The Red Mansion Big Liar

Originally, this kind of matter could be left to Qingwen, without having to send it to the inner palace, which would be very troublesome.

But the last time she asked Qingwen to mend her clothes, she became suspicious. Jin Chuan was worried that she would be discovered by Qingwen. Besides, she also had selfish motives and did not want Qingwen to share the credit.

Coincidentally, Zhang Yun逸 didn’t want Qingwen to see what he was doing behind her back, so he just went along with it.

Although she kept saying that she was begging Zhang Yunyi, it was obvious that she was trying to cover up her mistake. In addition, Baochai had already seen the whole picture and could tell there was a problem with the ingredients.

He was even more certain that it was Zhang Yunyi who had instructed him to do this, but he pretended to complain, "Why didn't you discuss this with me beforehand? Isn't this causing trouble for Brother Yi?"

"What's the trouble?" Jin Chuan said sarcastically, "Miss, don't you think about who the master is? It's just a matter of a word. Even the material has been paid for by the imperial palace!"

As they were talking, Ying'er's voice came from outside: "Miss! Madam has sent someone to invite you over!"

Baochai felt a little embarrassed when she heard this.

Jin Chuan smiled and said, "I have tried on the nightgown. Since the concubine is looking for the young lady, I will not bother her any more."

It takes two to tango. Jin Chuan knew very well that this perfect match was a tacit understanding between Lady Wang and Aunt Xue.

Now, what a coincidence that Aunt Xue came to find Xue Baochai at this time. Calculating the time, she might have already gone to Lady Wang's room to verify it.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 411 Sisters Have Dissension

Baochai and Ying'er sent Jinchuan to the gate of Hengwuyuan before parting ways with her.

When we arrived at the Xue family courtyard in the northeast corner, we saw Aunt Xue leaning on the kang with her clothes half open, sighing.

She winked at Ying'er, then went into the room alone, sat down on the kang and said, "Could it be that my brother got into trouble again? Why is mother so worried?"

"Alas!" Aunt Xue sighed and said, "I just went to your aunt's place, and the maid said that Zhen'er's wife's sister gave birth yesterday, and she went to Yi'er's farm outside the city."

"Ah?" Baochai asked in confusion, "With such a good opportunity, why didn't mom go?"

"Who said it wasn't!" Aunt Xue complained and told Mrs. Wang everything about having informed her in advance.

Because he felt guilty and did not want Baochai to know that Jinchuan served him meticulously, he concealed her words.

Finally, he asked, "What do you think your aunt means? Is she unhappy with us for pushing back on the marriage?"

Having said this, she looked at Baochai and said, "How about..."

"No!"

After listening to Aunt Xue's words, Baochai was thinking about Mrs. Wang's intention and couldn't help but exclaimed when she heard it.

Perhaps she felt that she was too eager, so she quickly explained: "Aunt said it nicely to reassure us, but in fact, this marriage contract seems fair, but it is a bondage."

"What do you mean?" Aunt Xue asked quickly.

Baochai asked back, "Mother, don't you think about it? If you really want to reassure us, why do you have to hide it and hide it from the old lady?"

"Isn't this... the old lady likes Lin girl, and your aunt is worried that she won't agree?"

"That's right!" Baochai said with a face as gloomy as water, "If there is a reversal in the future, Auntie can use this as an excuse to put all the blame on the old lady. On the contrary, we are in a stronger situation than we are. Even if we hold the engagement, it is just a piece of waste paper."

"But why did she do this?"

Aunt Xue was really puzzled.

She is not like Baochai. After all, she is a widow and is one generation older than her. Although Jinchuan has evil intentions, it is not convenient for her to tell her master about his intentions.

He could only conceal his true intentions and wait until Aunt Xue let down her guard so that she would be caught off guard and give in half-heartedly.

Baochai was right. The situation was stronger than the people. Not to mention that their family was living under someone else's roof, just looking at Zhang Yunyi's attitude towards the Rongguo Mansion, if Mrs. Wang liked this marriage, there was no need for her to do these little tricks.

Therefore, he suspected that it was because of his previous excuses that made Mrs. Wang unhappy, and that is why she deliberately left him behind.

But Baochai didn't think so. With Jinchuan's clear indication, there was no need for her to pin her hopes on Mrs. Wang.

However, after all, it was a private transaction, and she was embarrassed to tell the truth even to Aunt Xue.

I had to say in a roundabout way: "At the beginning, my uncle and aunt kept saying that my elder sister was going to marry into the palace. This was something we had decided long ago, so we have to be on guard!"

She took a deep breath and continued, "Besides, my aunt hasn't helped us with the family affairs at all. If we make an engagement with her in private, it will be like giving her a handle. By then, she will hold the engagement in her left hand and threaten us with my brother's affairs in her right hand. It will be too late to regret it!"

Aunt Xue couldn't help but feel a little scared when she heard this.

If she hadn't told her before Jin Chuan, she might not have doubted Mrs. Wang's intentions.

But now, knowing that Mrs. Wang intended to leave him out, and having heard Baochai's analysis, he could not help but suspect that she had ill intentions and was deliberately delaying.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was fishy.

If not for this, Yuanchun and Zhang Yun逸’s marriage would have already been a hot topic. Given this relationship, why would they be so hesitant about such a small matter of their own?

In order to avoid becoming friends with Zhang Yun逸, he even lied to prevent me from going to congratulate him.

However, having said that, the Xue family is weak after all, and the imperial merchant review is imminent, so she has no choice.

He could only place his hopes on Baochai and asked hurriedly, "Then what do you think we should do?"

Baochai felt a little conflicted when she heard this.

She found it difficult to bring herself to tell Zhang Yunyi all her guesses and his hints.

Not saying anything would not be enough to appease Aunt Xue's worries.

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly came up with a plan and said with a smile, "Last time Jin Chuan gave a mirror to her daughter, she also said she gave one to her mother. Brother Yi is a very generous person. In my opinion, he may not remember those little things. We just need to bypass my aunt and go directly to him for help. He may not be unwilling to help!"

Although Baochai was confident, Aunt Xue still had some concerns.

She said worriedly, "Although your idea is good, if your aunt knew that we were secretly looking for Brother Yi without her knowledge, it would probably backfire..."

Baochai hesitated for a moment and said, "Don't worry, mother. Leave this matter to your daughter. I promise that the news will not be leaked."

How could Aunt Xue not worry?

He immediately asked, "I'm so nervous, how can I feel at ease? Tell me something!"

Baochai lay on the table, leaning close to Aunt Xue, and said in a low voice, "This is not difficult. Mom, have you forgotten? When Jinchuan was driven out of the house by Aunt, she wanted to die. If it weren't for Brother Yi's rescue, she would have lost her life. I don't believe that she has no grudges in her heart. Let's ask her to pass a message to Brother Yi. Even if she doesn't want to help, she will definitely not tell Aunt."

Although she was very confident, she was reluctant to make a firm promise in order to avoid Aunt Xue's suspicion.

But these words woke the dreamer up.

Because Baochai hadn't said it all, Aunt Xue couldn't help but worry that her daughter wasn't important enough. Thinking of her close relationship with Jinchuan, she said, "You're right! Next time she comes to my place, I'll try to find out what she has to say."

Baochai was startled when she heard this, then she showed joy and asked, "Why? Jinchuan often comes to mother's place?"

“I haven’t been here many times!”

Aunt Xue was guilty of her crime and blurted out the answer. When she came to her senses, she quickly changed the subject and said, "But you are right! Not only did they send me a mirror last time, but now I also have a portion of the fruit. If Yi Ge'er still remembered what happened, he wouldn't have sent it to me as well."

She brought this up on purpose to cover up.

But to Xue Baochai, it was undoubtedly a mother's status based on her daughter's status, and she became even more convinced that Zhang Yunyi was interested in her.

Thinking of this, she felt relieved and said, "In that case, next time she sends something over, mother will test her attitude."

At that moment, the mother and daughter discussed the matter again, and then Baochai took Ying'er back to Hengwu Garden.

Although she apparently agreed to Aunt Xue's indirect suggestion, it was only a temporary measure to appease her.

She was sitting on the kang, thinking about how to respond so that Zhang Yunyi could understand her feelings.

Suddenly, a scream came from the inner room. She was startled, then her expression froze, and she quickly got up and rushed into the inner room.

Sure enough, Ying'er's face turned red with embarrassment, and she was grabbing the suspender skirt that Jinchuan had handed to her.

Seeing Baochai rushing into the room, Ying'er murmured like a child who had made a mistake, "Miss... Miss, this... this couldn't have been pulled down by Jinchuan just now, could it?"

This tight-fitting dress was so shameful that she couldn't help but think of the last time Jin Chuan took away Baochai's clothes.

In a wealthy family, it is not uncommon to have fake phoenixes.

However, Baochai is not married yet. If such a thing were to be spread, how could she get married?

That's why she deliberately said that it was Jinchuan who pulled it down.

Baochai frowned upon hearing this and was silent for a long while before she heaved a sigh of relief and said, "This was sent by Brother Yi!"

Ying'er's jaw dropped in shock, and she stared at her young mistress in a daze.

Baochai said calmly, "It's enough for you to know about this matter. I have something else for you to do."

"Miss, please think twice!" Ying'er exclaimed, obviously thinking wrongly.

"What are you thinking about!" Baochai scolded, "I have agreed with Jinchuan that you should make some lace for elder brother Yi. Go there when you are free these days and make a few at random. When elder brother Yi comes back, find a chance to ask him what color he wants..."

As Ying'er was a personal maid, she naturally couldn't hide her clothes from her mother, so it was better to tell her openly to prevent her from having wild thoughts and causing trouble.

Besides, she was an unmarried girl after all, and many things were inconvenient for her to handle in person, so they had to be handed over to Ying'er.

After that, she patiently gave instructions for a long time, covering every detail.

Ying'er nodded her head like a chick eating rice, while she raised her eyes and secretly glanced at Xue Baochai's expression.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 412 Opportunity comes to your door

Dengxian Pavilion, first floor lobby.

Ying'er was rubbing the gold thread in her hand while making a loop, and she asked casually, "Why hasn't Sister Jinchuan come to our place recently?"

"Master Zhen and his wife are still here, and I have to take care of my brother here, so how can I disappear all day long?"

Knowing that Aunt Xue was anxious to find Baochai, Jin Chuan was no longer anxious.

It just so happened that there was no fruit to be delivered from the farm during this period, so Aunt Xue could be left alone for the time being.

However, while Aunt Xue was left alone for the time being, Xue Baochai was not idle either.

Although she did not go to Rongguo Mansion, Ying'er would come over from time to time to make silk lace.

Jin Chuan understood what she meant. Not only did she not mention a word to Baochai about having packed the materials and sending them to her, she also used the excuse that the materials were all in Dengxian Pavilion, and to avoid the inconvenience of looking for them temporarily, and brought people here directly.

Ying'er nodded and asked, "Have you changed the silk cord I made last time for your son? The girl said that it's not important for us to wear it, but the child must not be hurt by it."

"How could I not change it?" Jin Chuan said with a smile, "Thanks to Miss Bao for thinking it through, I actually neglected it. When Master comes back, I must tell him to thank you very much!"

Ying'er's face lit up with joy when she heard this. As Baochai's personal maid, it was natural for her to come along as part of the dowry. She could see her master's intentions and it would always do no harm to win her favor in advance.

Thinking of Baochai's instructions, she followed Jinchuan's words and said, "Oh, right! My son has been born for more than half a month. Madam and Miss have been talking about my son's full moon banquet. Master Yi and the others will be back soon, right?"

Speak of the devil and he will appear. As soon as she finished her words, Zhang Yunyi walked in from the door.

"Uncle Yi!" Ying'er stood up quickly.

Jin Chuan was also puzzled and asked, "Hey! What happened to you, Master?"

"Oh! I have to go to Prince Zhongshun's mansion tonight and come back to change clothes."

Qin Keqing had so many tricks, and pouring red wine on herself that night was just one of them. This made Zhang Yunyi so happy that he almost forgot about the arrangements made by the Xue family.

He was simply too lazy to go back to the city, so he went to the Xianxue during the day to answer questions and solve problems for the teachers, and went back home to kill time at night.

He had originally planned to stay there until Mrs. You finished her confinement, but unexpectedly, today Prince Zhongshun sent someone to tell him to go to the prince's mansion in the evening to keep an appointment, so he came back to change into casual clothes.

He was afraid that Jin Chuan would ask too many questions, so he came to Ying'er's side, looked at the silk cord in her hand, and changed the subject, "What are you doing?"

Jin Chuan quickly exaggerated Baochai's proposal and said in admiration, "Thank goodness Miss Bao is so thoughtful. There are so many of us, but none of us has thought as thoroughly as she does!"

She turned to Ying'er and said, "By the way, didn't you say you wanted to ask Master what colors and patterns he needed? Master happened to be back, so you can ask him. I'll go see Brother first."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Ying'er was startled, then pursed her lips, stole a glance at Zhang Yunyi, and asked in a trembling voice, "What colors and patterns do you like, sir?"

Zhang Yunyi sat down on a stool beside the table and said, "Don't talk while standing. Sit down!"

Ying Er shook her head and said, "How can I sit in front of you, Master? I'd better stand!"

Zhang Yunyi didn't force it, and said with a smile: "Then tell me! What are you talking about?"

"One stick of incense, a stool facing the sky, an eye-shaped piece, a square, a chain, a willow leaf, or a heart-shaped plum blossom. It depends on what you like!"

She hesitated for a moment, then added, "You can choose whatever you like, but the color matching is a little particular. It needs to be matched according to the color of the fan, purse...sweat towel."