The Red Mansion Big Liar

Nowadays, every official family has slaves and maids.

Not only Jia Zhen and his son in Ningguo Mansion had everything they needed, but even her younger brother Qin Zhong was the same.

Many servants from the Ning Mansion participated in the Zhang family's funeral, and she also had some understanding of the Zhang family's situation.

Invisibly, Zhang Yun逸 was given a label of not forgetting his original aspiration.

While making up his mind secretly, he also talked indirectly and gossiped for a while.

Seeing that he could not get any more useful information, he winked at Baozhu and Ruizhu and was about to leave when he heard a maid complaining in the distance: "We have been looking for a long time, but there is no trace of him!"

So I reminded them, "These cats may not have made their nest here. Maybe they saw that people live here and came here to look for food when they were hungry at night. You might as well take some leftovers and throw them far away. After they are full, they will not come to bother you anymore."

"Grandma is really wise. I will go right away."

She had good intentions, but this cat was not that cat, and she couldn't just get rid of it with leftovers.

Not only did it fail to calm the situation, but it also caused more trouble for these little girls.

And then he called out even more happily, which made the maids think that he had more energy to call out because he was full.

This is a later story.

……

Linjing Hall.

:. Emperor Zhengqing looked at the eunuch pouring out white sugar as pure as snow from the porcelain jar, his eyes widened, and he said with great joy: "Good! Good!"

He looked at the eunuch who was tasting the food with an anxious look on his face and asked, "How is it?"

"Your Majesty, there really is not a single scumbag." As if to prove that he was not lying, he actually stuck out his tongue.

Emperor Zhengqing was not ignorant of grains. It was common to put some sugar grains on dried fruits and candied fruits, and he would occasionally add some random things when making elixirs. Therefore, he could tell the difference from tribute sugar at a glance.

During this period, while Zhang Yunyi was busy making sugar and preparing food for Youshi, he was not idle either.

Ever since Zhang Yunyi came back to life, he asked the Jinyiwei to spread the rumor that his biological father had appeared in the spirit throughout the capital.

When he went to court after the Lantern Festival, he could not wait to bring his biological father's tablet into the Taimiao.

However, not all the people in the court were flatterers. There were also many men of integrity. In addition, there were also some former ministers of the former Emperor Deming. How could they be willing to allow an offering that the emperor had never made to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple based on just a few rumors?

The court argued with all its might, but the situation remained deadlocked and has been delayed until now without a decision.

It's not that he hadn't thought about starting with Zhang Yunyi, but Zhang Yunyi's description of the immortal people's method was so magical that he didn't expect to get results so soon.

Therefore, when he saw the white sugar, he was not disappointed but overjoyed.

Even the cost was not considered.

He didn't care, but Zhang Yunyi was eager to show off. He quickly presented the data he had summarized and sorted out, saying, "Compared with the ordinary method, the sugar I make saves more than 10% of the materials and a little labor... Even if I only sell it at the market price, I can still make 30% more profit."

"Oh?" Emperor Zhengqing also became interested. "How can high purity save materials?"

"This method is actually very simple. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have been able to learn it so quickly..."

After the method was told, Emperor Zhengqing clapped his hands and applauded, "This immortal's technique is truly extraordinary. He can actually turn decay into magic."

Seeing that Emperor Zhengqing was so happy, Zhang Yunyi also said, "Your Majesty, during this period of time when I was making sugar, some new things came to my mind..."

"Oh? Tell me now!"

"We haven't been able to get a glimpse of the whole thing yet, but it seems to be related to glass, and it's a big project that requires building a furnace."

"Okay! Quickly summon Prince Zhongshun." The sugar gave Emperor Zhengqing confidence. He waved his hand and said, "Pass on my order. I will set up the Tiangong Academy in the inner palace, which is responsible for the skills of immortals. Prince Zhongshun will temporarily serve as the chief officer. I will first confer you a sixth-rank chief official and a fifth-rank dragon guard. You should also be listed in the Imperial Observatory to prevent anyone from using filial piety as an excuse."

The fifth-rank Dragon Guard is just a nominal position, so let’s not talk about it for now.

Although the inner court could only be regarded as the emperor's private servants, it was the perfect position for him who had no hope of passing the imperial examination.

"I thank the emperor for his great grace! This life of mine was given by the emperor, and I will serve the emperor till my death!"

He finally broke free from the shackles of the Imperial Observatory.

With physical evidence, Emperor Zhengqing became more convinced of Zhang Yun逸's words.

It is inevitable to ask about some of the things that happened in the fairy world, and this is when the benefits of the original rhetoric can be reflected.

After all, these were all personal experiences in his previous life, so Zhang Yunyi answered fluently without thinking, and there were no loopholes at all.

This made Emperor Zhengqing more convinced, and he gradually became fascinated by the story.

He even didn't notice when Prince Zhongshun came with a big belly. He was not awakened until Prince Zhongshun shouted "Long live the king".

Prince Zhongshun is also the cousin of Emperor Zhengqing, but unlike Prince Yi Zhong, he has no ambitions.

He only loved to indulge in sensual pleasures, drinking, watching operas, cockfighting and dog running, so Emperor Zhengqing was quite confident in him and let him be in charge of the inner court.

Emperor Zhengqing asked Prince Zhongshun to stand up while he repeated his decree.

He also asked King Zhongshun to prepare personnel to set up Tiangong Institute and explained all matters clearly before letting the two of them go down to discuss the details.

Although Zhang Yun逸 was a subordinate of King Zhongshun, he noticed the emperor's focused look when he entered the palace just now.

Coupled with the rumors that have been circulating in the court recently, no one dared to underestimate him.

Naturally, Zhang Yun逸 could not be negligent, and the two of them had a pleasant conversation along the way. King Zhongshun was even considerate enough to let him not report for duty on time.

When he arrived at the inner court, Prince Zhongshun called several officials in charge of practical affairs to discuss the implementation details together.

Although the Imperial Household was a specialized department of the royal family, its size was no smaller than any of the six ministries.

It has seven departments and three courts under its jurisdiction, and each department has official positions at various levels, such as Langzhong, Yuanwailang, and Zhushi.

The Tiangong Academy was newly established, and Emperor Zhengqing did not directly appoint a chief official, but instead let Prince Zhongshun take on the position concurrently.

Prince Zhongshun knew the reason very well, and he was afraid that when Zhang Yunyi had enough experience, he would give up the position to him.

Therefore, he said nothing about the specific arrangements.

The sugar-making workshop is simple and can be almost copied from the folk workshops. It is just a matter of building the workshop and recruiting personnel.

But he was not in a hurry to make glass.

On the one hand, the effect of white sugar far exceeded expectations, which made him feel much more relaxed.

On the other hand, a lot of alkali is needed to make glass, but whether it is made from wood ash or salt, cost and efficiency become issues.

He remembered that Kubuqi Salt Lake was a famous alkali-producing lake, and there was even a saying that people dried salt in the summer and collected alkali in the winter.

Therefore, he planned to expand this trade route first.

Of course, making glass also requires high temperatures, so this period of time was just right for building furnaces and hiring craftsmen.

After the general preparations were completed, Prince Zhongshun called Zhao Lianggong, the chief historian from the family, to introduce him to Zhang Yun逸.

There will inevitably be many details in the future, and it is impossible for him to coordinate all of them.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 22 Making trouble in secret

It was almost dusk when Zhang Yun逸 returned to Ning Mansion.

Yu Shi knew that he was going to meet the emperor, and had been waiting eagerly in the front yard.

As soon as she saw him, she immediately went up to him and asked, "Is the emperor satisfied?"

Whether the emperor is satisfied is directly related to the benefits that Jia Zhen covets. Although she doesn't care about Jia Zhen, she understands that if there are no benefits in return, he will not make things easy for herself and Zhang Yunyi.

Zhang Yunyi nodded slightly and said, "I was ordered to serve in the inner court, fully responsible for all affairs, and was given the title of fifth-rank dragon guard."

Although the fifth-rank Dragon Guard is an honorary title and the head of the Tiangong Academy is the real power, one still has to pick the higher official position.

"Doesn't that mean..." Youshi finally had a solution. Given Jia Zhen's attitude, let alone hiding it from him, even if he knew about their relationship, he probably wouldn't care.

"Well! When this sugar factory goes into production, I will find a way to get you some sales share later, as a gift to you."

Whether it is the current white sugar or other industries in the future, he cannot have it all to himself. Officials at all levels in the inner court, and even Prince Zhongshun, must have a share.

Therefore, the sales quota allocated will not be too large.

Since Jia Zhen himself would not show up, he just needed to act and make him think that he was bewitched by Youshi.

In this way, he could be kept on his guard and Youshi could be subsidized at the same time.

An adulterous affair cannot last forever, not to mention that he cannot stay with Youshi for his whole life, so they have to be bound by interests to make it last long term.

If Jia Zhen could have the same consideration as him, even if he swung the pickaxe harder, he would find it difficult to pry open the corner of the wall.

A woman who marries a man will get her clothes and food. Although the affair is going on, it is not legitimate. If Zhang Yunyi gets tired of her one day, who can she complain to?

So when she heard that he was going to set up a business for her, she couldn't help but stick close to him and said in a sticky way, "Master, what do you want to eat tonight? I'll go prepare it for you right away."

She was so moved that she even changed her way of addressing him.

"Hehehe!" Zhang Yunyi grinned, "What else can compare to my sister-in-law?"

Youshi's pretty face turned red, and she said in a muffled voice, "Then I'll take the master back, and I'll go wash up first and go over early in the evening."

Zhang Yunyi leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Remember to put on the underwear you wore last time."

She was happy to show some intimacy, which could both make Jia Zhen believe that he was bewitched by Youshi and satisfy her husband's current bad taste.

However, after turning into the alley of Tianxiang Tower, he still kept some distance between himself and the others without making any noise.

Because the two of them were just following orders and flirting with each other, they didn't observe each other deliberately and didn't notice that Jia Rong was hiding in the dark and observing them.

Looking at the figure disappearing at the end of the corridor, Jia Rong spat fiercely at the ground, narrowed his fox eyes, pondered for a long time, then turned and walked towards Ning'an Hall.

Jia Zhen was true to his word. As soon as Jia Jing left, he sent Xie Yuan to Jia Rong.

But the father and son were of the same character. After just half a month, the novelty wore off and they started to set their sights on Youshi again.

It was also because Jia Zhen acted too well, and he knew the situation of the Zhang family, so everyone thought that Jia Zhen was taking advantage of the situation to fool Jia Jing, and did not take Zhang Yunyi seriously.

Seeing that Youshi always went to Dengxian Pavilion whether she had something to do or not, he hoped that there would be something going on between the two of them and that Jia Zhen would find out, so that this stepmother would be completely without support.

At the same time, he secretly resented that Youshi didn't get close to him.

Because he had ill intentions towards Youshi and observed her very carefully, he always felt that she had become more and more plump recently.

He wanted to find an opportunity to catch the adulterer, but he was worried that if the matter was exposed, Jia Zhen would lose face and take it out on him.

Seeing the two of them behaving intimately today, he thought to himself that if he didn't take action now, he would only be able to eat what Zhang Yunyi left.

"master!"

When he arrived at Ning'an Hall, he saw Jia Zhen with his head down in deep thought, so he hurried forward to greet him.

"Why are you here?"

Jia Zhen knew that this son of his would never come near him unless he was informed of his intentions. This meant that something bad had happened to him, either he was short of money or he had gotten into trouble.

"My son has heard some gossip in the mansion recently, and I dare not hide it from you, Master."

Jia Zhen thought it was just another rumor about him and Qin Shi, so he frowned and asked, "What kind of gossip?"

Seeing Jia Zhen's expression of surprise, Jia Rong thought that he had also heard something, so he hurriedly came closer and said, "My son, I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

"Say it!"

"I just took my son to the courtyard and heard the servants talking about how the mistress has been visiting Uncle Yi too often recently..."

Before he could finish his words, Jia Zhen raised his foot and kicked him, his face as gloomy as water, "Did you come up with this on your own or did you hear it from someone else?"

Although he saw the two of them behaving in an ambiguous manner with his own eyes, he was still worried about getting into trouble.

"I don't have time to care about these things. I just heard people talking outside and wanted to come out to stop them, but I didn't see anyone. So I came to tell you."

"Why don't you seal up your hole for me?"

Jia Zhen shouted, thought for a moment, worried that the rumor would reach Youshi's ears, looked ahead and behind, and said in a deep voice: "Go and call the mistress."

"Hey! Hey! I'll be there right away, son."

Seeing Jia Zhen's attitude, Jia Rong agreed repeatedly while secretly rejoicing. Youshi was not favored to begin with, and she was causing trouble for the master. How could this end well?

I don’t know how to humiliate her, and maybe I won’t even need to ask for anything by then... This kick was not in vain.

He was dreaming a sweet dream when Jia Zhen kicked him again and shouted, "Why don't you go away? What are you doing standing here?"

He didn't even have time to cry out in pain and had to crawl out of Ning'an Hall.