Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 82 The Proposal
Old Madam Su was shocked again. Xiao Muchen had just been imprisoned, and someone came to propose to that girl. What was going on?
Frustrated, Madam Su ran out of the Su Mansion with Su Qing. They saw five or six boxes outside the door. A beautiful woman in a dark purple dress, accompanied by several servants, stood at the door. Upon seeing Madam Su emerge, she greeted her with a smile, "How are you, Madam? I'm Chunyu, the housekeeper of the Ping'an branch of the Cui family. I'm here on behalf of my son Jiulang to ask for the hand of Murong Huan, the wife of the Su family's second wife. May I ask if Miss Huan is at home now?"

"Cui Jiulangjun?"

Hearing the surname Cui, Qin, who was eavesdropping nearby, screamed in surprise.

Among the five surnames and seven prestigious families today, the Cui family considers itself to be the most prominent family compared to the Wang and Xie families. Whenever the children of the Cui family have a banquet with others, they are proud of their status and say that the Cui family is of noble origin and holds prominent official positions. A real man must be in power and rule over others. How can he be controlled by others?
And this Mr. Cui Jiulang is even more extraordinary. He is a newly-appointed Jinshi this year, a young talent, and a graceful and elegant appearance. Many noble ladies in Luoyang City wanted to marry into the Cui family but were unable to do so.

Compared with the Cui family of Boling, the Xiao family is not worth mentioning at all.

How come that little bitch is so lucky that she can even attract the favor of Cui’s children?
The old lady seemed bewildered. "How could the Cui family be interested in a girl from such a poor family like our Su family? Are they going to marry... marry her as their principal wife?"

"Madam, you're joking. My Jiulang met Miss Huan from your family at the Peony Flower Banquet and admired her extraordinary talent and intelligence, so he wanted to arrange a happy marriage with her. As for whether to marry her as his principal wife, you, Madam, have already said that with the status of the Cui family, it would be a great honor for your young lady to marry into their family and become a concubine, right?"

The old lady smiled awkwardly, and Su Qing's face darkened. He immediately replied, "No need. Our Ah Huan is not the kind of person who would try to climb up the social ladder. He would rather be the wife of a poor family than the concubine of a rich one. Besides, the Xiao family has already proposed marriage."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you mentioning the Xiao family at this time?" The old lady poked Su Qing's forehead with a look of disappointment.

"Mother, if you agree, wouldn't that be like selling your granddaughter? Ah Huan hasn't enjoyed any of the good things in our Su family, and now you want to sell her to someone else as a concubine?"

Chunyu, who was listening at the side, felt embarrassed and her face turned black.

The old lady noticed the guest's displeasure and, fearing she might have offended the powerful, she apologized repeatedly with a smile, "I'm sorry, but my son is a bit pedantic and his mind isn't quite clear. How about you go back first? I'll give the Cui family an answer in a few days. What do you think?"

Chunyu Shi didn't seem to want to stay here any longer. She said "OK" with a fake smile and prepared to run away with a few of Cui Shi's servants. But at this moment, Su Qing's voice came from behind:

"Wait, take all these betrothal gifts back! No merit, no reward. Although I, Su Qing, hold a low position, I dare not covet other people's money."

Chunyu looked back, the corners of her mouth twitching uncontrollably, and she had no choice but to order her servants to carry back the boxes of "bride gifts" without even opening them.

When she fled in disgrace with a group of people, Su Qing discovered that a white figure flashed past from behind the screen wall. Realizing something, after the old lady, Qin and others returned to the house, he quickly changed his clothes, put on a veil hat, and chased in that direction.

……

Sigongfang, Cui family.

When Cui Shi's brothers learned that he had sent someone to the Su family to propose marriage, they were all very puzzled and asked, "Jiulang, why are you going to the Su family to propose marriage to a young lady from a low-ranking noble family during this period of uncertainty?"

"My brothers, you don't understand. It's precisely because of the current situation and the Su family's panic over Xiao Muchen's incident that it's easier for me to get that young lady. She's just a concubine, and she won't tarnish the reputation of our Cui family. What's there to be afraid of? Besides, this young lady is smart and clever. The flute music she played at the Peony Flower Banquet that day was truly soul-stirring. If I can get such a beauty and use her, she will definitely help me achieve great things."

"She's just a young lady who plays the flute well. From what I see, Chenglan, you're still fighting with Xiao Muchen, right? You've been fighting since you were little, aren't you tired?"

When this matter was mentioned, Cui Shi's face turned unhappy. Since he was a child, whether in Hongwenguan or Guozijian, Xiao Muchen's annual examination results were always among the best, and coincidentally, he was ranked before him. Even the Jinshi degree entered the officialdom two years earlier than him. No matter how loud his talent and reputation were, there was always Xiao Muchen suppressing him. He once secretly swore in his heart that one day he would break all his wings and grind away all his pride, making him kneel at his feet and beg him.

I didn’t expect that this wish would come true so soon!

If he knew that the "junior sister" he cared so much about had become a plaything in his hands, there would definitely be some wonderful expressions on his face that he had never seen before, right?
Thinking of this, Cui Shi's lips couldn't help but rise up, revealing an extremely longing and evil smile.

Just as he was smiling with satisfaction and joy, Chunyu, who was sent to propose marriage, ran back dejected and even extremely angry.

"Why are you like this? Didn't you get it done?"

Chunyu's face was still distorted with anger. She bowed and replied, "In reply to your question, my lord, Su Qing, the master of the Su family, said that his daughter would not marry into a wealthy family. Although he holds a low position, he is not greedy for other people's money, so he asked me to take back the betrothal gifts intact!"

The other young men in the Cui family were all stunned upon hearing this, then burst into laughter. "That's quite unusual! Someone from the Cui family took the initiative to propose marriage, and yet someone actually refused? Jiulang, you've really lost face this time!"

Cui Shi was so angry that he clenched his fists. Just as he was about to punch the red sandalwood beside him, he heard another woman's voice in his ears: "Jiulang, there are so many beautiful and talented noble women in Luoyang City. Why do you want this woman? From now on, don't even think about it. She is the one that the King of Wei wants. Don't bring trouble upon yourself."

The person who came was Xiao Muchen's former stepmother, Cui.

"Who is the one the King of Wei wants?"

"Yes, this woman might be someone special. The King of Wei has been searching for her for a long time. The funny thing is, Xiao Muchen treated her like a treasure. Now that she's in the hands of the King of Wei, I'm afraid she won't be as lucky as she was eight years ago."

Cui Shi smiled as she spoke of this. Cui Shi seemed to understand the meaning and whispered:

"Aunt, what you mean is that Xiao Muchen is really dead this time?"

"I finally got rid of the anger I felt back then!"

……

"Ah Huan, wait for me!"

Cui Shi never imagined that the farce of Chunyu proposing marriage on his behalf in front of the Su family's door was seen by Murong Huan.

When Murong Huan was about to leave, Su Qing caught up with him. They found a hidden place and stopped. Su Qing said with tears in his eyes, "I don't ask you to forgive the Su family, but if you have nowhere else to go, just come back, okay? Your marriage is determined by your own wishes, and I won't let your grandmother interfere too much."

Murong Huan nodded and said, "Thank you, uncle. I came back this time to tell you that if possible, you can open an ancestral hall and branch out from Su Sanlang's clan, Su Yu."

"Branch? Why?"

"He has done some things that are unforgivable and innumerable. They may bring the Su family into eternal ruin. If my uncle wants to be tied to him, he will definitely be implicated."

Su Qing was surprised and heard Murong Huan say:
"Uncle, I'm very grateful that you've been speaking up for me and wanting to protect me, but I know that if I stay in the Su family, I will indeed bring disaster to the Su family. Ah Huan is not a broad-minded person. I will repay those who do me a favor, and I will also take revenge on those who have a grudge against me. This is all I have to say today. I hope that uncle can listen to me and protect himself."

Murong Huan's expression suddenly changed after he finished speaking. He hastily pulled down his hood and left a message: "If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I'm going to expose their past. Tell them to be careful and protect their golden nest!"

After saying that, she tiptoed and ran quickly towards the woods ahead.

At this time, Su Qingcai heard the sound of horse hooves galloping towards this side.

The person on horseback was Lai Junchen again.

In a blink of an eye, the group approached. Lai Junchen looked at Su Qing with a smile and asked, "Master Su, have you seen your little niece recently? She's the beautiful flute player who became famous at the Peony Banquet, your second brother's daughter Murong Huan."

Su Qing's forehead was sweating, and he shook his head repeatedly: "No, I haven't seen it!"

"Tell the truth! If you know and tell me, I will report it to the King of Wei and promote you two levels. But if you know and don't report it, don't blame me for being rude."

Lai Junchen said this and pointed at the man with a scar beside him.

"Okay, I'll tell you!"

(End of this chapter)