Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 73 Framing (Bonus Chapter)
Bald Falcon Evil did not tell the truth to Ba Limo.

Such confidential matters must not be discussed with outsiders.

Even among the adults of the Bald Tribe, very few knew about this.

Otherwise, once the news leaks out, not only will the other three major tribes covet this batch of armor, but even the leader of the small tribe of Balimo might have malicious intentions.

If Balim had a hundred armored cavalrymen, he might have dared to confront the Bald tribe head-on.

At that point, unless the entire Bald Tribe mobilizes and travels thousands of miles to deal with him, they really won't be able to do anything to him.

The bald-haired falcon demon's trading partner on the other side of the mountain only agreed to deliver the goods to him across Canglang Gorge.

Once they arrived there, the transaction was considered complete.

Since the traders were unwilling to venture deep into the nomadic tribes, the subsequent transportation and security had to be the responsibility of the bald tribes themselves.

But he couldn't bring hundreds or thousands of cavalrymen with him; that would be too conspicuous.

If he dares to make such a big fuss, people who hadn't paid attention to him before will start to take notice of his whereabouts.

Therefore, Bald Falcon Evil acted as if he didn't care at all in front of Bald Mo, as if it really was just a batch of gifts he bought for his older brother.

Ba Limo took it seriously and laughed loudly: "So that's how it is, Lord Falcon Evil. You just need to drink and eat meat in my tribe and enjoy the songs and dances."

"Now that you've come to my place, sir, you are my most honored guest. This trivial matter will naturally be handled by me."

Bald Falcon's eyes flashed, and he smiled generously, "Alright, then I'll just send two people with your men to wait at the entrance of Canglang Gorge to pick up the goods."

……

At this time, outside the western entrance of Canglang Gorge, the families of the abducted herdsmen had already realized that something was wrong.

As dusk fell, they still did not see their men drive the cattle and sheep home.

Women who had prepared dinner, or children who were playing, would ride their horses to the grasslands to search.

As a result, they only saw cattle and sheep grazing leisurely together, but the herders were nowhere to be seen.

There wasn't even a trace of blood on the ground, because the cattle and sheep had licked it all clean.

The people are gone, their horses are gone, but the herds of cattle and sheep remain.

There were no shredded robes torn by wild beasts on the ground, nor any gnawed bones...

Clearly, only one conclusion is plausible: they were kidnapped.

Moreover, those who abducted them were not after their cattle and sheep.

The women or children who went out to search for their relatives quickly drove their cattle and sheep back to their camp.

They had sensed an extremely dangerous atmosphere.

If the cattle and sheep weren't stolen, the other party's intentions can only be more terrifying.

So their first instinct wasn't to continue searching for their relatives, but to immediately pack up their tents and flee.

Of course, they also sent family members to report the matter to the leader immediately.

……

When Kang Zhengyang led his men back to Feng'an Village, the news spread throughout the village immediately.

The manor lord and Kang Quzhang led more than 300 young men to suppress the bandits. This was a matter of concern for every household, so who could not pay attention?

Kang Zhengyang had already coordinated their statements beforehand, and as soon as they returned, they released the pre-arranged information.

So the villagers soon found out:

The group of merchants who were both traders and thieves were responsible for the deaths of Kang Zhengyan and others.

Kang Quchang led his men to follow the trail and caught up with them in Canglang Gorge.

However, when Kang Quchang led his men to Canglang Gorge, a group of Xianbei people were besieging these merchants.

The people of Feng'an Village almost got caught up in the melee, but thanks to the quick thinking of Village Chief Yang and Chief Kang Qu, they managed to escape.

Following Kang Zhengyang's instructions, the soldiers told the villagers that those unscrupulous merchants had been killed by the Xianbei people who had double-crossed them.

In fact, two-thirds of these three hundred soldiers knew nothing at all, and they even believed what they were told.

They simply followed Yang Can to Canglang Gorge and accompanied him on the journey; they did not participate in any combat.

The more than one hundred people who participated in the battle were scattered throughout the battlefield.

Apart from about a dozen people who might know something, the others only knew that they had set up the ambush and wiped out the bandits.

However, the chieftain told them that the bandits who ran the mountain trade had powerful backers, and that if the truth were to be revealed, it would bring disaster upon the villagers.

Therefore, we must frame the Xianbei people on the other side of the mountain. We must insist that the Xianbei were the ones who killed these bandits!

Although these detached soldiers had military attributes, they were not considered a pure army.

At the very least, they lack the merit-based promotion system of a regular army.

Therefore, the victory in this battle was entirely attributed to them, and they received no military merit.

Moreover, if it gets out, it will bring trouble to himself and his family, so it's better to blame someone else.

Moreover, Kang Quchang also said that those who ran mountain goods transported several cartloads of silk, tea, and porcelain.

The owner will count and value these spoils and then distribute them to everyone.

Even the most clueless among them would know what to choose at this point:

Telling the truth will bring about your death; framing someone else will at least give you an advantage.

Then, of course, we must keep quiet.

As for the dozen or so people who knew the truth, Kang Zhengyang used both kindness and threats to force them to keep it a secret.

After returning to the village and settling down a bit, Kang Zhengyang summoned several of his brothers and trusted lieutenants to his home.

Kang Zhengyang gave them some more detailed instructions, telling them to supervise and look after the troops who knew the truth.

He then packed the two armor pieces into a bundle and hurried off to Phoenix Manor.

……

After Yang Can returned to the manor with his men, he caused another commotion in the manor.

Upon returning to Feng'an Fort, Yang Can immediately summoned Accountant Li.

"Mr. Li, how much cloth, silk, porcelain, and tea is left in the warehouse?" Li Damu brought the ledger to Yang Can for him to see. Yang Can looked at the remaining numbers in the ledger and felt that he could still afford to squander them for a while.

However, he had already deposited all the hidden land and households into his account, and he did not have Zhang Yunyi's channels for accumulating wealth. It was not a good idea to just sit around and do nothing until his fortune was gone.

It seems we need to get started on this business as soon as possible.

Yang Can pondered to himself that he would have a good talk with the Persian cat later and find out more about her.

I hope this Persian cat, who has traveled with its family between the Western Regions and the Central Plains since it was a kitten, won't disappoint me.

Yang Can returned the account book to Li Damu and instructed, "Go and prepare one hundred bolts of silk, two hundred bolts of cloth, plus a little tea and porcelain. Tomorrow I will reward the young men who fought against the bandits."

Li Damu agreed and went to make preparations.

At this moment, Xiao Qingmei, with her slender waist and graceful neck, strode into the tea room.

Rena Baier followed behind her, carrying a food tray.

On the plate was steaming hot chicken congee, along with bright green blanched vegetables and several dishes of snacks.

Qingmei asked with concern, "Master left in a hurry yesterday without taking any food with him. He must be starving."
"Eat something to tide you over first, then take a bath to wash away the dust of the journey."

The young girl had convinced herself that Yang Can was the only man in her life.

With this mindset, and given that Yang Can was an extremely handsome man, Qingmei naturally developed genuine feelings for him.

The reason she hasn't given herself to Yang Can yet is simply because of a little bit of greed.

Feeling inferior to the young lady in status and lacking any advantage, she hoped to win Yang Can's favor first.

That way, she'll receive more favor in the future.

If you give yourself away too hastily, you'll probably not earn his pity.

Yang Can may like her now, but that doesn't necessarily mean he likes her.

Getting married is like being reborn, so of course you have to be careful with your money.

She didn't have a choice before, but now that she has the opportunity to be by Yang Can's side, of course she has to cultivate a relationship first.

The little girl is very clever.

However, although she hasn't given her body to him yet, she cares for him and feels like they are already family.

Yang Can laughed and said, "It's not like I'll go hungry. The soldiers in the village are used to bringing their own food and water to fight. I borrowed some from them on the way."

As he spoke, he walked over to the table.

Rena Bayer is placing the food from the food box onto the table one by one.

She changed into a Han-style robe, but...

Could this dress have belonged to my childhood sweetheart and been given to her?
Look how tight her "Hezi" is, it seems like it doesn't fit well at all.

The tension was so intense that it made one's heart race.

Yang Can looked at the taut, rounded breasts and deep cleavage in front of him, and was really worried that the "hexagram" would snap open and hit his face.

Rena Bayer clearly noticed Yang Can's gaze and glared at him with embarrassment and annoyance.

However, her eyes no longer held the disdain and hatred they had when she first arrived.

She is now Yang Can's slave. Although she has that childhood sweetheart to take care of her, if Yang Can really force himself on her, who can stop him?
But Yang Can did not.

Therefore, in Rena's mind, this "Azat" (a nobleman who owns land, manors, and soldiers) is already a noble "Azat," a man with the demeanor of a noble warrior.

"On the Dragon Boat Festival in May, I will summon the managers of the other five major estates and three major ranches."

"Qingmei, the time is almost here; you need to start preparing early."

Yang Can gave Qingmei instructions while eating.

Qingmei said confidently, "Don't worry, sir. I know how to arrange such a grand banquet."

Actually, Qingmei had seen many such lavish banquets, but she had never personally organized one.

Granny Tu was quite experienced in this regard, while Qingmei, as Suo Chanzhi's personal maid, was more adept at dressing up her mistress at banquets to make her stand out.

However, she wouldn't show any weakness in front of Yang Can.

Qingmei said confidently, "Master Jingyao is skilled in incense making, zither playing, tea ceremony, and flower arrangement."

These are all elegant gestures, which shows that the nun must be well-versed in the etiquette of wealthy families. She can help me.

And then there's Rena. Rena is a talented singer and dancer, so I've asked her to take care of things more carefully when it comes to banquets.

In short, this is the first time you've hosted such a grand banquet, sir.

Therefore, we will definitely do our utmost to make it a resounding success.

Yang Can nodded in satisfaction. He had thought that the fake nun who liked to steal meat was useless, but he didn't expect that she could be "made use" here.

He considered it for a moment, but still didn't tell Qingmei that he suspected Jingyao was a spy.

There is no real evidence for this matter, it's just based on the fact that he discovered the girl was stealing meat.

This evidence is seriously insufficient.

This incident at most proves that the young nun did not abide by the rules of monastic life, or that she was not a nun at all.

But judging from how much Qingmei respects her, if she were to say to Qingmei, "Wine and meat pass through the intestines," this little girl would probably believe it.

Never mind, I'll just have to be more careful myself.

Although Qingmei admired her, she wouldn't tell such a secret plan to a nun.

Apart from that, he had nothing to fear that she might find out.

Yang Can nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll leave this matter entirely to you."

Upon hearing this, Qingmei couldn't help but smile sweetly, instantly feeling like the lady of the house.

"correct."

Yang Can put down his bowl of porridge, intending to have a cup of hot tea before taking a bath.

"Rena, wait for me in the small flower hall later. I'll talk to you after I've taken a bath."

Rena turned pale instantly!

(End of this chapter)