Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 33: Surrender
Su Qing's question clearly showed his suspicion towards Murong Huan. Ah Shu said unhappily, "Master, this family doesn't welcome us. What does it have to do with the Su family where we go? And even though we didn't come home last night, didn't they see anyone from the Su family looking for Ah Huan?"

"Why is it that whenever something goes wrong, it's always blamed on Huan?"

Ah Shu's eyes were filled with tears, which made Su Qing feel helpless and confused.

Murong Huan didn't say another word, and walked out of the Su residence's gate quickly with A Shu. Sure enough, they saw Lu Ling and Lu Shiyilang waiting in front of the door.

This time, Lu Ling did not bring many constables with him, and there were only four or five people around him.

Lu Shiyilang was in high spirits, looking completely different from the depressed look he had yesterday, as if a relative had died. As soon as he saw her, he waved and greeted her from afar.

Murong Huan also nodded with a smile, walked closer, and bowed, saying, "Su Silang greets Lu Shaoqing. May I ask what brings Lu Shaoqing to the Su family this time?"

Lu Ling got straight to the point and said, "You said last time that you could draw the murderer's sinful soul, so this time, I will take you to draw the murderer."

"it is good!"

Lu Shiyilang came forward and looked at Murong Huan carefully. He couldn't help but wonder, "Boy, you seem very different last night than today. Is it my illusion? Why do I feel like you were a different person last night?"

Murong Huan didn't respond, so Ah Shu said angrily, "How is it different? My husband has always been like this!"

"Yes Yes!"

Faced with Ah Shu's fierce look, Lu Shiyilang did not have the courage to argue.

Then, he turned to Murong Huan and said excitedly, "By the way, boy, did you know that Zhou Xing was killed last night? While we were reciting poems and writing essays, he died in the urn torture he invented. That expression with his eyes wide open and his tongue sticking out was really funny!"

"Axun, what nonsense are you talking about again!" Lu Ling interrupted Lu Shiyilang and made a "please" gesture to Murong Huan, "Su Silang, come with me to the Dali Temple again! Don't listen to Shiyilang's nonsense anymore!"

After saying this, he ordered Murong Huan and A Shu to mount their horses together, and then they rode towards the Dali Temple.

Along the way, Lu Ling explained, "Last night at 1:00 PM, Zhou Xing died in his own residence. Hanging from his chest was a letter of confession, detailing the numerous false accusations he had made that led to the annihilation of his entire family. The handwriting has been confirmed to be his own."

"Before his death, Imperial Censor Lai Junchen happened to receive a secret letter and came to Zhou's residence to try Zhou Xing. Unexpectedly, he died in the urn he had set himself!"

After Lu Ling finished speaking, Murong Huan continued, "So, this is a case of Zhou Xing committing suicide out of fear of punishment?"

"Of course not. If it was truly suicide out of fear of punishment, it would be much easier. But the coroner has already examined him. He was first strangled to death with a silk ribbon, then thrown into a jar and roasted over charcoal. After killing him, the murderer even provoked Qiu Shenji, the general of the Jinwu Guard, on his way to escape before disappearing without a trace."

Having said this, he looked at Murong Huan again, but seeing that she was still calm, he smiled and said:
"Then this murderer is truly formidable. After killing someone, not only did he not rush to escape, but he also provoked the Jinwu Guards?"

"I think provoking the Jinwu Guards is not a simple matter. Any murderer would not be in a hurry to expose himself after killing someone. So I think the real murderer may be someone else, and the person who provoked the Jinwu Guards is just a cover."

Murong Huan was silent for a moment and nodded.

"Lu Shaoqing's analysis makes sense. So, Lu Shaoqing wants me to draw the murderer's face? Has anyone seen the murderer's face?"

Lu Ling fell silent and sighed, "Yes! The murderer has appeared, but this person came to surrender himself, not to identify others."

Murong Huan stopped abruptly.

"Turn yourself in? Who will turn themselves in?"

……

After arriving at the Dali Temple, Murong Huan came to the interrogation room under the leadership of Lu Ling and Lu Shiyilang.

To her surprise, the person being interrogated in the interrogation room was the blind old woman she had seen in Li Xiaolian's room in Shaohuayuan yesterday.

Lu Shiyilang explained, "The news that Zhou Xing was assassinated in his own residence spread early in the morning. Although many Luoyang residents and court officials applauded the news, it remained an unsolved case. King Wu Chengsi of Wei even exaggerated the matter, claiming it was the work of remnants of traitors, thereby challenging the authority of the sage.

Therefore, the Saint has issued another order to investigate this case thoroughly!"

"Last night, a servant at Zhou Xing's residence said that before Zhou Xing died, he had seen Huo Xiaolian, a famous prostitute from Shaohua Courtyard. We later went to search Shaohua Courtyard, but discovered that Huo Xiaolian was no longer there. Not only that, but several courtesans from Shaohua Courtyard had also disappeared."

"Later, both the Dali Temple and the Jinwu Guards searched all night, but to no avail. Until today, at 1:00 AM, this old woman came to our Dali Temple and surrendered herself, claiming she was the one who murdered Zhou Jiulang and Zhou Xing."

Having said this, Lu Shiyilang paused for a moment, then looked at Murong Huan and continued, "This old woman is the one I told you about before. She's the only one left in the mansion after Zhou Jiulang's death. We've been following her for the past two days and found that she's indeed been in contact with Huo Xiaolian from Shaohua Courtyard." Murong Huan asked in surprise, "She said how she killed Zhou Jiulang?"

"She said it was poison. She used a colorless, odorless, slow-acting poison that was difficult to detect. She had been using it for a long time, until that night when Zhou Jiulang had a crazy time with several prostitutes in Shaohua Courtyard for several hours. On his way home, the poison attacked his heart and he died suddenly."

"Then why did she kill Zhou Jiulang?"

"She is the true daughter of King Huo!" Murong Huan stopped abruptly at this point, and listened to Lu Shiyilang continue, "So the killing of Zhou Jiulang was a revenge killing. She said that her father, King Huo, had no intention of rebelling, but it was Zhou Xing who was seeking revenge for a personal vendetta. He used the case of Yue King Li Zhen's rebellion to frame her father and imprison him, and then humiliated her father and brothers in every possible way. Originally, the sage's will was only to exile her father and brothers, but Zhou Xing sent people to kill her entire family, and then humiliated the women and children of the Li family."

Having said that, Lu Shiyilang's eyes showed some sympathy and regret, and he pointed to his own eyes.

"Her eyes were blinded by Zhou Jiulang. Not only that, Zhou Xing and his son didn't even spare young girls. She once heard Zhou Xing and his son abuse the girls they had taken from the powerful families whose property had been confiscated and whose families had been exterminated. They said they were looking for a girl with the plum blossom mark on her body. But later, regardless of whether these girls had the plum blossom mark or not, they perversely branded them with the plum blossom mark and then threw them into the well, saying that this was to protect the fortune of the Great Zhou!"

Murong Huan was slightly shocked upon hearing this, and asked in horror, "To preserve the Great Zhou's fortune? You said Zhou Jiulang imprinted the plum blossom mark on those girls and then tortured and killed them to preserve the Great Zhou's fortune? How does that make sense?"

Lu Shiyilang shook his head: "I don't know why, but this daughter of King Huo said so!"

"And this daughter of King Huo even specifically said she wants to see you!"

"To see me? Why?"

Murong Huan was slightly stunned and came to the old woman with some doubts.

When he saw the old woman again, Murong Huan still felt a little shocked and pity in his heart. It was hard to imagine that the once favored daughter of heaven would look like this now.

She had a skinny body, wrinkled skin, dry hair, and a pair of eyes that were trying to stay open but had no focus. She might not be more than forty years old, but she looked as old as an eighty-year-old woman. One could imagine the torture she had suffered while ambushing Zhou Jiulang.

Perhaps she heard Murong Huan's footsteps, and a hint of joy appeared on the corners of the old woman's lips.

"Is Su Jia Silang here?"

"it's me!"

Murong Huan sat down opposite the old woman and asked, "Why do you want to see me?"

The old woman smiled and said, "Because you are a kind child, you are Su Minghe and her child!"

"Can I touch you, baby?"

As the old woman spoke, she stretched out her dry hand and stroked Murong Huan's cheek. Murong Huan wanted to dodge, but when he saw that the old woman's face was kind but suddenly sad, he let her stroke him.

"Do you know my father and mother?" Murong Huan asked in surprise.

The old woman nodded and smiled again, "Your father was once a scholar of immense talent, and your mother was a dedicated practitioner of medicine. They roamed the world of martial arts and performed many good deeds, and I'm sure everyone in the martial arts world knew them. I was fortunate enough to have met your father and mother before, so naturally I know them."

At this point, she sighed, "My dear boy, you are so handsome! In the future, you will surely become a noble official and the richest man in the world!"

Murong Huan's heart was pounding, and he didn't hear her last words clearly. He just asked, "Then do you know why my parents were hunted by a group of people when I was young? They pursued us relentlessly, and even though we hid our identities, my mother still couldn't escape..."

The old woman's expression suddenly darkened, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "It's probably because of Li Chunfeng's prophecy, or perhaps it's related to the Crown Prince."

"prophecy?"

The old woman said, "Yes, prophecy! Did you know that there are people in this world who can predict the future? They can use the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams to predict the fate of the Tang Dynasty, or even the Great Zhou and Zhou, more than two thousand years from now?"

"Are you talking about the Tui Bei Tu compiled by Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng?"

"It turns out I've also heard of the names of these two peerless astrologers. But unfortunately, even though they were two masters of prophecy who could predict the future, they ultimately couldn't change their own destiny."

"Back then, Li Chunfeng predicted that after three generations of the Tang Dynasty, a female ruler, King Wu, would rule the country. Even so, Emperor Taizong didn't kill the Wu family and instead protected the descendants of the Li family. However, Li Chunfeng also predicted that the Wu family would ultimately be a flash in the pan, and that the country would eventually return to the Li Tang."

"Because of this prophecy, Prince Wu Chengsi of Wei and Prince Wu Sansi of Liang strongly advised the current sage to exterminate all descendants of the Li family and all those in the court who were not loyal to the Wu family, and to establish a descendant of the Wu family as the crown prince."

After hearing this, Murong Huan was still puzzled: "What does that have to do with my father and mother?"

(End of this chapter)