The Red Mansion Big Liar.

Chapter 778 Exchange of Interests
From then on, Zhang Yun逸 had to keep vigil for the emperor alone every few days. He refused to bury the emperor before the New Year and insisted on keeping the emperor's body for 49 days.

The concubines and ministers who learned the news could not help but sigh at the Duke of Wei's commendable loyalty.

However, the ministers could only sigh, while the concubines could not help but feel confused.

Why do the two queens of the East Palace and the West Palace look so healthy and well rested, but always yawn?

However, even if they had some doubts, they did not dare to make any comments, or even show the slightest bit of abnormality.

This is a later story.

……

However, although the emperor has not been buried yet, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day.

The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The new emperor ascended the throne.

Because the young emperor was born with deficiencies, the coronation ceremony was kept simple.

In the Golden Palace, Queen Zhou carried the infant emperor to the dragon throne as the emperor went through the motions, amid cheers of "Long live the emperor".

He was handed over to palace maids and sent to a palace not far from the Imperial Hospital for nearby care.

Then, the announcement of the title conferred upon Concubine Wu began.

After completing the process, the Bandung Dynasty officially came to an end.

It is worth mentioning that although the young Emperor Chengping ascended the throne, it is already the twelfth lunar month.

Therefore, the era name of Bandung will be retained temporarily and the era name will be changed until the New Year.

Zhang Yun逸 stayed in the palace under the pretext of keeping vigil.

On the one hand, considering the unstable situation in the palace, he also needed to stabilize the morale of the troops in the palace, screen the personnel in the palace, and form a trustworthy team of eunuchs.

On the other hand, the two Empress Dowagers were too enthusiastic, and the emperor's coffin would only be kept for 49 days, and after that, it would be gone forever.

So, I didn’t go home for years.

Of course, although he himself did not go home for the New Year, his family in the hot spring villa took him back early.

After all, the city has become his home now, so it would be more reassuring to bring him back.

It just so happened that the funeral lasted for too long, spanning two months.

Even though the two empresses dowagers remained as enthusiastic as ever, they inevitably had times when they were not feeling well.

Zhang Yun逸 also took the opportunity to ask Yuanchun, Baochai and others to come to the palace under the guise of visiting to feel the atmosphere of the imperial palace.

Even Princess Beijing's sisters were secretly brought into the palace twice.

In the past, he took filial piety into consideration because imperial power was a sword hanging over his head.

Now, he brought a gun into the palace, and it became the gun pointing at the imperial power, and he pointed the gun at the faces of the two Empress Dowagers.

They even tortured the two empresses to death in front of the emperor's spirit, so how could they care about national mourning?

Instead, he showed his arrogance when he was successful to the fullest.

Stop gossiping.

Although Zhang Yun逸 had been living in the palace during this period and had put a lot of effort into the two Empress Dowagers, he was still free during the day, so he did not neglect the things outside.

This day.

He then found Zhou Xianzu and asked, "Brother Zhou, what are your plans for the future?"

The corner of Zhou Xianzu's mouth twitched. Although he temporarily retained the post of Minister of Personnel, it was already in name only.

Plus, grasshoppers can only jump for a few days in autumn, so you can imagine how they feel.

He laughed at himself and said, "Plan? I..." At this point, a hint of joy flashed across his face, and he quickly said, "Please, Duke Wei, show me a way forward."

"The reason why I waited until His Majesty was buried before letting you resign was to protect the dignity of the court and the queen, so as to leave a way out for you."

Zhang Yunyi paused, and under Zhou Xianzu's burning gaze, he said: "After all, you are the emperor's uncle. If you want to maintain your dignity, you can't give up halfway. When you submit your resignation, I will also arrange for someone to propose a title for you..."

For Zhang Yun逸, a title was easy to obtain, but what was more important was the attitude Zhang Yun逸 showed.

Seeing that he not only did not burn his bridges after crossing them, but was instead offering him a title, Zhou Xianzu said with a delighted look on his face, "Really? The Duke of Wei is indeed a man of honor!"

"We have been friends for many years. If you can help me, I will. Although I am powerless as a brother, it is not a problem to find more ways for you to make money within your ability."

"Hmm?" Zhou Xianzu was stunned when he heard this and asked, "What way to make money?"

“We have a lot of trade with the red-haired merchants in Daxia, and I think the trade volume will expand year by year. However, in the past, because of Daxia, even if there were people engaged in maritime trade, they were only in the surrounding areas, which only benefited the red-haired merchants.

This time the Reds took the initiative to seek peace, I plan to force them to cut off a piece of land in their territory and let us manage it ourselves..."

"Cease...cede land? Will this red-haired man agree to that?"

"If you can't cut it, just rent it!"

Zhang Yunyi disagreed and said, "The things they bought from Daxia are all luxury goods. Porcelain, tea and the like are fine, but the silk they bought is not processed. They buy it back to make some strange clothes. Not only do they lose the profit, but they also waste it..."

In his previous life, those so-called fashion and luxury goods made a lot of money by using the name of haute couture and hunger marketing. Zhang Yunyi also planned to follow suit.

Europe of this era has a natural filter for all goods coming from the mysterious Eastern country.

Moreover, the red-haired people fear power and do not value virtue. Having just suffered a defeat, this trend will only be further encouraged.

As long as the products are labeled with the names of aristocracy and the court, they will surely attract the royal families and nobles of Europe.

Moreover, aren’t daily dressing, aesthetics, etc. a form of cultural invasion?
As long as I influence it subtly, there will be great scholars who will debate for me.

Books like The Travels of Marco Polo will surely continue to emerge.

In addition, the butt determines the head. By renting a place in Europe, we can also absorb a group of local people.

Skin color cannot be changed, and sending people from Daxia to do intelligence work would be too conspicuous.

In this way, it is also convenient to cultivate pro-Daxia forces and guides.

Hongmao's situation is somewhat similar to that of the Zhou Dynasty, where status and position are linked to the rank of the title. Therefore, based on the idea of ​​adapting measures to local conditions, he thought of conferring another title on Zhou Xianzu, the emperor's uncle, in order to scare Hongmao.

However, for Daxia, remote areas were considered exile, not to mention Europe, which was thousands of miles away.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xianzu immediately looked embarrassed and said, "This... please, Duke Wei, please show some mercy."

Zhang Yunyi also had a plan in place. He nodded and said, "If Brother Zhou is worried, you can send your branch family or nephews to serve as outposts. When the road becomes smoother, they can go there if they are willing. If they are not willing, we will not force them."

Zhou Xianzu couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, and hurriedly thanked him, "Hey! Thank you, Duke Wei, for your understanding!"

"correct!"

After discussing the matter regarding the red-haired man, Zhang Yunyi seemed to remember something and said, "Brother Zhou has been in the Ministry of Personnel for many years. There are some personnel matters that require Brother Zhou's help."

The arrangement on the Red Hair side was just a matter of convenience. Zhang Yun逸 mainly valued Zhou Xianzu's many years in the Ministry of Personnel and his complex relationships.

He has always had a flexible bottom line. Although he promised not to interfere in state affairs, he did not guarantee that he would not instruct others to express opinions on his behalf.

After the incident of forged imperial edict, Zhou Xianzu was equivalent to cutting himself off from the court. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Although he has fallen, he is still alive.

This was also the reason why Zhang Yun逸 had to create so many twists and turns in the side hall.

Just now, it was a carrot and a stick approach, allowing Zhou Xianzu to see the profitability while also having the intention of warning him.

After all, in Zhou Xianzu's view, sending the red-haired man was no different from exile. Zhang Yun逸 could let him be listed as a figure and not force him, but if he didn't know how to appreciate the favor, he might force him to do something against his will.

……

(End of this chapter)