The Red Mansion Big Liar

The four departments of the Ministry of Personnel are namely, Wenxuan, Fengyan, Jixun, and Kaogong.

Among them, the Wenxuan and Kaogong examinations mainly focused on the selection and assessment of officials.

The matters concerning the inheritance of titles, the use of favors, and the mourning and retirement of officials are concerned.

Jia Yucun was mainly responsible for the two departments of sealing and verification and inspection of honors.

"Of course. As the saying goes, one should promote the virtuous regardless of their relationship with him. Mr. Zhang's achievements are obvious to all, and he is also favored by the Emperor. Naturally, we have to follow the Emperor's wishes!"

Jia Yucun's answer was flawless.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 260: A Funeral Where No One Grieves (Part )

After leaving the side hall, Zhang Yunyi went to the main hall.

Before he even entered the door, he noticed that the atmosphere here was a bit stagnant, and he couldn't help feeling a little confused.

As the Minister of Works, Zhou Chengru was Jia Zheng's superior. Since he came to pay his respects and Jia Zheng took the initiative to accompany him, it would not bring bad luck to him.

But instead of the expected lively conversation in the hall, there was eerily silence.

Zhou Chengru had a sullen face and said nothing, while Jia Zheng seemed to be hesitant to speak.

"Thank you for waiting for me, Your Excellency!" Zhang Yunyi stepped into the room.

Jia Zheng had been feeling very uneasy for a long time, but when he saw him enter the room, he felt relieved.

"Master Zhang!"

Zhou Zhou Chengru stood up to greet him, with a smile on his face.

"I have known Mr. Jing for many years, but I didn't expect that he would pass away just after not seeing him for a few months..."

In just a few words, the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by an inextricable sadness, and he even shed two tears.

He was able to speak differently to different people and to different people in different situations. When facing Jia Jing's old friend, Zhang Yun逸 naturally had to pretend to be nice.

He rubbed his eyes vigorously, feeling that his eye sockets were somewhat swollen and moist, then he raised his head and said with a sad tone: "Uncle has always been open-minded and indifferent to life and death. I'm sure he doesn't want to see us overly sad!"

"Right, right, right!" Zhou Chengru echoed, "You, my nephew, are the one who understands respecting the father and being a good person better!"

After a round of greetings, before Zhang Yunyi invited them to sit down, Zhou Chengru took the lead and said, "Cun Zhou! I have something to discuss with Lord Zhang. Please leave first!"

Even though Jia Zheng was eager to leave as soon as possible, he couldn't help blushing when he heard these words that sounded like he was being driven away.

"Hey! Then I'll take my leave!"

As if to save face, he turned around before leaving and said to Zhang Yunyi: "My dear nephew! Say hello to the Minister!"

"Uncle, take care!" Zhang Yunyi didn't care.

!' After Jia Zheng left, he calmly asked, "What do you want, Minister?"

"I dare not! I dare not!" Zhou Chengru twirled his beard and said straight to the point, "Today I am here to pay my respects to Lord Jing, and also to meet Lord Zhang! His Royal Highness Prince Ning has always respected you very much, but due to his status, it is inconvenient for me to come..."

"Ah!" Zhang Yunyi exclaimed, flattered, "Your Highness Prince Ning is well-known for his virtue. How can I be worthy of your attention..."

Zhou Chengru was very satisfied with Zhang Yunyi's attitude. He waved his hand and said, "Master Zhang, why are you so modest? You can turn poor fields into rich fields. After three years, there will be no more hunger in the world. This contribution is unprecedented and unprecedented..."

At this point, he did not hide his anger, and said angrily: "The prince is eager to seek talents. If it weren't for the fact that you have some relationship with Rong Mansion, how could Your Highness be willing to marry his daughter? As early as a year ago, the prince ordered Jia Zheng to convey this to Your Highness. Unfortunately, this cousin of Jinggong not only works for nothing in the government office, but also pretends to obey Your Highness's orders and ignores them!"

In one sentence, he used two titles to refer to Jia Zheng, each one more distant than the last.

On the one hand, Zhang Yun逸 had just emerged and his reputation was very different from what it is today, so the effect of recruiting him was naturally incomparable.

Now that the best opportunity has been missed, King Ning can't help feeling unhappy. The officials under him who are trying to find another way to make money can't hide their anger.

They even secretly speculated whether Jia Zheng did it on purpose.

After all, the Wang family that cooperated with Zhang Yun逸 was Jia Zheng’s wife’s family.

Maybe he was also involved, but was just worried about getting a piece of the pie, so he was delaying on purpose.

On the other hand, when a corruption case broke out, most officials in the Ministry of Works were implicated. Jia Zheng was the only one who remained unscathed, and he even thought that the emperor had granted him the marriage because of his good reputation.

He was in the government office all day long, but instead of being restrained, he was self-satisfied and showed off about this matter from time to time, which also annoyed some officials in the Ministry of Works.

This naturally includes Minister Zhou.

Therefore, Zhou Chengru scolded Jia Zheng without any mercy.

"Your Majesty, why did you do this? It's just because of this humble official..."

Zhang Yunyi was so angry that he cursed his mother, but he said excitedly: "I am really flattered!"

"Your Highness did not expect that this fellow would be useless! And he did not want to miss out on such a talent as you, so he asked me to come here."

Seeing that Zhang Yun逸 did not excuse Jia Zheng, Zhou Chengru became even more outspoken.

Prince Ning has already regretted the marriage. All the people on Jia Jing's side have died, so there is no way to rely on him. He can only take the opportunity of condolences to send someone to contact him.

"Your Highness, I am grateful for your kindness!"

After all, it was their first contact, and he was in a hurry to express his opinion, which ended up being a disadvantage. He kept saying ambiguous things.

Zhou Chengru seemed to understand that things could not be achieved overnight, so he only conveyed King Ning's appreciation for him, and left with a promise to visit again in the future, then left contentedly.

After seeing Zhou Chengru off, Zhang Yun逸 did not rush anywhere else. Instead, he returned to the side hall and fell into deep thought.

He could understand why King Ning went to such a far place to recruit him, because it was because of his father's death.

However, Jia Zheng pretended to obey Prince Ning's order to recruit him, but actually disobeyed it, which made him confused.

Zhang Yun逸 didn't believe that Jia Zheng had foreseen that Prince Ning would not be able to inherit the throne and did it on purpose.

After all, whether from the excitement shown when the Grand View Garden was completed, or from the attitude shown when he just learned of the decree of marriage, there was no sign at all.

Moreover, if he really saw through it, he should have declined when the emperor granted the marriage, instead of turning a deaf ear to Prince Ning's orders.

He still remembered the first time Jia Zheng invited him to his house for a banquet, and how proud and complacent he looked after drinking, ready to give orders about the country.

Thinking of this, he suddenly had an idea and remembered the scene where Mrs. Wang fell to the ground and Jia Zheng left the table in anger.

When Jia Zheng suddenly invited him to his house for a banquet, he guessed that it was Prince Ning who instructed him to recruit him.

He thought to himself, no way?

Just because of this mistake, you forgot about the important thing?

Even if I forget it for a moment, can I still forget it for a whole year?

However, it seems that the second time he was invited to the mansion, it was also interfered by Lady Wang and Aunt Zhao.

It's not that he was idle and was wondering what Jia Zheng was thinking, but he was judging whether Zhou Chengru's words were credible.

Although the King of Qin hoped that he would infiltrate the King of Ning's faction, he only hoped to use him to gather information about the other side.

It was impossible for him to really do anything to help King Ning.

Therefore, it is very necessary to judge King Ning’s attitude and make corresponding responses.

He knew that Jia Yuanchun's marriage was secretly arranged by Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang.

Although I know that Jia Jing is involved, I am not clear about the details.

After hearing what Zhou Chengru said about marriage, he roughly figured out the thread.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 261: A Funeral Where No One Grieves (Part )

Because the deaths of Jia Jing and Jia Zhen happened suddenly and there was no preparation in advance, it took a whole day to prepare all matters and announce the death.

Apart from the nearby Jia family, today was the only day when outsiders came to visit.

The Ning Mansion is now in a state of decline. Lady Jia is of a higher generation, and the funeral has just been arranged. So the women from the Rong Mansion plan to come the next day to ensure that the Ning Mansion will not be unable to take care of it.

Unlike Wang Xifeng, who was invited by Zhang Yun逸 and came under the pretext of helping with the funeral ceremonies.

This time, Li Wan took the risk and did not care about arousing suspicion. She took the initiative to come early under the pretext of caring about Youshi and taking care of Jia Lan.

Originally, although she lived a secluded life and rarely went out, it was inconvenient for her to find an excuse to go to Ning Mansion, but she still had a thought in the end.

Now, with Jia Zhen's death, the title of Ning Mansion has come to an end, and the Ningguo Mansion built by imperial decree will probably be taken back by the court. Zhang Yun逸 is afraid that he will never be able to live in it again.

When she thought of this, she regretted that she had been too cautious and did not take advantage of the opportunity to find more comfort.

It's too late now, and the only thing I can do is to make up for it and eat as much as I can at once during the funeral.

However, although she arrived at Ning Mansion in the morning, Zhang Yunyi was intercepted by Wang Xifeng early in the morning, and then she was busy entertaining guests. She didn't have a chance to chat until the banquet started in the evening.

At this moment, seeing Zhang Yun逸 coming to the table, his heart couldn't help but beat wildly.

She glanced guiltily at the people at the table and found that they were all looking at Zhang Yunyi, who was in command, with burning eyes.

So he looked over boldly.

Coincidentally, Zhang Yunyi also looked at her. As the two looked at each other, Li Wan's breathing became rapid.

Seeing Zhang Yunyi nodded slightly, she lowered her head guiltily.

After seeing him say a few more words, she turned and left.

She hesitated for a moment, then told Suyun beside her, "I'll be back after I get some fresh air!"

After saying that, he chased after him.

Sure enough, when he went out, he saw Zhang Yunyi standing in the yard, instructing a maid about something.

As she was hesitating, she saw Zhang Yunyi waving at her, so she gritted her teeth and walked over.

"Sister-in-law has been busy all day. If you feel tired later, let Aunt Zhang take you to Sister-in-law's room to rest for a while before going back."

Zhang Yunyi naturally saw through Li Wan's intention early on.

However, he did not share Li Wan's worries.

Furthermore, although Wang Xifeng learned a set of health-preserving methods from Zhen Shiyin and was quite effective, it could only be considered an appetizer, but Li Wan's feast was quite substantial.

He did not dare to slack off at all. In order to avoid neglecting the care, he took a short nap after lunch and dawdled until now.

"This is my old nanny. If you have any requests, just tell her."

Knowing Li Wan's worries, he specially called the old nanny from the Zhang family.

Hearing that it was the old man from the Zhang family, Li Wan felt relieved, but still didn't dare to speak, so she just nodded slightly.

Zhang Yunyi didn't have her concerns and said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, go and fill your stomach first, so you don't run out of strength later."

When Li Wan heard that she had no strength left, her cheeks turned red and she dared not raise her head.

Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhang glanced at Zhang Yunyi and saw that he winked at her. She hurried forward to support Li Wan and walked her to the flower hall, saying, "Then I will wait for grandma outside. When grandma comes out later, she will be able to see me."

Li Wan was sent to the flower hall by Nanny Zhang. Her mind was full of sad thoughts and she had no appetite for food.

However, although Lady Jia, Mrs. Wang and others did not come today, many of the aunts and uncles from the side branches of the Jia family were here.

Although she was frustrated in the Rong Mansion, in the eyes of these people, she was a real favorite.

They had to come up and smile and toast her, so she had no choice but to be patient and deal with them one by one.

Finally, after three rounds of drinking, she told Suyun, "Go ahead and keep an eye on my brother. Don't let him get instigated to drink too much. Take him home after dinner. Don't come to see me again. I won't be back at night. I'll stay here with my sister-in-law."

The women of the Rong Mansion did not come because they were worried about causing trouble, but the men, from Jia She, Jia Zheng to Jia Lan, all came to help.

It was precisely because of this that Li Wan asked to be accompanied with confidence.

"How can this be possible?" Suyun was shocked.

"Why not? Lan'er's matter was solved thanks to my sister-in-law's help. I can't help with anything else. Now that such a big thing has happened in her family, how can I stay out of it? Even the old lady and the mistress can't find any reason. I will take responsibility for anything that happens."

The funeral at the Ning Mansion would only last seven days, not to mention that Lady Jia and Lady Wang would be present tomorrow, so she would have to accompany them.

Just say that she arrived early, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to speak later.

Seeing her firm words, Suyun did not dare to say anything more and had to obey her order and rush to the front yard.

Li Wan ate a few more bites, then found an excuse to go see Youshi and left the table.