The Red Mansion Big Liar

In addition, I was in a mess and covered in dust, and it was difficult to explain the reason, so I just went with it.

He grasped You's hand and said with gratitude, "I was drunk and fell asleep in the garden. I am sorry for causing trouble to my sister-in-law."

Yu Shi thought she was too embarrassed to speak up, so she kept silent and said, "It's all a small matter. Lan'er is really a good kid. No wonder Brother Daoyi looks at you differently. When you came to find me before, you wanted to go back to read. I also arranged it for you. Now you are reading in the study. Just don't let it slip later."

When mentioning the arrangements for Jia Lan, Li Wan suddenly felt ashamed and guilty. At the same time, she was even more grateful for Youshi's righteousness and could not help but express her gratitude profusely.

After some polite conversation, Li Wan said, "I have another matter to trouble you, sister-in-law. Brother Yi said in the hall earlier that Lan'er needs to be treated. Please ask her for me whether it is serious or not."

Upon hearing this, You Shi asked in confusion, "Why didn't you ask yourself just now?"

The "just now" she mentioned was naturally the fierce battle with Zhang Yunyi, but after she said it, she remembered that Li Wan hadn't even put on her clothes. She must have lost her soul and naturally had no time to take care of her son.

Although Li Wan thought she understood what she meant, she couldn't help but think of the urge to go into the cave just now.

It showed unconsciously on his face, and he murmured, "Just...just now..."

"No need to say more, sister-in-law knows it!" Youshi said sympathetically, "Just leave it to me."

"Then I'm sorry to bother you, sister-in-law!"

One of them thought he knew the truth but acted foolishly, while the other was grateful, but they were not in agreement and yet they kept talking back and forth.

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 144 Acting vigorously and resolutely

In a deer-roofed room in the backyard of Ning Mansion.

Ping'er, who had just returned, was pulled in by Wang Xifeng.

After listening to Ping'er's report, she frowned and said, "Digging bird droppings? What kind of business is this?"

"Master didn't say anything, he just said it was a very profitable business, and I didn't ask many questions."

"Why don't you ask clearly about such an important matter?"

Wang Xifeng looked unconvinced, looked at Ping'er's blushing cheeks, and said angrily, "Are you just not asking, or are you not in the mood to ask?"

"How could that be?" Ping'er showed a trace of embarrassment and explained, "I told you this only after I had served you well..."

It would have been better if she didn't explain. After she did, Wang Xifeng was furious and spat, "You little slut, you really can't remember the important things until the matter is over..."

Ping'er felt a little aggrieved, but if she wanted to explain, she would have to mention Zhang Yunyi's disappointing words, so she had to acquiesce.

"Then...what did grandma say?"

"This sounds a bit unreliable. He has to pay the money, and I'm only responsible for the ship and the people... 100,000 dan is too much. Now I have nothing to settle. I will tell my family and at most I will use a small treasure ship to transport 40,000 dan back first."

"Master said that it must be delivered at the latest one month before the spring ploughing ceremony next year."

After all, the ancient times were an agricultural society. To engage in industry and commerce in an agricultural society would not only result in half the effort and twice the results, but would also be considered shameful.

On the contrary, being able to develop agriculture is a major plan that benefits both the country and the people.

Food is the most important thing for people. Emperors of all dynasties have regarded agriculture as the foundation of their country and farming as the basis of their country.

Not only that, the emperor would personally attend the annual spring ploughing ceremony, and the court would also give high respect and rewards to farmers who worked hard.

In the eyes of the ancients, farming and studying were the foundation of passing down a family legacy. Even if one was an official, knowing how to do farm work was something that people would talk about with relish.

After all, Zhang Yun逸 had a modern mindset and had not considered these things before.

However, in order to satisfy his selfish desires, he started building greenhouses. While discovering a way to make money, he also noticed the differences between ancient and modern times and began trying to expand into agriculture.

Ancient agriculture emphasized the right time, right place, and right people.

Apart from weather and human factors, the biggest impact on the harvest is soil quality and water conditions.

Due to the lack of chemical fertilizers, the fertility of the soil cannot be changed, and the gap in per-acre yield between the upper fields and the lower fields is huge.

Even the best paddy fields are not as good as those with fertilizers. In addition, due to the difference in seed quality, the yield per mu is also not as good as that of later generations. There are only a handful of fields that can produce 500 kilograms.

This also directly leads to the difference in the price of land.

The price of a good paddy field can be as high as 20 to 30 taels per mu, while the price of a low-quality paddy field is only 3 to 5 taels.

Moreover, some fields have good water resources but poor soil quality. If the gap in per-acre yield can be made up, not to mention how many people can be fed by the harvested grain, the profit alone will be astonishing.

The Ning Mansion's farm covers a large area, so it is naturally impossible for it to be all good fields. Such a large farm will always have differences in soil quality.

Therefore, when he heard that the village was going to build a greenhouse, the village head asked whether it should be built on the upper field, which gave him this idea.

Although there is a method of using alum to fertilize water, the amount cannot compare to that of the bird droppings in the South China Sea.

Moreover, he also hoped to take the opportunity to develop the shipbuilding and shipping industries of the Great Xia Dynasty.

"The East Sea lacks a white jade bed, so the Dragon King came to ask for the King of Jinling."

In Wang Xifeng's words, the Wang family manages tributes from various countries, which actually refers to maritime trade. It's just that the dynasty regards itself as the Celestial Empire, so when foreign countries come to do business with goods, it will be regarded as tribute.

Although the Wang family no longer manages this area, they at least still have some foundation. Zhang Yun逸 does not have any resources in this area, and Wang Xifeng, as a daughter of the Wang family, is the best partner.

Originally, because of Yuanchun, he was a little hesitant about whether to cooperate with the Wang family.

After learning the whole story from Mrs. Wang, his worries in this regard were half gone.

After all, according to Mrs. Wang, this matter was led by Lady Jia, and the chances of the Wang family's involvement were slim. Just to be on the safe side, they reported it to the King of Qin and reported their idea. Coincidentally, Wang Xifeng asked Ping'er to come and find her, and they hit it off right away.

The reason why the delivery time was limited was because the matter was of great importance and it was impossible for the people to follow suit based on just his few words.

Therefore, in addition to the imperial farms in the inner palace, he also planned to use the emperor's acres of land for the spring ploughing ceremony to set a demonstration effect.

Although it may not be widely known among the common people, which of these high-ranking officials in the imperial court is not a local gentry or landlord in his hometown?

Let them see the results, and they will naturally follow suit, and the effect will be twice as good with half the effort.

After all, this is not the time to advertise.

It is worth mentioning that during the daily report on the caustic soda business, the manager of the farm happened to come and he mentioned it in passing.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Cheng volunteered after hearing this.

He had previously managed an imperial farm and was very familiar with farm affairs. Zhang Yun逸 then handed over the construction of the greenhouse and related matters to him.

……

"You couldn't be tricking me, right?"

Wang Xifeng was a decisive and thoughtful person. Even after hearing only half of what Ping'er had said, she was still worried and did not bother to avoid suspicion. She immediately found him again and asked him about the matter.

However, the two had never had an in-depth exchange, let alone knowing each other well. Zhang Yunyi was worried that she would eat alone, so he could only say perfunctorily: "Second sister-in-law Lian, you are joking. What good will it do me to deceive you?"

Wang Xifeng glanced at Ping'er beside her and said nothing, but her meaning was obvious.

Zhang Yunyi had no choice but to continue: "If this business is done well, money will be secondary. Your Wang family will also benefit from it. When the time comes, Second Sister-in-law Lian will remember my kindness..."

As he spoke, he stared at Wang Xifeng's collar.

He had no intention of explaining and wanted to allay her concerns, so the only way was to make her feel that he was the one who coveted her.

Wang Xifeng saw that he looked greedy and hungry, and the smug look on her face flashed away. She deliberately said with a sullen face: "Who doesn't know how to brag? I'm not like those little girls who can be fooled by you in just a few words and even reveal their true colors in a daze..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Ping'er intentionally or unintentionally.

Seeing that she was a little stubborn, Zhang Yunyi retreated and said, "Sister-in-law, if you don't trust me, then I will only be responsible for transportation from now on, how about that?"

"Who said I can't trust you?"

Wang Xifeng raised her eyebrows and said tentatively, "It's just that you didn't explain it clearly, but you made it sound so serious. Don't make so much noise but end up with nothing. In the end, your business is not as big as my aunt's caustic soda business!"

Zhang Yunyi patted his chest and said, "I dare not say anything else, but compared to this business, the caustic soda business is nothing. Second sister-in-law should be relieved now, right?"

He thought for a moment and said, "However, these guano need to be processed after they are delivered. They must be delivered one month before the spring ploughing ceremony. If they are late, you can't blame me."

"You are the one who said it now, and you didn't tell anyone the truth, so you can't blame me for being suspicious. Besides, although this business has been settled, from what you said, it may not be profitable for a while, so I have to be on guard against you."

Hearing that he was on guard, Zhang Yunyi grinned and said, "Sister-in-law, if you have anything to say, just say it!"

"It's not that I don't trust you, but I have to get the money back so that I can give an explanation to the old lady and the wife, right?"

Seeing that she was determined not to release the eagle until she saw the rabbit, Zhang Yunyi stopped talking.

Ever since he tasted the sweetness from Qin Keqing, he realized the benefits of having a maid to help him.

But Ping'er is still Jia Lian's concubine...

Wang Xifeng seemed to see through his concerns, and a hint of joy flashed across her face.

She laughed tenderly and said, "Oh! How can I not protect her? Even if he has the guts, he wouldn't dare to show his hair to me!"

……

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 145 Returning Home to Hear the Good News

The gifts Jia Jing earned for his birthday were far less than Jia Zhen had expected. After paying back the silver to Zhang Yun逸, he only had a surplus of a few thousand taels.

However, for Jia Zhen at the moment, it is also a huge sum of money.

However, before he had time to be happy, he was called by Grandmother Jia and scolded.

The reason has to start from the day of Jia Jing's birthday. Jia Baoyu returned early that afternoon.

As soon as he returned home, he searched Jia Zheng's study and finally found the script of Romance of the West Chamber.

But he was so absorbed in reading that he forgot the time and place, and was actually in the study, relaxing his fingers to relieve his fatigue, when he was bumped into by Jia Zheng, who was returning home from court.

Although Jia Zheng was not involved in the Ministry of Works case, when he was greedy for money, everyone was happy that there was one less person to share. However, once the incident happened, it would be somewhat conspicuous if he kept himself out of it.

In addition, Jia Zheng was self-satisfied and was inevitably ostracized by his colleagues.

Just when he had no place to vent his anger, Jia Baoyu undoubtedly ran into the muzzle of the gun.

He still had some brains and did not dare to say that he was fooling around with Xue Pan. He just said that he had watched a serious play in Ning Mansion and was curious.

However, even so, he still couldn't avoid a beating.

But this matter happened to reach the ears of Jia's grandmother. She already felt that Jia Zhen had offended her last time, and now she had found an excuse to do so, so she simply gave him a severe scolding.

At the same time, he became more determined to take action against the Ning Mansion, and that night he called Jia She and Madam Xing to give them a lecture.

Zhang Yun逸 had no idea what Jia Mu and Jia She were planning.

He even heard about what Jia Baoyu did from Jia Zhen's complaints.

He had no time for other things recently. He had discussed the follow-up with Wang Xifeng, and except for hanging out with Qin Keqing, the You sisters and the maids at night, he was concentrating on preparing for the production of flat glass.

Although the float glass process did not appear until the 19th century, it is very simple to operate if you understand the principles behind it.

With the previous experience, although the factory expanded in size, the construction period did not increase much.

The preparations for the tin pool and other matters had already been completed, and work was just waiting for an auspicious day.

As for Li Wan, although Youshi mentioned it, he didn't take it to heart.

However, Youshi thought that he didn't want to pass on the message herself, and wanted to tell Li Wan in person so as not to miss the opportunity for her to express her gratitude.

In the quiet and comfortable life, winter has arrived in the blink of an eye.

The renovation of the hot spring villa has been mostly completed, and the remaining furniture and furnishings are being added in an orderly manner.

Zhang Yunyi went to the factory outside the city that day and took a detour to take a look, so he returned home a little late.

Just as he was planning to go find Youshi and tell her some ideas for improvement, he heard the doorman report: "The second master of the West Mansion just sent someone to ask you to come over tomorrow."

"Someone sent by the Second Master?"

"Yes! The one who delivered the message was the servant next to the Second Master."

The previous few times it was Mrs. Wang who invited, but thinking about how she threw herself into his arms that night, it was normal for her to avoid suspicion. He just asked in passing and didn't take it to heart.

However, Jia Zheng did lose face that night. He had been silent for a while, and suddenly came to invite Zhang Yun逸, which made Zhang Yun逸 have some guesses.

"Alright! Send someone to inform the meeting and go over there tomorrow after the court is dismissed."

Prince Ning had been under house arrest a while ago, and now that the order had just been lifted, Jia Zheng sent someone to invite him. Combined with what he had learned from Prince Ning last time about the role he played, he couldn't help but make some associations.

Since he was going to attend the banquet tomorrow, he would know then, and he was too lazy to think about it.

However, because of the interruption by the doorman, he forgot to ask Youshi.