Chapter Seventy: As If Facing A Great Enemy

  Liu, the steward, walked out of the study with a heavy expression. Several stewards immediately went up to him and asked in low voices. Liu shook his head and said in a deep voice: "It's all right, don't ask any more questions. It's chaotic enough here, you don't need to follow and add chaos. Hurry up and settle everyone down, each returning to their respective positions and duties. Don't be disorderly, can't be disorderly. Old Luo, tomorrow morning, take people to buy some things and handle the aftermath of Liu Bei's death.

  "What? This... is this proper? The person who served as the imperial guard died, and you're holding a funeral in our estate? How ominous!"

  Old Liu scolded: "Liu Bei's old home is thousands of miles away, and the person who died for our Ah Lang is not in our place, where else can we hold it?"

  He finished speaking and turned around to glance at the library, seeing that no one seemed to have heard, he hastily walked down the steps, pulled Old Luo aside, and said in a low voice: "You, don't be afraid of bad luck anymore. That Flying Thief is obviously targeting our master, we still need these soldiers to help us ward off disaster!"

  That Zhonglang General Cai Dongcheng and the other three Qian Niu Bei Shou, along with this Liu Kui, have been friends for over twenty years. We can't just look at the monk's face, we also have to consider the Buddha's face. This matter has been agreed upon by Ah Lang, you must handle it seriously and with great ceremony, absolutely cannot let people find fault with us."

  Lao Luo said repeatedly: "So that's how it is, I understand now. Don't worry about this matter, I, Lao Luo, will definitely handle it so that they have nothing to pick on."

  "More than twenty years of friendship..."

  Yang Fan's eyes flashed with a hint of coldness as he overheard the words.

  The next morning, the Flying Thief broke into Yang's mansion again. The news of Liu Bei's nighttime theft spread throughout the city by noon.

  Through word of mouth and layer by layer rendering, the assassin who killed Liu Kui, the thousand cowherd of the Imperial Guard, in Yang's mansion that night has been passed down as being incredibly mysterious. It is said that this assassin had a flying sword that could kill people from a thousand miles away. It is said that he had the ability to fly and escape, and could take the head of a general from among hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

  Inside the Yang Mansion, they were busily preparing for the funeral of Qian Niu's father Liu Kui. The two-story small building in the study had been transformed into a mourning hall. In the main hall on the first floor, an incense table was set up with offerings of three animals and seasonal fruits, as well as incense burners and candle holders. In front of the incense table, a brazier was also set up, burning gold and silver paper money, filling the originally elegant small building with smoke and haze.

  Liu Kui's body was found by Old Luo, who had a brave tailor come and sew it up with gold thread, one stitch at a time, into a complete corpse. It was then placed in a coffin and put behind the incense table...

  Yang Langzhong didn't need to do this to invite Cai Dongcheng, he was also disfigured and blinded after the destruction of his appearance, his mind was already in chaos, no longer as calm and steady as before. Liu Kui died here, and the murderer will obviously come again, even if Yang Langzhong drives them out, Cai Dongcheng, Shen Jiahui and others won't leave, they are like brothers with Liu Kui, how can this hatred not be avenged?

  Yang Fan was still doing his night watch and day chores, and when the funeral home was set up, he was busy inside. Cai Dongcheng brought Shen Jiahu and three brothers to Liu Kui's spirit tablet, gritting their teeth and vowing to avenge their brother by cutting the murderer into pieces, but how could they have imagined that the murderer was right next to them.

  In the afternoon, a large number of Ministry of Justice officers suddenly rushed to Yang's residence. The servants and guards at the entrance of Wuhoufang and Yangfu were all driven to the side courtyard. From the main gate of Yangfu, through the front hall to the rear study, there were sentries every five steps and watchmen every ten steps. The study was surrounded by Ministry of Justice officials, and no one was allowed to approach.

  Judging from the situation, it seems that an important figure is about to arrive. Unfortunately, not even Old Luo, who was in charge of handling the funeral, knew who the person was, because he too had been driven out of the study.

  The scenery in the backyard of Yang's house is still very beautiful, although the Tang-style garden is not delicate, it does not make too many artificial decorations to the environment, and it does not set up too many cultural landscapes, but it wins in its wild interest.

  The people who were driven to the two side courtyards of Wu Hou Fang, Ding and Yang Fu knew that a big shot was coming, but no one dared to move around randomly, so the courtyard became even more quiet.

  Ma Qiao took the opportunity to go home, as there were important people coming and they didn't need him for the time being. Ma Qiao asked Liu Guanshi for leave to go back and see his mother. Ma Qiao's filial piety was well-known in Xiwenfang, and Liu Guanshi knew it very well. At that time, people attached great importance to the word "filial piety". Anyway, the government temporarily didn't need to assign tasks to him, so Liu Guanshi readily agreed.

  The garden in autumn, with a hint of killing aura, Yang Fan walked alone in the forest, looking around cautiously, completely like a newcomer to a wealthy family, but in fact he was familiarizing himself with his surroundings.

  It's clear that with Liu Kui's death, the mansion's defenses will become even stricter and opportunities for a sneak attack will become increasingly scarce. The more familiar he becomes with the environment inside the mansion, the more advantageous it will be for his actions.

  Yang Fan was looking around, pretending to admire the scenery, silently memorizing the location of the roads, trees, fake mountains and flowers in the courtyard. Suddenly, a tender voice said: "Hey!"

  Yang Fan followed the sound and saw a street lamp standing in the grass by the side of the road, and Miss Yang's Snow Lotus was standing beside the street lamp.

  The lamp posts are as high as an adult's shoulders, in the shape of a stone cave, with a tiled roof and six holes on each side, covered with fine copper mesh. This road leads to the study and the back bedroom, because Yang Lang often works late into the night in the study, and often walks along this road, so there is a lamp post set up every short distance on both sides of the road.

  Yang Fan walked over, bent down and smiled: "Little miss, what are you doing here?"

  Yang Xuelian said, "A high-ranking official is coming to our house, Mother accompanied Father to the study to wait for him, I'm so bored alone here catching butterflies."

  "Oh, caught you?"

  "Got it!"

  Yang Xuelian burst out laughing and pointed at the street lamp, saying: "Look, I've caught five of them, all locked up in there."

  Yang Xuelian carefully opened the small door of the street lamp's mesh cover, a cricket wanted to run out, she quickly closed the small door again, and chuckled: "Want to escape, it's not that easy."

  Yang Fan smiled and said: "Little miss is so fierce, catching so many at once."

  "Sigh! It's not many, now the cicadas are getting fewer and fewer, after a few more days there won't be any left. Autumn is the most hateful, the sound of cicadas in the yard is getting less and less, until finally you can only hear one cicada calling, calling and calling, don't know which day its call will suddenly disappear."

  Yang Xuelian walked out of the grass with her skirt in hand, blinking a pair of clear black and white eyes at Yang Fan, looking somewhat worried: "You say, after it gets cold, where will the cicadas go? Are they dead?"

  "This..."

  Yang Fan didn't know how to answer, thought for a moment and said: "Maybe... it's because it's too cold, so they hid in the cave. If all the crickets died, how would there be cricket sounds next year?"

  Yang Xuelian tilted her head in thought, then became excited and exclaimed: "That's right! You're absolutely right, they must have run back home to hide!"

  Yang Fan looked at her and couldn't help but ask: "Do you often catch cicadas alone in the yard?"

  Yang Xuelian nodded and said, "Yes! Father doesn't like me, Mother is always playing cards with people and gambling, and she doesn't accompany me. I've been alone in the yard since I was a child, I like catching cicadas, sometimes..."

  She turned her head to look at the cicadas chirping in the streetlights, and with a sigh like a little adult, she said: "Sometimes I think I'm just like them, trapped in a cage. At least they have each other..."

  Yang Fan frowned and asked: "Does your mother often play cards?"

  Yang Xuelian said: "It's not always playing cards, sometimes we also toss coins, play double six, and roll dice..."

  Yang Fan was silent.

  Xiaoxue Lian looked at him and asked: "What are you doing wandering around here alone?"

  Yang Fan said: "Oh! Isn't this because a big official has come to your house? I have nothing to do now, so I can only walk around. By the way, do you know who came? Why such a big lineup?"

  Yang Xuelian said, "I know, my mother told me that the one who came is my father's superior, Zhou Shilang of the Ministry of Punishment. My mother said that Zhou Shilang is very formidable, although he is only a Shilang now, even the Minister has to look at his face. Our family has encountered so many big troubles, and Zhou Shilang is not happy about it. Today, he specially came to our house to take a look and personally deploy the capture of the thief. This Zhou Shilang is so formidable, he must be able to catch that bad person."

  Yang Fan was about to speak when Liu Guanshi's figure appeared on the small path. As soon as he saw Yang Xuelian, he called out: "Miss, what are you doing here? Today, a noble guest arrived at our manor, Miss shouldn't run around randomly, Madam is looking for you, Miss hurry to the flower hall to wait for that noble guest together."

  Yang Fan bowed and said: "Liu Guanshi."

  Liu Guanshi watched Yang Xuelian run far away, turned his head to look at Yang Fan and reminded him: "You'd better not flirt with the young lady randomly, although our young lady is still a young girl... you'd better keep your distance from her, the rules of the Yang family are strict, Ah Lang has set rules for the women in the house since... Alas!"

  P: Midnight, seeking today's recommended votes and shining recommendations, going to sleep!

  P: Recommending Shui Yezi's "Hidden Portrait", book number 2145303, please enjoy!