Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 27 Find the murderer
This letter couldn't have been written by her, so it was most likely written by another soul in her body, Li Linghuan.

So, Li Linghuan went out that night to meet Li Xiaolian and gave the paper crane to Li Xiaolian.

Seeing Murong Huan staring at the handwriting on the paper in silence, Xiao Muchen came over curiously to take a look: "What's wrong? Is there anything unusual?"

After saying that, he snatched the paper from Murong Huan's hand. The handwriting on it was like the scattered mist in the forest, with a kind of awe-inspiring beauty.

But luckily he didn't know her handwriting!

Murong Huan pretended to be clueless: "Nothing, I just felt a sense of mystery about the messenger!"

"Oh!"

Murong Huan turned to Li Xiaolian again and said, "Alright, I'll take this valuable item! I'll also fulfill your wish for you!"

Li Xiaolian's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and she kowtowed to Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen again.

Xiao Muchen was a little stunned. It seemed like he didn't say anything from beginning to end?

How come he agreed to it?

Before he could say a word of rebuttal, Murong Huan took him away and said goodbye. Before leaving, he turned back to look at an old woman next to Li Xiaolian.

The old man was hunched over, skinny, and had no focus in his eyes. He was actually blind!

Murong Huan suddenly had an idea and looked at the blind old woman in shock. At that moment, a little girl about seventeen or eight years old came running over, holding a transparent glass ball. She shouted to Li Xiaolian in great surprise, "Sister Xiaolian, look, this spider is spinning silk again. What beautiful silk threads!"

"Don't touch it, it's poisonous!"

Li Xiaolian hurriedly and nervously took the transparent ball away and held the little girl in her arms.

"Sister Xiao Lian, you really won't go to that place again? You will stay with us forever, right? I don't want to see you sad anymore. If you are sad, Xiao Nuan will be sad too!"

Tears welled up in Li Xiaolian's eyes and she hugged the little girl tighter, but when she looked up, her eyes inadvertently met Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen's.

As if realizing something, Li Xiaolian's expression suddenly changed. She hurriedly comforted the little girl and came to pay her respects to Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen.

"Do you have any other questions, my dear gentlemen?"

Murong Huan was silent for a moment, his heart surging like a raging wave. After a moment, he finally said, "No! Goodbye!"

So, without looking back, he pulled Xiao Muchen out as well!

Murong Huan didn't stop until she was far away from Shaohuayuan. When she turned to look at Xiao Muchen, she found that he was looking at her strangely.

"Why are you looking at me like this?"

Xiao Muchen shifted his gaze to the hand she was holding tightly.

"I just want to ask, how long are you going to hold my hand?"

Murong Huan then let go with a slight embarrassment, and said with a wry smile, "Sorry! Will Xiao Zhongcheng keep today's events a secret?"

"Which one are you referring to?" Xiao Muchen asked with a smile, "More than one thing happened today."

Which other one could it be?
Xiao Muchen is indeed a scheming person who knows how to play dumb!

Murong Huan did not expose the truth or ask any more questions. Since he had decided to keep the secret, there was no need to make it too clear.

So, she pretended nothing had happened, clasped her fists to Xiao Muchen and said goodbye. After walking a few steps away, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask, "By the way, when did Xiao Zhongcheng's hair turn white? Why did it turn white?"

Xiao Muchen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Didn't you say that if you want to cure my illness, you need to understand me first?"

"No rush, I'll give you time to understand!"

Faced with his slightly playful smile, Murong Huan had no choice but to stop talking, bowed, and hurried towards Luonanlifang with Ah Shu.

Watching Murong Huan's swiftly departing figure, Xiao Muchen raised his lips, chuckling for a moment before saying to Xuan Yu in a serious tone, "Let's go and see what's going on in the Ziwei Palace's Holy Temple!"

"Hey, sir, have you found anything?" Xuan Yu walked over and asked.

"We've found Zhou Jiulang's killer, but there's no need to investigate further. As for this woman named Li Xiaolian, have a few people keep a close eye on her! Also..." He looked at Murong Huan's receding figure and said, "Keep a close eye on Su Minghe's daughter. Don't let your guard down for even a moment. No matter what happens, notify me immediately!"

"Here!"

……

Lu Ling personally reported the case of the body sunk in the well to the empress. At that time, all kinds of horrifying rumors about the case quickly spread in Luoyang City. For a while, the whole city of Luoyang was in an uproar, causing an uproar and unrest among the people.

Shangguan Wan'er also reported the rumors to the empress.

At the same time, the Imperial Censorate, watching closely, submitted memorial after memorial impeaching Zhou Xing. The empress was furious and immediately sent the Qianniu Guards to bring Zhou Xing to the palace.

"Minister Zhou, what exactly is going on in the Zhou Jiulang case? Why does the file sent by Lu Shaoqing allege that your adopted son is the cause of the trouble? You hid it from me and allowed your son to commit countless heinous acts, such as oppressing innocent people, plundering their property, and killing innocent girls?"

Zhou Xing was so frightened that his face turned pale and sweat drenched. He quickly apologized to the empress, saying, "It is all my fault for not raising my son well. I had no idea my son had done so many unscrupulous things behind my back. If I had known, I would have personally beheaded this rebellious son and confessed my sin to the Holy Saint!"

After hearing this, the anger on the empress's face subsided a little.

"Well, now that Zhou Jiulang is dead, this case is closed. Confiscate his property, announce his crimes to the world, and bring justice to those girls he murdered!"

Lu Ling said, "Yes!"

"Go back! The Dali Temple probably has more cases than just this one. Go and do your thing! I'm tired too."

Lu Ling glanced at Zhou Xing, who was smiling with a twisted mouth and a sinister look on his face, and bowed to take his leave!

When Xiao Muchen arrived at Ziwei Palace, he saw Lu Ling walking out of the main hall with a worried look on his face. "What happened?"

"Just as Xiao Zhongcheng expected, this case is not enough to bring down Zhou Xing!"

"Then go back! Saints don't like to be coerced or pressured!"

"Thank you, Xiao Zhongcheng, for the reminder!"

After Lu Ling left, Xiao Muchen walked outside the hall. Just as he was about to step in, he heard Zhou Xing wailing in front of the hall, "Saint, I am truly loyal to you, but I come from a humble background. These young men from aristocratic families hate my high position and repeatedly attack me. Even if I am innocent, they will find fault with me!"

"I'm not a good parent, but I really didn't know Zhou Jiulang... Oh no, his last name isn't actually Zhou. He's just a scoundrel. I used to feel sorry for him and took pity on him, so I kept him by my side. But I never thought he would do such a thing!"

"But just because of this rebellious son case, Lu Shaoqing clearly wants me to take the blame for this rebellious son. These children of aristocratic families, relying on their prominent family background, clearly do not take the Great Zhou, the royal family, and the saints seriously!"

"Alright, stop crying. I know exactly what kind of person you are. Don't act so wronged and righteous! The case is closed, and Lu Shaoqing didn't say anything else. Don't bother me with this trivial matter anymore!"

"Well, I deserve death for disturbing the peace of the saint!"

Zhou Xing said, then suddenly changed the subject: "However, I recently found out about something important!"

"What's the matter?"

"I believe the Su family must be investigated. The former Second Prince of the Su family, Su Minghe, was originally a sympathizer of Crown Prince Zhang Huai. After Crown Prince Zhang Huai's death, he refused to take up his official position. Now, as soon as his son, Su Silang, returned to Luoyang, my son Jiulang was killed. I suspect that Su Silang harbors evil intentions and is suspected of treason! I earnestly request that he be apprehended and brought to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation!"

Zhou Xing's words were filled with righteous indignation and passion. As soon as he finished speaking, a voice sneered from behind him:
"Minister Zhou, aren't you going too far? A fifteen-year-old boy, without any official title, no soldiers, no horses, and only a naive little maidservant by his side, you say he's plotting treason? What could he possibly be using to commit treason?"

After saying this, he sarcastically said, "Don't elevate your personal grudges to a major case of treason!"

"Xiao Muchen, you!"

Xiao Muchen no longer looked at his spitting face, and saluted the empress in crown and robes behind the pearl curtain in the hall.

"Your Highness, your servant Xiao Muchen pays homage to the Saint!"

"Stand up!" Empress Wu Zhao asked lazily, "Is Zicheng also here regarding the Zhou Jiulang case or the well corpse case?"

"No, Zicheng came here for the Pei Judao case!"

"Oh? Have you found out anything?" The empress's originally cold voice gradually warmed up. She immediately asked Zhou Xing to retreat and said to Xiao Muchen, "Zicheng, keep talking!"

……

After walking out of Ziwei Palace, Zhou Xing quickly pulled down the corners of his flattering smile, and with a few servants, he flicked his sleeves, got on the sedan chair and quickly walked towards Xiuwenfang where his residence was located.

As soon as he returned to Zhou Mansion, Zhou Xing bared his teeth and vented his anger, and smashed a ten-foot-tall coral branch.

"Good Lu Ling! Good Xiao Muchen! You want to go against me, right?! I think it's time for you to have a taste of the torture of my Ministry of Justice!"

The servant finally picked up the broken coral branches piece by piece, but was kicked to the ground by Zhou Xing again.

"What are you still looking for? He's more of a hindrance than a help. Even after his death, this rebellious son has caused me so much trouble! Someone, come!"

Several hawks and dogs kept in the mansion ran over from all directions and knelt on the ground.

"What's the master's order?"

"Go and kill that brat Su Silang from the Su family! How dare a brat like him wade into this mess? We couldn't kill him before because he had an old man protecting him. Now that the old man is gone, I wonder who else can protect him!"

"Here!"

Several assassins in black were about to leave when they heard Zhou Xing shouting, "Wait! And that little bitch Huo Xiaolian, I think it's probably this little bitch who betrayed me, otherwise how could she have led Xiao Muchen to Shaohuayuan?
Go, bring that little bitch to me!"

"Here!"

……

"Ah Huan, why did you tell that white-haired man to keep it a secret today? Did you find anything there? Did you find the murderer?"

At this time, Murong Huan was halfway back to Su's house. Night fell quietly, and the crowds on the street gradually dispersed. In the end, only she and Ashu were left walking in the night.

"Yes, the murderer was found, but this is a very sad story. It's about a group of humble people stuck in a quagmire who fought against the injustice of fate and against the powerful."

"So, Ah Shu, we can't mention this to anyone again."

"Oh! Then who is the murderer?"

Murong Huan suddenly stopped and his expression became solemn and alert.

The street suddenly became quiet, with no one around, and Ah Shu began to feel a little scared.

At this moment, Murong Huan suddenly said, "Oh no! The wind is whistling and the Yi River is cold. It turns out that she left that poem as a final farewell!"

Murong Huan was about to turn around and walk towards Wenroufang when he was suddenly surrounded by a fierce murderous aura.

Suddenly, a bright and sharp light flashed across the night, and Ah Shu screamed in fright.

Murong Huan protected Ah Shu behind him and looked at the men in black who were approaching with knives from all directions.

Suddenly, feeling the murderous aura approaching, her dark eyes gradually became deep and fierce, gathering boundless anger and murderous intent.

"You want to assassinate me?" She raised her head, the corners of her lips gradually curved up, "Are you looking for death?"

(End of this chapter)