Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 130 The Battle for Innocence (Bonus Chapter for JJM Alliance Leader)

In a side room of the Luo family in Wuzhou, the blue bricks on the floor absorbed the last trace of warmth from Li Qingyun.

He was curled up on the ground, his body already cold and stiff.

Only his wide-open eyes remained open, his pupils filled with a hint of resentment, like two dusty shards of glass reflecting the faint light filtering in from the window.

He breathed his last a little over half an hour ago.

Before he died, the Luo family had already pried the truth out of him.

Actually, it can't be called prying, because Li Qingyun, who was seriously injured and on the verge of death, had nothing to hide.

After some investigation, he realized that Yang Can's earlier words had already taken root in his mind, leaving him no choice but to believe them.

He was unaware that the information he had gathered was leaked by spies from Dailai City during their search and then spread by the people of Wuzhou.

Therefore, at this moment he firmly believed that what Yang Can said was true: Yang Can, the chief steward of the Yu family, was originally Ding Hao, a poor scholar from Jiangnan.

Ding Hao and Luo Mei'er, the daughter of the Luo family, a prominent clan in Wuzhou, were deeply in love and secretly pledged their lives to each other. However, the Luo family disliked his humble origins, not only forcing them apart but also causing the tragic deaths of his entire family.

Ding Hao managed to escape to Longshang, where he changed his name to Yang Can and has remained in hiding ever since. This matter is, of course, a scar hidden deep in the Luo family's heart, a scandal that cannot be brought to light.

Knowing that his days were numbered, Li Qingyun decided to go all out. With his last bit of strength, he laughed and cursed at the Luo family, bringing up the scandal and mocking them mercilessly.

As a result, Li Qingyun was kicked in the chest by the enraged third son of the Luo family, and died prematurely.

Now the Luo family finally understood that the one who spread the rumors was actually a steward from Yu Fayi, who lived far away in Longshang.

Even if you hate him so much you want to tear that bastard to pieces, you still feel powerless because you can't reach him.

After all, Longshang and Wuzhou are thousands of miles apart, so it's not something that can be done just like that.

This matter involved Luo Meier's reputation, so when Li Qingyun was interrogated, there were only five people present: Luo Meier's father, General Luo Ba, and her four elder brothers, Luo Zhong, Luo Yong, Luo Gang, and Luo Yi.

The father and his five sons stood silently around the corpse on the ground for a long time, still processing the words Li Qingyun had spoken before his death. The air was thick with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

After a long silence, General Luo finally managed to squeeze out a cold laugh through gritted teeth, his voice filled with fury: "A mere steward of the Yu family in Longshang? He dares to have such audacity!"

The eldest son, Luo Zhong, was the most composed and thoughtful compared to his three younger brothers.

He frowned and pondered, "Father, why would a steward of the Yu family, who is far away in Longshang, fabricate such a lie and tarnish my sister's innocence?"

Something seems amiss here. He couldn't have made an enemy of the Luo family for no reason, could he?

"Who cares why!" The second son, Luo Yong, was the most impatient. He immediately clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Even if what he said is true, it's not his place to go around shouting it out! Doesn't our Luo family have any face?"

"It's just Longshang, a bit far, but so what? I'll take my men over there right now, kill that bastard, and see if he dares to spout nonsense again!"

Luo Gang, the third son, snorted and said, "Second brother, have you forgotten? The Eight Clan of Guanzhong have always been able to play both sides between our Chen and Mu states. Both of our states are afraid that they will side with the other, so we usually try to win them over."

"If you really go and kill their steward without warning, and the Yu family sides with Bei Mu because of it, do you think His Majesty will forgive the Luo family? Then it will be difficult to explain to the Grand Marshal."

General Luo sighed, his tone tinged with sorrow: "The marriage alliance between our Luo family and the Zhao family was orchestrated by the Grand Marshal, with the aim of bringing the Zhao family to his side."

Now the rumor is known to everyone, and the Zhao family has declared they will never marry into the Luo family again. The Grand Marshal's plan has been completely ruined, and I still don't know how to explain it to him.

“Father, this is exactly what I was worried about.”

Luo Zhong picked up the conversation, his brows furrowing even more: "A steward from the Yu family, far away in Longshang, has no reason to slander my younger sister without cause. There must be something wrong here..."

General Luo was startled, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes as he looked at Luo Zhong: "Zhong'er, you mean..."

Luo Zhong nodded slightly, his voice lowered: "Could it be that someone doesn't want to see the marriage between our Luo and Zhao families succeed, and deliberately set this trap, using that steward's mouth to spread rumors?"

Upon hearing this, General Luo's expression immediately became cautious.

If someone is deliberately targeting the Luo family, or even the Grand Marshal to whom the Luo family depends, then this matter should not be taken lightly.

Who is the adversary lurking behind the scenes? What other tricks might they have up their sleeve?
These questions suddenly became more important than holding Yang Can accountable.

The youngest brother, Luo Yi, is only seventeen years old, a year and a half older than his younger sister, Luo Meier. He is still a boy who has not completely lost his childishness, but he is the smartest among the four brothers.

Hearing his elder brother's guess, he shook his head dismissively: "Brother, if someone wants to sabotage the marriage, wouldn't it be safer to fabricate a story about a non-existent person? But what this guy is saying..."

He gently kicked the corpse on the ground: "That Ding Hao is a real person with a name and surname, there's really no need for this."

Luo Gang immediately widened his eyes: "Fourth brother, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that my little sister really had an affair with that Ding Hao?"

"That was not what I meant."

Luo Yi quickly shook his head, then pondered and said, "I was wondering if we're overcomplicating things."
Maybe Yang Can's rumors weren't actually targeting the Luo family.

He had only vaguely heard of the Luo family in Jiangnan and knew of the existence of a younger sister, so he simply made up a lie to appease the Yu family.

"Then what's in it for him?" Luo Gang pressed, his eyes full of doubt. "He can't just make up a lie out of nowhere, can he?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Zhong suddenly realized what was going on and interjected, "If the Yu family wants to give Yang Can an important position, they will definitely investigate his background first."

In other words, if the Yu family hadn't sent people to Jiangnan to investigate this matter, and hadn't inquired around, this rumor would never have spread.

"Big brother is right!"

Luo Yi immediately nodded in agreement: "So I think there might not have been any conspiracy against our Luo family at all. We were just unfortunate enough to be used as a shield by that bastard to cover up his true identity."

Luo Gang's eyes lit up, revealing a shrewdness: "Then what exactly is he trying to do by going to such lengths to conceal his identity?"

"Could it be some other force in Longshang that sent him to infiltrate the Yu family as a spy?" Luo Yong guessed, his tone still tinged with anger.

Luo Yi shook his head: "It's too early to say, there are too few clues."

"Fourth brother, you're so shrewd. Tell me, what should we do now?" Luo Gang asked Luo Yi.

Luo Yi pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Father, my three elder brothers, in my opinion, even if we kill Yang Can now, we still won't be able to clear the rumors about our little sister."

"If people find out that our Luo family killed him for this, it will only confirm the rumor."

"So, according to you, our Luo family suffered this loss for nothing?" Luo Gang exploded again upon hearing this.

"Of course not." Luo Yi shook his head, his tone unusually calm for a teenager.

"Yang Can must have had some ulterior motive for fabricating rumors and concealing his identity to sneak into the Yu family."

Now that we know his identity is fake, we have leverage over him.

Why not follow this lead and investigate further? Perhaps we can find a way to restrain Yu Fa or the forces behind him.

"If we can use this incident to strengthen the Luo family's power..."

"But what about my sister's innocence?" Luo Yong was still unwilling to give up, his brows furrowed.

Luo Yi sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Second Brother, these kinds of things always get worse the more you try to explain them."

Even if we arrest Yang Can, tie him up on the streets of Wuzhou, and make him confess that he made up the whole story, how many people do you think would believe us?
"Then people will say we forced him to change his mind, and the rumors will only spread more wildly."

Luo Yong was taken aback, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a rebuttal.

He also knew that once such rumors about a woman's reputation spread, they were like spilled water, impossible to take back.

Luo Yi added, "Since that's the case, let's ignore it for now. After a while, when everyone's interest wears off, no one will mention this rumor anymore."

General Luo's face was still grim. He said dejectedly, "But Mei'er's innocence is ruined after all. How can you expect me to swallow this?"

“Father, that’s exactly what I wanted to say.”

Luo Yi changed the subject, his eyes sharpening: "We know that Yang Can must have a ulterior motive for lying, so we can follow this lead to find out more. If we can get him under our control, or use his identity as leverage to connect with the forces behind him, we might be able to change the current situation of our Luo family."

Fearing that his third brother would interrupt again, he quickly raised his hand to stop him and continued, "Father and my three brothers all know why the Grand Marshal wanted to arrange a marriage between us and the Zhao family. He is not in a good position right now."

As for that young master of the Zhao family, to be honest, I never thought much of him.

These words struck a chord with General Luo, who couldn't help but nod and sneer, "That's right, how could that Zhao family brat be worthy of my Mei'er? How could my son be worthy of my daughter!"

"If the Grand Marshal falls, our Luo family will definitely be implicated."

Luo Yi lowered his voice even further: "But if we can find new allies, even if the Grand Marshal is in trouble, it won't affect us. Maybe our Luo family can even take his place."

So what if there are rumors then? Plenty of wealthy and powerful families want to form marriage alliances with the Luo family. Are we worried that my little sister won't find a suitable husband?

The five members of the Luo family looked at each other in silence for a moment, and then they realized that what Luo Yi said seemed to make a lot of sense.

Compared to a momentary outburst, the safety and future of the family are clearly more important.

Moreover, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. As long as the Luo family doesn't fall, the Luo family members will remain intact, and only then can Mei'er have a good life.

In the boudoir of the two-story building in the back courtyard, Luo Meier had already taken off her silk robes.

Just now, when Li Qingyun was uttering foul language and was kicked to death by the furious Luo Gang, Luo Meier, who had been eavesdropping outside the door, turned around and went back to her boudoir.

Luo Meier tightly wrapped a piece of fine linen around her chest, straightening her originally slender curves.

She picked up the ink powder again and carefully drew her eyebrows in front of the bronze mirror, adding a touch of heroism to her originally delicate face.

Then, dressed in a green robe, carrying a sword and a backpack, she climbed over the wall and quietly left the Luo residence.

You ruined my reputation and made me a laughingstock. What grudge do I have against you?
Yang Can, right?

You bastard, you must be killed by hand, dismembered, and your bones crushed to ashes before I can vent my hatred!
……

Yang Can officially took over Li Youcai's position and began to oversee Phoenix Mountain, managing the entire Changfang business.

This job is far more complicated than outsiders realize.

In addition to managing the daily financial income and expenditure and population allocation of the eldest son's family, he was also responsible for coordinating the agriculture and sericulture of the eight villages and the animal husbandry of the four pastures.

He also had to manage the salt and iron industries in Lingzhou and Heishui, respectively, and he couldn't afford any mistakes.

Within a few days, Yang Can had already mastered the skills and was able to cook in an orderly manner without any hesitation.

In the first two days after he took over, he was occasionally hesitant because he was not familiar with the old practices and had to turn around and ask Li Youcai, who had not yet left the mountain, for advice.

However, this initial awkwardness was short-lived. In just three to five days, he had thoroughly grasped all the matters and handled them even more efficiently and comprehensively than Li Youcai.

This is the confidence that modern education has given him. Those knowledge reserves that were once considered "useless" or unusable have been transformed, under the nourishment of modern information, into a breadth of thinking and adaptability far exceeding that of the ancients, enabling him to always find better solutions when dealing with these ancient matters.

The industries of that era were far too simple and primitive, incomparable to the complexity and diversity of Yang Can's time.

He only needs to be slightly familiar with the development scale and operation mode of these industries in this era to get started easily, and he can even easily make many improvements.

Of course, there are also many things he thought the ancients hadn't invented, but which were already common in this era. For example... assembly line production.

Yang Can felt that he had been misled by later novels. So many novels he had read had confidently stated that only the assembly line production method in the Qin Dynasty was a fleeting phenomenon, and that ancient craftsmen before and after that had no idea about this kind of work technique.

So he wanted to put on an act, but luckily, to make a good impression in front of others, he didn't reveal his thoughts to anyone beforehand.

Then, in the Yu family's saddle and bridle workshop, he saw a scene of assembly line production where workers were cutting and processing leather, making saddle pads, crafting reins, and forging metal parts such as stirrups and spurs, as well as assembling and adjusting them, all according to different procedures and stages.

He would naturally no longer embarrass himself by showcasing his assembly line production method.

However, his insights and ideas, far ahead of his time, still made him stand out in every aspect.

Yang Can's outstanding performance completely changed the mind of the lord, Yu Xinglong.

He used to see Yang Can as nothing more than a pawn in balancing the power dynamics, but now the more he looks at him, the more he sees potential in him, and he is determined to cultivate him.

Especially after He Youzhen's "backstabbing" incident, Yu Xinglong, who was already dissatisfied with those senior deacons who held power and gradually became lazy or even selfish and disloyal, completely lost their trust.

He secretly resolved to support a group of young people like Yang Can to gradually replace the old, unwieldy deacons.

Yang Can is the person he values ​​most on his shortlist.

The stewards of the eldest son's family gradually noticed the changes.

The newly appointed Chief Steward Yang is not only more astute than Li Youcai, but also far more efficient. In the past, those tedious tasks could always be completed quickly in his hands.

A sense of awe quietly took root in the hearts of the managers through Yang Can's skillful handling of each situation.

……

Time slips away quietly in the midst of our busy lives, and November is here in the blink of an eye.

That morning, Phoenix Mountain welcomed its first snowfall of the winter.

Snowflakes fell from the leaden sky like willow catkins, starting as a few scattered fluffs, but soon turning into a vast expanse of swirling snow.

In less than half an hour, the rolling mountains were covered with a thick layer of white snow.

From a distance, they resemble crystal-clear jade sculptures, and even the air feels crisp and cool.

Yang Can is going down the mountain today to Tianshui City to select a midwife and a midwife for the young mistress, so that they can go up the mountain in advance to be ready.

Midwives were the midwives who delivered babies, and nurses were their assistants; their relationship was similar to that of doctors and nurses today.

Although there were old women and maids in the mansion, none of them had experience in midwifery. Even if they were temporarily sent for training, they lacked practical experience and would inevitably be flustered when it came to the crucial moment.

It would be better to go directly to the city and find those experienced veterans. The manor only needs to send two trusted maids and servants to take care of the delivery room, and they must not be allowed to interfere with the specific delivery matters.

Descending from Phoenix Mountain, the first place you pass is Chicken and Goose Mountain, where the orchard is located. By this time, the fruit trees have already shed all their leaves, and a thin layer of snow covers the bare branches, adding a touch of serene beauty.

A gentle mountain breeze swept by, and the snowflakes on the branches fell softly, landing on our collars and bringing a slight chill.

On the snow, flocks of poultry strolled leisurely, adding a touch of life to the quiet winter day.

Several plump hens waddled their round bodies, pecking at the occasional grass seeds peeking out in the snow, occasionally glancing warily around.

A flock of white geese stretched their necks and walked with elegant steps, leaving a series of neat footprints on the snow. Every now and then they let out a few "quack quack" calls, the sound so clear that it could penetrate the snow curtain.

Deep in the orchard, three rows of houses stand. The last row, backed by the mountain, is where the pregnant women live, while the first two rows are where the children live.

Several children, dressed in thick winter clothes, were busy in front of the house.

Some carried half-full feeding buckets, adding food to the chickens and geese while talking to them incessantly, as if the poultry could truly understand them.

Several others followed behind the gardener, learning to prune dead branches and apply antifreeze to the fruit trees, their little hands turning red from the cold, but they refused to stop.

The liveliest spot was the open space under the tree, where several children were practicing boxing. Their fists and feet were already warmed up, and their small bodies moved with a certain vigor. The white steam rising from their foreheads instantly condensed into a fine mist in the cold air.

Two children were practicing with wooden swords, their movements swift and unpredictable, their leaps and bounds revealing a touch of cunning and mystery. Although the wooden swords were not sharp, they were still fierce and ruthless when wielded. It was hard to imagine that such skill came from the hands of children.

"Godfather!" A clear voice suddenly called out; it was Ah Xiao calling out.

Oh, now, her name is Yang Xiao, also known as Yang Yi.

Yang Xiao always acts like an older sister, always taking care of her younger siblings no matter what she's doing.

That was the first moment she caught sight of Yang Can standing under the pear tree. Overjoyed, she leaped towards him...

P.S.: It's almost the end of the month, so please use your monthly tickets if you have any!
(End of this chapter)