Chapter 371: The Death of Chief Steward Liu

Off duty, Chen Guanlou strolled home slowly. He had just sat down and eaten two bites of rice when someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

He opened the door wearing straw sandals and saw Liu Xiaochuan standing outside.

Liu Xiaochuan's face was unnaturally pale, his brows drooping, eyes dull, as if a demon had drained his essence—he looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Chen Guanlou asked him, "Why are you here? How many days haven't you slept?"

Liu Xiaochuan looked up at him, pressed his lips together, then said, "My master is dead. My mistress sent me to ask you to come over."

What?

Chen Guanlou frowned. "What did you just say?"

Liu Xiaochuan's face was expressionless as he repeated, "Liu Guanshi is dead. Can you come over?"

"Liu Guanshi was fine. How could he just be dead?"

Chen Guanlou abandoned his meal, locked the courtyard gate, and followed Liu Xiaochuan to the Liu residence.

As the widow, Liu Wanshi had already changed into mourning attire, looking heartbroken and wretched. Seeing Chen Guanlou, she burst into tears on the spot.

"My master suffered terribly—he died such a cruel death!"

"What exactly happened?" Chen Guanlou stared at the newly set-up funeral hall. Liu Guanshi was a martial cultivator and a Hou Fu steward—two roles, no illness, no accident—how could he suddenly die?

Liu Wanshi, seemingly overcome by grief, could barely stand, and was helped to sit by a maid.

Chen Guanlou turned to Liu Xiaochuan. "You tell me—how did Liu Guanshi die?"

Liu Xiaochuan wiped his forehead; despite the heat, he was drenched in cold sweat. "I don't know the details. My master left on official business, fine when he departed, but returned saying he'd encountered bandits. They outnumbered him, he fought until exhaustion, and died. Local villagers reported it, the county authorities confirmed his identity, then sent word to Hou Fu. Only this morning were his remains brought back."

"Where did it happen?"

"Three hundred li away, in Dangzhou Prefecture," Liu Xiaochuan croaked.

"Do you know what business Liu Guanshi was on?"

Liu Xiaochuan shook his head, indicating he didn't know.

Chen Guanlou turned to Liu Wanshi again. She sobbed, "My master said when he left that this trip was to transport a shipment of goods. Now the goods are gone, and so is he. What will I do now?"

"What did Hou Fu say?"

"Hou Fu will give a sum of condolence silver. But no matter how much silver, what good is it if the man is gone?"

"Didn't Hou Fu say what the goods were? With Hou Fu's banner, how could bandits dare attack? When did Hou Fu's name become so powerless, and bandits so bold?" Chen Guanlou snorted. If it were merely transporting goods, they could have hired a security guild or a patrol group—no need for Liu Guanshi to go himself.

Bandits ran rampant these days, especially beyond the capital region—that was true. But bandits had sense too: they knew which caravans to target and which to avoid.

Noble houses like Hou Fu were typically avoided by bandits—no one in their right mind would provoke the Pingjiang Hou Fu, a giant among powers. Once provoked, they'd face military crackdowns, imperial warrants, even the Six Gates and Embroidered Uniform Guard. Bandits feared local garrison forces, but had no confidence facing the Six Gates or Embroidered Uniform Guard.

In short, they were bullies who picked on the weak.

But how could bandits, who always picked on the weak, dare rob a caravan guarded by Hou Fu's own steward—and kill him?

Strange.

Completely out of character for normal bandits.

Liu Wanshi shook her head repeatedly. "It happened too suddenly. Hou Fu may not even know the cause. But they've already sent people to Dangzhou to pressure the local authorities to investigate. If possible, they'll even mobilize the local Embroidered Uniform Guard. With their involvement, the case will surely be solved soon. But my poor master—he died so cruelly, not even a whole corpse left."

Liu Wanshi rose and threw herself onto the coffin, weeping uncontrollably.

Chen Guanlou sighed inwardly and pulled Liu Xiaochuan aside.

"Tell me the truth—what really happened? Was there something strange about this trip Liu Guanshi took?"

Liu Xiaochuan wiped his face and said grimly, "I originally planned to go with my master, but he wouldn't let me. He said this mission might be dangerous, and told me to stay home and hold the household together—if anything happened, at least there'd be a man left to keep things standing."

"So Liu Guanshi knew before leaving that this mission was dangerous?"

Liu Xiaochuan nodded. "Yes."

"What exactly were they transporting?"

"I don't know. I truly don't know. Second Master probably knows."

"What do you mean 'probably knows'? Liu Guanshi was Second Master's man. Didn't Second Master assign him this mission?" Chen Guanlou had too many questions.

Liu Xiaochuan shook his head, glanced around, then whispered, "My master told me this mission was secretly ordered by the Chief Steward. Whether Second Master knew or not—I'm not sure."

Chen Guanlou looked startled. "Liu Guanshi took orders from the Chief Steward? But he's from the Second Branch, isn't he?"

"No matter which branch he belongs to, if the Marquis gives an order, he must obey. And he must obey well."

"So you mean the Chief Steward ordered Liu Guanshi on this mission on the Marquis's behalf?"

"Exactly." Liu Xiaochuan's face darkened. "Do you think the First Branch deliberately set out to kill my master?" His eyes were red with fury.

Chen Guanlou sneered. "What merit does Liu Guanshi have that the First Branch would go to such lengths to kill him? You're overcomplicating this. I suspect the problem isn't the people—it's the goods. The shipment Liu Guanshi escorted must have been dangerous, and someone used bandits as cover to kill him and silence him."

Liu Xiaochuan's face turned instantly ashen. "Then it's still the First Branch's fault. They had their own men to send, yet chose to send my master instead."

"How do you know the First Branch didn't send their own men? Liu Guanshi's death—simply put, he was killed by bandits. Complexly put, there's clearly a hidden truth. But saying the First Branch deliberately plotted against him? Unlikely. Liu Guanshi isn't important enough for that. I'll find out who else from the household was away during this time—were other stewards also dispatched on missions?"

"What good will that do?" Liu Xiaochuan stiffened his neck, defiant.

"You're truly foolish. I told you—it's complicated. If multiple stewards vanished at the same time on missions, this isn't something simple you or I can resolve. Don't worry—Hou Fu will surely protect you. Liu Guanshi and your mistress had no children. Now you're the pillar of the Liu household. Don't act on emotion alone. If you don't understand something, come ask me."