My wife has a secret

Chapter 73 Joint Letter
"Did he know that his poem was altered by a woman?"

"Maybe she doesn't know... After all, who would have thought that the woman's poetry talent could surpass that of the top scholar?"

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a handsome young man wearing an official hat stuck his head out and glared in the direction where the voice came from.

He is the Doctor of Rites, Ma Quan, as people call him.

Ma Quan had made an appointment with Master Nie to discuss academic matters two days ago, but the meeting was ruined by an unknown female disciple of Master Nie.

Not only did the other party make his preparations for many days go to waste, but he also changed his masterpiece in Beichuan.

"It's just the luck of a woman. Do you really think that you are so talented that you can discuss learning and philosophy with the Jinshi selected by the emperor?"

After Ma Quan finished his scolding with a red face, he ordered his coachman to stop the car at the street corner and squeezed into the society with several colleagues.

Although Master Nie's society does not distinguish between men and women, or between high and low status, it still maintains the order that a general society should have.

Most of the people who came to participate in the society were scholars who were well-dressed and had a bookish look on their faces. They consciously gave up the stools and chairs in the front row to their senior officials.

It was precisely because of this humility that Ma Quan was able to squeeze into the forefront of the society and sit in the seat specially provided by the Nie Mansion.

By the time he sat down, the dark crowd had surrounded the entire square, with no end in sight.

Some people even climbed up the tree wall next door, for fear of missing Master Nie's lecture.

"Doctor Ma."

The colleague sitting next to him bowed, causing Ma Quan to bow back, "Mr. He."

"I've heard for a long time that Master Nie is quite prestigious among young people, but I never thought that he would be so popular."

Lord He was a third-rank official in the court, so Ma Quan did not dare to neglect him and replied respectfully: "Master Nie has been working in the literary world for many years, so it is very normal for him to have prestige."

While the two were discussing, there was suddenly movement on the stage.

This made the noisy venue quiet, and people held their breath, waiting for Master Nie to appear.

When people's patience was almost worn out, a figure stepped onto the podium in full view of everyone.

Her figure was slender and graceful, like a willow, and she was obviously a woman.

"It's strange. Why would Master Nie send an unknown woman to preside over his society? The three disciples under Master Nie are in high positions, and any one of them has more say than the woman."

Lord He’s question also confused Ma Quan.

But he could guess the identity of this woman. She should be the woman surnamed Lu from Suzhou, the one who changed his poem.

Lu Wanhe stood on the podium, with eyebrows like crescent moons and clear eyes.

Even without any makeup on her face, she still looks pure and elegant.

"My Lords, Sir... I am Lu Wanhe, from Suzhou in Jiangnan. I was once a registered disciple of Mr. Nie. Today, I have come to the Imperial Academy to give lectures on behalf of my teacher."

Those who know something about Master Nie's life have also heard of Lu Wanhe's name, especially since the latter has been in the limelight recently.

But after all, everyone came to watch Master Nie give a lecture, and when they heard that the person on the stage had turned into a woman who had never achieved any official title, they were a little dissatisfied.

"Why is a woman joining in the fun? Are you crazy about being famous?"

The dense crowd made Lu Wanhe feel timid, but she looked up steadily, as if she could find her husband's figure in the crowd.

She had seen Xu Qing stand up for her at the Lu Mansion before, so today she should also stand up and do her part for him.

"Yes, Wan He is crazy about becoming famous."

Lu Wanhe took over the conversation and suddenly smiled, revealing a gentle and affectionate expression.

"My husband is Xu Qing from the Xu family in Suzhou."

Lu Wanhe's words stunned everyone in the audience.

Anyone who had a little knowledge had heard about the case of Marquis Jingdong suing Xu Qingshi.

After all, Xu's poems were widely circulated in the literary world, to the point where almost everyone knew them.

Ma Quan was also a scholar who knew a little about these things. When everyone was discussing, he decisively asked, "If Mr. Ma's information is correct, then those poems were all written by you, right?"

"They were written by my husband and were simply named after Wan He."

Mr. He beside Ma Quan sighed, closed his eyes and shook his head, saying: "I thought Master Nie was a smart man, but he insisted on getting involved in this muddy water and turned such a big society into a farce."

The other officials also agreed. If Xuefu Street had not been so heavily congested, these people who knew how to protect themselves would have left long ago.

Seeing that everyone had the same attitude, Ma Quan raised his voice and questioned, "Young lady, what difference does it make whether you have a name or not? Everyone knows that your husband has been arrested and imprisoned, and will soon be sent to the Ministry of Justice... What is your intention in asking Master Nie to hold this meeting for you? Do you want to speak up for a traitor who is guilty of treason?"

After saying this, Ma Quan suddenly felt refreshed and got rid of his anger.

Because of the experience of having his poems revised these days, he is often talked about by other literati.

Now, by speaking up for many scholars and literati, you will definitely gain a lot of fame.

"I, Ma, am not saying anything too much, young lady...your husband's case will be tried by the three courts, and our Imperial Academy is a quiet place for scholars, not a place for people to report outside the hall, so we cannot allow you to act recklessly."

Ma Quan's words were well-reasoned, and Lord He beside him couldn't help but nod and give him a thumbs up.

"May I ask this gentleman, why do you want to be an official?"

Ma Quan, who had been confused by what he said and was talking nonsense, replied casually: "People go to higher places, and water flows to lower places... The purpose of being an official is naturally to gain fame and be admired by everyone."

Lu Wanhe placed his elbows flat on his chest and took two steps toward the stage.

Facing the crowd that had some resentment, she said calmly: "A name that will live forever is nothing but a lonely affair after death."

"Funeral?"

Lu Wanhe's remarks caused a huge uproar in the audience.

People were whispering to each other, all thinking that the woman was talking too much and wasn't afraid of hurting her back.

When the voices in the room gradually calmed down, Lu Wanhe continued, "Over the past thousand years, politics has been corrupt, wealth has been in trouble, military forces have collapsed, and the country has suffered disasters... But as long as there are people who maintain the great way, the historical lifeline of our country will not be broken."

Lu Wanhe said: "The reason why you can sit here today, read the books of sages, and discuss Confucianism is not because the ancients in the history books were cautious and hesitant in the face of major issues."

"Whenever danger strikes, there are always ancestors who are willing to sacrifice their lives to stand up and take the people of the world as their responsibility. Even if they are convicted for their words, even if they are demoted again and again, they never waver."

The crowd below the stage was silenced by what was said, not knowing what expression to use to face this woman.

Especially those sitting in the front row felt an invisible sense of pressure.

"Someone in the court caters to the preferences of the powerful, fabricates charges, and uses the swords of the previous dynasty to execute officials of this dynasty. This may be a trivial matter... But if no one dares to speak out about what happened today, what will happen in the future?"

"Is it the nobles who are in power and everyone is in danger?"

"Is it that poetry has disappeared, and talented people with great ambitions are frustrated and unable to achieve their goals?"

After Lu Wanhe finished speaking, he coughed twice and his face turned pale.

Lu Wanhe rarely spoke on weekdays, but at this meeting, she put all her energy into it.

"I believe that you students know more than a woman like me, Wan He, because no matter which one it is, it is not the prosperous era that people expect. I hope that you, the people with lofty ideals, can put yourself in my shoes and understand what I have done."

Facing the huge crowd, Lu Wanhe bowed down.

"On behalf of my husband, I thank you all."

Millions of people stood in astonishment below the stage. After a long while, the first round of applause broke out from the crowd. Then countless people joined in, making the applause in front of the Imperial Academy deafening, almost bursting one's eardrums.

Ma Quan did not expect that the woman on the stage could reverse the situation and rally the students' hearts with just a few words.

He sat back in his seat angrily, watching all this in confusion.

"Don't these people have families? Don't they understand that this kind of thing can bring disaster upon themselves?"

Lord He glanced at him sideways, and his opinion of this young man dropped a little.

But considering that they were officials in the same dynasty, he still replied, "Doctor Ma, you know that people who carry firewood for the public should not be allowed to freeze to death in the wind and snow. The Xu family can fall, and Xu Qing can die...but the emperor cannot use scholars as knives and let people die in vain."

Ma Quan was about to say something else, but his voice was drowned out by wave after wave of cheers.

The white-haired Master Nie also appeared in the crowd and walked up the narrow aisle.

He stood beside his beloved disciple and spoke loudly.

"Today, Nie will set an example and write a petition with my disciples to seek justice for Da Qi."

……

Suburbs of Beijing.

Mingzhu, who was driving the car, opened the curtain door and informed the two masters in the carriage: "Miss, we are almost in the capital... When you enter the city, the governor of Kyoto will check the documents and the pass, so you two must not fall asleep."

"Ah."

Inside the carriage, Shen Shuangxu, whose face was as beautiful as Guanyin, responded.

She shook her head slightly and looked at Xu Qing standing beside her.

Xu Qing was sitting with his legs crossed, humming a little tune.

Hearing that the bumpy ride was finally coming to an end, he stretched himself and smiled brightly.

"It seems that the capital is very wary of the Xu family. Even with the prime minister's daughter as a guarantor, they still sent a third-rank official like the prefect of Kyoto to wait at the city gate."

"People who can serve as officials in the capital are all very good at dealing with people."

Shen Shuangxu came back to his senses and continued to look through the documents in his hand. He said calmly: "The position of Jingdu prefect is too easy to offend people."

Xu Qing didn't understand the ins and outs of officialdom, but he became interested in what Shen Shuangxu had in his hand.

He suddenly reached out and snatched the document.

Shen Shuangxu was caught off guard and was succeeded by Xu Qing. She glared at him in shame and anger.

"Give it back!"

"I'm curious, what are you looking at so intently?"

After staying together for a night at the official inn, Xu Qing had basically figured out Shen Shuangxu's temperament.

He opened the book and read the contents.

But what disappointed Xu Qing was that the language on the document was not fluent, and many unfamiliar words were paired together, making it impossible to form a smooth sentence.

"Miss, what's wrong?"

Shen Shuangxu's pretty face froze slightly, and she turned her head aside, "It's okay, just drive your car well."

Only after Xu Qing put down the document did she reach out and snatch it back.

"Are you angry?"

"..."

Xu Qing moved towards Shen Shuangxu's seat, allowing the latter to sit inside without making a sound.

Although the other party did not reply, Xu Qing could feel Shen's dissatisfaction and disgust towards him from the cold atmosphere.

But the space in the entire carriage was so limited that Xu Qing forced Shen Shuangxu into a corner with almost no effort.

Then he moved his hips again...

"you!"

"Are you willing to pay attention to me?"

Shen Shuangxu felt ashamed and annoyed, and angrily said, "Shameless!"

Xu Qing stopped what he was doing, leaned forward and asked, "Madam, is there a certain pattern in the order of the characters on this document? Is this the method used by your Chengxuanfang to deliver secret letters?"

Although Shen Shuangxu was disgusted by Xu Qing's behavior, he couldn't help but admire his sharpness.

He can see the tricks in Chengxuanfang's secret code with just a few glances. He is indeed very skilled.

"Yes."

"Chengxuanfang is responsible for the intelligence gathering of Daqi, right? Such a powerful department, doesn't it monitor and record the White Lotus Sect?"

Shen Shuangxu hesitated and said slowly, "It used to exist, but the records of the White Lotus Sect were destroyed by the order of the late emperor. In fact, not only Chengxuanfang, but also the records of the secret guards and various palaces were destroyed at that time."

"The late emperor?"

When Xu Qing heard this, he was dumbfounded.

Why would an emperor interfere in civilian affairs and order subordinate agencies to destroy the intelligence about the White Lotus Sect?
Could it be that the leader of the White Lotus Sect is the emperor’s illegitimate son?
"When the previous emperor was in power, he advocated the art of alchemy and sex to achieve immortality."

When Shen Shuangxu talked about the art of sex, there was a hint of unnaturalness on his face.

"The White Lotus Sect leader at the time had a deep personal relationship with the late emperor and made some elixirs for him that could make him immortal and strong. But the good times didn't last long... Rumors spread in the palace that the late emperor had taken too much medicine and his health was damaged."

"Did you eat something that made you sick?"

Xu Qing suddenly remembered that the current little emperor seemed to be a prince who had been wandering outside the palace and was brought into the palace after the death of the previous emperor.

Apart from this, the late emperor seemed to have left no offspring.

In other words, the late emperor was most likely not good in that aspect?
"Since the news came out from the palace, the White Lotus Sect has become a wanted and banned sect."

Seeing Xu Qing lost in thought, Shen Shuangxu kicked him.

"This matter is a palace secret and cannot be spread at will...and your aunt hates the White Lotus Sect deeply, so you cannot speak directly about the White Lotus Sect in front of her."

Xu Qing covered his knees and replied with a grin, "Okay."

"Have you memorized all the information in prison?"

When this matter was mentioned, Xu Qing became extremely angry.

He thought his journey would be comfortable and leisurely, but Shen Shuangxu brought him a stack of documents and asked him to study them carefully and examine the contents.

Inside is a topographic map of the Ministry of Justice prison, with even the names, hobbies, and shift times of each guard on duty recorded.

"I can't forget it even if I want to... I'm confused, why do you want me to remember these things?"

Xu Qing thought of a possibility and exclaimed, "You want me to escape from the prison in the Ministry of Justice?"

(End of this chapter)