Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 19 The Darkest Crow in the Censorate

Su Qing was stunned for a moment after hearing this, feeling that something was amiss, but unable to place his finger on the matter, he nodded and prepared to leave. At this moment, Murong Huan suddenly asked, "By the way, which of the crows in the Censorate is your uncle close to? Could you introduce me to one or two?"

Su Qing twisted his foot and almost fell to the ground.

How can this child talk like that? Does she think that all the civil and military officials in the court are relatives of our Su family and that you can see them whenever you want?
Still recommending?
Then he thought again, this child grew up in the mountains, no one taught her the ways of the world, she spoke bluntly, and she developed this kind of personality because the Su family ignored her.

Don't laugh!

"Ah Huan, you shouldn't ask that question like that. You should ask if your uncle knows any officials from the Censorate?"

Su Qing preached very patiently.

Murong Huan nodded.

Su Qing said, "Speaking of which, although the Censorate is only a supervisory agency and the officials within it are not very high, in our Great Zhou Dynasty, they are very intimidating. Even a seventh-rank Palace Censor is responsible for supervising all officials and reporting to the emperor. Even the princes of the Li clan are eager to curry favor with them and dare not offend them. Otherwise, if they are not careful, they will be accused of treason in a memorial, and their entire family will suffer!"

"The censors of the Imperial Censorate have always been known for their integrity and fairness, but things are different now. Many people from humble backgrounds have successfully gained official positions by informing on others. They will act according to the Sage's preferences. Right and wrong are no longer so important. Lai Junchen, the Imperial Censor recently promoted by the Sage, is one of them."

At this point, he finally got back to the point: "If you ask if your uncle knows any censors, he only knows Liu Su, a seventh-rank imperial censor." Su Qing smiled and said, "We're not very familiar with him."

This...is it the same as not saying anything?

Ah Shu blinked and had a strange expression on her face.

Su Qing asked curiously, "By the way, Ah Huan, why are you asking this?"

"Nothing, I just want to find a cruel official who can suppress Zhou Xing, the Minister of Autumn Affairs."

"Oh, if we talk about the person who can suppress Minister Zhou now, I'm afraid that's the only one!"

"Who?"

"The darkest crow in the Censorate, the Chief Censor, Xiao Muchen!"

As soon as Su Qing finished speaking, Murong Huan's pen stopped on the screen.

Su Qing's voice continued to flow in his ears: "He is the most trusted person promoted by the Saint, and he is also a young talent. It is said that he never impeaches officials easily, but once he does, the person will be doomed.

Since the Sage came to power, he, as the Sage's confidant, has killed many officials by any means necessary...

But, what a pity! As the saying goes, a gentleman cherishes his body and a peacock cherishes its feathers. He shouldn't have been this kind of person..."

When Su Qing said this, he saw Murong Huan and Ashu staring at him with wide eyes.

Especially Ah Shu, she opened her mouth so wide that her saliva was about to flow out.

Su Qing was startled: "What's with that expression on your face? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Ah Shu asked with a look of curiosity and anticipation, "My dear, is this Xiao Muchen you're talking about a handsome man with white hair?"

"Yes, have you seen it?" Su Qing asked in surprise.

"Not only have we met, we even spent a whole night under the same roof with that young man!
So he’s the blackest crow in the Censorate, but he’s white from head to toe? Even his hair is white!

Su Qing no longer wanted to hear anything about whether it was white or not.

Apart from his white appearance and the white clothes he wears, there is nothing white about Xiao Muchen!
Su Qing quickly asked: "Where have you met before?"

Ah Shu blinked her eyes and replied, "Baihua Tower!"

When Su Qing heard the words "Baihua Tower", he felt like a bolt of lightning struck his head: Oh my God! This kid has suffered a great loss and is still unaware of it.

He sighed, hurriedly pulled Murong Huan's hand and walked out: "Come on, uncle will take you to find him. I will explain this matter to him clearly. You are our Su family's girl, not from that kind of place. He can't do such a thing as taking advantage of you and abandoning you in the end!"

"My dear, why are you going to look for him?" Ah Shu asked anxiously.

"Why ask him to take responsibility? Even if it means giving me the title of concubine, it will be fine! You girl, you don't know anything!"

After saying that, he sighed again: Hey, what can two children who have never seen the world understand!
At this moment, Ah Shu finally understood what was wrong and quickly waved her hands, saying, "No, my lord, you misunderstood. He didn't take advantage of Ah Huan. There's a broken door between our room and his, but it's just that the door is there or not. Ah Shu didn't explain it clearly just now, causing my lord to misunderstand. Ah Huan is still a virgin and cannot be someone's concubine!"

The word "concubine" immediately stimulated Ashu's sensitive nerves, and she finally reacted.

Now it should be clear, right?

Ah Shu stared at Su Qing's changing expression.

Su Qing was stunned for a moment, then looked at Murong Huan: "Ah Huan, is that so? You stayed under the same roof with that Xiao Zhongcheng for the entire night?"

Hey, why did you say this...?
"Master, that's not what I meant, no..."

Before Ah Shu finished speaking, Murong Huan's expression suddenly froze. He looked out of the courtyard and said, "Uncle, the people from the Dali Temple are here!"

……

At this time, a group of people had indeed arrived outside the Su family mansion. A handsome young man and a group of constables came riding on horses, raising dust.

The person who came was Lu Ling, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple.

Lu Ling was born into the Fanyang Lu family, which was the most prominent family among the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families. Although he was only 25 years old, he had already become another expert in solving cases after Dai Xing and Di Renjie, and was said to be a direct disciple of Di Gong.

Upon hearing that it was Lu Ling's arrival, Old Madam Su was the first to go out to greet him. Seeing the young man's unapproachable aura, she was stunned at first, but then she smiled widely. "I wonder what brings Mr. Lu to my Su family today?" "I'm sorry, Old Madam Su, I'm here today to investigate a case. Zhou Jiulang was murdered last night in an abandoned house in Wenroufang. Someone accused your family's third son, Su Ze, of this incident. So, I'm taking Su Sanlang to the Dali Temple for questioning."

Madam Su's expression changed drastically after hearing this. "Master Lu, please understand. My Sanlang is very timid. He wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken, so how could he possibly kill someone? Besides, it's always Zhou Jiulang who bullies our Sanlang. My Sanlang wouldn't dare to do that. He was at the Su's house all night last night and was sick. Oh, and Doctor Mo, who lives seven miles away in Xiushanfang, can testify to that!"

"I've checked on Doctor Mo, and he's no longer in Xiushanfang!"

"what?"

Madam Su was so frightened that her face turned pale. At this time, Su Qing finally rushed out and bowed to Lu Shaoqing: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you would come so suddenly. I'm sorry for not welcoming you!"

As the legitimate son of the Fanyang Lu family, Lu Ling possessed the refinement and grace of a noble family. He also returned a salute to Su Qing, "Marquis Su, I'm sure you've heard about Zhou Jiulang's death. I'm only taking Su Sanlang back to question him. I have no other intentions. If Sanlang truly has nothing to do with him, I will release him immediately. I hope you can help me!"

"Yes, yes, Su will let my son come out and be interrogated by Lu Shaoqing!"

Just as Su Qing was about to head back to the courtyard, he heard Su Sanlang crying and shouting, "I won't go. If I go to the Dali Temple Prison, what will they do to me? Even if I didn't kill anyone, they'll torture me and force me to confess. Anyway, I won't go. If I go, there's no coming back!"

Su Qing bowed awkwardly to Lu Ling and hurried into the Su family mansion. He saw Murong Huan already standing beside Su Sanlang, holding his shoulder with one hand. He said, "The Dali Temple is here to arrest someone. Do you still have the choice not to go? If you don't go, you'll really become suspected of being the murderer!"

Su Sanlang raised his head and saw a young man dressed in green, with a refreshing temperament and extremely handsome appearance.

"who are you?"

"Su Silang!" Murong Huan replied, "Let's go! I'll go with you!"

Before Su Sanlang could react, he was driven out of the Su family mansion by a great force.

Qin was about to scream, but Su Qing stopped her from saying anything.

"If you don't want anything to happen to Sanlang, don't say a word!"

This was Su Qing's repeated warning to Qin, and also Murong Huan's request to Su Qing.

She came to help Su Sanlang clear his suspicion, and Su Qing had to ensure that everyone in the Su family kept their mouths shut and kept her identity secret.

Qin didn't dare to say anything.

At this time, Murong Huan had already brought Su Sanlang to the gate of the Su family mansion.

Ah Shu also changed into men's clothes and followed Murong Huan.

As soon as she left the Su family mansion, Ah Shu saw a dignified young man standing with a sword in his hand, his whole body exuding a stern and murderous aura.

Fortunately, he has a handsome face, otherwise it would be really creepy.

At this time, Murong Huan pulled Su Sanlang and said, "Su Sanlang is here. I am willing to accompany him to the Dali Temple to be interrogated by Lu Shaoqing!"

Su Sanlang struggled for a long time but could not escape from Murong Huan's grasp.

Lu Ling then looked at Murong Huan with curiosity.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"The fourth son of the Su family, Su Huan!" Murong Huan saluted.

"Why did you accompany Su Sanlang to the trial?"

Murong Huan replied, "I want to help Lu Shaoqing investigate this case! And also clear Su Sanlang of suspicion!"

"Help me investigate the case?" Lu Ling was a little amused. "You're so young, what are you capable of?"

Murong Huan bowed again and said with a calm smile, "Shaoqing, if I can predict three things for you, will you accept me as your assistant in the investigation? And I'll also release Su Sanlang; he's nothing but a cowardly and incompetent man!"

Su Sanlang wanted to scream, but Murong Huan covered his mouth.

Lu Ling shook his head and laughed, looking at Murong Huan with a look that showed he didn't agree with the arrogant person. He was about to take Su Sanlang away, but he heard Murong Huan say loudly:
"Lu Shaoqing left home at 1:15 am today, passing through five districts. Along the way, he passed two rivers, a bamboo forest, a peach forest, a steamed bun shop, a teahouse, and an abandoned house with a corpse. Finally, he entered Ziwei Palace to meet the Saint. Because he was too busy to accept this case, he has not eaten anything so far. He only drank a cup of Mengding tea and ate a steamed bun before rushing to the Su family. Am I correct?"

Before Murong Huan could finish his words, Lu Ling abruptly stopped, and ordered the constables behind him to halt their pursuit of Su Sanlang. A young man in red beside him widened his eyes in curiosity, "Yes, Shilang, he's absolutely right. You did pass through five districts, two rivers, a bamboo forest, a peach forest, and met a saint today... and you only drank a cup of tea and ate a bun..."

Lu Ling's face suddenly darkened, and he asked in a cold voice, "Are you following me?"

"Lu Shaoqing is joking. I have been staying at the Su family all day and have not left the house. Everyone here can testify to this. Even if the Su family cannot testify, Lu Shaoqing and the people around him can testify!
Because with Lu Shaoqing's ability, it's impossible for him to be followed by a kid for a whole day without noticing it, right? "

After Murong Huan finished speaking, the young man in red couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Then how did you know that I had been to these places?" Lu Ling asked again.

"From the smell, Lu Shaoqing and the constables under your command all have the fresh scent of bamboo leaves, the sweet fragrance of peach blossoms, and the fishy smell of river water.

And Lu Shaoqing also smells like Mengding tea and steamed buns."

After saying this, the young man in red couldn't help laughing.

"Yes, he only drank a cup of Mengding tea and ate a meat bun today! Boy, you have a pretty good sense of smell, don't you?"

Murong Huan smiled slightly and bowed to the young man in red. "Thank you!" He turned to look at Lu Ling and asked, "Does Mr. Lu approve?"

Lu Ling pondered for a moment before saying, "Okay, I guess you're right about one thing, but what about the second thing?"

(End of this chapter)