Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 15 It’s rare to be confused
Qingmei pursed her lips and silently stepped forward to untie Yang Can's ropes.

The girl's instructions clearly showed that she believed Yang Can's words.

Qingmei, realizing what was going on, also believed it.

She was a maid who grew up in a grand mansion, and she knew better than Suo Chanzhi, a noblewoman, just how much filth and darkness was hidden there.

When she was in the Suo family, she had personally witnessed Granny Tu summon the servants from each household and publicly beat the offending servants to death. Her fierce and vicious appearance was still fresh in her memory.

However, she never imagined that she would become the target of Granny Tu without even realizing it.

"Qingmei, you can go out now."

Yang Can was untied from his ropes and was stretching his wrists when Suo Chanzhi gave him another instruction.

"Oh!"

Little Green Plum was a little unhappy; she now had a particular psychological aversion to guarding the gate.

Because guarding the gate is always very... hard work.

Once the tent was quiet, Suo Chanzhi sat down wearily on the brocade stool and let out a long sigh.

"Granny Tu is dead. I... never intended to use this secret to bind you, much less to kill you. You can decide what to do next."

Yang Can smiled wryly and said, "Your own decision? I'm already on this pirate ship, how can I get off?"

Suo Chanzhi gave Yang Can a sharp, perceptive look.

What pirate ship? How did a delicate and beautiful girl like me become a pirate ship?
Did you ask me anything when you boarded the boat? You didn't even ask before you started rowing, and now you're acting all innocent after getting the benefit!

Yang Can said, "Now I can only wait, at least until I get definite news to confirm whether you are pregnant."

Yu Chengye had only recently died, and there were only three people who knew that he and Suo Chanzhi had not consummated their marriage.

If Suo Chanzhi became pregnant at this time, then she could be said to be Yu Chengye's child.

Given the medical standards of that era, there was no way to deny it.

Given Suo Chanzhi's family background, without conclusive medical evidence, the Yu family absolutely cannot deny it.

If that's the case, whether out of concern for their own safety or out of responsibility for their own flesh and blood, they would have to follow the path planned by Granny Tu.

If Suo Chanzhi fails to conceive during this period, then she will have no more chances.

Because counting from the time of Yu Chengye's death, she only had this one chance to deceive everyone; after that... the timing wouldn't match up.

If that's the case, then everything is over.

Everything that happened between the two of them will remain a secret forever.

Suo Chanzhi will be kept idle by the Yu family, and Yang Can will have to find his own way out. There will be no chance for the two of them to cross paths again.

Suo Chanzhi subconsciously touched her lower abdomen and said softly, "I understand..."

This wasn't her idea; it had all been controlled by Granny Tu. Now that Granny Tu was dead, she was free, but also somewhat lost and confused.

Now that Yang Can is willing to stay by her side and wait for the outcome together, she feels as if she has found a pillar of support, and her heart is immediately at ease.

Yang Can instructed, "From now on, we must continue to pretend to be at odds in public..."

Tch! Why pretend? Do we get along really well?
Suo Chanzhi rolled her eyes at Yang Can: "I understand, then... we'll wait for the result... what are you going to do?"

Seeing Yang Can approaching her, Suo Chanzhi's pupils dilated instantly, and she asked in surprise.

Yang Can said, "Of course, we should seize every opportunity to strive for a good 'result'."

Suo Chanzhi's pretty face immediately flushed red: "Get lost! I'm not in the mood..."

Her kicking ankle was caught by a large hand, and then she was lifted into the air once again.

……

"Snap!" The candle flame popped, waking Steward Yi from his reverie.

He let out a long sigh of relief and finally made up his mind.

Once that bandit is brought before the clan leader, the conflict between the eldest son's main branch and the second son's main branch will have to be brought to the table.

If we were to discuss strength among the various branches of the Yu family, Yu Huanhu, from the second branch of the eldest son's family, would naturally be the strongest at present.

But now that the eldest branch of the family has formed a marriage alliance with the Suo family, it has become unclear who is stronger and who is weaker.

Therefore, as a powerful retainer of the Yu family, he must not get involved in the power struggles within his master's household.

He didn't want to delve into who the murderer was tonight, fearing he might uncover some unpredictable information.

All he wanted now was to get these people back to Tianshui safely, without any further complications along the way. Thank goodness.

With this in mind, Steward Yi finally calmed down, picked up his tea, and took a leisurely sip.

In another large tent, Suo Chanzhi, with her hair disheveled, crawled to the edge of the bed.

She grabbed a cup of warm tea, just enough to moisten her throat, when a large hand grabbed her delicate, translucent ankle and dragged her back to the battlefield.

The vine still struggled, but with a crisp "smack," its plump spot was slapped, and it immediately became docile.

Outside the tent, Xiao Qingmei stood leaning on her sword, looking exactly like a Japanese colonel who had reached the end of his rope.

……

Tianshui, Phoenix Villa, Yu Xinglong's study.

Although it's called a study, it's actually a relatively independent courtyard.

All the Yu family's various businesses, such as estates, ranches, and various trades, would report their income, expenses, profits, and losses here for the patriarch to review.

However, Yu Xinglong did not review the ledgers at this moment, but instead sat upright in his chair.

A guard stood ramrod straight in front of the desk; he was a messenger sent back overnight by Steward Yi.

The letter from Deacon Yi mentioned three and a half things:
Firstly, since the young lady of the Su family has already consummated her marriage with the young master, she can only be treated with the respect due to a young mistress.

Secondly, the head maid Tu, who accompanied the Suo family as part of their dowry, was mysteriously murdered. Thirdly, the advisor Yang Can testified that the Suo family was suspected of plotting to harm the young master.

This matter seemed utterly absurd to Steward Yi, yet he solemnly wrote it down in a secret letter.

He made no mention of the fact that the bandit confessed to being instructed by Yu Huanhu, the second son of the Yu family, to murder the eldest son.

After explaining these three things, he added: There is one more thing, which is of great importance, and I will have to wait until I return to Tianshui City to report it to the clan leader in person.

Yu Xinglong, who was over fifty years old, slender and handsome, and looked like a scholar, slowly put down the letter.

He looked up at the messenger: "Yang Can, the advisor, once publicly accused the Suo family of plotting to harm my son?"

"Yes!"

The messenger guard composed himself and said, "However, what Yang Can said is all wishful thinking and speculation, without any factual basis."

Fearing the Suo family's displeasure, Steward Yi reprimanded him and handed him over to the Suo family... to be looked after by the young mistress.

"Um……"

Yu Xinglong's eyes flickered, and after a moment's thought, he said calmly, "I understand."

The guard who delivered the message breathed a sigh of relief, bowed to him, and quietly withdrew.

Yu Xinglong let out a soft sigh and pinched his brow.

Ambergris was burning in the room; this incense is supposed to have a calming effect, but his mind remained extremely agitated.

The marriage alliance with the Suo family, followed by the son's assassination, was all designed to provide a suitable pretext for bringing down the Suo family, while preventing them from overstepping their bounds.

This plan was proposed by his eldest son, so how could Chengye share a room with the Suo family girl?

Yu Xinglong frowned, feeling quite puzzled.

To put it bluntly, that Su family girl was a sacrifice in the plan.

Cheng Ye knew that if the Suo family girl became pregnant with his child, it would make the whole plan uncontrollable, so why would he consummate the marriage with her?
Unable to resist the temptation of beauty?
He was willing to risk his life, would he do something so foolish?
Although he had some doubts, he was unable to verify such matters.

For a moment, Yu Xinglong's mood became extremely conflicted.

If the daughter-in-law has no children, that's fine; whether the son sleeps with her or not won't affect the progress of the plan.

If she has a child, I'm afraid the Su family will use their positions as the child's maternal grandfather and uncle to legitimately interfere in my Yu family affairs.

However, amidst his inner turmoil, he also felt a strange sense of anticipation.

If the Su family girl is really pregnant with Chengye's child, then my son will have a bloodline to continue...

After pondering for a long time, he put his dilemma aside for the time being and focused his attention on Yang Can.

He knew Yang Can to some extent, after all, Yang Can had saved his son's life.

This person keeps insisting that the So family is involved in my son's "murder"...

This seems like something that could be used, but of course, it can't be used right now.

If the Su family woman really is pregnant with my son's child, and if the Su family uses this as an excuse to interfere too much in my Yu family affairs, then can I use this person to bring up the old story again and make a fuss about it?
Thinking of this, Yu Xinglong tugged on a silk thread beside the table, and the sound of a copper bell rang out from afar.

A moment later, a guard entered, standing with his hands at his sides, awaiting orders.

Yu Xinglong said, "Go and fetch Yang Can's calendar."

A powerful family like the Yu clan, which already possesses the characteristics of a local separatist force, would not easily appoint someone to a position.

When the Yu family promoted Yang Can to a minor herdsman position, they conducted an investigation into him.

The Yu family had its own archives and records, which kept records of the people under their jurisdiction, and of course, all the officials, big and small, were no exception.

Yang Can's "Jia Li" was delivered quickly.

The archives in the study contained important information on countless people, yet even if the lord only wanted to access the resume of a minor figure, they could find it quickly.

Opening the "Jia Li" (a historical record), Yu Xinglong carefully read through Yang Can's information.

First, he was certain that Yang Can was not a spy sent by other powerful clans.

Because Yang Can becoming a "shepherd" was a very random thing in itself.

After being struck by a poisoned arrow, Yu Chengye panicked and fled for his life on horseback, only to encounter Yang Can, a completely unpredictable and random event.

No powerful family would use such a haphazard approach to plant spies.

According to existing records, Yang Can was a native of the Central Plains.

He offended a powerful figure in the Central Plains, which is why he fled to Longshang for refuge.

In Longshang, there are many such fugitives.

The Central Plains had two great empires, both with complete imperial systems, and their laws and order were naturally much more rigorous than those of Longshang.

Therefore, it was safe for those who had committed crimes or offended powerful figures to flee to Longshang.

Therefore, Longshang had long become a paradise for refugees from the Central Plains.

Yu Xinglong carefully reviewed Yang Can's resume but found nothing suspicious.

Of course, this was also because Yang Can was only a shepherd at that time.

Does a cow or horse that deals with cattle and horses all day need a detailed investigation?
As for his later becoming a secretary, it was because his son brought him back directly, and it was a relatively short time ago.

Secondly, Yu Chengye was mainly there to repay a debt of gratitude and had no intention of giving him an important position.

In addition, the Yu family was busy with their son's marriage at the time, so they didn't have time to conduct a more detailed investigation.

If Yu Xinglong wants to reuse him now, it is necessary to conduct a new investigation into him.

However, Yu Xinglong did not do that.

Although Yang Can had come into his sights, he was merely a pawn he planned to exchange for.
If that's the case, why waste manpower and resources?
(End of this chapter)