The Red Mansion Big Liar

"Ok?"

Jia She's eyes flashed with a gleam, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Could it be that she has hooked up with Zhen Ge'er? Great, great! This time we finally have her handle!"

Suspecting that his daughter-in-law was having an affair, he was not angry but happy instead, and he could hardly suppress the smile on his face.

Mrs. Xing saw it all, but she didn't dare to show it. She was also afraid that he would be confused and make a fool of himself, so she had to bite the bullet and explain: "Master, you misunderstood! It's not that she and Zhen'er have anything to do with each other, but she is giving face to Yi'er..."

She glanced at Jia She secretly, and seeing that he didn't seem to be angry, she hurriedly continued, "Master, think about it, the old lady and the second house gave the overall planning task to Yi Ge'er. How can they get around the twists and turns here without him? I'm afraid it has been discussed long ago."

Jia She couldn't help feeling a little discouraged when he heard this.

On the one hand, it was because he failed to find any evidence against Wang Xifeng; on the other hand, it was because he agreed with Mrs. Xing's guess.

Since they have already reached a tacit understanding, I'm afraid the benefits have already been distributed.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful that he didn't follow Mrs. Xing's advice.

However, no matter how much he regretted it, it was impossible for him to admit his mistake. He said stubbornly, "Why? Are you finding fault with the master?"

"How dare I?" Mrs. Xing saw that he was angry and swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth.

Thinking of his original decision, Jia She was a little discouraged. He waved his hand and sighed, "It's too late to say anything now. You should think of a way to see if you can find any sore spot on her."

Hearing this, Madam Xing sensed that Jia She had already shown remorse, and she said cautiously, "Master, I recently heard a rumor outside."

After being tossed around a few times, Jia She lost interest and was no longer as excited as before. He just asked casually, "What rumor?"

"It is said that the deficit of more than 100,000 taels in the East Palace was made up by Brother Yi."

"Ha ha ha..." Jia She squealed like a pig and said in disbelief, "Please tell me more clearly. How much more silver?"

"Ho..."

Mrs. Xing was infected by him and also let out a strange cry. She hurriedly cleared her throat and said, "Ten...hundreds of thousands of taels..."

When Jia She heard this, it was as if the hundreds of thousands of taels were taken from his own pocket. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if a blunt knife was cutting his flesh. He could no longer care about being stubborn, and hurriedly said, "Just do as you said last time. As long as he offers the price..."

"Hmm!" He cleared his throat and said, "Just go for it. No matter what, you must help the second girl get married!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 135: Three Heads Advancing at the Birthday Banquet

In the blink of an eye, it was Jia Jing's birthday.

Although the business was handled in Ning Mansion, Wang Xifeng had to worry about all matters such as travel, and since Lady Jia and Mrs. Wang had no intention of joining in the fun, arrangements also needed to be made in the mansion.

At daybreak, Ping'er helped her get up. After she washed and combed her hair, she stood up, glanced at Ping'er behind her, and pushed her to sit in front of the dressing table.

He warned, "You are too naive. Pack up quickly. When you get there today, don't worry about me. You must find a chance to talk to him. If you forget what I told you, I'll be careful of you!"

Ping'er's cheeks flushed, and she said shyly, "Grandma... Grandma, there are so many people coming and going today, I'm afraid I can't get away..."

"Oh!" Wang Xifeng sneered, "For things like this, if you are determined, how can you not get away? I'm afraid you'll be stuck together and can't bear to get away!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but think of that day at the rockery when Zhang Yun逸 said to retreat. With a complicated expression, she glanced at Ping'er who was looking at herself in the mirror with a pitiful look on her face.

He said unhappily, “I’ll go ask the old lady and the madam first, and then call a few girls… When you’re done, wait for me at the door.”

Wang Xifeng went out and walked around Rongqing Hall and Rongxi Hall, then turned back and came to the three small main rooms in the east corridor.

When she entered the room, she only saw Tanchun and Xichun staring at each other. She couldn't help wondering, "Where's the second young lady? Isn't she still up?"

Tanchun blinked her eyes and said, "The eldest lady came a few days ago and said she wanted to take my second sister back to stay for a few days. She hasn't come back yet. Doesn't my sister-in-law know?"

Wang Xifeng suddenly felt a little embarrassed. Although Yingchun had always been a nobody, she was still her legal sister-in-law.

It would have been fine if she hadn't been informed when this person was taken back, but she didn't even pay attention to it.

While she was secretly wondering what Mrs. Xing's intentions were, she covered it up by saying, "Brother Zhen has been busy celebrating Master Jing's birthday recently. I'm so overwhelmed by the things in the garden that I don't have time to ask about anything else."

Tanchun was just a little uncomfortable with it and mentioned it casually, but she didn't intend to embarrass her.

He pulled Xichun up and said, "We are all ready. We can set off as soon as sister-in-law finishes her work."

The three of them left the house, walked along the corridor, and came to the west corner gate.

Wang Xifeng didn't see Ping'er at the gate of her own courtyard. She cursed her as a "little slut" and said to Tanchun and the others, "Wait for me here for a while. I'll go back to my room."

She quickened her pace as she walked around the screen wall in front of the courtyard gate. When she returned to the house, she saw Ping'er facing the mirror, tying a green silk ribbon tightly around her waist, creating a seductive look.

Looking at her head again, her jet-black hair was tied up to look like a flower.

When Ping'er saw her, her face, which was already covered with powder, looked even more beautiful. She blushed and said, "Grandma... Grandma, is this okay?"

Wang Xifeng said angrily, "Bah! You little slut who says one thing and thinks another, are you trying to suppress me?"

As she spoke, she grabbed the Chaoyang Five-Phoenix Pearl Hairpin on the table and handed it over, saying, "Help me put it on!"

Ping Er took it with some embarrassment, and while putting it on her head, she explained, "Madam, you always make fun of me. I am not afraid of losing your face!"

"Humph!" Wang Xifeng looked into the mirror for a moment and said proudly, "Forget it! Do I need you to save face for me?"

Having said that, she was quite satisfied with Ping'er's outfit today.

He took Ping'er's wrist, turned her in front of him, and said jokingly, "I remember that Granny Liu mistook you for Grandma last time. This time..."

At this point, she suddenly remembered the plan of using someone else as a substitute, and hurriedly stopped talking and said, "Let's go! The third lady and the others are still waiting outside!"

When he left the courtyard, he saw Li Wan holding Jia Lan and talking to Tanchun. He couldn't help but wonder, "What's going on, sister-in-law?"

Li Wan is a widow after all. If Lady Jia and Lady Wang go out, she will follow them, but today they are not present.

Besides, she rarely participated in such occasions, and it seemed a bit strange for her to come forward at this moment.

Tanchun knew what Li Wan was thinking. Seeing that she was a little embarrassed, she stepped forward and said, "Today is our uncle's birthday, and the clan school is closed for the day. Lan is just sitting around doing nothing, so I'll ask my sister-in-law to take him over to have some fun."

She paused and continued, "Besides, the old lady and the mistress are not going, and the second sister is nowhere to be found. It seems that our family is too disrespectful. We should invite the eldest sister-in-law to show our strength."

"Since sister-in-law wants to go, let's go quickly!"

The first sentence is okay, but the second sentence really hits the point.

Although the East Palace is not as big as before, it would be embarrassing if none of the serious elders went there.

It was okay for the elders, after all, Jia Jing was not at home, but it was not easy for the younger generations, especially the girls who had nothing to do, to be absent.

A while ago, Mrs. Xing's various actions could not be hidden from her, and she often complained to her that she assigned tasks to the East Palace and did not take care of the First House.

Wang Xifeng even suspected that Mrs. Xing had seen through the clues and deliberately sent Yingchun away in order to destroy the tacit understanding between the East Palace and herself.

……

Wang Xifeng thought that Yingchun, who was absent, had arrived at Ning Mansion early with Lady Xing.

As soon as Youshi welcomed the two into the side hall, Mrs. Xing got straight to the point and said, "My master told me a while ago that when he last saw Yi'er, he was very handsome and a member of the family, so he knew his background well and wanted to make him closer.

That's what I meant, but this girl is shy. She left early last time and I didn't get to talk to her. This time I took her back and trained her for a while, and taught her some rules..."

Mrs. Xing's frankness already made Yingchun quite embarrassed, but the restraints on her body made her even more uncomfortable.

These days, no one taught her any rules, but just did everything to force her.

Sometimes he thought she was too young, sometimes he thought she was not charming enough. Today he got her up before daybreak, lining her, padding her, and tightening her clothes. He was really busy.

Although she felt embarrassed by Mrs. Xing's words, she did not object.

On the contrary, I feel it is a relief.

The four girls of the Jia family each have their own strengths in playing the piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.

How could she, who is so skilled in chess, have no sense of the overall situation?

Although he is patient and even a little weak, he is forced by the situation.

Nowadays, a woman's fate is half determined by her birth, and the rest depends on her marriage.

Ever since the first time that Lady Jia took them to the garden and met Zhang Yunyi in Tianxiang Tower and heard about his deeds, they had already had hope in him.

However, as a concubine of the Rong family, she knew that she was no match for Tanchun, who not only had a favored biological mother, but was also raised by her stepmother, Lady Wang.

Therefore, whenever she saw Tanchun, Baochai and Zhang Yunyi chatting and laughing, she did not dare to go near them.

She originally thought that Jia She and Mrs. Xing were both unreasonable, and she had never had any illusions. Unexpectedly, this time she finally did a good thing.

Although I feel a little ashamed of being asked to do something these days, I don't have much resistance.

At this moment, she didn't care about being shy and looked at Youshi with implicit expectation.

Marriage is a major matter, and it is decided by parents and matchmakers, so the parties involved do not have much say.

Only Zhang Yun逸's parents are both dead, so his situation is special.

But even so, with the help of sister-in-law Youshi to mediate, it can be said that half of the task is accomplished.

Youshi did not notice Yingchun. She had seen through Mrs. Xing's intention last time, but such a long time had passed that she did not insist on it and did not take it seriously anymore.

If it were in the past, she might have been worried about Jia Jing and Jia Zhen’s reactions.

But now, there is no longer any concern in this regard.

In fact, compared to that cold-hearted sister-in-law, she likes this second girl more.

On the one hand, from Zhang Yunyi's point of view, she felt that given the current situation of the Ning Mansion, Xichun was not worthy of Zhang Yunyi. On the contrary, the Rong Mansion was not only unaffected, but also became more and more powerful.

On the other hand, from a personal perspective, if she had a stronger personality, she might not be able to tolerate such an awkward existence with Qin Keqing. On the contrary, Yingchun has a weak personality and is easy to get along with.

After a slight hesitation, he smiled and said, "Since the first wife has this intention, I will also help her. I will ask Yun Yi's opinion and then give him a reply. But you also know that he is in mourning now, so it may not be easy to talk about marriage..."

Although she wished for this, she still had to see what Zhang Yunyi meant, so she could only use a delaying tactic.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Xing was eager to get a conclusion immediately, and hurriedly said, "It is better to do it today than to wait for a day. I just saw him in the front yard, why not call him over to ask him."

"Why is the eldest lady so anxious? The second young lady hasn't even reached the age of marriage yet..."

Youshi also meant well. Zhang Yun逸 and Jia Zhen were accompanying Jia She in the front yard. If Jia Zhen knew about this, something bad might happen.

"She's not small anymore. Look at her size. She's grown up! Don't worry. She's very easy to get along with. She will definitely get along well with your sister in the future."

Mrs. Xing thought she was just trying to shirk her responsibility, and didn't care about interfering in her duties. She hurriedly called out to the outside of the house, "Siqi! Go to the front yard to find the master and ask Brother Yi to come over to discuss business!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 136 Waiting for a Price (Good Luck to Long Xing)

Mrs. Xing in the backyard was anxious, but Jia She was even more anxious than her.

As soon as he got off the car, he ignored Jia Zhen who looked very enthusiastic, and instead pulled Zhang Yun逸 to ask about his well-being.

Zhang Yun逸 was also quite helpless. He had originally thought that through today's birthday banquet, he could get in touch with Prince Ning's faction, so naturally he couldn't hide away.

Early in the morning, he took the initiative to come to the front yard to help Jia Zhen greet guests. Unexpectedly, the first person to arrive was Jia She.

Before Jia Zhen accompanied him to the flower hall where the stage was set up.

On the way, Jia She couldn't wait to say: "I see that my brother is not young anymore. Your parents are gone, and your elder brother Jing doesn't care about worldly affairs. There is no one to take care of these things for you. I am worried about you when I see you, uncle!"

After hearing this, Zhang Yunyi understood something.

But before he could say anything, Jia Zhen couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Uncle She is serious! Even if father doesn't care about worldly affairs anymore, he will not ignore Yun Yi's marriage. But he is still in mourning, so we have to wait two years before discussing it again."

Xichun was too young, so he didn't want to reveal that idea in front of Zhang Yun逸.

Unexpectedly, this was exactly what Jia She wanted. Yingchun had not yet reached the age of marriage, so two years would be just the right time.

He nodded and said, "What you said makes sense, but if we wait two years to discuss it, we have to choose a family and a date, which will delay it. It would be better to choose someone of the right age now, and then get married immediately after the mourning period is over, so as to avoid delays."

Jia Zhen was unwilling to confront him head-on, so he could only perfunctorily say, "Uncle She is considering this, and I will discuss it with father later!"

He was afraid that Jia She would keep watching him, so as soon as he entered the flower hall, he shouted at Jia Rong, who was flirting with the opera singer, "Hurry up and send the opera script over so that your master can take a look first."

When Jia Rong handed him a play script, he said with a lewd look, "Uncle She, please take a look first. This time, I have invited the troupe from Changchun Garden. I have carefully selected the actors and actresses, each of whom has his own characteristics, and the repertoire has not been cut."

"Oh?" Jia She's eyes lit up when he heard that. He didn't even bother to get to the bottom of the matter and snatched the play script.

Zhang Yun逸 had also seen this opera excerpt before, but it was just an ordinary piece like "The Palace of Eternal Youth" and "The West Chamber".

He was familiar with the term "unabridged", but he had never seen the original versions of those operas in his past or present life, so he didn't know whether this term "unabridged" was the same as what he understood.

While he was still thinking, Jia She was watching with great interest, and even his eyes changed when he glanced at the actors on the stage.