Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 101: Plum Blossom Seal Appears, Death Premonition

The empress's decree was quickly conveyed to the Su family mansion. The Su family, headed by Old Madam Su, knelt on the ground and bowed their heads to receive the decree. They thought it was a decree to confiscate Su Yu's property and exile him. The women of the Su family were all frightened, and some of the timid ones even fainted.

But when he heard the female official read out: "Duke Xing's granddaughter Murong Huan is intelligent and beautiful, with both talent and virtue. According to the decree of the Holy Lord, she is specially granted the title of Princess Jiahe and is married to Xiao Muchen, son of Duke Cheng, of the Lanling Xiao family..."

Old Madam Su immediately raised her head and looked at the female official who announced the decree in disbelief.

The female official said, "The sage has another oral instruction. Although the title of Duke of Xing, Su Dingfang, was not passed on to his descendants, in consideration of his contributions to protecting the country and his son, Su Minghe, who had cured the late emperor's eye disease, the title should have been passed on to Su Minghe. However, since Su Minghe is dead and only left behind a daughter, his daughter, Murong Huan, was specially named Princess Jiahe and given the surname Wu."

"Please ask the Su family's head to accept the order on my behalf!"

Su Qing said, "Yes!" and took the imperial edict in his hands.

As soon as the female official left, Madam Su collapsed to the ground as if she had been granted amnesty, muttering, "Da Lang, does that mean our Su family won't have to worry about San Lang anymore?"

"Yes, mother, I told you long ago that Ah Huan would save our Su family. Ah Huan has never been a disaster. She is smart and independent-minded, and her intelligence is no less than that of my second brother. She has always been our Su family's lucky star!"

Old Madam Su burst into tears immediately.

"Perhaps I'm really wrong, I'm prejudiced against her, I've let her down... Dalang, let's go and bring her back, okay? The Saint has granted her a marriage with Xiao Zhongcheng, so should we prepare a dowry for her? And have we set a date?"

Qin felt particularly uncomfortable listening to this, while Su Sanniang beside her twisted her handkerchief tightly, with a look of resentment in her eyes.

After the female official left, Su Wuniang, who had lost her mother and father in succession, burst into tears.

"Why? Why does she have such a good life? She killed my mother and sent my father to prison. Why didn't she get any retribution? On top of that, Your Majesty granted her marriage and made her a county lady? Why didn't Your Majesty just marry her off to Tubo as a peace treaty?"

This last sentence frightened Old Lady Su. Back then, the Tubo prince had specifically asked the saint's beloved daughter, Princess Taiping, to marry into the Tubo clan. The saint couldn't bear to see his daughter marry far away, and even asked Princess Taiping to wear Taoist robes and become a nun, thus avoiding a marriage or a war.

If these words were to reach the ears of a saint, he would inevitably think too much.

Madam Su immediately shouted in displeasure, "Stop talking! You little girl, are you trying to kill our Su family? Come, lock Wu Niang up in the ancestral hall and don't let her out for the time being. Let her reflect on what she said today."

Su Wuniang, who had always been spoiled, saw such disgust and dislike on her grandmother's face for the first time. In the past, because her mother Qiu was favored by her grandmother, her grandmother always sent the best clothes in the house to her yard, and all the sisters in the clan flattered her and indulged her. But now everything has changed. No one is willing to play with her anymore, and no one even bothers to give her a good look.

When she was crying sadly, Su Sanniang came to the ancestral hall to see her with a food box.

"Actually, you don't have to be so sad. Murong Huan's title of County Lord has benefited my Su family. Instead of hating her, why don't you use her influence to climb up the social ladder?"

"How can I climb up? My father's reputation is ruined, and my mother is the son of a cruel official who ruthlessly massacred the people of the city. Who would dare to marry me? My life is ruined."

"You can marry, too. Take this opportunity and marry into the Xiao family. Even if you become a concubine, you'll have a chance to turn your life around in the future, don't you think? Besides, Xiao Zhongcheng is such a rare talent. There are countless noble ladies in Luoyang who want to marry him. Even the wife of the first wife of the Cui family in Boling has a crush on him. Wouldn't you like a man like that?"

Xiao Muchen's face immediately flashed in Su Wuniang's mind. He was so handsome that he looked like a fairy in a painting and was unforgettable.

But she never dared to imagine that she could stand with such a nearly perfect man.

"So what if he likes me? But isn't that kind of person out of our reach?"

"If he can marry Ah Huan, then it's no longer out of reach." Su Sanniang said this, and then said in a sedulous tone, "Why don't we invite Ah Huan out, reconcile with her, and ask her to take us to the Xiao family as well? What do you say?"

Su Wuniang's eyes widened when she heard this: "Sanniang, you like Xiao Zhongcheng, right? You fell in love with him the moment you saw him at Princess Taiping's residence that day, right?"

Su Sanniang's face flushed immediately. She moved her lips as if she wanted to explain something, but in the end she lowered her eyes without saying a word to show her acknowledgment.

"Please think about it carefully. If you agree, I will ask my grandmother to release you."

Su Wuniang fell silent.

Seeing that she was moved, Su Sanniang walked out of the ancestral hall and took out a sachet from her sleeve.

There was a note hidden in the sachet, which read: If you can invite Murong Huan to the Bailiang Poetry Society organized by my wife Cui, I will consider taking you as my concubine.

Cui family, if she could marry into the Cui family, even as a concubine, what would that mean? It would be better than staying in the Su family, whose reputation has been tarnished. For so many years, she and the Qiu family had been carefully flattering the Cui family's mistress, just hoping that the Qiu family could find her a good marriage. Who would have thought that a peony banquet, just because of Murong Huan, had already ruined all the good feelings of the Cui family in the heart of the Cui family.

I originally thought that there was no hope for me to marry into the Cui family in this life, but I never thought that I would have such an opportunity.

……

The next day, Murong Huan received a letter from the Su Mansion, asking her to meet at a poetry club organized by the Cui family's wife, saying that there was an important matter to discuss, and it was about the poison in Xiao Muchen's body.

Few people should know what the poison Xiao Muchen was poisoned with was. After Helan Minzhi's death, it was even more impossible for anyone else to know except her and Xiao Muchen herself. Unless this person was one of the King of Wei's men, or was the one who poisoned her...

When the letter was received, Xiao Muchen had already arrived at the Dali Temple, presiding over the White Horse Temple case with Lu Shaoqing and the Minister of Justice. Murong Huan originally wanted to go and take a look, but because he was a little uneasy, and even often saw Li Linghuan in his sea of ​​consciousness and dreamed of everything she had experienced, he did not go to the Dali Temple with Xiao Muchen.

And because the saint had granted them the marriage, Xiao Muchen couldn't bear to see her too tired, so he let her have a good rest at home.

At this time, she received a letter from the Su family. As soon as she saw the handwriting, she knew it was written by the young lady. She became suspicious and came to a place called Bailiang Poetry Society.

The poetry club is full of beautifully dressed young ladies, and from their attire you can tell that most of them are ladies from prominent families.

When Murong Huan arrived, these young ladies were composing poems together, and the poems they were composing were the Bailiangtai poems that had been popular since the Han Dynasty.

In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty entertained his ministers at the Bailiang Terrace and composed a hearty Bailiang Poem. Since then, it has been loved by emperors and princes, and gradually became a style type.

As soon as Murong Huan joined the poetry club, he quickly attracted the attention of many young ladies in the club.

"So this is the newly appointed Princess Jiahe County by the Saint! I've heard that this young lady is good at painting portraits and hypnosis, and can also heal illnesses. She's a little miracle doctor, but I wonder how powerful she is?"

"Yes! At such a young age, he claims to be a miracle doctor. In my opinion, he is just exaggerating and deceiving the world."

"That's not necessary. We all witnessed Miss Huan's performance at the Peony Banquet. Her flute playing alone earned her high praise from Minister Xiao."

The person who said this was a young girl wearing a lavender semi-transparent blouse with mink trim and an exquisite snake bun. She had a very dignified and beautiful appearance. Judging from her age, she should be older than the young ladies around her. She exuded a sense of stability and dignity, and her words were extremely easy-going, the epitome of a noble lady.

"My name is Cui Ying, and I'm the fourth lady of the Cui family's Ping'an House. We met once at the Peony Flower Banquet. I was with my aunt at the time, but she was so focused on Xiao Zhongcheng and Madam Cui that she probably didn't notice me."

The girl approached her and spoke very enthusiastically yet dignifiedly.

Murong Huan noticed that behind her, there were two young ladies huddled together, casting burning gazes at her. They were Su Sanniang and Su Wuniang.

Therefore, the letter from the Su Mansion was written by Su Sanniang or Su Wuniang.

"Madam Cui, I don't know you well, why did you invite me here?"

Cui Ying then said, "I met you at the Peony Banquet that day and I fell in love with you. I wanted to make friends with you. Could it be that you, young lady, don't want to be my friend?"

The girl from the Cui family is like a proud daughter of heaven, surrounded by stars and moons. Who would be so stupid as to refuse to have sex with her?

"In fact, I can see that since she was a child, the young lady has rarely been in the company of other girls or noble ladies. She doesn't have many friends, and perhaps she is a little afraid to interact with others. But it doesn't matter. No one can be alone forever. There are always a few good friends or confidants in life, isn't it?"

"Mrs. Cui, if you have anything to say, please speak frankly. I came here because of the contents of the letter, not to make friends or relatives."

Hearing Murong Huan's words, some young ladies became unhappy: "How can this girl talk like that? She has no manners at all. Isn't it a humiliation to Xiao Zhongcheng for marrying such a person?" "That's right, it's like a flower stuck in cow dung..."

Wang Wuniang, who happened to be arriving at the poetry club, witnessed this scene and hurried over to say, "It was Xiao Zhongcheng's original intention to ask for Ah Huan's hand in marriage. With Xiao Zhongcheng's ability to discern, is he any less capable than you young ladies? Besides, love is instinctive. What business is it of yours to decide who Xiao Zhongcheng marries? Why make such vile remarks that damage his reputation and make you appear narrow-minded and foolish?"

"Wang Wuniang, who... who are you talking about?"

"Whoever insults me, I will scold him!"

"Sister Cui, look, this Wang Wuniang relies on her status as a Taiyuan Wang family member to do this..."

Cui Ying's eyes flickered, and a gentle smile suddenly appeared on the corner of her lips. "What the Fifth Lady of the Wang Family said is not without reason. What does it have to do with you if Xiao Zhongcheng and this young lady are happily married? Why make such despicable remarks that humiliate both others and yourself?"

The young ladies blushed immediately and dared not say a word.

After saying this, Cui Ying started chatting with Murong Huan and Wang Wuniang again. "If you two ladies don't mind, we can go to the private room over there to talk." Then, she whispered to Murong Huan, "As for the answer you want, I've brought someone else with me. He will tell you."

Murong Huan nodded without refusing, and went with Cui Ying to a wing room in the east side of the poetry club. After the maid brought tea and snacks, they started chatting. The poetry club started to write poems again, which was very lively, but Murong Huan seemed to have no interest in the poetry competition of these young ladies.

After chatting for a while, Cui Ying suggested taking Murong Huan to meet the person she wanted to meet, and asked Wang Wuniang to wait outside.

So, Murong Huan followed Cui Ying to the wing room on the other side. As soon as he opened the door of the wing room, Murong Huan smelled a wisp of sandalwood mixed with another strange scent.

She held her breath and walked into the room. She saw a man in purple clothes sitting at a table, making tea like Xiao Muchen. There was a small stove in front of him, and steam was rising from the pot on it. The fragrance of tea immediately filled the air.

This man was Cui Shi.

"As expected, as soon as I mentioned the poison Xiao Muchen was infected with, you arrived as promised. It seems that you really have deep feelings for Xiao Muchen!" He looked at Murong Huan and said with a smile, pointing to the seat opposite, "Since you are here, please take a seat!"

After Murong Huan sat down, he continued:

"You solved the White Horse Temple case in just a few days. Even someone as powerful as the King of Wei was brought down from his high position by you. I've heard that things have been quite lively at court lately, with memorials impeaching the King of Wei piling up like a mountain. If nothing unexpected happens, even if he survives, he'll be dismissed from his position, and the Wu family will lose another pillar." He then sighed with genuine emotion, "I, Cui, truly admire the young lady's intelligence and talent."

"No need for polite words, just tell me why you went to so much trouble to invite me here!" Murong Huan said straight to the point.

"My dear lady, you are so straightforward and uninteresting. In terms of family background, talent, and appearance, I, Cui Chenglan, am no worse than Xiao Muchen. Why did you reject my proposal?
If you refuse to be my concubine, then I can change my mind and marry you. What do you think?"

Murong Huan said bluntly, "It's nothing. There's no personal connection between Mr. Cui and me. You want to marry me simply for the sake of profit. If that's all we're talking about, then let's just talk about it. State your terms, and I'll consider whether I can agree to them."

"Okay, young lady, you're really straightforward!" Cui Shi suddenly stood up, poured a cup of tea, and walked over to Murong Huan. "I've heard my aunt mention the strange poison Xiao Muchen was poisoned with. If you're willing to serve me from now on and become my servant, I'll get the antidote from my aunt and save Xiao Muchen's life. What do you say?"

Murong Huan sneered, "Lord Cui truly thinks highly of me. The Cui family is a powerful and influential clan, so why would they need the help of a woman like me?"

"It's true that the Cui family's power is intertwined, but I also need my own people, especially those who can access the center of power. From what I've observed, you are so young and of humble origin, but you have been able to step by step catch the eyes of these powerful people. Not only have you been valued by Lu Ling, favored by Xiao Muchen, and helped by Princess Taiping, but now even the Saint has conferred you the title of County Master. This is your extraordinary quality, and it is what I, Cui Shi, need most."

He handed the tea to Murong Huan and said, "How about it? Can we have a deal?"

Murong Huan took the tea and paused slightly when he was about to drink it.

"what's wrong?"

"nothing!"

Under Cui Shi's gaze, she tilted the teacup slightly and drank the tea in one gulp.

"Okay, then give me the antidote now."

Cui Shi, however, looked at her cunningly and said, "Don't worry. Once we have an inseparable relationship, I will naturally give it to you."

After saying that, he slowly approached Murong Huan, and Murong Huan gradually became confused and physically exhausted, with even a layer of fine beads of sweat oozing out of his snow-white skin.

Cui Shi's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a beautiful scenery. He suddenly picked up Murong Huan by the waist and walked to the bed. But just as he leaned over to kiss the girl under him, the girl's dark eyes suddenly widened and she punched him on the back of the neck, causing him to faint.

At this moment, there seemed to be footsteps outside the door. Murong Huan spat out a mouthful of tea, climbed up the eaves, lifted the tiles, and jumped directly out from the roof.

But just as she jumped off the eaves, she saw Xiao Muchen rushing towards her and was about to enter the poetry club.

Murong Huan dodged in front of him, grabbed his hand and ran: "Let's go home!"

Xiao Muchen also rushed here after receiving a note in the Dali Temple, which said that Murong Huan might be in danger in the Bailiang Poetry Society. Now that he saw that she was safe and sound, he did not ask the reason and returned to the Xiao Mansion with her.

"What happened?"

Xiao Muchen was about to ask when he noticed that Murong Huan seemed to be very abnormal. There seemed to be beads of sweat on his snow-white skin, and his cheeks were flushed, making his skin look even more delicate and charming.

"Ah Huan, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"They... drugged me. Although I didn't drink the tea, I took in a lot of the aroma."

"Who?"

Murong Huan shook his head: "But it doesn't matter, I was going to marry you anyway!"

She suddenly said, "Xiao Muchen, let's...consummate our marriage!"

If this can transfer the ice silkworm cold poison in your body, you might as well give it a try.

Xiao Muchen was still a little surprised and confused when he saw Murong Huan had already undressed, revealing her shoulders that were as smooth as jade and almost flawless. As the clothes slid down, her skin appeared in his eyes bit by bit.

so beautiful!
This was the first time he faced a girl like this...

Xiao Muchen's mind was completely blank until he felt Murong Huan's soft cherry lips pressed against his own. He couldn't help but hug her tightly, gradually immersing himself in the ecstasy of tenderness.

As night fell and the moon rose, the snow raccoon ran to the window, seemed to let out a shy cry, and then covered its face and ran away.

Gradually, Xiao Muchen heard Murong Huan's suppressed groan of pain, and then he realized that nothing had happened between them that day, and today was the real first time.

The room was filled with the extremely rich fragrance of the girl, which lingered in his nose like warm spring water, making him sink into it several times and unable to control himself.

He didn't know how long it was, but when he saw Murong Huan had fallen into a deep sleep, he put his arm around her waist, kissed her lips again, and was about to fall asleep. But at this moment, he caught a glimpse of a red plum blossom faintly appearing on her chest.

……

Murong Huan seemed to see his master again in his dream, but he didn't know where his master was. The walls around him were covered with scrolls.

Almost every scroll depicts a person and is filled with all the stories related to this person, including his or her identity and status, life experiences, and even his or her final outcome.

He stroked the scrolls one after another and suddenly said to the people behind him, "I will make everyone on this scroll die according to this predetermined ending, so as to atone for the sins they have committed in this life."

(End of this chapter)