My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

The early winter in Chang'an was particularly strange because of the sudden "change of nature" of the Cui family of Qinghe.

Within just a few days, dozens of huge soup kitchens sprang up like mushrooms after rain outside Chang'an and in various poor neighborhoods.

Thick, steaming rice porridge, thick enough to hold chopsticks upright, was continuously distributed to the poorly clothed, starving and freezing refugees.

Moreover, the servants of the Cui family in Qinghe pushed cart after cart of charcoal and coarse cotton clothes, distributing them to the elderly living alone from house to house.

In the imperial court, the officials of the Cui clan of Qinghe seemed to have become Li Shimin's most loyal and fanatical followers.

Whether Li Shimin proposed building water conservancy projects, reducing taxes, or reorganizing the military, the Cui family of Qinghe not only wholeheartedly supported it, but also took the lead in donating money and materials.

His righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor, his dedication to the Tang Dynasty, left all the officials in the court dumbfounded.

Li Shimin was naturally overjoyed, his face glowing with happiness every day when he went to court, and he praised the Cui family of Qinghe highly.

However, the Qinghe Cui family's crazy act, which could be described as a betrayal of the aristocratic families, caused a great uproar among the other major aristocratic families.

into the night.

Inside the secret residence of the Cui family of Boling, west of Chang'an.

In a large, heavily guarded room, the atmosphere was so oppressive it seemed like water could drip from it.

Cui Hong, the head of the Boling Cui clan, sat at the head of the table with a livid face. On either side of him sat several elders who held core power in the family, as well as several secret envoys sent by the Fanyang Lu clan and the Taiyuan Wang clan.

"They're insane! The Cui family of Qinghe are absolutely insane!"

An elder of the Cui clan of Boling slammed his fist on the table in front of him, growling angrily, "Not only are they giving away their family's wealth to those peasants, but they're even acting as Li Shimin's lackeys in the imperial court! Have they forgotten the glory of their noble families?!"

"Patriarch Cui, this matter is of utmost importance."

The secret envoy from the Lu clan of Fanyang frowned, his face grim, and said, "With the Cui clan of Qinghe causing trouble, His Majesty is using this opportunity to his advantage, severely damaging the influence of our other families in the court. What has terrified them that they would so shamelessly try to curry favor with the royal family?"

"What else could it be?"

Another elder snorted coldly, a hint of barely concealed apprehension flashing in his eyes.

"It's all because of that strange lightning tribulation over Chang'an a few days ago! Everyone's saying that a true immortal who can summon wind and rain lives in the Qin Prince's mansion! The eldest daughter of the Cui family of Qinghe went to the Qin Prince's mansion twice, and when she returned, her family was in this state. I think they were probably subdued by that immortal!"

The word "immortal" was mentioned.

Everyone in the secret room couldn't help but shiver.

That terrifying power, which transcends the mundane, is simply beyond human resistance.

If the Li Tang royal family truly had divine protection, then these aristocratic families would likely be trampled underfoot for the rest of their lives, never to rise again.

Just when everyone was terrified and at a loss for what to do.

"Hahahahaha!"

A loud laugh filled with arrogance and mockery suddenly came from a corner of the secret room.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

A young man dressed in a luxurious brocade robe, with a somewhat sinister face and an arrogant look in his eyes, emerged from the shadows, holding a glass of wine and looking disdainful.

This man, named Cui Jue, was the most outstanding young talent among the younger generation of the Cui clan of Boling. He always held himself in high regard and possessed exceptional strategic acumen.

"Jue'er, the elders are discussing matters here, what are you laughing at? What kind of behavior is this!" Patriarch Cui Hong scolded with a frown.

Instead of restraining himself, Cui Jue walked up to the crowd and slammed his wine glass heavily on the table.

"My dear uncles, I laugh at you all for being so clever, yet so foolish this time!"

Cui Jue glanced around at the family leaders present, a mocking sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Our prestigious family, with its thousand-year history, has weathered all kinds of storms. How ridiculous that we've been frightened into submission by that old emperor Li Shimin with a clumsy trick!"

"trick?!"

Cui Hong suddenly stood up, staring intently at his nephew. "Jue'er, explain yourself! The thunder and lightning, the golden rain falling from the sky—all the people of the city and the officials witnessed it with their own eyes! You dare say it was a magic trick?!"

"What is there to be afraid of?"

Cui Jue snorted coldly, "Uncles and elders, if there truly are immortals in this world, why didn't they appear earlier or later, but only now, when His Majesty urgently needs to consolidate imperial power and suppress our aristocratic families?"

Cui Jue clapped his hands.

The door to the secret room was pushed open, and two servants escorted in a middle-aged man with shifty eyes, dressed in a tattered Taoist robe.

"This man is a charlatan who has been swindling people in the West Market for years."

Cui Jue pointed at the Taoist priest and shouted sternly, "Show these gentlemen the tricks you usually use to deceive people!"

The Taoist priest was so frightened that he trembled all over and quickly took out a yellow talisman from his pocket.

He muttered incantations, then suddenly bit his tongue, spitting blood onto the talisman.

"boom!"

The talisman, which had not been exposed to any source of fire, spontaneously combusted in mid-air, turning into a huge fireball that illuminated the secret room!

The elders were startled and quickly stepped back.

"Did you see that?"

Cui Jue scoffed, "It's nothing more than coating talisman paper with flammable substances like white phosphorus and using blood to generate heat through friction. Such a crude trick can fool even the most ignorant men and women on the street."

"As the emperor, Li Shimin ruled over the entire country. If he wanted to find a few more skilled magicians to set up the altar in advance and create some illusions, would that be a difficult task?"

Cui Hong frowned deeply: "But how do you explain that heavenly thunder? Could such earth-shattering power be created by humans?"

"Uncle is so foolish!"

Cui Jue spoke confidently and eloquently, "Those officials in the Imperial Observatory, although they're all useless good-for-nothings who only know how to look at stars, can still predict storms and thunderstorms!"

"Li Shimin must have learned from the Imperial Observatory beforehand that a rare thunderbolt would appear at noon. So he used this to his advantage, spreading the word in advance. When the thunder struck, he naturally became the so-called Tribulation-Transcending True Immortal!"

Cui Jue spread his hands, his face full of disdain. "This is nothing more than a grand drama meticulously orchestrated by Li Shimin using celestial phenomena to deify imperial power and intimidate aristocratic families like ours!"

Hearing Cui Jue's "reasonable and well-founded" analysis...

The elders in the secret room looked at each other in bewilderment.

They were a group of beneficiaries who were unwilling to submit to the imperial power, and deep down, they were a hundred times unwilling to believe in the existence of true immortals.

Now that Cui Jue has provided a perfect "scientific explanation," this strong confirmation bias immediately eased their tense nerves considerably.

"But……"

The envoy from the Lu family of Fanyang still had some doubts. He asked in a deep voice, "That thunderbolt could be explained by celestial phenomena. But what about the golden rain that followed?!"