The Red Mansion Big Liar

"That's right! Second sister is sensible. If your elder sister didn't have this relationship, how could your second sister have such a good marriage? Do you still want your sister to marry into the Zhang family and suffer?"

At this point, Old Lady You stopped paying attention to her little daughter and turned to Second Sister You, admonishing her, "Don't listen to your sister's nonsense. Every wealthy family has three wives and four concubines. Only those who are incompetent stick with one wife. As the saying goes, a wife is not as good as a concubine, and a concubine is not as good as a secret lover. With your eldest sister's help, your position is more secure!"

"Hey!" You Erjie said obediently, "Don't worry, my daughter. I will get along well with my eldest sister in the future."

"You...you are confused!" Third Sister You said indignantly, "We are as precious as gold and jade, but we are treated as prostitutes for fun. We are incompetent!"

"You are just aloof?" Old Lady You said coldly, "If you have the ability, find me a man like Master Yi to marry. Not to mention being my wife, even if I can be my concubine like my second sister, I will be very lucky!"

"Humph! You want to get involved with me if you want to marry into a rich family!"

Seeing that the two were in a stalemate, You Erjie hurriedly advised: "Don't worry, little sister, it's just a set of headgear. Big sister doesn't have it. Just ask your brother-in-law to make you one in the future."

"If your eldest sister isn't your biological sister, then isn't your second sister also your biological sister? When he becomes your brother-in-law, how much jewelry will he need?"

Right now, You Erjie's marriage is the top priority. Old Lady You is also worried that her youngest daughter will cause trouble, so her tone softened.

Third Sister You glanced at her elder sister, then looked at her mother, feeling indignant. It was just a set of headgear. If she wanted it, why should she rely on others? She let them look down on her.

……

“Hey! Hey! Hey…”

At the same time, in the wooden house next to the flower garden of Huifang Garden, Youshi was lying on the door frame, responding non-stop like a chicken eating rice.

"If it would be more convenient for us, it would be fine to give her the title of a concubine. But I am still in mourning, so there is no need to rush into taking a concubine."

Although the Imperial Observatory did not need to observe mourning, he was now just a figurehead, and the emperor gave him this title not to make it easier for him to take concubines, but to serve as an official.

If you don't have the power to subvert the rules, you can only adapt to them.

Although I don't like cheap fathers, but living in this era, there are still some rules that must be followed.

Otherwise, you will be excluded by society.

If you want to gain a foothold here, it is impossible to rely solely on the emperor's favor.

Since the You family was eager to give You Erjie to himself as a concubine, it was equivalent to putting it in the bowl.

But Qin Keqing was still in the pot.

Things have their priorities. To be eager to take a concubine during the mourning period is obviously not in line with the character he established in front of her.

In order to avoid wasting all previous efforts, You Erjie does not need to rush.

"Hey...but I'm afraid my mother has already had some suspicions."

"Give me the address, and I'll handle this myself. I'll cancel the marriage first, and then settle the matter with them. After the mourning period is over, I'll let her marry. This should be able to keep them stable."

As for the matter of breaking off the engagement, he was worried about leaving it to others because of Jia Lian's previous experience, so he planned to do it himself.

"Hmm!~Oh!" Yu groaned for a while before panting and said, "Then... that's the only way."

After finishing packing, Zhang Yun逸 asked Mrs. You about Zhang Hua's address and family situation before leaving the wooden house.

Early the next morning.

When Zhang Yunyi arrived at Tiangongyuan, he summoned Gu Wenhui over.

"Do you have any acquaintances in Fengchenyuan? Please help me find someone."

Fengchenyuan belonged to the seven departments and four courtyards of the inner court, and was responsible for managing all matters including royal gardens, temporary palaces, and imperial farms.

Although Zhang Hua's family has fallen on hard times, his ancestor was the head of the imperial farm and was under the jurisdiction of Fengchenyuan, so he must have old acquaintances in Fengchenyuan.

It was impossible for him to lower his status and go to their house in person to bargain and discuss the details of breaking off the engagement, so he needed a middleman.

Gu Wenhui bowed his head and said respectfully, "Don't worry, sir. I have acquaintances in Fengchen Court and will definitely complete your orders!"

Zhang Yunyi nodded, handed him Zhang Hua's address information, and reminded him: "Well! This is my personal matter, it would be best if you can find someone you know."

As the saying goes, public matters are not as good as private matters, and private matters are not as good as confidential matters. Being able to help leaders deal with private matters is also a manifestation of trust.

Although Zhang Yun逸 knew that he was King Zhongshun's man, he didn't mind using him.

Firstly, he couldn't do everything himself, so he had to ask others for help. Gu Wenhui was familiar with everyone and had good abilities, so he could be used quite easily.

Secondly, his foundation was unstable, so he had to make friends with relevant stakeholders. King Zhongshun was in charge of the inner court and was his immediate superior. No matter what he did in the future, he would not be able to bypass him.

Moreover, he only loved to indulge in sensual pleasures, drinking and watching operas. If these happened to an ordinary official, they would inevitably be criticized, but for Prince Zhongshun, who was a member of the royal family, these could be said to be rare virtues.

To get Zhang Hua to cancel the engagement, as long as he doesn't use those messy means, it would be his personal moral flaws.

Taking the initiative to tell others such private matters is also a way of showing goodwill.

After sending Gu Wenhui away, Zhang Yunyi summoned his subordinates who were in charge of glass-related matters.

The glass factory has been completed, and he needs to make some arrangements for subsequent production and material procurement.

Because the factory is not large and not much soda ash is needed at this stage, he did not wait for Zhang Dehui's caravan to return.

Firstly, price is related to supply and demand. By first collecting bulk goods on the market, you can raise the price when signing the supply contract later.

Secondly, the relationship between himself and the Xue family could be hidden from anyone with a discerning eye. If he purchased the soda ash provided by the Xue family from the beginning, he would inevitably be criticized.

Of course, such a thing cannot be hidden from those who are interested.

This is also the reason why he is eager to show goodwill to King Zhongshun. Even a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake, not to mention that he is not a strong dragon now.

Even if he does not share the profits from the soda ash business, he will make concessions in other areas later.

Of course, the specific situation needs to be discussed with King Zhongshun before a decision can be made.

After arranging all the matters, Zhang Yunyi said slowly: "This is a serious matter. Let someone go to the Imperial Observatory to pick a good day to start the furnace. We must strive for success in one go to comfort your majesty!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 70 Repaying kindness

The date for opening the furnace was finally set on May 18th.

Zhang Yun逸 did not dare to slack off and had to inspect the factory almost every day. As a result, he even missed the Dragon Boat Festival.

The concern is not about whether glass can be produced, but about safety accidents.

The ancients were superstitious, and if something went wrong when the furnace was turned on, it would inevitably lead to unnecessary associations.

If there are a few people with bad intentions who come up with a far-fetched excuse, they may end up in big trouble.

That day, he was inspecting the factory when he saw Gu Wenhui approaching him with a bow and whispered in his ear, "Sir! I have brought Zhang Cheng and his son here."

Zhang Yunyi nodded slightly and completed the inspection step by step before coming to a corridor in the factory.

Previously, Gu Wenhui had reported that Zhang Cheng was Zhang Hua's father. Now that the father and son came together, it was naturally impossible to skip the father and mention the son.

Originally, he had no intention of meeting the father and son, but Gu Wenhui conveyed the message that they were determined not to accept compensation for breaking off the engagement, and he was worried that something might go wrong, so he asked him to bring the two of them over.

Since it was not official business, I did not meet the two people in the office.

Stepping into the corridor, Zhang Yunyi got straight to the point and said, "Tell me! Why don't you want compensation?"

The father and son inside immediately knelt down and said, "My family has fallen into poverty, and I dare not seek marriage with you, my lord. I have already broken my promise and wronged Miss You, so how can I accept your money again!"

Zhang Yunyi frowned and said, "Don't worry, I am not a bully. Just accept it with peace of mind."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "If you have any other requests, you can also raise them."

The father and son looked at each other and kowtowed immediately, saying, "I was originally the head of the imperial grain farm. Because I met the wrong person, I got into trouble. I dare to ask you..."

"How dare you!" Before they could finish their words, Gu Wenhui shouted, "How dare you threaten me!"

Although he hadn't finished speaking, his request was clear when he mentioned the original mission.

Zhang Yunyi waved his hand, looked at the two people who were as frightened as cicadas, and said in a deep voice: "This is my personal matter. I can't let personal matters override public ones and plead for you."

"I am an ignorant person! I dare not threaten you. I have brought the marriage contract and will give it to you now!"

As Zhang Cheng spoke, he took out a document from his pocket and presented it respectfully with both hands.

He waited for a long time, and seeing that Zhang Yunyi did not take it, he said cautiously: "I paid twenty taels of silver in the beginning, you can return it in full!"

Without waiting for Zhang Yunyi to speak, Gu Wenhui took out a purse, handed it to Zhang Cheng, snatched the document and handed it to him.

Zhang Yunyi took the document and slowly said, "I haven't finished what I'm saying yet. Although I can't sacrifice my personal interests for the sake of my official duties, I can give you a job. Although it won't be a job for you, as long as you work hard, you can have enough food and clothing."

The two men turned their worries into joy after hearing this, and kowtowed like crazy, saying, "We, father and son, thank you for your great kindness, sir!"

"Alright! You guys take the money, go buy some clothes, and come back to Ningguo Mansion to see me next month!"

Zhang Chengyuan used to be the head of Huangzhuang. He was not only good at writing and calculating, but also had certain management experience.

He couldn't always leave the business to the Xue family. He had to have his own team. Seeing that they behaved decently, he wanted to recruit them for his own work.

It’s not that he is so heartless that he snatched Zhang Hua’s wife who was not yet married and kept her by his side.

But people these days think differently than in the past. Take Bao Er for example. His wife was slept with by Jia Lian, but he did not feel any hatred towards her. Instead, he was grateful for Jia Lian's compensation.

Although Zhang Hua and his son were different from Bao Er, the family-born son, You Erjie did not marry into the family.

Of course, one must be on guard against others, and he only planned to send them to the Xue family to keep an eye on the business, and did not intend to entrust them with important tasks.

Although the father and son in the book had some hesitations when Jia Lian took a concubine, they were not fickle villains. They were just threatened by Wang Xifeng.

Moreover, when Wang Xifeng forced them to sue Jia Lian, they were well aware of the pros and cons and did not dare to act rashly.

Because of this, Wang Xifeng described him as a hopeless person.

These days, it is difficult to find someone who can read and write. If Zhang Cheng and his son had not been involved in lawsuits in their early years, they would not have to worry about their livelihood.

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it; when a drum is broken, everyone beats it.

Once you lose power, even if you have no grudges against them in the past, those irrelevant people will come to cause trouble.

But as long as you keep your position, even if you are being too aggressive, the other party will have to swallow their anger.

Because Youshi had mentioned that she had resolved You Erjie's engagement, and You Laoniang wanted to thank her in person, he did not tell Youshi immediately.

Glass is the top priority at the moment. As long as he can make glass, his status in the emperor's heart will surely rise to a higher level. By then, even if Jia Zhen is rude to him, he will have to swallow his anger and dare not speak out.

In comparison, You Erjie does seem insignificant.

However, he was not in a hurry, but the mother and daughter of the You family could not wait any longer.

That day, Old Lady You called You again.

With an anxious look on his face, he said, "Big sister, go ask again. Could it be that Zhang Hua and his son are asking for too much, or they are refusing to regret the engagement, so... Master Yi is starting to regret it, right?"

Although Zhang Yunyi had said so before, she still wanted to change her mind now.

"How is this possible? Even if there really was an accident, he wouldn't have made more than one sound. He must have been busy making the glass recently and had no time to be distracted."

Mrs. You had some understanding of Zhang Yunyi's situation. Besides, before the sugar production, he was also focused, so he was not as panicked as Mrs. You.

"Glass?" Old Lady You was startled when she heard this and asked excitedly, "He can also make glass?"

"Isn't it? These are all magical arts. The snowflake cotton candy that my daughter got was also made by Brother Yi! Didn't you guys taste it the other day?"

During this period, she boasted about Zhang Yunyi's deeds a lot, and Old Lady You became more and more jealous.

After hearing this, her mind became active.

He thought to himself, if he made the snowflake candy, he could give Yu Shi 10% of it. If he married the second sister, would he not think about his own family?

However, although the idea is good, when I think about the fact that it will take more than two years, I can’t help but worry that it will be too late to do it.

"These days, I've been worried when I think that it will take more than two years. You're familiar with him, and we're not strangers. Can you talk to him about it..."

"My daughter cannot make the decision!" Yu Shi quickly refused, "Don't say that Brother Yi is on an imperial mission. Even if he is a commoner, he cannot fail to respect filial piety!"

Since Zhang Yun逸 was unwilling to marry You Erjie immediately, she was too lazy to create trouble and tell her stepmother that he still held an official position in the Imperial Observatory.

"Oh! Please listen to me first! Of course, I can't affect Master Yi's reputation, but I feel uneasy when this matter has been dragging on. Can you talk to him about it? Even if we are not in a hurry to get married, I can feel at ease if we make it a done deal first."

After saying this, Old Lady You stared at You with an earnest look on her face.

"This..." Yu looked at her stepmother in shock, and asked doubtfully, "How can this be possible?"

"Why can't I use it? Master Yi is such a good person, how can I not trust him? Besides, don't we still have you?"

"Then...then I'll go and persuade them?"

"Hey! Hey! Don't worry, your sister is the most grateful. You helped her today, and she will definitely remember your kindness in the future!"

……