The Red Mansion Big Liar

"Our lives are at stake. Regardless of whether Yun Yi knows the cause of his father's death, we are planning for Prince Ning to slander Prince Qin for using celestial phenomena to defame the emperor. If this is leaked, we will be doomed. Now we have no choice but to stay away from the capital and hide as far away as possible. It would be best if Prince Qin forgets about us, so that we have a chance to protect ourselves."

"What if Yun Yi had never made friends with Prince Ning?"

Jia Jing looked at him deeply, sighed and said, "With his means of making money, as long as he doesn't make friends with King Ning, he will naturally be promoted to a high position with generous salary. However, we can only leave it to fate and hope that the plot to murder them will never be leaked!"

He twirled his long beard and commented, "In the West Mansion, the eldest master is greedy for pleasure, and the second master is ambitious but incompetent. The hen crows at dawn, which is the only thing that matters to the family. The whole mansion is left to the children of the family to make decisions. Not only have the brothers been raised, but they also know very little about the important affairs of the court and are not worthy of being consulted. Do you understand what your father means?"

Jia Zheng looked down on his good fortune of accompanying the emperor in practicing Taoism, so how could he look up to Jia Zheng?

However, when he was commenting on the Rong Mansion, he forgot that he was not much better. He was only concerned with accompanying the emperor in practicing Taoism and had no time to take care of his son.

Jia Zhen hurriedly bowed his head and said obediently: "Don't worry, father, I won't worry about it!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 188: Spring Breeze Hides Frost Knife

In fact, Jia Jing was also quite conflicted.

On the one hand, he was worried that Zhang Yun逸 would learn the truth, so he hoped that he would make friends with Prince Ning. If he was later purged by Prince Qin, his family could take the opportunity to cut off the blame.

On the other hand, once the King of Qin really settles old scores after he ascends the throne, it is unclear whether he can avoid reckoning by cutting ties.

On the contrary, if Zhang Yun逸 had never taken a position in the fight for the throne, he might have been able to speak out as a guarantee, just like he did this time.

It is precisely because of this conflicted mentality that he is fully aware of the intention of Jia Zhen's inquiry and his sigh of resignation.

Therefore, he did not say anything to stop him, but only reminded him not to disclose it to the Rong Mansion.

Although Jia Zhen was not aware of the struggle in Jia Jing's heart, he had his own ideas and was not going to obey him this time.

Even if we follow Jia Jing's advice and avoid disaster in Jinling and become a coward, it may not be safe after all.

On the contrary, if Zhang Yunyi does not make any mistakes, he can even get himself into the right position.

With the kindness of his wife and daughter-in-law, and his loyal and righteous character, it is more likely that he can protect the whole family.

It is also a matter of leaving everything to fate, but by clinging to Zhang Yun逸, you don't have to be timid and can instead keep your wealth and glory.

Although he had never heard of the idea of ​​trying to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle, he would still weigh the pros and cons.

Fearing that the night would be too long and that Zhang Yun逸 would be bewitched by the Rong family, he started preparing wine and food as soon as he returned home from Xuanzhen Temple.

He even went to the front yard in person to welcome Zhang Yunyi back from office.

"Brother Zhen didn't go out today?"

Zhang Yun逸 got off the carriage and was quite confused when he saw Jia Zhen who had been waiting for a long time.

Although Jia Rong tried his best, he was beaten and gave up a lot of the harvest from the farm.

In addition, he also took the bulk of the 500 taels that were previously allocated for arranging for the two to temporarily take refuge in a farm outside the city.

Although my wealth now is not as much as before, it is still around four thousand taels.

I was very depressed some time ago, and now that I have some money, I have to make up for it. Recently, I often call friends and go out to visit prostitutes, and rarely stay at home.

"I haven't reported the matter on the farm to Yun Yi yet. Besides, the New Year is coming to an end and we brothers haven't gathered together for a while. I asked them to prepare the wine and food in advance."

"That's fine!"

Since Jia Zhen has made arrangements here, I believe there must have been some changes on Youshi's side as well.

Zhang Yun逸 did not refuse and followed Jia Zhen to the side hall of Ning'an Hall.

Jia Zhen did not go straight to the point. He first lamented the changes in the farm and then told him about the hard work he had put in for him recently.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, he put his arm around my shoulder and said meaningfully, "Brother, you are now deeply trusted by the emperor. Although your official position is not high, you can be said to have a bright future. I have a few words from my heart that I have always wanted to tell you, but I don't know whether to say it or not."

He spoke so heartfeltly and with such emotion that Zhang Yunyi couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"There is nothing we can't talk about between brothers. Brother, feel free to speak up."

"The higher the position, the less room for error!"

Jia Zhen sighed, "Brother, you have a good way of making money. I don't know how many people are jealous of you behind your back. You must be very careful in what you do!"

"Brother Zhen is right. I will definitely remember your advice."

"Hey! We brothers share the same fate. I've never been an official, so how can I be qualified to give you advice?"

Jia Zhen changed the subject and said, "It's just that, although the court seems to be calm now, the emperor is old after all, so how could the King of Qin and the King of Ning not have any plans?"

"Uh..." Zhang Yunyi pretended to be surprised and said, "Could it be that my uncle has been with the emperor for a long time, and Brother Zhen has heard something about it?"

Jia Zhen was so secretive because he knew the relationship between Ning Mansion and Prince Ning. He had a preconceived notion and suspected that he was lobbying for Prince Ning.

“That… That’s not the case.”

Jia Zhen knew the importance of the matter and did not dare to discuss the position of crown prince. He only said indirectly, "Brother is just reminding you not to be coerced by others."

After hearing this, Zhang Yun逸 was filled with doubts.

He naturally understood the meaning of Jia Zhen's words. He had just entered the officialdom and seldom interacted with others. The only ones who could coerce him were the Ning and Rong mansions.

However, one of these two palaces has been connected with Prince Ning for a long time, and the other is about to marry him.

It is possible to help Prince Ning win over others, but Zhang Yun逸 didn't know where to start, as he reminded him not to be coerced.

He couldn't help but suspect that Jia Zhen was testing him, and hurriedly said, "We are brothers for life, and my brother treats me with all his heart, and is willing to give up even his sister-in-law. If you have anything to say, just say it!"

Because he was worried that Jia Zhen still had concerns, he even pulled out Youshi's.

In front of the servants in the mansion, Jia Zhen didn't care about his face at all. He was used to it. Instead of being offended when he heard it, he felt quite relieved.

He kept it a secret and said, "Although you can't write two Jia characters with one stroke, we are still two families after all. If we really want to talk about it, our family and the West Family are almost five generations apart, so how can they compare to our cousins."

"Brother, what you said is absolutely right. How could I not understand the principle of how close and distant relatives are? The eldest master is not an easy person to deal with, so how could I jump into the fire pit?"

Zhang Yun逸 also misunderstood. After listening to Jia Zhen's analysis of the differences in closeness and distance for a long time, he thought that since Jia Zhen heard that Yingchun and others had come to his house and that he had sent ginseng to Lin Daiyu, he was worried that she was interested in marrying into the Rong family, so he was asking around to find out more.

"It would be best if brothers could understand this!"

Hearing that he had misunderstood his meaning, Jia Zhen stopped hiding his intention and said directly, "It's just that my brother wanted to remind you not to be coerced by the second house of the West Mansion."

"What does this mean?"

"You have a special status, you have a say in the emperor, and you are in charge of the Tiangong Academy's purse. As long as you don't make any mistakes, you will be able to enjoy wealth and glory in the future."

Jia Zhen was afraid that he had not explained it clearly, so he explained, "Although the eldest girl is about to marry into the palace, what does that have to do with us? As the saying goes, when a man is old and knows his wife, he still holds his sword, and when a man is old and knows his wife, he smiles and clap his hands. Not to mention that they are almost five generations apart, even the first and second wives in the palace are of one mind. Brothers, don't wade into this muddy water. You must know that good and bad fortune come from one's own actions!"

Although he spoke so earnestly, Zhang Yunyi did not understand his 'earnest intentions'. Instead, he felt that he was testing his attitude.

This cannot be blamed on him, since he has understood the relationship between the Ning Mansion and Prince Ning.

He also had some understanding of why the Ning Mansion had been ransacked.

The Ning Mansion was ransacked and the only charge was that Third Sister You was buried privately.

If Jia Jing and Jia Zhen had turned around in time, the current outcome might not have happened.

Zhang Yunyi said disapprovingly, "Brother, you are exaggerating! What you said is not without reason, but you can't write two Jia characters with one stroke. Now that the eldest daughter is about to marry into the palace, even if we are impartial, others will not take us seriously."

He paused, and said in a resolute voice: "Besides, it was my uncle who pushed for this marriage, and I also contributed to it. How can I deny my involvement? It's better to risk my life and survive!"

It is impossible for Jia Zhen to test him for no reason. When Mrs. Wang was confronting Aunt Zhao, she once accused Ning Mansion of helping in Yuanchun's marriage.

Zhang Yun逸 couldn't help but suspect that Jia Zhen's temptation arose from this.

Moreover, he was also entrusted with a task by the King of Qin. Even if he knew Jia Zhen's true intentions, it was impossible for him to follow his plan.

After hearing his statement, Jia Zhen was speechless.

He had not yet learned that Zhang Yunyi knew the whole story of Yuanchun's marriage, and asked anxiously: "Brother, how did you know?"

"Oh!" Zhang Yunyi had no way of guessing whether he was being sincere or not, so he just pretended to be indifferent and said, "I heard from the Second Madam last time that this is not something that is difficult to talk about. Our two mansions are also old relatives of the Zhen family, so isn't it natural for us to get close to Prince Ning?"

After hearing what he said, Jia Zhen dared not say anything more.

Pretending to be drunk, he started laughing.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 189: New Year's Day Miscellaneous Events

Seeing that Zhang Yun逸 was stubborn and unyielding, Jia Zhen also began to have other ideas.

However, it was almost the end of the year, and he was the head of the Jia family. He also had to work with the Rong Mansion to plan a series of matters such as sacrifices and New Year's wine, and he could not be distracted for the time being.

Although he is only a fifth-rank Dragon Guard now, it is still a title. In addition, compared with the past, the salary and spring festival rewards are also a considerable income. He will have to make a trip to the Ministry of Rites.

By the time all matters were settled, it was already approaching New Year's Eve.

Last time, the Ning Mansion returned the dirty silver and also exchanged a lot of valuable items for it.

Because the ancestral hall was located in Ning Mansion, the sacrificial ceremony had to be grand and ceremonial, so some items had to be moved from Rong Mansion to serve as a temporary facade.

They were extremely busy for a while, and even Youshi was burdened with doing some record-keeping and inventory work.

Although the Ning Mansion has fallen into decline, the Jia family ancestral hall is still in the mansion, and the New Year's Eve sacrifice can only be held in the Ning Mansion.

The Lantern Festival banquet was scheduled to be held at the Rong Mansion.

First of all, New Year’s Eve and Lantern Festival are equivalent.

Secondly, the Ning Mansion is weak now, and there are no relatives or friends worth making time for. But it is different for the Rong Mansion. In addition to the four kings and eight dukes who have always been on good terms with them, there are also two in-laws from the Wang family and the Shi family who come to visit.

Scheduling the evening banquet with the Ning Mansion on the Lantern Festival also frees up a day to facilitate receiving outside guests.

Compared to the busy Jia Zhen, Zhang Yun逸 has been relatively free during this period.

As for official business, since I had originally planned to take some time off to go to the hot spring villa, I had dealt with a lot of official business in advance. What remained were nothing more than assessments, performance, approval of notes and other matters.

In terms of private life, because Li Wan rarely went out and fell ill after returning, they had no chance to meet.

Yu Shi could have helped to pass on the message, but she had been busy with the preparations for the New Year recently, and she had formed an opinion about Li Wan's excessive demands, so she only went once to visit the sick.

While Youshi was busy in the East Palace, Wang Xifeng was naturally the main person in the West Palace. Ping'er had to share some tasks and was also busy.

Xiangling was pregnant again, and he still stayed by her bedside for one night every ten days as usual, telling her stories and chatting with her.

Because You Erjie didn't have a reliable personal maid, he simply let You Erjie move into Dengxian Pavilion temporarily, and let Baozhu and Ruizhu serve her in Tianxiang Tower and Dengxian Pavilion respectively as usual.

The two maids therefore ate more and took up a lot more.

It is worth mentioning that Jia Qiang returned to Beijing on the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month with twelve little actors.

Zhang Yunyi took the time to take a look.

However, these actors were originally of low status, and neither in the original novel nor now have they any names. They are only referred to by the roles they play, so there is no way to verify this.

However, although the name could not be verified, Zhang Yunyi still saw some clues.

Na Lingguan and Lin Daiyu do bear some resemblance, and Fangguan, who plays the leading female role, is one of the most beautiful among the twelve.

; After the opera troupe in the Grand View Garden was disbanded, Fang Guan was able to stay with Jia Baoyu because of her good looks. With these two pieces of evidence, Zhang Yun逸 felt more at ease.

He had no intention of standing his last shift well, and as it was the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, he had no intention of going to the government office. He simply asked for leave on the last day and took the New Year holiday early.

Because of her hatred towards the Jia family, it was impossible for Qin Keqing to participate in the Jia family's annual sacrificial ceremonies.

morning.

Zhang Yun逸 did not rush to get up. He held Qin Keqing and Baozhu in his arms and chatted with them, whispering in their ears for a while before getting dressed and washing up with the help of the two.

Because he almost failed to subdue Li Wan, he not only resumed his morning exercise that had been delayed due to the heavy snow, but also increased the intensity of exercise.

After practicing in the garden for more than half an hour, he was covered in sweat. He then returned to Dengxian Pavilion and took a bath and changed his clothes with the help of You Erjie and Ruizhu.

Just after breakfast, Yu Shi sent someone to report.

"An old man named Jia Hua from Xinglong Street came to visit."

When he heard the name, Zhang Yun逸 was stunned for a moment before he realized that it was Jia Yucun.

When he went to the dock to pick up the boat, he left Jia Yucun with a suspense, but he forgot about it after he came back.

The Qin family was wiped out, and the Jingzhao Yin and the patrol battalion were both punished by the emperor and dismissed for their poor performance. However, Jia Yucun, who came to Beijing to report on his work, got an opportunity.

He was promoted to the position of Jingzhao Yin years ago.