Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 83 The Ghost-Faced Man Tells the Truth

Inside the inner guard's prison, the sound of dripping water echoed. Wu Lingyue looked at Xiao Muchen, who was sitting on the ground sipping tea as usual, and couldn't help asking, "Why? You weren't like this before. Even if you didn't marry into my Wu family, you never thought of becoming my enemy, right?"
I know you've always adhered to the Xiao family's doctrine of the mean, not affiliating with any party and serving only the saints. But why have you changed now? In order to expose Qiu Shenji's crime of slaughtering an entire city, you're not afraid to turn against my father and even let them expose my father as well?"

"The most important thing for an official is to win the hearts of the people. Don't you think I shouldn't expose this matter?" Xiao Muchen asked back.

"No, you were not like this before. Even if you were to expose his crimes to a saint, you would not resort to such methods and openly oppose my father!

"Xiao Muchen, do you dare to say that you haven't had any inner turmoil at all? In the past, you could say that you were as calm as water, that you were determined to be an official, and that you didn't care about your children's personal feelings. You even told the saint that you would never marry in order to refuse to marry into my Wu family. But do you still dare to say that now?"

Wu Lingyue smiled bitterly at this, then looked at Xiao Muchen and almost questioned him, "You kept that young lady Murong Huan by your side to protect her, right? Now that you foresee that you are about to lose power and be in danger, you quietly send her away. This intention makes me feel that you seem to have been obsessed with this young lady. You don't even care about your own life and death, but still spend a lot of effort to plan to protect her safety.

Xiao Muchen, when did you become so infatuated? "

Wu Lingyue's voice was filled with a hint of reluctance and sorrow at the end. Xiao Muchen had remained silent, but at this moment, another voice came from the corridor outside the prison, saying, "Ayue, you're right. He's obsessed with that bitch. Ever since Murong Huan appeared in Luoyang City, those who had pledged allegiance to my Wu family have disappeared one after another. This woman is no ordinary woman. To put it bluntly, she's a disaster. If we take it a step further, she might even affect the fortune of my Great Zhou!"

"Father--"

The person who came was Wu Chengsi!
What surprised and even delighted Xiao Muchen was that Wu Chengsi brought another person with him.

This person was the man in black wearing a ghost mask who had tried to assassinate him that day, and he was also the person whose identity he most wanted to find out at this moment.

"Father, why are you here? The Saint ordered me to thoroughly investigate this case. Xiao Zhongcheng..."

"Ayue, don't be anxious. I came here not to kill him, but to talk to him about something."

King Wei said, waving to the masked man in black, and then ordered the jailer outside the cell: "Let him out! Since he is a suspect, he should be interrogated, right?"

The jailer's expression changed slightly, and he replied, "Yes!"

The door lock sounded and creaked open, and Xiao Muchen walked out. Suddenly, a silver whip shot out from the black-clothed man's hand and wrapped around Xiao Muchen's hands and feet, tying him to the iron bars.

"Who are you? What are you doing?" Wu Lingyue shouted, then turned to his father, "Aye, tell him to stop. The sage said torture is forbidden!"

"Don't worry, we won't let him suffer any physical pain, we'll only let him suffer mentally."

After Wu Chengsi finished speaking, he ordered the jailer to bring a Hu chair and sat down, preparing to have a long talk.
"Xiao Muchen, why would someone as intelligent as you choose such a difficult path? You know full well that Emperor Xiaojing Li Hong and Prince Zhanghuai Li Xian both died at the hands of the Sage, that Prince Luling Li Xian was banished to Fangzhou and tortured, and that Prince Xiang Li Dan is now imprisoned in his own mansion, unable to even leave. The Sage's heart is on the side of the Wu family, yet you still want to be an enemy of our Wu family. Why?"

"I once gave you the chance to become my Wu family's son-in-law, but you found a random excuse to refuse. Do you look down on my daughter, or do you look down on our Wu family? Is my daughter even worse than a little slave from the countryside?"

"Father, please stop talking!"

Wuling Yue interrupted in a harsh voice, feeling both shy and sad.

"Ayue, don't interrupt. Today, just sit aside and listen to what we have to say. After we're done, think carefully about whether this person is still worthy of your protection."

Wuling Yue turned his head away, hiding a tear in the corner of his eye, and finally remained silent.

At this time, Xiao Muchen laughed.

"What are you laughing at? Is what I said wrong?"

"I'm laughing at the naiveté and narrow-mindedness of the King of Wei. He only sees the two words Li and Wu. And in his quest to inherit the throne, he blindly seeks to eliminate all possible threats. You even murdered countless young girls because of a fabricated prophecy. Wu Chengsi, with such heinous crimes, you still dream of ascending the throne? Aren't you afraid that those wronged souls will keep you in peace?"

Hearing this, Wu Lingyue's eyes changed. He asked in a low voice in disbelief, "Father, is what he said true? Did you really kill countless young girls?"

"Unfortunately, Lord Zuo Xiang, the person you are looking for does not exist at all, and you cannot change your so-called fate."

"Shut up!"

Wu Chengsi shouted loudly, and the man in black beside him actually swung a whip at Xiao Muchen.

Wu Lingyue yelled and rushed to Xiao Mochen's side. "Didn't you say you wouldn't torture her? Who told you to do that?" "I know where that person is. It's the little girl you've been protecting all day. You're protecting her because you know her identity and want to use her to fight against our Wu family, right?"

"Xiao Muchen, I don't believe you haven't checked her identity?"

The more Wuling listened, the more confused and shocked he became.

"Yes, I have checked. She is the daughter of Murong Yan'er and Su Minghe, the secret guards of Crown Prince Li Hong. Other than that, there is nothing else. She does not have the plum blossom mark you mentioned. The Sage had Shangguan Daizhao personally examine her body."

Wu Chengsi's expression changed, and then he laughed: "You say there is no such thing? Unless she stands in front of me right now, takes off her clothes, and lets me examine her again."

"you--"

Because of anger, the ice silkworm cold poison in Xiao Muchen's body was triggered again, and the cold air seemed to cut his body like an ice blade.

"What's wrong with you?" Wu Lingyue asked in surprise and worry.

At this time, the masked man in black laughed and said, "This poison is very uncomfortable, isn't it? Counting it all, it must have been twelve years, right? From the cold air gathering bit by bit, until now, it's like a sharp arrow piercing your heart, tormenting you endlessly, but with no relief. How does it feel?"

Xiao Muchen's expression changed, and he looked at him in sudden realization and surprise.

"So, you were the one who poisoned me? Who are you?"

"To be honest, the ants and insects that attacked you during your spring hunt were indeed an ambush set up by your stepmother, Cui, and I. However, thanks to the interference of my reckless senior brother, you narrowly escaped death. However, Cui later slipped this ice silkworm poison into your medicine. This poison will gradually spread throughout your body and torment you for the rest of your life."

The man in black smiled again when he said this, "Oh, your life won't be very long. Maybe until you are twenty-five, but you may not even make it through this year!"

"Xiao Muchen, this is a small act of mercy on my part. Before you die, I want you to know why you are dying."

Hearing the word "Senior Brother", Xiao Muchen was slightly startled, and then asked:
"Why are you plotting against me so deliberately?"

The man in black laughed.

"A son must pay for his father's debts! Blame your father if you want to. However, I don't need to tell you any other secrets!"

At this point, he changed the subject, "Just tell us, where are you hiding that young lady? You can't even protect yourself, so why not just hand her over? Maybe I'll be kind enough to give you some antidote to slow down the onset of the ice silkworm poison."

At this time, Lian Wulingyue also advised: "Xiao Muchen, at this point, you should stop being stubborn. She's just a woman. How can she be more important than your life?"

Xiao Muchen shook his head and laughed: "Twelve years have passed, do I still care about the so-called antidote?"

He said, looking at the man in black, "Why don't you come closer and I'll tell you where she is?"

The man in black seemed a little surprised, but at the signal of King Wei, he walked towards Xiao Muchen step by step. Just when he put his ear close, Xiao Muchen suddenly exerted force and knocked the bronze ghost mask off his face with his head.

The mask fell off, revealing a hideous and disfigured face.

Wu Lingyue couldn't help but scream, but Xiao Muchen looked surprised and didn't say anything.

"you--"

The man hurriedly picked up the mask, put it back on, and was about to whip Xiao Muchen to vent his anger.

At this time, the King of Wei stopped him and said, "There's no need to go to so much trouble, Xiao Muchen. Since you're so protective of this young lady, do you think, given her affection for you, she'll risk her life to save you?"

"How about I verify it, spread the news, and then lay a net and wait for her to come. What do you think of this idea?"

(End of this chapter)