The Red Mansion Big Liar

So he tried to test her: "Brother Rong will treat you to lunch tomorrow at noon. I have taken a day off, so I can get up later."

"Him?" Ruizhu said with disdain, "He's showing kindness for no reason, don't be shy about it, I'd better be careful."

Zhang Yunyi didn't expect Ruizhu to be so straightforward. Logically, she was once Qin Keqing's maid, and Jia Rong was also her old master, so she should at least give him some face.

"Oh? I don't have much contact with him. Why don't you tell me about him?"

"This..." Ruizhu hesitated for a while and said, "In fact, I don't know much, but he is as timid as a mouse. Even if he has the courage, he wouldn't dare to do bad things to plot against you. Don't take it too seriously."

Seeing that she seemed to have something to hide, Zhang Yunyi stopped asking questions. The evaluation of her being as timid as a mouse was consistent with his own perception.

"Why isn't Xiangling talking?"

When she mentioned Qin Keqing, she was still talking excitedly, but now she lowered her head and looked unhappy.

Zhang Yun逸 thought that the two of them were talking about Jia Rong and she couldn't get a word in, so she asked.

Xiangling raised her head, her eyes slightly red, and said, "Master! Can you please not go to look for my family?"

"Why is this?" Zhang Yunyi asked in surprise.

"Xiangling is worried that if she finds her family, she won't be able to follow you. After all, they have been separated for so many years, and we don't know their character." Ruizhu explained, "I have tried to persuade her for a long time. Even if her parents are greedy, can you just sit back and do nothing?"

This……

As a modern person, who has read Red Mansions, I know that Zhen Shiyin and his wife were heartbroken because of her loss, but I ignore the era they lived in.

This era is different from later generations. Selling children and daughters is very common. It is no wonder that Xiangling is worried.

However, this also reminded him.

The Xue family did send Xiangling's indenture at the beginning, but this indenture was like a piece of waste paper.

Although Jia Yucun used the excuse of the gods to judge a muddled case, Xiangling was therefore identified as a good family member who was abducted.

Trafficking in decent women is against the law. The kidnappers are not Xiangling's parents, so they naturally have no right to sell Xiangling.

So, in fact, Xiangling was not a slave, but a free person.

This was also the reason why he asked Xiangling in front of everyone whether she was willing to follow him.

However, when she had no relatives, she could decide who to follow, but once she found her family, she would inevitably be restricted or even manipulated by her parents.

Therefore, in ancient times, it was not uncommon for people to pretend to be children and then resell them.

"Don't worry! I'm here to help you find your relatives, not to send you back. As long as you're willing to follow me, no one can take you away."

This kind of thing is not a problem for him at all. Not to mention his special status now, just considering the reunion of mother and daughter, I think Feng will not be ungrateful.

If she is really so ungrateful, in this age without any testing methods, whether she admits it or not will ultimately depend on Xiangling herself.

Xiangling turned from worry to joy, leaning on his shoulder and said, "I want to follow you forever, Master!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 58 Secret

This night was filled with tenderness and love. Xiangling seemed to have come to her senses and was especially cooperative.

The sudden charm and passion made Ruizhu think she was in a dream for a moment, and she almost blurted out "Miss".

The sudden thought made her feel guilty towards Qin Keqing.

At the same time, he couldn't help but feel sad. If the young lady was really a couple with Mr. Yi, not only would they not be facing the current predicament, but even if there were some annoying trivial matters in life, they would have been solved by Mr. Yi long ago, right?

She felt that this thought was a blasphemy to the two of them, and she didn't dare look at Zhang Yunyi, so much so that when she was helping him get dressed, she grabbed the wrong place several times.

"Why are you so absent-minded? Didn't you sleep well?" Zhang Yunyi did not blame him. Instead, he said considerately, "Let Xiangling prepare breakfast. You can go to bed and get some sleep."

"Well! ~ Then I'll trouble Sister Xiangling."

She didn't dare to explain, for fear that the more she talked, the more confusing it became, so she had to back off and admit that she didn't sleep well.

Xiangling smiled and said, "Sister Ruizhu always takes the lead. You can just take a rest this time."

As he didn't need to go to the government office today, he increased his exercise and ran two more laps. When he returned to Dengxian Pavilion, he was covered in sweat.

It was early summer, so he let the food cool down first, went upstairs to take a quick shower, then dressed up with Xiangling's help and went downstairs to eat.

Xiangling took out the clothes she had changed and gave them to the maid, then went upstairs to tidy up the bathroom.

"uncle!"

While I was having breakfast, I saw Baozhu walk in, bowed and spoke in a crisp voice.

She looked around but didn't see Ruizhu and Xiangling, so she stepped forward and said, "Sister Ruizhu and the others are not here? Then let me serve you dinner."

"Has my nephew's wife eaten?" Zhang Yunyi asked casually.

"I just finished serving grandma!" Baozhu lowered her head and stole a glance at him, saying, "I am your servant, and I can help you share your worries."

Last night Ruizhu mentioned the similarities between Xiangling and Qin Keqing, and today Baozhu came over again to share her worries.

The two maids, one in front and one behind, both hinted at something, and Zhang Yunyi couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He stared at Baozhu with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice, "Take good care of my nephew's wife. There will be a time when you can share my worries. I will never treat you unfairly in the future. Do you understand?"

"Slave...slave understands!" Baozhu said in a trembling voice.

She was worried that she would be abandoned in the future, so she thought that if she could be taken in as a concubine by Master Yi like Ruizhu, she would be less in danger.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yun逸 spoke frankly and asked her to take good care of Qin Keqing.

As for how to share the worries, is there anything else to say?

Naturally, it was to help spread the word and cover up.

Although the risk is considerable, we have to wait until something happens. If we don't follow Master Yi's wishes, we will probably be dealt with immediately.

As long as you try your best, even if you don't get any credit, you have worked hard. As long as Zhang Yun逸 does his best to protect them, there will always be a glimmer of hope.

Besides, judging from what happened last night, I'm sure my grandma would be willing to do it.

Although Zhang Yunyi didn't know what she was thinking, he could hear her voice trembling and her words were timid, and he became more determined.

So he comforted her: "Don't worry! As long as you try your best, I will definitely protect you no matter what."

He had taken advantage of the situation and let Baozhu stay with Qin Keqing, not only to make it easier for Youshi to report to her, but also for this consideration.

Remember that after Qin Keqing died, Ruizhu died by hitting a pillar, but Baozhu was willing to be her adopted daughter and got Jia Zhen's consent.

Although she insisted on not returning to Ning Mansion after Qin Keqing's funeral, she was still loyal, but obviously not as strong-willed and resolute as Ruizhu.

With her indenture in the hands of Zhang Yunyi, Baozhu had no way out. If Qin Keqing had refused to obey, she would still have a reason to refuse. But now she could only accompany the new and old masters until the end.

After receiving his assurance, Baozhu felt more at ease and quickly expressed her loyalty, "I will definitely not let you down, Master."

"Did you come here on your own, or did Qin ask you to come?"

Before, Zhang Yunyi had only been guessing and speaking vaguely, but now it was as if he had gotten the exact information.

Therefore, he no longer called his nephew's wife, but called her Qin instead.

"I came here by myself!" Baozhu said quickly, straightening her back.

Although she was sure that Qin Keqing also had this intention, on the one hand, there was no clear instruction, and on the other hand, she also hoped to get more credit.

After hearing this, Zhang Yun逸 was somewhat disappointed.

However, we cannot rule out the possibility that Qin Keqing let her maid take the blame because she was shy. After all, Baozhu might have some concerns, but Ruizhu should not.

His foundation is unstable now, so there is no need to rush. Even if Baozhu really made the decision on her own, with this thorn in his side, he will have plenty of opportunities in the future to slowly find out Qin Keqing's intentions.

So he reminded me: "If there is any situation over there in the future, no matter how big or small, remember to come and tell me in time."

"Uh……"

Baozhu was obviously stunned, and then a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes. She was silent for a while, then came to the table and whispered: "I dare not hide it from you, Master. In fact, grandma has never consummated the marriage."

In the past two days, Ruizhu has been hinting at something and brought Xiangling to her house with her family, which made Baozhu believe that she has completely changed her mind.

She still remembered clearly what Qin Keqing had said: secrets are hardest to keep in bed.

If Zhang Yunyi had not asked, she would not have betrayed the matter on her own initiative, but after asking, she deliberately concealed the truth, which was a completely different matter.

"Ah!" Zhang Yunyi was speechless, but when he thought about it carefully, Ruizhu's cowardly evaluation last night did not seem impossible.

Seeing his expression, Baozhu knew that she had guessed wrong, and she knelt down hurriedly with a plop, saying sadly: "I am not going to betray grandma, but since you asked, I dare not hide it. Please, sir..."

"Hurry up and get up before anyone sees you." Zhang Yunyi hurriedly stopped him, "I'll just keep this to myself."

Seeing this, Baozhu quickly got up from the ground and glanced at the door behind her. She saw Wang Xifeng and Ping'er walking towards the Tianxiang Tower opposite.

She hurriedly bowed deeply to Zhang Yunyi and said, "Second Madam Lian is here, I have to go back and serve her..."

Zhang Yunyi glanced outside the house, at the slender, coquettish figure with brilliant embroidery, and then waved his hand and said, "Go!"

After a quick breakfast, he got up and went upstairs to refine the subsequent plans for the glass factory.

I was busy until early noon, and only got up and went downstairs after putting away the materials.

When he left Dengxian Pavilion, he took a special look at Tianxiang Tower and found that Wang Xifeng had not left yet.

Although Jia Rong did not consummate his marriage with Qin Keqing, the possibility of him entrusting his wife to someone else was greatly reduced, but it cannot be ruled out that he had the idea of ​​driving the tiger to devour the wolf and making himself the "first bird to stick out" to compete with Jia Zhen.

Under the pretext of visiting a sick patient, he couldn't favor one over the other, so he had to go to Ning'an Hall again and pretend to be friendly with Jia Zhen.

Fang turned into Youshi's courtyard. Just like yesterday, a group of maids and old women sent him into the house and then retreated like the tide. He saw that Youshi was getting better, and his guilt was reduced a little, so he chatted with her for a while.

It was not until two o'clock in the afternoon that they arrived at Jia Rong's courtyard.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 59 Attending the Banquet

Because Wang Xifeng stayed in Tianxiang Tower and was reluctant to leave, he deliberately delayed for some time.

It was a full quarter of an hour later than the agreed time.

Jia Rong had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time and was getting a little impatient. He just called Xie Luan and asked her to go to Dengxian Pavilion to ask for someone when he saw Zhang Yunyi walking in.

He hurried forward, bowed and said, "Uncle Yi! You are finally here."

Zhang Yunyi saw that there were no servants in the courtyard, only a vulgar-looking woman dressed like a concubine, and he couldn't help but pay a little attention to her.

Could it be that I guessed wrong, and Jia Rong was not entrusting his wife to someone else, but his concubine?

"If Uncle Yi likes it, I will leave now and let Xie Luan accompany Uncle Yi to his heart's content."

After all, Wang Xifeng was just an outsider, so even if he facilitated this good thing, it would only be a one-time deal.

Therefore, he also wanted to follow Jia Zhen's example. Although he could not offer Qin Keqing, he could make a discount and use Xie Luan to make up the number.

That's why I suggested yesterday that Xie Luan go and invite him, with the intention of letting Zhang Yunyi take a look, but he refused.

Seeing him looking at Xie Luan at this moment, he quickly winked at Xie Luan, who immediately stepped forward, grabbed Zhang Yunyi's arm, and slipped into the gap in front of him, and they struggled for a while.

Zhang Yunyi frowned slightly, pulled his hand back abruptly, and said with disgust: "You came to me for this?"

Not to mention that Xie Luan Fu did not conform to his aesthetic taste, just the fact that she was originally a concubine in Jia Zhen's room and was later given to Jia Rong made him lose interest in her and he was even more unwilling to get involved.

"How could that be!" Jia Rong said flatteringly, "Since Uncle Yi doesn't like her, I will just send her away."

Zhang Yunyi said righteously: "Although she is only a concubine, she is still your family member. How can you send her around?"

Because she learned from Baozhu that Qin Keqing was still a virgin, she was worried that Jia Rong had ill intentions, so she planned to be the first to act against Jia Zhen.

Therefore, although he wanted to see what Jia Rong was up to, he did not intend to let him catch him, so he acted cautiously.

Although Jia Rong may have bad intentions, he can also take the opportunity to test Qin Keqing's attitude. As long as he does not take the lead, Jia Rong will not dare to reveal his whereabouts to Jia Zhen.

In order to be on the safe side, he deliberately acted like this in front of Xie Luan.

I believe that even if Jia Zhen gave her to Jia Rong, she would not dare to hide it if Jia Zhen asked.

Yu Shi had Jia Zhen's tacit approval, while Qin Keqing was snatching food from the tiger's mouth.

After all, Ning Mansion is not his home, and his current strength is not enough to make Jia Zhen feel afraid. Once Jia Zhen sees any signs, he will probably not be able to stay in Ning Mansion anymore.

With Baozhu's cooperation, he has already gained the upper hand over Qin Keqing. As long as he develops steadily, it would be fine even if he has to wait until the Jia family falls.