Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 173 Final Chapter
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, the sounds of clashing swords and surging footsteps came again from outside the Linde Hall. Shouts of killing and short, urgent cries could be heard. Wu Sansi's expression changed drastically as he stood up.

At this moment, a guard rushed over, clutching his abdomen and bleeding profusely, and reported to Empress Wei and Wu Sansi: "Your Majesty, Your Highness Prince Liang, it was General Li Duozuo of the Imperial Guard who led his troops to surround this place, and all our men have been killed!"

"What?" Mrs. Wei's face turned pale.

Wu Sansi couldn't help but let out a gasp.

It's Lee Da-jo again!
Originally, Empress Wei and Wu Sansi intended to use the Crown Prince Li Chongjun's rebellion to wipe out Li Duozuo and other military generals who supported Li Xian's ascension to the throne. However, to their surprise, Li Duozuo did not fall for the trap and did not reveal any clues about Li Chongjun's rebellion. Moreover, he recently took a long leave of absence and disappeared, leaving no evidence for anyone to find.

Why did he show up at this time again?

Li Duozuo is the commander of the Imperial Guards, and naturally holds the military seal of the Imperial Guards. If even he were to defect to Murong Huan, then they…

Wu Sansi immediately became terrified and tense, and Empress Wei also turned her pleading gaze to Wu Sansi.

At this moment, the sound of weapons clashing outside the hall grew closer and closer. Before long, Li Duozuo led a group of imperial guards into the hall. After glancing at Xiao Muchen, he indeed bowed to Li Linghuan and then shouted to the officials, "It was Princess Anle and the Empress who conspired with Prince Liang to poison the Emperor. They are plotting a rebellion!"

"You're talking nonsense! How could I kill my father? What evidence do you have?" Li Guo'er shouted anxiously, then pointed at Li Linghuan, "It was her! She clearly wanted to become the second empress of our Tang Dynasty, so she killed my father!"

“Princess, what evidence do you have to prove that the Anxi military governor and Princess Jiahe assassinated the Emperor?” Li Duozuo retorted.

"I saw it with my own eyes, isn't that proof enough?"

"Then I say that you and your mother personally poisoned the Emperor, and I witnessed it myself. If your words can be considered evidence, then why can't my words be considered evidence?"

"you--"

Li Guo'er had nothing to say, so she could only shout in a shrill voice: "You are rebelling! You are helping this Murong Huan to rebel!"

Li Linghuan then walked to the head of the table and approached Empress Wei step by step.

Empress Wei asked in terror, "What are you going to do? What are you going to do?"

"I simply wanted to share a principle with Her Majesty the Empress!" Li Linghuan said. "To protect themselves from petty thieves, common people often craft all sorts of beautiful boxes to lock their valuables inside. But when a major thief comes, he takes the whole thing, including the box, making things easier for them. The same applies to a closed country; it makes it easier for people to rob and kill each other. How can you tell who is a thief and who is Confucius?"

"It's the same now, Your Majesty. You and your daughter are spouting grand pronouncements, but aren't they just making excuses for your selfish desires and greed? You say I'm rebelling? But aren't you doing the same thing?"
Who is the real thief?

After saying that, Li Linghuan turned to Princess Anle, Li Guo'er.

"And you, Princess Anle, what have you done in Luoyang and Chang'an since your father ascended the throne? You demolished houses and seized fertile land to build the largest and most magnificent mansion in Chang'an. Your luxurious life, which you are so proud of, has left countless people homeless, without fertile land to cultivate, and without grain to eat, ultimately forcing them to sell their children into slavery!"

"You also kidnapped children from ordinary families to be your slaves, not only separating them from their families but also humiliating and beating them to satisfy your perverted pleasure. Do you think someone like you is worthy of being a princess of a country, qualified to be the crown princess and the heir apparent of a country as you wish?"

As Li Linghuan spoke, she gave Xiao Muchen a look, and Xiao Muchen put away his dagger. Li Guo'er bared her teeth and tried to pounce on Li Linghuan, but she grabbed her wrist tightly.

"You owe everyone an explanation as to the cause of your father's death."

After Li Linghuan finished speaking, a clear and melodious flute sound rang out in the hall. Caught off guard, the flute sound resounded in every corner of the hall, gradually leading people into a dream.

……

"Mother, we can't wait any longer. The rumors about you and Prince Liang are spreading like wildfire. Even if Father doesn't believe it now, if the rumors persist, he will eventually send people to investigate and believe it. If Father doesn't consider our past relationship and punishes you then, then your son will also..."

"So you mean, kill your father?"

"Mother, don't be afraid. This is a medicine that Minister Cui gave me. It is colorless and odorless, and difficult to detect. It will not kill people immediately, but it will slowly make them lose their minds. As long as we wait until the day when Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen return in triumph, and make Father die in front of Murong Huan, then we can pin the blame for Father's death on Murong Huan. This way, we can not only eliminate the hidden danger that threatens our Great Tang Dynasty, but also allow you, Mother, to quickly and smoothly ascend the throne after Father's death!"

"Mother, as you know, Grandmother actually left a decree for Shangguan Daizhao. It was a decree for Murong Huan. How biased Grandmother is! Even though Murong Huan's background is unknown, she still wants to pass the throne to her?"

"If we don't kill her, she'll kill us sooner or later!"

"Father is the same. If we don't kill him, he will eventually suspect us and kill us!"

"Don't worry, Mother. Prince Liang will help us succeed, and the Cui family of Boling will also help us!"

Under her daughter's persistent persuasion, Lady Wei finally steeled herself and carefully took the packet of medicine from Princess Anle's hand.

After that, he spent his days immersed in Emperor Li Xian's tea.

"Today's tea seems different from usual; it tastes even more fragrant and mellow!"

Li Xian drank his tea without any suspicion, his eyes filled with love for his wife.

"Rest assured, no matter what outsiders say, I have complete faith in you!"

For a moment, Madam Wei felt an urge to cry. To be honest, this man had never wronged her in any way. The only thing she hated was that because of one sentence he uttered, all the men in her Wei family had died. But that wasn't his fault; it was the old woman's ruthlessness. However, besides hatred, she also felt a deep-seated admiration for this ruthless mother-in-law. She admired her high status and her ability to break through all worldly constraints to ascend to the throne. This was perhaps the most supreme pride a woman could have!
……

When the flute music stopped, Lady Wei suddenly burst into tears. She even knelt down and hugged Li Xian's slowly stiffening body, crying loudly.

"I was wrong! I was wrong! I shouldn't have had such unrealistic thoughts. I was blinded by greed. If only we hadn't gone back to Luoyang, hadn't come to Chang'an, would everything still be the same as before?"

"what happened?"

The ministers, who seemed to have just woken from a dream, couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

"I think I saw the Empress put poison in the Emperor's tea!"

"That medicine was given to Princess Anle by Minister Cui!"

"Yes, I saw it too! But what's going on?"

"It's the sound of a flute! It's that young lady's flute playing, a form of hypnosis, that has allowed us to see the Empress's dream!"

"No, it wasn't that young lady's flute playing, it was Prime Minister Xiao's! It was Prime Minister Xiao playing the flute just now!"

"So, was His Majesty really killed by the Empress?"

Some people raised questions, after all, everything just now seemed like an illusion, and it was hard to tell what was real and what was fake. Cui Shi's expression changed drastically. He was about to take advantage of the fact that everyone had not yet recovered and wanted to escape from the hall, but he was stopped by Li Duozuo.

"Where is Vice Minister Cui heading? Is he fleeing to escape punishment?"

"What nonsense are you spouting? What crime have I committed?" Cui Shi shouted, his face flushed red.

"If you're innocent, why are you running?" Li Duozuo sneered.

"When did you actually pledge allegiance to Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan?" Cui Shi asked incredulously.

“Minister Cui, not everyone is like you, who rises to power by clinging to women. I act according to my conscience and follow the path I aspire to, not just because of one person.”

After a pause, Li Duozuo asked again:
"Minister Cui, is the child in Princess Anle's womb yours?"

"You encouraged Princess Anle to poison the emperor so that you could use the child in her womb to climb higher, right?"

"I never imagined that the position of prime minister would no longer satisfy Minister Cui's ambition. Does Minister Cui also aspire to be the future emperor's father?"

Li Duozuo's words immediately caused an uproar in the hall, making Cui Shi's ears ring. He blushed and, with his neck stiff, shouted, "You're talking nonsense! Who gave you the audacity to slander the princess here?"

"It seems Minister Cui won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin!" Li Duozuo stopped wasting words with him, his face darkened, and he coldly ordered, "Guards, take Minister Cui to the interrogation room in Lijing Courtyard and interrogate him thoroughly. I believe we'll find out the truth soon enough!"

Upon hearing the words "Lijing Courtyard," Cui Shi's legs went weak with fear. Just as he was about to flee, two heavily armored guards grabbed him by the arms and dragged him away, leaving only one hysterical sentence echoing in the hall:

"How dare you! I am a member of the Cui family of Boling, and I am the current prime minister. You cannot torture me!"

"Xiao Muchen, you've always prided yourself on being a loyal minister, a solitary minister, and a man of high moral character, yet you've actually launched a coup and rebelled one day! Hahaha, Xiao Muchen, you too..."

Before he could finish speaking, someone stuffed a cloth in his mouth and quickly dragged him away.

Seeing Cui Shi being dragged away by the guards, Princess Anle's face turned pale instantly, and she could no longer speak. She could only look at Li Linghuan walking towards her with tears in her eyes and trembling.

"Princess, are you still unwilling to admit it? Do you insist that I summon a physician to examine the Emperor for poison to prove that you and your mother committed the crimes of regicide, murder of your husband, or patricide?"

Having said that, she called out loudly, "Imperial Physician, come and examine me!"

"Here!"

A physician, trembling, approached Li Xian, took his pulse, and examined him for poison with a silver needle. He concluded, "His Majesty has indeed been poisoned by this poison for over half a month. It must have been slowly planted from the day the military governor sent back news of the Anxi victory."

"So, was it I who killed the saint?"

"Of course not, of course not!" the imperial physician said with a grin.

Li Linghuan then turned his gaze to Wu Sansi, who was fidgeting and unsure of where to go, and asked, "Prince Liang, what do you say?"

Wu Sansi smiled awkwardly, naturally unsure how to respond.

The ministers in the hall were all silent, when suddenly Li Linghuan's voice rose sharply, becoming imposing and cold.

"Her Majesty the Empress and Princess Anle have been misled by treacherous officials and have gone so far as to poison His Majesty. Now, I have been ordered to serve the Emperor and eliminate these treacherous officials!"

Almost the instant she finished speaking, a short knife flew out of her hand, and amidst screams, it instantly severed Wu Sansi's neck.

The group of people sitting opposite Wu Sansi stared blankly as his head fell off his neck, and he remained standing upright until he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Li Linghuan picked up Wu Sansi's head, which had rolled over, and asked loudly, "The head of this traitor is here. Does anyone have any objections?"

“No objection!”

"No objection whatsoever!"

The ministers chuckled as they spoke, their backs already beaded with cold sweat.

"By the way, we also saw in the dream of the Empress and the Princess that the late Empress intended to pass the throne to Princess Jiahe, and even the edict was written, right?"

"Yes, what about the imperial edict?"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, Shangguan Wan'er, dressed in official robes, hurried over, carrying a bright yellow scroll in her hands, and said:
"The imperial edict is here!"

She knelt down before Li Linghuan: "The Emperor once said that if Li Xian were to once again favor the Wei clan and hand over power to them, allowing treacherous officials to run rampant and the court to fall into chaos, then the Tang Dynasty would be succeeded by Princess Jiahe, the legitimate daughter of Emperor Xiaojing, Li Hongzhi!"

"Now that Emperor Li Xian has passed away, the throne should rightfully be passed to Princess Jiahe!"

"Please let Princess Jiahe ascend the throne and purge the treacherous officials!"

As soon as Shangguan Wan'er finished speaking, the crowd echoed her words.

Li Linghuan smiled and took the imperial edict from Shangguan Wan'er's hand, saying, "Consort Shangguan, don't you think it's too late for you to bring out this imperial edict now?"

Shangguan Wan'er stiffened, feeling a chill run through her body, and dared not look up into Li Linghuan's eyes.

In the brief silence, Li Linghuan suddenly said in a deep voice, "Shangguan Wan'er, I know that you are holding this edict only to weigh the pros and cons and find a stronger ally to protect your life and position. I admire your intelligence, but I do not approve of your character. After all, you also sold my information to the Wei mother and daughter, didn't you?"

Shangguan Wan'er closed her eyes briefly, without denying it.

"However, you once helped me and Xiao Muchen, so I won't kill you. You can leave now!"

Shangguan Wan'er lowered her head: "Yes!"

After Shangguan Wan'er left, the hall became extremely quiet and solemn once again. Li Linghuan took the imperial edict and walked to the head of the hall, asking, "Isn't it time for the court officials to discuss matters?"

“Yes!” an official from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and said, “A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day; the enthronement ceremony shall be held immediately!”

"No rush. Let's first arrest all the remaining traitors in Chang'an who instigated the Empress and Princess Anle to poison the late Emperor!"

After saying this, Li Linghuan, surrounded by a group of imperial guards, was about to leave the hall when he seemed to remember something and stopped, saying, "As for the Wei mother and daughter who poisoned the emperor, they shall be imprisoned in the palace from now on and never be allowed to leave!"

"Murong Huan, you lowly servant, what right do you have to imprison me?"

Li Guo'er screamed, "What right do you have to imprison us?"

"Father, please get up! Get up and seek justice for us, mother and daughter!"

Li Guo'er cried bitterly. Only now did she realize that the cowardly father she had always looked down upon was actually the protective umbrella that shielded her and her mother. It was her father who tolerated her willfulness and arrogant arrogance. How ridiculous that she had always regarded her father as a stumbling block to her ascension to the throne of power.

Now that their father is gone, everything they asked for has vanished into thin air!
No one will tolerate her anymore!

Li Linghuan naturally wouldn't care about Li Guo'er's tearful repentance, and at this moment, no one would care about the repentance of this mother and daughter.

Palace guards pulled the mother and daughter away.

Li Linghuan turned around, took Xiao Muchen's hand, and walked out of Linde Hall surrounded by a group of imperial guards and ministers.

Just as the group stepped out of the Linde Hall, an arrow suddenly shot through the air into Xiao Muchen's pupils!

"careful!"

He shouted loudly, and at the same time, turned around and stood face to face with Li Linghuan.

The moment Li Linghuan sensed the arrow coming, he swiftly reached out and gripped it tightly.

Unfortunately, it was still too late.

The arrow still pierced Xiao Muchen's right chest.

Li Linghuan's expression changed drastically, and Qingling's eyes also underwent a turbulent change, as if her long-dormant consciousness had finally been pulled back.

She called out urgently, "Xiao Muchen!"

At the same time, he swung a short blade in his hand and shot it in the direction from which the arrow came.

"Catch the traitorous assassin! Kill him without mercy!"

I'll leave the main text as a cliffhanger here and add an epilogue tomorrow, after which this story will be finished. Thank you so much to all the readers who have been following this story all this time. I would also like to thank readers like Yanzhihu1, Zizhuha, Zai Mengzhong Jianfei, and Huohuohuohuoyi for their support. Thank you so much!