Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 88 Interrogating Su Yu and exploring the dream again

When Murong Huan heard the words "No matter how long the days ahead are," he comforted her, "I won't let you die young. People like you should live longer and benefit the people."

Xiao Muchen was speechless for a moment and felt a little discouraged, so he simply didn't respond.

Murong Huan looked at him and said, "The poison in your body must have been given to you by your stepmother Cui, right? After this matter is over, I will go to the Cui family and investigate this matter for you. I will find out where this ice silkworm cold poison comes from. I can prepare an antidote..." At this point, she said seriously, "Trust me!"

Xiao Muchen was deeply moved and couldn't help but reach out to touch her cheek. He nodded and said, "I believe it, but there's no need to go to the Cui family. This poison was planted in me by Helan Minzhi."

"Helan Minzhi? What grudge does he have against your family?"

Xiao Muchen thought for a moment and said, "Although I'm not sure, I once heard my father mention this when I was young. Back in Chang'an, my father was good friends with him. He could be considered a close friend like Boya and Zhong Ziqi. But after Helan Minzhi experienced the death of his mother and sister, his temperament changed drastically. He treated women like playthings and did many shameful things. He even embezzled money and silk used to build Buddhist temples, openly opposing the Queen Mother. My father tried to persuade him to stop, but he didn't listen. Instead, his behavior became even more perverse.

Afterwards… my father severed all ties with him, until the day he was exiled. My father went to see him off from afar, but we never had any contact after that.”

"It seems your father meant well, but he might have taken it as malicious intent."

Xiao Muchen nodded, thinking of what the ghost-faced man said, "A son must pay for his father's debts." He really couldn't imagine what kind of thing would make this man feel such hatred and resentment towards his father.

"Then how did his face get ruined?" Murong Huan suddenly asked, "And the annihilation of your Xiao family, could it be related to him?"

Xiao Muchen was stunned for a moment. He had naturally thought about this question, but he didn't dare to say anything without evidence.

Seeing him stagnate and fall into deep thought, Murong Huan smiled and changed the subject, "Yesterday I went back to the Su family and saw that the Cui family had sent someone to propose marriage, saying that Cui Jiulang wanted to take me as a concubine..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Muchen's expression froze.

"Cui Jiulang only met me once at the Peony Flower Banquet. It's impossible for him to be so interested in me after just one meeting. Is he interested in me because of you?"

Xiao Muchen seemed to have thought of something, and anger appeared on his face.

"Don't worry, I won't agree. If I have to be with one person until old age, I naturally hope that person is you. But my grandmother, as you know, is a person who likes to cling to the powerful, so..."

Before she could finish her words, Xiao Muchen had already embraced her in his arms, his heart filled with endless joy: "Don't say anything, as long as you agree, I will take care of everything else."

Murong Huan nodded and said, "Okay!" Then he added, "By the way, let me take you to see someone! This person may know something."

……

The person Murong Huan was talking about was Su Yu, the third master of the Su family.

After what happened last night, Xie Zi'e had sent her a message and brought Su Yu to a secluded house in Zhengpingfang.

Lu Shiyilang also came here.

Seeing Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan coming, Lu Shiyilang's eyes lit up, and his mind was full of imagination. He kept imagining that Murong Huan broke into the dungeon of the Inner Guard Palace alone last night and kidnapped Xiao Muchen.

This matter had spread throughout Luoyang City early this morning. After repeated interpretations and changes, it has now developed into at least three mysterious and unpredictable versions of the legend.

Some people said that this woman possessed supernatural powers. With just a wave of her hand, she knocked all the people in the dungeon to the ground, and then took Xiao Zhongcheng out of the dungeon in a dignified manner.

Others said that this woman possessed evil magic. Just like playing a song at a peony banquet, she made everyone fall into a dream and unable to wake up. She took Xiao Zhongcheng away while everyone was asleep.

The most incredible rumor is that she can transform into a beautiful fox demon, bewitching all the dungeon guards and making these men willingly become her slaves and do her bidding.

But Lu Shiyilang knew that no matter how many versions were spread, they were just news spread by King Wei, whose purpose was to prove to the people of the entire Luoyang Shendu that Xiao Muchen had escaped from prison, and that his escape also proved that he was inseparable from the case of treason.

"How did you rescue them? Now that things have developed to this point, is there still a chance of reversal?" Lu Shiyilang asked one after another. "I heard that Wuling Yue, the deputy governor of the Inner Guard, has already ordered all the Inner Guards to mobilize and search the city for you two. There are also Jinwu Guards, Qianniu Guards... Right now, the streets are full of officers and soldiers searching for you two..."

Having said that, Lu Shiyilang's eyes widened again when he suddenly noticed the black hair revealed after Xiao Muchen took off his hood.

"Why is your hair black?"

Xiao Muchen did not answer, but Lu Shiyilang looked at Murong Huan and made up countless guesses in his mind.

"My dear, could it be you..."

"Let's not talk about this for now!" Xiao Muchen interrupted, "You should have read the letter I sent to Lu Ling, right?"

Lu Shiyilang came back to his senses and nodded, "Of course! But unfortunately, Shilang has also been imprisoned in the prison at Lijing Gate. I don't know what he is doing now... When I mention this, I wish I could cut Lai Junchen into pieces!"

He said angrily.

At this time, Murong Huan said: "As long as the White Horse Temple case is investigated thoroughly, they will be fine."

Speaking of the White Horse Temple, Lu Shiyilang once again felt admiration for Murong Huanteng. Last night he received a letter saying that the King of Wei would go to the White Horse Temple and asked them to follow the King of Wei to find the real entrance to the underground bank.

Although no one knows how she lured the King of Wei out of the dungeon of the Inner Guard Palace, this plan was really brilliant. Not only did she lure the tiger away from the mountain and save Xiao Muchen, but she also found the true location of the underground bank through the King of Wei.

Thinking of this, Lu Shiyilang couldn't help but look at Murong Huan again and sighed, "I only thought that the young lady was smart and lovely, but I didn't expect that she was so cunning and even capable of jailbreaking. If I had known this, I would have gone to your house to propose marriage first..." At this point, he felt Xiao Muchen's gaze and immediately changed his words, "But now I don't dare to do that anymore. I absolutely won't dare to have such unreasonable thoughts again!"

As he was speaking, he heard a burst of laughter. He turned around and saw that it was Xie Zi'e who brought Su Yu, the third son of the Su family.

Su Yu was drinking with Huo Xiaolian in Shaohua Courtyard. When he was drunk, two strong men under Xie Zi'e covered his head with a black cloth bag and forcibly dragged him here.

At this moment, Su Yu was still in the illusion of a beautiful dream, with an obscene smile on the corner of his mouth.

In the dream, the red tent was warm in spring, and he held the charming Huo Xiaolian, who was draped in a tulle, in his arms. When he was about to kiss her, a basin of cold water suddenly poured over him from head to toe. He shuddered violently, and then he sat up quickly and opened his eyes.

"Who is this? Is this... blind? The water is splashing on me!"

As soon as he shouted, Su Yu felt that the atmosphere was a little stagnant and strange. He looked up and saw Xiao Muchen, Murong Huan, Lu Shiyilang and several unfamiliar people from the martial arts world surrounding him.

"What...what are you doing?" Su Yu stammered nervously, "Are you trying to kidnap a man in broad daylight?"

With a "Pa-" sound, Lu Shiyilang slapped Su Yu in the face. "You're still trying to snatch a man away from the people? Don't you even look at what you look like? Even if you want to snatch a handsome man, it should be someone like Xiao Zhongcheng. Who would be interested in you if you look so wretched?"

"Then what are you going to do?" "What? Su Yu, your first wife Qiu is dead, but you don't seem to be sad at all. You are still having a good time outside, selling Wu Shi San and aphrodisiacs. Where did you sell the aphrodisiacs?

And your pawnshop called No. 9, I've also been there, and it doesn't seem to be a legitimate pawn business. Tell me, what are you doing?

Could it be that he is helping some high-ranking official hide dirty things, or forcing women to sell them?"

"You're talking nonsense... I'm doing serious business!"

Su Yu's lips trembled as he managed to utter these words. He was so scared that he turned around and was about to crawl out, but was blocked by two strong men and pulled back.

"What are you doing? I haven't done anything harmful. I'm just selling some drugs to those nobles to enhance their pleasure."

"Aphrodisiac drugs? Who did you sell them to?" Murong Huan asked, "And what did the people who bought them do with them?"

"What else can they do? Some high-ranking officials are fond of hunting for beauties. They specifically steal married women, or kidnap beautiful young women as rewards for private transactions. However, they are afraid that these women will not be happy, so they use this drug to make them submit obediently. Naturally, these women dare not speak out after losing their virginity, so they can only swallow their anger and become the playthings of these high-ranking officials."

Hearing this, Murong Huan was completely shocked.

"So, the women sold into these underground money houses aren't just poor women, but also those who were drugged and forced into it?"

Su Yu nodded rapidly while crying in fear.

Murong Huan clenched his fists in anger.

"Su Yu, you truly deserve to die! My parents opened these pharmacies to treat the poor people who couldn't see doctors, but you turned their places of charity into a hell that tortures innocent people!"

Su Yu howled and hugged his head tightly when he felt a gust of wind.

At this time, Xiao Muchen pulled Murong Huan aside, signaling her to calm down, and then asked, "Which dignitaries have bought these medicines from you?"

Su Yu shrank back and whispered, "There are a lot, but they didn't want me to issue any receipts, so they didn't leave any names. They usually just asked me to deliver the medicine to the designated location, took some gold or silver bars and left."

"How long have you been doing this?"

"It should be at least seven...seven years! Ever since my second brother and his wife died, my mother handed the pharmacy he left behind to me to manage. Then, someone came to me and asked me to sell this medicine."

"Is this the person you're talking about?"

Xiao Muchen brought the portrait of the ghost-faced man in front of Su Yu. Sure enough, when Su Yu's eyes met it, he hid away even more fearfully.

It turned out that this man had already started planning all this seven years ago. Instead of repenting, he regarded these women as tools for his profit or collusion with the powerful.

"In these seven years, haven't you ever seen anyone come to you to buy this kind of medicine?"

"Where are your account books?"

"No, no, really not... I... I have destroyed the account books..."

Seeing Su Yu's resistance, Murong Huan shook Xiao Mochen's hand and shook his head: "Let me do it!"

Xiao Muchen nodded.

So Murong Huan took out the bamboo flute again and played it softly.

As the flute music gradually became more and more melodious, Su Yu's expression gradually became obsessed, and his mind gradually emerged with those long-lost and even almost forgotten memories.

In his memory, Murong Huan actually saw his father and mother again.

The mother was wearing a cherry-red cloak, but it still couldn't cover her bulging belly. Her face was full of joy, and she looked gentle, tough and noble, like a rose growing on the edge of a cliff.

"Third brother, this is your second sister-in-law!"

This was the first time Su Yu saw his mother, but his eyes never left her after they fell on her. It was not until his father's gaze came over that he forced a smile and secretly shifted his gaze.

Later, her mother gave birth to her and was very weak and tired. Her father took care of her all the time without taking off his clothes. Sometimes when he was sleepy, he would take a nap beside the bed. At this time, Su Yu would secretly hide outside the door and look at his mother lying on the bed.

Because the mother's identity was unknown and she gave birth to a girl, Madam Su disliked her even more and repeatedly forced my father to divorce her. My father was unwilling, so he simply took the mother and daughter away from the Su family.

But Su Yu never forgot his mother's appearance until one day when he was having a banquet with Qiu Shenji, he saw him take out a portrait and said that he wanted to find the woman in the painting. If anyone knew her whereabouts, there would be a reward.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that the woman in the portrait was the same woman his second brother brought back, so he told Qiu Shenji the news.

Su Yu didn't know what happened afterwards.

But seven years later, his mother returned to the Su family with injuries all over her body. Seeing his dying mother, he turned around and reported the matter to Qiu Shenji.

But this time Qiu Shenji did not reward him immediately. Instead, he took out a letter and handed it to Su Yu, saying, "Now that the Saint has passed away and the Queen Mother is regent, the government is about to experience another major upheaval. To ensure the stability of the country, we must clear all obstacles for the Queen Mother. Your second brother is a talented person, and the Queen Mother appreciates him very much. But it's a pity that he shouldn't have married that woman. He knows too many secrets that he shouldn't have known.

Take this letter and copy it again according to your second brother's handwriting. Then go to Suo Yuanli and report him for colluding with Li Xian to rebel. After that, I will find you an official position."

Su Yu trembled a little as he held the letter, but he couldn't resist the temptation of the official position and was ecstatic.

"But if I report treason, will my entire Su family be implicated?"

"Don't worry, I only want your second brother's life!"

……

The sound of the flute suddenly stopped, and a tear could not help falling from the corner of Murong Huan's eye. Anger surged in his heart. It turned out that his father did not commit suicide for love with his mother, but was framed by his own brothers and had to drink the poisoned wine.

　Today I will combine two chapters into one, and update it once.

　　(End of this chapter)