Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 115 Choi Young's Death
After Murong Huan finished speaking, she stretched out her hand and attacked the man in green. Her speed was so fast that the man in green was caught off guard. But just as Murong Huan's hand was about to touch the mask on the man's face, another figure jumped out from the pear forest and appeared behind the man like an arrow. While pulling the man behind him, his other hand met Murong Huan's heavy blow.

"You go, I'll deal with her!"

The speaker was a masked man in night clothes, his voice was a little low and hoarse.

"and who are you?"

"Young lady, we have heard of your reputation. Recently, in Luoyang City, you exposed the crimes of General Qiu Shenji of the Left Golden Guard and Supervisory Censor Guo Hongba for the Xie family. You also worked with Minister Xiao to expose the crimes of the King of Wei at the White Horse Temple. Your actions have earned our deepest admiration, and that is why my brothers place all our hopes on you. We hope that you can seek justice for a young lady who was brutally murdered and died silently for three years, and expose the true faces of these noble ladies from aristocratic families who are like evil spirits."

After saying that, the man threw a scroll in his hand into Murong Huan's hand and said, "This is a painting by my brother. You will understand after you see it."

As soon as Murong Huan took the scroll, the masked man pulled the man in green and ran quickly towards the pear orchard not far away. At this moment, Xiao Muchen and Lu Ling hurried over.

Seeing Murong Huan standing there unharmed, deep in thought, Xiao Muchen breathed a sigh of relief and quickly came to her side and asked, "Are you okay? Who was that person just now?"

Murong Huan suddenly woke up and saw Xiao Muchen and Lu Ling. His expression suddenly changed: "You are here too, then Cui Ying..."

"Don't worry, with Lu Shiyilang guarding there, nothing should happen." Lu Ling continued, glancing at the scroll in Murong Huan's hand, and curiously asked, "What is this?"

Murong Huan glanced at Xiao Muchen, as if hesitating about something, and said, "Let's go back first!"

……

After returning to the Dali Temple, it was almost the quarter after noon. The sky had brightened and the morning light was faint. Murong Huan spread out the scroll in his hand and said, "Two men just came to me, saying they wanted to seek justice for a young woman who was brutally murdered and died silently three years ago. This scroll is the evidence they gave me."

As he spoke, the scroll was fully unfolded. Xiao Muchen and Lu Ling also looked over attentively and saw many incomprehensible symbols and some strange pictures painted on the scroll.

"What does this painting mean?" Lu Ling didn't understand and asked in surprise.

But at this moment, a burst of crying and screaming came from the room where Cui Ying was. Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen's faces suddenly changed. Thinking that something was wrong, they rushed towards Cui Ying's room. They saw Cui Ying rushing out of the room with a look of fear on her face and disheveled hair. Behind her, the little girl named Qinghong was trembling all over, as if she had seen something extremely terrible.

"I want to go home. It's not safe here. I want to go back to the Cui family! It's already noon. Send me back quickly!"

"Send me back!"

She grabbed Lu Shiyilang who was guarding the door, shook him desperately and screamed.

"what happened?"

Lu Ling, who rushed over and saw this, asked sternly and pulled Cui Ying's hand away from Lu Shiyilang's collar.

Lu Shiyilang spread his hands, a look of helplessness on his face. "I don't know what happened, but Cui Wuniang suddenly went crazy, screaming and shouting as if she had seen a ghost. But I can guarantee that no one has been here tonight! When you left just now, I was guarding here without leaving for a moment, and I didn't see anyone!"

Lu Ling glanced at Cui Ying, who looked terrified and pale, and said, "Then send her back!"

"Really send it back?"

"Didn't they say that the hour of Chen has already arrived? Since the murderer didn't kill her, he's intentionally diverting our attention. Perhaps he has a plan for the next step." Lu Ling said, "Send her back first, and bring more detectives to protect her along the way!"

"OK then!"

Lu Shiyilang obeyed the order and immediately brought a dozen detectives with him. Just as they were about to escort Cui Ying out of the Dali Temple, Qinghong, the maid from the Zheng family, suddenly rushed over and pleaded with Lu Ling, "Lu Shaoqing, let me leave too. There's a ghost in this room, a ghost... Madam Cui Wu and I saw it last night. It was Lu Yingying's ghost coming for revenge. It was so scary. She was covered in blood, without even her hands or feet, and her eyes had been gouged out. She said she died a tragic death and that she wanted those who hurt her to die a miserable death... She's come to seek revenge on us..."

Qinghong was incoherent, and seemed to be frightened out of her soul. Her face was pale and she was in a trance.

Seeing her like this, Lu Ling didn't dare to keep her any longer, and just said to Lu Shiyilang: "Then take her away together!"

Lu Shiyilang hesitated for a moment, said "Okay!", then asked Qinghong to get up, and walked out of the Dali Temple together.

"Wait—" Murong Huan suddenly stopped and looked at Qinghong and asked, "How do you know Cui Wuniang also saw Yingying's ghost?"

"She's frightened to death, as you can see. I can't stay here any longer. Let me go!"

Murong Huan said nothing more, but went to the room where they were staying. Aside from a couch, a table, and a chair, there wasn't anything unusual about the room. The only difference was the clepsydra on the table, which seemed to tick slightly faster than usual. There was also a faint fragrance hanging in the air. "What's wrong? Did you notice anything wrong?" Xiao Muchen asked, entering.

Murong Huan nodded and brought the clock on the table to Xiao Muchen and Lu Ling. "Look, there's a transparent tube inside. One end is bigger, and the other is smaller."

Xiao Muchen seemed to have thought of something and his expression changed.

Lu Ling asked curiously, "What would happen if we added a transparent leak tube?"

Xiao Muchen replied, "If the smaller end is on top, it will cause the clepsydra to leak less sand every hour. After six hours, the clepsydra will flip over, with the larger end on top, and the speed of the clepsydra will increase again. This will make up for the sand that was previously leaked, making it unnoticeable.

In other words, the moment of Chenshi that Cui Ying saw now was not the moment of Chenshi.

Since the murderer has chosen the hour of Chen, he will definitely kill at this moment."

After saying that, he looked at Lu Ling and said, "I shouldn't have sent her away just now. I'm afraid Cui Ying is in danger now!"

Xiao Muchen had barely finished speaking when Lu Ling was about to run out of the Dali Temple when he saw two constables running back in a panic, their faces horrified, "Lu Shaoqing, that Cui Ying is dead too!"

Lu Ling's face turned pale.

"How did you die?"

"Just now, not long after we arrived at Xuanren Street, the carriage that Cui Wuniang was riding in suddenly lost control and the horses bolted. Lu Shiyilang finally managed to rein them in, and when he opened the carriage curtain, he saw that Cui Wuniang was already dead. She had a hairpin in her hands and had plunged it into her chest. It seemed like she had accidentally committed suicide in a fit of madness!"

"Nonsense, is there anyone else in the carriage?"

"No, she's the only one."

At this time, Murong Huan stepped forward and suddenly asked, "Where is the Zheng family's maid named Qinghong?"

The constable's expression suddenly changed. "I don't know. As soon as we left the Dali Temple, the girl said she wanted to ride in the same carriage with Madam Cui Si. But halfway through, she said she wanted to get off. Madam Cui Wu urged the inspector to take her home quickly, so he left her alone. But not long after we left, this happened."

Lu Ling asked, "Do you suspect that Qinghong is the murderer?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Xiao Muchen said, "Qinghong and Cui Ying were sharing a room last night, and only Qinghong could have tampered with the clock."

Lu Ling reacted immediately and ordered, "Catch this man back immediately!"

"Here!"

After the detectives left, Murong Huan, Xiao Muchen and Lu Ling quickly rushed to the crime scene. They saw that the street was already full of people, and dozens of detectives surrounded a carriage in the middle.

The crowd was bustling and noisy, with constant discussions.

Xiao Muchen asked Xuan Yu to lead the way and separate the crowded crowd. The two came to the front of the carriage and opened the curtain to look. They saw that Cui Ying had a hairpin that she usually wore stuck in her chest. She was lying sideways in the carriage with her eyes wide open, leaning forward, and blood was oozing out. Cui Ying's hands were clenched on the hairpin, and her dilated pupils were full of disbelief.

Soon, people from the Cui family also rushed over. Seeing this situation, there was another commotion, with accusations and curses continuing.

Murong Huan once again opened the scroll given to her by the masked man and carefully observed every symbol and every picture on it.

About half a cup of tea later, Xiao Muchen saw a glimmer of enlightenment finally flash in her eyes.

"Do you understand?" he asked.

Murong Huan nodded. "This is the true story in the famous scroll, The Biography of Yingying. I think I know who the murderer is. However, it is their wish to make the truth of this story public and punish the evildoer!"

After that, she shouted to the crowd around her, "I know you are here. If I tell you the truth about the story in this scroll, will you stop killing?"

"I know that the person you want to kill next is Cui Ying, but if Cui Ying has committed these crimes, then let the Dali Temple decide this case."