I really don't want to take shortcuts anymore

Chapter 530 Blood Pond

A gray shadow, like a giant bird, flew over the woods and landed in front of the car.

"That person went in the direction of Qinglu Garden." Wei Ying said, "I was worried about Madam's safety, so I didn't pursue him to the end."

Luo Qianhuai looked down at him and asked, "Has the messenger you sent to Qinglu Garden come back?"

"Not yet." Wei Ying said, "Based on the current situation, maybe someone in Qinglu Garden is hostile to you, and his martial arts skills are not weak."

"So what is your suggestion?" Luo Qianhuai asked.

"Madam, please turn back for the time being. I will ask the Marquis to send more people another day to move in and clean up first before we talk." Wei Ying said.

"I understand your concerns." Luo Qianhuai looked into the distance again: "But they put on this posture, but didn't hurt anyone. They probably want to stop me from entering the garden."

She smiled faintly, "I came to Qinglu Garden today on a last-minute basis. I thought that the people there should have been ready to welcome the new owner the day His Majesty issued the decree, but now it seems that they may not welcome me."

"So Madam doesn't want to just follow their wishes." Wei Ying understood her implication and raised his eyebrows.

"Yes." Luo Qianhuai's gaze suddenly paused and fell on a bird's nest that fell to the ground along with the tree canopy.

A few small milky yellow heads were vaguely visible there, but there was no movement at all. It was obvious that they had lost their lives in vain in this sudden disaster.

"Clear the way." Luo Qianhuai looked away and ordered, "I want to see who dares to be so blatant and stir up trouble in the imperial manor granted by the emperor. If we are fully prepared and go another day, we may not be able to find any traces."

"But your safety?" Wei Ying was still a little hesitant.

"With the guard camp leader and four personal guards here, it shouldn't be a problem even if we face dozens of so-called experts. What's more, I'm here with you."

The last sentence made Wei Ying silent.

In terms of skills, all the people present combined are no match for Luo Qianhuai, so obeying orders becomes the only option.

For Wei Ying and others who were highly skilled in martial arts, clearing the road was not a difficult task. In just half a cup of tea, the carriage had passed this place and continued to move forward.

The rest of the journey went very smoothly. Soon we passed through the woods and arrived in front of Qinglu Garden.

The Royal Garden is not an ordinary manor. Its facade is more magnificent than other places. Auspicious beasts and auspicious clouds are carved on the white jade archway, and three large golden characters "Qinglu Garden" are engraved in the middle of the top, which were written by the late emperor.

A hundred steps before the Imperial Garden, the ground was paved with large, flat bluestone slabs, and the carriage was much smoother on it than on the previous muddy road.

At this moment, the rain was much lighter than before, but the sky was a little darker than before.

And right under the white jade pillar, there was a person standing.

He had a square face and looked honest and steady. He held an oil-paper umbrella in his hand, but it could not completely stop the rain, so that the green linen straight-hem robe he was wearing was thoroughly wet.

Seeing Luo Qianhuai's carriage driving in, the man hurried over with the corner of his robe in hand. His eyes focused slightly on the Xianghou Mansion logo on the carriage, and a genuine smile appeared on his face:

"But is the Marquis's wife in person?" he asked.

A personal guard came forward, looked him over, and said, "Yes."

The man immediately dropped the oil-paper umbrella in his hand, knelt upright on the bluestone slab full of water, and bowed to the ground in a dignified manner: "I am Hou Zhong, the humble man, honored to be the manager of Qinglu Garden, and I pay my respects to my wife!" There was no movement in the car for a long time. Hou Zhong lay on the ground, feeling the coldness on his forehead penetrating into his heart, and then he heard a cold voice: "Get up."

"Yes." Hou Zhong stood up without picking up the fallen oil-paper umbrella. He wanted to move closer to the car window, but was stopped rudely by his bodyguards.

He did not take it as an offense, and said with a smile on his face: "Ever since we received the imperial decree and knew that Madam would be our new master, everyone has been overjoyed and looking forward to Madam's early arrival. Now, today we finally have her!"

Luo Qianhuai sat in the car and curled his lips secretly.

"Let's go." She did not respond to Hou Zhong's words, but ordered the guards outside.

The carriage drove into Qinglu Garden, and the sound of hooves made a crisp "click" sound on the bluestone slabs.

The wind and rain had stopped temporarily, but the dark clouds were gathering even lower, and from time to time, a rumbling sound could be heard in the distance, as if something big was brewing.

Xing Xuan opened the curtains on both sides of the car. Luo Qianhuai looked outside and saw a large field that had been abandoned for a long time and was overgrown with weeds. It was completely different from the fertile land she had expected. Her brows unconsciously frowned, and as she looked at Hou Zhong's back, her expression became more complicated.

Hou Zhong was caught between two guards. Although he looked puzzled, he did not struggle. When they asked about the whereabouts of the guard who was sent to the garden to report the news, he smiled and explained:
"Knowing that he is someone close to the Madam, we dare not neglect him. He should have changed into clean clothes and drank ginger soup to warm himself up."

As he said this, he deliberately raised his voice and said, "Hot soup and various snacks have been prepared in the garden. I guarantee that my lady will be satisfied."

Luo Qianhuai and Xing Xuan looked at each other and saw a solemn look in each other's eyes.

They all knew the rules of the royal guards and would never stay and accept the other party's arrangements without reporting to their master, unless something unexpected happened.

What they could think of, Wei Ying and the other three guards could think of as well.

But they could also see that Hou Zhong was just an ordinary person without any martial arts skills. They thought the climax was still to come, so for the time being they could only keep a close eye on him to avoid alerting the enemy.

As we walked, a pond appeared in front of us. There were newly born lotus flowers in the pond, standing upright in a pretty manner. From a distance, it looked much more pleasing to the eye than the other wastelands around it.

This should be the fresh water that Han Min'er dug the canal to bring in. Luo Qianhuai attached great importance to this and deliberately stuck his head out to look into the pond a few more times.

After just a few glances, her gaze suddenly froze.

Although it was not close and the sky was getting darker, the area of ​​the pond was quite large and she couldn't help but notice what was inside.

It was filled with a rich and dull blood red, creating a strange and terrifying color under the dim sky.

The strong smell of rust came straight into my nose along with the damp wind, making me feel nauseous.

Even if Xing Xuan was brave, she had never seen such a large pool of blood. Her fingertips instantly became icy cold, and she said in a trembling voice, "Madam."

Luo Qianhuai held Xing Xuan's hand with his backhand. Her hand was warm and calm, and she didn't look frightened at all.

"Go down and take a look." She said, lifting the curtain of the car.

Wei Ying and the others noticed the abnormality of the pond earlier than she did. The two people holding Hou Zhong moved very quickly, and had already drawn their swords and put them on his neck, pressing down slightly.

But he had no reaction to this. His eyes were fixed on the pond water. His eyes were bloodshot and he opened his mouth to scream, but he was so frightened that he couldn't make a sound.