The Red Mansion Big Liar

However, it’s okay to keep this thought in my heart, but it’s hard to speak it out.

If he hadn't been counting on Youshi to help him, he would have definitely turned against her by now.

Now, he could only wink at her and smile at Zhang Yunyi: "My cousin, you are joking. You make a fortune every day in the Institute of Technology. Who would dare to ask you for a mortgage with this little money? Besides, the land in the mansion was passed down from our ancestors..."

Seeing him so impatient, Zhang Yunyi sneered in his heart and said slowly: "Brother Zhen, brothers are also part of the mansion, and they should do their part, but this money is a deficit over the years. I have only lived in the mansion for half a year, you can't ask me to bear it all by myself, right?"

"How...how could..."

Although he revealed Jia Zhen's thoughts, how could he have the nerve to admit it?

"If that's the case, why won't you even offer me a mortgage? Do you think that the few houses in my home are worth hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, or do you want me to exchange the property and profits of Tiangongyuan for them?"

"With your identity, why would you need to pledge..."

"Master!~"

At this moment Youshi suddenly interrupted her. Her voice was full of coquettishness and her face was more charming. Jia Zhen's heart was inexplicably moved.

"How could I not know what the master said? Yun Yi has just told me about the current situation, how could I not know the seriousness of the situation? The mansion has been emptied out. If these properties are damaged again, let alone how to explain to our ancestors, how can this family be short of money again?"

"So what do you mean?" Jia Zhen was also a little confused.

"Based on Yun Yi's reputation, let alone mortgage, even if it is returned, others may not be willing to accept it. The master knows the reason, but now that this kind of thing has just happened, it is easy for people to talk about it if it is like this."

Youshi paused for a moment, looked around, and said, "It's just a formality. I just discussed with him and decided that we should do our best to save face and not let him cause gossip. Let's first take a few nearby manors and the servants' indentures to make up the numbers.

Although we still have some income now, it is not as much as before. However, our family has always only bought in, not sold out. It is just right to use it as collateral, so that if the money is not repaid in the future, we will have a plan for how to repay it. "

Seeing that Jia Zhen seemed to be still a little hesitant, Youshi hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Master. I will naturally not touch the maids and concubines you like."

Rights are never just about status.

The emperor has plenty of hungry soldiers!

If you have no soldiers and no money, it will be useless even if you are the king of the world.

Now, although Zhang Yun逸 did not touch the Ning Mansion's ancestral properties, without the floating wealth of the Ministry of Works, he was still struggling to maintain his extravagant life.

If he and the servants in the mansion were no longer in power, even though he was still the nominal head of the Ningguo Mansion, he would no longer have the final say in the Ning Mansion.

Jia Zhen was counting on him to take the blame, but Zhang Yun逸 was trying to dig up his roots by cutting off the source of the trouble.

"Okay! I am also considered a member of the mansion, so naturally I should share the burden. Brother Zhen only needs to use the two incomes to supplement the expenses, and you don't need to worry about the rest."

Zhang Yunyi said with displeasure: "If you don't even want to do this, then I really can't help you!"

The other two incomes he mentioned naturally refer to the incomes from Rong Mansion.

Originally, Jia Zhen was still hesitant, but now he was afraid that he would make other requests, so he quickly complained: "Now the mansion is very poor, cousin, please leave some money for my brother to spend."

It's not that Jia Zhen is so easy to fool, but as the mistress of Ningguo Mansion, Youshi and he share the same fate. As long as Jia Zhen does not divorce her, to put it bluntly, even if he dies, Youshi will never be able to leave Ning Mansion.

However, he could never have expected that Zhang Yunyi had already obtained the grace from the emperor to take care of the women in the Ning Mansion, so that Youshi had no worries.

Seeing that he had given in, Zhang Yunyi refused to give in and said, "Sister-in-law's sugar business brings in money every month. If Brother Zhen needs money urgently, just ask sister-in-law for some money. It's better than me taking on this debt for you for no reason."

Although the number of servants in Ning Mansion is not as large as that of Rong Mansion, which has nearly a thousand people, there are still several hundred people.

The key point is that there are many people here who can write and calculate, so to be honest, it can't be said that they are at a disadvantage.

Of course, Zhang Yun逸 did this not because of how valuable these people were, but mainly for his own safety.

Today he severely humiliated Jia Zhen, allowing these servants to see his weakness. Now that he has their indentures in his hands, he should know whose leg to cling to.

In this way, even if Jia Zhen knew the truth later and wanted to perish together with the enemy, he would be unable to do so alone.

In fact, if he didn't know that the Ning family was about to fall and didn't want to dirty his hands, it wouldn't be difficult to arrange an accidental death for him.

More importantly, the money was not paid by him.

Instead, it will be paid for by King Zhongshun, who will endorse it for him, but the collateral will go into his pocket.

It's not enough to just be able to do the work, you also have to make reports.

This is not.

While the emperor was conducting a thorough investigation, he made two work reports to the King of Qin at the Prince Zhongshun's Palace.

Not only did he recount how he had discovered Jia Jing and Jia Zhen's attempt to force Qin Keqing to death, but he also recounted how he had complained to the emperor.

Qin Keqing's letter of complaint was also attached.

The key point is that he also added some personal ideas and applied the original work, slightly delaying the date when Jia Jing and others murdered Qin Ye.

This is not groundless. The simultaneous death of Qin Keqing and Qin Ye is obviously contrary to common sense. Perhaps it was because Qin Keqing did not die that Qin Ye died early.

Of course, to be on the safe side, he just said it was his own guess.

At the same time, he also brought out the speculation about Wang Ziteng's transfer order and Prince Ning's marriage to Jia Yuanchun.

The King of Qin agreed with his guess and told him to infiltrate the enemy and obtain more intelligence.

Therefore, he urged King Zhongshun to cooperate fully.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 125 Repeatedly

"The mansion is in a time of trouble, and it's time for sister-in-law, the mistress, to take up her responsibilities. Go back and discipline them. If anyone disobeys, don't waste time talking to him. Just write down the names and use them to pay off the debts. I will instruct them and have someone teach them the way of respect and inferiority."

When Zhang Yun逸 and Youshi came out of the ear room, the Jinyiwei had already finished the inventory and left.

After Jia Zhen surrendered and agreed to use his indenture as collateral, he simply gathered the servants together and began to lecture them.

He doesn't have time to worry about these people, nor is it appropriate for him to intervene directly.

Otherwise, even a fool like Jia Zhen would have seen through his intention to seize power.

But with the help of Mrs. You, the situation got much better.

Just as Zhang Yun逸 did not tell the whole story to Youshi, she was the mistress of Ningguo Mansion after all, and she and the Ning Mansion could be said to share the same fate.

Jia Zhen would never have thought that Zhang Yunyi had already cut off her ties with the Ning Mansion in advance.

Now, Youshi, the mistress, truly has the authority of a mistress.

However, these servants also realized that it was only by relying on someone that she could truly achieve the power of the mistress.

Most of the people who had been disdainful of her in the past and had offended her now lowered their heads, as if they were afraid of being noticed by her.

He was not done yet. He waved to Jia Rong, who was bruised and battered in the front row, and said, "Rong'er, come here!"

Jia Rong came to him happily, bowed and nodded, and said in a flattering manner: "Uncle Yi, please give me your orders!"

Zhang Yunyi nodded amiably, then turned to Jia Zhen and said, "Brother Zhen, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you should give your child some face now that he's grown up. After all, he's the eldest son and grandson of the family, and he'll take over the family business sooner or later. If you discipline him like this, he'll lose face in front of the servants. How will he survive in the future?"

Despise the enemy strategically and take him seriously tactically.

Although he didn't believe that Jia Zhen could make any waves, he still struck while the iron was hot and divided the father and son.

As soon as these words came out, Jia Rong looked at him with tears in his eyes. If it wasn't in public, he would probably change his father immediately.

In fact, from Yu's side, Zhang Yunyi can be considered half his father, but this father is really young.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhen, who was standing by, couldn't help but twitch his eyes.

The corruption had been exposed. Although Zhang Yun逸 did not regret it and agreed to go to the emperor to plead for mercy, he wanted to go back on his word and was unwilling to send Qin Keqing to be his concubine again.

After all, the truth had been exposed, the plea had been made, and the worry that the situation might change no longer existed.

So he found Jia Rong and told him not to tell anyone about the previous arrangements.

Jia Rong panicked when he heard this. He had already written the divorce letter, and he didn't know if Qin Keqing had changed her mind. How could he keep it a secret?

He still had some brains and did not dare to say that he would sign the divorce letter that night. Instead, he seized the loopholes in the words of Jia Jing and Jia Zhen.

When more than a month had passed and the time had come, she went to Zhang Yun逸 privately to discuss the matter and signed a letter of divorce.

Jia Zhen immediately became furious and beat him up. The scar on his face was also left from that time.

He thought that Zhang Yunyi was just returning the favor of Jia Rong by offering his wife to him, and he didn't take it seriously. He raised his hand and said, "Hey, cousin, you have never taught your son well, so you don't know what it means to be a filial son under the stick. I am doing this for his own good, brother!"

"Cousin, you are joking! Everyone in this family knows that my brother is sincere and filial, and his filial piety moves the heavens. Besides, he is already so old, do you still have to teach him like this for the rest of his life?"

When he heard the word "for a lifetime", a deep resentment flashed in Jia Rong's eyes. He was afraid of being seen by Jia Zhen, so he quickly lowered his head.

Jia Zhen, however, showed an indignant look on his face. He had already lost all face today, and even his duties as a husband had been taken over by Zhang Yunyi. Now, when he heard that Zhang Yunyi wanted to compete with him for the right to educate his son, he immediately became angry.

He did not dare to get angry at Zhang Yunyi, so he could only vent his anger on Jia Rong, shouting angrily: "It has always been the case that the king, his subjects, and his sons are the same, unless I die!"

If Jia Rong hadn't made the decision on his own, why would Zhang Yun逸 have spoken for him?

Zhang Yunyi's goal had been achieved. Seeing that he had brought up the father-son relationship, he no longer insisted and said, "I have no right to comment on what my cousin said, but he is not young anymore, and we should give him some opportunities to gain experience. If he finds any shortcomings, it would be reasonable to give him some advice."

Jia Zhen was also worried about losing face and ruining what had been agreed upon, so he went with the flow and said, "Since your cousin is pleading for him, ask your sister-in-law to see what's going on."

Others may not know, but he knew it very well that his son had often flattered him and Youshi in front of him.

At the moment, Zhang Yun逸 was still in the dark and thought that it was his idea to offer his wife, so he pleaded for him.

He planned to appease Zhang Yun逸 first, and then turn around and tell Youshi and Zhang Yun逸 about Jia Rong's complaint and a series of other events.

So that he wouldn't be confused and unable to tell who is the real "kind-hearted person".

……

While people in Ningguo Mansion were in panic, Rongguo Mansion was bustling and peaceful.

In fact, it is more festive than before.

Jia Zheng, who was returning home after finishing his duties at office, got off the carriage and walked all the way to Rongqing Hall.

He bowed and said, "I am an unfilial son. I have made my mother worry!"

Although he seemed to be admitting his mistake, his face was full of arrogance and complacency.

The Ministry of Works is in charge of the nation's construction and engineering projects. As an official in the Ministry of Works, who doesn't have some trivial matters to deal with?

Everyone in the government office was in a panic these days, except Jia Zheng, who remained calm.

"Now that the case is clear, my son has behaved properly and is upright. I can rest assured as a mother."

Although she knew his temper, since he was at the center of the storm, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but worry that he would be implicated.

Therefore, I have to come and report to him every day recently.

"Great! I'm glad everything is fine!" Grandmother Jia sighed, "It's a pity that the East Palace made a mistake. Now not only is it a waste of time, I'm afraid it's also a big loss."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zheng lowered his head and fell into deep thought, and was about to speak.

Grandmother Jia suddenly changed the subject and said, "But now we are in need of money, so even if we want to help, we have to do what we can. Before, Zhen'er came, and I promised to advance the money, but the garden also needs money now, so you have to hand over the farm to us for a few years, and we won't withhold any money after you pay off the debt.

However, he didn't come back after he went back. If you find him later, don't let him go. The garden is our family's top priority right now."

Jia Zheng did not agree with the Ning Mansion's approach.

"Mother, you are right. I heard that Brother Yi has begged for mercy. I guess it is just that they cannot gather together at the moment. It won't be a problem to give them some time."

Speaking of Zhang Yun逸, he then remembered King Ning's instructions and hurriedly said goodbye.

Originally, after breaking ground and offering sacrifices to the gods, Mrs. Wang sent someone to invite him.

However, the timing was too coincidental, and Zhang Yunyi thought that the Rong Mansion was also involved and came to ask for help, so he made excuses.

As time went by, rumors about corruption in the Ministry of Industry gradually spread.

Jia Zheng and Mrs. Wang finally came to their senses and put the matter aside.

Although the matter involved Prince Ning, it was after all a matter of reputation for the royal family. Except for a limited number of people, everyone else was kept in the dark.

Naturally, Jia Zheng had no way of knowing.

Now, not only has he managed to keep himself out of trouble, but his brother-in-law Wang Ziteng has also been promoted to the Ninth Frontier. Zhang Yun逸 must have realized his own petty intentions.

"Now that the case is clear, send someone to the East Palace tomorrow to ask Brother Yi to come over!"

"Uh... Master still wants to invite him?"

Mrs. Wang was somewhat surprised. Based on her understanding of Jia Zheng, she thought it was polite of her not to be stern and cold towards him after he had been repeatedly humiliated in front of a junior.

"Nonsense!" Jia Zheng said dissatisfiedly, "Ignorance is not a crime. After all, the East Palace is right there. He doesn't know the master's character, so it's human nature to avoid suspicion. Now that the innocent are innocent, he naturally knows that he is a mean person. After all, the garden is still counting on him for support, so we have to give him a way out."

To be honest, although there were reasons for it, Mrs. Wang was still quite dissatisfied with Zhang Yunyi's repeated refusals.