The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 499: The fierce collision

"What a curse! Why don't you kneel down!"

Seeing her son walk into the mourning hall, Mrs. Mei could no longer suppress her anger and said angrily, "It's fine for you to blame your father behind closed doors, but how can you say such shameless and treasonous words in front of outsiders today!"

Mei Pi looked aggrieved and said, "I just followed my mother's instructions. Why do you blame me?"

"You..." Mrs. Mei was stunned. She looked at her son in surprise and laughed angrily, "When did I say that?"

Mei Pi said confidently: "Didn't mother say yesterday that saving one's life is more important than anything else and asked her son to cherish his life?"

"I want you to cherish your life, but I don't want you to be servile and treat the thief as your uncle!"

She originally wanted to scold her son for recognizing a thief as his father, but fortunately she reacted in time. If she had shouted that out loud, she would undoubtedly have been implicated as well.

She was just feeling lucky to have changed her words in time, but her son kept bringing up the issue, saying, "Mother wanted to say that her son recognized a thief as his father, so just say it directly. Why bother to be so secretive and change the idiom randomly!"

"you!"

Mrs. Mei was immediately furious, and she didn't know whether she was angry at her son or ashamed of herself for being implicated.

Her pretty face flushed red, and she didn't bother to argue with her son. She said angrily, "Don't talk about other things. You haven't even answered my question yet! When did I ever let you recognize a thief as your father?"

"Mother, why do you ask even though you know the answer? If I offend the Marquis, how can I save my life?"

"Stop messing around here!"

Madam Mei glared at her son, looked outside and said, "He just said that he would not embarrass us orphans and widows. I think with his status, he would not go back on his word!"

It is pitiful to see the love of parents in the world. Although Mrs. Mei has been scolding and scolding Mei Pi since he entered the room, her intentions are good and there is a deep meaning behind her.

It is easy to dodge an open attack, but difficult to guard against a hidden arrow, not to mention the huge disparity in status between the two sides?
And Zhang Yunyi even dared to make trouble in the mourning hall. If he really wanted to kill the orphan and the widow, she knew she would not have much room to resist.

After returning to the mourning hall and calming down, she became even more frightened.

Therefore, although he seemed to be blaming his son as soon as he entered the door, in fact, he also wanted to use this conversation to reduce Zhang Yunyi's disgust towards his son as much as possible and try to get rid of Mei Pi.

So, she deliberately shouted loudly so that Zhang Yunyi outside could hear it.

It’s a pity that Mei Pi didn’t know Mrs. Mei’s painstaking efforts and did not cooperate loudly.

However, although Zhang Yun逸 was not aware of Mrs. Mei's good intentions and could not hear the entire conversation, he roughly guessed the plot of a loving father and a filial son, so he listened with great interest.

Especially when the mother and son were discussing recognizing the thief as their father and recognizing the thief as their uncle, Mrs. Mei was shy and wanted to speak. Although he could not see it, Zhang Yun逸 heard the intermittent and hesitant words.

I couldn't help but have some wild thoughts.

However, he was also very curious. Mrs. Mei was right. He had said it before. How could Mei Pi be so sure that he would not let them go?

However, although he listened attentively, not only could he not hear Mei Pi's voice clearly, but even Mrs. Mei's voice became lower.

He just thought that Mei Pi was at a loss for words and it was a bit disappointing.

However, Mei Pi in the mourning hall was saying confidently, "Mother, have you forgotten? Your son still owes a lot of foreign debts. If he can't pay them back in time, how can he save his life?"

When mentioning this, Madam Mei was afraid that Zhang Yunyi would hear it, so she lowered her voice and said, "Evil creature! Don't let him hear it. Didn't we agree to let the Xue family help you pay off your debt?"

Mei Pi did not refute his mother this time. He lowered his voice and said in coordination with Madam Mei, "Mother, why don't you think about why the Xue family came to cancel the engagement? They kept talking about the Marquis. If they knew that he came to the mansion to make a scene in the funeral hall today, how could they help their son pay off his debts?"

"We don't have to tell the Xue family!"

"How can I keep it a secret when the creditor comes to collect the debt? Once the Xue family finds out, I'm afraid not only will they not pay off their son's debt, but they will also force the creditor to kill him. As long as my son dies, the engagement will naturally be annulled!"

Madam Mei looked horrified, but said in a timid tone, "How dare they! Is there no law under the emperor's feet?"

"If the Marquis hadn't come, the government might have intervened. But now, I'm afraid not only will the government not uphold justice, but even the creditors will hear the news and will not wait until my father is buried, and will come to collect the debt and curry favor with him!"

At this point, Mei Pi shook his head helplessly.

Although his words were full of loopholes, Mrs. Mei was already at a loss as her son's life was at stake. Her legs went limp and she collapsed to the ground.

Fortunately, there were kneeling cushions in the mourning hall, and she happened to sit on the cushion, but didn't bump into anything.

Mei Pi saw this, and the joy in his eyes flashed and disappeared. He said in a pretentious manner: "My son has always been determined to die. If it weren't for my mother's instructions, why would I be so humble? Since I think my son is wrong, it would be better for me to kick him out right away. Even if I completely offend him, I won't have to endure such humiliation!"

"No! My son! Don't be stupid!"

Mrs. Mei's scream was so heartbreaking that it not only made Mei Pi stop, but also scared Zhang Yunyi who was outside the mourning hall.

"Why bother, mother? He is going to die anyway, so why not let his son die cleanly?"

"There is always a way out, there is always a way!"

Although Mrs. Mei spoke with certainty, she was trying to reassure her son, so there was a hint of guilt in her words.

Unexpectedly, Mei Pi frowned and said: "Unless..."

Mrs. Mei felt like she had grasped a life-saving straw and hurriedly asked, "Unless what?"

"Unless the Marquis is willing to let his son go!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Mrs. Mei woke up as if from a dream. She tried to stand up with both hands while hurriedly saying, "The person who tied the bell should be the one to untie it. We should go and ask him to show mercy!"

"Not to mention that my mother just offended him, he is still angry now. Why should we ask him to show mercy?"

"As long as I can keep you safe, I'll give it a try even if it means sacrificing my reputation!"

"Now that the news has spread, even if he is willing to show mercy, people outside may not believe it... unless..."

Mei Pi hesitated to speak again.

"Unless what? Tell me now!"

"Mother also knows that my son has always been on good terms with the son of Minister Zhou, so he knows some of the inside story." Mei Pi took a deep breath and asked, "Jia Zheng of Rongguo Mansion is the same as my father. Mother, do you know why Rongguo Mansion escaped the disaster?"

"Why?" Mei Pi said calmly, "Not only did Jia Zheng escape a disaster, but his illegitimate son is still studying in the Immortal Academy. Not only did the Marquis not vent his anger on him, he even wrote a letter to recommend him for a ninth-rank official position. It was only because the Marquis had some unknown hobbies, and the Marquis loved Jia Zheng's illegitimate son's biological mother so much that he even recognized her as his godfather!"

"You...what did you say?"

Although Mei Pi was talking about the secrets of Rongguo Mansion, how could Mrs. Mei not hear the hidden meaning?

"Now, the news of the Marquis's visit has probably spread. Simply asking him to show mercy may not be enough to save my son. The only option is to ask him to take care of him..."

Mei Pi ignored his mother's increasingly embarrassed expression and continued to persuade her, "I just saw him staring at you outside. I'm sure you like him! Tiangongyuan is making a fortune every day, and that little debt is nothing to him. If you are willing to suffer some grievances for your son and be patient for a while, not only can you save your son's life, but you can also turn a disaster into a blessing!"

"Evil creature! Evil creature! You actually really want to..."

Although Mei Pi tried his best to cover it up, he was in a hurry to achieve success, especially the phrase "a blessing in disguise", which completely betrayed him.

Previously, although Mrs. May scolded him for recognizing a thief as her father, it was just to get rid of him. She had a clear conscience and it was not difficult for her to say it.

Now that my words have come true, it is hard to bring up the topic.

Although Mei Pi didn't know that Madam Mei saw through him, he was panicked when he heard the scolding. He fell to his knees with a plop and said without thinking: "Mother! Whether my son can save his life depends entirely on you. The Marquis just told me outside that as long as you satisfy him, everything will be fine!"

"In front of your father's spirit, you actually said such a shameless thing of selling out your mother for fame. You...you are going to piss me off to death!"

Mei Pi became more and more panicked. He kowtowed repeatedly and cried, "Mother! Not only is my father dead, but I have also made such an enemy. If you don't care about me, I will really die!"

He told so many lies that he even believed them himself, and he acted out his anxious look to the fullest.

Mrs. Mei was able to remain ruthless at first, but when she saw her son crying and kowtowing so much, she became worried that he might hurt his head.

Thinking of this precious son, he couldn't help but let out a sigh and said, "That's it!"

Upon hearing this, Mei Pi immediately raised his head with a look of surprise.

Mrs. Mei originally wanted to scold him, but when she saw her son looking at her, she lowered her head guiltily.

With a hoarse voice, he said, "You...you take him to my room in the backyard first...no...take him to the side room in the backyard..."

After Mrs. Mei said this, her body seemed to be drained of energy and she collapsed.

"Hey! Hey! I'll take the Marquis there right away!" Mei Pi kowtowed again, "I will definitely be filial to my mother in the future!"

After saying that, he ran to Zhang Yun逸.

"My Lord! My Lord! My nephew has already made an appointment with my mother. Please go to the backyard with me and wait. My mother will be here soon!"

Just now, there seemed to be a desperate situation in the mourning hall, but now they have changed their expressions. Zhang Yunyi couldn't help but worry that there was something fishy going on.

He looked at the mourning hall in front of him and asked suspiciously, "The backyard? Isn't this possible?"

"This..." Mei Pi was stunned, but after a slight hesitation, he said, "This is what my mother wanted. After all, my father's coffin is still in the hall..."

Zhang Yunyi sneered, "If you want to show your sincerity, wouldn't it be better to do it in front of your father?"

Mei Pi thought he did it on purpose. How could he dare to disobey Zhang Yunyi's wishes?
Thinking that since my mother had already given in, I wouldn't have to make it a big deal.

However, he was also worried that his mother would be embarrassed if she saw him, so he bowed his head and made a gesture of invitation, saying: "Well... my mother is inside, and I will go outside to wait for her, so I won't take you in!"

Zhang Yunyi did not doubt it. He stood up from his chair and walked into the mourning hall.

Mrs. Mei, who was in the mourning hall, had not yet recovered her breath. When she saw Zhang Yunyi coming in, she felt ashamed and angry.

His oval face, which was the size of a palm, was so tight that it seemed to bleed.

But when he thought about his son's worrying fate, he dared not say anything.

She took a deep breath, trying her best to suppress the emotions surging in her chest, and said calmly, "My Lord, please go to the backyard and wait."

Zhang Yunyi jokingly said, "Didn't Madam say that she wanted to show me her sincerity? Why? You can't let go in front of Mei Lian?"

Mrs. Mei had no idea that her son was playing a charade with Zhang Yun逸.

She heard from Mei Pi that Zhang Yunyi had some unknown hobbies, so she had a preconceived notion that he was here on purpose to satisfy some kind of evil taste.

Once a person makes a compromise, he loses his spirit, let alone when it comes to his son’s life or death?

Mrs. Mei no longer had the thought of objecting, so she could only tremble and say, "Please close the door first, my lord!"

Zhang Yunyi thought she was just concerned about her reputation and worried about being seen by the servants and losing face, so he closed the door as she said.

Seeing Madam Mei slumped on the ground, Zhang Yunyi thought she was about to kneel down to apologize, so he moved forward a few steps and stood two steps in front of Madam Mei to prevent her from moving around.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Mei did not do as he expected. Instead, she supported herself on the ground with her hands, stuck out her pert body, and slowly got up from the ground.

He was wondering how Mrs. Mei was going to make amends, but he saw her legs tremble and she staggered towards him.

Zhang Yunyi subconsciously reached out his hand, but unexpectedly, he bumped into someone's arms violently.

Just as he was hesitating whether to let go to avoid suspicion, he suddenly heard Mei Pi's shouting from outside: "Quick! Quick! The Marquis and my mother have something important to discuss, everyone follow me and wait outside!"

He was originally feeling anxious, but when he saw Zhang Yunyi turn around and close the door, he heard no sound coming from the mourning hall.

Finally I felt relieved and started to work.

Zhang Yunyi was stunned and instantly understood what kind of apology Mei Pi was talking about.

He pondered for a moment and went over his conversation with the emperor in his mind.

He did not hesitate any longer, holding it in his hand, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that Madam would be so sincere, it can be said that she is full of sincerity!"

……

(End of this chapter)