Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 123 Wedding Banquet, Monster

The day before the wedding, an unexpected guest came to the Xiao Mansion. This person was Li Yi, who had concealed his identity as a noble prince.

Li Yi's arrival made Murong Huan somewhat surprised but also somewhat relieved. His being alive at least proved that not everyone related to the master would die mysteriously.

Although this blind young man couldn't see, he gave the impression that he could see everything around him clearly, his mind as clear as a mirror. Now an advisor to Princess Taiping's residence, he had come to present them with a gift in advance on behalf of Princess Taiping, along with his own "gift."

"I once spent a year investigating everyone and everything around Cui Ying. I discovered that in addition to privately befriending the young men and retaining loyal followers and assassins in Luoyang City, she also seemed to have close ties with the madam of Baihua Tower in Sigongfang. Furthermore, her aunt, Cui Yuan, was somewhat peculiar."

As for what was so strange, Li Yi did not say it clearly, but only reminded the two of them to be careful and beware of this woman.

Afterwards, he took away the girl whom he named "Aying".

Before leaving, Murong Huan couldn't help but ask, "How did you get blinded?"

The young man was silent for a moment, then smiled and replied, "It's a poisonous powder, a red powder. At the time, a group of people were punching and kicking me, and one of them said they could use me as an experiment to test the effectiveness of their poisonous powder. Then, I saw what looked like a red cloud in front of my eyes, and an extremely piercing pain made me faint. When I woke up, I couldn't see."

At this point, he seemed to sense Murong Huan's doubt, worry, and surprise, and smiled again, "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I won't die for the time being. When I met Master, he cured me of the poison. But my eyes can't see again."

After Li Yi left, Xiao Muchen took out the "gift" he and Taiping had sent. It was an exquisite box containing a piece of warm and smooth mutton-fat jade, a red jade bracelet, and a letter.

The letter said: Although the King of Wei has been dismissed from his position as prime minister and imprisoned in the palace, the King of Liang, Wu Sansi, has already colluded with the brothers Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi. Even Shangguan Wan'er has been touched by the King of Liang and has become Wu Sansi's lover. Although Zicheng does not join any party, the White Horse Temple case has completely offended the King of Wei and the King of Liang. There may be unusual movements on the day of the wedding. I hope Zicheng will be on guard and take care!
When he saw the content of the letter, Murong Huan was a little surprised. Even Shangguan Wan'er, a talented woman who could be called a female prime minister of the dynasty, was colluding with King Liang?
"Although Shangguan Daizhao is in charge of the imperial edicts in the palace, she is just a woman who has lost the protection of her family. In this dispute between Li and Wu, she may fall into an irretrievable disaster if she is not careful." Xiao Muchen said.

So, this is why Shangguan Wan'er depends on Wu Sansi.

……

Although the wedding was held in a hurry, Xiao Muchen also sent petitions to all the major families in Luoyang, and even invited a wealthy family to make pre-wedding preparations for Murong Huan.

The so-called "completely blessed person" means choosing a blessed person from among the bride's relatives and friends to pass on the blessing to the newlyweds. However, the third wife of the Su family, Qiu, has passed away, and the first wife, Qin, is still unable to hold her head up because of the incident with her daughter, Su Sanniang. The Su family has no suitable candidate.

Wang Wuniang's mother, Wang Liu, took the initiative to ask to be the bridegroom of the newlyweds.

On the day of her wedding, Princess Taiping indeed filled the entire street from Luonan Lifang District to Xiuwenfang with flowers. The gorgeous wedding banquet immediately attracted countless onlookers from the people of Luoyang City.

Although the Su family did not leave any good impression on Xiao Muchen, for the sake of Murong Huan's reputation, they still chose to let Ah Huan marry out of the Su family.

So when Su Qing saw Murong Huan returning to the Su family, he couldn't help but burst into tears, and Old Madam Su was so ashamed that she couldn't speak. Although the incident in which the eldest lady Qin ran to the door of the Xiao Mansion and caused trouble was not spread openly, when the old ladies discussed it privately, she could always hear some contemptuous gossip.

In addition, the death of Cui's fourth and fifth daughters caused a sensation in Luoyang City. Many people scolded the girls of the Cui family as vicious as snakes and scorpions. It was feared that anyone who married into the Cui family would become a ghost in the underworld.

After hearing these rumors, Su Sanniang's desire to marry into the Cui family gradually faded.

But when she saw Murong Huan, wearing a phoenix crown and a red quilt, walking into the bridal sedan supported by Lady Wang Liu, the dazzling brilliance that made it difficult for her to open her eyes, and the admiring looks cast at her from all sides, made Su Sanniang feel as if her heart was pierced by thousands of arrows.

Especially when she saw Xiao Muchen, dressed in wedding clothes, riding a tall horse and walking towards them, slowly extending his hand to Murong Huan, his usual arrogant and indifferent expression had changed, and the look he cast towards Murong Huan was filled with endless love and tenderness, as if all the stars in the sky had fallen into them, and the light of the sunset at dusk spread an extremely warm brilliance over the two of them.

An inexplicable feeling of unwillingness and resentment rose in Su Sanniang's heart.

"She's so lucky! How is it that even though she's called an unlucky person and clearly killed her own father and mother, she still receives such admiration and praise from others and can marry the best man in the world?" Su Wuniang tightened her handkerchief and sneered, "Yes, you know now, right? As long as she's around, who will still care about you and me? In the eyes of those noble men, we're as lowly as grass. Even if you risked your life, what would it matter? Not only did she fail to get you married into the Cui family, she also brought disgrace to the Anping branch of the Cui family. She's already cut off all your escape routes, Sanniang, do you think she can still help us?"

No one noticed or cared about the two young ladies' whispers. Everyone's eyes were focused on the newlyweds until the bride got on the sedan chair and the wedding procession walked onto Xinzhong Bridge and gradually drove towards the Xiao family mansion in Xiuwenfang.

The gate of the Xiao Mansion was already crowded with people. Many carriages with precious cherry canopies were parked in front of the mansion. Most of the visitors were nobles in Luoyang City. Even Mrs. Cui came to watch the ceremony with her two children.

After learning the truth about the tragic death of her own daughter, Mrs. Cui was once unable to get over it and wanted to follow her daughter. At the request of Cui Yin and Cui Chengxuan, Murong Huan treated Mrs. Cui's illness several times. Now Mrs. Cui seems to have gradually awakened from her grief.

When she saw Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen walking over holding red silk, Mrs. Cui actually felt a little relieved and happy in her heart, as if she saw her daughter Aying also walking into the wedding hall with her beloved in this way.

After crossing the fire basin, Xiao Muchen took Murong Huan's hand and began the three bows ceremony under the singing of the master of ceremonies. However, since their parents were not at home, they completed the bows to their parents in the direction of the ancestral hall.

But just as the last part of "Husband and Wife Bowing to Each Other" was being sung, Murong Huan suddenly felt his heartbeat quicken, a chill emanated from his inside out, and the hand holding the round fan actually began to tremble.

Xiao Muchen was startled by her abnormality and quickly took her into his arms. Naturally, the fan could no longer cover her face and fell down.

"The bride is so beautiful! But why is her complexion so pale? Is she not feeling well?"

A young lady among the guests couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes, the fan has not been put down yet. This is unlucky!"

Someone said something, and Murong Huan quickly raised his fan again and whispered to Xiao Muchen, "Let's quickly complete this last bow!"

Xiao Muchen felt a slight pain in his heart, but he also knew that the etiquette of greeting between husband and wife was extremely important, so he nodded, and the two of them bowed again.

But at this moment, a Taoist priest suddenly jumped out from the wedding banquet, muttering in a mysterious voice: "It's ominous! It's very ominous!"

"Old Taoist priest, what are you talking about? This is Xiao Zhongcheng's wedding day, why are you saying such unlucky words?"

The old Taoist priest suddenly flicked his whisk and pointed at Murong Huan, saying, "This woman is a demon in disguise. She is an unlucky person. If she were to marry this young man, it would be a misfortune for our Great Zhou!"

A word was like a stone thrown into the water, causing a huge uproar.

Many guests were surprised and confused, and a burst of discussion suddenly broke out in the entire hall.

"What kind of demonic creature is this? Old Taoist priest, you need to provide evidence when you speak, otherwise aren't you slandering the reputation of the Princess of Jiahe County?"

"that is!"

Amidst the low and noisy discussions, Taiping also shouted angrily: "Where did this stinky Taoist priest come from? Get him out now!"

"Here!"

Taiping's "housekeeper" immediately responded and hurriedly summoned several burly guards. Just as he was about to drag the old Taoist away, he heard him shout again, "I am a descendant of the great counselor Ming Chongyan. What I say today is true. The year my master passed away, he predicted that a demon that would harm the Great Zhou would possess a young woman and come into this world. My master, because he saw through the secrets of heaven, suffered backlash and died young. But I am not afraid. For the Great Zhou, I must eliminate this demon today!"