The Red Mansion Big Liar

If he could sell Zhang Yun逸 for a good thing, it would be like spending a small amount of money to achieve a big thing.

Tanchun was originally trying to show off herself, so how could she allow Baochai to pick peaches?

Without waiting for Baochai to finish, she rejected the offer immediately, saying, "We can't let Sister Bao bear the burden alone. I have confidence in Brother Yi's story. It will surely sell well. We each have a monthly allowance. Even if there is still some shortfall, we can go and borrow some from Second Sister-in-law to set up a printing workshop. That will be enough."

At this point, she paused and said, "I think this story was originally written by Brother Yi. He invested in the story and owns half of it, and the rest is divided equally between us. In addition, we are girls and it is not easy to sign our names. After the book is published, it must be under Brother Yi's name..."

She said a lot of things in a very eloquent manner. Although Baochai was a little unwilling, the idea was after all proposed by Tanchun.

Besides, she wanted Zhang Yunyi to hold half of the shares and to sign his name. She was not sure what he meant for a moment, let alone object.

Others had no objections when they saw that she spoke clearly and planned everything in an orderly manner.

However, Xiangyun, who was standing by, felt a little embarrassed when she heard that she had to pay money.

The Shi family was not well off, and she was adopted by her uncle and aunt. She had to do needlework to make a living. How could she have the spare money to join in the fun with them?

Just as he was hesitating about how to start, he heard Zhang Yunyi say, "My story, including the beginning and the end, only took me one or two hours to tell. I'm afraid that the time you guys spent on polishing it would be much longer than mine."

He paused for a moment, looked around, and then smiled, "That's right, I have a lot of stories like this here, I can tell you slowly later. If we don't want to do it, then forget it. If we want to do it, then do it well. Why not just open a bookstore? You don't have to worry about the money. Just do as Third Sister said, I will invest half of the shares, and you can split the rest equally."

"Tanchun knew that he didn't care about this little money, so she smiled and said, "In this case, we have to thank Brother Yi for subsidizing us. However, since we want to open a study, please name it, Brother Yi!"

Zhang Yunyi suddenly had an idea and said, "Since all the sisters have put so much effort into it, why not call it Zhi Yan Zhai? After these books are published, they don't need to be signed with my name. They can all be listed under the name of Zhi Yan Zhai."

"Zhi Yan Zhai... Zhi Yan Zhai..."

The women murmured in unison.

They are all girls in their teens, how could they not have the desire to show off?

If it were any other false reputation, it would be fine, but the elegant name of this book is something I can't help but be attracted by.

Although it is not convenient for them to come forward and they still have to rely on Zhang Yun逸 to manage the business, it is not difficult to see from the name of the bookstore that women are involved.

In addition, Zhang Yunyi had no relatives and lived in Ning Mansion. Wasn't it obvious that he would be exposed?

Lin Daiyu said embarrassedly: "The story belongs to Brother Yi, and he asked you to pay for it. We just polished it a little bit, aren't we just sitting back and enjoying the fruits of our labor..."

“Hahaha!” Zhang Yunyi laughed heartily. “I have only told you the general outline of these stories. You guys have to fill in the details. Besides, I own half of the shares, so I will get the lion’s share of the dividends in the future. As long as you sisters don’t think I am too greedy, that’s fine.”

"Brother Yi, you are joking. You regard money as dirt. How could we not know that?"

"Not only that, he doesn't even care about false reputation!"

Faced with the unanimous praise from the girls, Zhang Yunyi naturally accepted it with pleasure.

Seeing that Zhang Yunyi not only agreed, but also offered advice and wanted to take out the inventory, Tanchun hurriedly struck while the iron was hot and said, "In this case, let's get started quickly."

As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of manuscripts from her bosom, gave a few pages to Daiyu, Baochai and the others, and handed the rest to Zhang Yunyi, saying, "I wrote this from memory. Sister Bao, Sister Lin, Sister Xiangyun, and I will be responsible for polishing it... Second sister..."

At this point, Tanchun hesitated for a moment and said, "Second sister and fourth sister, please help copy it in the future and give some advice!"

If Yingchun had the talent of Daiyu and Baochai, it is hard to say whether she would still insist on getting everyone to polish it together.

Although, he was determined to show Zhang Yun逸 his ability to integrate.

But she also regarded Yingchun as her strongest competitor.

Therefore, when assigning tasks, I was a little careful and exposed Yingchun's shortcomings.

Yingchun is a family member who knows her own affairs. Although she can embellish Zhang Yunyi's story a little, with the examples of Daiyu, Baochai and others, she really can't help much.

Zhang Yunyi took the manuscript handed to him by Tanchun and felt the warmth of the paper. Perhaps because it had been kept in Tanchun's arms for too long, it even smelled of a faint virgin fragrance. He unconsciously moved the manuscript closer to his eyes.

He praised: "I have heard that the third sister is very talented, but I didn't expect that she would plan things carefully and act in a clear and organized manner..."

"Yi...Brother Yi, thank you for the compliment!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 230: Pulling strings to protect media

"Although the Madam trusts you, you are only a maid after all. When you grow up, won't you be forced to marry a servant? The master doesn't have anyone who understands him. If he can have a child, maybe the whole family will benefit from it. I am doing this for your own good. Please think about it carefully."

Aunt Zhao was extremely reluctant to do this kind of matchmaking, but Jia Zheng was pressing her.

Aunt Zhao was afraid of upsetting him, so she let Mrs. Wang have no worries.

As a last resort, he pulled Jinchuan aside and tried to persuade her.

However, she did not tell Jin Chuan that she was conveying Jia Zheng's intention, but instead attributed the credit to herself.

She has been tempered in the harem, and since she knows she is about to fall out of favor, she might as well sell Jin Chuan, her new favorite, as a favor.

Jin Chuan was stunned when she heard this.

Last time, although Jia Zheng did not say it explicitly in front of Mrs. Wang, he did imply this.

However, she never expected that Aunt Zhao would also join in the fun.

"How can I do this? Last year, in front of the master, Madam told me to go and be with Baoyu in a while."

"Uh……"

Aunt Zhao was stunned when she heard this, and then she realized why Jia Zheng came to her.

This was like snatching the maid from her son, but she was too embarrassed to ask for it.

However, the more this happened, the more she worried that Jia Zheng would blame her for not doing her job well.

He said earnestly: "Why did you choose me to find you? You also know that I understand the master's mind best, how can I not see his favorite? Don't you think about it, the master is the master after all, even if Baoyu is favored, can he compete with the master?

Besides, even if you follow Baoyu, if you make the master unhappy, I'm afraid you won't be able to stay with him for long. By then, let alone becoming the master's concubine, I'm afraid you can only be married to a servant..."

"This..." Jin Chuan was speechless for a moment.

To be fair, Baoyu is in his prime, while Jia Zheng is approaching old age.

If she had a choice, she would certainly not lose sight of the main goal.

But what Aunt Zhao said makes sense. As a maid, what right does she have to choose?

However, her entire family came as a dowry to Lady Wang. If she acted behind Lady Wang's back, it would probably be a disaster rather than a blessing.

"Aunt, please forgive me! If my wife knew about this, she would beat me to death. Just pretend that I never heard of it!"

She couldn't afford to offend either side, so she could only pretend she didn't know.

Aunt Zhao insisted, "You are not thinking about Baoyu, are you? You said that Madam promised you last year. If it really worked, you would have been sent there long ago. Why wait until today? Baoyu is surrounded by the old lady's people. Even if you go there, can you compete with Qingwen and Xiren?"

"How dare I have such an idea?"

Knowing that Jia Zheng was plotting against her, Jin Chuan no longer dared to have anything to do with Baoyu, and quickly denied it: "I am a servant, how can I have the right to say anything, and I dare not hide it from the madam and do something that betrays my master. No matter whether it is the master or Baoyu, I will definitely not dare to have any delusional thoughts without the madam's approval."

Aunt Zhao saw that she was not going to change her mind, so she hesitated for a moment and said, "Help them to the end. I have an idea that can achieve the best of both worlds."

Jin Chuan was doubtful and asked, "Really?"

Aunt Zhao has always been at odds with Lady Wang. As Lady Wang's maid, Jin Chuan was still on guard despite Aunt Zhao's exaggerated words.

Aunt Zhao, however, hoped to help Jia Zheng fulfill his long-cherished wish so as to win his protection.

He offered a suggestion, "You just said that the Madam promised you to Baoyu in front of the Master. But if Baoyu knew the Master's intention, how could he dare to compete with the Master for you? If he took the initiative to ask the Madam, you wouldn't have to be embarrassed."

Jin Chuan said nervously, "My aunt said this, I dare not spread it!"

"What's the big deal?" Aunt Zhao patted her chest and said, "If you have time, ask Baoyu to go to my place to play with Huan'er, and I will talk to him myself."

Jin Chuan was silent now. Aunt Zhao had already said so much. If she continued to make excuses, and if Jia Zheng heard about it with exaggeration, she would probably be accused of being ungrateful. How could she end up like this?

Just like Yuanyang, maids like them are used to the fine clothes and delicious food of their masters. Who would be willing to be a servant?

Even if she didn't think about herself, she would still think about her family. Even though Jia Zheng was getting old, he was still the master after all.

Moreover, unlike what Mrs. Wang had imagined, without Jia Baoyu's obstruction, Jia Zheng insisted on taking a concubine. Not only would Lady Jia not object, even Mrs. Wang would not have any objection.

Of course, she knew very well that in this matter, she could only wait passively. If she took the initiative to get involved, it would only bring trouble to herself.

Aunt Zhao's idea is a good solution.

At the same time, she also had a secret expectation in her heart. If Baoyu knew about it and reported it to Mrs. Wang truthfully, Mrs. Wang would do everything possible to send her there no matter how difficult it was.

She had followed Mrs. Wang for many years and had a very thorough understanding of her mind.

At that time, when Jia Zheng showed his intention, didn't Mrs. Wang also intend to use Baoyu as an excuse?

Otherwise, why would she have to wait until Jia Zheng opened his mouth before she could say it?

Even if Baoyu didn't have the courage, he didn't need her, a maid, to be stuck in the middle.

However, she still had some reservations about Aunt Zhao, and waved her hand and said, "Second Master and Third Master are brothers, go and play with him, why do I have to instigate it!"

Aunt Zhao understood what he meant and did not ask any more questions.

He immediately ran to Mengpo Zhai to announce the good news.

"Master! I have already told Jinchuan!"

"Oh? What did she say?"

"She has earned the honor of being favored by the master in her eight lifetimes. She is just worried about the mistress..."

Speaking of this, she hesitated to speak.

Jia Zheng frowned unconsciously.

"Fortunately, I have thought of a way!"

Aunt Zhao then said, as if offering a treasure: "There are some things that Master cannot say, but Baoyu is Master's son just like Huan'er, and he should show his filial piety. This is because Master is not in my room, otherwise if Huan'er knew that there was no one to serve Master in his room, she would have long been yelling at me to think of a way. If Baoyu uses this as an excuse to suggest to Madam that Jinchuan should take care of Master's daily life, Madam will refuse, and Master will have something to shut Madam up!"

She had always known Jia Zheng's character, and since he hadn't told her about Baoyu's relationship, she was happy to pretend to be ignorant.

He simply tried to divert the blame.

In this way, Jia Zheng got what he wanted, and her strategy worked.

If this does not happen, even if Jia Baoyu cannot be made to take the blame, at least he can share some of the blame.

Jia Zheng looked embarrassed. He thought that Aunt Zhao was still in the dark and asked him to go find her son. He didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Aunt Zhao then volunteered, "Don't bother, Master. I'll take care of delivering the message to Baoyu."

Jia Zheng no longer had any doubts. He patted the armrest of his chair and said, "Good! If this is done well, the master will definitely give you a credit!"

Seeing Jia Zheng happy, Aunt Zhao said cautiously, "What about the third girl..."

Jia Zheng waved his hand impatiently and said, "Master, I have my own arrangements. Just take care of this matter and don't worry about anything else!"

Aunt Zhao still wanted to make a final effort, but Jia Zheng had his own concerns.

Every time they solemnly invited Zhang Yun逸 to their home, nothing good happened. And getting married required the acceptance of the marriage proposal, three letters and six ceremonies, which required much discussion.

As Tanchun's father, it is inevitable that he has to invite Zhang Yun逸 to his house.

How could he take such a risk?

Seeing this, Aunt Zhao didn't dare to mention it anymore and could only leave in dismay.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 231: Heartfelt words

Aunt Zhao came out of Mengpo Zhai and returned to her own courtyard.

But he saw Tanchun was already waiting in the room.

Originally, Tanchun wouldn't be so anxious.

But a few days ago, in front of Zhang Yun逸, he not only stood out, but also won his praise.

Feeling that he had achieved some results, he became increasingly worried that something might go wrong on Jia Zheng's end.

"Where has Auntie gone? Has she seen Master recently?"

Although she had tried her best to act as if she was begging for help, the urging in her tone was obvious.

Aunt Zhao said angrily, "You're asking for my life. If someone doesn't know, they would think I owe you money!"

Tanchun thought she was just trying to get some benefits, so she said, "Don't worry, Auntie. Not only will you not be deducted from my monthly allowance, but I will also give you a share of the bookstore's dividends in the future."