Fang Yuan introduced everyone to Luo Xiaoyao one by one what their positions were in the pavilion and what they were doing. He looked around at everyone and said: "Young Master has just returned and is not familiar with the affairs in the pavilion. In the future, if you have any questions about the matters within your own positions, young master
The explanation should be explained in detail and should not be concealed." Everyone stood up and said yes.
Luo Xiaoyao motioned for everyone to sit down. Although he is young, he has a quite serious personality. It is also common in Taibai Academy that the elders in the academy are strict with rules. Although he does not like to be in charge of affairs in the cabinet at this time, he knows that as time goes by, contact in the future will be inevitable.
He said, "Xiaoyao's experience is still shallow. I hope the elders will give me some advice. When the master of the pavilion goes out, everything should be done according to the previous rules."
At this time, a voice came from outside: "Miss, be careful...", followed by a clear and melodious child's voice: "Where is brother Xiaoyao?" A little girl appeared at the door of the hall, looking at the master with bright eyes.
Luo Xiaoyao, who was in the seat, smiled, crossed the threshold, ran to Luo Xiaoyao, looked up at Luo Xiaoyao and asked: "Brother Xiaoyao?"
Luo Xiaoyao looked at this lively and cute little girl and smiled and said: "You are little Mingzhu, right?" Luo Mingzhu nodded, laughed happily, stood on tiptoe, and wanted to sit on Luo Xiaoyao's lap.
Everyone laughed when they saw this, and Fang Yuan waved to the maid at the entrance of the hall, signaling her to leave first. He turned around and smiled at Luo Xiaoyao: "Miss Mingzhu is here, and all normal discussions have to be suspended, haha... Today is also the case.
There is nothing big to discuss, the young master can take Little Mingzhu to visit the manor."
Luo Xiaoyao returned from yesterday and had not yet met and greeted Yan. Hearing Fang Yuan's words, he nodded and took Luo Mingzhu out of the meeting hall. He held Luo Mingzhu's little hand and asked as he walked: "Xiao Mingzhu, what are you doing?
Do you know that my brother is in the meeting hall?"
Luo Mingzhu raised her little face and said, "Brother Xiaoyao, what do you think?"
Luo Xiaoyao knelt down, looked at Luo Mingzhu's cute little face and smiled: "Brother can't guess, little Mingzhu will tell him."
Luo Mingzhu chuckled: "You really can't guess? Hehe, don't tell dad how I guessed it, okay?"
"Okay, brother agrees to Mingzhu." Luo Xiaoyao looked at Luo Mingzhu with a mysterious look on his face and nodded.
Luo Mingzhu turned around and looked around, and saw two maids standing not far away. She leaned into Luo Xiaoyao's ear and whispered softly: "When daddy was in the village, every time the golden ring sounded, I would be here in this hall."
I found him on the road." After saying this, he laughed out loud, looking very proud.
It turns out that every time there is something to be discussed in the village, everyone will be summoned to the meeting hall by ringing gold. When Luo Hanshui is in the village, he will naturally preside over the discussion every time. Luo Mingzhu also relies on the ringing of gold to summon people to the meeting hall.
he.
After hearing that Luo Xiaoyao returned to the village last night, Luo Mingzhu started to clamor to look for Luo Xiaoyao. Mrs. Yan was afraid of disturbing Luo Xiaoyao's rest, so she refused. Early in the morning, Luo Xiaoyao went to Beishan again to pay homage to her late mother, but Luo Mingzhu was temporarily
She couldn't find him, but when she heard the sound of gold ringing, she guessed that Luo Xiaoyao was above the meeting hall.
Luo Xiaoyao laughed loudly after hearing this and said: "Mingzhu is so smart, haha... Where do you want to play?"
Luo Mingzhu rolled her black eyes: "Would you like to go to the mountain to catch birds?"
Luo Xiaoyao remembered that his father Luo Hanshui said yesterday that his sister likes to fly over eaves and walls, and couldn't help but smile: "Okay." He stood up and led Luo Mingzhu out of the left door of the atrium, trying to take the way up the mountain from the side door of the courtyard.
However, in the garden more than twenty feet away from the courtyard gate, a woman in her thirties was walking up the wooden plank corridor of the lake and pond. She was wearing a light yellow cardigan and skirt, with her hair in a bun, light makeup, elegant and generous, behind her
Following the two maids was Luo Hanshui's second wife, Mrs. Yan.
The Yan family deals in medicinal materials and is very wealthy. Although she is not a great beauty, she is still considered to be above average. She has been proficient in music, poetry, calligraphy and painting since she was a child, and has a very high vision. She is indifferent to the children of ordinary officials, celebrities and talented people, and even
When she was in her twenties, she was still waiting to be married. Later, after being introduced by the manager of the Luoyang branch of Tongbao Pavilion, she married Luo Hanshui, a man ten years older than her, Feng Shen Junlang.
Mrs. Yan was very fond of Luo Xiaoyao, who lost her mother at a young age. Unfortunately, Luo Xiaoyao only came back once after she married Luo Hanshui. However, when she went to Luoyang to visit relatives, she and Luo Hanshui went to Taibai Academy to visit Luo Xiaoyao.
Xiaoyao visited her several times, and when Luo Xiaoyao saw Mrs. Yan approaching, she hurriedly bowed and said, "Xiaoyao has met my aunt."
Yan nodded and smiled: "I heard your father say you were coming back yesterday. I thought the whole family could have a family dinner together in the evening... I thought your father had something important to say, so don't take it to heart."
Mrs. Yan knew that Luo Hanshui loved Luo Xiaoyao very much. Unless there was something urgent, she would never go out to do anything when Luo Xiaoyao had just returned from home for many years. She was worried that Luo Xiaoyao would be sad, so she said this.
"Xiaoyao knows, Auntie, don't worry."
"Yesterday, mother said that when father comes back, she will personally cook some delicious dishes for brother Xiaoyao to taste." Luo Mingzhu said crisply on the side.
Luo Xiaoyao smiled, bowed and said, "Thank you, auntie. Mingzhu is going up to the mountains to play, so Xiaoyao will leave first."
"Goodbye, mother." Luo Mingzhu smiled happily and waved her hand, pulling Luo Xiaoyao towards the side door.
Yan watched the two people leaving and sighed secretly in her heart. After all, they were not biological mother and son. Compared with Luo Mingzhu, Luo Xiaoyao and her were less natural and friendly.
It has been nearly ten days since Luo Xiaoyao returned. In addition to following Fang Yuan to learn about the affairs of various branches, he mostly played with Luo Mingzhu. In the early morning of this day, Luo Mingzhu rarely came to Luo Xiaoyao Mountain to catch birds. Luo Xiaoyao was in the atrium hall.
Just when Xiaoyao was feeling surprised, he saw Fang Yuan coming in with a smile and a leader of the arrow guards from the village, and said with a smile: "Young Master, do you have time to go to a place with your subordinates to take a look?"
Seeing his leisurely expression, Luo Xiaoyao also smiled and said, "Mr. Fang, can you recommend any good places to see?"
Fang Yuan chuckled: "When I entered the pavilion, I saw gold, silver and jewelry as the most beautiful scenery in the world, haha..."
Luo Xiaoyao was slightly disappointed, "Is it related to property?"
Fang Yuan nodded: "Young Master, please come down with me."
Then he signaled the leader of the Eagle Guards to lead the way, exited the side door of the atrium, went to the garden on the left side of the village, and entered a rockery surrounded by green bamboos. The rockery was more than ten feet high, and there was a five-foot-square stone in the cave.
Block, Fang Yuan motioned Luo Xiaoyao to stand among the stones with him, and shouted to the Eagle Guard in the bamboo forest outside the rockery: "It can be turned on."
It seemed that the leader of the Eagle Guard had activated a mechanism outside. As soon as Fang Yuan finished speaking, Luo Xiaoyao heard a sound of "click, click, click", but he felt that the stone under his feet was slowly falling, and it was about a foot deep.
When he stopped, Luo Xiaoyao saw an underground passage five or six feet wide and seven feet high in front of him through the sunlight coming from above. He smelled a strong earthy smell in his nose, which he thought he had been smelling for a long time.
No one has come in yet.
Fang Yuan lit the torch on the wall of the passage and led Luo Xiaoyao forward, "This tunnel only has a curve in front. After turning it, it leads to the heart of the hill on the side of the village."
The two walked for about a tea time, turned a corner to the right, and walked another three feet away until they came to a stone gate. Fang Yuan raised his hand and pressed a spot on the cave wall next to the stone gate for a moment.
Slowly opening it, with the light of the torch in Fang Yuan's hand, Luo Xiaoyao saw that the cave was nearly ten feet wide and six or seven feet deep, filled with boxes of various sizes.
Fang Yuan casually opened one, and Luo Xiaoyao saw a whole box of jewelry and goldware. Fang Yuan sighed and said, "These belongings are all ownerless. Some of them have been kept in this cave for decades. At the age of thirty,
When no one claims it, it is considered to be the property of this pavilion. Alas, half of these properties were obtained by the old pavilion master with his life..."
"Grandpa?" Luo Xiaoyao asked in surprise.
Fang Yuan nodded: "Since the establishment of Tongbao Pavilion, we have set a rule. If no one claims the property within thirty years, it will become the property of this pavilion. However, if the deposit is lost within the period, it will be lost.
But it can be obtained with code words."
"Secret word?" Luo Xiaoyao was puzzled for a moment.
Fang Yuan explained: "When you store property in this pavilion, there will always be two deposit checks. One is taken away by the owner of the bank, and one is kept by the pavilion. On the deposit slips, there are poems written by the pavilion with special materials. It cannot be seen from the outside.
When the owner gets the deposit slip, there will be a code word. When he withdraws the money, he must match the code word on the deposit slip. This is to prevent the deposit slip from being stolen by criminals. The reason why we have many homing pigeons in this pavilion
The purpose of passing on the information is to verify the retained deposits at the place where the bank is deposited."
Then he opened a box, but it was filled with depositary votes, which should be the bottom votes that Fang Yuan said.
"During the Zhenming Dynasty, the property of the Zhenzhou branch was looted by the officers and soldiers who captured the city. The old master broke into the camp of Jin King Li Cunxu alone and asked for the robbed silver. There were more than ten guards in Lien Chan's army. Then Li Cunxu said to the old master
I was very impressed by his martial arts courage, so I punished the leader who took the lead in looting with military law and returned the silver to me."
"It's a pity that the old Pavilion Master was injured in that battle and was unable to enter the realm of holding the elixir. He passed away when you were three years old... Most of the belongings in these boxes were stored when Zhenzhou City was destroyed.
, I think many silver lords died in the war... Sigh."
Only then did Luo Xiaoyao know the cause of his grandfather's death. He had also asked Wu Wangbo about it at Taibai Academy. But Wu Wangbo never told Luo Xiaoyao the real cause of his grandfather's death.
When Grandpa Luo Xiaoyao went alone to collect the robbed deposits, Wu Wangbo was also in Li Cunxu's army (Wu Wangbo served in Li Cunxu's army at that time). Although he did not fight side by side with his senior brother, he also helped his senior brother to intercede with Li Cunxu.
I have always been brooding over the fact that my senior brother was injured and passed away at the age of sixty.
Fang Yuan stared at the box for a moment and said with a smile: "When the Pavilion Master comes back, these ownerless properties will be sent to Zhenzhou to benefit the local refugees, which can be regarded as fulfilling the old Pavilion Master's wish."
Luo Xiaoyao felt something in his heart. After hearing this, he immediately nodded and said, "Okay, then Xiaoyao will go and fulfill grandpa's wish."
"This is what I mean when I bring the young master here, haha... When the time comes, I will ask you to go with me."
When Luo Xiaoyao's grandfather was in his later years, he once mentioned to Fang Yuan that this batch of ownerless money would be sent to Zhenzhou to rescue the victims of the war after the expiration of thirty years. Fang Yuan naturally remembered this in his heart.
The next year has come, and I wanted to fulfill my wish for the old Pavilion Master, so I brought Luo Xiaoyao here to tell me the past.
When the two of them came out of the secret passage and returned to the atrium hall, they saw an urgent-looking arrow guard waiting on the corridor. Seeing Fang Yuan and Luo Xiaoyao approaching, they hurriedly greeted the general and handed Fang the small bamboo tube in his hand.
Yuandao: "I have met the young master, Mr. Fang, and this is an urgent message from the Zhenzhou branch."
Fang Yuan looked at the red paint dots on the small bamboo tube, frowned and said, "It's been decades, and there hasn't been an emergency with red paint... Is that weird?"
As he spoke, he crushed the sealing wax and took out the paper. When he unfolded it, his face changed suddenly and his fingers were trembling. Luo Xiaoyao beside him felt nervous. He quickly took the note and took a look, only to see it read:
Elder Liang was killed and the pavilion master was seriously injured. The elders of each branch were quickly dispatched.
Luo Xiaoyao was shocked and almost couldn't stand. Fang Yuan seemed to be stunned and murmured: "Impossible, this is impossible..."
The leader of the Eagle Guard beside him didn't know what was going on, but when he saw the two of them lost their minds, he was horrified and said in a trembling voice: "Young Master, Master Fang..."
Only then did Fang Yuan and Luo Xiaoyao wake up. They looked at each other and walked into the hall. Fang Yuan took a breath and said to the arrow guard: "Swift Eagle sent a message to the nine branch elders, and ordered them to read the letter."
Rush to the Zhenzhou branch."
The leader of the Eagle Guard knew that something big was going on and hurriedly said, "As ordered." Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he heard Luo Xiaoyao shout: "No, get pen and paper quickly."
Fang Yuan and the Eagle Guard were stunned for a moment, but Luo Xiaoyao replied: "Go quickly..."
The Eagle Guard recovered his senses and ran away. Luo Xiaoyao calmed down and said slowly: "Father, Elder Weng, and Elder Liang are all in the realm of holding pills. Anyone who can hurt the three of them together in this world should be
This is rare, and my master from the academy must take action in this matter."
Fang Yuan also calmed down at this time. Although he didn't know why Luo Hanshui went there, and he didn't even know that Weng Mu was traveling with him, he heard Luo Xiaoyao's tone as if he knew the reason, and he nodded immediately after hearing the words.
At this time, the Arrow Guard had taken out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and Luo Xiaoyao quickly wrote on the coffee table. When the ink was dry, he handed it to the Eagle Guard and said: "Quickly send it to the branch of Fengxiang Mansion, send it to Taibai Mountain Academy, and hand it over in person."
I will send it to my Master Wu or Master Hua just in case, and I will send people to Taibai Mountain to convey the message... I will ask Master Wu and Master Hua to go to Zhenzhou Branch Pavilion."
"I will rush there myself." The leader of the Eagle Guard said hurriedly, and then he ran out quickly.
Luo Xiaoyao looked at Fang Yuan, frowned, and thought for a moment: "Don't mention this matter to anyone in the pavilion, including Madam..."
Seeing how calm he was, Fang Yuan secretly admired him. Before he could answer, he heard Luo Xiaoyao say: "Mr. Fang can arrange for someone to temporarily manage the affairs of the pavilion. He and I will go to Zhenzhou immediately and give instructions. If Madam asks
... Just tell Mr. Fang that you will escort me to Taibai Academy and I will return in a few days."
What happened was so shocking that they had no choice but to lie, lest Yan and Luo Mingzhu worry. Fangzhou and Zhenzhou were nearly two thousand miles apart. Luo Xiaoyao and Fang Yuan made some arrangements and found the horse that traveled thousands of miles a day.
We rushed non-stop on the road, and finally arrived at the Zhenzhou branch eighteen hours later.
Seeing the arrival of Luo Xiaoyao and Fang Yuan, the manager of the branch surnamed Zhan hurriedly took them to the other courtyard in the pavilion. Luo and Fang entered the secret room of the other courtyard, only to see Weng Mu sitting cross-legged with a pale face.
On the futon underground, he seemed to be much older.
There was a bed not far from Weng Mu. Lying on the bed was Luo Hanshui, whose face was pale and haggard. He was very different from his usual handsome and handsome face. Fang Yuan and Luo Xiaoyao's heartstrings were shaken. They hurriedly stepped forward to take a look.
But seeing that Luo Hanshui's eyes were closed tightly and his breathing was slow and hurried, he thought he had suffered serious internal injuries.
Fang Yuan felt the pulse with his hand. Even though he was very knowledgeable and had reached the level of cultivating pills, he could not see the reason for Luo Hanshui's injuries. He turned around and shook his head to the eager Luo Xiaoyao.
Xiaoyao suddenly turned pale and stared at Luo Hanshui for a moment. His feet softened and he knelt down beside the bed. His lips trembled. After a long time, he whispered hoarsely: "Father..."
Fang Yuan was frightened, took a deep breath, calmed down, and walked towards Weng Mu who seemed to be meditating. At this moment, Fang Yuan noticed that Weng Mu's eyes were slightly closed, and he seemed to be unaware of the arrival of him and Luo Xiaoyao.
Startled, he looked at Steward Zhan next to him, "Steward Zhan, what's going on with Elder Weng? How come he's even injured? This, this... what's going on?"
Manager Zhan hurriedly came forward and whispered: "Elder Weng seems to be mentally injured. For the past two or three days, he has been in a state of distraught. Only after the ugly period... did he return to normal."
"What?" Fang Yuan was shocked.
Luo Xiaoyao was also shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly got up and went to Weng Mu. He saw Weng Mu with his eyes slightly closed, his brows furrowed and relaxed, as if he was struggling in a dream, and his breathing was fast and slow.
The two of them were anxious about Luo Hanshui just now and had not greeted Weng Mu first. Now when they saw this strange situation, they looked at each other in shock. In fright, Fang and Luo retreated with Zhan Guanshi to reveal the secret.
When they got to the passage outside, Fang Yuan asked Manager Zhan with a surprised look on his face: "What's going on? Where are Uncle Yang and the others?"
Manager Zhan said in a trembling voice: "My subordinates don't know the truth of the matter either... Six days ago during the ugly incident, Elder Weng carried the master of the pavilion on his back to the branch pavilion and ordered his subordinates to go fifty miles to the west of the city to retrieve Elder Liang and the other three. At that time, the subordinates
After bringing Elder Weng and the Pavilion Master to this other courtyard, they and the arrow guards found Elder Liang and the others at the place mentioned by Elder Weng. At that time, Elder Liang and Uncle Yang were still alive, but an old man was dead. They were sent to
While here..."
Manager Zhan swallowed his saliva, "When I was sent here, I asked Elder Weng for instructions on how to act. The master in the secret room at that time could still sit up and stand, but... I just felt that the master's expression at that time was like Elder Weng's.
I'm in normal sanity now..." But he faltered and stopped.
Fang Yuan said anxiously: "What time is it? I'm hesitant, but it doesn't matter."
Manager Zhan nodded: "But his mind was in a trance, as if he had lost his memory. Elder Weng ordered his subordinates to guard outside the secret room. After being outside for a while, he heard Elder Weng say, "The master of the pavilion is offended"... After entering, he
Seeing that the master of the pavilion was so sleepy, his subordinates took Elder Weng to check on Elder Liang and Uncle Yang, but found that Elder Liang had lost his breath and Uncle Yang was still unconscious. Elder Weng ordered the Arrow Guards to
Xinzong Pavilion..."
Fang and Luo became more and more frightened as they listened. They hurriedly asked where Elder Liang was. Guanshi Zhan led Fang Yuan and Luo Xiaoyao out of the secret room. It was midnight. Following the guidance of the arrow guard carrying a lantern,
Arriving at a wing in the east cross courtyard, I entered the wing and saw Uncle Yang lying on the pit. His breathing was quite stable, and he seemed to be sleeping, but he didn't know what was going on.
"The weather is getting hot at this time, so I will put the bodies of Elder Liang and the old man in the cellar." Manager Zhan said in a low voice.
Fang Yuan nodded and thought in his heart that the pavilion master Luo Hanshui has already achieved great success in holding pills. In addition, Weng and Liang are both people who are about to embark on the journey to achieve great success in holding pills. Uncle Yang has also reached the realm of spiritual consciousness. In addition,
An old man was harmed by others, but he must have been besieged by others, but he couldn't think of who did it. He thought that when he was at Lingxiu Villa, Luo Xiaoyao's tone seemed to know that Weng Mu was traveling with him, and he might know some inside information.
Thinking of this, he called in a low voice to Luo Xiaoyao, who was in a state of deep contemplation: "Young Master, Young Master..."
Luo Xiaoyao, who was deep in thought, woke up with an "ah" sound. Fang Yuan smiled bitterly and said: "In my opinion, this matter was not done by one person. This pavilion has always been low-key. Now that this incident has occurred, we should be responsible for the death of this person."
The old man is related. Does the young master know why the pavilion master is here? What is the identity of the old man?"
Luo Xiaoyao couldn't say anything about the fact that the Luo family was not the real owner of Tongbao Pavilion, and even Luo Hanshui didn't know what was hidden in the "Mother and Child Secret Box" that Luo Hanshui took away before he left.
I guessed that this matter must be related to the "Mother-in-law Secret Box", but it was useless to say it at this time, so I shook my head and said: "I have no way of knowing, I will only wait until Elder Weng wakes up... or he will know the inside story.
"
The three of them left the side room and entered the secret room, only to see Weng Mu already in the corridor of the secret room. They were not surprised to see Luo Xiaoyao and Fang Yuan come in, and stepped forward to salute: "The soul of the old man was injured. When the young master and the chief elder arrived just now,
I just felt like I was in a trance, so I didn't dare to get up and say hello."
Fang Yuan nodded, glanced at Luo Hanshui on the bed indoors, and said softly: "Elder Weng, what is going on?"
Weng Mu let out a long sigh and told the story.
"That day, after receiving a message from the Pavilion Master, I rushed to Youzhou from Taiyuan County overnight. At that time, the Pavilion Master had not arrived yet, so I asked Manager Sikong what was going on. Manager Sikong only said that someone had made an appointment with the Pavilion Master in the branch pavilion.
See, but don’t know anything else.”
"The next night, the pavilion master, Uncle Yang and Elder Liang from Liaoyang also rushed to the branch pavilion. Seeing that the pavilion master had not mentioned his coming here, the old man did not dare to inquire. At the end of the day, an old man in blue came.
When I met the pavilion master, I introduced myself as Zhu and said a few poems to the pavilion master, like..."
Luo Xiaoyao knew in his heart that it was a poem from "On the Military March", but seeing Weng Mu hesitate, he said: "The iron clothes are torn to pieces in the battlefields of hundreds of battles, and the south of the city has been heavily surrounded."
Weng Mu looked at Luo Xiaoyao in surprise and said, "Yes, the Pavilion Master said: Iron clothes are broken in a hundred battles, and the south of the city has been heavily surrounded. The gentleman responded: break out of the camp and shoot General Hu Yan, and lead the remaining soldiers alone.
Qian Qi returned. After saying that, both of them burst into laughter. The master of the pavilion asked Uncle Yang to take off his baggage and take it with him. He followed Mr. Zhu to the study room in the branch pavilion. About half an hour later, he saw that