The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 640 Open the skylight and speak frankly

As Emperor Wanlong's close companion, it was not easy to arrange Xia Shouzhong's time.

Even though Zhang Yunyi was favored by the emperor, it was impossible for him to put aside the emperor's affairs and go to his appointment.

It wasn't until July that Xia Shouzhong finally got a chance.

Zhang Yunyi, who had made preparations early, calculated the time and then asked Jin Chuan to go to the Xue family to invite someone.

Because she had been informed in advance, Mrs. Xue arrived very quickly.

Following Jin Chuan into Ning'an Hall, I saw Zhang Yunyi sitting upright in the inner hall, as steady as a mountain.

She hesitated for a moment, then hurried forward, bowed awkwardly and said, "My Lord!"

In the past, when she was with Lady Jia, Aunt Xue and others, she could still rely on the advantage of her seniority. But now that she came alone and saw that Zhang Yunyi did not move at all, she did not dare to act arrogantly.

However, Zhang Yunyi's attitude made her already nervous and uneasy mood even more. Her ten fingers were tightly twisted together, leaving red marks.

Zhang Yunyi, who had always been a humble person, acted like a marquis this time. He didn't even greet people to sit down, let alone serve them tea or water.

He took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, tapped the tea table with his fingers rhythmically, and then said calmly: "My aunt has already told me about Sister Baoqin's matter. I asked the second wife to come here today, but I think some things are better to be said in person!"

Only women and villains are difficult to raise. If you get close to them, they will be disrespectful; if you keep them far away, they will complain.

In Zhang Yunyi's opinion, the reason why Second Mrs. Xue dared to threaten Aunt Xue was that he had behaved too kindly in the past, which made her have some illusion.

However, Mrs. Xue had obviously misunderstood his meaning and hurriedly apologized, "Your Majesty is right. I should have come here in person and shouldn't have bothered you, sister-in-law. I was just worried that we might be talking too much, so I asked you to do that..."

Without waiting for her to finish her explanation, Zhang Yunyi waved his hand and said, "Let's not talk about the previous things. Since we are going to speak frankly, I will ask my concubine to be an observer today, so that you won't accuse me of not being frank enough!"

"Listen...listen?"

Mrs. Xue was stunned at first, then she swallowed and her expression became strange.

Just at this moment, Jin Chuan ran in, panting and said, "Master, Eunuch Xia is here..."

"Father-in-law?" Mrs. Xue was stunned when she heard the words and couldn't help but blurt out.

"That's right! This Eunuch Xia is a great companion to His Majesty!"

Zhang Yunyi obviously didn't understand the meaning of her calling him 'father-in-law'. He nodded, stood up suddenly, walked to the door of the inner room, pushed the door open, looked at Second Madam Xue who was standing in the hall, and said, "I will entertain Eunuch Xia in the hall later. Madam Xue will have to listen in from the inner room!"

After that, he directed to Jinchuan, "Tell the people outside to prepare the dishes!"

Since we can't let Mrs. Xue 'accidentally' hear it, it's better to make it clear.

Mrs. Xue was still a little hesitant at first, but when she heard him order the dishes to be served, her pretty face turned red, and she lowered her head in a hurry and went to the inner room.

Zhang Yunyi pointed inside the house and said, "There are some snacks in the house. If the Second Madam is hungry, she can eat some."

After saying this, he no longer paid any attention to Mrs. Xue and walked out of Ning'an Hall.

Just now in the hall, Zhang Yunyi didn't even serve tea, but the inner room was well stocked with tea and snacks.

It’s not that Zhang Yun逸 was rude at first and respectful later, but since he invited Xia Shouzhong over, it was naturally impossible for him to be sent away after just a few words.

You have to be polite and drink some wine with him.

It was lunch time, and Mrs. Xue had not prepared anything before she arrived. At this time of year, the heat had not yet dissipated, so it was okay to be hungry. However, if they were delayed for too long, they might not be able to endure the thirst.

Ning'an Hall, as the main hall of Ningguo Mansion, has five main rooms, with the inner hall in the middle and two rooms on each side.

The inner room where Mrs. Xue II lived was located on the west side. There was a kang next to the window for the maid to keep watch at night. There were several kinds of snacks on the kang table, as well as a transparent glass kettle filled with herbal tea in advance.

At the end of the inner room, there is another bedroom.

Originally, Aunt Xue volunteered to accompany her, and Mrs. Xue didn't think much about it.

But then, Aunt Xue sent back a message saying that Zhang Yunyi wanted to see her alone. Thinking of what she had seen and heard, Mrs. Xue couldn't help but have some wild thoughts.

Before this, Zhang Yunyi had spoken frankly and asked her to sit in, so she couldn't help but misunderstand Zhang Yunyi's intentions.

But unexpectedly, the person who came was not Aunt Xue, but a eunuch, and from the sound of it, he was going to treat them with good wine and food.

She was a little confused for a moment.

However, after all, he knew something about Zhang Yun逸's personality and preferences, so after entering the inner room, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

There was no guarantee that Zhang Yun逸 had no ill intentions, but he was worried that there would be too much noise in the main hall, and he would find a way to lure him in.

After closing the door to the inner room, she looked at the snacks on the kang table, then glanced at the door at the end of the room, hesitated for a moment, and walked over.

I stood in front of the door and looked around, hoping to find some clues through the furnishings in the house.

But unexpectedly, not only was there no special preparation in the room, there was only a quilt on the bed, and even the most basic bed curtains were missing.

The bed curtains not only serve as an embellishment but also have the function of blocking mosquitoes, which is indispensable at this time of year. However, Zhang Yunyi does not live here after all, so they will just gather dust if installed.

Therefore, avoid it if possible.

Looking at the empty room, Mrs. Xue felt a sudden sense of loss in her heart.

He returned to the inner room in a bad mood, looked at the snacks on the kang, hesitated for a moment, and then sat cross-legged on the kang.

Just as I poured a cup of tea, I heard a voice from outside: "Mr. Xia, please come in!"

"Master Hou, you're welcome!"

Mrs. Xue even forgot to drink her tea and started to listen attentively.

Since Zhang Yunyi had no ulterior motives, then letting her sit in must have some deeper meaning. She immediately held her breath and concentrated, not daring to miss any information.

But as the sound of dishes being placed outside gradually stopped, after some polite exchanges.

The two people outside the house kept toasting each other and praising each other in a nonchalant manner.

Just when Mrs. Xue was feeling bored and drowsy.

Suddenly, Zhang Yunyi outside said, "We have known each other for many years. I have something to ask for your help, father-in-law!"

Hearing the words "must help", Mrs. Xue was suddenly startled. Could it be related to her daughter's marriage?

It’s no wonder that she thought too much. Zhang Yunyi invited her to his house because of this matter.

The reason why he had the idea of ​​breaking off the engagement was because Mei Lian had committed a crime.

She couldn't help but speculate in her heart, could it be that there was some trick here that she didn't know about, which made Zhang Yunyi hesitate and therefore arranged this to let her know his dilemma?

She was feeling somewhat anxious when she heard Xia Shouzhong's signature duck voice: "My Lord, why are you being so polite? If you have something to say, you can speak frankly. As long as I am able..."

Although Xia Shouzhong's hoarse voice was not pleasant to the ear, it sounded like nature's music to Mrs. Xue.

And then, just as she guessed, Zhang Yunyi smiled and said, "My father-in-law must be aware of my relationship with Rongguo Mansion. The concubine of Rongguo Mansion is surnamed Xue..."

Hearing this, Mrs. Xue's heart almost jumped into her throat, but before she could be happy, she heard Zhang Yunyi change the subject and said, "The Xue brothers are frequent visitors to Jinxiangyuan..."

Hearing this, Mrs. Xue's mind suddenly buzzed.

Aunt Xue had complained a lot about Xue Pan sleeping with prostitutes, so she naturally knew very well where Jinxiang Courtyard was.

I couldn't help but feel stunned. Since he had something to ask of me, I should have been more humble. But talking about brothels in front of the eunuch, wasn't that just causing trouble for him?
……

(End of this chapter)