whom, so I'll accompany my wife!"

Xue Pan could still refuse, but Zhang Yunyi would not allow her to refuse.

He quickly picked up the wine glass, but because he was worried that Zhang Yunyi would use the same trick again, he stopped himself from getting up and searched his body, but he did not dare to get up.

But just as he put the wine glass to his lips, Xue Pan said dissatisfiedly: "My benefactor did not care and took the initiative to accompany mother. Why is mother still sitting and drinking? Isn't it showing off in front of my benefactor?"

Aunt Xue had no choice but to bite the bullet and pretend to stand up.

Unexpectedly, this time Zhang Yun逸 did not obstruct and everything went very smoothly.

She had just relaxed her guard when she suddenly felt something tight behind her. She didn't know when Zhang Yunyi's big hand had covered her with his body and moved around behind her. He held the wine glass in one hand and looked at her, saying with a half-smile, "It's big to begin with!"

Feeling Zhang Yunyi's clutches, fists like he was kneading dough, Aunt Xue's face suddenly felt hot.

She quickly raised the cup and drank it all. In order to hide the strangeness on her face, she stuck out her tongue, raised her hand to fan her lips, and exhaled, "This wine is so strong!"

She wasn't completely pretending. Unlike last time, the wine this time was prepared by Xue Pan.

However, although the mother and son had the same idea, Xue Pan's wine was obviously more difficult to drink than what she had prepared.

Xue Pan said bluntly: "This wine is just like a woman, the stronger the wine, the more addictive it is!"

"Bah!" Aunt Xue shouted, "What are you talking about!"

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. While scolding her son, she glanced at Zhang Yunyi guiltily, and her body unconsciously moved twice, thus escaping from Zhang Yunyi's clutches.

After sitting down again, Fang said to Xue Pan: "Where did you learn these nonsense? Don't you consider the occasion? Why don't you apologize to Yun Yi!"

Xue Pan knew he was in the wrong, so he had to admit his guilt and picked up the wine glass.

But after finishing the drink, he poured himself another glass and said, "My son is outspoken. Let me drink a glass with my mother as an apology!"

Aunt Xue was about to refuse, but Xue Pan added: "If mother refuses to drink, I will be really ashamed..."

With no other options, she had to drink another glass.

Unexpectedly, just after drinking the glass of wine, Xue Pan said again: "My benefactor has just accompanied my mother, and my mother should also go over and accompany my benefactor!"

Aunt Xue realized that something was wrong after hearing the constant urging to drink.

No one knows a son better than his mother. After a moment's hesitation, she guessed Xue Pan's idea and decided to play along.

He came to Zhang Yunyi with a glass of wine and clinked glasses with Zhang Yunyi.

She bent her legs slightly to stop Zhang Yunyi from getting further and further away. She supported the table with one hand and pressed her forehead with the other hand and said, "No, this wine is too strong. I feel dizzy. I'll ask Wenlong to stay here with you. I'm going back first!"

This was exactly what Xue Pan wanted, so he hurriedly said, "Mother, you can go back and have a rest. I'm here!"

Zhang Yunyi thought she had learned her lesson from the last time and was going back to prepare in advance, so he did not stop her. He took back his hand and said cryptically, "Madam, go first. Wenlong and I will have a few more drinks!"

Aunt Xue understood the hidden meaning and the blush on her face became even more intense.

After opening the door, she said to Tongxi and Tonggui outside, "I'm going to go back to bed now. You don't have to go back to serve me later. Just like last time, stay with my brother!"

"Got it, Madam!" The two of them quickly agreed.

……

(End of this chapter)