Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 9 Su Family
It was a sunny day and the servants of the Su family went out early. Some went shopping and some did laundry. A circular arch bridge was across the gurgling stream. Many people could be seen talking and laughing on both sides of the river, creating a scene of everyday life.

The arrival of Murong Huan and Ashu quickly attracted the attention of the maids, especially Murong Huan. Although he was only wearing a simple white robe and a veil on his head, his tall figure and demeanor, as well as his pleasing and leisurely demeanor when walking, gave him a demeanor as beautiful as jade, which made people unable to help but look at him sideways.

Someone curiously asked who they were, and Ah Shu said happily, "Of course we are from the Su family. We are home now. Where is the old lady? We want to see her!"

The Su family lived here, with many courtyards and roofs connected to each other. Some of the scenery and layouts were different from what she remembered. Of course, when she traveled with Erlangzhu, his wife, and Ahuan, and was finally sent to Taoyuan Village by Mrs. Su, she was still young, so it was normal that she couldn't remember some things.

Finally arriving at the gate of the Su family mansion, Ah Shu happily knocked on the door. However, the boy who opened the door shouted at her as soon as he saw her: "Where did you come from, beggar? Go beg somewhere else!"

Just as he was about to close the door, Ah Shu was quick-witted and quickly reached out to grab the boy's shoulders.

"We are not beggars. Please go and tell the old lady that the second wife has returned!"

"What do you mean by the second wife? The Su family doesn't have a second wife, nor does it have a first wife? If you want to pretend to be the wife of the Su family, you have to make up a decent reason, right?"

Ah Shu was confused. What did it mean that the Su family didn't have a second wife?
The Su family didn't have a second branch, so what was Erlang Zhu? Did everyone here forget about him just because he was dead?

Just as Ah Shu was getting anxious and didn't know what to do, Murong Huan had already walked to the door. He simply stretched the puppet in his hand through the crack of the door and said, "Go and report to the old lady that the daughter of Su Minghe, the second branch of the Su family, is back!"

Looking at the puppet with its eyes wide open, staring at him as if it were a living person, and hearing Murong Huan's words again, the boy was so scared that he slammed the door and ran away.

"The one who wants to take my life is coming! The one who wants to take my life is coming!" The little boy muttered in fear all the way. He ran to the house where the housekeeper was in a panic and told the housekeeper everything about the situation outside the door.

When the butler heard the three words "Su Minghe", his legs went weak and his eyes became extremely cautious. He quickly reported the situation of the visitor outside the door to the old lady.

At that time, the eldest and third wives of the Su family were in Mrs. Su's room. The three of them, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law, were discussing the socializing and shopping for May 5th. The atmosphere seemed very harmonious.

Suddenly, she heard that someone who claimed to be the daughter of the second master Su Minghe came to the door. The first lady was so scared that the round fan in her hand fell to the ground. The third lady was very calm, but she could not hide her surprise.

The old lady couldn't believe it and asked repeatedly: "What did you say? Say it again? Who is here?"

"Erlang's daughter!"

The housekeeper felt that the sweat on his forehead was about to drip down. The old lady's face, which was originally smiling and cheerful, suddenly froze, and the old woman beside her also became nervous.

"That child has already..." The eldest lady couldn't help but shivered, "That child is a lunatic, a disaster. She was the one who killed her father and mother. Her return will definitely bring disaster to our Su family. Why did she come back? Didn't we tell her to stay there and not come out?"

For eight years, a seven-year-old child was left on that remote farm. Not even a maid was sent away, only a girl of the same age as her.

How did two girls of seven or eight years old survive with no one to take care of them, no one to give them monthly allowance, and no food or silk?

Impossible! How could she possibly survive?

The old lady's hands were shaking. At this moment, the housekeeper reminded her, "Back then, the old lady said that we should wait until Erlang's daughter reaches the age of fifteen and comes of age before we can take her back to the clan..."

It wasn't that the old lady couldn't recall the incident, but when she said that, she hadn't considered the possibility of the girl returning alive. "Ah Jia, why don't you let me go out and see if the child looks like... Second Uncle?" Third Madam Qiu said.

The old lady seemed to have come back to her senses and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, go and take a look first!"

The old lady felt guilty towards her third daughter-in-law. She had originally favored Qiu and arranged a marriage for her second son, Su Minghe. She was just waiting for Su Minghe to get an official position in the Secretariat so that she could marry Qiu. However, she did not expect that her second son, who had always performed well in the Imperial Academy and was even praised as comparable to Wang Bo among the Four Heroes, would give up the last chance to enter the Secretariat, saying that reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles, and went to travel around to enjoy the mountains and rivers.

Two years later, he brought back a woman and said that he had married. Qiu was present at the time. It was so embarrassing to be slapped in the face on the spot. As a woman herself, Mrs. Su understood and empathized with Qiu's grievances.

But this is not the most annoying thing!
The most infuriating thing was that the woman brought back by Su Minghe was beautiful, but she was several years older than Su Minghe. When asked about her identity and background, Su Minghe refused to mention anything. He only said that the two of them were in love and got married. They even got a marriage certificate and held a wedding outside on their own initiative. This was not only witnessed by the government, but also approved by her husband, Duke Xing, who later died in the northern border. The Su family had no choice but to acknowledge this second daughter-in-law.

The Su family was originally a family of military generals, but in this generation, it seemed that the sons she gave birth to did not have the talent to achieve great things and become famous generals. The eldest son Su Qing was only given the title of Duke of Wuyi County by his father Mengfeng, and now he is only a Shangnian Fengyu who is in charge of the chariot and its fans.

Fortunately, her second son was very hardworking and talented in studying. Many students in the Imperial College relied on hereditary titles to enter, but her son Su Minghe had to rely on his own abilities to get in. Later, he was promoted step by step and became one of the top doctoral students in the Imperial College.

She originally thought that the second son was the pride of their Su family. Not only was he famous for his talent, but he was also very handsome. Many noble ladies wanted to marry into the Su family to be her second daughter-in-law. She also chose Qiu Zhenyan, the third daughter of the famous Qiu family, which was in its heyday at the time, for Su Minghe. But who knew that this second son was actually bewitched by a "witch" of unknown origin. Qiu was also a proud person, so she remarried her third son Su Yu on the spot.

Later, after the woman Su Minghe brought back gave birth to a child, the two of them took the child out to travel. Until one day eight years ago, when they returned to the Su family, a strange thing happened.

The woman suddenly died of a strange disease, and Su Minghe, missing his deceased wife, died soon after.

She only knew that her second son was loyal, but she never expected him to be so loyal!

The death of Su Minghe made her feel that the pillar of the Su family had collapsed. Without Duke Xing and Su Minghe, the Su family was indeed getting worse day by day, and gradually faded out of the sight of those nobles and aristocratic families.

What's even more bizarre is that the child born to Su Minghe and that woman did not show the helplessness and fear of a young child after his parents died. He didn't even shed a tear. In the end, he even set fire to the mourning hall and almost burned himself to death in it.

After the maids rescued her from the fire, they asked her why she did that. She replied, "I want my father and mother to be reunited in the underworld!"

From that moment on, the servants of the Su family kept their distance from this strange child, and Old Madam Su also hated this child very much, especially because this child had a pair of charming eyes like that woman's.

How hateful! If it weren't for that woman, how could her second son, whom she was so proud of and hoped would bring glory to the Su family, end up in such a situation?

Later, Old Lady Su invited a Taoist priest to tell the child's fortune. As expected, the Taoist priest found out that the child's horoscope was incompatible with the Su family, and if he stayed in the Su family, it would definitely bring disaster.

Old Lady Su immediately found an excuse for herself. She sent the child to a farm thousands of miles away on the pretext of illness, leaving only a little maid to accompany him. She thought that even if the child died, he would have a playmate in the underworld.

As a grandmother, she can also feel at ease!
Eight years have passed now, and there has been no news from him in these eight years. How come he came back... on his own after eight years?

She is still alive?

(End of this chapter)