Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 17 To kill someone, first destroy their spirit.

The funeral of Yu Jiasi's eldest son was held with great solemnity.

Many people know that given the Yu family's current situation, the death of the eldest son would cause a huge upheaval, which is the most discussed topic among the guests.

Another highly talked-about figure is the widow Suo Chanzhi.

The widow, dressed in snow-white linen and with a pure and beautiful face, left a deep impression on all the mourners.

Young people, in particular, talked most about this bride who became a widow shortly after her marriage.

Yu Xinglong is a father, and there are few occasions where he can appear at his son's funeral.

That evening, Yu Xinglong met with Yi She, the third steward, in his study.

No one knew what Steward Yi said to the clan leader. Only the guards outside heard a beast-like roar followed by the sound of a teacup crashing to the ground.

The meeting was short, lasting only about half an hour, before Steward Yi quietly left.

But the study light remained on all night, until dawn...

The following morning, the patriarch Yu Xinglong invited several elders of the Yu family to go down into the water dungeon with him.

These elders are all veterans of the Yu family, from different branches and lineages. They are a generation older than Yu Xinglong, and one of them is even two generations older.

The reason they came to Phoenix Mountain was because they knew that the eldest son of the family had died, and there must be important family matters to discuss. So they came on their own initiative without waiting for the clan leader's invitation.

Since its construction, the water dungeon at Phoenix Manor has rarely been used to imprison people.

After all, the number of people who could commit serious crimes in Phoenix Manor to the point of being imprisoned in the water dungeon was extremely small.

But at this time there were two prisoners in the water dungeon, one was the bandit and the other was Leopard Head.

Leopard Head's hands were bound to the stone wall with iron rings, and most of his body was submerged in water.

The water here is drawn from an underground river, and it is bitterly cold all year round.

Even with Leopard Head's strong physique, his lips had turned purple from the cold and his whole body was numb.

When Leopard Head saw the crowd filing in by the torchlight, his eyes widened in surprise.

As a veteran who had served the eldest branch of the family for thirty years, he naturally recognized these elders.

These old folks are all here! It's even more complete than when we worship our ancestors every year.

Yu Xinglong's steward, Deng Xun, stood by the water dungeon carrying a lantern, bowing slightly to prevent the elders from accidentally falling into the water.

He was about the same age as Yu Xinglong and had been the patriarch's study companion since childhood, enjoying the patriarch's greatest trust.

After all the elders had passed by, Steward Deng straightened up.

He glanced at Leopard Head, nodded slightly, and then walked after the clan leader.

Leopard Head understood the gesture he was about to make and was immediately overjoyed.

Following Yang Can's advice, as soon as he arrived at the mountain, before his freedom was restricted, he immediately took out his savings accumulated over the years and gave them to Steward Deng, who was most trusted by the clan leader.

Steward Deng is extremely loyal to the patriarch. If it is anything that would harm the patriarch or the family, then no matter what price you pay, you can forget about getting his help.

However, as long as it's within Steward Deng's bottom line, and the benefits are right, he won't hesitate to put in a good word for you.

Leopard Head didn't want much; he just wanted Steward Deng to tell the clan leader about the two fierce conflicts he had with the Suo family on his way back.

Now, following the normal channels, he cannot escape punishment. With nowhere else to turn, he can only do as Yang Can suggested, trying to brand himself as someone who is at odds with the Suo family.

The nod Deng that came just now clearly indicated that it was something he had asked Deng to do, and Deng had already done it for him.

But he wasn't sure if it would work.

Mr. Yang said that if he wanted to be truly exonerated, he would ultimately have to wait until he was summoned by the lord of the magistrate.

Leopard Head's only worry now is that he will freeze to death in this water dungeon before the lord can even summon Mr. Yang.

The bandit, wrapped up like a mummy, had long been tortured to the point of losing all his willpower. These kinds of things are all about holding on by sheer willpower; once you give in, there's no way you can resist anymore.

When he saw so many people in the water dungeon, many of whom were elderly with white hair, he knew that they were all important figures in the Yu family.

He only wanted a quick death, so there was no need to torture him anymore, and he readily confessed.

When the bandit revealed that the mastermind behind the murder of Yu Chengye, the heir of the Yu family, was Yu Huanhu, the head of the second branch, the faces of the Yu family elders changed instantly.

They then understood why the clan leader had invited them here; he wanted these elders to be his witnesses.

Is the Yu family about to descend into a fierce, life-or-death internal power struggle?
The elders immediately became worried.

"I...I've confessed everything, I just want...a quick death, give me...give me a quick death."

The bandit spoke weakly, his eyes devoid of any will to survive.

"Men, take him down and make him sign and put his fingerprint on the document." Although Yu Xinglong's face was ashen, he still calmly gave the order.

The guards of the Yu family agreed and stepped forward to unlock the bandits' shackles.

The bandit collapsed to the ground as soon as his shackles were removed. He sat there, breathing weakly, his lifeless eyes fixed on Yu Xinglong.

Yu Xinglong's lifeless eyes, gleaming with a dull light, sank slightly downwards.

Upon seeing this, the bandit's pupils suddenly lit up beneath his eyelids, which were sticky with dried blood.

He suddenly mustered all his strength, roared, and jumped up.

The guards assumed he had lost the ability to move and therefore did not take any precautions.

The guards were taken aback by the sudden attack of the bandits.

Fearing the bandit would disrespect the clan leader and elders, they immediately stood between them. Unexpectedly, after the bandit suddenly attacked, he didn't intend to attack anyone, but instead rammed his head into a sharp corner of the stone wall.

The walls of this water dungeon were made of large blocks of bluestone, with extremely sharp corners.

There was a loud "thud," a very dull impact.

The bandit, determined to die, rammed into the ground with all his might, his brains splattering out instantly, and his body crashed to the ground with a thud.

His body trembled violently for a moment, then fell still, but his blood-stained face bore a look of relief and liberation.

I'm free now, finally free.

As a suicide squad member, his mission has finally come to an end.

The lord will treat his parents and wife and children well, ensuring they live a worry-free life.

And all of this, he earned with his life.

This bandit was actually a henchman kept by Yu Xinglong. The other bandits who acted with him were an outer force maintained by Yu Xinglong.

Powerful clans all have such peripheral forces that are ostensibly unrelated to their families. When they encounter dirty work that is inconvenient for their families to handle, they need to use these peripheral forces to solve the problem.

This method of raising henchmen has existed since ancient times and has long formed a rigorous and mature operating system.

So much so that even the leaders of those peripheral forces who were being kept in power might not know for sure who they were actually working for.

Yu Xinglong seemed completely unprepared for the bandit's suicide, and stood there stunned, while the elders of the Yu family secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that he's dead; once he's dead, there's no way to prove it.

Although the bandit had confessed in public, they were all considered witnesses.

However, the bandit had not yet signed or sealed the document, and there were no other witnesses or physical evidence to corroborate it...

In this situation, it is absolutely impossible to convict a gang leader based solely on the testimony of a dead bandit.

Even if that person were the head of the powerful Yu family branch, or even just a minor branch head with little power, it wouldn't be enough to establish a crime on their behalf.

The elders secretly rejoiced, thinking that this should prevent a bloodbath between the eldest son's lineage and the second son's lineage.
They were not like Yu Xinglong, who had lost his son in his old age; they were considering the interests of the entire Yu clan.

There may be infighting within the valves, but they absolutely do not want a life-or-death struggle.

Sixth Master Yu hurriedly stepped forward and said to Yu Xinglong, "Master, please calm down. We have all heard what this person said, and everyone is a witness. Whether this bandit lives or dies is no longer important."

Yu Laoliu is an elder from a collateral branch of the Yu family. The fact that he is standing here only indicates that he belongs to a generation.

However, at this sensitive moment, it is more appropriate for someone as insignificant as him to speak out.

"Yes, Lord, that's all the bandit can tell us. Whether he lives or dies is not important, cough cough!"

Uncle Yu coughed twice and said, "However, whether his confession is true or false... is hard to say. If it really was Heng Hu who did it, would he let the pack of dogs he keeps outside know that he was the mastermind? There are still many things about this matter that cannot stand scrutiny, so please be cautious, Master."

This is Uncle Yu, a senior member of the Yu family's smaller branch. However, his branch still holds considerable power within the Yu family and therefore has a certain degree of influence.

Yu Xinglong clenched his fists, his facial muscles tensed, as if he could no longer control his anger.

The elders, upon seeing this, also felt a deep sense of sympathy.

The lineage of the clan leader was not prosperous to begin with, and Yu Chengye was the only one who had grown up and could share his father's burdens.

Now that Yu Chengye has been assassinated, Yu Xinglong, an elderly man burying his son, has not gone mad in public; his composure is already quite remarkable.

Suddenly, the water dungeon became completely silent, with only Yu Xinglong's heavy breathing echoing in everyone's ears.

After a long while, Yu Xinglong suddenly turned around and strode out.

The elders of the Yu family looked at each other in bewilderment. Without time to think, they dragged their aged bodies and hurried after them.

They feared that the clan leader was going to go out and fight Yu Huanhu to the death, and they had to stop him no matter what.

After Yu Xinglong turned away indignantly, the furious expression on his face turned into a calm and sinister look.

He was going to kill his younger brother sooner or later, but not now.

The reason he put on this show today was to create a bargaining chip to take back everything that Yu Huanhu had taken from him, one by one.

To kill a person, one must first destroy their heart!
(End of this chapter)