Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 31: Discussion and Confrontation

Just as Xiao Muchen was about to answer, Lu Shiyilang walked up to Li Linghuan, put his hand on his shoulder, and introduced these young men, "This is the Su Silangjun I just mentioned, the one who can draw the appearance of a skeleton in its lifetime. My brother! What do you think? Amazing, right?"

"So it's the young master of the Su family! This is quite unusual. The other young masters of the Su family are all like straw bags, yet there is one who is eloquent and can also paint. Is he just exaggerating?"

"Whether he's exaggerating or not, you can just test him to see for yourself!" Lu Shiyilang said with his eyes still half drunken.

"Alright! The poem is almost done, how about we discuss it?"

"This Su Silang just mentioned the Tao of Laozi. Do you know what religion the Great Zhou currently worships?"

"Buddhism!"

"Then, Lord Su Silang, do you know that Buddhism and Taoism have always been incompatible? You are talking about Taoism here. Aren't you disregarding the Buddhism that my Great Zhou believes in?"

Hearing this, Li Linghuan laughed. Originally, the Li Tang royal family worshipped Taoism and claimed to be descendants of the ancestor Taishang Laojun. But after Wu Zhao ascended the throne, she attempted to defeat the Li Tang royal family in terms of divinity, so she chose Buddhism, another religion that was incompatible with Taoism.

But no matter what religion it is, it is nothing more than a tool for the rulers to fool the people. Buddhism advocates cause and effect, emphasizes retribution for good and evil, and Buddhist teachings are compassionate. However, the White Horse Temple, which is said to have 3,000 Buddhist monks and 8,000 martial monks, owns more than 100,000 acres of land in the surrounding area.

One White Horse Temple can consume the food rations of three counties in the Zhou Dynasty!
Xue Huaiyi, the male favorite whom Wu Zhao specifically ordered to spread Buddhism, used the name of the eminent monk of the White Horse Temple to lead a group of so-called "monks" to disturb the people and exploit them.

Thinking of this, Li Linghuan glanced at the young man, whose face was filled with indignation and his words were full of mockery. "This must be the young master of the Qiu family, right? I was just quoting Laozi's words, but Young Master Qiu took it as a disrespect for our Great Zhou Buddhism? This makes me very uneasy."

"I'd like to ask, why is it that Buddhism and Taoism cannot mix like water and fire?
Taoism says: nothingness, Buddhism says: emptiness;
Taoism talks about existence and non-existence, Buddhism talks about cause and effect;

Taoism says: return to the original state, Buddhism says: enlighten the mind and see the nature;
Taoism talks about the unity of man and nature, Buddhism talks about the unity of mind and spirit,

Isn't this a different path to the same destination, a common thread?"

After these words, Mr. Qiu was stunned and blushed. He was just trying to find some flaws in these words to embarrass this kid? At the same time, he wanted to spread his own reputation!
I didn't know this kid had such talent?
At this moment, even Xiao Muchen, who was listening at the side, changed his expression slightly, and all the students were also surprised.

"Mr. Qiu, does the law of our Great Zhou forbid reading Laozi's teachings?"

Li Linghuan asked again, and Qiu Yan's expression froze again, causing all the students to burst into laughter:
"Yes, although our Great Zhou believes in Buddhism, there is no law that says that reading the teachings of Laozi and Zhuangzi is disloyal to the Great Zhou. Mr. Qiu, aren't you testing me too hard?"

Lu Shiyilang immediately clapped his hands and shouted, "Well said! Qiu Yan, I told you to stop looking down on others. Just because the third son of the Su family is a fool doesn't mean that all the men in the Su family are fools. But you, I think you need some brain work!"

The young man named Qiu Yan was immediately furious and was about to fight with Lu Shiyilang. The young men in the hall were also in high spirits at this moment, but at this moment, they heard a "bang" sound, and the door of Xingyun Pavilion was unexpectedly slammed open by a great force. Everyone looked at the door in fear and saw that it was a group of Jinwu Guards rushing in.

The leader was General Qiu Shenji of the Jinwu Guard!

In addition to him, even the deputy governor of the Inner Guard, Wuling Yue, brought several Inner Guards here.

"What are you doing? Why are the Jinwu Guards and the Neiwei Mansion coming to our Xingyun Pavilion?"

"Could it be that you are also coming here to write poetry?"

Lu Shiyilang asked first.

Wu Lingyue cast his sharp eyes at Xiao Muchen, and then turned his suspicious gaze to Li Linghuan who was standing between Xiao Muchen and Lu Shiyilang.

"The Internal Guard is investigating the murderer! Everyone is prohibited from leaving and is under investigation!"

After saying this, he made a prompt decision and pointed the sword in his hand at Li Linghuan.

"Who are you? Why are you with Xiao Zhongcheng?"

Before Xiao Muchen could answer, Lu Shiyilang continued, "What are you looking at? What do you mean by being with Xiao Zhongcheng? This Su Silangjun has been with me all day. He's my new apprentice at the Dali Temple who's good at investigating cases and painting. What's wrong? Could it be that Sheyuejun has taken a fancy to Su Silangjun?"

Facing Lu Shiyilang's teasing, Wuling Yue shouted, "Shut up! The Inner Guard and the Jinwu Guard are here to apprehend the assassin. Stop joking around here!"

"Oh, what kind of assassin would require the simultaneous dispatch of the Jinwu Guards and the Inner Guards? Did someone important get killed?"

"Minister Zhou Xing!" Wuling Yue continued.

"What? I didn't hear you. Speak louder!"

Wuling Yue shouted, "I am Zhou Xing, a high-ranking official of the Third Rank of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the Minister of Autumn Affairs!"

"Hahaha..." Lu Shiyilang couldn't help but burst into laughter when he heard this. "Sheyue Jun treats me really well. He knows that I, Lu Xun, dream of killing this bastard, and yet he gave me such great news. Thank you very much!"

Wu Lingyue was so angry that he gritted his teeth. Looking at Lu Shiyi who couldn't even stand and was talking in his sleep, he reached out and grabbed a cup of tea on the table and poured it on Lu Shiyilang's face.

Lu Shiyilang sneezed suddenly and was about to curse when he looked up and saw Wu Lingyue, dressed in his official uniform and looking very cool and untouchable. He quickly smiled and said, "What's going on? Wu Lingyue, the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Inner Guard? Why is Sheyue Jun here? This is the place where students of our Great Zhou recite poems and compete in prose. How could Sheyue Jun be so refined as to come and compete in prose?"

"Shut up! Lu Xun, are you awake now?"

"Just an hour ago, Minister Zhou Xing of the Ministry of Autumn was assassinated. The murderer fled into Zhengpingfang. Now everyone here must be inspected!"

After saying that, he ordered the inner guards to search everywhere.

"Let me ask you, did anyone suspicious come here just now?"

Was Zhou Xing really killed?
Lu Shiyilang was stunned for a moment, then his mouth curled up wildly. He pretended to look around, then looked at Xiao Muchen, Li Linghuan, and the woman wearing a veil standing next to Xiao Muchen. He shook his head and said, "I haven't seen him. If you want to say who is the most suspicious here, I think it's probably this Xiao Zhongcheng! He just came in not long ago. Are you going to arrest him?"

Wu Lingyue's expression changed slightly, and when he looked at Xiao Muchen, there was a hint of evasion and apology in his eyes.

Xiao Muchen's identity as the Grand Chief of the Inner Guards is a secret kept secret by the Saint. He is not responsible for arresting criminals on weekdays, but he controls the privacy of all the ministers in the court. Wu Lingyue, as his direct subordinate, is somewhat in awe of him.

Just as Wu Lingyue was hesitating, Xiao Muchen stood up, looked at her with his hands behind his back and said, "Yes, I just came in. So, you suspect I am the murderer and want to arrest me?"

Wu Lingyue immediately bowed his hands and said, "I dare not, but just in case, Lingyue begs Xiao Zhongcheng to let me check Su Silang's arm?"

Xiao Muchen frowned slightly: As expected, Wuling Yue kept coming back, he must have become suspicious of him, especially the "woman" beside him.

He knew that the pair of eyes arranged by the Wu family to be beside him should never be underestimated.

Sometimes even he had to admire the woman's meticulousness.

But she hadn't expected her to so quickly suspect Su Minghe's daughter, who was still dressed as a man. At this moment, the woman who had been standing behind Xiao Muchen, wearing a veil on her head, stepped forward gracefully, lifted the veil, revealing a bright and charming face. She leaned against Xiao Muchen and said softly, "Xiao Lang, was it this Sheyue Jun who just broke into our villa? This Wu family lady is so fierce! She scared me just now!"

As she spoke, she placed her arm on Xiao Muchen's shoulder, intentionally or unintentionally. A wide sleeve slid down, allowing Wu Lingyue to see the bright red fingerprints on her arm.

Wu Lingyue blushed slightly and quickly looked away, looking at the woman's face:
"Are you Lady Zhu Qi from the Baihua Tower in Sigongfang?"

The woman looked at Wuling Yue and smiled sweetly: "So Sheyue Jun also knows me, Zhu Qiniang?"

Who doesn’t know the famous prostitute in Baihua Tower?

However, what she didn't expect was that a man as chaste as Xiao Muchen would actually take famous prostitutes out for entertainment?

But having a prostitute for entertainment is better than marrying a wife and concubines!

Wulingyue sighed in his heart, and turned his gaze to Zhu Qinnan and Li Linghuan beside him, thinking: Am I really too suspicious?

At this time, Li Linghuan also asked with a smile: "Mr. Sheyue, do you still want to check my arm?" After saying that, he raised his hand to lift up his clothes.

Wu Lingyue said, "That's not necessary!" He turned to Qiu Shenji and said, "The murderer won't be here. General Qiu, let's hurry to Zhou Mansion and have the people from the Dali Temple inspect the scene and then report the case to the Saint!"

Wu Lingyue turned to leave after she finished speaking, but Lu Shiyilang dodged and ran in front of her: "Take me with you, take me with you! I'm from the Dali Temple! I'm the best at investigating the scene and tracking down the murderer!"

After that, he asked excitedly, "Oh, by the way, how did Zhou Xing die? Was it a good look?"

Wuling Yue glared at him speechlessly, picked up his sword and strode away, with Lu Shiyilang chasing after him happily!
"I can't miss this, I have to go and see it! Sister Yue, wait for me!"

……

The disturbance in Xingyun Pavilion was quickly calmed, but this night would not be peaceful again. Zhou Xing's death soon attracted the attention of the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice and the Censorate.

The prosperous Zhou Mansion, which was once full of music and dance, has now become a gloomy "haunted house" with all the birds scattered, and has once again become the scene of another murder case investigated by the Dali Temple.

The Zhou Mansion was quickly sealed off, with detectives and police officers patrolling back and forth and soldiers and horses gathering.

After leaving Xingyun Pavilion, Li Linghuan quickly brought A Shu back to the Su family mansion. Xiao Muchen was worried, so he sent several guards to follow them secretly until the two were admitted to the hospital.

"How is it? Is she okay?"

Seeing Xuan Yu returning, Xiao Muchen couldn't wait to ask.

"Don't worry, my dear. What can happen to her? In my opinion, this little girl is as fierce as a tiger. If she bumps into someone, it will only be others who will be in trouble, not herself!"

Xuan Yu finished speaking and then asked with a smile, "By the way, my dear, when she pounced on you, you could have resisted, so why did you willingly let her bite you? You don't have... some masochistic tendencies, do you?"

Xiao Muchen glared at Xuan Yu fiercely. Xuan Yu felt a chill on his back and immediately slapped himself.

"Blame me for being too talkative!"

Maybe I'd enjoy it...

At this time, Xiao Muchen said seriously, "Prince Wu Chengsi of Wei will not let Zhou Xing's death go. This will definitely lead to other things. We must prepare sufficient evidence to conclude this case and make it impossible for him to recover. Otherwise, countless people will be implicated."

"Here!"

……

That night, the news of Zhou Xing's death had not yet reached the Su Mansion, but Old Madam Su had been restless and unable to sleep or eat for the entire day.

"Tell me, this girl won't cause any more trouble for our Su family, right?"

"Oh, mother, please don't worry. I went to the Dali Temple today and saw that Lu Shaoqing only asked her to draw a few pictures. There was nothing else. Isn't Sanlang back now?"

When Su Sanlang was mentioned, Madam Su sighed again. Su Sanlang was not much better after he came back. He was silent and listless, as if he had lost his soul. He refused to say anything no matter what was asked.

"No, this girl can't stay in the Su family. I have to find a way to let her leave the Su family legitimately."

Upon hearing this, Qin continued, "Ajia, Second Uncle's daughter should be of marriageable age now, right? In our Su family, girls of marriageable age have already started discussing marriages..."

Madam Su's eyes lit up: "Yes, how could I forget that she has reached the age of marriage? Yes, she is fifteen years old and can get married. Yes, I have to find a good family for her. Once she gets married, the trouble will be diverted to others, and any problems will no longer be our Su family's business!"

"Mother, what are you talking about! Today, Ah Huan appeared in front of Lu Shaoqing and others as a young man. If you marry her off, wouldn't it expose our Su family's concealment of her identity?"

Su Qing was helpless and annoyed. After a while, he pondered and said, "I've made up my mind. I'll let her study in the Imperial Academy like my second brother. Since my Su family is destined to have no talented men, why not try to train a girl!"

Madam Su was immediately struck by lightning and flew into a rage: "You, what nonsense are you talking about? You think my Su family isn't down and out enough, right? Are you determined to wipe out my entire family?"

"Mother, what are you talking about? As long as you don't cause trouble, the Su family will be fine!"

Su Qing said this helplessly, then turned to go out of the hall. Then he saw a maid coming in in a panic, "Madam, torches have been lit in the Ziteng Courtyard to the north. It seems someone has gone in!"

"Someone went in? Who went in?"

"Could it be that the girl is back? When did she come back? How did she come back?"

……

How did he get back? It was an unsolved mystery for everyone in the Su family, but for Ah Shu, it was a very common thing.

Her princess never goes through the front door, she loves to climb over the wall, and she does it without anyone noticing.

After returning to Zither Courtyard, Li Linghuan's energy seemed to have been exhausted to the extreme. He fell on the bed and was about to sleep, but before going to sleep, he wrote a scroll of silk book and gave it to A Shu.

"I've already set up the trap and killed the person for her. Give this to Murong Huan and tell her that the rest of the process depends on her!"

(End of this chapter)