The Red Mansion Big Liar

"I dare not deceive His Majesty, but my uncle originally hoped that I could plead with the emperor after the incident. However, I think that confessing will lead to leniency. Even hiding it from His Majesty for one day would be a great sin!"

"Good! It's amazing that you are so loyal!" Emperor Zhengqing's expression looked better. "Go down now! Just pretend that this never happened. Don't alert them for now. I will find out the truth. If they have nothing to do with this matter, my promise to you will still stand!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty! However, I have another unreasonable request!" Zhang Yunyi knelt down hurriedly, "After all, my mother is from the Ning Mansion. If my uncle and others are involved, it is their own fault. I dare not ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness, but only ask Your Majesty to allow me to take care of the women in the mansion..."

"You are so loyal and righteous. I agree! Go down!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 119 Unmoved

After the court session was over in the evening, Zhang Yunyi returned to Ning Mansion as if nothing had happened.

Since the emperor told him not to alert the enemy and Dai Quan was under control, the news of his plea for mercy naturally would not spread.

As soon as he got off the carriage, he saw Youshi already waiting in the yard.

Zhang Yunyi smiled and said, "Didn't Xifu invite my sister-in-law to have dinner before she returned?"

"Oh my! How can I stay here any longer?" Yu Shi hurried forward and complained, "You don't know, everyone over there is targeting you. If I don't come back, my ears will get calluses."

She first recounted her experience of going to Xue's house.

"When they begged us for mercy, they didn't offer so many conditions. I'm confiscating the money today, so that people won't think we've taken advantage of them!"

"Well! Let's not talk about this for now. Just keep the money there. Did you know that my uncle came last night?"

Zhang Yunyi thought about it and decided to briefly recount what happened last night and the extermination of the Qin family.

He only concealed the fact that he entered the palace today, and changed the place where he learned the news of the Qin family's extermination from the palace to the government office. He even did not conceal the fact that Jia Rong visited him last night and stayed overnight in Tianxiang Tower.

Although such a serious matter as the extermination of the Qin family has not yet spread into the inner courtyard of the mansion, it has already spread to the government office. It is obviously unreasonable for him not to mention it at all.

However, one must always be on guard against others. After all, Youshi is the mistress of Ningguo Mansion, and when it comes to bringing down the Ning Mansion, the two of them have a clear conflict of interest.

Even though the emperor had made a promise, the gap between the Ning Mansion's mistress and the wife of a convicted official was not small.

Telling her about Jia Rong's visit and staying overnight at Tianxiang Tower was to let her know the seriousness of the situation and that she was the only one she could rely on.

Yu Shi was terrified when she heard this. She no longer cared about other people's gossip, or even about his flirting with Qin Keqing. Her legs were weak and trembling. She leaned on him unconsciously and said incoherently, "Qin... Qin family, could it be that the master and the others..."

"Sister-in-law, be careful with your words! I only told you this matter, so don't let it slip later."

Seeing her leaning on him, Zhang Yunyi didn't care that it was in public and reached out to hug her slender waist without hesitation.

Yu Shi was terrified, and only felt safe when she leaned on Zhang Yunyi, so she had no time to care about these details.

"Yes, yes, yes!" he echoed, and hurriedly covered his mouth.

Even Qin Keqing was going to be silenced, so how could Jia Jing and Jia Zhen care about her?

The two of them walked forward, leaning against each other like conjoined twins. The servants along the way saw this scene, their faces filled with horror, but they all tried to avoid them.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. No matter what the final outcome of this matter is, Yun Yi will definitely protect you from being implicated."

Zhang Yunyi consoled him, then paused and said, "But, Brother Zhen, I don't trust you. Do you know how much money they got from the Construction Department?"

"How would I know that? I haven't even heard of it!"

Zhang Yunyi comforted him, "That's enough! Don't panic. I heard in the government office today that Shuntian Prefecture has committed a robbery. As long as this incident has nothing to do with the prefecture, I will go to the emperor and ask for mercy. At most, I will ask him to return the stolen silver."

"How can there be such a coincidence in the world? They are trying to force my wife to death, and then the Qin family is in trouble?"

If even Youshi could think of it, the emperor could naturally think of it as well.

But now, I am worried that she will panic and say something without thinking.

"Sister-in-law, don't you trust me?" Zhang Yunyi said confidently, "Since I can even protect Qin, I will naturally not ignore sister-in-law. Now you just act like you know nothing."

"Of course I can trust you!"

Youshi was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed feelings and felt a little regretful.

Although she had been having an affair with Zhang Yunyi for a long time, she was the mistress of the Ning Mansion after all, and had to consider Jia Zhen's dignity. She was worried that she would become pregnant with Zhang Yunyi's child, so she had been secretly taking contraceptive medicine.

At this moment, I wish I could have a child.

While thinking about this, he happened to pass through the inner gate, so he quietly took Zhang Yunyi and walked towards his own yard.

Although it is a bit late to cram at this moment, it at least gives us a little more chance.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived at the gate, Zhang Yunyi stopped and said, "I'll send Yunyi here. Something happened at Qin's house, so I have to go to Tianxiang Tower."

You Shi couldn't help but feel disappointed, but she forced a smile and said, "Yes, yes! I need you to take care of my wife more."

She had been distracted by the shock of the incident, and now, seeing Zhang Yunyi about to leave, she remembered something else and hurriedly called him, "Today, the mistress said that the second master wanted to invite you to his house and asked me to come back to ask. Could it be about this matter?"

This is not impossible. Jia Zheng is the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Works, so he may have connections. Since Jia Jing has heard the news, he naturally would not hide it from him.

"Then just help me find an excuse to push it."

"Hey! Hey!" Youshi responded hurriedly, "This whole family is targeting you. You should really avoid them in the future. It's a good thing you didn't go today. Zhuge's daughter-in-law was hoping that you would meet Lan today so that she could tell her son's fortune!"

Li Wan?

Zhang Yunyi's heart moved, and that cold face appeared in his mind.

However, if it were before, he might have taken the opportunity to tease this cold and beautiful widow.

Now that the situation has changed, if the Rong Mansion is also involved, it may not be necessary to spend all that extra thought on it.

He couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He shouldn't have said in front of the emperor that his mother was from the Ning Mansion, but should have included the entire Jia family.

Yu Shi saw him pause slightly, thinking that he had seen prey and was excited, so she hurriedly said, "Although she is an orphan and a widow, she is really pitiful, but it's okay to do anything else, but revealing the secret can be a big deal, so be careful!"

Zhang Yunyi felt a little embarrassed as his secrets were exposed by her.

However, he always believed that as long as I was not embarrassed, others would be embarrassed. He turned around, hugged Youshi tightly, and put his palm on the bottom of the gourd and rubbed it.

He smiled and said, "She is the eldest sister-in-law of the West Mansion, not the eldest sister-in-law of the East Mansion. I am only worried about my sister-in-law, why should I worry about her?"

Yu Shi's bones and muscles were numb from his rubbing. She wanted to use her son to gain status as a mother, so she took the opportunity to take him to the yard.

However, Zhang Yunyi had just taken Qin Keqing yesterday, and the Qin family has now been wiped out, so he can only reject Youshi's kindness at this moment.

You Shi struggled in his arms for a long time, but not only did she fail to lead him astray, but she was exhausted physically and mentally, so she could only say angrily: "It's getting late, I'm afraid you have to put more effort into comforting your wife."

Zhang Yunyi finally gave up and said with a smile, "It has to be a first come first served. Isn't it better to comfort my sister-in-law first?"

After hearing this, Youshi felt much more relieved and nodded silently.

I wanted to say something, but considering the current situation in Ning Mansion, I didn't know where to start.

Zhang Yunyi knew that she must be feeling bad, so he comforted her before leaving: "If you are worried, you can move to Doufengxuan for a while. This way it will be more convenient for me to take care of you."

"Hey!" Youshi said hurriedly, "Then I will move there tomorrow."

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 120 Thanks

Tianxiang Tower.

Zhang Yunyi leaned against the head of the bed, hugged Qin Keqing tightly, and told her the story of the Qin family's extermination again.

Although Qin Keqing is different from Youshi, it is impossible for her to be on the same page with the Ningguo Mansion after Jia Rong signed the divorce letter.

What's more, he tried to defame her innocence and forced her to death last night.

However, when he entered the palace to expose the Ning Mansion, he also sold out Qin Ye, so he had to keep it secret.

Although Qin Ye was only her adoptive father, he had no biological children when he adopted her, so in the beginning he treated her and the adopted son who died young as his own children.

Even when she had a son in her old age, he was different from her daughter in that he never treated her harshly.

Zhang Yunyi clearly felt the soft body in his arms tremble slightly. He forcibly suppressed the inappropriate charm and comforted her: "The dead are gone, and the living are like this. You are mine now, and this body is not just yours. If you hurt yourself, I will be heartbroken."

To be honest, he had no sympathy for Qin Ye, but it was because of his relationship with Qin Keqing.

Qin Keqing was silent for a while, struggled to turn sideways from his arms, turned her head and looked at him.

Those affectionate eyes carried a trace of deep resentment, and he said in a trembling voice: "Keqing had already expected that since they attacked me, they must be planning to sacrifice the car to save the master, and push my father out to take the blame. Even if I can escape this disaster, I am afraid I can't escape the national law. But Zhong'er..."

She is more than ten years older than Qin Zhong, and the elder sister is like a mother. Although she has less contact with Qin Zhong after marrying into Ning Mansion and moving into Tianxiang Tower to avoid Jia Zhen, their feelings are still there.

Speaking of Qin Zhong, she was already in tears, choking with sobs as she said, "Zhong'er's crime does not deserve death. How could they have the heart to kill a child who is only ten years old!~"

Having said this, Qin Keqing looked up at him, with a hint of gratitude in her eyes and a hint of determination on her face.

"Last night, you saved me and got me a divorce. I have no way to repay you. The only way I can repay you is to serve you day and night. I shouldn't have any other thoughts, but I am afraid that I will be powerless to avenge my father and Zhong'er by myself, even if I die."

She spoke in a plaintive and sobbing voice, as if expressing all the tenderness and weakness of a woman.

Zhang Yunyi's heart trembled, and he said righteously: "Don't worry! Keqing's revenge is my revenge. I will go to the palace to report to His Majesty tomorrow!"

Qin Keqing's eyes flashed with excitement, but she shook her head and said, "Since they dared to act like this, they must have a perfect plan. Moreover, they destroyed the body and there is no evidence. Even Shuntian Prefecture has determined that it was a robbery. I don't have any evidence in my hand, so I am afraid that I may not be able to convict them."

"Don't worry, Keqing. This incident was caused by corruption in the Construction Department. Just report the corruption to the Emperor and he will conduct a thorough investigation."

"But corruption is ultimately no match for a family massacre. If they can kill people quietly, they can certainly arrange for them to escape. Besides..."

At this point, she paused for a moment and sighed, "The money my father embezzled was not given to just one family. When the time comes, the officials will protect each other. In addition, my father is also guilty... He is a criminal, and the emperor may not be willing to go to war for him."

Criminal investigation technology in ancient times was limited, and in cases like this, it was difficult to find any strong evidence unless the perpetrator was caught in the act.

Of course, once you have a target, there will always be people who cannot endure the torture.

However, corruption involves too many areas. To put it bluntly, all the people involved are suspects, and the law does not hold everyone accountable. This was especially true in ancient times.

Moreover, if you refuse to admit it, there is still a glimmer of hope, but once you admit it, there will be no return.

Zhang Yunyi said with determination: "We have to give it a try!"

Qin Keqing looked at him earnestly, her eyes full of gratitude and attachment, and murmured, "I was adopted by my father when I was young, and I should repay this kindness, but I can't let you take the blame. Traditionally, things like using the back door are handled by female relatives. Although I don't know how much my father gave, I remember clearly which families he went to."

She laughed at herself and said, "Otherwise they wouldn't have forced me to death. But I'm a woman and have nowhere to turn to. I can only write a letter and ask you to present it to the emperor!"

If the emperor is still unclear about Dai Quan's role, the list in Qin Keqing's hand can still be useful.

However, he was not in a position to tell her. Anyway, the result would be the same, so he simply promised: "You go and write it now, and I will present it to the emperor tomorrow!"

Qin Keqing nodded slightly and said, "Master, you still have to promise me one thing."

"Well! You tell me!"

"Your Excellency is just forwarding this letter. The person who is complaining is not you, but the granddaughter-in-law of Ningguo Mansion, Qin!"

"This..." Zhang Yunyi immediately understood her intention. Just as he was about to speak, he felt a chill on his lips. Qin Keqing's slender jade fingers were already pressing on his lips.

She said with a sad face: "Although I didn't know the pros and cons of this at the beginning, I am an accomplice after all. This matter involves a lot of people. You should try your best to avoid getting too involved. You should also avoid people when you report to the emperor. It is most appropriate for Qin, the granddaughter-in-law of Ning Mansion, to do this, but..."

At this point, a strange blush appeared on her face, and she looked at Zhang Yunyi with seductive eyes and said, "But, even if Keqing can linger in the future, I'm afraid she can only serve uncle as the granddaughter-in-law of Ning Mansion. Today, let me, your niece, thank your uncle first! ~"

Before she finished her words, she had already slid down Zhang Yunyi's body and began to thank him with sobs.

"hiss……"

Zhang Yunyi suddenly felt short of breath. He straightened his back and forcibly suppressed the urge to tell her the truth.

He understood Qin Keqing's plan and felt that his hope of revenge was slim, so he wanted to file a complaint with the emperor in the name of the Ningguo Mansion's granddaughter-in-law.

Even if they cannot make the Ning family bear the crime of exterminating the whole family, at least this will make them offend the people involved in the case and cut themselves off from officialdom.

Although this was similar to his original idea of ​​cutting off the Ning Mansion's external aid, there was really no need to sacrifice her for the sake of a Ning Mansion that would be destroyed sooner or later.

Even if the outside world doesn't know, are Jia Jing and Jia Zhen also fools?

They didn't dare to do anything to themselves, so would they be lenient towards Qin Keqing?

At that time, taking out the divorce letter would be tantamount to admitting that the complaint had nothing to do with the Ning Mansion. If she did not take it, she would have no reason to interfere in the Ning Mansion's family affairs.

This is probably why she said she was lingering on?

Fortunately, this letter had to be delivered through him, and the emperor had Dai Quan as his leverage, and the two sides could not confront each other. He kept it secret from both sides and was not worried about being exposed.

However, although it is easy to keep it a secret, since Qin Keqing is worried about implicating him and wants to take the opportunity to retaliate against the Ning family, I am afraid that she will not give up the title of Ning family's granddaughter-in-law easily.

This was not a problem at all for Zhang Yun逸. After all, the emperor had promised that he could protect the women of the Ning Mansion no matter what.

It doesn't make much difference whether Qin Keqing is a member of the Ning family's family or not. As long as he holds the divorce letter, Jia Jing and Jia Zhen will not have the right to deal with Qin Keqing.