Among the few people who came back from the grassland with Fan Yongcheng, one person was left to watch the horses, and the others followed Fan Yongcheng and entered the gate of Fan's house.
In addition to the funeral at home, the servants of the Fan family were busy in the yard.
When Fan Yongcheng arrived, a servant immediately went inside to report.
"Third, Third Master, you are finally back." The steward from the outer courtyard of Fan Mansion came out in a hurry.
Fan Yongcheng looked at the other party and asked in a deep voice: "What happened at home? Why are all the white silk hangings hanging in the courtyard?"
When he saw Bai Ling outside the mansion, he already had a guess in his mind, but he didn't want to believe that his guess was true until he was sure.
The steward of the outer courtyard of Fan Mansion said sadly: "It's the master. The master has passed away."
As he spoke, he covered his face with his sleeves and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"How could this happen?" Fan Yongcheng's body softened, he staggered a few steps and fell back.
The steward of the Fan Mansion in front of him hurriedly reached out to help him, and at the same time said: "Third Master, I would like to express my condolences. The mourning hall of the Master is located in the front yard, and Madam and several elders of the Fan family are there."
Fan Yongcheng slowed down and then said: "My eldest brother was still fine when I left. Why did he suddenly pass away? Tell me what happened."
As he spoke later, his voice became sharper.
"The master was killed in the study." The steward of the Fan Mansion said, "A few accountants in the study yard and a servant of the mansion were killed together with the master."
Fan Yongcheng grabbed the shoulder of the steward of Fan Mansion and said with a cold face: "Who killed my eldest brother? Where are those people in Xikuoyuan? Where were they when my eldest brother was killed?"
Steward Fan's shoulder was pinched so hard that he didn't dare to resist. He said, "This morning, Zhuangzi from outside the city sent someone to the house to ask for a meeting with the master. After the master saw him, Steward Fan took Feng Da'er from Xikuoyuan to wait. After people left the city, a group of people came to the mansion and rushed into the master's study..."
As he spoke, he slowly lowered his head.
As the steward of the outer court, he could not escape responsibility for Fan Yongdou's death.
"Where's the murderer? Have you caught him?" Fan Yongdou released his hand on the other person's shoulder.
The steward of Fan's Mansion shook his head and said: "The man ran away and robbed the horses in the mansion. He also took away all the horses in the stable. The people in the mansion couldn't catch up even if they wanted to."
"Trash, a bunch of trash." Fan Yongcheng cursed angrily, and then said, "Do you know who killed my eldest brother? Did the murderer leave any clues?"
The steward of the Fan Mansion hurriedly said: "The man who was killed was a man named Li Xin. He was a steward of the manor in Zhuangzi outside the city. He was also the man who came to see him in the morning. Later he went to the outside of the city with Steward Fan and the others. , somehow, Butler Fan didn’t come back, so he broke into the house with a dozen strangers, and that’s how the master was killed.”
"So the murderer is this person named Li Xin?" Fan Yongcheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
The steward of Fan Mansion nodded and said, "Yes, this is the man named Li Xin. He was originally Fan Ji's clerk. Later, Fan Ji's business was not good, so he was sent to be a steward in Zhuangzi outside the city."
"So this person is still an old man from the Fan family." Fan Yongcheng's voice turned cold.
This time, the manager of Fan Mansion did not answer the call.
A person standing next to Fan Yongcheng said in a low voice: "This matter is not simple. The other party first deceived the military force from the mansion to go outside the city, and then came to the mansion calmly to kill people. It was obviously premeditated. This kind of thing is likely to happen nine times out of ten It’s not that he’s seeking money, it’s more like he’s specifically trying to kill Mr. Fan.”
Hearing this, Fan Yongcheng said to the steward of Fan Mansion in front of him: "Is there any loss at home?"
"There are no losses." The steward of the Fan Mansion thought for a moment and then said, "Apart from the more than twenty horses in the stable being robbed, there are no other losses."
The man next to Fan Yongcheng said with certainty: "It seems that the other party set up this trap just to murder Mr. Fan." End point
At this moment, Mrs. Fan's personal maid Chun'er ran out from the courtyard inside.
"It's not good, Third Master. Just after the Master died, several elders of the Fan family forced Madam to hand over the family's financial rights." Chun'er shouted at Fan Yongcheng.
Someone had already reported the news of Fan Yongcheng's return, and now Chun'er ran out for help.
"Where is my sister-in-law?" Fan Yongcheng asked Xiang Chuner hurriedly.
Chun'er pointed behind her and said, "In the mourning hall, Madam and several elders of the Fan family are there."
"Follow me." Fan Yongcheng greeted the few people he brought with him and walked towards the yard where Chun'er came out.
"Third Master, I will lead the way for you." The steward of Fan Mansion walked a few steps and trotted forward to lead the way.
The mourning hall is located in the house.
Before Fan Yongcheng entered the mourning hall, he heard words coming from inside.
"Mrs. Fan, Yongdou has passed away, but the Fan family is still here, and the Fan family's property cannot be left unattended. It's hard for a woman like you to show your face, so you should leave Fan Ji's financial rights to other families."
"I heard that Mrs. Fan often fasts and chants Buddha's name, which is good. From now on, I will concentrate on fasting and chanting Buddha's name. I will leave Fan Ji's affairs to others to take care of. Mrs. Fan's share of the clan will not be missing."
"Fan Ji's business has not been good in the past two years. Yong Dou should have been responsible. Now that he has passed away, forget it. But Fan Ji can no longer be controlled by your family."
Several slightly older voices came from the mourning hall.
In the mourning hall, there was still the sound of a woman sobbing.
Fan Yongcheng walked into the mourning hall with a cold face.
The voices in the mourning hall suddenly disappeared, leaving only the sound of sobbing.
Fan Yongcheng picked up three incense sticks, lit them, walked to the coffin, bowed, and inserted the incense head into the incense burner. Then he turned and walked to Mrs. Fan and said respectfully: "Sister-in-law, my condolences."
"Uncle is back, your eldest brother..." Halfway through her words, Mrs. Fan burst into tears.
Fan Yongcheng said with relief: "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I will catch the murderer of my eldest brother with my own hands and avenge him. As for other things, I will do it. I will never let my eldest brother's hard work fall into the hands of others."
As he spoke, he glanced at the elders of the Fan family.
Fan Yongcheng's arrival seemed to give Mrs. Fan a backbone, and her sobs became much quieter. She could only be heard whispering: "My uncle makes the decision in everything."
"Sister-in-law, don't worry. My eldest brother is gone and my nephew is here. No one else can take away the things in our room." Fan Yongcheng said with certainty, and then said to Chun'er, "Chun'er, help my sister-in-law first. Go back to the inner courtyard to rest."
Chun'er helped Mrs. Fan leave the mourning hall.
After the people left, Fan Yongcheng looked at the elders in the mourning hall and said, "These are all elders of the Fan family. When I see them, I also want to call them uncle."
One of the several elders of the Fan family in the mourning hall stroked his beard and said: "I heard that you, third brother, went to the grassland some time ago. We old guys were afraid that you wouldn't be able to come back when your eldest brother was having his funeral. Fortunately, you Came back in time.”
"Yes, yes, yes, just come back soon."
The other two old men beside him nodded in agreement.
Fan Yongcheng said with a sneer at the corner of his mouth: "I think some clan uncles don't seem to want me to come back, do they?"
His eyes were fixed on several old men of the Fan family coldly.
