A Brilliant Tongue

Chapter 112 A Thousand Layers of Delicious Tongue

The musty smell mixed with the aroma of aged hay in the woodshed seeped into Li Youcai's nostrils.

He huddled in the corner, his back pressed against the cold mud wall, feeling an indescribable sense of irritability and frustration.

Ever since Pan Xiaowan returned to the inn, he has been curled up like this, his mind a jumbled mess.

Only one thought kept running through his mind: Could Yang Can really be that crazy, crazy enough to kill me?
Just as he was lost in thought, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from the courtyard, and then Yang Can's voice slipped through the crack in the woodshed door.

"Who locked up our Chief Deacon Li? This is outrageous! Release him at once!"

Li Youcai's heart skipped a beat. He quickly climbed up from the pile of firewood, patted the bits of grass off his body, and straightened his wrinkled clothes.

Before he could even stand up straight, the rusty iron lock on the woodshed clicked open.

Old Xin pushed open the door, hunched over, and stood to the side. A figure in black quickly walked in.

As soon as Yang Can entered the room, his gaze fell on Li Youcai. He took a few steps forward, reached out and grabbed Li Youcai's hand, shaking it vigorously.
"Oh dear, Deacon Li, my talented brother, I'm so sorry you had to suffer like this!"

Li Youcai was taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm. He forced a smile and said, "Master Yang... Master Yang..."

"Oh, why call me Master? That's too formal."

Yang Can patted his arm, her tone carrying a hint of affectionate reproach.

"Zhang Yunyi is a treacherous fellow, but I know you well enough."

We are dearest family and friends, brothers and sisters.

Li Youcai nodded repeatedly, his face showing a mixture of grievance and helplessness.

"That's right! That bastard Zhang Yunyi is absolutely audacious! He actually dared to lead people to attack your residence!"
I...I tried everything to stop him, I practically wore myself out, but he wouldn't listen. I just couldn't do anything about it!

"It's all my subordinates' fault for being so incompetent!"

Yang Can said apologetically, "They don't know how close we are as brothers, and they've locked you up here."

"Luckily you weren't hurt, otherwise I would never have let them get away with it!"

As he spoke, Yang Can glared outside before taking Li Youcai's arm and helping him out.

As soon as Li Youcai stepped out of the woodshed, he was stunned. The courtyard was packed with people.

Qingmei, dressed in a light green dress, stood at the front, while Kang Zhengyang stood to one side with his hand on the hilt of his knife.

Further back was a row of soldiers holding long spears, and many Feng'anzhuang villagers were crowded at the very back.

Li Youcai glanced around but didn't see He Youzhen. He quickly asked, "Brother Yang, where is Steward He? Why isn't he here?"

The smile on Yang Can's face vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy expression.

Yang Can sighed deeply, his voice lowering slightly: "Deacon He... he's dead."

"what?"

Li Youcai froze on the spot, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, and exclaimed urgently, "Dead? How could this be... How could Steward He be dead?"

Yang Can said solemnly, "Yesterday, Steward He asked me to lead the way to Canglang Gorge to check the place where the mountain goods merchants were robbed, saying that he wanted to find out the background of those mountain goods merchants."

But somehow the news leaked out, and Bald Falcon Demon had laid an ambush in Canglang Gorge, waiting for us to arrive, intending to kill me and Steward He, thus cutting off the trail for those mountain merchants.”

At this point, Yang Can clenched his fists and said angrily, "We were completely unaware and walked right into an ambush."

The two sides immediately engaged in fierce fighting. The bald-headed falcon demon's men were ruthless, each move deadly. We were caught off guard and lost our composure...

As a result, Steward He fell victim to their treachery and died…

Li Youcai's head was buzzing. Deacon He? That was Deacon He!

The most trusted foreign affairs steward of the lord, who was in charge of the trade routes and held great power, how could he have died?
Can a big shot really die so easily?
He opened his mouth, but it took him a long time to find his voice. He stammered, "So...so, it was Bald Falcon who ambushed and killed Steward He?"

“Not bad!” Yang Can nodded emphatically.

"hateful!"

Li Youcai angrily said, "That bald-headed falcon must have fled back to his tribe. Even if we wanted to investigate, it would be difficult!"

"otherwise."

Yang Can shook his head: "Although Bald Falcon Evil is powerful, we are not to be trifled with either."

We were indeed on the defensive at first, but we managed to stabilize the situation later.

Then, with increasing ferocity, we turned defense into offense, and finally managed to capture that bald-haired falcon-like demon alive!

"what?"

Li Youcai was overjoyed: "Good! Excellent! In this way, we can give the clan leader an explanation!"

As he spoke, he tiptoed and peered into the crowd again, asking urgently, "Where is that bald-haired Falcon Demon?"

Yang Can spread his hands, looking helpless, and said, "Dead."

"Huh? He...died again?"

Li Youcai's initial joy was instantly extinguished, and a hint of suspicion arose in his heart.

Yang Can seemed oblivious to his doubts, nodded frankly, and began to explain.

"I escorted Tuoba Junxie back to Feng'an Village. As soon as I arrived at the village entrance, I was told by the people of Feng'an that Zhang Yunyi had attacked my residence."

Unexpectedly, the bald-haired falcon had a dagger hidden on his person. Taking advantage of the chaos, he used the dagger to cut the rope and suddenly pounced on me.

Fortunately, the guards in the village reacted quickly and killed him in time. Otherwise, I'm afraid I would have suffered the same fate!

As soon as Yang Can finished speaking, the soldiers and civilians around him started chattering away.

"Yes, Steward Li! The situation was extremely dangerous! Those Xianbei people went crazy and headed straight for Master Yang!"

"We were talking to Master Yang when he suddenly jumped off his horse without warning. It was terrifying!"

"Thanks to the vigilance of my brothers, otherwise Master Yang would have been in danger!"

"I even shouted 'Master, be careful!' at the time."

"Hey? Did you shout? I didn't hear you. I only saw you take half a step back!"

"You're talking nonsense! I was looking for something! You're the one who's scared out of your wits!"

The chaotic noise rose and fell, making Li Youcai dizzy and disoriented. His initial suspicions were completely dispelled by the commotion.

Yang Can raised his hand to quiet everyone down before bowing and saying, "Now that things have settled down, I still have some things to take care of after my death."

Thank you all for your concern. I've now returned home, so please go back in peace.

The people responded in unison and dispersed in twos and threes.

Yang Can then tugged at Li Youcai's arm and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Li, there are some things that are not convenient to talk about outside. Come with me to the study, and we'll discuss them slowly."

……

The study was quiet. The tiger head specimen hanging on the wall was lifelike, its eyes gleaming with a fierce light, as if it were about to pounce down from the wall at any moment.

The long sword hanging beside it had a scabbard covered with fine cracks, indicating that it was quite old. The edges of the scabbard also had a faint patina of copper, giving it a sense of the weight of time.

Instead of sitting down behind the desk, Yang Can pulled Li Youcai to sit opposite him on the low couch next to him.

Wangcai brought in two cups of hot tea, gently placed them on the table, and then quietly withdrew.

Yang Can picked up the teacup, but didn't drink. Instead, he ran his fingertips along the rim of the cup and slowly said:

"Brother Li, what I'm about to tell you is no small matter. Please calm down and don't be too surprised."

Li Youcai picked up his teacup, took a sip, suppressed his curiosity, and nodded: "Brother Yang, please speak freely."

Yang Can took a deep breath, looked up at Li Youcai, and said, word by word:

"Actually, He Youzhen, the steward, is the leader of those mountain goods merchants. His nickname is 'Mountain Master'."

"Snapped!"

Li Youcai seemed to have been struck by lightning, and suddenly sprang up from the low couch.

He lost his grip on the teacup, and with a "splash," the scalding tea spilled out, splashing onto his clothes.

In pain, he loosened his grip, and the teacup fell to the ground with a crash, shattering into pieces.

Li Youcai stared at Yang Can, his voice trembling: "What? You... what did you say? How is this possible!"

"Steward He... he's the clan leader's most trusted external affairs steward! How could he be the leader of the mountain goods merchants?"

Yang Can put down his teacup, a complicated expression on his face, and sighed softly: "When I first found out about this news, I was even more shocked than you, but it's true."

Yang Can paused, his tone becoming even lower: "Precisely because Steward He is a trusted retainer of the clan leader, it would greatly damage the clan leader's reputation if it were exposed that he was a merchant of mountain goods. That's why I didn't dare to make a fuss about it outside."

The actual situation is more complicated than you think…

Yang Can's fingertips were still tracing the rim of the cup. After a moment of silence, he slowly raised his eyes to look at Li Youcai: "Deacon He is Master Shan."

On the surface, he was a favorite of the lord, managing the north-south trade routes for him.

But secretly, he used his position to smuggle contraband goods and amass wealth for himself.

Li Youcai's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to speak when Yang Can raised his hand and pressed it down.

Yang Can continued, "This batch of mountain goods was originally intended to be traded with Bald Falcon Evil."

Unexpectedly, their journey was discovered by the Kang family's caravan.

To prevent the news from leaking out, Steward He's men assassinated the Kang family's caravan.

However, despite their meticulous planning, a young man from the Kang family escaped from the caravan.

Upon hearing the news, Kang Qu was enraged and immediately led his men in pursuit of revenge, reaching Canglang Gorge.

Li Youcai frowned as he listened, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

Yang Can added, "Coincidentally, a group of Xianbei people were already lying in ambush in Canglang Gorge."

Their original goal was to rob Steward He's shipment and double-cross him.

When we arrived, we witnessed this scene.

Seeing that there were Xianbei people present, I worried that things would escalate and become difficult to manage, so I advised Kangquchang to withdraw.

Unexpectedly, our appearance actually helped Steward He.

The Xianbei people mistakenly thought we were He Zhishi's helpers, and seeing that we outnumbered them, they immediately withdrew.

Therefore, although Steward He lost some of his men transporting the mountain goods, the goods themselves were saved.

“The surviving mountain goods merchants didn’t dare to delay.” Yang Can took another sip of tea: “They knew that place was unsafe, and they couldn’t transport the mountain goods away in a short time.”

So they found a secluded spot and buried the mountain goods there, planning to contact Bald Falcon first, and then find an opportunity to trade.

Li Youcai pinched his brow with his fingers, listening intently and thinking.

What Yang Can said sounded like a fantasy, but upon closer examination, every step was logical, and for a moment, it was impossible to find a single fault.

Those Xianbei people who robbed the goods were of dubious origin, and most of them were just trying to steal the mountain goods.

Since it wasn't their territory, their numbers were naturally small, and they didn't dare to linger.

Therefore, it was only natural that they would retreat after suddenly seeing Yang Can and Kang Quchang leading their men into the valley.

Although most of Steward He's men were dead, it wasn't too difficult for the remaining few to bury the mountain goods in the forest.

In that case, they could simply contact Bald Falcon Evil again and make a separate transaction, but why...?

Li Youcai couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him.

Yang Can said, "The problem lies in the fact that when we were retreating, Kang Quchang accidentally picked up two armor parts."

As you know, armor is a military weapon, and possessing or smuggling it is a capital offense.

Kang Quchang was a loyal man, and without delay, he sent the two parts to Phoenix Manor.

The warlord, of course, could not tolerate the smuggling of military equipment.

The lord then sent someone to investigate, and coincidentally, the person sent was none other than Steward He.

"hiss……"

Li Youcai gasped in shock; the world had changed so drastically.

If you let smugglers investigate smuggling, how can they possibly get a clear answer?

Yang Can seemed to see through his thoughts and nodded, saying, "Steward He would naturally be more than happy to do so."

But he also had concerns. As long as the whereabouts of this batch of mountain goods remained unclear, the clan leader would keep a close eye on the matter.

If the smugglers cannot be identified, the warlord will inevitably strengthen security at all checkpoints.

That would cut off Steward He's source of income.

Li Youcai nodded, but he still couldn't quite figure it out: "So what does he plan to do? He can't just hand himself over, can he?"

"Of course he won't walk right into a trap!"

Yang Can's lips curled into a cold smile: "So, Steward He came up with a plan, preferring to give up this batch of mountain goods in order to dispel the clan leader's suspicions."

After all, as long as the trade routes remain open, he will have plenty of opportunities to make money in the future;
But if the lord becomes suspicious and cuts off his access to resources, then he's truly finished.

"Give up the mountain products?" Li Youcai frowned. "What does he plan to do?"

Yang Can shrugged, his tone laced with sarcasm: "What else can we do? Of course, we can just do what's happening right now."

Steward He already had an assistant in Feng'an Village who had been helping him sell mountain products for many years; this assistant was Zhang Yunyi.

"Zhang Yunyi?" Li Youcai was surprised again, but after thinking about it, he felt it made perfect sense.

Steward He wants to do business with the Hu people through Canglang Gorge. Without the cooperation of the Feng'an Manor Master, he might be able to get away with one or two deals occasionally, but if he does it for a long time, he will eventually be exposed.

As the owner of Feng'an Manor, it would be incredibly easy for Zhang Yunyi to protect Steward He.

Yang Can continued, "So, Steward He told Zhang Yunyi the location where the mountain goods were buried, and asked him to send someone to secretly dig them out and transport them back to Feng'an Village to hide them."

Then, under the pretext of 'investigating smuggling,' he deliberately led me to Canglang Gorge. His purpose was to create an opportunity for Zhang Yunyi.

"What opportunities should we create?"

"An opportunity to frame me! He wants Zhang Yunyi to take control of my manor while I'm away."

Once Zhang Yunyi took control of the Yang residence, he secretly transported the armor into the mansion.

In this way, I would have no way to defend myself, and the framing would be complete.

Li Youcai was dumbfounded. Was such a complicated and unpredictable scheme really not just a story?

Yang Can gave him a deep look and sighed softly, "And you, Deacon Li, are the 'witness' that Deacon He specially left behind."

"I?"

“That’s right! Zhang Yunyi is a local and knows Feng’an Fort like the back of his hand.”

Once he controls the entire fortress, transporting mountain goods and armor into the Yang residence right under your nose will be a piece of cake.

He'll 'find' the stolen goods in front of you, then have you testify. Would the lord not believe him then?

"This……"

"In this way, everyone will think that I, Yang Can, smuggled the mountain goods."

And since I've been short of money lately, this makes even more sense.

As for where I got the goods, I'm sure Steward He already had a plan.

But how long have I been the head of Feng'an Manor? Then everyone will think that I've only been in this smuggling business for a short time.

When the mountain goods are found, and the people who sell them are found, the clan leader will naturally feel at ease.

Steward He not only cleared his name but also helped his accomplice Zhang Yunyi back to the manor lord's residence.

From now on, they can continue to happily sell their mountain goods, which is a win-win situation for everyone. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Li Youcai opened his mouth, swallowed hard, and asked, "But... how did you know all this?"

Yang Can sneered, "The bald-haired falcon evil did indeed ambush in Canglang Gorge, but his target wasn't Steward He, but me!"
"The number of men that Deacon He brought was no less than mine to begin with, and then he found another excuse to send my guards to the Bali tribe."

"At that time, I was the only person on my side in Canglang Gorge."

With Steward He's men and Bald Falcon's ambush, it seemed I had no chance of escaping.

"Because of his smugness, Steward He felt victory was assured, and that's why he showed off to me, telling me the story himself."

Li Youcai felt a chill run down his spine. Yang Can's words were all interconnected and made perfect sense.

But... it makes sense, but where's the evidence?
Without any evidence, even if Yang Can talked until the sky fell, who would believe that the second steward of the Yu family was Master Shan?

Yang Can seemed to see through his doubts and explained, "I arrested several of Steward He's trusted followers."

"If you use torture to interrogate them, you'll definitely get the truth out of them, and then you can confirm whether Steward He is really Master Shan."

Li Youcai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

If there are living witnesses to testify, then no matter how bizarre the story is, people will have no choice but to believe it.

But new questions arose:

Since Yang Can was alone in Canglang Gorge at the time, facing two groups of people, He Deacon and Bald Falcon Evil, how did he manage to escape alive, and even kill He Deacon and capture Bald Falcon Evil alive?
Could it be that Yang Can is hiding his true strength, possessing the courage of a tyrant, capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly?

Li Youcai couldn't help but ask, "Brother Yang, are your martial arts skills really that good?"
In such a doomed situation, you...you could still turn the tide?

Upon hearing this, Yang Can quickly waved his hand, a helpless bitter smile on his face: "Hey, Brother Li, please don't flatter me."

I am just a scholar, weak and powerless, how could I possibly know anything about martial arts?
"Forget about taking on ten men single-handedly, I might not even be able to win against an ordinary retainer."

"Then how did you..."

Yang Can smiled slightly and said, "That's a story for another time."

"Another story?" Li Youcai frowned. He hadn't finished processing this story yet, and his head was starting to throb.

“Brother Li, do you know that when I first took over as the owner of Feng’an Manor, I found a lot of evidence of Zhang Yunyi’s corruption and abuse of power?”

Yang Can said, "Zhang Yunyi's son, in order to protect his family property, went so far as to set fire to the inn and burn me and Zhang Yunyi to death together."

Li Youcai nodded. This matter was too famous; he had already heard about it.

"After that incident, Zhang Yunyi's personality completely changed."

Yang Can said with some disdain, "He not only killed his own son with his own hands, but also disregarded human ethics and forcibly took his daughter-in-law Chen Wan'er."

"what?"

Li Youcai was so shocked that he was speechless. Although he knew that Zhang Yunyi was not a good person, he did not expect that this person would be so heartless and crazy that he would not even spare his own daughter-in-law.

Yang Can sighed and said, "Chen Wan'er is a good woman. How could she be willing to suffer such a humiliation?"

But she was just a weak woman and had no power to resist Zhang Yunyi.

Left with no other option, she feigned submission, while secretly seeking an opportunity for revenge.

"Zhang Yunyi was blinded by beauty and, seeing that Chen Wan'er had 'submitted,' he was no longer on guard against her."

Therefore, Chen Wan'er overheard his secret discussions with Steward He, including how to frame me and how to cover up the smuggling.

Chen Wan'er was worried about not having a chance to take revenge, and after learning this news, she thought of using my power. So..."

Yang Can gently placed the teacup on the table, making a soft "tap" sound.

"Of course I wouldn't just listen to Chen Wan'er's side of the story and then turn the tables on her."

Before heading to Canglang Gorge, I made arrangements in advance, laying a trap even before Bald Falcon Evil!

"Brother! Brother, you, you stop for a moment, let me sort this out."

Li Youcai felt like his head was about to explode. He rubbed his throbbing temples, rolled his eyes, and muttered to himself as he went through the whole story that Yang Can had just told him.

From the moment Steward He was revealed to be the Mountain Master, to the discovery of their activities by the Kang family caravan, to Kang Quchang's discovery of the armor parts, the clan leader's dispatch of Steward He to investigate the case, then Steward He's collaboration with Zhang Yunyi to frame someone, Chen Wan'er's secret tip-off, and finally Yang Can's pre-planned scheme...

Wow, every step is perfectly linked and seamless; there's absolutely no logical flaw!

The only drawback is that most of these claims are based on "Yang Can's statements," and there is currently no concrete evidence.

But if Yang Can really capture Steward He's close aide, and then get the truth out of that aide, then all the questions will be answered.

Since Yang Can dared to say that, he must have real witnesses in his possession.

Li Youcai became increasingly alarmed as he thought about it. He never imagined that Steward He was actually the "Mountain Master" who smuggled mountain goods.

He never expected that Zhang Yunyi had already colluded with Steward He.

If it weren't for Chen Wan'er's secret help, Yang Can would probably have been tricked and killed in this situation.

And everyone in the world will be kept in the dark by Steward He, never having the chance to know the truth again.

Thinking of this, Li Youcai felt a chill run down his spine.

(End of this chapter)