The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 486: Two Sides
"Sir, you are back just in time. The first edition of the newspaper has been distributed to various places and will be published on October 1st. We are currently adopting a cooperative model, and the partners are all introduced by Elder Gu..."

In Ningguo Mansion, Zhang Yunyi briefly introduced the preliminary preparations to Zhen Shiyin, and then continued, "We must be on guard against others. We will have to take care of our own network later!"

Zhen Shiyin pondered and said, "If we replace them ourselves, will it be seen as destroying the bridge after crossing the river? A strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. If the elders and partners misunderstand..."

"Sir, don't worry about this. When I talked to the elders, I also kept a trick up my sleeve. I used the improved papermaking technology as a bargaining chip. They have no profit in printing and selling, so there will be no problem for us to replace them. I'm afraid they will be so happy!"

"That's good! Your letter said it was the emperor's wish, so I asked Zhang Dehui to stay in the south to recruit personnel while checking the accounts."

"Ok!"

With the approval of Emperor Wanlong, there was really no need to hide anything. Zhang Yunyi nodded and said, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket. The arrangements on the Xue family's side must continue. The network on the newspaper side is not something that can be built overnight. Instead, we can take a two-pronged approach and spread both sides in Jiangnan. By then, the newspaper will employ people from Jiangnan, so it won't arouse suspicion."

"Then I will go meet Gu Guangshan in the next few days and ask about the partners in Jiangnan before rushing back."

"Mr. has worked hard running back and forth!"

"Why would it be tiring to travel by boat?" Zhen Shiyin frowned and said, "Nowadays, refugees are everywhere in Jiangnan, and it is not safe to travel by land. I don't want to cause trouble and delay my work."

"There are refugees everywhere? Didn't they use the proceeds from the confiscation of property to provide disaster relief on the spot?"

Zhen Shiyin smiled bitterly and said, "That's just a drop in the bucket. Although the emperor killed a chicken to scare the monkeys, the crime he was punished for was not annexation of land, but smuggling guano and slander."

Zhang Yun逸 was indeed somewhat prejudiced. He thought that raiding the Zhen family and several wealthy families in Jiangnan would be enough to make an example of them, but he ignored the charges.

Moreover, land annexation was not unique to the Great Xia Dynasty, but a long-standing problem throughout the dynasties.

In ancient times, imperial power did not extend to the countryside, and the court had to rely on local elites to govern the people. Even the emperor could not necessarily touch these interests.

For example, Zhang Juzheng's "One Whip" method is only a temporary solution and does not address the root cause.

Throughout history, only teachers with such courage can completely eradicate this evil.

It is easy to wield the knife against the weak, and to wield the knife against the strong only requires a burst of courage or a momentary impulse, but reforms that turn the blade inward require both rationality and courage.

Although Zhang Yun逸 now has some power and hopes to change this malpractice and benefit the people to the best of his ability, he is not yet ready in terms of either power or courage.

For a moment, there was silence.

Zhen Shiyin sighed: "Even the family of the eldest lady next door, the younger brother, could not make ends meet and had to come to the capital for refuge. This is a clear example!"

"Oh?" Zhang Yunyi asked casually, "How did you know that, sir?"

"It's difficult to travel by land now. When I was returning to Beijing, I happened to meet the second branch of the Xue family and the Xing family on their way to Beijing, so I took them with me. When I came back just now, I dropped them off at Rongguo Mansion."

Zhang Yunyi thought to himself that the direction of the original novel had been changed, as Xing Xiuyan actually went to Beijing at the same time as Xue Baoqin.

How can we sweep the world without sweeping a house?

Upon hearing this, he immediately forgot about the sufferings of the people and at the same time imagined what Xing Xiuyan and Xue Baoqin looked like.

On the other hand, he said, "Since refugees are everywhere in the south, I think you should hold off for now..."

"It's okay! I will coordinate when I get to Jinling. As long as they don't run around, small groups of refugees won't be able to cause trouble in the city."

Zhen Shiyin stood up and said, "Yun Yi, go and do your work first! I'll go see Cheng Si and Xiang Ling."

"Let's go! I'll go with you, sir!"

Zhang Yun逸 went to the pavilion on the mountain with Zhen Shiyin and chatted with him before leaving.

He then went to Dou Feng Xuan and said to You Shi, "Pick out a few more pieces of fabric and send them to the first wife and the concubine."

After finishing the instructions, they passed through the east corner gate of the Grand View Garden and arrived at the Rongguo Mansion.

After a little inquiries, he learned that Xing Xiuyun and Xue Baoqin were at Grandmother Jia's place, so he went straight to Rongqing Hall.

……

Rongqing Hall. The sisters talked to Xing Xiuyan and Xue Baoqin, roughly recounting the plot of the Legend of the White Snake.

Xue Baoqin asked curiously, "By the way! How old is Brother Yi? He can actually make up such a strange story."

Xue Baochai smiled and said, "Brother Yi! He is about the same age as my brother!"

"So young?" Xue Baoqin stuck out her tongue, not without surprise, "I thought he was just young, if not 50 or 60, he must be at least 30 or 40..."

Lin Daiyu covered her mouth and laughed, "There are so many strange people and things in this world. You have traveled a lot and have seen a lot, so why haven't you met one or two of them?"

Although she was teasing Xue Baoqin for making a fuss out of nothing, she actually classified Zhang Yun逸 as a strange person in her words.

Everyone agreed with it and no one objected.

Xue Baoqin laughed even more exaggeratedly, "I have seen some strange people and things, but most of them were white-haired. How could there be such a young strange person and thing? Besides, everyone has their own expertise. If you just make up a story, it's not rare. Isn't it that the white sugar, glass and..."

At this point, she realized that she had spoken too quickly and was afraid that if she mentioned bird droppings, the topic would be led to impeachment, so she quickly stopped talking.

Xue Baochai quickly took over the conversation and said, "More than that! You don't know that the fruits on Brother Yi's farm are even sweeter and more delicious than what we eat on weekdays, regardless of the season. I'm afraid that you, a greedy little cat, have gotten used to them and won't want to leave!"

Shi Xiangyun smiled and said, "I am curious about how greedy Sister Baoqin is that Sister Bao can't forget about her."

Everyone looked at Xue Baoqin inquiringly. She swallowed and lowered her head in embarrassment.

Because she changed the subject on purpose, her shyness seemed a bit pretentious.

But Xing Xiuyan took it seriously and interrupted, "Speaking of strange people and strange things, the girl from Zhenzhen Country that Sister Baoqin told me about, although she is a barbarian from a foreign country, she can recite the Five Classics and compose poems and lyrics. She can be considered half a strange person..."

She immediately repeated what she had heard from Xue Baoqin.

Everyone hurriedly urged, "Tell us the poem she wrote!"

Xue Baoqin then read:

Last night I dreamed of a red building, tonight I sing about the water country.

Island clouds rise from the sea, and mist connects to the jungle.

The moon has no past or present, and love has its own shallowness or depth.

Spring is here in southern China, so how can I not be concerned about it?

Everyone was amazed when they heard this.

"God, you have so much talent and wisdom to give birth to such outstanding people. Even a foreign woman has such talent. How ridiculous that I am just sitting in a well and looking at the world from afar!"

Jia Baoyu, who was standing by, beat his chest and stamped his feet, and said with some emotion: "What a pity! I am trapped in the mansion, and I have no chance to meet such a beautiful woman!"

His words undoubtedly hit a snag again, but after previous experiences, even Xing Xiuyan and Xue Baoqin were no longer surprised.

In addition, the poem recited by Baoqin was considered to be extremely outstanding for a foreign woman, but compared with the poems of others, it was quite ordinary.

Therefore, he had no intention of competing with him or vying for supremacy, and just let Jia Baoyu's words go in one ear and out the other.

But everyone ignored Jia Baoyu, who continued to ask questions and even inquired about the appearance of the girl from Zhenzhen Country, and became even more noisy.

"Could it be that she is even more fair than Sister Bao?"

He was pestering Xue Baoqin, asking her all sorts of questions, chattering away, when he suddenly heard a voice from outside: "Master Yi is here!"

No one had time to pay attention to him anymore. Even Jia's mother and others stopped talking and stared at the screen.

……

(End of this chapter)