Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 109: Madam Cui's strange illness and the blind musician
At daybreak the next day, a group of people came to the gate of the Xiao Mansion, hurriedly handing over visiting cards, saying that they wanted to see the young lady, the miracle doctor, who was also the Princess of Jiahe County, Murong Huan.

Murong Huan had just gotten up and had something to eat with Xiao Muchen when he received a visiting card from Uncle Lu. On it was the word "Cui".

When Xuan Yu saw the word "Cui", his face turned green. Could it be that because that flirtatious bitch Cui Shi had complained, the Cui family came to their door?

"It's from Cui's eldest branch, not Cui's Anping branch." After reading the content of the visiting card, Murong Huan continued.

Some information about the first branch of the Cui family immediately flashed through his mind: the current head of this branch of the Cui family is Cui Xuanwei, who was recommended by Di Renjie and is currently the Minister of Personnel. In the near future, he will also become a prime minister.

In Li Linghuan's memory, this person was one of the five ministers who planned the Shenlong coup. He conspired with Prime Minister Zhang Jianzhi, Right Yulin General Jing Hui, Prince Xiang's Sima Yuan Shuji, Imperial Censor Huan Yanfan, Yulin General Li Duozuo, Prince Consort Wang Tongjiao, and Li Linghuan who was hiding behind the scenes to carry out the coup.

Because Li Xian was cowardly, the five ministers abandoned Li Xian and instead supported Li Linghuan. Li Xian was also happy to give the throne that was about to be within his grasp to his "brother" who was disguised as a man. But what Li Linghuan did not expect was that at the end of the coup, Li Xian killed her, and the five ministers seemed to stand on Li Xian's side again.

This dream has been lingering in Murong Huan's mind. She knows that this is Li Linghuan's unwillingness and confused obsession.

Is it the eldest wife of the Cui family?
It would be nice to meet Prime Minister Cui, one of the five ministers!

When they arrived at the Xiao Mansion, a young man and a young woman from the Cui family came to greet them, their eyes filled with anxiety. The young woman was the first to greet them and said, "I am Cui Yin, the second wife of the Cui family's first branch. This is my brother Cui Chengxuan. We have come on behalf of my mother and ask the Princess Jiahe to save her."

"Your mother is Madam Cui?"

Murong Huan remembered the Madam Cui whom he met at the Peony Banquet that day. She had kind eyes and a graceful demeanor, but there was a hint of fatigue in her eyes. When she heard that she could cure strange diseases, Madam Cui pulled her aside as if to say something, but was interrupted by the crowded and chaotic situation.

The young man named Cui Chengxuan couldn't help but glance at Murong Huan for a second longer. He stepped forward and said, "It's Madam Cui, the mistress of the Cui family's main house, and our mother. My mother has been haunted by nightmares for a long time. We used to think it was just a nightmare and it would go away soon. But later, her nightmares became more and more severe. She even talked strangely in her dreams during the day, saying that she saw some strange people. This scared many people in my Cui family and they no longer dared to get close to my mother.

Later, we also invited some magicians to exorcise the ghost, and sometimes she would feel better, but now even the magicians are helpless. She even cries for no reason and becomes more and more haggard..."

When Cui Chengxuan said this, Ah Shu couldn't help but interrupt: "Ah Huan, isn't this symptom very similar to that of Madam Xie?"

Cui Chengxuan and Cui Yin were even more delighted. They were also present at the peony banquet that day, and they heard Madam Xie say with their own ears that her illness was cured by Miss Murong Huan.

"Please, Lady Jiahe, save my mother's life!"

The two of them raised their hands and saluted sincerely.

Murong Huan looked at Xiao Muchen, who nodded: "I'll go with you!"

Cui Yin turned her gaze to Xiao Muchen, with a gentle and grateful look in her eyes. She bowed and thanked him, then got into the carriage with Cui Chengxuan.

Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen also boarded a carriage marked with the Xiao family emblem, and they arrived together at the gate of the Cui family mansion in Sigongfang.

Not all of the five branches of the Cui family lived in Sigongfang. Most of the Cui family members still lived in Chang'an, and many of them lived in Anping, their ancestral home.

Those who lived in Sigongfang were the eldest and Ping'an brothers of the Cui family, who held official positions in the court. They also moved to the eastern capital Luoyang with the Emperor and Empress during the first year of Yongchun.

The Cui family's house was naturally very spacious. The house with five or six rooms deep was the house of the main wife, and pavilions, towers, rockery and waterside pavilions could be seen everywhere.

After Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen entered the mansion, they first met Cui Xuanwei, the head of the Cui family, a middle-aged man with a noble bearing and a very elegant air.

The Cui family of Boling originated from the Jiang surname and is said to be the descendant of Jiang Taigong and Jiang Ziya. They have been a famous family since the Han Dynasty. There are beautiful talents in the world and they are immersed in classics. They have become Confucian literary circles. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, they rose to become a first-class famous family. In the current Tang Dynasty and Wu Zhou period, there are countless officials in the court who have left their names in the history books. The thousand-year family heritage is indeed not to be underestimated, so it is not surprising that Cui Shi can be so arrogant as to compare himself to Wang Xie.

However, Cui Xuanwei, the head of the Cui family's main branch, was not so arrogant. Instead, he was very humble and polite to Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen. After sipping tea, the two, led by Cui Chengxuan and Cui Yin, arrived at the courtyard of the Cui family's eldest wife.

Before entering the house, I heard the sound of a piano.

The sound of the zither was remarkably melodious, possessing the elegance and tranquility of flowing water amidst mountains, yet also possessing a lingering sense of sorrow. It evoked a sense of tranquility and melancholy, as if transporting one to a tranquil paradise with mountains and rivers as a backdrop, and evoked a deep and profound sense of nostalgia. Even Xiao Muchen, a skilled zither player, couldn't help but sigh, "This zither music is beautiful! Who is playing this instrument?"

A beautifully dressed maid came out. She glanced at Cui Chengxuan and Cui Yin, then bowed to Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan and replied, "He's a blind zither player. He was hired by the fourth lady of the fifth house. They say his music has a calming effect, so the master invited him in to try it out. So far, the eldest lady has indeed calmed down a lot."

"The fourth lady of the fifth house, is she Cui Ying?" Murong Huan asked.

Cui Yin replied, "It is my fourth sister Cui Ying."

Murong Huan nodded, and the two of them stepped into the house. They saw a young man in white sitting in the pavilion playing the piano. He seemed to have poured all his attention and emotion into it. His whole body and the surrounding scenery were integrated into it, forming a picture like an ink painting.

Murong Huan could not help but walk closer to the young man. He saw that the boy was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with pale skin and handsome features. He looked very much like an elegant noble prince, but his eyes were lifeless, like the dark night sky without any luster, and seemed to be full of melancholy and sadness, which made people feel pity and sadness at the sight of him.

"What's your name? What's the name of the piece you're playing?"

The young man stopped playing the zither, stood up, and said politely, "My last name is Zhang, everyone calls me Zhang Sheng, and this piece of music is called 'The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix'."

"Zhang Sheng?" Murong Huan was a little surprised. Was this a coincidence?

"The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix? Is it the song where Sima Xiangru asks Zhuo Wenjun to marry him?"

"Exactly."

"But it doesn't sound like Sima Xiangru's song "The Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix" to me. Your piano skills are good, but the music score seems to be wrong." Xiao Muchen walked over and continued.

"I'm just a zither player in a music troupe in Puzhou. I've loved the zither since I was a child, but due to my family's poverty, I haven't been able to master the art. I'm sorry to have made a fool of myself in front of you, my lord."

Xiao Muchen pondered for a moment, observing the young man for a while longer, and replied, "So you're self-taught in the art of qin. It's quite remarkable that you've achieved such success."

Immediately afterwards, Murong Huan and Cui Yin entered Madam Cui's room together, but saw that Madam Cui had a blank expression on her face, sitting beside the couch as if she was deep in thought about something.

Cui Yin burst into tears upon seeing this. She hurried to the bedside, grabbed Madam Cui's hand and said, "Mother, I brought this young lady, the miraculous doctor, to see you. Do you remember her? We met at the Peony Flower Banquet a month ago, and you said you liked her very much."

Upon hearing this, Madam Cui did not move at all. Cui Yin continued to talk for a long time but failed to wake her up. Finally, she could only look at Murong Huan helplessly and sadly.

"Mother doesn't talk in her sleep or make a fuss anymore, but she's become like this..."

Murong Huan then asked, "What did she talk in her sleep?"

Cui Yin replied: "She always said that she saw a child, and that the child came to find her, and she felt sorry for the child..."

"Is there something in Madam Cui's past that she can't let go of? Has she experienced any major changes in the past?"

Cui Yin shook her head. "No! As far as I can remember, A Niang hasn't encountered any major misfortunes. She doesn't even travel far. The only time she went was to Puzhou, but I haven't heard of her encountering anything major!"

Murong Huan nodded and said, "Please ask Madam Cui to step out for a moment. I will come and see Madam Cui!"

Cui Yin was overjoyed: "Okay, thank you for troubling me then!"

As soon as Cui Yin stepped out of the room, she heard a clear and elegant flute sound coming from the room. The flute sound seemed to make people feel more peaceful than the piano music just now, as if all things were reviving, making people feel like seeing spring and smelling the birds singing and the flowers blooming.

"What a wonderful flute sound!"

And in the sound of the flute, Murong Huan gradually entered Madam Cui's dream.