Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 10 Sunrise and Sunset

Sunrise, sunset.

Day after day, a caravan stretching for miles sets off with the rising sun each morning and sets up camp each evening bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

Black-clad cavalrymen with swords, tall warriors wielding halberds, beautiful maids riding camels, a magnificent four-horse carriage, a simple coffin...

This unique scenery appears repeatedly in Longshang every day, adding a touch of beauty to the otherwise monotonous natural landscape.

"Girl, have some honey water. You've been traveling for most of the day."

As Qingmei spoke, she handed over a gilded silver cup.

Taking the opportunity to hand over the cup, Qingmei carefully examined Suo Chanzhi a few times.

Qingmei was very curious; the girl had become more and more beautiful these past few days, radiant and glowing.

The girl's skin was already fair and delicate, but now it was so smooth and supple that it seemed as if a jade-like glow was constantly flowing beneath her skin. She was simply breathtakingly beautiful.

Did the young lady secretly use some brand of rouge and face powder?

But I've always been the one buying the girl's rouge and face powder, it seems...

No other makeup powder has such good results...

Suo Chanzhi took the silver cup, her lips lightly touching the rim, and took only a small sip.

The honey water was mixed just right, not so sweet as to be cloying.

"And... cough, how much longer until we reach Tianshui?"

Suo Chanzhi asked softly, her originally clear voice now inexplicably hoarse.

However, that hoarseness wasn't unpleasant to listen to; on the contrary, it had a unique allure, making one feel a ticklish, tingling sensation.

This dough, which had been kneaded and rested three times, seemed to have gradually adapted to Yang Can's kneading and grinding, becoming chewy and elastic, a testament to the hard work finally paying off.

Of course, she would never admit to this, even if she were beaten to death.

Qingmei said, "I've already inquired. If we keep going at our current pace, we should be able to cross that mountain by tomorrow morning."

Once you cross that mountain, you'll enter the Tianshui region.

Suo Chanzhi listened and gave a soft "hmm," then turned her gaze back to the window.

In the distance, the mountains rose like dark eyebrows, while nearby, wild grass grew lush and green. Not far away, several wild rabbits were startled by the group and quickly darted into the depths of the grass.

Suo Chanzhi's gaze quickly settled on Yang Can's location. Looking at that graceful figure riding the waves, she couldn't help but feel a tickle in her teeth.

That bastard is getting more and more outrageous at humiliating people.

Why does he know so much?

The thought that she might not be the first dough Yang Can kneaded made Suo Chanzhi feel very uncomfortable.

The boundary mountain leading into Tianshui is just ahead, and according to Granny Tu's plan, Yang Can's role is about to come to an end.

He can't get over that mountain; tonight might very well be his death day.

Suo Chanzhi secretly decided that when she set up camp tonight, she would go and talk to Granny Tu.

Why does Yang Can have to die?

It wasn't that she was reluctant to part with him; she just felt that Yang Can was a close advisor to the eldest son of the Yu family and held a very high position within the Yu family's inner circle.

Therefore, sparing his life would obviously allow him to play a greater role.

Granny Tu sat in the carriage with her eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting.

On one side of the carriage, a member of the Suo family was controlling the horse's speed, reporting in a low voice to the carriage:

“Granny Tu, according to our pace, we will enter the Yu family’s territory tomorrow after we cross that mountain.”

"Hmm, has the Yu family sent anyone to receive the coffin?"

"Young Master Yu's death was sudden. If the Yu family had sent someone, they wouldn't have had time to inform us in advance. I have no way of knowing where they are."

"That's all..."

Granny Tu waved her hand and slowly opened her eyes.

Based on her estimated travel time, even if the Yu family sent people over immediately after receiving the news, it would probably be after they entered the Yu family's territory.

So... even at the earliest, the two sides won't be able to meet until tomorrow.

In that case, that kid Yang Can can die tonight.

Not just Yang Can, but I'll find a chance to kill that childhood sweetheart too.

Therefore, the only person who knows this secret, besides Suo Chanzhi, is myself.

Thinking of her triumph, Granny Tu couldn't help but smile slightly.

She hadn't yet come up with such a brilliant plan when she sent someone to inform the Jin Cheng family of the death.

By the time she came up with this plan, Leopard Head had already increased his vigilance, making it much harder for her to send people out discreetly.

However, even if she could send someone, she didn't want to at this point, because she suddenly felt that it would be better for her to keep this secret to herself.

Only when the secret is held by her alone can it be considered a rare commodity, allowing her to reap the greatest benefits.

Therefore, she told Suo Chanzhi about this plan, so that Suo Chanzhi would not let it slip when she met her family later.

However, her true motives could not be revealed, and the reason that Granny Tu told Suo Chanzhi was:
After all, this matter concerns your reputation and is of great importance, so it's best not to let more people know. Having made up her mind, Granny Tu whispered to the knight outside the carriage window, "After we camp tonight, have our men find a pretext to have a fight with the Yu family. Make sure the chaos is big enough!"

The rider on horseback nodded, pulled on the reins, and galloped away.

……

Granny Tu did not expect that the Yu family would arrive earlier than she anticipated.

Based on the distance her men traveled, the Yu family shouldn't have arrived so quickly.

Unbeknownst to her, Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan, having received guidance from Yang Can, secretly sent someone to take a shortcut and rush to Phoenix Mountain ahead of her.

So, the people sent by the Yu family arrived that evening.

As evening fell, they were setting up camp at the foot of the mountain when suddenly a group of more than forty knights galloped out of the valley.

Those horses were all tall and magnificent steeds from the Northwest, and the riders on them were mostly young men in their twenties with strong physiques.

They wore sturdy sky-blue cotton riding clothes of the same color, with leather waist protectors that were at least six inches wide around their waists.

They had daggers stuck in their leather waistbands, long swords hanging from their victory hooks, longbows slung over their shoulders, and quivers hanging from their waists—they were fully armed.

The leader was about forty years old, dressed in an indigo brocade riding outfit, with a long sword without tassels hanging at his waist, and a gray-blue cloak fluttering in the wind.

This man has a broad face and a wide mouth, thick eyebrows and a black beard, and a stern expression. He exudes an aura of authority without being angry.

“Easy to manage affairs.”

The guards of the Yu family were ready to fight, but when they saw who it was, they immediately put away their weapons and bowed to him.

"Deacon Yi!"

Yang Can shouted and leaped off the horse with a swift movement.

He ran a few steps smoothly, following the horse's forward momentum, and then cried out in grief, "Steward Yi, the young master... he has unfortunately been killed by bandits!"

Granny Tu glanced at Yang Can indifferently, without being overly nervous.

Yang Can was Yu Chengye's advisor, so it was reasonable for him to show some grief upon seeing the Yu family's visitors.

Throughout the journey, Yang Can behaved very obediently in front of her, which successfully lulled Tu Mama into a false sense of security.

The steward ignored Yang Can and rode straight past him.

This Steward Yi is a senior external affairs steward of the Yu family of the Tianshui Clan. His name is Yi She, and he ranks third among the senior external affairs stewards of the Yu family.

Yi She spotted the simple coffin at a glance, immediately dismounted, and strode over.

As they drew closer, Yi She's pace slowed, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

With the death of the eldest son of the Yu family, the Yu family is likely to face constant turmoil, which puts him under great pressure.

Granny Tu slowly stepped down from the carriage. The knight approached and whispered, "Granny Tu, the Yu family has arrived. Should we cancel tonight's operation?"

Granny Tu said calmly, "So what if the Yu family has sent people? Young Master Yu died at the hands of bandits, so we can't be held responsible for this."

What difference does it make if one more insignificant advisor dies now?

After saying this, Granny Tu ignored the knight and walked towards Yi She.

At this moment, Yang Can quickly caught up with Yi She and shouted, "Steward Yi, there's something fishy about the young master's death!"

Upon hearing this, Yi She suddenly turned around, his sharp gaze instantly fixed on Yang Can.

As Granny Tu was about to walk over, her heart tightened, and her old eyes suddenly fixed on Yang Can.

Inside the four-horse carriage, Suo Chanzhi felt a pang of anxiety upon hearing Yang Can's shout.

At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: What should I do if Yang Can tells the truth and I am disgraced?
The immense tension caused her delicate body to tremble uncontrollably.

Yi She stared intently at Yang Can and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Yang, what do you mean by saying that the young master's death is highly suspicious?"

Ignoring the threatening look that Granny Tu was giving him, Yang Can said to Yi She, "Steward Yi, the young master's personal defenses have been entirely handled by the Suo family throughout our journey."

The bandits' surprise attack was supposed to be for loot, but they abandoned a large amount of valuables and rushed straight to the center of the camp to kill the young master.

All of this is highly illogical, indicating that there must be something wrong with the Suo family.

Seeing this, Leopard Head's eyes widened in surprise.

Holy crap! Is Master Yang really that brave?

Yes, I did say that the Yu family and the Suo family are like cats and mice sharing a room, each keeping their own secrets, but this kind of thing can't be brought up in public.

Although I fought with the Suo family, it was still a fight between servants, and there was some room for maneuver.

You're saying the Suo family is the suspect in the murder of the young master? Isn't that like climbing onto a table and slapping the Suo family patriarch in the face?

Cheng Dakuan felt he had guessed Yang Can's intentions. Mr. Yang was going to take an unorthodox approach, intending to gain the favor of the Yu Clan leader by adopting an attitude of opposition or even hatred towards the Suo family.

But... with the clan leader currently relying on the Suo family's power, won't you be making things worse by doing this?

Hearing this, Granny Tu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As expected, Yang Can didn't dare to reveal that he had already made a move on the young mistress of the Yu family.

It seems this kid isn't stupid; he's already guessed that I would kill him to silence him, so he's dragging me into this, saying that the Suo family is highly suspected in Yu Chengye's death.
Is he trying to use this trick to make me wary of him?
If he suddenly dies after he alleges that my Suo family is highly suspected of murdering Yu Chengye, then my Suo family will naturally become a suspect.

Do you think that by saying this, I will spare your life to avoid suspicion?

Haha, don't be so naive!

　I update twice a day, at 9:30 AM and 5:30 PM, roughly like that.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)