Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 59: Fierce Debate, Eliminate This Monster

"What a saying! When laws are enforced, the country is governed; when laws are disregarded, the country is in chaos. You are right, young lady! It makes sense!"

When the King of Wei was furious and all the guests were in panic, a majestic voice reached everyone's ears. Although the voice was not loud, it was enough to make people respect and lower their spirits.

Seeing the empress in a purple phoenix robe, Di Renjie who had just been appointed prime minister by the Phoenix Pavilion, and Shangguan Wan'er walking into the banquet hall together, everyone stood up in fear and bowed to the empress.

"Greetings to His Majesty the Holy Emperor!"

Taiping, along with the King of Wei and the King of Liang, rose and came out to greet him: "Your son pays homage to His Majesty the Holy Emperor!"

The empress nodded, sat down in the top seat given up by Taiping, and let Di Renjie sit in the first seat on the lower right. The King of Wei and the King of Liang consciously stepped back.

Unlike everyone else's surprise, Xiao Muchen was calm and composed. While bowing to the empress, he glanced at Di Renjie standing beside him. The two looked at each other, and neither spoke a word, tacitly understanding each other.

As the mentor who led him into the officialdom, Di Renjie had a very rich career experience. In his early years, he served as the Dali Temple Secretary, and within a year he judged a large number of backlog cases, thus earning the name of a detective. Later, he served as the Imperial Censor and was sent to various states as a governor. He left his name wherever he went. It was not until recently that he was promoted to the Minister of the Ministry of Land and was appointed to the Fengge, becoming the new prime minister.

When he first entered officialdom, Di Gong always taught him that when facing the emperor, although he should speak frankly and dare to remonstrate, he should also protect himself and not be too upright and bring disaster upon himself.

This was the second mentor he met in his life. He always kept his mentor's words in mind and truly practiced being square without cutting and upright without being unruly. Only then could he survive until now in this court where cruel officials were rampant.

After the empress sat down, she first glanced at Murong Huan, a hint of surprise in her eyes, then looked at Qiu Shenji and asked, "What's going on with the unrest in Bozhou and the killing of officials and civilians in the city?"

It was just a casual question, but Qiu Shenji was already frightened to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat. He fell to his knees with a thud, "Your Majesty, I have indeed been wronged. It was Minister Xiao and this young lady Su beside him who set this up to frame me. This Xie Zi'e must have been deliberately sent in to frame me. Please, Your Majesty, investigate this!"

Xie Zi'e's eyes suddenly filled with anger, but Xie, who was standing beside him, grabbed his wrist and suppressed his anger.

The empress uttered an "oh" and turned to Xiao Muchen: "Zicheng, what's your explanation?"

Xiao Muchen said, "Your Majesty, Xie Zi'e was indeed brought here by me, but everyone witnessed what she went through in this puppet show. How could anyone recreate the cruelty of the battlefield without experiencing it firsthand?"

"You're talking nonsense! Just because a puppet show was so realistic doesn't mean it's fact? And it was clearly this girl's flute playing that made us feel like we were being possessed and entering a dream. This girl's methods are extremely strange. She's a demon!"

At this point, Qiu Shenji suddenly had an epiphany, as if a revelation had struck him. He pointed at Murong Huan again and said, "Oh, right, my daughter said that this girl has been a bit strange since she was little. Both her parents died, but she didn't cry or make a fuss. Instead, she set fire to the mourning hall. She was abandoned by the Su family and banished to the farm for eight years. A young lady of only six or seven years old, she actually managed to survive. Moreover, she can draw portraits from bones and confuse people with the sound of her flute. If this isn't sorcery, what is it?"

After saying this, he turned to the Empress and said, "Your Majesty, this monster will surely bring disaster to the Great Zhou. Please kill this monster to ensure the stability of your country!"

These words actually made the atmosphere at the banquet become chilly, and many ladies couldn't help but feel a little scared.

Xiao Muchen was extremely displeased and said, "Bone reading and portrait drawing are similar to performing an autopsy; they are both a skill. General Qiu, if you haven't heard of this skill, it only shows that you are ignorant. How can you be so alarmist and call it a sorcery?"

"As for the sound of the flute, it is said that poetry is the heart of music, and music is the sound of poetry. In the past, Ji Zi wrote "On the Sound of No Sadness or Joy," in which he also said that sorrow is expressed in metal and stone, and peace and joy are expressed in pipes and strings. He also said that Confucius, by hearing the Shao music, knew the virtue of Yu Shun, and Ji Zha, by listening to the strings, knew the customs of all nations.

Good music inherently stirs emotions, elicits contemplation, and captivates us. For example, you've probably heard the story of Boya and Zhong Ziqi, whose soulmates were elusive, inspired by the song "High Mountains and Flowing Water." At this point, Xiao Muchen pointed at Murong Huan and said, "She was just a little girl, abandoned by her family, her parents dead. Her survival was due to her own unwavering will. Yet, you call her a demon? Is she a demon, or are you harboring ulterior motives, possessed by demonic intent?"

The angry and emotional speech was so powerful that it attracted the amazement and cheers of all the guests!
"Mr. Xiao is right. This young lady plays the flute beautifully. We are able to hear her and be there in person, simply because of our emotions. Touching her bones and her portrait only proves that she has talent. How can we call her a demon just because of her talent?"

Princess Taiping also looked at the Empress and said, "Mother, I also think what Xiao Zhongcheng said is very reasonable."

The empress's originally serious expression instantly relaxed, and she smiled, "Zicheng, how long has it been since I last heard you debate like this? You've become so enraged over a little girl today. It's truly a wonderful experience for me to hear once again."

"Your Excellency, your praise is undue. Zicheng was merely addressing the matter objectively. Murong Huan is a physician. I invited her to my residence to treat my illness, and it was I who brought her here to be my companion. She simply has a compassionate heart, and sympathizes with those suffering, so she stood up and spoke out for justice. I cannot bear to see her kindness slandered and defamed by others, so I have argued with her. I beg Your Excellency to forgive me."

At this point, Xiao Muchen changed the subject and said, "And I do have evidence to prove that what Xie Zi'e said is true."

"Oh? What other evidence do you have?"

Xiao Muchen pointed at Xie behind him and said, "Madam Guo, the wife of Censor Guo, is also a witness in this case!"

After saying this, he nodded to Xie, who also knelt down, pulled a piece of silk from her sleeve, held it high above her head, and wept bitterly, "Your Majesty, I can indeed prove that this is Guo Hongba's personal confession. Guo Hongba has long been in cahoots with General Qiu Shenji of the Left Golden Guard. Following his orders, he killed members of my Xie clan and participated in the massacre of civilians in Bozhou. Not only that, Guo Hongba has also been secretly recruiting retainers and forging weapons. I believe he was simply providing these weapons to the Golden Guard General he was in collusion with and the people behind him.

"I, your humble servant, dare to ask the Sage to make a holy judgment and redress the names of the knights and common people who were brutally murdered while suppressing the rebellion in Bozhou! For my Xie family, give them justice!"

As soon as Xie finished speaking, the discussion around him became louder. Qiu Shenji turned pale and was terrified. In panic, he pointed at Xie and said wildly:
"Xie, are you crazy?"

Xie sneered: "I was crazy, but not long ago, my madness was cured by this little girl!"

"Cure? Impossible, how could your illness be cured?"

This one sentence immediately caused a huge wave of shock, and the guests at the banquet once again cast surprised and even disbelieving glances at Murong Huan.

"If he can even cure a madman's illness, then doesn't that mean he's a miracle doctor?"

"It seems that this little girl is not only a doctor, but also has excellent medical skills!"

……

Amidst the surging discussions around him, Qiu Shenji's face was ashen. He kowtowed repeatedly to the Empress, pleading, "Your Majesty! She's a lunatic. Your Majesty, please don't believe what she says."

Seeing his frantic behavior, the Empress showed displeasure and said to Shangguan Wan'er beside her, "Wan'er, go and get me that letter of apology!"

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)