Jiang Yun rattled off three names in one breath, and the Empress Dowager's surprise deepened. She murmured, "The leader of the White Lotus Sect, the Fourteenth Prince, and Rong Mama?"
With each word spoken, the Empress Dowager's heart trembled violently, especially when she spoke the names of the Fourteenth Prince and Rong Momo, which evoked a mixture of resentment and doubt in her voice.
The Empress Dowager asked, "What is the connection between these three people?"
"The leader of the White Lotus Sect is connected with the Fourteenth Prince. As for whether Rong Momo has any connection with the two of them, it cannot be determined at present, but according to Huazhi and Lin Hai."
"Lian'er, the persimmon cakes you ate were indeed sent by Her Majesty the Empress, and the one who poisoned them was none other than Rong Momo herself."
Despite lying, Jiang Yun remained calm and composed. She had long hated Rong Momo, that old witch, and the White Lotus Sect wanted to take advantage of the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Empress.
Jiang Yun found out about it, but she would definitely use it to her advantage, find a way to get rid of Rong Momo, and then try to extricate the Empress from the matter, making the Empress owe her a favor.
"Granny Rong poisoned me, Jiang Yun, do you have any evidence?" The Empress Dowager's tightly furrowed brows relaxed again, after decades of ups and downs.
Having weathered countless palace intrigues, the Empress Dowager naturally wouldn't be too worried about such matters once she knew the culprit.
"There is evidence." Jiang Yun nodded firmly. "According to the testimony of the Empress's maid Huazhi, Rong Momo often secretly met with Lin Hai, and the two were very close."
Lin Hai is a member of the White Lotus Rebellion. I have hidden him in my room, and after a secret interrogation, he confessed to being a member of the White Lotus Rebellion.
"Hmm." The Empress Dowager regained her usual majesty and nodded, then asked, "What's the matter between the White Lotus Sect leader and the Fourteenth Prince?"
When the Empress Dowager asked about this, Jiang Yun truthfully replied, "The leader of the White Lotus Sect and the Fourteenth Prince are in a relationship of mutual exploitation, in accordance with the plans of this group of rebels."
The original intention was to use the Soul-Binding Pill to confuse your mind, then control you and use you as a hostage to blackmail the emperor.
The plan was to put the emperor in a dilemma, thereby forcing him to abdicate and installing his fourteenth uncle, the fourteenth prince, on the throne, ultimately overthrowing the Qing Dynasty.
"Hmph, what a vicious scheme. But didn't you say later that there was some kind of hallucinogenic drug in my body? And that when the two poisons are neutralized, it becomes... becomes..." The Empress Dowager asked rhetorically. As for Yin Xiao's Half-Step Intoxication, the Empress Dowager could never bring herself to say it.
"Yes, according to the normal plan, Cui Lian should have sprinkled a bewitching pill into the white fungus and lotus seed soup you were drinking, in order to confuse your mind."
As for hallucinogenic drugs, they are also a type of poison that can induce hallucinations. I suspect that Rong Momo must have been overly ambitious and eager for quick success.
She wanted to demonstrate her loyalty to the White Lotus Sect by drugging you, but unfortunately, Cui Lian also drugged you at that moment. The two drugs neutralized each other, and then…" Jiang Yun explained.
"Hmm, that makes sense. But how did you find out that Lin Hai is a member of the White Lotus Sect?" the old lady asked curiously.
"It's like this…" Jiang Yun told the Empress Dowager about yesterday's events, "Your Majesty, I was on patrol yesterday."
They noticed a strange man in black looking around suspiciously. Soon after, the man in black entered the dense forest behind Xishan Temple.
Lin Hai had been waiting there for some time. Upon seeing the man in black, he immediately bowed, addressing him as "Master Han" and referring to himself as his subordinate.
Jiang Yun naturally dealt with the reincarnator surnamed Han, because Jiang Yun knew one thing.
That is, outsiders might not be able to withstand the torture in the palace, so Jiang Yun still got rid of him!
Jiang Yun's connection with Rong Momo stemmed from another reason: Rong Momo was the Empress's wise confidante.
If we don't deal with her, how can we deal with the Empress?