The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 69 Priorities

"What? How can the elder sister treat us as her own sisters? She has obviously kidnapped us to be concubines for her adulterer!"

As soon as Youshi left, Third Sister You could no longer hold back and spoke angrily.

"What the hell are you talking about!" Old Lady You immediately stopped her, "You ruined your sister's good deeds, I will beat your mouth to pieces!"

"Did I say something wrong? There's not even a maid in this courtyard. We have to send even our laundry to Dengxian Pavilion for washing. She's rich now, earning tens of thousands of taels of silver a year, but she insisted on waiting for my second sister to agree to be my concubine before buying her some jewelry. Seeing that I didn't accompany her to please the adulterer, she made excuses and said that I wasn't partial to one over the other."

"Little sister, stop talking!" You Erjie said with a shy look on her face, "What adulterer? He will be your brother-in-law in a while!"

"That's right! Second sister is sensible. If your elder sister didn't have this relationship, how could your second sister have such a good marriage? Do you still want your sister to marry into the Zhang family and suffer?"

At this point, Old Lady You stopped paying attention to her little daughter and turned to Second Sister You, admonishing her, "Don't listen to your sister's nonsense. Every wealthy family has three wives and four concubines. Only those who are incompetent stick with one wife. As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a secret lover. With your eldest sister's help, your position is more secure!"

"Hey!" You Erjie said obediently, "Don't worry, my daughter. I will get along well with my eldest sister in the future."

"You...you are confused!" Third Sister You said indignantly, "We are as precious as gold and jade, but we are treated as prostitutes for fun. We are incompetent!"

"You are just aloof?" Old Lady You said coldly, "If you have the ability, find me a man like Master Yi to marry. Not to mention being my wife, even if I can be my concubine like my second sister, I will be very lucky!"

"Humph! You want to get involved with me if you want to marry into a rich family!"

Seeing that the two were in a stalemate, You Erjie hurriedly advised: "Don't worry, little sister, it's just a set of headgear. Big sister doesn't have it. Just ask your brother-in-law to make you one in the future."

"If your eldest sister isn't your biological sister, then isn't your second sister also your biological sister? When he becomes your brother-in-law, how much jewelry will he need?"

Right now, You Erjie's marriage is the top priority. Old Lady You is also worried that her youngest daughter will cause trouble, so her tone softened.

Third Sister You glanced at her elder sister, then looked at her mother, feeling indignant. It was just a set of headgear. If she wanted it, why should she rely on others? She let them look down on her.

……

“Hey! Hey! Hey…”

At the same time, in the wooden house next to the flower garden of Huifang Garden, Youshi was lying on the door frame, responding non-stop like a chicken eating rice.

"If it would be more convenient for us, it would be fine to give her the title of a concubine. But I am still in mourning, so there is no need to rush into taking a concubine."

Although the Imperial Observatory did not need to observe mourning, he was now just a figurehead, and the emperor gave him this title not to make it easier for him to take concubines, but to serve as an official.

If you don't have the power to subvert the rules, you can only adapt to them.

Although I don't like cheap fathers, but living in this era, there are still some rules that must be followed.

Otherwise, you will be excluded by society.

If you want to gain a foothold here, it is impossible to rely solely on the emperor's favor.

Since the You family was eager to give You Erjie to himself as a concubine, it was equivalent to putting it in the bowl.

But Qin Keqing was still in the pot.

Things have their priorities. To be eager to take a concubine during the mourning period is obviously not in line with the character he established in front of her.

In order to avoid wasting all previous efforts, You Erjie does not need to rush.

"Hey...but I'm afraid my mother has already had some suspicions."

"Give me the address, and I'll handle this myself. I'll cancel the marriage first, and then settle the matter with them. After the mourning period is over, I'll let her marry. This should be able to keep them stable."

As for the matter of breaking off the engagement, he had Jia Lian's experience as a lesson, so he was not confident in leaving it to others and planned to do it himself. "Hmm!~Oh!" Yu Shi groaned for a long time before panting and saying, "Then... that's the only way."

After finishing packing, Zhang Yun逸 asked Mrs. You about Zhang Hua's address and family situation before leaving the wooden house.

Early the next morning.

When Zhang Yunyi arrived at Tiangongyuan, he summoned Gu Wenhui over.

"Do you have any acquaintances in Fengchenyuan? Please help me find someone."

Fengchenyuan belonged to the seven departments and four courtyards of the inner court, and was responsible for managing all matters including royal gardens, temporary palaces, and imperial farms.

Although Zhang Hua's family has fallen on hard times, his ancestor was the head of the imperial farm and was under the jurisdiction of Fengchenyuan, so he must have old acquaintances in Fengchenyuan.

It was impossible for him to lower his status and go to their house in person to bargain and discuss the details of breaking off the engagement, so he needed a middleman.

Gu Wenhui bowed his head and said respectfully, "Don't worry, sir. I have acquaintances in Fengchen Court and will definitely complete your orders!"

Zhang Yunyi nodded, handed him Zhang Hua's address information, and reminded him: "Well! This is my personal matter, it would be best if you can find someone you know."

As the saying goes, public matters are not as good as private matters, and private matters are not as good as confidential matters. Being able to help leaders deal with private matters is also a manifestation of trust.

Although Zhang Yun逸 knew that he was King Zhongshun's man, he didn't mind using him.

Firstly, he couldn't do everything himself, so he had to ask others for help. Gu Wenhui was familiar with everyone and had good abilities, so he could be used quite easily.

Secondly, his foundation was unstable, so he had to make friends with relevant stakeholders. King Zhongshun was in charge of the inner court and was his immediate superior. No matter what he did in the future, he would not be able to bypass him.

Moreover, he only loved to indulge in sensual pleasures, drinking and watching operas. If these happened to an ordinary official, they would inevitably be criticized, but for Prince Zhongshun, who was a member of the royal family, these could be said to be rare virtues.

To get Zhang Hua to cancel the engagement, as long as he doesn't use those messy means, it would be his personal moral flaws.

Taking the initiative to tell others such private matters is also a way of showing goodwill.

After sending Gu Wenhui away, Zhang Yunyi summoned his subordinates who were in charge of glass-related matters.

The glass factory has been completed, and he needs to make some arrangements for subsequent production and material procurement.

Because the factory is not large and not much soda ash is needed at this stage, he did not wait for Zhang Dehui's caravan to return.

Firstly, price is related to supply and demand. By first collecting bulk goods on the market, you can raise the price when signing the supply contract later.

Secondly, the relationship between himself and the Xue family could be hidden from anyone with a discerning eye. If he purchased the soda ash provided by the Xue family from the beginning, he would inevitably be criticized.

Of course, such a thing cannot be hidden from those who are interested.

This is also the reason why he is eager to show goodwill to King Zhongshun. Even a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake, not to mention that he is not a strong dragon now.

Even if he does not share the profits from the soda ash business, he will make concessions in other areas later.

Of course, the specific situation needs to be discussed with King Zhongshun before a decision can be made.

After arranging all the matters, Zhang Yunyi said slowly: "This is a serious matter. Let someone go to the Imperial Observatory to pick a good day to start the furnace. We must strive for success in one go to comfort your majesty!"

……

(End of this chapter)