Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 16: Dreaming and Peering into the Heart
As the news of Zhou Jiulang's death in the deserted house came, the Su family seemed to be shrouded in a layer of gloom, especially the old lady and Qin, who once again fell into fear and panic.

Su Sanlang had been lying on the bed in a coma all night and half a day. He drank bowl after bowl of medicine, but there was no improvement at all.

Under such circumstances, it would be a bad idea to ask for the imperial physician from the palace, for fear that Zhou Xing would catch him accidentally and he would be unable to defend himself. After all, Su Sanlang used to like playing chicken and dog fighting with Zhou Jiulang, the young men from the Guo family, and the Hou family. It was inevitable that suspicion would arise when several of his friends suddenly died together, leaving only Su Sanlang.

Su Qing was also a little at a loss. He paced back and forth in Su Sanlang's yard. Suddenly, he heard a flute sound, floating, distant and clear, which made people feel comfortable and calm.

"Huh? Where does this flute sound come from?"

Su Qing only asked one question, and his eyes turned curiously towards the northernmost direction.

Wisteria Courtyard.

It is also the child's residence.

A servant came over and handed Su Qing a piece of paper folded into a small boat. "Master, this is from the maidservant named A Shu in Ziteng Courtyard. She said she must show it to you."

Su Qing said "oh" and opened the boat, and saw a line of beautiful words written on it: "I can cure Su Sanlang's illness! But I have a request, please come over and talk to me, uncle!"

Su Qing's heart trembled, and he suddenly remembered that his second brother had learned medical skills after returning from traveling, and later he went to the palace to treat the eye disease of the late emperor. Moreover, the wife he married seemed to have some skills. His second brother seemed to have called the woman "Master" and showed respect to her.

After putting the paper away, Su Qing hurried to the Wisteria Courtyard following the sound of the flute. Sure enough, he saw Murong Huan in a white robe standing under a crabapple tree playing the flute. The crabapple tree was like a touch of red glow in the morning light, looking extremely bright and dazzling, making the child's figure look particularly lonely, like a person who lived in seclusion from the world.

Especially the robe she was wearing, which looked like it had been washed white and had been worn for a long time.

"Great uncle is here!"

Murong Huan's call broke his guilty thoughts.

Su Qing came over and said with a smile, "You must have suffered a lot on the farm. The festival is coming soon. I'll ask your aunt to make you some new clothes. Tell me what you like and I'll tell your aunt."

Murong Huan said, "No need. I'll ask Ah Shu to make it for me. All I need is money!"

Su Qing smiled awkwardly, then quickly took out a purse from his sleeve and handed it to Murong Huan.

"Here's ten taels of silver. It's not much, but take it for now. From now on, I'll ask your aunt to give you your monthly allowance on time!"

Ah Shu covered her mouth in surprise, but Murong Huan said, "No need, uncle. I asked you to come because I need your help with something, not for money. For this, I can cure Su Sanlang's illness, so you can also understand this as a deal."

"Uh!"

Su Qing retracted his hand again in embarrassment: "Whatever you want your uncle to help you with, just tell me."

Murong Huan said seriously: "I want to be included in the Su family tree, not as a girl, but as a man, to continue the incense for my father. In addition,
I want to enter the Imperial College!"

This startled Su Qing. He looked around quickly and saw that the servant beside him was still guarding outside the hanging flower gate. He immediately stepped forward and ordered the servant to close the door and guard the door, not allowing anyone to approach and eavesdrop.

"The first part is easy to explain. Whether you use the name of a girl or a man, it's all fine. But how do you get into the Imperial College? You're a girl, you can't act like this!"

"Since I'm recorded in the Su family tree as Langjun, why can't I enter the Imperial College? From now on, you can just announce to the public that Su Minghe has a son, or that I'm a son you adopted from your second wife."

At this point, Murong Huan added, "From now on, I will dress as a man and won't cause any trouble for my uncle!"

This is not the only problem. If it is discovered that a woman disguised herself as a man to study in the Imperial College, it would be a serious matter. If she becomes an official in the future, it would be even more serious.

When Su Qing thought about becoming an official, his eyes lit up again and he asked, "Why do you have such an idea?"

Murong Huan looked at him and said, "I want to know what my father did in the Imperial College? And why did he leave the Imperial College?"

"you--"

"Uncle, please think about this carefully. Su Sanlang's life may end tonight!"

Su Qing was still frowning in thought, but when he heard this, he looked at Murong Huan in panic and fear, thinking to himself: This child doesn't have the extreme behavior he had when he lost his parents when he grew up, but why are his thoughts so different from ordinary people?
Could she really cure Sanlang's illness? How could a fifteen-year-old child, who had lost her parents at the age of seven, learn medical skills that could rival those of the forty-year-old Doctor Mo?
"Master, this girl can really heal illnesses. On our way back, Ah Huan even cured the fifth lady of the Wang family!"

Ah Shu said excitedly, but Murong Huan interrupted her coldly: "Ah Shu, stop talking!"

Su Qing was even more confused and surprised. The story of the fifth lady of the Wang family in Taiyuan had recently been a strange event that attracted much talk in Luoyang City. She had committed suicide by jumping into the lake and had been buried in a coffin. The Wang family had even hired someone to handle the funeral, but who would have thought that one night later, news came out that the person was alive. So the rumors about the resurrection of the fifth lady of the Wang family became bizarre one after another.

Speaking of this, the matter of Wang Jia Wu Niang and the matter of Zhou Jiulang are quite closely related in cause and effect.

Zhou Jiulang wanted to force Wang Jiawu Niang to marry him, but Wang Jiawu Niang was unwilling, so she jumped into the lake and committed suicide. Now the person who committed suicide is not dead, but the person who forced the marriage was killed?
Su Qing seemed to smell a hint of conspiracy.

He was immediately brought back to his senses by Ah Shu's words.

"What did you say? Was it Ah Huan who cured the fifth lady of the Wang family?"

Ah Shu glanced at Murong Huan, not knowing whether to nod or not, so she simply lowered her head and said nothing.

At this moment, a servant's anxious voice came from outside the hanging flower gate: "Master, just now, Mrs. Jiang, who is beside the eldest lady, came to report that the third master is dying. Do you want to go and call the imperial physician?"

Why invite an imperial physician?
Su Qing no longer hesitated and pulled Murong Huan out.

"Ah Huan, then you give it a try! Sanlang's illness depends on you!"

...When Qin saw Murong Huan being very politely invited to Yunxiang Courtyard by Su Qing, anger suddenly appeared in her eyes.

"Why did you let her come here? If it weren't for her, how could Sanlang be so ill and end up like this? Let her go immediately! Go far away and never appear in front of me again."

After hearing this, Su Qing was very angry and said, "You ignorant woman, you should be the one to leave now. I have found someone to treat Sanlang's illness. Now leave this room immediately!"

"What are you saying? My son is dying. Can't I stay by his bedside and accompany him until the end? You want me to leave?"

Qin burst into tears and said sarcastically, "Where is the person you're looking for? Where is he? I asked you to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau and ask Doctor Shen to take a look, but you refused. In your eyes, Sanlang is just an unlearned mediocre person who has brought shame to your Su family. You wish he were dead, right?"

Su Qing felt that he couldn't continue talking to Qin Shi for the time being, and was afraid of angering Murong Huan. Just when he was wondering what to do, Murong Huan stepped forward and said:

"I am the doctor that your uncle invited. Madam, please leave first..."

Before Murong Huan finished speaking, Qin's eyes widened, and she burst into tears again: "Su Qing, what do you mean by this? You think your son's death is not fast enough, so you want this ominous person to end your son's life personally, right?"

Ah Shu couldn't bear to listen any longer and couldn't help but continue, "Madam, my daughter is really here to treat Mr. San's illness..."

"Shut up! The master is speaking, and you, a lowly servant, have no right to interrupt!"

As soon as Qin finished speaking, Murong Huan's expression suddenly changed. His dark pupils suddenly became deep and unfathomable, as if they were filled with endless murderous aura, which made people shudder.

This expression was exactly the same as when he stabbed Qiu with scissors eight years ago.

Qin didn't dare to speak anymore.

"Ah Huan, calm down!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Ah Shu also tried to persuade him. Only then did Murong Huan seem to come to his senses and restrain the murderous look in his eyes.

"Are you going out now?"

Murong Huan asked again, and Qin looked at her son lying on the couch with trembling eyes, then ran out of the room in shame.

……

After everyone left the room, Murong Huan ordered Ah Shu to light the incense burner again, placed the puppet in her hand next to the incense burner, and then took out a spice from the puppet and added it to the incense burner.

Gradually, white smoke began to float above the incense burner, hanging upside down like a waterfall, tumbling up and down. Under Murong Huan's guidance, the white smoke flowed like a clear stream until it flowed into Su Sanlang's nose.

"Ah Huan, is this Mr. San really that scared? He can be scared like this, this is too exaggerated!"

Ah Shu saw that the person on the bed had his eyes wide open like a dead pig, motionless, with only the slight rise and fall of his chest proving that he was still alive. It was quite unbelievable.

"I've never done anything wrong in my life, so I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door in the middle of the night. It wasn't me who scared him! It wasn't her, it was him!"

"Oh! Is Ah Huan going to enter my dreams and spy on me again?"

Ah Shu showed great curiosity and anticipation.

"Um!"

……

Su Sanlang was still in the fear of a nightmare. In the dream, he entered a remote courtyard with Zhou Jiulang, Hou Wulang and Guo Liulang. There were several young women kneeling on the ground in the courtyard. They were all wearing thin gauze clothes and shivering in the cold wind.

They looked like they were no older than fourteen, some were even younger, around ten years old.

"They are all virgins, and all of them are from decent families. Some of them are even ladies from noble families. These are treasures that were taken from their homes during the raid. Look at them, aren't they pretty?"

"Jiulang, aren't you going too far? Even if a noble lady's house was confiscated, she would be sent to the imperial court, just like Shangguan Daizhao. At the very least, she would be sent to the Jiaofangsi, where she would be under the supervision of the Taichang Temple. How could she fall into Jiulang's hands?"

"My father brought people to search our house and secretly asked for two female relatives. It shouldn't be difficult, right? Do you want to play or not? If you don't dare to play, get out of here!"

Su Sanlang was so frightened that he quickly bowed and said, "Jiulang, my father is very strict. If you are not home by the hour of the twilight, you will be punished... punished by the family. I'm leaving now!"

"What a coward! You don't even dare to play with a woman. Get out of here, get out of here!"

Zhou Jiulang cursed and ordered people to bring Su Sanlang back when he was about to run out of the house.

"Sanlang, you won't spread this matter?"

"I dare not, I dare not. Even if Su San had a hundred courages, she would not dare to say a single word that would harm Jiu Lang."

Zhou Jiulang laughed loudly and slapped Su Sanlang in the face several times.

"Get lost! Even if you tell others, no one will believe you! If anyone dares to say a word, my father will kill their entire family!"

"Hahahaha... What are you still standing there for? Get this coward out of here and let's have some fun..."

(End of this chapter)