HUS Chapter 33: Night Visit
Dec 16, 2025
In the flower hall of the eldest branch's rear residence, Yu Xinglong and Suo Hong sat upright with serious expressions.
They slowly rotated the teacups in their hands, their preoccupations completely unconcealed.
Second Master Suo had originally been busy taking over the trade routes the Yu family was transferring.
He needed to establish the Suo family's commercial channels on Yu family territory, expanding the Suo family's commercial empire.
Among the Eight Great Clans, the Suo family's "commerce" was truly distinctive. However, whether Suo Zhanzhi was pregnant was too important for the Suo family, so he had to be present.
Among the three gynecological experts they'd invited, one was someone Second Master Suo had found.
"Congratulations, Master! Felicitations, Master! Our young mistress is with child!"
The three physicians were still exchanging opinions when a matron had already come running to report the good news to the Clan Head.
Hearing her say "congratulations," Second Master Suo's eyes immediately burst with radiance.
Yu Xinglong's expression, however, was somewhat indescribable.
The messenger woman had no idea her master's mood was so complex. She dropped to her knees with a "thud."
The matron firmly knocked her head on the ground and said joyfully, "Master, Second Master Suo, our young mistress is with child!"
Yu Xinglong's fingers trembled slightly, and scalding tea spilled onto his hand but his hand only trembled slightly, still steadily holding the teacup, as if he felt no pain at all.
Finally, the first shoe had dropped. His daughter-in-law... was pregnant but was this child truly his son's flesh and blood?
Once the seed of suspicion was planted, this doubt became like a venomous snake, nesting in his heart, occasionally striking out to bite him but he had no way to verify it.
In this era, there was no technical means to make a reliable determination about such matters.
This was one reason why high officials and nobles, emperors and generals kept such strict watch over their inner quarters. However, counting backward from when Suo Zhanzhi became pregnant, she had indeed conceived on the bridal escort journey.
At that time, she was in the escort procession, under the watchful eyes of so many people from both the Yu and Suo families, sleeping side by side with his son. How could there possibly have been another man?
Therefore, this child should be his son's flesh and blood, right?
But... his son had been determined to die. Had he truly not maintained control?
The corners of Yu Xinglong's mouth twitched as he tried to appear happy, but for a moment he couldn't produce the appropriate expression.
Second Master Suo, however, was already laughing toward the heavens, "Ahahaha, good, excellent! Although Chengye has passed, heaven has shown mercy and left him an heir! Good, excellent indeed, hahaha..."
"Brother Yu, congratulations, congratulations!" Second Master Suo turned to Yu Xinglong with a smile.
Yu Xinglong forcibly suppressed the tangled thoughts in his heart and squeezed out a smile, "Joint congratulations, joint congratulations. Ha, hahaha..."
Yu Xinglong's laugh looked worse than crying. However, Old Second Suo didn't find anything strange about it. The Clan Head of the Yu clan was clearly crying tears of joy. Very normal.
Second Master Suo rubbed his half-bald head and looked toward the messenger matron whose face was all smiles, "I'll make the decision for Clan Head Yu. Everyone in the eldest branch, top to bottom, will receive rewards. You, old woman, are especially clever, bringing this old man the good news he most wanted to hear. This old man rewards you with a hundred taels of silver."
The messenger woman was overjoyed. Her breathless running hadn't been in vain after all.
The steward matron immediately kowtowed in thanks, "This slave thanks Second Master Suo for the reward."
Yu Xinglong steadied himself and cleared his throat, "My son has only recently passed, so naturally we shouldn't make too grand a celebration. However, my son left behind flesh and blood. This is also a great joy for the Yu family. Let's do this: starting today, the young mistress's household expenses will double. For all personnel in the eldest branch, top to bottom, this month's salary will double. Those at steward level and above will each receive a banquet feast as a reward."
The steward matron joyfully kowtowed to Yu Xinglong again, "This slave thanks Master on behalf of everyone. This slave will go tell everyone the good news right away."
The steward matron rushed off in a flurry.
Yu Xinglong was still struggling internally. Was the child in his daughter-in-law's belly truly Yu family flesh and blood? Was it really?
The messenger steward woman ran light as a swallow to the hanging flower gate connecting the inner and outer residences, stood on the steps, chest out and belly forward, radiant with spirit.
"Great joy for the master's family! The young mistress is with child! The Master has ordered that for everyone in the eldest branch, top to bottom, this month's salary will double. Those at steward level and above will each receive a banquet feast as reward!"
The front residence stewards who had been making excuses to linger in various nearby side rooms gossiping all rushed out upon hearing this news.
The young mistress was pregnant. The eldest branch's position was secure!
Well, to be precise, for at least nine months it was secure.
In any case, originally it had only been a one-in-four chance of winning. Slim odds.
Now it had changed from one-in-four probability to one-in-two. The advantage was theirs.
"Hahaha, the master's family is blessed, and we've caught some of that joy too!"
"Yes, yes, great joy, great joy!"
The stewards were all beaming with smiles.
Of course, they couldn't say "joint congratulations." This was the master's family's joyous occasion. They weren't qualified to offer "joint congratulations."
...
Night had fallen, but the eldest branch, inside and out, remained full of jubilation.
In the "Lower Kitchen" dining hall, today Li Damu the accountant had claimed his reward of "one banquet feast," inviting all the stewards to drink and celebrate together.
First Steward Li Youcai naturally had to sit at the head seat, but in the second seat, Yang Can's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Li Damu had invited Yang Can, but Yang Can said he was suffering from a minor ailment and needed to rest.
The minor ailment was false. More likely, this Steward Yang who had always opposed the Suo family was unhappy in his heart upon learning the young mistress was pregnant.
Therefore, the considerate Accountant Li didn't insist on inviting him again.
Inside the rear residence, Suo Zhanzhi sat languidly before her vanity mirror.
As the emotions of joy and excitement gradually faded, she inevitably felt tired.
So she only bathed briefly before changing into a gauzy silk undergarment.
Her shapely body's curves presented gentle and flowing lines beneath the thin, soft silk robe.
Her hair, especially lustrous just after bathing, cascaded over her fair shoulders.
Like the leaves of a magnolia flower, though not competing for color, they enhanced the color all the more.
That vermillion face in the bronze rhombus-patterned mirror appeared even more charming as a result.
Finally... she had a child. At least all that hard work of one... several times hadn't been in vain.
Thinking of those several times of "hard work," Suo Zhanzhi's heart suddenly felt a little itchy.
She actually somewhat missed the feeling of being tormented beyond recognition. How sick!
Suo Zhanzhi mentally spat at herself and unconsciously caressed her lower abdomen.
How wondrous it was. Just like that, just that one time, a living life was now being nurtured in her belly.
It was just that at this moment, she didn't yet know the sex of this child... Nine months from now would be another difficult trial for her.
If at that time the child born wasn't a boy, she didn't know if she could smoothly pass that hurdle.
Suo Zhanzhi sighed softly and picked up her ivory comb to brush her beautiful hair.
Whenever her mood was troubled, she liked to use this action to calm herself.
Her soft, black beautiful hair draped over her fair, delicate shoulders like black silk, making that skin appear even more translucent and lustrous, like fine white jade.
Suddenly, her delicate body trembled, and a startled cry nearly escaped her lips but a large hand had already swiftly covered her mouth.
Suo Zhanzhi's beautiful eyes widened in shock, but quickly calmed down again because in that mirror, polished to show every detail, she saw Yang Can's face.
Yang Can's hand released her. Suo Zhanzhi took a deep breath and twisted around from her embroidered stool.
Before her, Yang Can wore a lanshan robe. He hadn't changed into night clothes or even covered his face.
It was a face with distinct features and handsome angles, his bearing especially upright.
"Are you crazy? How dare you sneak into the inner residence like this, and... dressed this way?"
Yang Can chuckled softly, "Trespassing in the inner residence, if I'm not discovered, nothing happens. If I am discovered, the more I disguise myself, wouldn't that make things even harder to explain?"
Suo Zhanzhi said nervously, "What did you come here for? It's very dangerous."
Yang Can said, "Isn't it because you're pregnant? If I didn't see you even once, how could that make sense?"
Yang Can sighed, "The child in your belly is also my flesh and blood."
Suo Zhanzhi said irritably, "But if you're discovered by someone... you shouldn't have come."
"But I'm already here."
After saying this, Yang Can felt a strange sensation.
To avoid their dialogue becoming "Gu Long-style," Yang Can quickly changed the subject.
"Since you're already pregnant, we have no choice but to continue following the path Nanny Tu planned."
Although they were following Nanny Tu's plan, originally they were working for someone else. Now they were seeking their own IPO listing. The significance was vastly different.
Yang Can said, "These past days, many people have been watching and waiting. They need to wait for results before they can make their choices. I'm the same. I had to wait for news from your side before I could determine whether I should compete next, and how. Now, we're only one step away from the final choice. And for this last step, we can also find ways to make it go according to the result we want."
A sudden impulse surged in Suo Zhanzhi's heart. She wanted to tell Yang Can there was no need to try to control the entire eldest branch, no need to prepare for the "substitution" nine months later.
Even if this child was a girl, she would accept it.
Even if she lost her position as the powerful young mistress of the eldest branch and could only live in idle comfort from then on, she would accept it.
As long as this child could grow up safely and happily but if she lost everything they were fighting for, could the child truly grow up safely and happily?
Even if the child grew up smoothly, wouldn't they also become a sacrifice for family interests, just like her?
Yang Can said, "From now on, I'll start doing certain things purposefully. You handle the rear residence. I'll be responsible for the outer estate. In any case, you must remember one thing: you must keep pretending to dislike me, make things difficult for me, resist me..."
Suo Zhanzhi rolled her eyes at him, "I really don't need to pretend that."
Yang Can laughed, "Alright, whether your mouth is tough or not, don't I know?"
Suo Zhanzhi's pretty face immediately flushed red. She lifted her crystalline, frost-white little foot in reproach and kicked his shin.
The foot had been pulled from her soft-soled sleeping shoes, soft and fluffy, with no destructive power whatsoever.
Yang Can said, "Nine months. Use nine months to forge the eldest branch's inner residence into an ironclad unit. Can you do it?