The Red Mansion Big Liar

Hearing Wang Xifeng asking this, Zhang Yunyi suppressed the temptation in his heart and said seriously: "Since the old lady needs it urgently, you can just give it to her. Why are you asking me?"

He remembered that Jia She had said that the 100,000 taels were contributed half by the government and half by Lady Jia, but now Wang Xifeng said that 60,000 taels were embezzled, which obviously meant that Lady Jia had kept some for herself.

So, while arguing with Wang Xifeng, he tried to find out the specific details indirectly.

As luck would have it, Wang Xifeng also had the same idea, and pretended to complain: "Of course I have to give it, but the government treasury plus the income from the farm this year only amount to more than 100,000 taels of silver. Half of it has been used up at once. I don't know how to make ends meet for this family next year. Since I'm in charge of the family, I can't be completely ignorant, right? But it's not easy to ask the old lady about this..."

"I do know a little bit..."

Zhang Yunyi smiled and said with a double meaning: "If my sister-in-law wants me to spit it out, it's not difficult..."

"Pah!" Wang Xifeng's cheeks flushed, and she spat, saying unhappily, "I knew you were such a heartless person with no good intentions!"

Although she was complaining, her pair of long legs with well-proportioned flesh were moving up and down very vigorously.

Zhang Yunyi raised his mouth with great satisfaction and said with a smile: "You know what the old lady meant originally, but now she wants the eldest girl to replace the second girl, so she has to make some compensation!"

He had no right to comment on how the money in Rongguo Mansion was spent. Now that he knew how much money was left in the government, his goal had been achieved and there was no need to hide it anymore.

Although Wang Xifeng originally knew that it was mostly for Yuanchun and thought it was just to prepare a dowry for her, she never expected it to be compensation for Jia She.

Hearing this, she was startled, her legs squeezed tighter together, she took a breath of cold air and exclaimed, "Why are there so many?"

"Hiss!" Zhang Yunyi also took a breath and grinned, "A lot?"

He thought to himself, there are still 40,000 taels that you don’t know about.

But Wang Xifeng came to her senses after hearing what he said, and said with a hint of confusion, "That's not right! Since you took 60,000 taels from the government, why did the old lady sell things? Even if she was preparing a dowry, these are rare and good things. It would be both decent and convenient to use them as a dowry. Why do you have to do something superfluous like this?"

"Tell me, what good stuff do you have?"

Zhang Yun逸 was not concerned about what Lady Jia was going to sell, but he was trying to find out how much personal wealth Lady Jia had through this indirect way.

"The ginseng is fine, you don't need it, but the duck-cheek fur coat and the golden pheasant fur coat are rare treasures. The old lady has kept them in the box for many years, and even Baoyu was reluctant to give them to her."

Storing gold, silver and valuables is the behavior of the nouveau riche. Even people like Lady Jia, who came from a prominent family, mostly collected all kinds of items.

Although she could give it all to Jia She to make up the number, she knew that her son was greedy and was afraid that he would take the opportunity to lower the price.

Only then did she pick out some items that were easy to sell and had a considerable price and asked Wang Xifeng to sell them.

In the original novel, these two fur coats were later given by Grandmother Jia to Jia Baoyu and Xue Baoqin respectively.

When Zhang Yun逸 heard that Lady Jia was selling it, he was quite happy.

So he asked indirectly, "Why would you sell such a good thing? Is the old lady going crazy because of lack of money?"

"This stuff is valuable and easy to sell. We can't just sell everything off. That would be disgraceful."

Wang Xifeng rolled her eyes at him and said, "Besides, I think even though the old lady has a lot of ginseng, it's not as good as the one you gave to Lin last time. Now that she has a grandson-in-law like you, what's the point of keeping those junks?"

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener may take it seriously. Just now, he was attracted by the golden pheasant fur coat and the duck-cheeked fur coat. When he heard Wang Xifeng mention ginseng, he remembered that the original book mentioned that when Wang Xifeng had a miscarriage, Mrs. Wang asked Lady Jia for ginseng. After getting two taels of it, she found that it had lost its medicinal properties.

If he took it out to sell now, he might not be able to sell it, so he couldn't help but feel happy.

Suddenly, he felt something tight under his body, and saw Wang Xifeng raising her hand and drawing circles on his chest. She twisted her body like a water snake and said, "Those golden pheasant fur coat and duck-cheeked fur coat are rare treasures. Rather than letting outsiders get them for free, you might as well buy them..."

Uh……

Zhang Yunyi secretly complained in his heart, after all this time, they are trying to sell something to him?

Although it might be suspected of aiding the enemy, Lady Jia could still sell it. After all, it was a famous item in the original novel. As long as the price was right, it could be collected.

So he bargained, "I don't need this... The crane cloak given by the emperor is still gathering dust in the storehouse!"

Wang Xifeng nudged him in the arms and said flatteringly, "You don't need anything, but I'm just thinking about our child. I looked at those two pieces, and they're a little too small for you..."

Depend on!

After all this fuss, you want to spend money but can't bear to do so, so you come to pay for it yourself.

"Why? Could it be that Second Madam can't afford it?"

"That's not the case. As a father, you should at least show some appreciation. Besides, if I buy it, the old lady will think I'm undercutting her. It would be better if you buy it and say it was given to you by someone else. Then you can sell it to someone else. The old lady won't be able to say anything."

As if she was worried that Zhang Yunyi would not agree, she quickly added: "If you are willing, these two pieces can be packed together for eight thousand taels of silver. I don't want the golden pheasant fur coat either, as long as you leave the duck-cheeked fur coat to our child..."

At this point, Wang Xifeng turned to Ping'er and said, "Quick, show it to me!"

Ok!

Wang Xifeng brought all her worries directly to him.

In the original novel, although Shi Xiangyun mocked the duck-cheek fur coat for being made of wild duck feathers, she was more like saying the grapes are sour because she couldn't eat them.

Although what she said was true, the tuft of fluff on the wild duck's head was not only waterproof but also colorful, which was really remarkable.

To make a fur coat, you need at least a thousand wild ducks, not to mention the fox fur lining with gold and silver threads, as well as the labor cost.

If the duck-cheek fur coat is like this, there is no need to say more about the pheasant-gold fur coat.

The two items together cost eight thousand taels, which is indeed very fair.

Anyway, it is given to his own child, so it can't be considered a bargain for outsiders. It can also lower the price of Lady Jia, so he is happy to do so.

Having said that, Zhang Yunyi glanced at the two fur coats Ping'er was showing and said in a flowery way, "They are just two useless things. How can they be as pretty as my sister-in-law?"

When Wang Xifeng shyly scratched his chest, he changed the subject and said, "But it seems that the old lady has a lot of good things. Why not see if we can dig out some more good things?"

"How to do it?" Wang Xifeng's eyes flickered, and she pursed her lips and said, "If the old lady doesn't want to, who else can do it?"

"It all depends on people!"

Zhang Yunyi smiled evilly and lied, "Ginseng is different from other things. Once it's old, its medicinal properties will be reduced. I've also seen the old lady's ginseng. I'm afraid it's quite old. You can just give it back to her and tell her that the people out there won't accept it. She'll have to pay out some good stuff to supplement it!"

He has always been good at taking advantage of the situation. Wang Xifeng took the initiative to lower the price, giving him this opportunity to try to squeeze more of Lady Jia's money.

Although it was highly likely that Lady Jia's ginseng would be difficult to sell, he was worried about meeting someone who didn't know its value, so this would be a sure bet.

"Really?" Wang Xifeng was a little skeptical. "Don't lie to me. What if the old lady asks someone else to sell it..."

"How could it be fake? If you don't believe me, bring the ginseng here some other day and let Mr. Zhen take a look!"

"Okay!" Wang Xifeng gritted her teeth and said, "Then let Ping'er take it and test it now!"

Ping'er agreed immediately after hearing this.

Zhang Yunyi ordered Ping'er as she was about to leave: "Close the door!"

He then hugged Wang Xifeng and staggered to a chair in the room and sat down. He grabbed Wang Xifeng's hair and pushed it down, saying with a smile, "Sister-in-law, you are very eloquent. You have fooled me so much in such a short time. I spent eight thousand taels of silver to make you happy. Now it's your turn to express your gratitude, right?"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 362 Sister Feng is pregnant

Wang Xifeng suspected that she was pregnant, so she didn't dare to make a big move and could only use her eloquence. In the end, Ping'er, who brought back the ginseng, took all the consequences.

After Zhang Yun逸 was satisfied and had finished packing, he took the two of them to find Zhen Shiyin.

As expected, Wang Xifeng was pregnant. After calculating the time, it turned out that she became pregnant when Jia Zheng left Beijing and lived in Mengpo Zhai.

However, he stayed in Wang Xifeng's room twice, and the time intervals were too close, so it is difficult to determine which time she got pregnant.

However, thinking of those two experiences, Zhang Yunyi couldn't help but curl his lips.

No matter when, this child was conceived under the witness of Jia Lian, and it cannot be faked.

In front of Zhen Shiyin, Zhang Yun逸 didn't say much.

After testing the medicinal properties of ginseng, on the way back, he reminded: "Since it is confirmed that you are pregnant, don't worry about those things. Go back and ask for leave from the old lady and the wife, follow Mr. Zhen's doctor's advice, and take care of the baby."

There were no caesarean sections in ancient times. The wives and concubines of wealthy families often had everything they wanted, and their lack of exercise made childbirth even more dangerous.

Just from Wang Xifeng's fighting ability, it can be seen that she neglects exercise.

Although he has made some progress under the sparring of Zhang Yunyi, his foundation is still too weak and he needs more practice.

Zhang Yun逸 also followed Zhen Shiyin's medical advice. Although Wang Xifeng was reluctant to give up her power, since it concerned the child and her life, and with Zhang Yun逸's strict order, she did not dare to slack off.

On the way to send her back, Zhang Yunyi thought for a moment and said, "Since you are pregnant now, Hongyu will stay with you for a while."

He had originally planned to transfer Lin Hongyu here after he came back, but now Wang Xifeng was pregnant, and it was a bit unreasonable to transfer her away from her room.

It just so happens that Youshi has to wait until she finishes her confinement before she can come back, so she might as well leave it alone for now.

Originally, Wang Xifeng thought Lin Hongyu was a nuisance, but now that she is pregnant, she doesn't care anymore.

As for Jia Lian, he was already useless. In ancient times, it was not like the modern times. Without a needle and only thread, one could not even embroider flowers, let alone produce any results.

There are three types of unfilial behavior, and the worst is to have no offspring. He was worried about how to explain to his family, and even asked Wang Xifeng several times in a roundabout way. If he knew that she was pregnant, he would probably be happier than Zhang Yunyi, her biological father.

After returning to Rong Mansion, Wang Xifeng came to Rongqing Hall.

He first reported the good news and not the bad news, saying: "Brother Yi said that it doesn't matter when the old ancestor passes away. He will still spend the fifteenth with us like last year."

Grandmother Jia smiled brightly, clapped her hands and said with a smile: "Great! Great! Then you decide when to go there so that we can say hello to them as soon as possible."

The Lantern Festival also means reunion. Since Zhang Yunyi did not avoid suspicion and came to the Rong Mansion to celebrate the Lantern Festival together, there is no doubt that he also has the intention of being a family.

Wang Xifeng saw that Jia's mother was in a good mood, so she handed over the banknotes and said, "The old lady ordered yesterday, and I dare not neglect it. I sent someone to do it this morning. A total of 8,000 taels were sold, but... the medicinal properties of this ginseng are not good enough. I asked several medicine shops, but they refused to buy it."

The smile on Jia's face disappeared, and she frowned and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry? Why don't you ask a few more families?"

I heard that ginseng was difficult to sell, and the prices of the golden pheasant fur and duck-cheek fur were somewhat lower than expected, so I couldn't help but feel unhappy.

Wang Xifeng explained, "The old lady has ordered that I dare not neglect it. Now is the end of the year. If I don't act quickly, I'm afraid I'll have to wait at least half a month. And my granddaughter-in-law is pregnant now..."

"Oh?" Grandmother Jia said happily, "It's a matter of a long time. Why didn't I hear you mention it yesterday?"

In ancient times, people attached great importance to offspring, and Grandmother Jia was no exception.

"She must have gotten pregnant during the days when the master was away from Beijing. It's only been a month, and my menstruation is not regular, so I didn't take it seriously. Plus, it's the end of the year, and there are a lot of things to do in the mansion, so I didn't dare to ask the old lady and the ladies to worry about it. Today, I'm a little worried, so I went to find Mr. Zhen to check her pulse."

As she felt guilty, she did not dare to say that it was during the days when Zhang Yunyi stayed there, and only said it was before and after Jia Zheng left Beijing.

Originally, Grandmother Jia was a little confused. Given Wang Xifeng's style of doing things, why would she only sell it for eight thousand taels?

Hearing her say that, I thought she was worried about the baby in her belly and wanted to finish the job as soon as possible, so she didn't haggle over the price.

In addition, she was pregnant, so he couldn't bear to blame her. He waved his hand and sighed, "Forget it! Since you are pregnant, you should take good care of the baby. Let Madam worry more about the affairs of the mansion!"

After sending Wang Xifeng away, Grandmother Jia couldn't help feeling upset.

As Zhang Yun逸 expected, although she had a lot of money, most of it was in the form of personal belongings. In order to avoid being disrespectful, she did not want to sell off those insignificant bottles and jars.

Only a few high-value items can be found.

This is also the reason why I chose ginseng and two fur coats.

At the moment, the fur coat was sold for a thousand taels of silver less than expected, and the ginseng was difficult to sell, so he was in a dilemma.

It's not that she doesn't have a suitable one. If those Hanlin scholars knew about Hui Niang's necklace, they would definitely flock to it.

However, she originally had three sets, and gave two sets to Concubine Zhen for Yuanchun's marriage. Now she only has this one set in her hand, and she loves it like a treasure and is reluctant to sell it.

After thinking it over, he called Lai Da over first, picked out two relatively recent ginseng roots and handed them to him, saying, "I heard that ginseng loses its medicinal properties if left for too long. Take these two roots and ask outside to see if they can still be used as medicine."

Originally, Lai Da was the most suitable person to find to sell the property, but Grandmother Jia no longer trusted Lai Da as much as before, and was worried that he would leak the news to Zhang Yunyi, causing him to look down on her family, so she handed the matter over to Wang Xifeng.

But now, I think of Lai Da again.

Of course, because of this concern, she deliberately changed the sale to medicinal use.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and it's getting dark. Why would Lai Da go so far away?

Zhen Shiyin was found immediately.

Zhen Shiyin had just tested it and said after just one look: "Cai Yunyi brought Lian's second wife over to ask about it and it is indeed unusable!"

When Lai Da heard that Wang Xifeng was approached first before he was approached, he knew clearly that Grandmother Jia's trust in him was not as great as before.

He immediately brought the ginseng back and pretended not to know that Lady Jia had entrusted it to Wang Xifeng before, and only told her what Zhen Shiyin had said truthfully.

Grandmother Jia rubbed her temples and waved her hands. After Lai Da left, she collapsed powerlessly on the Luohan bed.

It’s not that she didn’t think about giving these ginseng to Jia She to make up the number, but ginseng was used to save lives in ancient times.

After all, he was not so cruel as to be so mad. He was just worried that Jia She did not know the truth and would bring disaster to his descendants.

Once people are pushed into a corner, they will do anything to achieve their goals.

Just like a gambler, she began to make up all kinds of excuses and set her sights on targeting relatives and friends. Although Lady Jia had not yet reached the point of pennilessness and could not care less about her dignity, it did not stop her from coming up with such an idea.

The Xue family in Rongguo Mansion is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate, but it just requires some slight adjustments.