HUS Chapter 58: Turn Dark, My Estate Head
HUS Chapter 58: Turn Dark, My Estate Head
Dec 26, 2025
Zhang Yunyi's family members only knew they were no longer free but they didn't know this fire had been set by Estate Head Zhang's good eldest son, Zhang Xinran.
They were even less clear about the true situation at the granary area, because the Suo family's people had already sealed off the scene.
The Zhang family members, based only on what they knew, poured out their grievances to Zhang Xiaomi in a cacophony of voices.
Zhang Xiaomi listened and flew into a rage.
He tapped his cane forcefully on the ground and shouted sternly, "How innocent is our estate head? Even if the estate's managers were guilty, how many of them committed crimes worthy of execution? Your eldest branch just detained them, and now they've all perished in a great fire. Who will bear this responsibility?"
Zhang Xiaomi deliberately included those managers.
Because he saw that Feng'an Estate's common people were gathering around, and among them there must be family members of those managers.
As long as he incited them to don mourning clothes and cry their way up Phoenix Mountain together, they could naturally pressure the Clan Head.
"You must give this old man an explanation, give our Zhang family and the families of the managers an explanation!"
As Zhang Xiaomi spoke, he tremblingly charged toward a Suo family guard blocking his way.
"Uncle Xiaomi, the managers and I are all perfectly fine. What explanation do you want?"
A voice suddenly rang out. The Zhang family members, hearing it, were struck as if by lightning and froze in place.
This... this was Zhang Yunyi's voice!
Wasn't he burned to ashes? Was this a ghost?
Zhang Yunyi walked out step by step from among the common people who had stepped aside in astonishment.
Behind him were all the managers of Feng'an Estate.
Zhang Xiaomi was shocked and stammered, "Yun... Yunyi!"
Zhang Yunyi said grimly, "Uncle, seeing your nephew still alive, are you surprised? Are you shocked?"
Zhang Xiaomi's throat made gurgling sounds as he momentarily couldn't speak.
The Zhang family's inner family members were overjoyed, but only Young Master Zhang's face was ashen.
Zhang Yunyi looked deeply at his son. A flash of deep pain flickered in his eyes, then turned into ash-like relief.
The one who wanted to burn him to ashes was his own flesh and blood.
He slowly turned around and looked at the common people of Feng'an Estate.
"Fellow villagers of Feng'an Estate, my Zhang family is unfortunate!"
Zhang Yunyi suddenly pointed at Zhang Xinran, his voice shrill.
"This unfilial son, behind my back, harmed our masters and committed many unconscionable acts. Now that the eldest branch sent Steward Yang to inspect, knowing he couldn't hide it, he colluded with his great-uncle to kill both me and Steward Yang!"
At these words, the common people immediately erupted in uproar.
Patricide?
At any time, this was an explosive topic.
The Zhang family's inner family members were greatly surprised to hear this.
Madam Zhang said hesitantly, "Husband, such a major matter cannot be taken lightly..."
Zhang Yunyi looked at her coldly.
As his wedded wife, Madam Zhang had never seen such a cold look in her husband's eyes and was silenced.
Zhang Yunyi suddenly smiled, "Madam, if it weren't true, do you think I would falsely accuse my own flesh and blood?"
Madam Zhang was at a loss for words, her expression becoming extremely ugly.
Between husband and son, she didn't want to give up either, but now father and son were turning on each other.
Zhang Yunyi waved his hand and shouted sternly, "Someone, seize Zhang Xiaomi and Zhang Xinran!"
Kang Zhengyang and Leopard Head immediately moved, reaching for Zhang Xiaomi and Zhang Xinran.
"Rip!"
Kang Zhengyang's five fingers spread wide but only grabbed Zhang Xiaomi's clothes.
The old fellow pulled a "hegemon removes armor" on him, shrugging his shoulders and lunging forward, leaving only a robe behind.
The old fellow usually appeared decrepit, but now moved like a startled rabbit.
The old rabbit, gripping his cane, charged toward Yang Can.
The person with the highest status on the scene was Yang Can.
The one who looked least capable of fighting was also Yang Can.
As long as he captured him, he could use him as a hostage.
Yang Can's hand suddenly reached toward his waist.
When researching the curved-shaft plow with Blacksmith Li, he had Li's young apprentice forge a stack of iron tokens for him.
A stack of thin wrought iron pieces, supposedly to be used for making leaf cards.
Using iron for leaf cards was certainly possible, but as they were just toys, few people used iron to make them but since Yang Can requested it, Blacksmith Li naturally agreed and these iron tokens were now tucked in his leather waist guard.
Leather waist guards were mostly used by soldiers and warriors, but were also tools for riders to reduce lower back strain.
When traveling in Longshang, one often rode horses, so Yang Can also wore a relatively wide leather waist guard.
The iron tokens were inserted in his leather waist guard, leaving only a finger's width exposed at the top.
Yang Can's hand had just touched the iron tokens when a figure flashed past his side, incredibly swift.
The old rabbit hopped over, drawing the sword from his cane but the figure that flashed past Yang Can's side glided past like a swimming fish.
Staying close to Zhang Xiaomi's cane-sword, dangerously close yet exquisitely precise, in a flash, the figure had already crashed into Zhang Xiaomi's embrace, palms crossing, force erupting.
Although Zhang Xiaomi wasn't as decrepit as he appeared, he also wasn't any kind of combat expert.
He had been able to escape Kang Zhengyang's grasp entirely because his usual decrepit appearance was too deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Now, with two palms striking between his chest and abdomen, Zhang Xiaomi, already old with declining vitality and brittle bones, there was a "bang" sound as his chest immediately caved in. His body fell backward, vomiting fresh blood skyward.
Zhang Xiaomi crashed heavily to the ground, sliding back nearly a zhang.
"Grandfather!"
His three grandsons cried out and tried to rush forward, but the steel blades at their necks immediately pressed down.
"You... you are..."
This elder with the highest seniority in the Zhang family asked with his dying breath.
Three of his ribs were broken, and his sternum had collapsed.
He spat blood in great mouthfuls, staring fixedly at the figure before him but that person didn't look at him, instead turning gracefully. He only saw a charming back.
Qingmei looked at Yang Can and smiled sweetly.
"Master, don't be afraid. I said I would protect you, and I always keep my word!"
...
"Estate Head Zhang, do you think we should report what happened here to the Clan Head and let him decide, or..."
After sending everyone else away, Yang Can very politely inquired of Zhang Yunyi.
"No, they are Zhang's family members. This is Zhang's family matter, so... Zhang wishes to personally clean house one last time as the Zhang family patriarch."
Zhang Yunyi stepped back, lifted his robe hem, and knelt before Yang Can.
"Please grant me this, Steward Yang!"
With this kneel, his robe became stained with much black ash.
The place where Yang Can questioned him was precisely this guest quarters area that had been burned to white ground.
"Since that's the case, I'll leave everything to you."
Yang Can patted Zhang Yunyi's shoulder, "You know, I'm a scholar. I can't bear to see killing."
Yang Can shook his head, sighed, and turned to walk away.
Zhang Yunyi slowly stood up and calmly said to Leopard Head, "Guard Cheng, please escort all these people to the grain-drying ground."
Cheng Dakuan nodded and strode off.
The grain-drying ground was the threshing floor where Kang Zhengyang had assembled the corps soldiers at night.
This was an open space in the village. When the estate head summoned the villagers to announce important matters, it was also here.
Today, the great bell of Feng'an Estate rang out.
This was the order to assemble all the villagers.
The villagers, helping the old and carrying the young, began converging on the grain-drying ground from all directions.
In the center of the square was an earthen platform more than two feet high.
This was where the estate punished common people who violated village rules or outside thieves.
Six wooden posts stood on the earthen platform. Young Master Zhang, the dying Zhang Xiaomi, and Zhang Xiaomi's three grandsons were all bound to the posts.
Below the platform was another group also bound, including those estate managers who had nearly been burned to death.
Zhang Yunyi stood on the platform, his expression very calm.
Everyone thought he was dead, but he wasn't.
Everyone thought he had fallen, but... he hadn't yet.
He was still the one in charge of Feng'an Estate. Yang Can didn't even show his shadow, because he was kind.
Only Madam Zhang, who had been married to Zhang Yunyi for many years, saw the hint of madness in her husband's eyes.
She felt her husband was abnormal now, very abnormal.
No wonder. Just one day ago, he was still the patriarch of the Zhang family, the head of the household.
Overnight, he suffered the most painful betrayal.
He had devoted all his efforts to this family but the reward he received was to be turned into a pile of charcoal.
Everything he had guarded and persisted in had become a joke.
Those who wanted to kill him were his own relatives, they just hadn't succeeded.
Now he wanted to kill his own relatives in return. How could his mental state possibly be normal?
Those bound on the platform all had rags stuffed in their mouths.
Their faces showed terror, but they couldn't speak a word.
The dying Zhang Xiaomi was an elder, so he was granted a dignified death, strangulation.
This was the punishment decision issued by Zhang family patriarch Zhang Yunyi according to clan rules.
Even if the Clan Head came in person, he couldn't prevent them from executing family law.
Soon, Zhang Xiaomi was lifted onto a simple gallows by Zhang family guards.
When he finally stopped struggling on the gallows, urine from incontinence dripped from his shoes to the ground.
At this point, Zhang Yunyi began announcing the punishment for the others.
Young Master Zhang and his three cousins were tightly bound to the posts, unable to move.
A squad of corps soldiers carried more than ten large baskets on long poles to the front of the platform.
In the baskets were goose-egg-sized stones.
In remote villages, using private punishment to resolve problems was very common.
Drowning in ponds, lighting sky lanterns, stoning to death, these were all punishment methods commonly used in Longshang estates and tribes.
The main appeal was having a sense of ceremony while using local materials and not wasting mone and among these, the punishment with the most painful and longest death process was naturally "stoning."
This cruel punishment was not only painful in process but also required mobilizing all villagers to collectively carry out the punishment.
Therefore, it was only applicable to heinous crimes that seriously violated universal values.
The most common such crimes were incest and patricide.
Young Master Zhang and his three cousins had committed precisely this kind of unforgivable crime.
Even though Zhang Yunyi had previously appeared very calm, now the flesh on his cheeks was trembling.
He stood on the platform and shouted sternly, "Everyone act together and stone these unconscionable beasts to death."
"Spare them! Spare them!" someone shouted from afar.
By the time they shouted the second phrase, they were much closer, clearly riding swiftly on horseback.
Zhang Yunyi paid no attention and shouted sternly, "Why aren't you acting!"
Zhang family steward Wan Tai's eyes turned fierce. He was the first to rush forward, grab a stone, and hurl it viciously at the platform.
As he threw, he screamed hoarsely, "Everyone act! The estate head is watching from the platform!"
Countless stones flew toward the platform like raindrops.
Watching her son become covered in blood and gore in an instant, Madam Zhang couldn't help but scream and immediately fainted to the ground but Zhang Yunyi stared wide-eyed, watching with satisfaction on his face.
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