HUS Chapter 20: Conflicting Views
HUS Chapter 20: Conflicting Views
Dec 5, 2025
Ever since Yi She made that trip to the foot of Coiling Mountain, he had been very depressed.
He felt that if he hadn't wanted to show more respect to the clan head than the First and Second Grand Stewards by arriving at Phoenix Mountain several days early to attend the designated heir's wedding, he wouldn't have been sent to receive the coffin.
If he hadn't been sent to receive the coffin, he wouldn't have interrogated that bandit and ended up learning a secret he didn't dare speak of but now that he knew, he couldn't pretend not to know, so he could only bite the bullet and report to the clan head.
Sure enough, wanting to stay out of it was just his wishful thinking...
When he walked into Mingde Hall, the rain had almost stopped, but Steward Yi's mood was still damp and messy.
He knew that this performance staged jointly by the clan head and Suo family's Second Master was meant to kill many birds with one stone, and he was one of those birds.
The clan head wanted to use this public occasion to force him to take sides.
As long as he personally said "Yu Huanhu is the murderer who killed the young master," even if he added the qualifier "according to the bandit's confession" beforehand, he could only stand on the clan head's side but Steward Yi didn't want to take sides. He still wanted to struggle a bit more.
Therefore, in Mingde Hall, Yi She evaded when he could and kept his tone vague, only hoping Yu Huanhu could see through his perfunctory attitude and not consider him an enemy. However, Steward Yi's evasion greatly displeased Yu Xinglong. Even this couldn't force Yi She to actively take his side?
As clan head, am I so unworthy of allegiance in my retainers' eyes?
Seeing Yu Xinglong's expression growing increasingly ugly and Suo Hong pressing aggressively, Steward Yi really couldn't hold out and had to resort to "diverting troubled waters eastward."
Yi She said, "Second Master Suo, since you say it was Nanny Tu who personally heard this and then reported it to the young mistress, why not ask the young mistress to come here and explain clearly herself? Yi was ordered by the clan head to receive the coffin and didn't understand the causes and effects of the young master's death. Yi only hastily interrogated that bandit once. There's really nothing more to say."
Yu Huanhu said coldly, "I didn't know my nephew's wife considers me the murderer of her husband. Clan head, why not summon her here? I also want to ask her face to face!"
...
The rain stopped. Yang Can pushed open the window and a fresh post-rain breeze rushed at his face.
The apricot blossoms after the rain were even more charming, the whole tree enchanting.
Suddenly, he saw Suo Zhanzhi walking out from the second gate with two nannies and two pretty maids in blue.
She had already changed out of her hemp mourning clothes. Longshang residents, deeply influenced by nomadic peoples, didn't have customs of observing mourning.
Among Longshang's many ethnic groups, there were those who killed wives for burial sacrifices and those who could immediately remarry. There just wasn't any talk of observing mourning.
Therefore, Suo Zhanzhi now only needed to avoid wearing bright red and purple colors that were too gaudy. Otherwise, there wasn't much impact.
Her current outfit was mainly a black and white color scheme, which set off her bright eyes and white teeth, making her even more pure and incomparably beautiful.
Suo Zhanzhi gracefully came along the flagstone path. When her gaze met Yang Can's, her eyes slightly dimmed, then she walked past without looking sideways. However, the pretty little maid in blue, Qingmei, following behind her, when no one was paying attention, shot Yang Can a quick glance.
Not a seductive glance, but one that said she had something to tell him.
Yang Can's heart immediately jumped. The moment he had been anticipating had finally arrived!
...
The plaque of Mingde Hall was still gleaming gold after the rain.
When Young Mistress Suo Zhanzhi entered Mingde Hall, everyone in the hall looked at her.
Everyone's gazes coincidentally fell on this young mistress's abdomen.
Currently, the situation of the Yu clan's eldest branch's eldest son's line was very delicate.
Logically speaking, with the designated heir dead, this line could be dissolved. However, now no one could be certain whether Yu Chengye had truly left no descendants.
They wanted to see if the young mistress was pregnant, but this would still take half a month.
Right now, even a skilled physician couldn't detect it by feeling the pulse.
If the young mistress was pregnant, everyone would have to wait another nine months to confirm whether she gave birth to a boy or girl.
This feeling of opening a blind box was quite... thrilling. However, at a glance, at least for now, the young mistress's waist remained slender beyond measure, with no sign of showing pregnancy yet.
As soon as Suo Zhanzhi arrived, she began recounting from the day Yu Chengye was killed.
At that time, the entire wedding procession was making camp, so their formation was scattered and defenses were weakest.
The timing of that bandit group's surprise attack happened to be at this optimal moment.
This gave people the feeling that there was indeed an insider tipping them off, colluding from inside and outside then she mentioned that at the time, many of the Suo family's dowry valuables were scattered and piled within the camp.
Because they were to load the carts and set off early the next morning, these valuables hadn't been concentrated at the camp center but the bandits, who supposedly came for wealth, ignored these valuables and went straight for the camp center.
After they killed Yu Chengye, they immediately began breaking through. The valuables they made off with were what they grabbed in passing while escaping.
Although Suo Zhanzhi's words didn't explicitly say Yu Huanhu was the murderer, with all these abnormalities combined with that bandit's confession, it was almost the same as pointing at Yu Huanhu's nose and saying he was the culprit.
Yu Huanhu said with a gloomy expression, "Niece-in-law, there were no bandits attacking at the foot of Coiling Mountain. By whose hand did your Suo family's Nanny Tu die?"
Suo Zhanzhi shook her head, "This niece-in-law is also completely baffled. Speaking of it, Nanny Tu was just a dowry attendant by this niece-in-law's side. Who would kill her, and why?"
Yu Huanhu laughed bitterly in extreme anger, "Niece-in-law, Second Uncle underestimated you. Your tongue is truly sharper than swords and blades!"
Suo Zhanzhi was on the verge of tears, saying sorrowfully, "This niece-in-law only truthfully stated what she knew and saw before the clan elders. The one whose husband died is this niece-in-law. The one who just married yet must bear an inauspicious name and remain a widow for life is also this niece-in-law. Does Second Uncle think this niece-in-law has any reason to falsely accuse Second Uncle?"
Speaking to this point, two lines of clear tears finally fell from Suo Zhanzhi's eyes.
Everyone in the hall couldn't help but be moved. Yes, the one who should hate the culprit most should be the bride. Even if she was misled and her accusation was incorrect, one shouldn't say she had ulterior motives.
Yu Huanhu looked up at the sky and laughed bitterly, "Hahaha! Niece-in-law, you have no reason to falsely accuse me, but how wronged am I? According to you, my nephew lived at the camp center, guarded by your Suo family. Then may I ask, what means did I have to bribe your Suo family people to be my inside accomplices? Nanny Tu's murder is even stranger. What person, for what reason, would kill your Suo family's head nanny? At that time, there shouldn't have been any of our Yu family people at the camp center, right?"
Hearing this, Suo Zhanzhi's beautiful eyes turned gracefully toward Steward Yi.
She didn't speak, but her eyes could talk.
Steward Yi, who had been secretly celebrating finally escaping the vortex using the "divert troubled waters eastward" strategy, immediately turned ashen-faced. No, you're coming at me again?
The clan head wanted to use this matter to force him to take sides, Second Master Suo stirred the muddy waters, and now the young mistress also wouldn't let him go. I...
Meeting the suspicious gazes of some branch heads and elders, the greatly anxious Steward Yi suddenly thought of another person.
Adviser Yang!
Yang Can had once said that the young master's death was most suspicious regarding the Suo family.
This was naturally nonsense. What reason would the Suo family have to kill the young master? However, at this moment, it wouldn't hurt to pull him out as a shield.
With that reckless fellow stirring things up chaotically here, couldn't I escape again?
Steward Yi immediately employed another "divert troubled waters eastward" move, cupping his hands to Yu Xinglong, "Clan head, your subject suddenly thought of someone. Regarding the young master's death, this person has another interpretation."
...
When Yang Can stood before the entrance to Mingde Hall, the spring light was bright.
The wind was fresh, carrying the fragrance of green grass and spring flowers.
On the lintel, the three gilded characters "Mingde Hall" shone brilliantly.
The bronze threshold on the ground was over a foot high, bright and shining.
Yang Can took a deep breath and stepped over that gleaming golden bronze threshold.
He stepped with his left foot first.
Everyone in Mingde Hall looked at Yang Can in this instant.
This moment was like all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vajras in a sacred Buddhist temple looking together at a young novice monk coming to offer incense. The invisible pressure was enormous.
Suo Zhanzhi sat in the position originally belonging to the designated heir Yu Chengye. She only glanced at Yang Can once before quickly withdrawing her gaze.
There were too many people here, and each was a wily old fox. She feared someone would see through something.
Yu Xinglong said in a deep voice, "Yang Can, you were my son Chengye's adviser and also the wedding attendant for my son's marriage. Chengye was unfortunately killed by a villain. The true culprit remains elusive to this day. I heard you have a different interpretation regarding Chengye's death. Now, in front of all my Yu family people and Second Master Suo, speak your views."
"This subordinate obeys!"
Yang Can bowed deeply to Yu Xinglong at the head seat and unhurriedly walked to the center of Mingde Hall, standing firm.
Was he nervous? Of course he was nervous. However, his nervousness wasn't because of these people in the hall.
Being flustered and nervous comes from lacking the appropriate knowledge and experience.
What kind of experience did Yang Can have in his previous life? Although most of it was seen online, indirect experience was still experience.
Moreover, for stepping into this Mingde Hall today, he had privately deliberated countless times and done so much psychological preparation.
He was nervous only because whether his "unconventional approach" was correct would be verified today!
Yang Can stood firm, neither servile nor overbearing, "Clan head, Second Master Suo, all branch heads and elders, this subordinate was fortunate that the young master didn't reject me and took me as an adviser. This time accompanying the young master to Jincheng to fetch the bride, I also served as wedding attendant, following all the way..."
Yang Can began from when they received the bride Suo Zhanzhi and left Jincheng, describing all along the way how the Suo family people considered themselves superior, how they took charge of everything, how they were autocratic in matters of travel and camping along the route.
Even when resting and standing guard, those closely protecting the young master were all Suo family guards. Except for him, a scholar with no strength to truss a chicken, all Yu family people were forbidden from approaching the camp center...
Some of what Yang Can said had been mentioned by Suo Zhanzhi earlier, some hadn't but even regarding matters Suo Zhanzhi had mentioned, because their positions and stances were different, their interpretations and descriptions of the same events were completely different.
According to Suo Zhanzhi's account, many unreasonable aspects seemed to point suspicion of the true culprit toward Yu Huanhu but now, from Yang Can's perspective, the Suo family became the greatest suspect.
For a moment, Yu family's Second Master Yu Huanhu's gaze toward Yang Can became much gentler.
[NEXT CHAPTER]