Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 85 The Heir of the Mo Family?

Yu Xinglong slowly nodded, his gaze falling on He Youzhen's straight, pine-like back.

The afternoon sun shines through the carved wooden window, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone floor, where tiny dust particles dance silently in the beams of light.

He unconsciously raised his hand to rub his aching knee, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

She was clearly a few years younger than He Youzhen, but her health was not as good as before.

Looking at the other person's still agile figure, Yu Xinglong couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Time waits for no one.

“Old He,” Yu Xinglong’s voice carried a hint of desolation, “you’ve reached the age where you should be enjoying your retirement.”

He paused, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest of the rosewood chair: "Li Youcai has been managing the eldest branch of the family for many years. He is diligent and quick-witted. You should give him some pointers in the future."

"Yes, I understand."

He Youzhen bowed his head and replied, but his heart was filled with ripples.

Is the lord planning to cultivate Li Youcai as a key talent?
The image of that person, always sporting a fawning smile, flashed through his mind.
In the limited number of times I've met him, he does seem somewhat shrewd, but he's generally reliable in his work, and there's nothing particularly wrong with him.

Yu Xinglong's lips curled up slightly, and a hint of smugness flashed in his eyes.

Do you understand? Do you really understand?

His true intention in having Li Youcai accompany him was naturally something he couldn't reveal outright.

If He Youzhen were to find out that he was merely setting up a scheme, it would likely chill the heart of this veteran minister.

What he wanted was for everyone to believe that Li Youcai was the new favorite he had chosen.

Only when the time is right can this piece be discarded by hand, thus creating a perfect play.

"Your subject, Li Youcai, requests an audience with the clan lord."

"Speaking of talent, talent indeed!" Li Youcai's slightly excited announcement from outside the door interrupted Yu Xinglong's thoughts.

He waved to He Youzhen, signaling him to leave first.

Li Youcai was waiting under the corridor. As soon as He Youzhen came out, he immediately bowed and greeted him with a humble demeanor that bordered on obsequiousness.

Although both are stewards, the other party is a high-ranking official in charge of a region's industries, whose status is far superior to his, the eldest son's steward.

He Youzhen gave him a meaningful look, nodded with a smile, and walked away.

After He Youzhen had gone far away, Li Youcai straightened his clothes and carefully stepped into the hall.

Upon seeing the lord, without waiting for any questions, Li Youcai eagerly reported on his inspection of Lingzhou and the Heishui Salt Lake Smelting Workshop, his tone revealing his pride.

Yu Xinglong listened patiently, offered a few words of praise, and then asked him to accompany He Youzhen to Feng'an Village to investigate the smuggling of armor.

Upon hearing this, Li Youcai felt a chill run down his spine.

Smuggling ordinary mountain goods is already a serious crime, let alone military equipment.
Entrusting such an important task to myself...

Li Youcai suddenly felt a little guilty.

But then he thought about it again and realized that there were stewards ahead of him, and he was just an attendant, which made him feel a little more at ease.

However, he originally planned to take the opportunity to ask the clan leader for permission to bring his wife along.

If the lord asks, just say that your wife has a real relative in Feng'an Village.

Presumably, the busy tycoon wouldn't delve into such a trivial matter.

In this way, he could both win his wife's favor and have an excuse if someone used this to make a fuss about him in the future.

But now that we're dealing with such an important case, we have to abandon that idea.

Noticing his hesitant expression, Yu Xinglong asked gently, "Is there anything else?"

"Ah, no, no!"

Li Youcai hurriedly waved his hand: "My wife has some relatives in Feng'an Village, and I was planning to visit them while I was there. But since I have official business to attend to, I can't let my wife cause me any trouble."

"Oh, is that so..."

Yu Xinglong stroked his long beard and raised an eyebrow slightly: "It's fine to bring your wife along; it will help to lull those thieves who travel through the mountains into a false sense of security."

Li Youcai was overjoyed to hear this.

I took a concubine, and my wife was magnanimous and didn't investigate further.

She wanted to go down the mountain for a trip, and I would feel guilty if I couldn't fulfill that wish.

With the lord's words, everything is settled.

Li Youcai replied happily, "Yes, Your Majesty is wise. I know what to do."

Yu Xinglong smiled and nodded: "Deacon He has just returned as well. You two should discuss it and set off as soon as possible."

"Yes, I will retire."

Li Youcai left happily.

Watching his departing figure, Yu Xinglong's lips curled into a cold smile.

Very well, another charge has been added.

……

As night fell, the Yang residence was brightly lit.

After the banquet, Yang Can returned to the flower hall in the back courtyard, slightly drunk.

He had just picked up his teacup when several stewardesses filed in, carrying thick ledgers.

"master!"

The head of the household, Granny Zhuo, smiled amiably: "This is part of the various account books newly established in the mansion."

This includes ledgers of cash inflows and outflows, accumulated savings, monthly pay records, gift registers, inventory books, purchasing lists, and watchman's logbooks. Please take a look, sir.

Yang Can's eyes lit up the moment he saw the stack of ledgers.

So many trivial accounts in the inner quarters of a mere mansion?

Li Damu is in charge of the outer residence's economy, but he really can't directly handle the accounts of the inner residence.

Yang Can didn't want to be a "tyrant," and he had his own methods for managing accounts, but he really didn't want to bury himself in these trivial matters.

"I won't look at these; just let Qingmei take a look."

"You flatter me, sir."

Granny Zhuo smiled as if she were receiving a blessing from heaven: "These are all the powers of the head mistress, how dare Qingmei take them for granted?"

Qingmei knows her place; these account books were sent by the old women through Qingmei for your perusal, sir.

Yang Can's eyes suddenly turned cold.

He was unaware that Qingmei was extremely jealous because of Rena and Jingyao's affair and desperately wanted a formal title.

If Yang Can explicitly appointed her to manage the household, that would be the best proof of her abilities. But at this moment, Yang Can only felt that this was a meticulously planned scheme:

There isn't even a proper mistress in the mansion yet, and a drama of palace intrigue is about to unfold?

This is not a good sign.

"Okay, then let's leave it here for now," Yang Can said casually.

As the women in charge put down their ledgers and left, Yang Can chuckled softly. "My little darling is giving me a warning."

What? You won't even let me sleep with you, but you want me to give you a title? Are you kidding me?

This girl, since we met, has only ever washed my feet...

Are you going to use this to test your cadres? Which cadre can't withstand such a test?

Aren't they just ledgers for the inner quarters, such as accounts of finances, income and expenditure, inventory, and salaries?
My Yang family mansion has only just been established, and all the account books are still in their initial stages. How much data can we possibly have?

Let me sort this out in no time, and then we'll see how you try to argue with me.

Yang Can casually picked up an account book and was about to flip through it when a maid in green entered with quick steps.

As the various rules and regulations of his inner quarters were gradually established, Wangcai could only serve in the outer quarters now.

Wangcai is twelve or thirteen years old, which is not young. In some places, people his age are already married or even fathers.

Qingmei said that from now on, no one in the Yang family's inner quarters, except for the master, is allowed to have a man.

Yang Can felt that such regulations were neither reasonable nor meticulous.

However, adhering to the principle of trusting those he employs, he did not interfere.

Xiao Qingmei is being so cautious because she's thinking about the Yang family's reputation.

It wasn't because that night, when Rena and Jingyao went through Yang Can's door one after another, that Wangcai neither stopped them on the spot nor reported it to her afterwards.

The young maid in green curtsied to Yang Can and said softly, "Master, Kang Quchang requests an audience!"

"Ok?"

Yang Can's expression tightened, and he slammed the ledger shut and threw it into the pile of ledgers.

"Please."

It's probably not a good thing that Kang Zhengyang came to the inner quarters at this time to seek an audience.

An ominous premonition swept through Yang Can's mind, and his fingertips unconsciously caressed the rim of the teacup.

Before long, Kang Zhengyang strode into the flower hall, leaving the maid in green who had been running all the way far behind.

"Master, two people from the manor have suddenly gone missing tonight."

Upon entering the flower hall, Kang Zhengyang hurriedly reported to Yang Can, his face extremely grim.

Yang Can's heart tightened suddenly, but he still tried to remain calm and asked, "Do those two know the real situation in Canglang Gorge?"

Kang Zhengyang shook his head: "Those two were one of the two hundred retainers you brought with you later, Master. They don't know the situation in the valley."

Yang Can secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Kang Zhengyang said anxiously, "But, if we get the names of the people who entered the valley from them, and then arrest those who know the inside story..."

Yang Can paced back and forth with a somber expression.

He walked to the window and gazed at the deep night outside.

The Xianbei people dared to secretly kidnap people and force them to confess during their stay as guests!

The lord's actions were far too slow. If he had sent someone to deal with Bald Falcon earlier, he could have taken advantage of the chaos.

He hadn't expected the lord's reaction to something so important to be so slow.

Yang Can shook his head inwardly. The patriarch's control, or rather, Phoenix Manor's response speed to emergencies, was weaker than he had imagined.

Phoenix Mountain was in even worse shape than he had imagined.

Yang Can frowned, pondering a solution, when another maid in green rushed over.

"Master, on behalf of Young Master Laicheng, I request an audience."

"Who?" Yang Can suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Dai Laicheng Yu Gongzi”

Yang Can pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

He immediately walked up to Kang Zhengyang and ordered in a deep voice, "Kang Quzhang, gather the men in the village and search everywhere for the two missing men. Make a big fuss about it."

"Master, if one person hides the item, a hundred people are needed to find it. I'm afraid we might not be able to find it..."

"Of course they won't find them. Regardless of what they might get out of them, neither of those two units could possibly come back alive."

Yang Can's face turned a little pale, and he said in a deep voice, "Summon all the troops to search for the person. Under the pretext of searching for the person, transfer all the troops who know the truth away, and don't go back to the manor for the time being."

Kang Zhengyang suddenly realized what was going on and quickly accepted the order.

Yang Can then instructed the maid, "Please invite Young Master Yu to the study for tea."

After the maid left, Yang Can sat down again, closed his eyes, and concentrated.

The idea that had just flashed into his mind was repeatedly considered and gradually took shape.

He took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and then walked towards the study.

Yu Rui sat in Yang Can's study, holding a cup of tea, leisurely sipping the tea, looking very composed.

This place is called a study, but there are no calligraphy or paintings hanging on the walls. Instead, there are more martial things hanging on the walls.

Even with meticulous care, the scabbard of this ring-pommel sword is already cracked with many fissures.

A lifelike, ferocious tiger head preserved as a specimen...

These ornaments were all left behind by Zhang Yunyi.

The knife was the one he used when he was a swordsman named Xiao Zhang, and the tiger was one he personally hunted with a bow and arrow.

He didn't take any of these things, which represented the glory of his life, with him when he left Feng'an Fort.

However, Yu Rui was unaware of this and assumed that these things belonged to Yang Can.

Looking at the sword, which, though still sheathed, exuded a bloody aura, and the yellow tiger hunted from Longshan, Yu Rui couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

The righteous debater who spoke out in the Mingde Hall, the ingenious craftsman who improved agricultural tools—now all I see is this room filled with murderous intent…

Just how many more unknown faces does Yang Can have?

He raised his glass to drink, but suddenly stopped.

Because he suddenly remembered an ancient school of thought that was once on par with Confucianism...

(End of this chapter)