After getting off his errand, Chen Guanlou walked home slowly. As soon as I sat down and took two bites of food, there was a knock on the courtyard door. He stepped on straw sandals and opened the door, and saw Liu Xiaochuan standing outside the door. Liu Xiaochuan's face was abnormally white, his eyebrows were downcast, and he looked lifeless, as if his energy had been sucked dry by a demon and he would collapse at any time. Chen Guanlou asked him, "Why are you here? How many days have you not slept?" Liu Xiaochuan looked up at him, pursed his lips and said, "My master is gone, and my wife asked me to invite you over." What? Chen Guanlou frowned, "What did you just say?" Liu Xiaochuan had no expression on his face and said again: "Manager Liu is gone, can you come over?" "Manager Liu is doing well, why is he missing?" Chen Guanlou didn't care about eating, locked the courtyard door, and followed Liu Xiaochuan to the Liu Mansion.
As a widow, Mrs. Liu Wan had already put on mourning clothes and was miserable. When I saw Chen Guanlou, I cried on the spot. "My master is so miserable. He died so miserably!" "What's going on?" Chen Guanlou looked at the mourning hall that had just been decorated. Guanshi Liu was a warrior and the steward of the Hou Mansion. He had dual identities and had no illness or disaster. How could he die suddenly? Liu Wanshi seemed to be too sad and couldn't support her body, so she sat down with the help of the maid. Chen Guanlou looked at Liu Xiaochuan, "Tell me, how did Manager Liu die?" Liu Xiaochuan wiped his forehead. On a hot day, he broke out in a cold sweat. "I don't know the specific situation. The master went out on business and was fine when he went. When he came back, he said he encountered bandits. There were many people on the other side. The master was defeated and died of exhaustion. The local people reported the case and the local government found out the identity, so they arranged for the master's body to be brought back this morning." "Where did it happen?" "The capital of Dangzhou is three hundred miles away." Liu Xiaochuan said hoarsely. "Do you know what errands Manager Liu is out on?" Liu Xiaochuan shook his head, indicating that he was unclear. Chen Guanlou looked at Liu Wanshi again, and Liu Wanshi cried and said: "When my master went out, he said that this business trip was to transport a batch of goods. Now, the goods are gone, and the people are gone. From now on. , how can I live!" "What did the Marquis say?" "The Marquis Mansion will give you a pension. But no matter how much money there is, what's the use if the person is gone." "The Hou Mansion didn't say what kind of goods were being transported? Under the banner of the Hou Mansion, we actually encountered bandits? When did the Hou Mansion's banner become so ineffective and the bandits so rampant?" Chen Guanlou snorted coldly, if it was just For simply transporting goods, you can entrust an escort agency or a shipping company to do so, and there is no need to ask Manager Liu to make the trip himself. Bandits are rampant these days, especially in places outside Gyeonggi Province. This is a fact. However, bandits are also discerning. They know which caravans can be provoked and which ones cannot be provoked. A noble family like the Hou Mansion would usually be avoided by bandits, and no one would think of provoking a behemoth like the Pingjiang Hou Mansion. Once provoked, officers and soldiers will be attracted to encircle and suppress them. The imperial court will arrest documents, and even the six gates and the royal guards will be dispatched. The bandits were not afraid of dealing with the local garrison, but they had no confidence in dealing with the Six Gates and the Jinyi Guards. In the final analysis, it is bullying the weak and fearing the strong. However, how could the bandits, who always bullied the weak and feared the strong, have the courage to rob the caravan of goods personally escorted by the steward of the Hou Mansion. And he killed people. eccentric!
It is completely inconsistent with the behavior of normal bandits. Liu Wanshi shook his head frequently, "The incident was too sudden, and the Hou Mansion may not know the cause of the matter. However, the Hou Mansion has sent people to the state capital to urge the local government to investigate. If possible, the local Jin Yiwei will be mobilized. Jin Yiwei will participate. , I think the case will be solved soon. I feel sorry for my husband, he died so tragically that he didn’t even have a complete body.” Liu Wanshi stood up and threw herself on the coffin, crying uncontrollably. Chen Guanlou sighed secretly and called Liu Xiaochuan to the corner to talk. "Tell me the truth, what happened? Is there anything weird about Manager Liu taking this trip?" Liu Xiaochuan wiped his face and said in a deep voice: "I originally planned to go on a business trip with the master, but the master didn't let me go. He said that this business trip might not be peaceful, and asked me to stay at home. If anything happens, At least there is a man in the family to support the family." "You mean that Manager Liu realized that this errand was dangerous before he went out?" Liu Xiaochuan nodded, "Yes." "What exactly is this errand carrying?" "I don't know, I really don't know. The second master should know." "What do you mean you should know? Manager Liu is the second master's servant. When he goes out to do errands, isn't it the second master's order for him to go out?" Chen Guanlou had too many questions. Liu Xiaochuan shook his head, looked around, and then whispered: "The master told me that this errand was privately ordered by the butler. I'm not sure whether the second master is clear about it." Chen Guanlou looked surprised, "Will Manager Liu obey the orders of the chief steward? Isn't he from the second room?" "No matter which room you belong to, as long as it is something ordered by the Marquis, you must do it. Not only must it be done, but it must be done well." "You mean, the chief steward ordered Steward Liu to go out on errands on behalf of the Marquis?" "Exactly." Liu Xiaochuan said with a gloomy face, "Do you think Dafang deliberately harmed my master?" His eyes were red and full of indignation. Chen Guanlou sneered, "What virtue and ability does Manager Liu have to deserve the eldest wife's deliberate attempt to harm him. You think things are too complicated. I guess the problem is not with the person, but with the goods. The goods escorted by Manager Liu may have problems and have been targeted. They killed people in the name of bandits to silence them." Liu Xiaochuan's face turned pale, "That's also the responsibility of the eldest wife. The eldest wife had someone to use, but she didn't use him, and insisted on letting my master go on this errand." "How do you know that the eldest wife's people were not on duty? Manager Liu's death, to put it simply, was killed by bandits. To put it more complicatedly, there must be something inside. But you say that the eldest wife deliberately calculated Manager Liu, that's not the case. Manager Liu is not that important. So, I'll go and find out who else was absent from the mansion during the time when Manager Liu was away on duty, and whether they were also away on duty." "What's the use of finding out these things?" Liu Xiaochuan stiffened his neck, looking unconvinced. "You are really stupid. I've told you that there is a complicated story behind this. If multiple stewards go out on business at the same time, it won't be a simple matter that you and I can solve. Don't worry, the Marquis' Mansion will definitely take care of you no matter what. Steward Liu and his wife don't have any children. Now you are the pillar of the Liu family. You can't do things based on loyalty. If you don't understand something, come and ask me."