The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 451: The Cuckoo Occupies the Nest

"Yi... Master Yi..."

"Is the old lady here?" Zhang Yunyi nodded at her.

"Yes! Yes!"

In front of Rongqing Hall, Hubo looked surprised and shouted into the house: "Old lady, Master Yi is here!"

She was not aware of the outcome of yesterday's discussion at Lady Jia's residence. She only knew that Lady Jia came back somewhat distracted.

She thought the result was not satisfactory, but unexpectedly, Zhang Yunyi took the initiative to visit her today.

Zhang Yunyi took the lead and ordered, "Go! Call Lai Da, Lin Zhixiao and all the stewards in the mansion!"

"Hey! I'll go and call right now!"

Amber didn't ask the reason, she quickly agreed and ran out of the yard.

When they were brought in, they saw three chairs placed in front of Rongqing Hall, with Lady Jia and Madams Xing and Wang sitting upright on the chairs.

Zhang Yunyi stood proudly in the middle of the yard.

When the crowd below had gathered, Zhang Yunyi cleared his throat. The crowd fell silent, and he called out his orders, "Lin Zhixiao! From now on, you will be in charge of the money spent in the mansion. Calculate the income and expenditure carefully and make a list as soon as possible!"

"I understand!" Lin Zhixiao's cheeks were filled with joy.

Zhang Yunyi nodded slightly at him, then turned to look at Lai Dadao: "Lai Da! You continue to be a good steward and control the people under you. When Lin Zhixiao's income and expenditure are calculated, you two can discuss and streamline what needs to be streamlined..."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was a sudden uproar in the audience.

Lai Da turned around and shouted sternly: "My Lord, you haven't finished speaking yet, who dares to make a noise?"

The place suddenly fell silent. Zhang Yunyi looked around and said, "I just discussed with the old lady and the two wives. The government is short of money and has been unable to make ends meet. Now that I am a criminal, it is not easy to be extravagant. We need to cut down on all expenses."

He paused and said, "Don't worry about losing your livelihood. I'm still short of manpower on my farm. All the extra people can come to me for employment. From now on, all the jobs in the mansion will be filled through competition. As long as you work hard, not only will you want to come back, but you will also have the opportunity to be independent!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the managers below looked at Lai Da.

These managers are all quite smart. Besides, they are no different from ordinary servants and have made a lot of money over the years.

Although it seems that the Rongguo Mansion has escaped the disaster for now, and Zhang Yunyi is no easier to fool than the Rongguo Mansion, it is still not as safe as switching to him.

In particular, Zhang Yun逸 bluntly said that the Rongguo Mansion was empty of officials, and if he stayed to manage it, he would probably not be able to make any money.

However, not everyone thinks this way.

For this group of managers, they have made a lot of money over the years, so naturally they prefer stability.

For servants, it doesn't matter where they go, as they will have to do hard labor.

But for a maid like Amber who serves in the house, the treatment is very different.

Although they were maids, they were only responsible for chores around the house and never had to do any housework, not even washing clothes or ironing them themselves.

It is difficult to go from luxury to frugality, so how can one endure the hardships that Zhuangzi experienced?

Although Zhang Yun逸 didn't mind supporting the Rongguo Mansion, he was unwilling to be a sucker and use his own money to support the Rongguo Mansion's squandering.

On the one hand, sending these servants away can reduce expenses and replenish the manpower on the family farm; on the other hand, it can also serve as a warning to others and naturally reduce the number of maids around Mrs. Wang and others in order to cover up the truth.

He turned to look at Mrs. Wang: "After all, this matter was caused by the Second Master, so let the Second Madam set an example first!"

From the time he gave the orders until now, Lady Jia and Madams Xing and Wang have been like puppets.

At this moment, when Zhang Yunyi called her name, Madam Wang suddenly woke up and said, "I... will only leave Yuchuan in the room, and a few maids and old women will do the rough work outside!"

Although Zhang Yun逸 had said so before, he never expected it to be reduced to this extent.

Amber looked at Lady Jia in astonishment, only to see that she seemed to be asleep, with her head down and not saying a word.

She was just worrying that it would be Lady Jia's turn to express her opinion next, but she saw Zhang Yunyi waved his hand and said, "Alright! We can decide on the specific streamlining after Lin Zhixiao has finished the statistics!" Hearing this, Amber couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Little did they know that Zhang Yun逸 had no intention of touching Lady Jia's maid, but was just using it as an excuse to keep more people away from Lady Wang.

She narrowed her eyes, lost in thought, and heard Zhang Yunyi continue: "In the garden, there is no need to move Baoyu and the girls. If there is any shortage later, just withdraw some money from me and use it to supplement it!"

After a slap in the face, she was given a sweet date. Grandmother Jia had already endured it, and with Lady Wang by her side, she couldn't reduce Jia Baoyu's expenses any further.

As for Li Wan and the girls in the garden, those were their own fish ponds, so it was naturally his responsibility to pay for the expenses.

This statement brought mixed feelings.

What makes them happy is that there are people in the garden, but what worries them is that if the garden is not moved, the maids in the front and back yards will inevitably be laid off even more severely.

But, when the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?

Even the Rongguo Mansion could not protect itself, how could they dare to raise any objections?
Those who have connections are thinking about smoothing over the relationship with Lai Da and Lin Zhixiao after they go there, while those who don't have connections can only hope to find a better job after they go to the village.

Amber pursed her lips and looked at the indifferent Yuanyang beside her.

She thought to herself that considering how important Yuanyang was in Lady Jia's heart, it would probably not be her turn to leave.

Zhang Yunyi continued to talk, "I'm afraid there will be a lot of things to do these days, so I'll stay in Mengpozhai first, so that you won't be unable to find me when you are undecided!"

Zhang Yunyi smiled and waved his hand, saying, "That's enough of what we have to say. You can go back and do your respective duties!"

From beginning to end, Grandmother Jia was like a clay Buddha, not saying a word.

After Zhang Yunyi had finished giving her instructions, she managed to force a smile and said, "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble!"

Unlike when Jia Zheng left the capital, this time it can be considered as a true occupation of the magpie's nest, so naturally he has to be a good master.

Although Grandmother Jia was extremely reluctant about the current situation, she had no choice but to swallow her anger and rely on Zhang Yunyi to help her maintain her appearance in order to prevent people from becoming unsettled and doing something like a wicked servant bullying his master.

Not only can you only swallow your anger, but you also have to thank him.

……

While Zhang Yunyi was taking over the imperial palace, a power transfer was also taking place in the palace.

The King of Qin raised his head with a serious expression: "Father is in his prime, I am afraid that I am stupid..."

"I have made up my mind. The edict to make you the crown prince has been issued. After the Wanshou Festival, I will pass the throne to you."

Emperor Zhengqing didn't wait for him to finish, and raised his hand to interrupt him, "Get up! I still have a few things I need to tell you."

"Father, please speak!"

"A ruler should remember not to be indecisive. You are good in everything else except that you are too lenient."

At this point, his eyes were deep, a sinister look flashed across his face, and his voice became low: "Don't look at those people, they are full of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness, but their hearts are full of selfishness! Take this time for example, they seem to be loyal ministers who give direct advice, but some of them are seeking fame and profit behind the scenes. They even smuggled bird droppings in secret to compete with the country for profit... cough cough cough!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, and couldn't stop coughing.

"Father, please take care of your health!"

The King of Qin immediately stepped forward and gently patted Emperor Zhengqing on the back.

"Don't worry! I won't die yet!"

Emperor Zhengqing took a breath and continued, "I originally established the Tiangong Academy for the purpose of gaining merit, but in the past two years, the inner treasury has been filled, especially the bird droppings, which will benefit future generations. Don't be misled by those with bad intentions."

"Don't worry, Father! I will definitely make Tiangong Academy flourish!"

"Yes!" Emperor Zhengqing nodded and said, "Take some time to go to Xiyuan and take a look. If the train can be put into operation, it can be used to transport food for disaster relief, transport taxes, and transport food for troops. The amount of food and horses saved is unimaginable!"

……

(End of this chapter)