HUS Chapter 19: In Mingde Hall
HUS Chapter 19: In Mingde Hall
Dec 5, 2025
Yu Xiaobao felt very hurt. I'm fighting for your son's position as heir, Second Brother, how can you backstab me?
Yu Xiaobao said urgently, "Second Brother, if even your Ziming isn't qualified, then who among the Yu family's younger generation is qualified..."
"Ahem!" Before Yu Xiaobao could finish, Second Uncle Yu coughed twice, interrupting him.
"Xiaobao, you've been unreliable since childhood. Now you're old enough to be a grandfather yourself, how can you still be so unstable?"
Yu Xiaobao's face instantly flushed red, "Second Uncle, what do you mean by that?"
Second Uncle Yu said calmly, "As the old saying goes, long illness makes a good doctor, and long life makes a wise person. Your elder brother's health is somewhat frail, but it's not a serious ailment. Moreover, both Chengye and Chenglin are from the eldest branch's main line. The rules of seniority and age can't be disrupted... Our Yu family has been passed down for hundreds of years. How can we function without rules?"
Yu Xiaobao retorted, "Second Uncle, weren't these rules all established by people? That boy Chengye had a thin fate and left early. Chenglin is too young. What if something unfortunate happens to him? Our Yu family would have two consecutive heirs die young. What would outsiders think?"
Sixth Uncle Yu suddenly said, "What kind of uncle curses his own nephew like this? Chengye had already reached adulthood when he suffered an accident. If we follow your logic, even if we changed to an adult as heir for the Yu family, could we avoid accidents forever?"
Yu Xiaobao was immediately somewhat surprised. Second Uncle's family has some strength, so it's fine for them to step forward and take a position. But you, Old Sixth, besides occupying seniority, what do you have?
However, though he sensed something amiss, he still couldn't figure out why.
Yu Xiaobao was naturally someone who easily lost his temper. With anger in his heart, he couldn't care about seniority anymore and immediately retorted sarcastically but Yu Huanhu, who had been patiently observing, couldn't help but change expression.
Sixth Uncle's branch could be said to have no power at all, so normally he only dared to seek a sense of presence on harmless topics that didn't make any enemies.
Establishing an heir was such a sensitive major matter. How did Old Sixth dare get involved?
Just as Yu Huanhu realized something was wrong, the various branch elders had already expressed their positions one after another.
"The Yu family's descendants are all naturally good, but thinking long-term, establishing someone from the eldest branch's main line is more stable."
"I share Old Sixth's view. Chenglin should be established as heir."
"Old Sixth speaks reasonably. Considering the long term, establishing Chenglin has more benefits than drawbacks."
The Yu family had been passed down for nearly three hundred years. The entire family's major and minor branches, legitimate and collateral houses now had a total population exceeding six thousand.
As for the various branch heads, there were also about a dozen.
A dozen branch heads plus elders all entered the arena, like a court where ministers stepped forward in succession, each claiming "This old subject seconds the motion!"
For a moment, Sixth Uncle Yu was so excited that even the pockmarks on his face turned red.
He had never been so prominent before. This feeling of everyone responding to his call was truly intoxicating.
Sixth Uncle Yu excitedly had a...
Yu Xinglong quietly waited for all the elders to finish expressing their opinions before turning to Yu Huanhu and calmly asking, "Second Brother, what's your view?"
Master Bao, left out to the side and treated as if invisible, immediately flushed red. He felt like a clown.
"Hehe..." Yu Huanhu laughed hoarsely twice.
Seeing the various branch elders all enter the arena, he knew something he didn't know about must have happened.
Regarding the struggle between the eldest branch's main line and second line, the old foxes of the various branches had always avoided it like the plague. Why would they all enter the arena now?
There was clearly something going on here but he didn't know what had happened that could make these elders all take sides.
Thinking of this, Yu Huanhu smiled calmly and said, "The opinions of the various branch heads and elders are all wise and prudent words. Huanhu also agrees."
For a moment, Yu Xiaobao felt like he wasn't welcome anywhere. His face alternated between green and red. He snorted coldly before shamelessly sitting back in his chair.
Yu Xinglong nodded and said, "Since that's the case, this clan head hereby announces the establishment of Yu Chenglin as heir of the Yu clan. Tomorrow we'll all go to the ancestral hall together to report to our ancestors."
Second Uncle Yu, Sixth Uncle Yu, and others all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
They really feared the eldest branch's main line and second line would come to blows.
Literary combat was fine. With literary combat, they could even profit from it.
Martial combat was absolutely unacceptable. If this family estate was destroyed, they would be the first to suffer.
Therefore, they could only step forward to publicly support establishing Yu Chenglin as heir.
This was the result of Yu Xinglong's individual contact and communication with them over these past few days.
To make the clan head think of the big picture and avoid family division, this was the price they needed to pay.
They believed Yu Huanhu was also secretly grateful to them in his heart.
Who told you to dare commit such an act that defied universal condemnation?
Having done it, you even left loose ends that gave others leverage.
Although this leverage lacked sufficient witnesses and physical evidence, if the clan head truly flew into a rage, could you demand strict standards from an old man full of grief over losing his son?
At the same time, the various branch heads and elders also meant to admonish Yu Huanhu through this, because assassination crossed their bottom line.
If you have the ability, by all means compete, but you can't use assassination.
Today you dare assassinate the heir. Tomorrow, if I don't support you competing for clan head, will you assassinate me too?
Seeing Yu Huanhu wisely make concessions, the old fellows all secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Second Uncle Yu said, "Clan head, it's the busy spring plowing season. Each branch has many affairs to handle. Since the heir's status has been determined, after we sacrifice to our ancestors tomorrow, can we each descend the mountain?"
Sixth Uncle Yu said, "Yes, the clan head has also been overworked these past days. You should rest well."
Yu Xinglong smiled slightly. Before he could speak, an aged and robust voice rang out from outside Mingde Hall, "Everyone wait. Suo Er has something to say!"
A vigorous old man in his early fifties strode into Mingde Hall.
The old man was tall. Though his back was slightly hunched, he still appeared about nine feet tall.
A half-bald head, heavy and messy grizzled eyebrows, a large hooked nose. He had considerable commanding presence when he looked around.
Yu Xinglong immediately stood up from the main seat and cupped his hands, "Second Master Suo."
Among the elders and branch heads in Mingde Hall, some didn't know Suo Hong. At least those without real power like Sixth Uncle Yu didn't know him. However, now that the clan head treated this person with such courtesy and called out the three words "Second Master Suo," even those who didn't know now understood.
If expectations were correct, this should be Second Master Suo Hong of Jincheng's Suo family.
Suo Hong's grizzled eyebrows slightly raised. He said in a deep voice, "Yu Clan Head, Suo has just received news that the death of your Yu family's designated heir wasn't done by bandits plundering wealth, but was instigated by someone who used plundering as a pretext for assassination."
As soon as these words came out, the entire hall was shocked.
Those who originally didn't know about this were naturally greatly shocked. The elders who had previously gone to the dungeon with Yu Xinglong also suddenly understood.
They all thought that establishing Yu Chenglin as heir was the clan head's condition for giving up attacking Yu Huanhu. So the clan head's appetite wasn't limited to this?
The clan head played the role of a grief-stricken army, gained their support, established the heir, and now through Suo Hong's mouth was attacking again?
Yu Xinglong knew these elders would be somewhat dissatisfied with him, but in his heart was only cold laughter.
This was an opportunity his son had won for him with his life. How could just one heir position satisfy him?
Yu Xinglong showed a shocked expression and asked in surprise, "What? Such a thing happened? Who was the mastermind?"
"Of course it's..."
Second Master Suo extended a finger and slowly passed it before everyone, finally stopping on Yu Huanhu, "Him, your Yu family's eldest branch second line, Yu, Huan, Hu!"
The people in Mingde Hall were shocked again. All the clamor turned to silence. Only the pattering of rain sounded outside the hall.
Looking at that finger pointing at him like a sword, Yu Huanhu slowly stood up.
Yu Huanhu said coldly, "Second Master Suo, one may eat carelessly, but one cannot speak carelessly."
Yu Xiaobao had been ignored by his elder and second brothers all along, making him lose face.
He was sitting there resentfully. Seeing such a scene, he couldn't help but secretly become excited again.
If the eldest branch's main line and eldest branch second line fought and both suffered losses, would my eldest branch third line have a chance to get ahead?
Suo Hong said coldly, "After your Yu family's designated heir Yu Chengye was killed, Yu Clan Head sent Steward Yi She to receive the coffin. Steward Yi learned they had captured a bandit alive. He interrogated this bandit, and the bandit personally confessed that you instigated them to kill Yu Chengye."
Yu Huanhu shouted angrily, "Nonsense! How could Yu harm his own nephew? Second Master Suo, bring that bandit here. I want to confront him in this hall."
Suo Er looked at Yu Xinglong with a cold smile, "Suo also wanted to question that bandit in detail. I heard that bandit has already been imprisoned by you, Clan Head?"
Yu Xinglong was silent for a moment before answering, "That bandit's injuries were too severe. Not long after being imprisoned in the water dungeon, he died."
Hearing this, Yu Huanhu immediately felt relieved.
He wasn't stupid. How could he not see that Elder Brother was staging this play in coordination with Suo Er? He just wasn't certain how big Elder Brother's appetite was.
If Elder Brother pressed too hard, he could only fight to the death but once the eldest branch's main line and eldest branch second line fought, they were destined to both suffer losses.
At that time, the other seven clans would immediately pounce like vultures eating carrion to dismember and devour the Yu clan.
As clan head, Elder Brother naturally didn't want to face such a situation. Yu Huanhu, who had designs on replacing him, equally didn't want such a situation to occur.
Now that "bandit" was "dead," this meant Elder Brother didn't want to fight him to the death.
Knowing Elder Brother's bottom line, Yu Huanhu became composed and said coldly, "So Second Master Suo currently has not a shred of evidence, relying only on sharp teeth and a clever tongue to forcibly accuse Yu of being a criminal?"
Suo Hong said sternly, "That bandit is dead? Even if that bandit is dead, there's still corroborating evidence. Suo Er requests that Yu Clan Head summon him to Mingde Hall to speak clearly before everyone!"
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