The Red Mansion Big Liar

Jia Rong pushed open the door and walked in cautiously.

"Aunt, do you have something to ask your nephew?"

"Hmph!" Wang Xifeng snorted, and said sarcastically, "You always boast about your filial piety, but if I didn't call you, you wouldn't come over to pay your respects?"

"How could that be possible!" Jia Rong rolled his eyes and smiled flatteringly, "After being scolded by aunt last time, I dare not come to cause trouble again."

He knew that Wang Xifeng was suspicious by nature, and he could see that she was moved. He knew that if he pushed her too hard, she would become wary, so he kept his hands off.

When I heard today that someone was sent to look for her, I knew that she could no longer hold back, so I retreated to advance.

"Oh!" Wang Xifeng's two curved eyebrows twitched twice, she sneered and said jokingly, "That's true. After all, my aunt is not as good as my mother. Now that she can get benefits from Sister Zhen, she naturally doesn't want to come to me to show her courtesy."

Although she was extremely anxious, she was unwilling to speak up so that Jia Rong could see the truth. She was certain that he would not get a share of Youshi's 10% profit from sugar, so she deliberately used words to pressure Jia Rong.

Hearing the hidden meaning in her words, Jia Rong hurriedly asked, "Aunt, what do you mean?"

He has been avoiding Wang Xifeng recently and has not been to Rong Mansion. Although he often hangs out with Xue Pan, Xue Pan is not paying attention to business.

The Xue family in Rongfu wanted to show off, but Youshi was worried that Jia Zhen would covet her, so she didn't make it public.

Even Jia Zhen only heard the rumors recently, so Jia Rong was still kept in the dark.

Wang Xifeng saw that he was a little confused and didn't seem to be pretending. She glanced at Ping'er and ordered, "Go and guard outside!"

Ping'er's expression froze, and she said in a lost voice: "Grandma..."

"What are you thinking about!" Wang Xifeng's eyes widened as she shouted, "Leave the door open. Rong'er and I have something to talk about. Just stay outside and make sure no one eavesdrops."

Ping'er then put down the worry in her heart and walked out.

Seeing Wang Xifeng being mysterious and mentioning Youshi again, Jia Rong knew that it must be related to Zhang Yunyi. He immediately became itchy and scratched his head and said, "Aunt, have you heard anything? Stop teasing your nephew."

Wang Xifeng sneered, "Why? All the profits from the snowflake candy from my aunt's family went to Sister Zhen, but she didn't give any to you, her good son?"

"This..." Jia Rong was stunned, then he looked at Wang Xifeng with shining eyes, and said shamelessly, "Aunt, you are joking. Madam is not my biological mother, how could she think of me? Not to mention rewards, I have never heard of them. But you, aunt, are my biological aunt, and you will leave a share of the benefits for me."

While he tried his best to please Wang Xifeng, he was secretly shocked.

I thought to myself, Uncle Yi is really generous. He is willing to invest so much in my stepmother. If he helps him get this second aunt who is like a fairy concubine and is so powerful and ostentatious, how could he treat him unfairly?

"Stop fawning on me!" Wang Xifeng said with disdain, "I've already given you a trick, why don't you go and flatter Sister Zhen."

She waved her hand and said impatiently, "I've told you everything I need to say. Don't waste any more time here."

Jia Rong was stunned, then realized that although Wang Xifeng was moved, she still couldn't let go, and said shamelessly: "Oh! Auntie, you know my nephew's situation best. My father doesn't love me, and my mother doesn't love me. Only I pity the poor and the weak, and remember that I have a nephew like you."

He stole a glance at the kang and whispered tentatively, "Aunt, why don't you be a good person and give your nephew a hand? If your nephew gets any benefit, he will definitely treat you as his own mother!"

Wang Xifeng glanced at him and said in a meaningful voice, "I am a woman, I can neither show my face in public nor make a career. Even if I want to help you, how can I help you?"

"Look at what Aunt said. If it's not convenient for you to come out, don't you have your nephew?" Jia Rong said flatteringly, "When the time comes, Aunt will eat the meat, and I will be very grateful if I can have a sip of soup with it."

He lowered his head, but his pair of cunning eyes silently and desperately moved upwards, always drifting towards Wang Xifeng's delicate lips.

He secretly complained that this Second Aunt was always good at speaking, and if she really got a hold of the fat meat given by Uncle Yi, it would surely be a different feeling.

: When the time comes, if Uncle Yi is happy, he may even get more soup than Master and Stepmother.

Wang Xifeng was unaware of his dirty thoughts and thought he was talking to her about the distribution of benefits. She said proudly, "What do you mean by eating meat and drinking soup? You talk as if no one cares about that."

"Yes, yes, yes! I am not interested in anything, I just want to help my nephew!"

"Forget it!" Wang Xifeng waved her hand and said, "If he doesn't provoke me, it's fine. If he really doesn't know how to live or die, then I'll just treat it as a small punishment and a big warning. It's okay to help you out."

At this point, she changed the subject and sneered, "However, this mansion is full of people. I don't think he would have the guts to do it even if he wanted to."

Jia Rong was delighted when he heard this, and said with a wicked smile: "Aunt, just let me handle this little matter. I'll invite him to drink in the courtyard in a few days. When I visit Qin, I'll ask you to do something. Isn't it a good opportunity to test him?"

"All right!" Wang Xifeng said calmly, "Since you are quite filial, I will help you give him a try."

Jia Rong was so happy that he said, "Then I will go back and make arrangements, and inform you as soon as I have any news."

Wang Xifeng didn't say anything either, just nodded.

Seeing this, Jia Rong bowed and said goodbye. When he reached the door, he heard Wang Xifeng on the kang suddenly said in a stern voice: "We agreed that I am only helping you this time. If you dare to play any tricks, you'd better watch out for it!"

Jia Rong turned around and cried out, "Aunt, how dare I say that? Last time, my brother Qiang and I worked so hard for nothing in the matter with Uncle Rui, and nothing was leaked. Do you still not trust me?"

He looked respectful on the surface, but he couldn't help sneering in his heart. Jia Rui couldn't even take out a hundred taels of silver, so there was naturally no need to lose the big picture for the sake of a small one and offend his second aunt.

But now, the situation has changed, and it is worth it even if it offends Wang Xifeng.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 49 Contentment

The first ray of sunlight in the morning shines through the window screens of Dengxian Pavilion and hits the bed inside the house.

Zhang Yunyi slowly opened his eyes, looked down at Xiangling and Ruizhu who were nestled in his arms, and shook his head helplessly.

April was already early summer, and the heat was gradually coming. Although they had changed into thin gauze quilts, the three of them were huddled together and it was still a bit hot.

Xiangling had an unfortunate childhood and suffered from a serious lack of security. Since she took him in, she had to hug him every night before she could sleep peacefully.

Although Ruizhu had no intention of vying for favor, she fell in love with him over time and was quite attached to his broad chest, so she followed his example.

It was just a pity for Zhang Yunyi, as he didn't want to favor one over the other, so he could only be treated as a prop and lie down to sleep.

Of course, it’s not all torment.

The two maids slept on their sides, one on the left and one on the right. The girls' tight and beautiful legs were bent and placed on their stomachs on both sides. A pair of tender diamond-like lotus feet clamped the chickens on both sides, which were bound to bump into each other.

Being content is the key to happiness. The ancients were right.

Enjoying this beauty, Zhang Yunyi couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.

Compared to the busy people in the Ning and Rong mansions, he has been quite free during this period.

Xiangling is cute and adorable, while Ruizhu is sensible. The two maids complement each other. They occasionally go for some fun activities with Youshi and enjoy it.

The Xue family is worthy of being a royal merchant family for generations, and they still have some foundation. Someone has even been to Kubuqi Salt Lake.

He was an acquaintance of Xue Pan's, namely Zhang Dehui, whom Xue Pan followed when he was learning how to do business.

Zhang Yunyi took the time to meet this person.

On the one hand, it is to examine his business ability, and on the other hand, there is also the idea of ​​poaching people from the Xue family.

Talent is a scarce resource no matter what era it is.

Labor subcontracting is for marginal people with little technical skills. It is normal practice to make capable people regular employees.

Because the two had the same surname, there was a natural sense of intimacy between them. Zhang Yun逸 was not a native of this era, and his inherent contempt for businessmen made Zhang Dehui flattered.

After asking Zhang Dehui about the time required to travel to and from Kubuqi Salt Lake, Zhang Yun逸 also accelerated the preparations for glass manufacturing.

Glass is not like sugar, which can be made in any small workshop. Ancient cities were not as powerful as modern cities. Every inch of land in the city was valuable, and there was also the risk of fire, so Zhang Yunyi chose the southeast direction outside the city.

Considering that the glass produced in the future will be sold throughout the country, this place is close to the Grand Canal, which will save a lot of manpower in loading ships in the future.

In ancient times, there were no modern transportation conditions. Even the official roads with a lot of traffic were bumpy. For fragile items like glass, taking water transportation would reduce a lot of losses.

Of course, this was an unacceptable loss in Zhang Yun逸's view, but for officials at all levels along the way, it was real fat meat.

It is impossible to eliminate concealment and false reporting.

Not only glass, but also annual taxes and fire consumption are indispensable.

Among them, the impurity of small change among the people is only one reason, and more of it goes into the pockets of officials at all levels.

The only way to completely solve this problem is to truly achieve currency unification.

Since the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms, it did unify the currency, but it was only copper coins. As for gold and silver, different dynasties had different attitudes.

For example, the Tang Dynasty enforced the use of copper coins for settlement, but this was gradually relaxed afterwards.

There are two main reasons. First, the domestic copper production is insufficient to meet the needs of the growing industry and commerce. Second, bulk commodities or high-value goods often require tens or even millions of copper coins, which are too troublesome to transport and store.

Recently, Zhang Yun逸 has also been considering this issue. It’s not that he wants to engage in finance in ancient times, but if he can really put the plans into action one by one, he will also need a lot of copper.

Of course, he was just thinking about it now. If he could make white sugar, it would definitely squeeze out the original sugar-making workshop. The interests involved were too huge. If he was not careful, even the emperor might not be able to protect him.

Whether it will be implemented or even implemented is still unclear.

Therefore, one must learn to be content. It has been less than half a year since he traveled through time, and he is enjoying everything he has now.

"Master, you're awake!" Ruizhu woke up from her dream, as if she was grateful for the heat coming from her feet. She blushed and said, "I will help you change your clothes!"

Sleeping in seems to be contagious. Ever since she entered the house to serve Master Yi, she has not been as alert as usual and has been sleeping particularly soundly.

However, compared with Xiangling, she is still quite competent.

Awakened by Ruizhu's voice, she rubbed her eyes sleepily. When she saw that the sky was brightening, she reluctantly nudged her head into Zhang Yunyi's neck.

This laziness and attachment add a layer of charm and spring love to the already delicate face.

Ruizhu on the opposite side saw it all.

Like Baozhu, she had followed Qin Keqing since childhood and was very familiar with the charming and springy feelings that were exuded unintentionally.

However, she was no longer surprised by the scene before her.

If Xiangling at this moment had 50% or 60% of Qin Keqing's demeanor, then when the window curtains fluttered at night and she sang softly, she almost made Ruizhu suspect that she was in another time and space.

Although I was still a maid in this room in that time and space, Xiangling became the lady who had been serving since childhood.

She calculated in her heart that although Xiangling was 70% similar to the young lady, it was only in that special situation. If her young lady also had that kind of experience, the expression she would reveal at that time would probably be something Xiangling would never be able to match, right?

It's just a pity...

Thinking of this, she suddenly bit her tongue and woke up from her fantasy.

"what happened?"

Feeling Ruizhu's slight hiss, Zhang Yunyi turned his head and said with concern.

"Nothing... nothing!" Ruizhu felt guilty and tried to cover it up by saying, "I bit my tongue by accident."

"let me see!"

Feeling Zhang Yunyi's concern, Ruizhu couldn't help but stick out her clove-like tongue.

"Fortunately, the skin is not broken." Zhang Yunyi hooked her chin, pretended to take a look, and took a bite.

A few minutes later...

Then he shamelessly asked, "Do you feel better now?"

The blush on Ruizhu's face became more intense. She panted and said in a trembling voice, "It's better... much better."

"Eh!" Xiangling said thoughtfully, "No wonder I feel numb every time you treat me like this, it turns out it can heal injuries!"

After hearing this, Zhang Yunyi felt somewhat ashamed, and Ruizhu was so embarrassed that she couldn't even raise her head.

If these words had not come from Xiangling, she would have suspected that they were a mockery of her.

During this time together, she found that although Xiangling was about the same age as her, she had none of the scheming that one would expect at her age, and was still as innocent as ever.

However, she felt uneasy in the end, and could no longer stay in Zhang Yunyi's arms. She quickly took out a light gauze from the cabinet beside the bed and put it on, then got out of bed and said, "It's getting late, I will help you change your clothes!"

Zhang Yunyi nodded and patted Xiangling in his arms. Xiangling also picked up a gauze from the cabinet on her side and put it on, then stood up and went under the bed.

Zhang Yunyi rolled over and got out of bed, opened his arms, and stood lazily in the room.

The two maids were busy surrounding him like butterflies.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 50: Meet in Two Days

After washing up, Zhang Yunyi left Dengxian Pavilion as usual and did morning exercises in Huifang Garden for half an hour before turning back.

Because he was sweating all over, he took another shower, then finished his breakfast and rushed to the front yard to prepare to go to the yamen.

As soon as he arrived at the front yard, he saw Jia Rong nodding and bowing, and coming towards him with a flattering look on his face.

"Uncle Yi!"

Zhang Yunyi glanced at him, frowned slightly and asked, "What's the matter?"