The Red Mansion Big Liar

If you work like a slave for others, it can be considered an insult.

But in the eyes of these ministers, serving the emperor like a slave was just their duty.

Especially, it concerns the future.

Before others could react, Jia Yucun had already prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Master Zhang is absolutely right. The ceremony cannot be delayed. It is our honor to serve the emperor like a slave!"

"Yes, yes, yes!" The Shuntian officials suddenly realized what was going on and immediately echoed, "We are honored!"

Zhang Yun逸 struck while the iron was hot and said: "The emperor has set an example himself, and you all bow your heads like cows. This may not be a bad omen for the government to be in good order and the people to be harmonious. Even if this matter spreads to the people, it will be a good story and a good talk."

After hearing what he said, Emperor Zhengqing seemed to have thought of something. Without any hesitation, he waved his hand and said, "Well said! I'll do as you say!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Yucun immediately got up from the ground and, together with a group of officials from Shuntian Prefecture, removed the lasso from the oxen and tied it around himself.

Zhang Yunyi also took the opportunity to help and whispered, "Don't worry, everyone. The soil in the sacrificial field has been loosened beforehand, so it won't be too strenuous."

After hearing this, not only did Jia Yucun burst into tears of gratitude, but all the officials in Shuntian Prefecture were also excited and showed gratitude on their faces.

"Thank you for your righteous words!"

The reason why Zhang Yun逸 was willing to help them offend others was certainly not to help Jia Yucun offend others.

Firstly, he was not a member of the imperial examination system, so he was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and was criticized in official circles.

In addition, he holds considerable power, so it is inevitable that others will envy him.

The emperor's heart is like water. In order to avoid the situation where three people can make a tiger, he cannot rely entirely on the emperor's trust.

If you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. In order to avoid being hurt by gossip, you have to seek some help from the court.

I don't ask for any role to play, I just hope that at critical moments, different voices can emerge so that we are not isolated and helpless.

Secondly, the ancients were superstitious, and something went wrong during the Spring Ploughing Ceremony, so it was inevitable that they would be held accountable later.

In order to fertilize the soil, he arranged for Zhang Cheng to dig the sacrificial field three feet deep in advance, and mix the processed bird droppings into the soil according to the proportion.

Although he had reported the matter in advance, once someone with ulterior motives took advantage of it, they might put the blame on him.

Therefore, helping Jia Yucun and all the officials of Shuntian Prefecture to exonerate themselves at this time was also helping himself.

Although he held an official position, he had no relevant authority and could not even send someone he trusted to guard the sacrificial fields. However, Shuntian Prefecture had the right to maintain public order in the capital.

Their official careers are linked to the harvest from the sacrificial fields, so they will certainly pay more attention to the situation of the sacrificial fields during this period.

This way, he can feel more at ease, and it can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Of course, although there are many princes and nobles in the capital, Shuntian Prefecture is a punching bag, but it is also a considerable power to govern the capital.

In fact, it can bring unexpected benefits in many cases, which is why he is willing to win them over.

He was publicly absolving everyone of their guilt today, and they had to remember this favor whether they wanted to or not.

Even if there are a few ungrateful people among them, they will not contradict him to his face because they are concerned about their reputation.

These officials were used to a life of luxury. Even though he arranged for Zhang Cheng to turn the soil in advance, by the time Emperor Zhengqing had plowed the sacrificial field three times, they were all panting and in a mess.

The saying "work like a horse or an ox" really does hold true.

Although the emperor agreed to Zhang Yun逸's proposal to wait and see the results, the cattle-raising official was also to blame and was dismissed from his post on the spot.

However, Jia Yucun and other officials who wanted to keep their official positions would naturally not care about a small cattle-raising official.

I had to thank Zhang Yun逸 again.

Zhang Yunyi also took the opportunity to speak frankly: "To be honest with you gentlemen, I have reported to the emperor earlier and have used some tricks. I dare not say anything else. As long as the sacrificial fields are not affected by natural disasters or man-made disasters, the harvest will not be bad. Now that you gentlemen are closely related to the harvest of the sacrificial fields, you must pay more attention."

After hearing this, Jia Yucun looked thoughtfully at the imperial sedan chair returning to the palace in the distance.

And the people who were originally worried became more confident.

Although intrigues were inevitable in the government office, everyone was united at the moment. They patted their chests and promised Zhang Yun逸 that they would send people to guard the land strictly and would not allow any damage to the sacrificial fields.

The Prince of Qin and the Prince of Ning, who were accompanying the emperor in the distance, turned back intentionally or unintentionally to look at Zhang Yunyi and others who fell behind.

However, there seemed to be relief in one of their eyes, while there was a hint of entanglement in the other's passionate eyes.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 202: A Single Move Affects the Whole Body (Part )

During the Spring Festival, Prince Ning had tried to speculate on the Emperor's intentions after several failed marriage proposals.

Prior to this, because of Jia Jing's proposal, he had not discussed it with his subordinates.

Afterwards, with his biological mother's approval and the emperor's permission for the marriage, he did not investigate further.

Now that a problem has arisen, I have to discuss it with my subordinates.

As a prince, he naturally had many strategic people under him. After some discussion, they gradually figured out the emperor's intentions.

Therefore, during this period of time, she stopped planning on getting married and never dared to mention the matter to the emperor again.

But as one problem was solved, another was created. Although he did not dare to act rashly, Jia Zheng was still kept in the dark.

Seeing that the garden was almost completed, she hurried into the palace and requested to see the emperor and choose a date for the wedding.

However, Prince Ning can enter and leave the palace without any hindrance, and can also whisper in Concubine Zhen's ear.

Since Emperor Zhengqing had already made up his mind to delay, it was naturally impossible for him to give Jia Zheng the opportunity to present himself in person.

He went to the palace several times to ask for an audience, but he couldn't even see the emperor.

Even no matter how he arranged things and asked the eunuchs on duty to pass on the message, the reply was always the same: the emperor had no time to see him.

After failing to gain any success in meeting the emperor, Jia Zheng had to seek other methods.

I originally wanted to go to Prince Ning to discuss the matter, but when I arrived at Prince Ning's mansion, it was the same as before, and I was turned away several times in a row.

Originally, Prince Ning, who had taken the initiative to summon him, even let him in through the door.

The emperor's refusal to meet the bride could be explained by the fact that time had passed and he had forgotten about granting the marriage.

However, it has only been over a month since the last report on the completion date of the villa for marriage, and Prince Ning has such diametrically opposed attitudes.

He couldn't help but speculate on the reasons.

After much thought, the only reason he was ignored was that he had not yet completed the task assigned by Prince Ning to win over Zhang Yun逸.

Naturally, he would not admit that he had done a bad job. Fortunately, there was still some work to be done in the garden, and Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang did not urge him to go to the palace to ask for permission.

Considering that bad things happened the previous two times Zhang Yun逸 was invited to the house.

He also kept an eye on it.

That day, I returned to the mansion.

He did not go to the study to chat with a few guests as usual, but came to Mrs. Wang.

After asking about the progress of the garden project, Fang calmly said, "This is a great event. When it is completed, the mansion will have to celebrate it. Brother Yi has also put in a lot of effort in this garden. Don't forget to invite him to your house."

Ever since Aunt Zhao caused the trouble, although Jia Zheng followed Lady Jia's instructions and lived in Lady Wang's courtyard, he never set foot in the main house and always slept in the side rooms.

As the saying goes, things never happen more than three times. He stayed alone in the room every day, and it was already more than once that he passed by the door without entering. The couple rarely talked to each other.

Mrs. Wang didn't think she had done anything wrong in the first place, but now she was being ignored and she couldn't help feeling disheartened.

Having said that, it was obvious that he took the initiative to find me. I just thought he had regretted it and was giving me a way out. I hurriedly agreed, "Hey! Master, you're right. I'll send someone to invite you tomorrow!"

Unexpectedly, her enthusiasm was met with a cold shoulder.

Jia Zheng frowned and said, "You should also be more aware of your status. Now that Lian Er has returned, you can just tell him to go and invite him. Why do you have to do this?"

Mrs. Wang's heart trembled when she heard this.

She did not understand Jia Zheng's difficulties.

When dealing with Aunt Zhao, he had made some bad guesses, although judging from Jia Zheng's behavior later, it seemed that he was worrying too much.

But today, he suddenly told her to avoid suspicion, which inevitably aroused her suspicion again.

Given Jia Zheng's reputation-conscious personality, it is indeed possible that he pretended to be ignorant in order to save face.

She was absorbed in her thoughts, but Jia Zheng saw that she hadn't received a response. He was worried that he hadn't explained it clearly enough, so he reminded her again: "Although he is a junior, he is not a junior of your family after all. You should be more cautious!"

These words undoubtedly confirmed her guess, and Mrs. Wang was immediately filled with shame and anger.

But if it weren’t for Jia Zheng’s push, how could she have fallen into Zhang Yunyi’s arms?

Now, Jia Zheng had the nerve to put all the blame on her.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but speak with a bit of resentment: "Since the master wants me to avoid him, I might as well not invite him, so that I won't be able to explain myself if I run into him."

"Nonsense!" Jia Zheng shouted, "You are also the mistress of the house, how could you not even care about such a small occasion?"

Fearing that Mrs. Wang would turn her back on Zhang Yunyi and ruin Prince Ning's plan to win him over, Jia Zheng softened his tone and said, "I just want you to be aware of your status and not send anyone to invite him. When he comes to the mansion, you must show your courtesy as a host."

Seeing that Jia Zheng asked him to avoid the taboo on the one hand, and at the same time reminded him to be a good host, this contradiction seemed to save his dignity but did not take his own embarrassment into consideration.

Mrs. Wang felt even more aggrieved and said, "The master has already said it. If he makes any unreasonable demands, should we try our best to satisfy him?"

She was too lazy to cover it up and simply threw the problem back to Jia Zheng.

Since Jia Zheng saw what happened that night, he must have been aware of Zhang Yun逸's evil intentions towards him.

On the one hand, because she felt aggrieved, she deliberately wanted to disgust Jia Zheng.

On the other hand, she also wanted to see what Jia Zheng's attitude was when facing this problem.

But for some reason, after saying this, she not only did not feel ashamed, but instead felt a sense of pleasure of revenge.

Jia Zheng was also stunned by her question.

He just thought that Madam Wang was dissatisfied with him and was deliberately picking a fight with him, so he refuted: "He has always been polite and chaste. You just need to do your best and treat him with courtesy. How could he not distinguish between the important and the unimportant and make rude requests?"

Jia Zheng's words made Mrs. Wang laugh out of anger.

"Oh!" She chuckled and said, "Master is right! He has always been polite and chaste, but I am the one who doesn't know how to behave. In this case, I will just follow his etiquette and return the favor!"

After Mrs. Wang finished speaking, she added silently in her heart: If Zhang Yun逸 wants to perform the Zhougong etiquette, I want to see if you still have the nerve to let me cooperate and return the gift!

Although Jia Zheng did not hear what she was thinking, he could hear the contempt in her words.

He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Forget it! I will go find Lian Er on this matter myself, you don't need to worry about it anymore. When the day of completion and celebration comes, you just need to follow and do your job well!"

Although she was resentful of Jia Zheng's suspicion, she was indeed controlled by Zhang Yunyi at the time, so it was inevitable that Mrs. Wang felt a little guilty.

Before this, Aunt Zhao had already caused some bad trouble. If more rumors were spread, people would inevitably suspect that they were groundless.

Seeing that Jia Zheng no longer let her make arrangements, she was happy to have fewer troubles.

I immediately followed his words and said, "Master, you are absolutely right! Since you have asked Lian Er to make the arrangements, you can just go by yourself. There is no need for me to do anything unnecessary."

Hearing that she wanted to send him away, Jia Zheng didn't bother to say anything more. He flicked his sleeves and left angrily.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 203: A Single Move Affects the Whole Body (Part )

Watching Jia Zheng leave angrily, Mrs. Wang became more and more angry.

Although he clearly had a grudge against Zhang Yun逸, he hesitated in order to save face and only blamed himself.

This temperament is in sharp contrast to Zhang Yunyi's style of daring to think and act.

When I thought of this, I couldn't help but recall the scene when Zhang Yun逸 held me in his arms and touched me all over.

My breathing also became faster.

He was at an age when he was as vigorous as a wolf and a tiger. Although Jia Zheng used to linger at Aunt Zhao's place, he would occasionally come to her room and linger.

Now, half a year has passed since the incident at the beginning of winter.

But living in the same courtyard is not as good as before, and it can only be a consolation occasionally.

After all, she was used to it, and she felt guilty about the contact and reaction that day. She tried to avoid thinking about it on weekdays, and she was able to suppress her emotions.

Today, Jia Zheng pointed out the truth and put the blame on her. She was very angry and wanted revenge, but she also felt like throwing away all hope.

I actually began to imagine Zhang Yun逸's next move.