My wife has a secret

Chapter 160 Analysis
The delicate voice of Princess Danyang seemed to touch people's hearts. For a moment, the air around them seemed to freeze, and the only sound in the huge house was the heavy breathing of the two people.

Her hand slowly moved down along the slender and white skin of Yuheng Xingjun and touched the wound on her waist.

"It hurts, Sister Yuheng."

"Saint, I..."

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Princess Danyang interrupted her again, a playful smile appearing on her seductive red lips.

"Sister Yuheng, you will die for Jin'er and go through fire and water, right?"

……

When Xu Qing walked out of the Queen's bedroom, he saw a huge group of imperial guards surrounding the door.

These imperial guards held torches in their hands and had sharp eyes, like a fire snake coiled on Laojun Mountain.

"My Lord, the Queen is here..."

Xu Qing closed the door, glanced at Shi Chen who was approaching, and shook his head.

When Shi Chen didn't hear Xu Qing's order to call him in, he realized that the thief could not be caught tonight.

Since the incident with the little emperor, the number of imperial guards in Laojun Mountain has tripled, almost reaching the point where there is a post every mile, with defenses deployed in layers.

However, even such a high-level arrangement could not stop the White Lotus Sect member from sneaking into Marquis Guangping's house.

Moreover, after his identity was revealed, the other party fled in front of hundreds of imperial guards... It was really exaggerated to the extreme and a severe slap in the face of the imperial guards.

When the Queen Mother wakes up tomorrow, she will definitely ask me for an explanation. Even though Shi Chen is a big and strong soldier, he is still very nervous.

"I will explain this matter to my aunt. Commander Shi, please disperse your men."

Shi Chen was delighted when he heard that Xu Qing was coming forward.

After he bowed and saluted, he dismissed the personal guards around him, but felt a little uneasy, so he ordered his subordinates to search the foot of the mountain.

Xu Qing knew that the White Lotus Sect member's escape was closely related to the traitor in the palace, so he did not dissuade Commander Shi from searching. He went straight back to his room and sat on the bed to sort out the clues.

The feeling of breaking through the illusion just now was too fake, and Xu Qing realized that it was an illusion.

But unlike the hypnotic mandala she had seen before, the infiltrated White Lotus sect members seemed to have used some secret method to change her perception of her, which was absurd to think about.

"The entire palace near Hanyuan Hall is occupied by me, the Queen Mother, the Empress, and Princess Danyang... Theoretically, Princess Danyang is the most likely person to come into contact with the White Lotus Sect, but why did I return empty-handed?"

Xu Qing thought for a long time and still felt that Princess Danyang was the most similar person among the three.

However, although he was suspicious at the moment, he had no evidence in his hands, so after thinking it over in vain, he could only go down the mountain to seek Shen Shuangxu's advice.

……

The clouds in the sky slowly dispersed in the gentle breeze, heralding the coming sunny weather.

On the sunny next day, Xu Qing first visited his aunt in the palace. After briefly reporting on the work of Chengxuanfang and warning the other party that the White Lotus Sect had other purposes.

Because the weekly ceremony of offering sacrifices to the gods was about to end, Empress Dowager Xu, who was sitting in meditation and worshiping the gods in the Hanyuan Hall, did not allow Xu Qing to rest as she did in the past, but allowed him to return to the capital to handle important business first.

On the way down the mountain, Xu Qing saw civil and military officials climbing up the mountain path to attend a court meeting. After greeting a few familiar officials, he went down the mountain in a carriage.

After returning to the capital this time, Xu Qing did not contact Chengxuanfang directly, but took Shan Yongpei who was waiting for him at the city gate and rushed directly to the prime minister's residence.

The traitor in Chengxuanfang has not been found yet, so it is not safe to go back to Chengxuanfang first.

As soon as Shan Yongpei, who was dressed in plain clothes and a square hat, got into the car, Xu Qing glanced at him without saying anything.

Shan Yongpei, who had been in Beijing for a month or so, had become very different from when he was in Zhennan Zhongwu Army, and he also knew where the abbot's dissatisfaction came from.

"Master..."

"You still know that I am your master?"

Xu Qing interrupted Shan Yongpei's speech and asked a question that made Shan Yongpei blush slightly and smile awkwardly.

"The message delivered by the natal carrier pigeon, you said you would give it?"

Shan Yongpei also knew that his actions were against the rules, and apologized quietly, "Master, I mainly think that the eldest young lady is resourceful. With her help... you will be like a tiger with wings..."

"I saw through the White Lotus' tricks when I was on the mountain."

Xu Qing's steady tone made Shan Yongpei blink, and he looked at the person in front of him with some surprise.

Although the performance of the eldest son of the Xu family in Suzhou was remarkable, the Seven Star Dragon Slaying Technique of the White Lotus Sect was the conclusion drawn by the eldest daughter of the Shen family after a night of contemplation.

Could it be that Xu Qing is smarter than Shen Shuangxu?
"Ahem, I've seen some clues."

After Dan Yongpei stared at him blankly for a while, Xu Qing coughed twice and told him the real situation.

After noticing that the admiration and awe in Shan Yongpei's eyes had disappeared, he felt helpless. How could he not be better than a woman?

Fortunately, the carriage stopped at this moment, and the driver whispered to remind them that they had arrived at the destination.

After the last experience of meeting Shen Shuangxu and Shen Nianyan, the servants guarding the gate were more discerning this time. When they saw Xu Qing entering the mansion with a servant, they took the initiative to make way and sent someone to the backyard to inform the young lady.

When Xu Qing rushed to the backyard without stopping, he happened to see Shen Shuangxu sitting on a lounge chair at the entrance of the courtyard, basking in the warm sun and flipping through a book.

The skin of her arms exposed by her sleeves was smooth, delicate and slender, like warm jade of finest quality.

And because of its petite stature and somewhat tall proportions, the simple movements it makes appear light and graceful, like an elegant crane.

"You came?"

Hearing the unusual noise outside the door, Shen Shuangxu closed the book, stood up and held it in his arms.

She had anticipated Xu Qing's itinerary, so she was not surprised by his appearance. Instead, she exuded a tranquil temperament.

Xu Qing paused for a moment, nodded slightly at the young girl who looked like a fairy from heaven and was not concerned with worldly matters, and responded.

Then the two of them walked into the house one after another, leaving Shan Yongpei and the tall and strong Mingzhu standing at the entrance of the yard to guard the gate.

After Shan Yongpei was transferred to the capital, he reported his work to Shen Shuangxu several times. However, for some reason, he always felt that the Miss Shen he met today was different from usual, without that cold temperament.

"Mingzhu, do you feel that your young lady is different from before?"

Mingzhu, who was half a head taller than Shan Yongpei, turned her head and looked in the direction of the house. She thought and said, "Ever since Xu Qing took the initiative to come to see the young lady, she has changed."

……

Inside the house, Shen Shuangxu returned to the desk and took out the materials she had sorted out recently. The sunlight poured in from the window, shining on her face, and her skin shone like transparent glass.

Xu Qing was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he saw Shen Shuangxu blinking his obsidian-like crystal clear eyes and looking at him calmly.

"What are you looking at?"

"nothing."

Xu Qing would definitely not admit that he was distracted while looking at her just now.

Shen Shuangxu glanced at the white wall behind him in confusion, still not understanding Xu Qing's actions.

But she quickly thought of today's business, and placed the two or three books she had taken out in front of Xu Qing, and asked, "You came down the mountain to find me today, so you shouldn't have caught the White Lotus Sect's accomplice, right?"

Xu Qing nodded, and then explained last night's strange events to Shen Shuangxu, emphasizing his suspects and the capabilities of the White Lotus Sect.

Shen Shuangxu raised her delicate chin slightly, and her bright eyes flashed with a few strange colors.

"You mean, the White Lotus has the ability to confuse people?"

"Yes, I experienced it myself...For some reason that night, I mistook a woman in black whom I had never met before for my aunt."

Shen Shuangxu took out a copy from the book in front of her and placed it on top. Her expression was solemn and she said slowly, "If this is the case, the White Lotus case from a few years ago can be explained."

Xu Qing looked around and saw that the case file contained all the records before Chunsheng and the other envoys were arrested and imprisoned.

There are written records in Kyoto Prefecture that say Chun Shengshi held a sacrificial ceremony at Xiangshan, outside the capital, to drive away the severe drought that had lasted for several months.

Most of the residents of the capital who came to the scene after hearing the news saw strange phenomena in heaven and earth. The God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning followed their orders and brought down torrential rain, thunder and lightning.

When the officers and soldiers of Kyoto Prefecture rushed there, they witnessed with their own eyes the two messengers of Chunsheng being leaned over by the God of Thunder and the Goddess of Lightning, driving away the thunder and lightning.

It is also for this reason that the case file records that Chunsheng has the extraordinary ability to call the wind and rain.

"Do you remember that when you were in Suzhou, the Star Lord of the White Lotus Sect once provided a large amount of Mandragora to the Fourth Wife to support her in secretly causing trouble?"

"remember."

Shen Shuangxu said in a gentle voice: "At the beginning, the Fourth House said that they controlled the trade route from the South China Sea to the capital, and they had a large number of mandrakes in their hands... Have you ever thought about where they wanted to use all these hallucinogenic substances?"

The two looked at each other for a while, and Xu Qing gradually understood what Shen Shuangxu was implying.

"You're saying that the magic and ability to call the wind and rain of the two envoys of Chunsheng were actually illusions deliberately created by the White Lotus Sect?"

"I have a general understanding of Datura. As long as a large amount of this hallucinogenic drug is placed around the venue and the wind direction is calculated, the incense smoke produced by burning it can induce hallucinations."

When Xu Qing heard Shen Shuangxu's explanation, he immediately thought of the opium destruction incident in the modern history of his previous life.

This is what would happen if drugs and hallucinogens were destroyed through violent burning.

Therefore, the White Lotus Sect’s gathering was not mysterious. They used the illusion created by the mandala to publicize the greatness and magic of their sect.

Ordinary people who did not know the truth thought that seeing was believing, and thus they praised these White Lotus followers as gods in heaven.

"I see."

Shen Shuangxu's statement perfectly explains the mystery of the White Lotus Sect.

Xu Qing gradually felt that the White Lotus Sect, whose veil had been lifted, was not as mysterious as before. Since the other party was not a real god, they could not escape the natural law of birth, aging, sickness and death.

"Regarding the White Lotus Sect's accomplice in the palace, I suspect it is Princess Danyang."

Xu Qing discovered that when he mentioned Princess Danyang, Shen Shuangxu's facial expression did not change at all, as if he had already anticipated this.

"Although I checked her residence and wounds and found no problems, Laojun Mountain is so small, and the White Lotus Sect that infiltrated is very familiar with my aunt's behavior, so I think that person must be someone in the palace, or one of her subordinates."

"Well, it should be her."

The sunlight came in through the doors and windows. Shen Shuangxu had a pointed chin, an exquisite oval face, and her pretty face was white and dazzling.

She agreed with Xu Qing's inference without any hesitation.

"Emperor Xuan has been under the strict supervision of the Queen Mother since he was young. Even if the White Lotus Sect is behind the Prince of Dongwan, it is unlikely that Emperor Xuan will have any connection with the White Lotus Sect... Do you remember the piece of paper you took out from Feishuang Palace?"

Hearing Shen Shuangxu's question, Xu Qing nodded and said yes.

"Although the White Lotus Sect's quotations are written on that piece of paper, think carefully, who else can enter Feishuang Palace except the emperor?"

Xu Qing suddenly came to his senses.

When he entered Feishuang Palace to get the imperial seal, the eunuch accompanying him emphasized to him in person that apart from the emperor and the empress dowager, generally only Emperor Xuan's elder sister, Princess Danyang, was allowed to enter Feishuang Palace without reporting.

It turned out that there were signs at that time that Princess Danyang's identity was wrong.

"Have you told the Queen Mother about this?"

"No, I have no evidence."

A rare smile appeared on Shen Shuangxu's face, which had always been cold and serious.

Obviously, this is an appreciation of Xu Qing's cautious approach.

"Although Princess Danyang has only been popular in front of the Queen Mother for four years, she holds a lot of things in her hands. When I was in charge of Chengxuanfang, I proposed to inspect the Princess's Mansion several times...but the Queen Mother rejected them all."

Xu Qing retorted: "But this time is different. The turmoil during the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony has threatened my aunt's rule, and I am... my aunt's nephew."

Xu Qing thought of the Queen Mother's attitude towards him, and finally paused, choosing to emphasize the relationship between the two as aunt and nephew.

Shen Shuangxu shook his head and asked slowly, "What if the things in Princess Danyang's hands are more important than your nephew?"

The air fell into deathly silence.

Although Xu Qing felt that the empress dowager would protect him and tacitly allow him to investigate anyone in the court, he learned from various sources that Princess Danyang hosted a banquet for the nobles in the capital, which not only had the tacit approval of the empress dowager, but was also a feast that the royal family and nobles could not do without.

Thanks to the Paradise Banquet and her aunt's appreciation, Princess Danyang became a celebrity in the capital, a royal princess with unrivalled fame. She even survived the death of her own brother and was still trusted by her aunt... This was enough to show how useful she was, and how she was most likely related to the Queen Mother's rule.

If his investigation threatened the Queen Mother's power, he didn't know how she would treat him.

Judging from the experience in the history books of previous lives, this kind of empress with a strong personality would definitely not allow her relatives to shake the foundation.

Not to mention that he was just a nephew, not his aunt's biological son.

"After what happened tonight, if you take the initiative to investigate Princess Danyang, it will definitely make her alert and realize that her identity is likely to be exposed... The current situation is more like a double-edged sword."

(End of this chapter)