The clear pool water is filled with green moss and rotten lotus leaves and rhizomes. The lotus pond, which used to have a clear and bottomless lotus fragrance, has turned into a dilapidated dark green pool, faintly exuding the rotten smell of sludge.
Qin Guan walked quickly onto the covered bridge, her skirt skimmed over the painted railings, and the smoky blue skirt was stained with a few spots of rust red.
Holding her breath, she fixed her gaze on that figure, but soon, that figure disappeared into the purple bamboo forest.
This was Qin Wan's second time walking west to the path to the Purple Bamboo Forest.
Under her feet, the desolation of autumn has infected every clump of barren weeds, and the uneven dwarf bamboos beside the road are half withered and half yellow and half green, as if they are fighting against the late autumn when everything is withered. It was a sunny day with clouds covering the sun, but Qin Wan had just walked along the path for less than four or five feet when the surrounding air suddenly became cold.
An aunt once hanged herself here, it is a forbidden place in the mansion, no matter whether it is the master or the servant, no one dares to come...
As Qin Wan walked, he thought about Fu Ling's words in his mind.
Because of these words, she suddenly felt even colder.
After walking more than ten steps forward, Qin Wan's breath was filled with the scent of bamboo. When he raised his eyes, the emerald green bamboo was already in front of him. Qin Wan gritted his teeth lightly and slowed down his steps.
The secluded path was quiet and dark, and it was only half a quarter ago that someone walked into the purple bamboo forest from here, but Qin Wan looked at the messy piles of dead branches and leaves on the ground, and couldn't find any traces of people walking by, she turned her head. He took a look at the way he had come, and also, there was no trace at all.
With a certain mind, Qin Wan walked in firmly.
The mood was different from the first time she came here. At that time, she had only seen half a bamboo branch picked up from Banyue Lake. To her, the Zizhu forest was just a mysterious and secluded place, but this time, she But she knew that there must be some secret hidden in it, and what was even more disturbing was that someone walked in before her.
Green bamboos grow densely on both sides of the path, and the path paved with bluestone slabs is covered layer by layer with withered yellow bamboo leaves and dead branches. When you step on it, there is only a slight rustling sound. As Fu Ling said, this forest is old. It has been a long time, and it has been carefully cultivated by craftsmen a long time ago. Even if it has been abandoned for so many years, it can be seen that the formation of bamboo is orderly, not random planting, and the purple bamboos on both sides of the path can cover the sky, enough for teacups. Thick and thin, the purple markings on it are even more clearly visible. There will never be another such a good purple bamboo forest in this city of Jinzhou.
However, the Qin government abandoned this place for almost ten years.
Walking step by step into the depths of the bamboo grove, the light around Qin Wan became increasingly dimmer. Bamboo layers were layered on top of each other, completely blocking out the not-so-glamorous sunlight. The sky was bright and sunny, and Qin Wan had an illusion of twilight. At a certain moment, Qin Wan's footsteps paused slightly, she raised her eyes and looked over, the road was already dimly visible three or four feet away, and at the end of the purple bamboo forest, it seemed more like a layer of black mist floating She couldn't see clearly, she didn't know how big the purple bamboo forest was, and the place she stopped was exactly where she stopped when she came in last time, Qin Wan looked at the dark forest ahead and frowned slightly, wanting to Don't go forward.
Qin Wan likes to be quiet, but she absolutely doesn't like the quietness like this.
In the depths of the dense bamboo forest, it was so quiet that Qin Wan panicked.
But she clearly knew that she was not alone in this forest...
What about that person? What about the person who deliberately brought her in
Qin Wan's brows were tightly frowned, and she stared into the depths of the bamboo forest with burning eyes. She tightly clenched her cuffs, with her palms through the sleeves, and carefully traced the outline of Hanyue, for a moment, for a moment...
Qin Wan waited quietly, but after half a day, there was no sound. Instead, there was a breeze passing through the forest, and there was a "rustling" sound in the quiet and panic-stricken purple bamboo forest. , at the same time, the bamboo shook slightly, and the bamboo shadows were confused. Deeper in the dark bamboo forest, it seemed that thousands of ghosts and ghosts opened their teeth and claws for a moment. Seeing the frightening and terrifying chaos, Qin Wan's footsteps suddenly moved——
She moved forward step by step, her pupils narrowed slightly, but the eyes at the corners of her eyes scanned the forest very keenly, she was even prepared, waiting for the second Qin Li to look at her with a strange smile.
One step, two steps, three steps...
No, no one, not even a sound of breathing, footsteps, not even a ghost.
Qin Wan frowned tightly, where is that person
Qin Wan stopped and turned around to look around. There were criss-cross paths in the purple bamboo forest. Qin Wan couldn't see the figure of the man for a long time. Naturally, he didn't know where the man went now, but what was the man for
The sky is bright, do you want to harm her? If you want to harm her, you should come out now...
Or do you want to bring her in because you want her to see something else
Qin Wan held his breath, his face was calm, but his heart couldn't help beating fast.
What is it for? No one would lure her here for no reason...
The breeze is still going on, and the rustling sound in the bamboo forest still hasn't stopped, Qin Wan feels a chill creeping up from the bottom of her feet, and she has enough time to have a cup of tea when she enters the purple bamboo forest...
Too long, she's been here too long.
Qin Wan gripped Hanyue's palm even tighter, but began to back away slowly.
She is not afraid of taking risks, but if she really puts herself in a dangerous situation, it is not worth it. Miss Jiu died in this purple bamboo forest, she must not...
Thinking of this, Qin Wan retreated faster and faster.
But when she took four or five steps back, the breeze suddenly stopped, and as soon as the wind stopped, the bamboo shadows on the ground disappeared, and at this moment, the black mist in the depths of the bamboo forest suddenly dispersed, Then, the back of a person was slowly revealed, Qin Wan's pupils trembled, it was clearly a woman who followed her in, but the back she saw now turned out to be a man...
How could there be a man in this purple bamboo forest? !
Qin Wan's back was stiff, and the cold sweat on his palms was increasing. The man who appeared suddenly did not know who it was, but Qin Wan instinctively felt a sense of danger. She wanted to back up, but for some reason, she couldn't move any longer. Her feet froze there as if they were stuck, fear hit Qin Wan instantly, she desperately wanted to take a step, but it seemed like a pair of invisible big hands grabbed her legs, and she couldn't move any more. At the same time, the back of the man deep in the bamboo forest slowly turned around.
Qin Wan's eyes widened slowly, and saw that the man first showed his side face, and then his whole face. Qin Wan opened his eyes wide in disbelief. The person standing ten feet away turned out to be Liu Chun. !
Liu Chun is nowhere to be found in the whole house! But it was actually in this purple bamboo forest!
Qin Wan stared at Liu Chun, but she suddenly discovered strangely that Liu Chun, who was standing there in a daze, had his eyes closed. As if many days after death, Qin Wan's heart was beating wildly, and at this moment, two lines of bloody tears suddenly flowed from Liu Chun's tightly closed eyes!
…
Trembling violently, Qin Wan opened his eyes unsteadily for breathing!
Looking at the pen and ink on the table in front of him, Qin Wan still hasn't recovered...
She slowly raised her body, the room was her room, the desk was her desk, a few medical books were in her hand, and she fell asleep on the desk...
Qin Wan pinched his numb arm, and the fear in his heart slowly subsided.
It's a dream... The clear scene just now turned out to be a dream...
Qin Wan stood up and took a look at the yard outside. The yard was still quiet. She walked to the door, pushed the door and went out. She looked at the side door leading to Lanpu for the first time, and felt relieved after seeing it.
The side door leading to Lanpu was locked tightly, and no one opened it at all.
Qin Wan's tense back slowly loosened, and her eyes looked at the void in the yard with some absentmindedness.
Well, she actually had such a dream...
Because she suspected that someone else was inserted in the four "nights", she dreamed that someone led her out, and the purple bamboo forest was the curse in her heart, so she simply led her to the purple bamboo forest, and the government was searching for Liu Chun's identity. Whereabouts, so she saw Liu Chun in the purple bamboo forest...
Qin Wan shook her head, thinking day by day and dreaming night by night... But why did she dream of Liu Chun who was bleeding and crying
Did something unexpected happen to Liu Chun
Thinking of this, the tension that had subsided in Qin Wan's heart surged out again.
When Fu Ling pushed open the courtyard door, she saw Qin Wan standing at the door in a daze, she was taken aback for a moment, Fu Ling hurriedly stepped forward, "Miss, why did you come out? But you are in a hurry?"
Qin Wan snapped back to his senses, shook his head and said, "It's okay, my eyes are a little tired from reading, so let's go for a walk."
Fu Ling said "Oh", turned around and took the medicine bag from Wan Xing's hand, and said in a low voice, "Miss, when we went to the medicine store, Doctor Qian had a bitter face. Went to see a doctor."
Fuling followed Qin Wan yesterday, and heard some of what Yan Chi and Huo Huaixin had said. She knew what kind of disease Qin An had, even Qin Wan couldn't help it, let alone Qian Bairen!
Right now, Qian Bairen is probably extremely anxious!
Qin Wan frowned, turned around and entered the room, took two steps and asked again, "Did the magistrate search the Zizhu Forest when he searched the Qin Mansion last night?"
Fu Ling frowned slightly, "Search the Purple Bamboo Forest?"
Qin Wan nodded, "Didn't you say that the entire Qin Mansion was searched?"
Fu Ling hesitated for a moment, "I don't know about this, but it's a forbidden area in the mansion, and the magistrate has some kind of friendship with the master, I'm afraid I won't search there...Miss, wait a minute, servants go out and ask."
Fu Ling turned around, put the medicine bag in Wan Xing's hand, and walked out.
Wan Xing was still guarding the door, and when she saw this, she just hugged the medicine bag and bowed her head to wait.
Qin Wan watched Fu Ling go out of the yard, and then turned to look at Wan Xing. Although Wan Xing rescued her in time last time, she never asked her, except every time Fu Ling took her medicine In addition, she has never been rewarded, and she has been so silent from beginning to end, like a shadow.
She was bought by the Qin family from outside and raised as a family child. Who trained her to be like this
Qin Wan was thinking that Xiang Fuling had already returned, "Miss, I asked, and said that when the prefect searched, he asked the manservant in the mansion to bring two servants in to look, but...but the two servants seemed to be I also know that the purple bamboo forest is not clean, so I went in and came out quickly, I thought I didn’t search carefully.”
Qin Wan's heart sank slightly, he nodded, and asked again, "Are the magistrate and His Royal Highness still in the Qin residence today?"
Fu Ling shook her head, "This servant doesn't know, what's wrong with Miss?"
Qin Wan pursed her lips for a moment, didn't say much, and only ordered, "Master Zhifu and His Royal Highness come to inform me as soon as they enter the mansion."
Fu Ling nodded, then took the medicine bag from Wan Xing's hand and followed Qin Wan into the room.
Wan Xing stood at the door for a moment, then turned and went to the side room.
…
…
Because Liu Chun was not found in the mansion, Huo Huaixin and Yan Chi searched for Liu Chun in the city all day, Qin Wan waited for the two to re-enter the Qin mansion, and did not see Fu Ling running in small steps until dinner time, " Miss, His Royal Highness and the magistrate have entered the mansion! It is said that there is no sign of Butler Liu outside, and they want to come into the mansion to check something!"
Qin Wan was having dinner, when he heard this, he immediately stood up, "Where are they?"
"In the steward's office!" Fu Ling replied, watching Qin Wan go to the side to wash his mouth and frowning slightly, "Miss must finish dinner anyway, why are you in such a hurry..."
Qin Wan straightened her dress, shook her head and walked out, "I don't want to eat, let Wantang clean it up, and let's go to the management office to see the situation."
Fu Ling hurriedly put on the cloak, gave Wan Tang instructions, and then followed Qin Wan out.
Fu Ling hurriedly put the cloak on Qin Wan, "Miss, don't worry, the magistrate and His Royal Highness are talking to the young master right now."
Qin Wan regained his composure when he heard the words, and his pace slowed down a bit. Even so, Yan Chi and the others were still with Qin Chen when Qin Wan arrived at the steward's office. Seeing that it was Qin Wan, Bai Feng let her go without any hindrance. go in.
When Qin Wan entered the courtyard, he saw that the spacious main hall was brightly lit.
"Ninth girl, the eldest son is also inside."
Bai Feng reminded, and Qin Wan said "hmm".
"So the magistrate thinks that he should question his two servants again?"
"That's exactly the case. I'm afraid that some people will know his whereabouts but won't tell."
The voices of Qin Chen and Huo Huaixin could be heard in the room, and Bai Feng walked to the door, "Master, Mr. Zhifu, Miss Nine is here..."
Yan Chi and Huo Huaixin's eyes lit up, Yan Chi nodded, "Please."
Bai Feng looked back, "Ninth Miss, please come in—"
Qin Wan met the eyes of the three people in the room and entered, and said to Yan Chi and Huo Huaixin, "I heard that His Highness and the prefect are here. I don't know if the two of you need help, so come and have a look."
Huo Huaixin smiled when he heard the words, and was about to shake his head when Yan Chi said, "I'm going to invite Miss Nine to come over."
Qin Chen looked at the corners of his lips slightly curved, "It's good that the ninth sister is here."
Qin Wan nodded, walked over and sat on Qin Chen's subordinate seat, Huo Huaixin looked at Qin Chen and said, "My lord, does Liu Chun have any old acquaintances? Could he be hiding with his former friends now?" gone?"
Huo Huaixin asked like this, but he was a little puzzled in his heart why Yan Chi had to invite Qin Wan over. For example, when he asked Liu Chun if he had any old friends before, Qin Wan naturally didn't understand as well as Qin Chen.
Qin Chen really said, "Liu Chun is the son of the Qin family, and his family has been slaves in the Qin family for three generations. He has been with his father since he was a child, and later became a housekeeper. I don't know if he has any old friends outside, but These people in the mansion are known to the prefect and His Royal Highness, logically speaking, there are not many close friends outside the mansion."
Huo Huaixin frowned, and turned to look at Yan Chi, "What do you think, His Royal Highness?"
Yan Chi glanced at Qin Wan and said, "I didn't find it outside, I'm afraid there are some omissions in the mansion, and then search Liu Chun's yard, maybe we can find out whether he has other old stories or clues to the mansion."
Huo Huaixin nodded, "Okay, I'll take you there, sir."
Huo Huaixin got up and left with the yamen who were guarding outside. Yan Chi also stood up. Qin Wan and Qin Chen got up together, and they walked out together. Is there anything missing?"
Qin Chen frowned, thought for a moment and shook his head, "I can't think of it for a while, there is no way Liu Chun can hide there for a day and a night without showing his face because there are servants in the house."
Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan, Qin Wan's eyes flickered, "Qin Wan couldn't think of it for a while, but..."
What Yan Chi was waiting for was her "but", so he looked at her intently, and only heard Qin Wan say, "However, the prefect may have incomplete searches."
Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan, his heart suddenly brightened, and he turned to look at Qin Chen, "I heard that there is a purple bamboo forest in the mansion?"
Qin Chen subconsciously straightened his body, but said calmly, "That's right, but the magistrate had already searched yesterday, and besides, there was nothing in the forest, Liu Chun had nothing to eat or drink, and he didn't even think about it." will hide there."
Yan Chi nodded his head as if agreeing or disagreeing, and said, "Okay, there's nothing else to do, Eldest Young Master, go get busy on your own."
Qin Chen glanced at Qin Wan, nodded, "Okay, then I will step back."
Yan Chi nodded, Qin Wan also gave Qin Chen a blessing, and Qin Chen left.
Seeing Qin Chen leave, Yan Chi looked at Qin Wan and said, "What are you waiting for us to enter the mansion?"
Qin Wan frowned, "Waiting for you?"
Yan Chi's expression darkened slightly, but he smiled freely, "You came here not long after we arrived at the mansion, obviously waiting for us to come, what new things did you think of?"
Qin Wan was slightly taken aback, but shook his head, "It's not that I thought of something new..."
She just had a dream, and she already had a lot of doubts about Zizhulin, but can she tell Yan Chi about this? Even if he said it, would he believe it
Seeing Qin Wan hesitate, Yan Chi said, "Just say what comes to mind."
Qin Wan glanced aside, and then said, "The magistrate went to search Liu Chun's yard, and His Royal Highness didn't go to have a look? Last night, the magistrate searched in detail and not enough, just ask him."
Yan Chi looked at her unpredictably for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."
After saying that, he walked out, Qin Wan followed behind him, already made up his mind.
Huo Huaixin didn't search the purple bamboo forest carefully last night. He only needs to ask a question before he can search again. Then she will follow. Even if nothing is found, she can go and see what the purple bamboo forest looks like. Not counting her use of Yan Chi to investigate Miss Jiu's case.
Thinking of this, Qin Wan followed Yan Chi to Liu Chun's residence. Liu Chun is the housekeeper in the mansion. Not only does he have his own servant, but he also has his own yard, although it is not as elegant as the yards of the young masters and ladies. But it was also decorated very luxuriously and elegantly. Qin Wan and Yan Chi had just walked to the entrance of the courtyard, and saw that the courtyard was brightly lit, and outside the courtyard were guarding a lot of servants from the government office. Not far away, there were male servants from the outer courtyard looking around. look around.
Qin Wan glanced around, and was about to enter the door with Yan Chi, but saw Huo Huaixin striding out from the courtyard gate—
Looking up and seeing Yan Chi and Qin Wan, Huo Huaixin's eyes lit up, "His Royal Highness! Miss Nine! You two came just in time! Look at what this is..."
As he spoke, Liu Chun raised the handkerchief in his hand.
Qin Wan and Yan Chi looked at it, and saw that the veil was snow-white, with a willow leaf embroidered on one corner. It was the veil that Qin Wan and Yan Chi saw in Liu's sleeve that day. One glance, all thoughts are certain.
Huo Huaixin excitedly said, "Your Highness, Miss Nine, it seems that we have found the right person! Liu Chun has three handkerchiefs like this, and they are all hidden deep in the closet. Huo guessed that they must be Liu Chun. The gift from Aunt Liu may be a token between the two of them, so it is certain that the person who has an affair with Aunt Liu must be Housekeeper Liu!"
Qin Wan was sure, since everyone guessed correctly, it would be easy!
Yan Chi also nodded, "It's good that I didn't guess wrong. In this case, Liu Chun's suspicion will be even greater."
Huo Huaixin smiled clearly, "That's great, this way, the case can be solved. As expected, His Royal Highness will go out and find the murderer in just two days..."
The corners of Qin Wan's lips twitched when he heard this, and Yan Chi raised his eyebrows in disapproval. Seeing Yan Chi's expression, Huo Huaixin knew that he didn't like this, so he smiled awkwardly and said, "Then the official Go search again and see if there are any other clues!"
Yan Chi nodded, seeing that Huo Huaixin was about to leave, he suddenly asked, "By the way, did Master Huo not search carefully last night? It's impossible for Liu Chun to disappear without a trace in half a day, and he might still be in the mansion!"
Huo Huaixin paused, and said doubtfully, "Still in the mansion..."
Huo Huaixin pondered for a while, "This is not—"
Before the word "yes" came out, a figure suddenly ran up the small path northwest of Liu Chun's courtyard, and a young servant girl grabbed a male servant who was watching the excitement and cried, "You guys, go and see , something happened in Zizhu Forest, it seems that there is some kind of will-o’-the-wisp, and Mother Zhao was frightened and fainted!"
The little maid looked terrified, because she was crying, her voice was extraordinarily sharp.
Because of this, the three of Yan Chi heard this word for word...
Qin Wan frowned slightly, but the male servant said, "What made you faint? It's not Jiu Xiao..."
Qin Wan couldn't hear the next words clearly, but it was the manservant who deliberately lowered his voice. However, Qin Wan knew what the manservant meant without listening clearly. When she came back from the dead, she scared the people in the house. It was a big jump.
As soon as this idea was settled, the little maid cried again, "Woman's fire! Mother Zhao said she saw a will-o'-the-wisp in the purple bamboo forest..."
Will-o'-the-wisp... All Qin Wan's attention was immediately attracted by these two words!
"What kind of will-o'-the-wisp, don't talk nonsense... Where is the person, I'll go and see..."
The manservant lowered his voice, as if he didn't want to disturb the servants of the government office, but Qin Wan suddenly turned around and looked in the direction where the manservant and maidservant were talking. Her movement was not small, and Yan Chi immediately frowned, "What's the matter?" ?”
"It's all right, there's no chance of a will-o'-the-wisp..."
Qin Wan's voice was calm, Yan Chi frowned and said, "Isn't the will-o'-the-wisp a rumor?"
Qin Wan looked at Yan Chi's bright eyes and shook his head, "No." After speaking, he realized that his tone was too firm, and continued, "I once saw it in an article written by Lord Shen Yi, saying that ghost fire Most of them appear in graveyards, because corpses rot and ferment to produce corpse gas, which is very likely to burn in dry seasons, thus becoming will-o'-the-wisps."
Huo Huaixin's eyes widened as he listened, "This...meaning, where there are will-o'-the-wisps, there will be rotting corpses?"
Qin Wan felt that Huo Huaixin was so smart for the first time, she nodded, "That's indeed the truth."
Yan Chi's eyes darkened, and he immediately glanced at Bai Feng.
Bai Feng stepped forward and stopped the maidservant who was about to leave, "Hey, you, wait a moment, who did you say was fainted by the will-o'-the-wisp?"
The maidservant suddenly turned pale when she was stopped by the people in the government office. She glanced at this side and lowered her eyes and said, "It's Zhao Nanny, who is in charge of arranging Aunt Liu's funeral, but just now, Zhao Nanny came out After entering the courtyard, she saw a fire in the purple bamboo grove. Mother Zhao said... said it was a will-o'-the-wisp...there were no extra people in the inner courtyard, so this servant wanted them to go and see what was going on, if it was really a will-o'-the-wisp..."
"Where is the will-o'-the-wisp? You lead the way."
Before the maid could finish her sentence, a cold and deep voice rang out. The maid raised her eyes subconsciously, and immediately met a pair of deep eyes. After seeing Yan Chi's appearance clearly, she was stunned.
Bai Feng frowned, "I'm asking you something."
The maidservant looked startled, and immediately lowered her head, "Yes, Zizhulin, here... yes..."
The servant girl turned around in a panic to lead the way. Yan Chi looked back and saw Qin Wan anxiously following behind him. He faintly felt that Qin Wan was a little eager, but it didn't show on his face. Huo Huaixin greeted him from behind. A yamen servant said, "Let's go and have a look together, ghost fire, I don't believe it..."
Yan Chi and the others left as soon as they said they would, but the male servant was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly pushed the people around him, "Don't tell the eldest son yet! They are going to the Purple Bamboo Forest!"
The other man came to his senses, turned around and ran.
On this side, the maid who led the way walked very fast, Huo Huaixin came forward and said, "How did you see it? Who saw it?"
Yan Chi didn't believe in the theory of ghosts and gods, so he didn't believe it was ghost fire, but Huo Huaixin felt that ghost fire was a very evil thing, and he felt a little apprehensive. When he asked this question, the maid immediately said, "Mother Zhao saw it. Yes, she came out to get the spirit banners used to decorate the mourning hall, and she saw it as soon as she looked up..."
Huo Huaixin frowned slightly, "Your Highness, this... is this... oh yes, no wonder it was said yesterday that the Purple Bamboo Forest is a forbidden area of the Qin Mansion, could there really be..."
Yan Chi glanced at Huo Huaixin, "Master Huo believes in ghosts and gods?"
Huo Huaixin's face straightened when he heard the words, "Of course not... the silence is strange... it's just..."
"Since you don't believe it, Mr. Huo didn't do anything wrong, so why be afraid?"
Yan Chi was unquestionable, and Huo Huaixin hesitated to speak for a moment, so he had no choice but to put on a dignified look.
The night had already shrouded heavily, and the maid came from the west, so she led the way from the west. Qin Wan looked at the winding corridor in front of him, and couldn't help but think of the strange dream he had during the day. She took her to the direction of the purple bamboo forest, and when she arrived in the purple bamboo forest, she saw Liu Chun with bloody eyes...
Qin Wan breathed lightly, and a strange feeling came to his heart.
The maid took Qin Wan and others, together with the servants of the government office, and a group of more than ten people went to the northwest direction in a mighty way. After a while, the group came to the small lotus pond, and with the help of the servants holding the With the torch, Qin Wan looked at the little lotus pond in the night. Looking at it this way, he saw that the little lotus pond was withered, and it was almost the same as in the dream.
Qin Wan clenched her cuffs tightly, her heart beating slightly.
"There, Aunt Liu's mourning hall is set up there..."
Qin Wan looked in the direction pointed by the maidservant, and saw that Aunt Liu's mourning hall was located beside the west backyard where she and Fuling lived, but the location of Aunt Liu's mourning hall was even more remote than the west backyard, so it was only 100 meters away from Zizhu Forest. closer!
"Where is Mother Zhao?"
When Huo Huaixin asked, the maid hurriedly said, "At the gate of the courtyard, I only heard the nanny yelling at that time, we came out to have a look, only heard her say a few words and then passed away..."
Huo Huaixin frowned when he saw the maid's description, "Take us to have a look."
The maidservant nodded, passed the small lotus pond and walked north again, not long after, she saw a small courtyard, at the gate of the courtyard, Mother Zhao was sitting on the ground, and another little girl was among those who pinched her with a terrified expression.
The footsteps of a group of more than ten people shrank the little girl into the yard in shock, and only remembered to kneel down to salute when she saw that the people who came were all people from the government office, and Mother Zhao was already awake for a while, and she also knelt down on her knees when she saw this. on the ground.
"Greetings to the old man, goodbye to the old man..."
Huo Huaixin snorted and asked directly, "Did you see the will-o'-the-wisp just now?"
After asking this question, Mother Zhao immediately trembled, "Yes, this old slave saw it..."
"Where? What does it look like?"
Cold sweat overflowed on Zhao Nanny's forehead, and she pointed in the direction of the purple bamboo forest indiscriminately, "It's... right in that forest, it's... it's blue... oh no, it's green, blinking, frowning... "
Huo Huaixin frowned even tighter, "Where did you see it, get up and lead the way."
Zhao Momo was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground immediately, "My lord, please forgive me, I dare not... This old servant dare not... That is a forbidden place in the mansion, there have been rumors of haunting, and this old servant dare not go..."
Saying that, Zhao Nanny also started to cry.
Huo Huaixin wanted to say more, but Yan Chi opened his mouth, "Okay, we have a lot of people, just go and search. Did the magistrate search carefully last night?"
Huo Huaixin was taken aback, "Last night...the search was rushed last night, I'm afraid..."
Before Huo Huaixin finished speaking, Yan Chi knew what he meant. He didn't say much, and he didn't blame him. He just led the servants to the purple bamboo forest. After walking two steps, he suddenly found that Qin Wan was still following, and Yan Chi frowned. Wrinkled and looked at Qin Wan, "You stay outside."
How could Qin Wan give up such a good opportunity, and hurriedly said, "Qin Wan doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, so don't worry, Your Highness."
Her face was calm and her tone was composed. Yan Chi and her looked at each other for a moment, but finally looked away, but when he started to walk again, his pace slowed down. Naturally, Fu Ling didn't want to go to the Purple Bamboo Forest, but Qin Wan was going, and she So she could only follow, she held Qin Wan up, but she was even more frightened, Qin Wan turned her head, and patted the back of her hand caressingly.
Going along the west path to the Zizhu Forest, the scene I saw was still the same as in the dream, the difference is that it was daytime in the dream, but it was already dark now, after dark, the Zizhu Forest was even more eerie.
Walking along the main road, Yan Chi soon entered the purple bamboo forest first. He turned his head to look at Qin Wan, and walked along the main road. Not long after, he came to a fork in the road. Yan Chi looked around and was about to He wanted to order everyone to look for it together, but at this moment, several lanterns were lit outside the purple bamboo forest. Yan Chi stared and saw that it was Qin Chen who was striding forward with Jiang's support.
Yan Chi and Qin Wan frowned at the same time.
"Master Zhifu, did the old lady come over last night?"
Huo Huaixin shook his head, "No, only the eldest son followed..."
Yan Chi said "Oh", and looked at the servants around him, "You two, go search inside and see what's in this bamboo forest."
The night was falling, and the purple bamboo forest had been abandoned for a long time, even the rumors of the will-o'-the-wisp were scary, let alone someone saw the will-o'-the-wisp just now. Fortunately, Yan Chi ordered a pair of two, and when the words settled down, the guards Divided into four groups, each went to the depths of the purple bamboo forest, and at this time, Qin Chen and Jiang Shi walked in.
Huo Huaixin grinned when he saw Mrs. Jiang coming over, "It's just an ordinary search at night, how did it alarm the old lady?"
Still maintaining that indifferent look, Jiang bowed to Yan Chi and said, "I don't know why the magistrate came here again today in the place that was searched last night?"
Huo Huaixin looked at Yan Chi for a moment, then coughed lightly, "I didn't search carefully last night, besides, someone saw a will-o'-the-wisp here just now..."
Jiang's eyes narrowed, "The words of ghost fire are mostly rumors, how can the prefect believe it?"
Huo Huaixin flicked his sleeves, "Old Madam, don't worry, we're just conducting an ordinary search, and we're going out after we've finished searching. We also want to see if there's anything hidden here that's not good for the Qin family..."
Jiang's hand holding the Buddhist beads trembled a little. Hearing the words, he coughed twice and stopped talking. Qin Chen's gaze followed the torches held by the yamen to the depths of the purple bamboo forest.
Yan Chi glanced at the expressions of the two, and quietly waited for the news from the depths of the bamboo forest. Not long after, a group of people came back quickly.
"His Royal Highness, a well was found in the innermost part."
well? Qin Wan frowned, Huo Huaixin and Yan Chi also frowned.
Jiang said, "It's just an abandoned well in the mansion..."
Hearing these words, Qin Wan inexplicably thought of the well under the flower shed.
When Qin Shuang fell down, she said that she touched the bones of the dead in the well...
Qin Wan's face was a little serious, and she turned to look at Yan Chi. Jiang Shi and Qin Chen were there. Their eyes met in the air, and Yan Chi suddenly said, "Go and see, Xu Shijing Something is on fire."
Yan Chi gave the order, Qin Chen wanted to speak, but Jiang Shi held him back.
Yan Chi stopped talking, and led everyone towards the depths of the bamboo forest. Qin Wan hurriedly followed, and on the other side, Jiang's gaze was fixed on Qin Wan's body...
"His Royal Highness, right here..."
Yachai led a group of people and walked forward for more than ten feet. Along the way, the purple bamboo beside the path became more and more dense, and the dead leaves on the road were also very thick. The well mentioned by Yachai was in the deepest part of the bamboo forest. place.
It was a collapsed well that even the well platform was abandoned. A huge boulder was placed obliquely on the side of the well head. The only thing that could tell it was a well was a square and deep black hole on the ground.
Qin Wan looked at the mouth of the well and the boulder, how weird it looked.
Already in the depths of the bamboo grove, the fragrance of bamboo accompanied by the damp and rotten smell of dead branches and leaves piled up all year round filled everyone's nose with a pungent smell, but even so, Qin Wan still smelled a smell that only dead people There is a taste.
Thinking of that dream, Qin Wan's back felt inexplicably cold, and she stared straight at the mouth of the well, her heart beating extremely fast.
Yan Chi followed Qin Wan's gaze, "Bai Feng, go down and have a look."
As soon as these words came out, there was a "click", and Jiang's Buddhist beads fell to the ground.
Huo Huaixin looked at Jiang Shi in surprise, but Yan Chi and Qin Wan didn't have the time to pay attention to the expressions of Jiang Shi and Qin Chen. Bai Feng looked around and took a secluded lamp from the hand of the servant of the Qin House. He swayed at the mouth of the well with the light on, and then jumped down without any scruples...
Seeing him like this, Jiang sighed slowly, "Amitabha, it's all the Qin family's fault..."
Yan Chi looked at the mouth of the well without looking back, while Huo Huaixin looked at Jiang Shi and said, "Madam, what do you mean?"
Qin Chen picked up the beads, and Jiang held them in her palm again. She turned the beads, her eyes narrowed slightly, as if caught in memories, and she recited some scriptures, and when she spoke again, her tone was extraordinarily strange Feeling desolate, "In this well, an old man from the mansion is buried. For so many years, the purple bamboo forest has become a forbidden place in the mansion, which is also the reason."
Huo Huaixin's eyes widened in shock, "An old man in the mansion?"
Yan Chi didn't listen to Jiang Shi's words, he stepped forward and walked to the mouth of the well to listen to the movement down the well.
On this side, Jiang continued, "Many years ago, an aunt in the house threw herself into a well and died in this well. At that time, a mage was invited to come. The mage said that this well is a murderous well, and the soul in the well is also a murderer." Soul, the only way to keep the peace of the Qin Mansion is to use the demon-suppressing stone to suppress it. Since then, this well has been sealed, and no one else is allowed to come and go in the Purple Bamboo Forest."
As soon as the words were finished, Bai Feng jumped out from the mouth of the well, he didn't speak immediately, but walked to Yan Chi's side and whispered something.
On this side, Mrs. Jiang was still calm and said compassionately, "This matter has passed for many years, and it is not a glorious thing. I thought to let it go like this, but I didn't want to be known by the magistrate... "
Huo Huaixin opened his mouth wide in shock, not knowing what to say, when Xiang Yanchi came over.
He looked at Jiang Shi with heavy eyes and said, "It seems that what the old lady said is correct, this well is indeed a dangerous well."
Huo Huaixin was startled, "Did you really see that old man?"
Yan Chi's eyes were sharp, and he looked at Jiang shi rightly, "Not only is there an old friend, but there is also a newcomer, if I'm not mistaken, it should be Liu Chun, the housekeeper—"
Jiang's narrow eyes suddenly widened, Liu Chun? !