Chapter 15: The Blessing of Occasional Forgetfulness

Page (1/3)

Qingmei pressed her lips together and silently stepped forward to untie Yang Can’s ropes.

The young lady’s instructions clearly showed she believed Yang Can’s words.

At this moment, Qingmei also came to realize the truth—she believed him too.

Having grown up as a maid inside a grand mansion, Qingmei was far more aware than Suo Canzhi, the noble lady, of the filth and darkness concealed within.

When she was with the Suo family, she had witnessed Madam Tu summoning servants from various branches and publicly beating to death any household servant who committed a fault. That ruthless, cruel image remained vivid in her memory.

Yet, she had never imagined that she herself would become a target of Madam Tu’s wrath so unwittingly.

“Qingmei, you may leave now.”

As Yang Can’s ropes were undone and he flexed his wrists, Suo Canzhi gave another order.

“Oh!” Little Qingmei felt somewhat displeased; she now had a psychological shadow regarding guarding the door.

Because every time she stood watch, it was always… exhausting.

When the tent fell silent, Suo Canzhi wearily sat on the embroidered stool and sighed deeply.

“Madam Tu is dead. I never intended to use this secret to bind you, nor did I ever think to kill you. What happens next is for you to decide.”

Yang Can smiled bitterly. “Decide for myself? I’ve already boarded the pirate ship. How can I disembark now?”

Suo Canzhi shot him a sharp glance.

Pirate ship? How did such a delicate and beautiful lady become a pirate ship?

Did you ask me before boarding? Without a word, you wield the oars and steer the ship, taking advantage and then acting coy!

Yang Can said, “Now I can only wait, at least until I have confirmation—whether you are with child.”

Yu Chengye had died not long ago; there were only three people who knew that he and Suo Canzhi had not consummated their marriage.

If Suo Canzhi were pregnant now, it would prove the child was Yu Chengye’s.

Given the medical standards of this era, there was no way to refute such a claim.

With Suo Canzhi’s maternal family background, unless there was conclusive medical evidence, the Yu family would have no choice but to accept it.

If that were the case, whether for their own safety or out of responsibility to the bloodline, they would have to follow the path Madam Tu had planned.

During this time, if Suo Canzhi failed to conceive, she would lose her only chance.

From the time of Yu Chengye’s death, she had only this one opportunity to deceive the world; beyond this, the timing would not align.

If that happened, everything would end.

All that had transpired between them would remain a forever secret.

Suo Canzhi instinctively touched her lower abdomen and murmured softly, “I understand…”

This was never her idea; Madam Tu had controlled everything before. With Madam Tu dead, she had gained freedom but also felt lost and uneasy.

Now that Yang Can was willing to stay by her side and wait for the outcome together, she felt as if she had found an anchor for her heart, finally at ease.

Yang Can cautioned, “From now on, in front of others, we must continue to pretend to be at odds…”

Tsk! Why pretend? Are we really close?

Suo Canzhi rolled her eyes. “I know. Then… we’ll wait for the result before… What are you trying to do?”

As Yang Can stepped closer, Suo Canzhi’s pupils dilated in surprise.

Yang Can said, “Of course, to seize every opportunity to strive for a favorable ‘result.’”

Suo Canzhi’s face flushed crimson. “Get lost! I’m not in the mood…”

Her ankle shot out to kick, but a large hand caught it, and she was swiftly swept back into the fray.

…

“Pop!” A candle flame snapped, rousing Steward Yi from his thoughts.

He sighed deeply and finally made a decision.

Once the bandit was brought before the clan head, the conflict between the main branch and the second branch of the first household would inevitably come to the surface.

Page (2/3)

Among the Yu family branches, the strongest was naturally Yu Huanhu of the first household’s second branch.

But now, with the first household’s main branch allied by marriage to the Suo family, the balance of power became unclear.

Therefore, as a powerful Yu family retainer, Steward Yi must avoid becoming entangled in the power struggles of the main family.

He no longer wished to delve into who killed Madam Tu tonight for fear of uncovering unpredictable secrets.

His sole desire now was to safely escort these people back to Tianshui without further complications. If that could be achieved, he would be thankful.

With this in mind, Steward Yi’s mood finally steadied. He lifted his tea and took a leisurely sip.

In another large tent, Suo Canzhi, hair loose, crawled to the bedside.

She grabbed a warm cup of tea and had just taken a sip to soothe her throat when her slender, gleaming ankle was again seized by a large hand, dragging her back into the battlefield.

Suo Canzhi struggled, but a sharp slap landed on a tender spot, silencing her immediately.

Outside the tent, little Qingmei stood leaning on a sword, looking very much like a desperate, cornered enemy officer.

…

Tianshui, Phoenix Villa, Yu Xinglong’s study.

Though called a study, it was actually a relatively independent courtyard.

The various businesses of the Yu family—farms, ranches, and trades—had their revenue and expenses reported here for the clan head’s review.

At this moment, Yu Xinglong was not reviewing accounts but sitting upright in his chair.

Before his desk stood a guard—an envoy sent overnight by Steward Yi.

The letter from Steward Yi mentioned three and a half matters:

First, the Suo family’s young lady had consummated marriage with the young master and was thus to be treated as a junior madam.

Second, Madam Tu, the Suo family’s accompanying steward, was mysteriously murdered.

Third, the retainer Yang Can accused the Suo family of plotting to harm the young master.

This accusation struck Steward Yi as absurd, yet he took it seriously enough to record it in a secret letter.

The fact that the bandit hostage confessed to being hired by Yu Huanhu of the Yu family’s second branch to murder the heir was not mentioned even in passing.

After stating these three matters, he added: there was one more issue of great importance that he would report personally upon returning to Tianshui.

Yu Xinglong, a man over fifty, lean and elegant like a scholar, slowly put down the letter.

He looked up at the messenger. “This retainer Yang Can publicly accused the Suo family of plotting to harm my son?”

“Yes.”

The messenger steadied himself and said, “However, Yang Can’s claims are baseless speculations with no evidence. Fearing the Suo family’s displeasure, Steward Yi reprimanded him and placed him under the junior madam’s supervision.”

“Hmm…”

Yu Xinglong’s gaze shifted as he pondered briefly, then said calmly, “Understood.”

The messenger breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, and quietly withdrew.

Yu Xinglong exhaled softly and pinched the bridge of his nose.

The room was scented with ambergris incense, known to calm the mind, yet his thoughts remained restless.

The marriage alliance with the Suo family, combined with his son’s ambush and death, was all a calculated scheme to provide a suitable pretext to bring the Suo family down without letting them gain too much influence.

This plan had been proposed by his eldest son. How, then, did Chengye come to consummate marriage with the Suo girl?

Yu Xinglong frowned in confusion.

To put it plainly, the Suo girl was a pawn sacrificed in this plan.

Knowing that once she bore his child, the plan would spiral out of control, how could Chengye have consummated the marriage?

Was he unable to resist temptation?

He was willing to sacrifice his life—would he commit such a foolish act?

Though suspicious, Yu Xinglong had no way to verify this.

His mind became tangled and conflicted.

Page (3/3)

If this daughter-in-law bore no child, that would be fine; whether Chengye consummated the marriage would not affect the plan’s progress.

But if she bore a child, the Suo family might leverage the child’s grandfather and uncles’ identities to justifiably intervene in Yu family affairs.

Yet, amid his turmoil, Yu Xinglong secretly hoped:

If the Suo girl truly carried Chengye’s child, then his son’s bloodline would continue…

After much contemplation, he set aside this inner conflict and turned his attention back to Yang Can.

He knew something about Yang Can, after all, he was the one who saved his son’s life.

Yang Can’s constant accusations linking the Suo family to his son’s “murder”…

This might be exploitable, though not now.

If the Suo girl truly bore his son’s child, and the Suo family then used that as an excuse to meddle excessively in Yu family affairs, could he reopen Yang Can’s old case to stir trouble?

With this thought, Yu Xinglong pulled a silk thread beside the desk, and the distant jingle of a copper bell rang out.

Moments later, a guard entered and stood at attention.

Yu Xinglong said, “Fetch Yang Can’s dossier.”

In a great family like the Yu clan—already possessing characteristics of a local warlord—no one could be promoted casually.

When they had assigned Yang Can as a minor herd leader, they had already conducted an investigation.

The Yu family maintained their own archives, recording the records of all subjects under their rule, especially those in charge.

Yang Can’s dossier was soon delivered.

The study’s archive contained countless important files, yet when the clan head wanted to review a minor individual’s record, it was swiftly retrieved.

Opening the dossier, Yu Xinglong examined Yang Can’s information carefully.

First, he confirmed that Yang Can was not a spy sent by another powerful family.

Yang Can becoming a herdsman was a random event.

After Yu Chengye was hit with a poisoned arrow and fled in panic, he happened to encounter Yang Can—an unpredictable coincidence.

No noble family would rely on such chance to plant a spy.

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

He had offended a certain influential figure there and fled to Longshan to seek refuge.

Many fugitives from the Central Plains came to Longshan because the two empires in the Central Plains had strict imperial systems, laws, and order—much more rigorous than Longshan.

Thus, criminals and those who angered powerful people fled to Longshan to find safety.

Consequently, Longshan had long become a sanctuary for Central Plains escapees.

Yu Xinglong studied the dossier thoroughly and found no suspicious points.

Of course, this was partly because at the time Yang Can was merely a herd leader.

Did a herdsman dealing with cattle and horses need a detailed investigation?

As for his later role as a retainer, it was mainly because Yu Chengye personally brought him back, and the relationship was recent.

Moreover, Yu Chengye had no intention of promoting him significantly, just repaying a debt of gratitude.

With the clan’s attention focused on the heir’s marriage, there was no time for further scrutiny.

Now, if Yu Xinglong wanted to utilize him, a renewed investigation might be necessary.

However, Yu Xinglong did not do so.

Though Yang Can had entered his sights, he was merely a pawn to be sacrificed.

If so, why waste resources?

Page (3/3)