Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 73: The Red Line, the Temptation of the Charming Woman

After the carriage arrived at the Xiao Mansion, the two were about to step into the Xiao family mansion when they were stopped at the door by a group of people.

The person who came was actually Xie Zi'e.

After removing her disguise, Xie Zi'e no longer had a dark complexion. Her features were clear and her figure was exceptionally slender, almost as tall as that of an average man. Her skin was fair, but she was still dressed in men's clothing. She came to her with several people from the martial arts world.

Suddenly, a dozen people, led by her, all knelt on one knee and bowed to Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen, saying, "Please help my brothers clear their names. I, Xie Zi'e, will obey your orders from now on!"

"We are also willing to obey your orders!" The people behind her answered in unison.

Murong Huan was a little shocked by their momentum, but Xiao Muchen said, "No need to thank me. This is the justice you deserve. However, Qiu Shenji still escaped from the Dali Temple. Are you aware of this?"

Xie Zi'e was stunned. "We heard that Qiao Buque was disguised as Qiu Shenji and died in a tavern yesterday. Did Qiu Shenji really escape?"

Seeing the shock and anger on Xie Zi'e's face, Xiao Muchen confirmed that she was not lying, and asked, "Besides thanking you, do you have anything else to do here?"

Xie Zi'e then turned her gaze towards Murong Huan: "We are here to see this young lady about something concerning her mother."

When talking about their mother, Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen were both stunned.

Mrs. Guo, Xie, came forward, looked at Murong Huan for a long time, and suddenly knelt down in front of her, saying several times: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

A sense of inexplicable anger and confusion rose in Murong Huan's heart.

"Why are you like this?"

……

Xiao Muchen invited Xie and Xie Zi'e into the Xiao residence and asked Aunt Ning to pour some tea. Xie then tearfully recounted the past, "Actually, I recognized you when you came to my residence to treat me that day. You're the daughter of Murong Yan'er, the leader of our Chamber of Commerce, right?"

Murong Huan's heart moved slightly: this was the first time she heard her mother's name from someone else's mouth.

"My mother's name is Murong Yan'er?"

"Yes, your mother is very beautiful. You look a lot like her. No, not exactly. You are a little more gentle than her, while she is more fierce in her ways."

Xie looked at Murong Huan with a fascinated expression and continued, "Your mother treated me very well back then. When I was about to marry Guo Hongba, she even advised me against it, saying that Guo Hongba was not a good match and that I was blind and had failed her. Many years after marrying into the Guo family, I realized that my encounter with him was all a scam. They only wanted to learn about your mother from me, to get all the power, wealth, and the Crown Prince's Order that your mother held, and also you..."

"Originally, I lost contact with your mother after I married into the Guo family. But after many years of being childless, her health seemed to be getting worse and worse. Many doctors couldn't cure her, so Guo Hongba advised me to write a letter to your mother and ask her to come and see me. After all, your mother was known as a medical saint..."

Hearing this, Murong Huan understood what she wanted to say.

"You mean, because you wrote a letter to my mother and revealed her whereabouts, my father-in-law and I were hunted by those people..."

When she mentioned the bloody assassination again, her mother, who was stabbed several times but still ran with her in her arms, and finally collapsed in the snow due to exhaustion, her image appeared in her mind again. Murong Huan became excited, and because of her excitement, a chill gradually arose in her body, just like Xiao Muchen, causing her to shiver slightly.

"what happened to you?"

Realizing that something was wrong with her, Xiao Muchen felt guilty and hurriedly helped her up, and asked Xuan Yu to bring her the tea he usually drank.

"I'm fine." Murong Huan said, trying his best to control his emotions, while at the same time writing down the various symptoms and feelings of the toxic attack in his mind.

At this time, Xie knelt down again, holding a dagger in her hands and handed it to Murong Huan: "Young lady, you saved my life. I do have an unshirkable responsibility for your mother's affairs. If you want revenge, I am willing to die to repay you!"

"aunt--"

Xie Zi'e tried to stop her, but was stopped by Xie.

"Forget it. Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt has its creditor. This matter is not your fault. You are just being used by those people."

Murong Huan sighed at this point, "You should leave! After what happened at the Peony Banquet, the King of Wei might also bear a grudge against you. Luoyang is not a place to stay for long..."

"Girl! My aunt and I have no kinship, and I am not afraid of the King of Wei. If I can follow you to overthrow the King of Wei and bring these nobles who oppress the innocent people to justice, I, Xie Zi'e, will gladly obey your orders!"

Xie Zi'e suddenly interrupted, took out a jade token from her bosom and handed it to Murong Huan.

"what is this?"

"After your mother passed away, I took her place as the head of the Chamber of Commerce. Now that I've found you, this item must naturally be returned to its original owner!"

"No need!" Murong Huan refused decisively. "I don't understand the Chamber of Commerce, and I can't lead you. However, if you really want to repay my kindness, you can do me a favor."

"What's the matter?" Xie and Xie Zi'e asked in unison.

Murong Huan pondered for a moment, then looked at them and said, "Help me investigate someone, Su Yu, the third son of the Su family. Find out his past and who he's associated with now. Also... when my father died, the old lady of the Su family asked him to hand over all his permanent property, saying that she wanted to leave it for me as a dowry. But later, the dowry ended up in the hands of the third branch of the Su family. I need you to help me investigate what the third branch of the Su family has done with the dowry over the years."

"Just to investigate what they did? Not to get them back?" Xie Zi'e asked back.

Murong Huan shook his head: "It's not that they don't want to come back, but I want them to spit it out voluntarily. I don't know how much of the dowry is left now."

"Okay! I can do this for you right away!"

After reaching an agreement, Xie Zi'e prepared to lead everyone away. Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something, took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Murong Huan.

"Oh, by the way, this is something a young lady named Huo Xiaolian asked me to give you. She told me to personally deliver it to you without delay, and she seemed very anxious! I haven't read it, so you can read it yourself!"

Huo Xiaolian?
……

After Xie Zi'e left, Murong Huan opened the letter. When he saw the content, his expression changed slightly and he handed the letter to Xiao Muchen.

"Huo Xiaolian said that the King of Wei had a private meeting with General Xue and Lai Junchen in Shaohua Courtyard these past two days. She was accompanied by a mysterious man whose true face was never revealed. He seemed to mention Prime Minister Di, Xiao Zhongcheng, Cen Changqian, and Ouyang Tong..."

After reading the contents of the letter, Xiao Muchen's brow furrowed with a hint of solemnity. "Qiao Buque's death seemed to be a vent of anger, but it also seemed to be a cover-up for something." "I feel like they are setting up a big game, possibly targeting Prime Minister Di, you, and the ministers in the court who opposed his succession!" Murong Huan said solemnly, "Xiao Muchen, Qiu Shenji's disappearance is very likely a ploy to deal with you and Lu Ling, so we can't let them lead us by the nose. The most important thing now is to find the red line."

……

Find the red thread and you will find the hidden ringtone that can bewitch people.

"Ding ding ding," a bell rang in a hidden abandoned house, and a graceful red figure walked gracefully under the clear light of a silver plate that had just jumped out of the clouds.

"After lying dormant for so long, I can finally put you to use."

In the darkness, a pair of extremely cold eyes were spying on everything in the house. When they saw the woman coming, they couldn't help but curl their lips and smile triumphantly.

"You did a great job this time. They would never have guessed that Qiao Buque's death was just a pretext to lure Lu Ling and the others away so that you could actually kill Guo Hongba, the Qiu family, and kidnap Qiu Shenji.

I heard that Guo Hongba died tragically?"

"That's what happens to those who betray their masters."

The woman smiled in a charming voice, and the next moment she got into the man's arms. In the silent night, the two began to make love, and soon, a slight panting sound could be heard.

"It's such a shame to think that my husband had such a handsome face back then and it's ruined."

After the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, the woman chuckled with a mixture of regret and tenderness.

"Compared to that Xiao Zhongcheng, how do I compare?"

"Mr. Xiao is young and handsome, a rising star. You were the most handsome man in Chang'an back then, so how can you be compared to him? However, although Mr. Xiao is beautiful, he is too unromantic. I have stayed in his house for more than half a year, but I have never even seen his body."

"Then you better hurry up and take a good look at his body tonight. I'm afraid you won't have another chance in the future."

After the man finished speaking, he pinched the woman's waist hard, causing her to giggle. The two of them fell into endless revelry again.

……

The Xiao Mansion covers a large area, but since the disaster of the extermination of the family eight years ago, the population has dropped sharply. Now there are less than fifty people working in the mansion.

The Xiao Mansion was divided into the East Court, the West Court, and the Central Court. Xiao Muchen lived in the Changqing Pavilion in the Central Court. Apart from some odd jobs and temporary workers in the kitchen, warehouse, and gardens, there were less than a dozen people who actually interacted with Xiao Muchen.

Among these ten people, only Aunt Ning and Uncle Lu knew many of Xiao Muchen's secrets and had close contact with him. The others were servants and maids in the central courtyard who were responsible for cleaning and serving his daily life.

But according to Xuan Yu, after Xiao Muchen returned to his mansion, he especially liked to be alone, playing the piano, looking at the scenery in the mansion, or chatting with some small animals. He did not like others to get close to him, and things like bathing and changing clothes were done by himself, so even the servants who were responsible for his food and drink had never really approached him.

"The remaining few are the beauties bestowed upon him by the saint. Originally there were ten beauties, but my husband rejected five. Now there are only four left in the mansion: Siqin, Siqi, Sihua, and Sishu. These four beauties also have their own characteristics. One is passionate and fiery, one is gentle and calm, one is lively and charming, and the third one is quiet and mysterious, and that is the poet and scholar whose background is unknown."

"Ten, five were rejected, and four are left in the mansion. What about the other one?"

"There is another one named Si Lu, who loves to cry. Whenever she is in front of my husband, she looks aggrieved and pitiful, with two clear tears always hanging in the corners of her eyes. Whenever my husband looks at her, she cries, as if our family owes her thousands of taels."

"Oh, where is she now?"

"Because I cried so hard that I gasped for breath, my husband arranged for me to be raised in Lingquan Villa, not far from here, and assigned a maid to take care of me. After all, it was a gift from the saint. If I died here, it would not be good."

Xuan Yu introduced almost everyone in the Xiao Mansion to her, and at the same time handed a personnel account book to her, saying that it was from Xiao Muchen to show her.

After getting the personnel account book, Murong Huan naturally did not say anything and returned to Qingxin Courtyard to rest as usual. When Aunt Ning brought her some food and clothing, she chatted with her for a few words and then left.

As usual, after taking a bath, Murong Huan lay on the bed with Ashu and chatted before going to sleep. However, tonight was a sleepless night. She did not fall asleep and waited until midnight. When the waning moon was high in the sky, the white fox named Xueli jumped over the window lattice again and came to her.

The snow fox squeaked anxiously again. Murong Huan picked it up and made a gesture to silence it, and the snow fox stopped squeaking obediently.

At this moment, she heard the bell again, but the bell tonight seemed particularly clear, coming from far away and getting closer. From the sound, it seemed to be heading towards Xiao Muchen's yard.

Murong Huan also quickly changed into a nightgown, and hurried to the outside of Changqing Pavilion in the direction of the bell. He quietly climbed up the eaves and lay on the roof of Xiao Muchen's bedroom.

Gently lifting the tile, he saw a woman in red walking barefoot into Xiao Muchen's room.

The woman was wearing a veil and had a bell hanging on her wrist. It swayed with every step, making a tinkling sound. At the same time, she called Xiao Muchen's name in an extremely charming tone.

"Xiao Muchen, Xiao Muchen..."

This was also a method her master taught her when she first learned the art of hypnosis, but she was better at using incense to enter dreams to stimulate people's will.

Xiao Muchen, who was originally lying on the bed, opened his eyes when she called him, and stood up and stood in front of her.

"You've been really good today! You've removed the guards outside your yard. Are you willing to accept us?"

The woman said this with a sweet smile, and then she stroked Xiao Muchen's cheek with one hand: "Your face is really lovely. It would be a pity to kill you like this. How about you be mine from now on? I will find someone to replace you."

After she finished speaking, she opened her lips slightly as if she had let out a breath, and then she took off the red long skirt she was wearing, revealing her graceful body. She took a step closer and wanted to wrap around Xiao Muchen like a vine.

"Who do you think is more beautiful, me or the new young lady in your house?"

Murong Huan was stunned. He had never thought that a woman could be like this. Is this considered a skill?

Didn’t the master teach her these skills?
As she was muttering to herself, Xuan Yu quietly came to her side. Seeing the scene in the room, she almost cried out in surprise. She quickly covered her mouth and winked at Murong Huan: "Why don't you do it? If you don't do it now, my husband will be eaten dry."

Just when Xuan Yu was getting anxious, he heard a sudden change in the wind.

(End of this chapter)