The Red Mansion Big Liar

Then he bowed slightly to Zhang Yunyi and said, "I haven't greeted Brother Yi yet."

She was quite frank and said she hadn't seen him for many years.

Although I had seen her in my early years, she had not grown up yet. Now she has a slim waist and shoulders, tall and graceful figure.

She looked around with a lively look and a sense of calmness as she chatted with Zhang Yunyi without any of the affectation of a girl.

Yingchun, who was not far away, was the opposite. Although she looked at the three people from time to time and wanted to go forward and talk to them, she hesitated.

On the contrary, Xichun, who was beside her, was indifferent to everything and looked lonely and cold.

During the conversation, Wang Xifeng came back. Originally, there was no need for her to go in person to deliver the message, but she still wanted to make a final effort.

However, Zhang Yunyi was obviously not interested in anything else. He sent Jia Mu and the others to the Tianxiang Tower and made an excuse: "If you delay, something bad will happen. It is urgent to help the concubine and the wife resolve the situation. Some arrangements need to be made. I will send you here now."

"Hey!" Jia's mother and Wang Furen hurriedly said, "Then go back quickly!"

Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai hurriedly thanked him again and asked him to come to their house to express their gratitude.

Zhang Yunyi readily agreed: "My aunt has given me an order, and I will obey it!"

Qin Keqing, who was standing by, saw that he was not willing to waste even a moment to help the Xue family, and felt that he was eager to help others. She felt more at ease when she thought of his help.

After dealing with the Xue family mother and daughter, Zhang Yunyi turned to Jia Zhen and said, "Brother Zhen, please tell Brother Xue again. I won't go with you."

Always leave a way out for everything. Since Xiangling has already been snatched away, there is no need to go in front of Xue Pan to annoy him.

After returning home, Aunt Xue and Xue Baochai would do his work.

I think there is no reason to take Xiangling back after sending her away in front of so many people.

Watching everyone leave, Zhang Yunyi pulled Xiangling and ran towards the Dengxian Pavilion.

Ruizhu saw that he came back with a girl, who didn't look like a maid. She was wondering whether she should ask, but Zhang Yunyi introduced her, "Ruizhu, this is Xiangling. She will live in our room from now on. You can take her to get familiar with her tomorrow."

"Then I will clean up for Sister Xiangling?"

"No need!" Zhang Yunyi ordered, "Go and serve the meal first, and ask the maid outside to prepare a bigger bathtub and more hot water."

"Ok!"

"Master, are you going to do something for Xiangling?"

Ruizhu just agreed and was about to go down, but she heard Xiangling asking a question from the side, and her steps couldn't help but slow down.

, "Yes! We need to eat enough to have strength!"

Hearing that there was important business to be done, Ruizhu did not dare to delay and went out immediately to make arrangements.

A few moments later, several maids brought in a large bathtub. Zhang Yunyi pointed upstairs and said, "The water in the middle room can wait. You can get it when you eat, otherwise it will get cold."

When the food was served, Youshi came in with her maid, carrying several bags.

"My aunt has already sent this girl's things over. Can you put them in her room first?"

Zhang Yunyi shook his head and said, "No hurry, put it aside first, we will need it later. I won't greet my sister-in-law, I will cook for her after we finish eating."

There are so many people here at the moment, and it is not convenient to tell Youshi directly that the night run is cancelled. He can only use this as an excuse to vaguely mention that he is not free in the evening.

Youshi didn't know that the bathtub had already been placed on the second floor. Seeing a group of maids running upstairs with hot water, she didn't dare to delay and hurriedly got up to say goodbye.

He ate a quick breakfast and dinner, tucked Xiangling's bags under his arms, and pulled her upstairs.

Ruizhu was left alone to clean up the dishes on the table and send them outside to the laundry woman. When she came back again, she heard a loud noise upstairs, as if there was an evil dragon causing trouble.

Xiangling's hesitant cry for help could be heard faintly.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 38 Thinking

The next day.

Ruizhu got up dejectedly.

Last night, at first she did think that Zhang Yun逸 was performing a ritual.

But as the noise upstairs became more and more unbearable, she gradually figured out what was going on. It was somewhat similar to Jia Rong's usual activities, except that the noise made by Master Yi lasted for a long time, unlike Jia Rong and those maids, who calmed down in a short while.

With Baozhu's reminder, he had just made up his mind, but unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin appeared halfway.

Xiangling stayed upstairs with her luggage last night, so she probably no longer has a role as a roommate.

Although she herself had no desire to be competitive, she felt a lump in her throat when she thought of Baozhu's eager expectations and Qin Keqing's heavy responsibility.

Hearing some noise coming from upstairs, she rubbed her sleepy eyes, went outside, and went upstairs to fetch some water.

The door of the inner room was wide open, and the sound of rummaging could be heard. She went to the bathroom with hot water, only to see the floor in a mess, with skirts, jackets, bellybands, and gauze scattered all around, and wet water stains everywhere, stretching all the way out the door.

"Ruiju!"

I had just picked up two items that were not too difficult to buy when I heard Zhang Yunyi shouting.

"Eh!"

Ruizhu hurriedly put the skirt and jacket in her hands on the bathtub and turned to go to the inner room.

I saw Uncle Yi standing in the room looking around. The drawers and cabinet doors were all open, and the cabinets were piled with changed bed sheets.

"What do you want, sir?"

She took the opportunity to secretly glance at the bed, but saw that Xiangling was wrapped up in the quilt with only her head sticking out.

"Get me some scissors."

"Oh!" Ruizhu didn't understand and hurried downstairs to get it.

When she returned, she found Master Yi putting a sheet on the bed. She quickly placed the scissors on the table and said, "Master, let me do it!"

"Yes!" Zhang Yunyi did not refuse, but took the opportunity to pick up Xiangling, who was wrapped like a tube on the bed, and picked her up with the quilt like a child.

Ruizhu didn't dare to look at it any longer. She quickly took off her embroidered shoes, lay on the bed, and made the bed.

Seeing Zhang Yunyi put Xiangling back on the bed, he said, "The water is ready. Master, go wash up first. If there is anything you want to cut, just give it to me."

Zhang Yunyi waved his hand and said, "No need. Ask someone to prepare an extra breakfast outside. Xiangling will be up late. When Sister-in-law Zhen comes, ask her to find a locked box."

As he spoke, he picked up the scissors on the table, picked up the sheets piled on the cabinet, and began to cut them carefully.

Ruizhu hesitated for a moment before agreeing and turning to leave. Taking the opportunity of closing the door, she secretly glanced into the room and saw Zhang Yunyi unfolding the cut bed sheet, which seemed to have some bloodstains on it.

Just as she was about to scream, she suddenly remembered something, covered her mouth, and ran downstairs with a red face.

Zhang Yun逸 held up the cut bed sheet, looked at it again and again, and felt quite pleased with himself.

Then he came to Xiangling's bed, kissed her on the forehead, and tucked the bed sheet under her pillow, and said, "Keep it for me first, and I'll lock it up and keep it safe when the box comes."

It’s not that he has any particular plot that regards these dregs as the essence.

It’s just that reputation is too important for women in this era. If you act too casually, it will hurt their feelings.

Unexpectedly, Xiangling blinked her eyes and said in confusion, "Is this the filth that you removed for me? I can just find a place to put it. Wouldn't it be a waste to put it in a box?"

Zhang Yunyi felt both amused and distressed when he heard this. If it were Xue Baochai, even if Aunt Xue was not convenient to demonstrate in person, she would still give instructions in person. She was not as ignorant as she was.

"That won't do. These can't be shown to others easily. Otherwise, why would I lock them up?"

He accidentally spoke out his true feelings, but fortunately Xiangling was a little dull and didn't understand the meaning of his words.

"Okay! I have to go to the government office today. You can get up when you are able to get out of bed. If you need anything, tell Ruizhu."

After all, Xiangling had just been exposed to the rain and dew, and although Zhang Yunyi tried his best to restrain himself, he had not yet recovered.

Originally he had planned to accompany them, but although Prince Zhongshun had taken special care of him and had not allowed him to report on time, he had only received the news of the Rong Mansion garden tour in the evening of the day before yesterday. He had already left without saying goodbye yesterday, so he could not rest today.

Even though he had won Xiangling over through some means, he didn't want to hide the fact that he had taken another woman from her, and it was impossible for him to hide it.

He was not worried about leaving the Xue family with the impression that he was a lecher, but he did not want them to think that he had won the woman but was not doing the job.

It may seem like a good deal to only go in and not out, but it is not conducive to frequent transactions.

You have to cast a long line to catch a big fish...

Hmm! ~It’s literally big!

And this is also good for him. He has been suffering from a lack of manpower before. In order to open up the soda ash trade route, the Xue family is a royal merchant and the caravan personnel are ready.

Moreover, the Xue family is dependent on the inner court and has requests for help. He has grasped their weak spot and does not need to worry about them playing tricks.

In addition, the Xue family and he are not real relatives, unlike the Ningguo Mansion. Even if they fall out one day, they will not be accused of being inhumane.

Unlike modern times, ancient times emphasized the protection of one’s relatives. Even if a relative broke the law, as long as it was not a serious crime such as treason or rebellion, one would not be punished for helping to conceal it.

On the contrary, reporting and exposing will be despised by the world.

Therefore, no matter from which perspective, the Xue family is currently the best cooperation partner.

After all, it takes time to build a team, and they may not be loyal. Instead of hiring people randomly, it is better to outsource the labor. As a modern person, this routine is all too familiar to us.

He had just gone out to work at the yamen when Baozhu slipped into the Dengxian Pavilion right after him.

Ruizhu was the only one in the hall. She was sitting at the table listlessly, as if she was full of worries. She didn't even clean up the dishes on the table.

She looked around and whispered, "Xiangling from the Xue family is so rude. Why hasn't she gotten up yet?"

"Maybe...Maybe she was tired last night, so Master asked her to sleep a little longer."

Speaking of last night, Baozhu suddenly became interested and said in a low voice: "Master, you still have such a skill? Did you see what Master did last night?"

She followed Qin Keqing all the way yesterday and heard Zhang Yunyi talk about some arrangements he was going to make.

Ruizhu looked gloomy when she heard that, and then a blush appeared on her face.

"This... this is nothing good."

Ruizhu stood up hurriedly and turned sideways while collecting the bowls.

Baozhu thought she was just showing off and said angrily, "If you don't tell me, I'll go ask Xiangling."

As she spoke, she ran to Ruizhu's door, looked inside, and saw that no one was inside. She was about to go to the other room, but Ruizhu stopped her and said, "Not downstairs."

"Ah!" Baozhu opened her mouth wide and pointed upward with her index finger, "Could it be...she is sleeping in the master's room?"

She was also familiar with the layout of the upstairs, and there was no bed in the study.

Seeing Ruizhu nod silently, he said angrily: "You have been here for so many days, how come you let a young girl who just came in get you first!"

Ruizhu was also feeling aggrieved. She had been struggling for a whole day yesterday before finally making up her mind. Unexpectedly, her struggle was in vain. She couldn't help but complain, "After dinner yesterday, the old man dragged her upstairs. What can I do?"

"Alas!" Baozhu sighed, "What should I do? If Master is not here, can Grandma still ask her for help?"

After hearing what Baozhu said, Ruizhu felt that she had let Qin Keqing down and her eyes turned red.

Just at this moment, there was a noise from upstairs, and Xiangling walked down the stairs.

She didn't want Xiangling to see her embarrassment, so she said hurriedly, "I'll go get breakfast for my sister."

Having said that, he ran out in a flash.

Baozhu looked at Xiangling and was about to say hello, but she was tongue-tied and unable to speak.

She had also seen Xiangling yesterday, and although she thought she was very pretty, she seemed a little silly and stupid.

Looking at her now, she is very different from yesterday, less silly and more charming, and actually looks quite similar to Qin Keqing.

Her heart was in turmoil at the moment, and she couldn't help but think of Ruizhu's words that she would take her upstairs after dinner.

Although Ruizhu was not as pretty as Xiangling, Uncle Yi didn't care about her for such a long time after she entered the house. However, Xiangling, who looked very much like grandma, was taken into the room as soon as she entered the house.

How could she not think too much?

Yesterday, Zhang Yunyi could even figure out the clues about Xiangling's background. Does that mean he had already seen through his grandmother's predicament?

Perhaps, his plan included asking his grandmother for help, leaving behind his and Ruizhu's indentures, and even keeping himself with his grandmother.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shudder. If Zhang Yun逸 really had the same idea as Jia Zhen, and even asked her to help...how should she deal with it?

If I help, I will be aiding and abetting the evil. If I don’t help, my indenture has already fallen into Zhang Yun逸’s hands. How can I get away with it?

Her heart was already in a mess at this moment, and she dared not say anything. She could not wait for Ruizhu to come back, and left in a hurry without even saying hello to Xiangling.

……

(End of this chapter)