Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 149 The Empress's Test, and the Agreement with Li Linghuan

When Murong Huan's flute music stopped, a tear was seen welling up in the corner of the Empress's eye.

At this moment, even Li Linghuan's soul trembled and he immediately woke up.

Upon waking from her dream, the Empress opened her eyes and, upon meeting "Murong Huan's" gaze, a familiar look of astonishment appeared in her eyes.

"Have you really considered passing the throne to your daughter?" Li Linghuan couldn't help but ask.

"If this is not a dream, if I really have such a daughter, it would be a blessing for me. I would rather hand over the throne of the Great Zhou to such a daughter than let it be ruined by a cowardly son."

Li Linghuan felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart, and she even had an urge to cry. In her previous life, she never understood before her death whether her mother had ever had any feelings for her, even if it was just recognition of her abilities. But today, she heard an answer that was completely unexpected.

At this moment, the Empress sat up again and continued, "Everyone says that I want to be the Empress, so I eliminate dissidents and do not even spare my own children and grandchildren. But who knows that I uphold my original intention of ruling this world? In the past, Luo Binwang scolded me for 'befriending the perverted, harming the loyal and good, killing my sister and brother, murdering the emperor and poisoning my mother.' Every word he said was true, but if it were not for me, how could the Tang and Zhou dynasties have enjoyed peace for the past few decades?"

"The late emperor suffered from headaches. It was I who reviewed memorials and handled state affairs, large and small, for more than 20 years, which brought peace to the country and prosperity to the people. It was also I who advised the late emperor to eliminate powerful clans such as Chu Suiliang, Han Yuan, Lai Ji, and Changsun Wuji, which allowed imperial power to truly return to the late emperor's hands and ended the situation since the Wei and Jin dynasties where imperial power was threatened by powerful clans."

"Don't the things I've done count as achievements?"

Li Linghuan remained silent and did not answer.

The Empress looked at her again, seemingly waking up from that ethereal, dreamlike state, and said, "You are indeed very outstanding. Five years ago, Zicheng made a bet with me that you would become famous throughout the world within five years. Now, not only is your reputation for superb medical skills spreading in Luoyang, but even in Wei and You provinces, the prestige of you being the reincarnation of a general has spread."

"Your only regret is that you never actually entered the Imperial Academy and participated in the imperial examinations of our Great Zhou Dynasty to prove your talent, is that right?"

Li Linghuan then laughed and said, "There is no need for the imperial examination. If the sage wants to test my true talent and learning, I can write an essay on the spot, just like Shangguan Daizhao, and let the sage evaluate it."

"Oh?" The Empress's eyes gleamed with even more interest. "Then I shall truly test you!"

The Empress immediately set a poem as the topic. Li Linghuan calmly prepared the ink, wrote the poem, and presented it to the Empress. A hint of amazement flashed across the Empress's eyes.

Then I asked her some questions about her views on Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.

Li Linghuan said: "Confucianism emphasizes action, pursues self-satisfaction and accepts one's fate, while Taoism emphasizes non-action, pursues the unity of humanity and nature, and the unity of heaven and man. Buddhism emphasizes transcendence, emptiness, and cause and effect. Life is both suffering and completeness, which is the fundamental feeling of everyone who comes into this world."

Huan believed that it was impossible to say which was better or worse; Confucianism governs the world, Taoism governs the body, and Buddhism governs the mind—all are essential lessons in life.

After listening, the Empress nodded, seemingly quite satisfied.

“That’s right. Whether it’s Confucianism, Taoism or Buddhism, they are all essential lessons in life. You’ve been married to Zicheng for five years, and you’re really no less capable than him.”

After a moment's hesitation, the Empress said, "Step down!"

Li Linghuan said "Yes" and was about to leave when he heard the Empress say in a deep voice, "Wait!"

"Take off your clothes and let me see your body!"

Li Linghuan suddenly stopped and looked at the Empress with great shock.

Under the Empress's majestic gaze, Li Linghuan, though displeased, had no choice but to remove his clothes.

But just as her clothes began to slip down her chest, a voice announced from outside the door: "The Sage—"

"Step back!" The Empress frowned and shouted in displeasure, then gestured for "Murong Huan" to pull up his clothes. "Fine, you and Zicheng can go back now!"

"Here!"

Only after Li Linghuan left did the Empress order the Imperial Guard who had been announcing the arrival at the door to come in.

"Why are you so alarmed?"

“Your Majesty, Prince Shao, Li Chongrun, and Princess Yongtai are both dead. General Li merely relayed Your Majesty’s words to the Crown Prince, who then ordered the two to commit suicide.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress's displeasure deepened.

"Hmph, what a case of seeing snakes in a cup! I never said I wanted their lives..." After saying that, he changed the subject again, "So what if they're dead? Get out of here!"

"Here!"

After the Thousand Bull Guards withdrew, the sorcerer Wei Shi, who had been hiding in the hall, came out at the Empress's signal.

The Empress then asked, "Well? Is she the one I often dream about?"

Wei Shifang straightened his appearance and replied solemnly, "Your Majesty, based on my observation of her face and my speculation based on the starry sky I have been observing these past few days, she is indeed the Ziwei star that is gradually approaching Emperor Huan. This woman had a kinship with Your Majesty in her previous life, and she also has the blood of an emperor flowing through her veins."

She is the one who can change the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

Upon hearing this, the Empress's eyes flickered, and she waved for him to leave, remaining silent for a long time.

……

Xiao Muchen, who had been waiting outside, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. He felt even more uneasy when he saw someone rushing into the Yingxian Hall.

"Prime Minister Xiao has entered the cabinet at such a young age, which truly makes us admire him and feel ashamed!"

Just as he was waiting anxiously, Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi walked towards him with unhurried steps.

"The virtue of jade, which Confucius often spoke of, is that it is dense and firm, warm and lustrous. This is probably what Prime Minister Xiao is like. I wonder if Prime Minister Xiao would have the time to visit my brother and me at our residence, so that we can brew tea and discuss the Dao together?"

Today, the Zhang brothers' mansion has expanded to a considerable size, almost occupying the entire Jishanfang area. They also each collect taxes from three hundred households. However, their greed goes far beyond this. In addition to accepting bribes, they have also extended their reach to the imperial court.

Zhang Changzong's fur robe was worth a thousand gold pieces. The Empress once asked Prime Minister Di to play backgammon with the two of them. Prime Minister Di offered his own robe as a wager. The Empress laughed and said, "Your robe cannot compare to Zhang Changzong's." Prime Minister Di then replied sarcastically, "My robe is the robe worn by a subject when he pays homage to the Emperor. It is noble and priceless, while Zhang Changzong's is merely the robe he wears when he is favored. I am not willing to exchange it with him."

After losing several rounds, Zhang Changzong finally gave away the thousand-gold robe to Prime Minister Di, who then immediately gave it to his servant.

This action caused Zhang Changzong to lose face on the spot.

From then on, the two brothers repeatedly whispered slanderous words in the emperor's ear, trying to drive Prime Minister Di out of the court.

This was something Xiao Muchen learned from Di Renjie's residence after returning to Luoyang.

"No need," said Mr. Xiao. "I am busy with official duties, and even when I have a spare moment, I need to spend time with my wife. Now that the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, I am even less free!"

Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi's faces immediately turned ashen. Just then, "Murong Huan" walked out of the Yingxian Hall. Xiao Muchen no longer looked at the two Zhang brothers and hurriedly went to greet "Murong Huan". The two exchanged glances and nodded. Xiao Muchen breathed a sigh of relief and took Murong Huan's hand, walking quickly out of the palace.

After boarding the carriage, Xiao Muchen asked with concern, "What brings the Sage here? Has she made things difficult for you?"

Li Linghuan then recounted everything that had happened in the Yingxian Palace. When she mentioned that the Emperor had asked her to undress in front of him, Xiao Muchen became nervous.

Li Linghuan added, “Don’t worry, because someone broke in, the Sage didn’t see the plum blossom mark on my body. However, the fact that the Sage became suspicious of me must be thanks to that sorcerer Wei Shifang.”

"But there's one thing that I find very strange."

"What's the matter?"

"I even saw my past life in the sage's dream!" "Your past life?" Xiao Muchen suddenly realized, "You are Li Linghuan?"

Li Linghuan glanced at him but did not deny it.

“Xiao Muchen, I said I would give you back a complete Murong Huan, even if the current me was created by that person.”

Upon hearing that person's name, Xiao Muchen asked, "What is your relationship with my master? Have you... seen his face?"

Li Linghuan shook his head: "No, he was sitting next to me the moment I woke up from Murong Huan's body, but I couldn't see his face. He was very good at hiding his true appearance. But I knew he was kind to me. Although I don't know why or remember who he is, I seem to have an unconditional trust in him."

"I believe he won't harm me, nor will he harm Murong Huan."

"But what if he wants to use A-Huan's body to resurrect you?"

Li Linghuan was silent for a moment before finally replying, "If I see him, I will explain this matter to him. Once my wish is fulfilled, I will choose to leave on my own."

"Okay, I hope you can keep your promise."

Li Linghuan nodded decisively, glanced at Xiao Muchen thoughtfully, and suddenly said, "Xiao Muchen, is it possible that I had some ties with you in my past life, and that I have a sense of familiarity with you? But strangely, when I first met you, I couldn't remember your name at all, nor could I remember anything related to you."

Xiao Muchen couldn't answer the question, but he remembered that his master had said that it was Li Linghuan who gave Ahuan the chance to live, and that she was the one who brought Ahuan into the world.

"Perhaps, perhaps there is some connection between you and him, but that person is definitely not me!"

Xiao Muchen added a resolute remark, and Li Linghuan fell silent, simply leaning against the carriage wall and falling asleep.

It wasn't until the carriage arrived in front of the Xiao residence that Murong Huan woke up from his dream, looking at Xiao Muchen with a slightly surprised and bewildered expression.

"Xiao Muchen!"

She couldn't help but call out.

Xiao Muchen immediately pulled her into his arms.

"I saw her in the saint's dream!"

"I know."

Murong Huan looked at him in surprise, then smiled knowingly and said, "Did she tell you?"

Xiao Muchen nodded, his expression full of worry and dejection.

Murong Huan also felt somewhat lost. She could sense that Li Linghuan could take her body away at any time if she wanted to. The only reason she was still conscious was because Li Linghuan's kindness had given her the time and opportunity to spend with Xiao Muchen.

If one day I am really gone, Li Linghuan, please don't hurt him!

She thought to herself.

Even if you don't love him, please don't hurt him!
This can be considered a condition of the deal between us.

“Xiao Muchen, I also saw that messenger in the Sage’s dream.”

One sentence brought Xiao Muchen back to his senses.

"That's Lai Junchen! It was Lai Junchen who attributed the defeat in that battle entirely to General Wang's poor command. He even falsely accused General Wang of not being dead, but of being captured by Sun Wanrong and defecting to the Khitan. Although Zhang Yue, a Fengge Sheren, pleaded for General Wang, the Emperor's trust in General Wang was greatly diminished."

"It's him again?"

Xiao Muchen's expression also turned angry.

"Moreover, Wei Tuan'er's false accusation against the Prince of Xiang's wives and concubines may also have been instigated by the Prince of Liang or Lai Junchen." At this point, Murong Huan solemnly said, "Xiao Muchen, if Lai Junchen is not dead, I'm afraid there will be another case like the secret accusation of treason five years ago."

"I know."

"Therefore, he must die!"

……

As the carriage came to a sudden stop, a man's extremely sarcastic voice came from outside: "Prime Minister Xiao has returned with his wife so quickly?"

Xiao Muchen carried Murong Huan off the carriage and intended to rush straight into the Xiao residence, but unexpectedly, Lai Junchen once again blocked their way.

"It's been five years, and the beauty beside Prime Minister Xiao has become even more exquisite and charming," Lai Junchen said with a smile. "It's not easy to come back alive after going to the palace, is it? Prime Minister Xiao is actually very worried that his wife will disappear in the palace like Consort Dou and Consort Liu, becoming food in the mouth of that so-called demon cat, isn't she?"

"Go away!"

Seeing that Xiao Muchen was finally enraged, Lai Junchen smiled smugly.

"It's rare to see such anger on Prime Minister Xiao's face. Oh, by the way, did you know that Prince Shao, Li Chongrun, was ordered to be hanged by his own father today?"

"You know, it would have been so much better to stay in Fangling. At least you could have saved the lives of your wife and children. But this time you came back, and you lost a son and a beautiful daughter. Tsk tsk, what a pity. The imperial family is so heartless!"

Without listening to his continued nagging, Xiao Muchen ordered Xuan Yu to clear the way and headed straight for the Xiao residence.

Behind him came the sound of Lai Junchen laughing heartily.

……

"Your Excellency, are we just leaving like this? I don't understand. You went to all this trouble to come to the Xiao residence, only to anger Prime Minister Xiao and then do nothing?"

“How could he do nothing? If I’m not mistaken, the Sage is already suspicious of his wife.”

"Your Excellency, are you still thinking about his wife?"

Lai Junchen glared angrily at his grinning subordinate, who was so frightened that the shifty-eyed lackey immediately fell to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

"You foul mouth, I'll slap you right now!"

After saying that, they started hitting each other.

"To be honest, Prime Minister Xiao's wife isn't the most beautiful woman I've ever seen in my life. Even Princess Anle is more beautiful than her. But this woman is special. Haven't you heard that the more unattainable a woman is, the more unforgettable she becomes?"

"Therefore, only by obtaining it can this lovesickness of mine be cured!"

A motley crew readily agreed.

"Yes, yes, what the Censor says makes perfect sense!"

Lai Junchen glanced at the darkening sky again and sighed, "Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, we should prepare a grand gift for this young prime minister, and also invite his wife out for tea!"

"Someone, bring the invitation!"