My wife has a secret

Chapter 138 The Secret of Driving Thunder and Lightning

After coming out of Falun Temple that day, Qin Shuying's seemingly joking suggestion gave Xu Qing an epiphany, and he rethought the matter from an outsider's perspective.

During the battle between Suzhou and the White Lotus, Xu Qing gradually realized that every seemingly simple move of the White Lotus might be related to a horrific plan.

Even though the Queen Mother had entrusted the matter of rolling thunder and fire to him out of favor, Xu Qing still had the convoy that was picking him up change its route temporarily and arrive at the Shen Mansion ahead of time in order to wipe out the White Lotus Sect.

"I have previously read the files on the White Lotus Sect and the cases suspected to be committed by the White Lotus Sect in Chengxuanfang, and found that you are the only one who has been persistent in investigating the White Lotus Sect over the years."

Xu Qing looked at the file presented by Shan Yongpei under a lamp and read the name of the recorder in the lower right corner. Most of them were written with Shen Shuangxu.

For many years, Shen Shuangxu, who is known as the Kyoto detective and extremely intelligent, has devoted all his efforts to the investigation of the White Lotus Sect. He even angered his aunt and used himself and the fourth room Qin Shuying as bait to lure the White Lotus Sect. He must know something.

"Although I don't quite understand what you have discovered that has attracted so much attention to the White Lotus Sect, but looking at the entire world right now... I'm afraid you are the only one who is most familiar with the affairs of the White Lotus Sect, so I would like to ask you to help me investigate this matter."

Shen Shuangxu held the door frame with her slender white hands and was unable to utter a word for a long time.

Her breasts rose and fell slightly, with the peaks and ridges protruding on the front.

"It is not enough to just investigate that the thunder and fire were man-made... I want to know the facts and the truth, and what the mastermind behind it is planning. Because this matter involves the White Lotus Sect, they will never do anything useless."

"you……"

Shen Shuangxu's thin and delicate body looked particularly pitiful. She clutched tightly her coat, which still retained the remaining warmth of Xu Qing, as if she had made some kind of decision.

"Come inside with me."

The Shen family residence does not cover a large area, so naturally the house left for Shen Shuangxu would not be too spacious.

This can be seen in the garden outside. The beautiful lady Youlan, who has been famous outside for a long time, only planted a paulownia tree and a pear tree outside her boudoir, but the entire garden was filled up.

The space inside the house seems even smaller, but fortunately, although small, it has everything. The decoration here is simple yet elegant, warm and quiet.

Shen Shuangxu sat back in the chair near the window and lit the candle on the table. The expression on her face returned to its usual coldness and seriousness, less lively than in Xu Qing's memory and more serious.

"Xu Qing, since there is no one else here, Shuang Xu will no longer call you by your outside nickname."

"Ah."

When the two met earlier, Shen Shuangxu always addressed Xu Qing as husband.

However, this formal address is not intimate at all. This look now is actually the true image of the eldest wife Shen.

"To be honest, Shen Shuangxu witnessed the actions of the White Lotus Sect when he was young... Since then, the White Lotus Sect's affairs have been engraved in my mind. Even if I control myself not to think about it, I still dream about the scenes of that year every night."

In the preface, Shen Shuang simply stated the reason why she became interested in the White Lotus Sect, but did not go into details about her childhood events.

Then she took out a piece of rice paper, spread it flat on the table, and looked up at Xu Qing.

"Why are you so sure that the thunder and fire were the work of the White Lotus Sect?"

Xu Qing told Shen Shuangxu about his field investigation and explained the reasons for his analysis.

"Several years ago, the White Lotus Cult had been promoting the ability of the two Chunsheng Envoys to drive thunder and lightning. Now, the Chunsheng Envoy who was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice has escaped from the prison. The prerequisites have been prepared... You told me in the car that the two Chunsheng Envoys must work together to communicate with the Thunder God and the Lightning Goddess and drive the divine power."

Shen Shuangxu met Xu Qing's gaze without dodging or avoiding it, and the pupils in her eyes glowed slightly.

"What you said is all speculation. There is no evidence that the White Lotus Sect was directly involved."

"You mean to say that this incident might not have been done by the White Lotus Sect's Chunsheng and Ershi?"

Shen Shuangxu shook his head slowly and took out the rice paper in front of him.

Xu Qing was surprised to find that when he was recalling just now, Shen Shuangxu had already sketched the panoramic view of the hall that he saw.

Although it was a hasty work, the painting contained all the details, even the hooks in the brick joints and those black paste-like objects were depicted, as if she was following behind him and witnessed everything with her own eyes.

“Have you been to Falun Temple?”

"No, I've only visited temples near Kyoto... After all, most of these temples were built in the last hundred years and have been renovated by the Ministry of Revenue. Based on the layout and materials used by the Ministry of Revenue's craftsmen, we can guess what they look like."

Shen Shuangxu spoke softly, as if he was describing a trivial matter that was within reach.

Before Xu Qing could praise her craftsmanship, Shen Shuangxu said indifferently, "These hooks on the ground appeared several years ago. At that time, it was the gathering where the Spring Envoy was arrested and imprisoned... Over the years, I have never connected these things with the thunder and lightning power of the Spring Envoy, but now it seems that there must be a connection between them."

Shen Shuangxu, who was thinking seriously, seemed to have entered a certain state. His eyes lost their warmth, as if he no longer cared about anything around him.

"You said that the entire hall in the house has no measures to prevent lightning from falling on the golden roof. If I were a Spring Envoy, I could use iron chains to connect the roof of the hall. When lightning strikes the glazed roof of the temple, it will appear as thunder and fire, and then act on the iron chains to flow into the ground."

Shen Shuangxu continued, "This can also explain why the house in Falun Temple remained safe and sound after being baptized by thunder and fire, and did not catch fire."

Xu Qing was stunned.

Although he could guess that the two Chunsheng envoys were using some means to create the illusion of driving away thunder and lightning, he had never figured out what method the two used.

Now, after listening to Shen Shuangxu’s explanation of my doubts, I suddenly felt as if everything was enlightened.

Metals tend to be the easiest materials to conduct electricity, and iron is also conductive.

From a scientific point of view, in weather with heavy thunderstorms, the Falun Temple, which is located at a very high altitude, is likely to be struck by lightning. Coupled with these ingenious designs, it will naturally present the wonderful phenomenon of thunder and fire.

"I see."

"But there's one thing that doesn't make sense."

Shen Shuangxu poured a bucket of cold water on Xu Qing's enthusiasm. She lightly tapped the top of the glazed roof in the portrait with the tip of her pen and used a few random strokes of light ink to depict the terrible weather with heavy rain, thunder and lightning.

"How did the White Lotus know that it would rain that night?"

Xu Qingwei was stunned and stumped by Shen Shuangxu's question.

Although there were methods to predict the weather for the next day in the past, those were all the results verified by the Meteorological Bureau through sophisticated instruments and scientific methods. The ancients had no help. Could they tell with their naked eyes that there would be thunderstorms at night?
"You have also noticed that even if this incident can prove that the power of the Spring Envoy to drive thunder and lightning is fake, if the White Lotus Sect cannot confirm the weather of thunder and rain, all preparations will be in vain."

Shen Shuangxu said calmly: "As you said, the White Lotus Sect would never do anything useless, and breaking faith in front of believers would cause their trust to collapse, so the White Lotus Sect is very likely to have mastered the method of predicting the weather."

Xu Qing couldn't help but widen his eyes and muttered, "Are these people really ordinary people? How come after their ability to drive thunder and lightning is gone, they have new abilities? How many other tricks do they have that we don't know about?"

"It is precisely because they are human that they must use various methods to shape themselves into gods."

Shen Shuangxu's face was as cold as ice, and he said calmly: "Over the years, the White Lotus Sect has infiltrated Da Qi from the inside out, and there are believers in almost every place. Now that the White Lotus Sect has emerged after several dynasties and a thousand years of dormancy, it means that they are fully prepared."

Xu Qing agreed with Shen Shuangxu's statement after browsing the files of the White Lotus Sect.

He discovered that the White Lotus Sect broke out in a small town in the south of the Yangtze River and then spread rapidly to various places at the speed of a plague.

However, because the White Lotus Sect was extremely latent and there was no precedent of rebellion, even though the previous dynasties knew of the existence of the White Lotus Sect, they did not conduct a serious and detailed search for this sect.

It was not until recent years, especially after the incident of the Suzhou Dongzang Envoy, that the existence of the White Lotus Sect was brought to the forefront.

"Then putting aside other issues, why would the White Lotus Sect plan a heaven and earth phenomenon that would benefit my aunt?"

Within the White Lotus Sect, Xu Qing had heard the Winter Tibetan Envoy and the believers call the Queen Mother the Demon Queen. How could such an incompatible relationship create a sudden miracle for his aunt?
"Thunder and fire rolling in the sky, and the appearance of the true Buddha, although it will temporarily help the Queen Mother to ascend the throne, it will also help the White Lotus Cult to control public opinion."

Shen Shuangxu spoke calmly, without a trace of fluctuation between his brows.

Because in this matter, she saw through the hidden tricks of the White Lotus Sect at a glance.

"Today, the Queen took advantage of the thunder and fire to ascend the throne. In the future, the White Lotus Sect can use the second thunder and fire to promote a new emperor and erase the royal family's legitimacy... After all, it is the White Lotus Sect that controls the thunder and fire, and they have the final say on whether miracles will happen."

Xu Qing's heart was pounding. He never expected that the White Lotus Sect's scheming and cunning could be so deep.

Fortunately, he did not report this incident to the Queen Mother. If this matter was controlled by the White Lotus Sect, he would become a sinner for all eternity.

"You can rest assured. Regardless of whether this incident was caused by human intervention or by nature, the Queen Mother will not use the thunder and fire to make a fuss."

Shen Shuangxu seemed to see the confusion in Xu Qing's heart. She squinted her beautiful eyes, glanced at Xu Qing and said, "The Queen Mother has always been the Queen Mother. From the beginning when she took power and took charge of the court, the Queen Mother never wanted to be the spokesperson of the gods or the emperors of the past dynasties. What she wants to be is the master of the entire Da Qi, the empress with absolute control."

After a fire broke out in Wangyue Tower, killing countless ministers and their descendants, Shen Shuangxu vaguely sensed the Queen Mother's ambition.

Among those ministers, there were some who supported the empress dowager in power. However, because these ministers still advocated that men should ascend the throne, the empress dowager pushed all of them to the side of the little emperor and then eliminated them through a palace coup.

This extremely cruel method is outrageous.

"understood."

Xu Qingwen understood the question he wanted to ask, nodded and thanked him, "I will transfer Chengxuanfang to investigate the clues left by the White Lotus Sect. You stay here for a while, and I will go to my aunt to ask her to let you take charge of Chengxuanfang again."

Shen Shuangxu raised his head slightly, with some surprise in his eyes.

She originally thought that the assistance Xu Qing mentioned was to explain the situation of the Lotus Sect to her every once in a while and seek her help.

But she never expected that Xu Qing actually wanted her to take charge of Chengxuanfang again.

"Compared to me, you can do more with Chengxuanfang. This is not for the powerful people in the court or the palace, but for all the people in the world."

Xu Qing was no longer a young boy, and he said with deep feeling: "This world must not fall into the hands of evildoers like the White Lotus Sect who regard human life as worthless, so people still need you to expose their true colors."

Shen Shuangxu's already dim heart was brightened by Xu Qing's few words.

She didn't know what to say, but thinking of her own childhood experiences and the evil deeds left by the White Lotus Sect, she clenched her slender fingers on her skirt under the table.

Finally, Shen Shuangxu said softly: "Thank you."

……

Thinking of what happened in Shen Shuangxu's room just now, Xu Qing felt relieved.

It seems that Shen Shuangxu still has the mind to do things, that's why he didn't reject his proposal, but thanked him instead.

Although he was curious about Shen Shuangxu's experience with the White Lotus Sect in his childhood, it was obviously impossible to force it, so he could only wait until the other party wanted to talk about it.

Of course, Xu Qing only said half of what he said just now.

Naturally, he was not the kind of righteous man who valued the peace and prosperity of the people of the world, but if he really allowed the White Lotus Sect to do evil and bring bloodshed to Da Qi, would he still be able to live a happy day?

I had originally thought that I would travel through time and space and become the only legitimate son of the Xu family for nine generations, so that I could enjoy endless wealth, money, beauties, and live a carefree life.

But now he lives in fear. The White Lotus Sect haunts him like a nightmare, and always appears suddenly at unexpected times.

The conversation just now was enough to show that Shen Shuangxu's understanding of the White Lotus Sect and his way of dealing with it were far better than his own, so it was best to leave this kind of thing to professionals, and he would just be responsible for providing support.

"A good son-in-law."

When Xu Qing was about to walk out of the Shen family's house, a middle-aged man was sitting on a bench at a stone table beside the corridor.

The man was wearing a black tight-fitting gown with a Wamin belt tied around his waist. His graying beard was neatly combed, and there were fine fish-scale patterns on the corners of his mouth and eyelids.

But the pupils of this middle-aged man under his thick eyebrows were bright and deep black, making him look quite healthy.

In connection with the address just now, Xu Qing vaguely guessed the other party's identity.

The Prime Minister of the Great Qi Dynasty was Shen Nianyan.

"My father-in-law."

Since Shen Shuangxu was his legal wife, welcomed home by the Xu family with a grand wedding, Xu Qing bowed without blushing and established a relationship with her.

(End of this chapter)