HUS Chapter 48: One Can Be a Chess Piece, But Not a Discarded Piece
HUS Chapter 48: One Can Be a Chess Piece, But Not a Discarded Piece
Dec 21, 2025
Yang Can wanted to create the curved-shaft plow.
If he truly managed to create this plow, it should be called the "Yang Can Plow."
His name, Yang Can, would become famous throughout the land along with this plow.
Yang Can couldn't claim to have much understanding of the curved-shaft plow. However, while it had an enormous effect on improving productivity, it wasn't some kind of high technology.
Yang Can knew the general principles of the curved-shaft plow, and he had Li Yue, a craftsman who had made farming tools his entire life.
With the two of them working together in full cooperation, one responsible for providing design concepts and rough specifications, the other for actual implementation, things would be much easier because of this, Yang Can threw himself into it with even more dedication.
Yang Can had been selected in Nanny Tu's scheme because of the appearance his parents had given him but his counterattack against Nanny Tu, forcing Suo Zhanzhi to cooperate, making Yu Xinglong feel he had value, all these series of maneuvers relied on his own intelligence and talent.
Unfortunately, judging from the series of arrangements the Clan Head had given him, he wasn't being treated as a chess piece, but rather as a discarded piece.
If you treat me as a chess piece, I would naturally be willing.
Before one is qualified to be a chess player, becoming a chess piece first is also a necessary path but if you treat me as a discarded piece, then I cannot allow myself to be manipulated at will.
What Yang Can now had to face wasn't just which day nine months from now Suo Zhanzhi would give birth to a boy or a girl.
There was also the crisis from Yu Xinglong.
Yu Xinglong had assigned him to be a steward in the eldest branch, putting the six major estates and three major pastures under his management.
This kind of arrangement, from the very beginning, had already determined his ultimate purpose.
In this game of chess, he was a "sacrificial piece" that the Clan Head had prepared.
Either, when the Clan Head was ready to cross the river and tear down the bridge, he would take the lead in breaking with the Suo family, and then his death would be used to appease the Suo family's anger.
Or, when the six major estates had poor harvests and the Clan Head was questioned by the entire clan, he would be pushed out as a scapegoat.
Yang Can didn't want to become a discarded piece, so he had to make himself increasingly important.
If he could achieve a transcendent status like Yi She, then even though he was a household retainer, the masters couldn't casually manipulate him.
On the contrary, the various branches of the Yu family would have to work hard to recruit him and win his support for themselves but, there were only so many positions.
If Yang Can wanted to get ahead, following the conventional step-by-step method would take decades before his turn came, and at the same time, he didn't have that much time for maneuvering.
Therefore, he could only find an alternative path.
His focus on Feng'an Estate was actually pursuing this very idea, he wanted to turn Feng'an Estate into something in his pocket then his usefulness would increase and now, he had discovered another opportunity to make himself important.
As long as he could create the "Yang Can Plow," he could become famous throughout the land.
Becoming famous throughout the land was also a kind of "power."
...
At night, in the study, nine lotus-branch copper lamps illuminated the study brightly.
Young Master Zhang sat in a side chair and silently yawned.
He turned his face away and quietly wiped away the tears squeezed out by suppressing his yawn.
It was so late, he hadn't really wanted to come, but he was the Zhang family's eldest son and should shoulder more of the family's important responsibilities.
Although Zhang Yunyi wasn't very satisfied with this eldest son, he could only steel himself to cultivate him.
Field Supervisor Peng Jin and Estate Head Lai Gulu were led in by Steward Wan Tai.
Lai Gulu respectfully presented a paper covered with messy lines to Zhang Yunyi with both hands.
This was what he and Peng Jin had secretly observed Yang Can drawing on the ground, then drawn from memory after returning.
Zhang Yunyi sat behind his desk, looking at the paper full of messy lines in his hand, his brows knitted into a knot.
"This, this is what Steward Yang has been busying himself with for half the day?"
"Yes, Steward Yang said he wants to change the straight shaft of that plow into a curved shaft. Steward Yang said that as long as it's modified according to what he said, it will be much lighter, saving both human and animal labor."
"Oh? So do you think this is feasible?"
While speaking, Zhang Yunyi handed the "blueprint" to Wan Tai, who then passed it to Young Master Zhang.
Young Master Zhang pretended to examine the blueprint carefully.
Peng Jin said with difficulty, "Estate Head, although I am the Field Supervisor, I don't actually plow fields myself. As for whether what Steward Yang is pondering over is feasible or not, even Blacksmith Li can't say for sure. I..."
"Mm," Zhang Yunyi nodded, and his furrowed brow relaxed slightly.
That changing the shaft from straight to curved could greatly save human and animal labor, this was like using pulleys when hoisting, it belonged to the realm of physics knowledge. However, a person who didn't understand physics, even if you let them see this thing, they still wouldn't understand why it worked this way.
Therefore, many things that modern people take for granted and can see through at a glance, in this era, they might not understand.
Many craftsmen, although their skills were exquisite, only knew the "how" but not the "why" of what they created, so naturally it was difficult to improve things.
Since even the Field Supervisor and Blacksmith Li weren't confident whether this improved plow would be useful, Estate Head Zhang set this matter aside for now.
He stroked his beard and said suspiciously, "Steward Yang came down from the mountain with such fanfare, and the result is, just this?"
Peng Jin and Lai Gulu exchanged glances, and Lai Gulu said, "Estate Head, perhaps this person has no intention of making things difficult for us at all?"
Young Master Zhang crossed his legs and said lazily, "Then why did he come? Just to go back like this? He might as well not have come at all. How will he explain to the Clan Head and the eldest branch's young mistress when he goes back?"
Lai Gulu said in a low voice, "Estate Head, Young Master, I heard that when the Clan Head was discussing the establishment of an heir at Mingde Hall, the Suo family insisted that Second Master killed the heir. At that time, it was this Steward Yang, who was still the heir's adviser then, who insisted on saying that the Suo family had harmed the heir. If not for this, Second Master might not have been able to retreat unscathed that day. Do you think perhaps, this Steward Yang..."
Zhang Yunyi understood, his eyes flickering as he said, "You mean this person intends to pledge himself to Second Master, so that day he deliberately muddied the waters to exonerate Second Master. Now that he's inspecting Feng'an Estate, deliberately raising his hand high but bringing it down gently, he's also showing goodwill toward our Second Master?"
Peng Jin said, "Estate Head, it's not impossible."
Young Master Zhang curled his lip and snorted coldly, "If that's the case, why did the Clan Head arrange for him to be steward of the six major estates? You say his heart is with Second Master, oh! So the Clan Head then gave the properties that Second Master returned to someone whose heart is with Second Master? Does that make sense?"
Lai Gulu said, "Young Master, is it possible that the Clan Head knows he's unreliable, and also knows that these six major estates can't possibly be peacefully taken back, so that's why he made him this steward?"
Young Master Zhang glared, "Why? Is the Clan Head sick in the head?"
Zhang Yunyi became annoyed, slapped the table, and scolded, "Why, why, why, why do you have so many whys all day long! If you have so many whys, why don't you think about why exactly! Of course, once the six major estates have severe poor harvests and all the branches make trouble, they'll use Yang Can to fill the hole!"
Young Master Zhang's face turned bright red from the scolding, and he said sheepishly, "Then why..."
"Shut your mouth!"
Estate Head Zhang was so angry his head ached, and Young Master Zhang resentfully closed his mouth.
Although unconvinced, he didn't dare provoke his old man further.
Zhang Yunyi turned to Peng Jin and Lai Gulu and said in a deep voice, "Since Steward Yang is determined to improve farming tools, let him do it! If he lacks people, we'll give him people. If he lacks materials, we'll give him materials. If he lacks money, we'll give him money, whatever he needs, we'll provide."
Lai Gulu and Peng Jin quickly responded in agreement, secretly delighted in their hearts.
With the Estate Head being so generous, they could profit from this.
They had originally thought this was a troublesome task, but unexpectedly, hehe.
Zhang Yunyi instructed further, "Of course, you still need to keep a close watch on him for me, to prevent accidents."
After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yunyi said to Wan Tai, "Steward, have Xiaotan seduce Accountant Li into bed. If Steward Yang harbors ill intentions toward me, then his methods will surely fall on this Accountant Li."
...
Wheat irrigated by river water, ground into fine powder with the finest stone mill, then kneaded with water mixed flour into a dough in a pottery urn, repeatedly pushed and kneaded on a cutting board.
Finally, it was placed back in the pottery steamer to let it slowly awaken in the steam. At this time, with just a pair of skillful hands, it could be stretched and pulled into threads fine as silver.
When it was scooped from the boiling pot and placed in a large celadon bowl, a spoonful of sesame oil poured over would create an amber-colored halo in the soup.
Sprinkle newly brewed fermented bean sauce and chopped spring chives over the fresh soup, then cover it piece by piece with succulent roasted sliced lamb, and it was complete.
Chef Zhu placed the large bowl of noodles along with pepper, dogwood, and salt containers on a tray, lifted it with one hand, and floated out of the kitchen.
"Steward Yang, here are the noodles you requested."
Chef Zhu placed the noodles in front of Yang Can and grabbed his apron, habitually rubbing his hands.
Yang Can sat there, and immediately the fragrance of the noodles and the freshness of the soup rushed to meet him.
"Good, excellent craftsmanship."
Yang Can hadn't expected that even a late-night snack could be made so delicious.
He added salt, pepper, and dogwood according to his own taste, then gently stirred it open with chopsticks.
As he methodically performed these steps, Chef Zhu stood to one side, slightly bent at the waist, his back to the outside and his mouth was quietly making sounds, "Steward, sir, Da Kuan says, following your instructions, sir, he has already arranged for people to act and will soon obtain the information you want, sir."
Yang Can calmly used his chopsticks to lift a strand of noodles.
The wheat flour fragrance from the yellow earth and the lamb fragrance from the Dragon River beach, plus the pepper flavor from the Western Regions and the dogwood flavor from Helan Mountain, greatly stimulated one's appetite.
Yang Can listened to Chef Zhu speak without showing any reaction, eating his noodles unhurriedly.
Chef Zhu was of course not his real name, it was just that he had been a cook for so long that his name hadn't been called for a very long time.
His name was Zhu Weipeng, a very resounding and imposing name.
Perhaps his father had hoped back then that this child would grow up to slay thieves and enemies, achieve merit and establish his career, and become a mighty and imposing great general. However, many years later, his blade edge cleaved not enemy armor, but the spines of pigs and sheep.
What his arms pulled open was not a bowstring, but trembling stretched noodles.
What illuminated his face was not the beacon fires on signal towers, but the leaping flames in the stove yet wasn't this also another kind of battlefield command?
When his ladle knocked against the pot rim, the clang it made was the cook's "general's order."
He was Cheng Dakuan's brother-in-law, the head chef of Feng'an Estate. His name was Zhu Weipeng.
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