The Red Mansion Big Liar

"Hey! Sister-in-law chose this place because she knew no one would come here. I just checked and there happens to be a cave here. It's very spacious and has a different world inside."

At this point, Zhang Yunyi looked at her meaningfully and said, "Sister-in-law, you must have known about this cave a long time ago, so you specially asked me to come here, right?"

He thought that Wang Xifeng was too embarrassed to be naked in broad daylight, so he half-pulled and half-carried her, dragging her into the cave like a conjoined twin.

Wang Xifeng panicked immediately, and quickly gathered her remaining strength, struggling like a fish, and shouted, "Since ancient times, when doing business, money is exchanged with goods. Ping'er, you have benefited from it, but you have not helped at all. Are you planning to take advantage of me and refuse to acknowledge your debt?"

After she said this, Zhang Yunyi immediately stopped any further actions.

He still has a bottom line and never forces anyone to do anything.

I thought she had learned about her abilities from Ping'er and didn't want to miss out on the good chicken.

At this moment, I suddenly remembered that she was not after her body, but her money.

He hugged Wang Xifeng, leaned against the rockery, and said calmly: "Sister-in-law, what does Yun Yi need your help with? Why not tell me!"

Although Wang Xifeng was still in his arms, she felt very uncomfortable, but she finally stopped.

Thinking that you can't catch a wolf if you don't sacrifice yourself, after all, you have to ask for help from others, so you have to let him take advantage of you.

"It's hard to say who is helping whom, but you won't suffer any loss in this matter!"

After stabilizing the situation, she regained some composure and made an opening statement, then slowly said, "You have seen Bao girl before. There is nothing wrong with her appearance and figure. As long as you marry her, after the matter is settled..."

Having said that, she twisted her body in Zhang Yunyi's arms, bent her long legs with well-proportioned flesh and bones, and rubbed them on his legs twice.

She bit her lower lip, raised her slender jade finger, drew a circle on Zhang Yunyi's chest, and then pressed hard on the center of the circle, and whispered softly: "Sister-in-law will definitely let you do what you want, and play with me well, so that you can fulfill your wish!"

I thought that considering how anxious he was just now, this matter must be a sure thing.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Yunyi suddenly frowned upon hearing this, pushed her away slightly, and sneered, "Haha! Where does sister-in-law get this confidence from? Do you think you can manipulate my marriage?"

"You...you really don't want to do such a good thing?"

Wang Xifeng thought that he was trying to take advantage of the situation and looked at him with a little scrutiny.

"I can judge whether it is a good thing or not. Don't worry about it. If you want to make some money, we can discuss it..."

"Bah!" Wang Xifeng spat, "You are so blind, do you think I am your sister-in-law Zhen? You don't even care about those filthy coins!"

There was no one around here except the two of them. Zhang Yunyi was too lazy to deny it and said nonchalantly, "Since we can't come to an agreement, there's no need to waste time. Please forgive me for not accompanying you."

After he finished speaking, he turned and left without even mentioning Ping'er again.

The situation has just become strained, and if he continues to discuss Ping'er with her, not only will he not achieve his goal, but she will instead seize upon his weakness and use it to blackmail him.

Wang Xifeng saw him turn around and leave without any hesitation, and was at a loss for a moment, so she hurriedly asked, "Don't you want Ping'er anymore?"

She had already touched her bottom line just now, and it was impossible for her to really humble herself and give up her body.

Besides, Zhang Yunyi refused so firmly that even if she was willing to make sacrifices, he might not agree.

For now, we can only try our best and give Ping'er a try.

Zhang Yunyi looked back at her and said calmly, "Sister-in-law, if you want money, you can tell me the amount. If you want to bring up the past, please don't bother!"

"Good! Men are really bad! Now you are denying your guilt after taking advantage of me! Don't think I can't do anything to you just because you go to the old lady and the wife to ask for her. As long as I insist that she is Lian Er's woman, I don't believe they can force her!"

Zhang Yunyi froze when he heard this. Wang Xifeng was even more pleased when she saw this and said, "Don't worry. When Lian Er comes back, I'll have him take Ping Er as his concubine so that we can take care of the aftermath for Brother Yi!"

Zhang Yunyi turned around suddenly, looked at her deeply, and said in a deep voice: "Sister-in-law arranged this marriage, I'm afraid you didn't discuss it with Madam?"

It is impossible for Wang Xifeng to give up the money and sacrifice her beauty to help him find a marriage.

Although he was not clear about the industrial chain she had imagined, he knew that Mrs. Wang was interested in facilitating a perfect match for them.

Her action was tantamount to opposing Mrs. Wang.

Wang Xifeng's face really changed when she heard this. She said sternly but weakly, "What if we didn't discuss it? Men should get married when they are old enough and women should get married when they are old enough. You guys are not married yet, so even if I didn't discuss it with you, it's not a big deal!"

By the end of her speech, her tone had softened.

Zhang Yunyi glanced at her with a half-smile, and said threateningly, "Whether it's a big deal or not, I know it well. If you want to tear your face apart, you will regret it one day."

After saying this, he ignored Wang Xifeng and walked away.

Wang Xifeng looked at his departing back and was stunned for a long while before she came to her senses.

She had been sitting in the scorching sun for a long time, and after some pushing and shoving, she was already sweating profusely. In addition, she was held in his arms, and the sweat not only soaked her body, but also stuck her clothes to her.

She hurriedly held up the collar and hem of her skirt to let in some air, trying to dispel the stickiness on her body, but she suddenly felt a chill coming from under her body.

Wang Xifeng shuddered suddenly, and a blush appeared on her face for no reason, not knowing whether it was because of the heat or for some other reason.

Thinking that not only had she lost Ping'er, but she was also hugged and embraced by him, controlled by him, and repeatedly bullied and taken advantage of by him, she really lost both her wife and her army.

She was so angry that her branches and legs were shaking.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 91: Two Sides

Zhang Yun逸 left the rockery, and Ping'er, who was hiding in the Linshui Pavilion on guard, saw him and immediately came forward.

"Uncle! Where's grandma?"

"You just have to bear with the injustice and follow her first. I will find a way to get you here after a while."

"Is it grandma who has put Master in a difficult position?" Ping'er lowered her head.

Zhang Yunyi nodded and said, "If she wanted money, I wouldn't make it difficult for her."

"Ah?" Ping'er asked in astonishment, "Not for money?"

"Ok!"

Zhang Yunyi simply recounted the events, only skipping over some minor details of the confrontation between the two sides.

Ping'er fell into deep thought after hearing this, and only reacted after a long while.

"Master, don't blame her. Grandma is probably worried that Miss Bao will take away her power as the housekeeper!"

"As long as she knows what's best for her, I won't argue with her!"

"Master, please take care! I'll go see grandma!" Ping'er became a little anxious when she saw that Wang Xifeng had not come down for a long time.

Zhang Yunyi nodded and went to the Dengxian Pavilion.

He did not take Wang Xifeng's threat seriously.

Not to mention his previous threat, even Jia Lian would not be back for half a year.

Of course, the reason why he rejected Wang Xifeng's proposal was not because he was fearless, nor because he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, or because he was worried that Wang Xifeng would demolish the bridge after crossing the river.

It’s not that he doesn’t covet Xue Baochai’s body, but there are other reasons.

The original owner was not able to take part in the imperial examinations because he was from the Imperial Observatory, so he read a lot of miscellaneous books.

There is a record of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao relics: At the end of the Kaiyuan period, the Emperor held banquets in the palace every spring morning and evening, and asked his concubines to compete to insert bright flowers. The emperor personally caught pink butterflies and released them, and followed whatever the butterflies favored.

Later, because Concubine Yang became the emperor's favorite, this play was no longer performed.

It was no secret that Yang Yuhuan was jealous, and she was even driven out of the palace by Li Longji because of this.

In her previous life, Yang Yuhuan in the painting of a lady with flowers in her hair was depicted with a butterfly in her hand.

In the book "Dream of Red Mansions", Xue Baochai is compared to Yang Guifei, and a butterfly-catching scene is arranged, which forces him to connect the two together.

Even Xue Baochai was labeled as jealous.

Whether this is an over-interpretation or not is a matter of opinion. However, the ancients loved to use allusions in both poetry and writing.

Tanchun also made fun of Jia Baoyu for making up stories. Although the "Remaining Stories of the Kaiyuan and Tianbao Periods" is not an official history, there are still many people who use it as a reference.

Although even if Xue Baochai was really as he guessed, he didn't think she could cause any waves in his own backyard, but he was too lazy to waste his energy on it.

Besides, the Xue family was in such a mess, so being a concubine was fine, but not a wife.

However, even if he could say such words now, he would probably be laughed at, so it would be better to just refuse.

……

In the Lixiang Courtyard adjacent to the rockery in the northwest corner of Huifang Garden, Xue Baochai frowned and said, "Mom! Isn't it inappropriate for us to leave like this today?"

"My son, how could I not know this? But our family's money didn't come from the wind, and this glass is not as good as sugar. If he brings up the old matter again, I'm afraid it will cost us another fortune!"

Aunt Xue was plump and afraid of heat. She was worried that leaving early today would make Zhang Yunyi unhappy. She couldn't help but feel even more restless and waved the round fan in her hand faster and faster.

The waving of arms inevitably caused waves, and the gauze seemed to be caused by ripples under the blowing of the fan.

This made Xue Baochai, a daughter, couldn't help but look sideways.

Considering that it would be inappropriate for the maid to see this scene, she reached out and grabbed the round fan in Aunt Xue's hand and said, "Mom, you are fanning so hastily. Not only can it not drive away the summer heat, but it will make you sweat. Let your daughter fan you for you!"

She gently waved the fan in her hand and said slowly, "Don't we still have the caravan? We can't be outspending, right?"

"Who knows?" Aunt Xue frowned and sighed, "How much can the caustic soda be worth? I'm afraid it won't be worth even the money of breaking a piece of glass after one trip."

Xue Baochai hesitated for a moment, looked at Aunt Xue and said, "But, after all, Brother Yi is an official in the inner court. If I get angry with him, I'm afraid that even if I don't say anything now, the review in three years..."

Aunt Xue's anxiety, which had just been relieved, surged up again when she heard this. She hurriedly pulled her collar open and said, "Oh, my son! If it weren't for this, why would I be so worried?"

Xue Baochai frowned slightly when she saw this, then said calmly, "It's not that there is no way to solve it."

Aunt Xue was suddenly refreshed when she heard this. A hint of joy appeared on her face. She stopped pulling at her collar and turned to look at her, urging her, "My son, if you have a solution, just tell me now. Why are you still keeping me in suspense?"

"Although it's a good idea, my daughter is..." Although Xue Baochai hesitated to speak, her face was calm and she said slowly, "After all, marriage is a big deal, how can my daughter say it?"

Aunt Xue suddenly realized, "You mean? Brother Yi?"

Even though Xue Baochai was a calm person, she couldn't help but blush when the important issue of marriage was mentioned by name.

She calmly turned the fan slightly and said in a deep voice, "The reason why Brother Yi asked our family to subsidize those expenses is that we are related to each other. You see, he treats the East Mansion very differently. Not only did he give all the income from sugar to Sister Zhen, he also made Sister Zhen's sister a concubine, and even doted on Xiangling."

Seeing Aunt Xue lost in thought, as if she was weighing the pros and cons, she continued to analyze, "Although she is a cousin, she is also a good relative. She won't need our family to subsidize her. This way, she won't have to worry about the review by the Imperial Household Department anymore. It can be considered a permanent solution."

In order to protect the imperial merchant, Aunt Xue had considered this possibility, but she still had doubts in her heart.

Hearing this, he sighed: "Hey! I have considered what you said before, but..."

At this point, she shook her head and said, "It's just that your aunt intends to bring you and Baoyu together. If it was Yi Ge'er who brought it up when we asked for help, we could still explain it to your aunt. Now that the imperial merchant has been saved, if we take the initiative again, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to your aunt!"

"My daughter saw the old lady and aunt today, and they were very protective of You Erjie. As long as Brother Yi is willing to take the initiative, I'm afraid my aunt won't say much, right?"

Seeing that Aunt Xue was still hesitating, she hurriedly said, "Baoyu is not good at studying, and he spends all day hanging out with women. Even his title belongs to Second Brother Lian. Now he is just relying on the old lady and aunt's favor. He will never achieve anything great.

Although Brother Yi had never received any education, he was good at practical matters. Not only did he hold an official position in the Tiangong Academy, he was also awarded a third-rank title. Whether in terms of his family or his daughter, he was a hundred times better than Baoyu.

Besides, although my brother has never married, he has always had someone in his room for these years, but there has been no movement. Today he can promise to let Xiangling's child inherit the Zhen family's incense. If my daughter asks for it in the future, I may follow his example."

She has always had great ambitions, but she just lacked the right wind to help her.

If there had been no Zhang Yun逸, even if Jia Baoyu was no longer a good person, she would not have said this.

Now, the more I look at Jia Baoyu, the more I look down on him.

In this era, it is extremely difficult for women to become officials, let alone achieve anything. Their only hope is to marry well.

The reason why Lady Jia has the final say in Rong Mansion is not only because of her seniority, but also because of her first-rank imperial edict.

Aunt Xue was also excited when she heard this, but unlike Xue Baochai, she was more concerned about the issue of incense.

In fact, Xue Pan’s identity as a living dead is not unsolvable. If he doesn’t have a son, he can just have a grandson. Even if he lies about his age and pretends to have a posthumous child, it’s not a bad idea.

But there were always people in the room, but there was no movement.

"My son! You are very sensible. Next time I see Zhen's daughter-in-law, I will try to find out what she has to say."

Naturally, this matter cannot be revealed to the Rong Mansion. However, with the sugar business, Youshi is a good choice.

In addition, her younger sister was given to Zhang Yun逸 as a concubine, so she would have to rely on the eldest wife for care in the future.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 92: A Comparison

Because she had a falling out with Zhang Yun逸, Wang Xifeng simply went home directly. She then told the maid to tell Qin Keqing and immediately ordered water for bathing.

It is easy to sweat when it is hot, so taking a bath at noon is quite common.