The Emperor stopped himself from speaking, a hint of curiosity and anticipation flashing in his eyes, as he waited silently for the little girl to reveal her true feelings.
Standing at the head of the court officials, Prime Minister Qin frowned slightly upon hearing his daughter's heartfelt words, his gaze fixed intently on the Daoist Master Kongming.
He wondered to himself: He had always paid close attention to Luo'er's every move, so how come he had never known that she had met such an extraordinary person with a celestial air?
Upon hearing Qin Qianluo's question, which was full of doubts, 001 chuckled, his laughter seemingly carrying a mockery of Kongming's fraudulent behavior.
"Luo Bao, think about it carefully. Doesn't this scene and these words sound just like those swindlers from the past?"
Let me mention a few names, such as Xu Fu, who tricked the First Emperor into going to sea to find the elixir of immortality from the mythical mountain.
There was also Li Shaojun, who, with his so-called magic arts such as ancestral temples, valley pathways, and anti-aging remedies, bewitched Emperor Wu of Han into listening to his every word.
Luan Da was no less despicable, fabricating all sorts of absurd lies, claiming he could communicate with the gods, and swindling countless riches and honors from them.
And Lu Sheng, also a sorcerer during the Qin Dynasty, fooled the emperor with lies about the fairy mountains at sea and the elixir of immortality.
Now look at this clear, empty space again; do you see their shadows there?
After being reminded by 001, Qin Qianluo suddenly realized, "I knew it felt so familiar. It turns out it's exactly the same as what those infamous sorcerers do!"
Just a few days ago I carefully studied the historical records of Xu Fu deceiving the First Emperor, and I never expected to encounter such a similar situation today.
Could this Master Kongming also be a charlatan masquerading as a Taoist, or is he truly a disciple of Taoism?
001 rummaged through the documents and said disdainfully, "Luo Bao, don't be fooled by this empty appearance."
He has absolutely no connection with Taoism; he's nothing but a complete charlatan.
He only had a slight understanding of rudimentary chemistry, yet he attempted to use it to deceive the public and seek personal gain.
The miraculous elixirs he touted were actually no different from the poisons concocted by alchemists in the past—all extremely harmful to the human body.
Take, for example, the so-called elixir he was about to present to the emperor; its ingredients were incredibly varied.
There is cinnabar, which, although brightly colored, actually contains highly toxic mercury sulfide; there is mercury, a liquid metal that is highly volatile and extremely toxic.
There was also a small amount of gold, but that was just a smokescreen he used to create an air of mystery. Realgar was also in it, and its main component, arsenic disulfide, is also toxic.
In addition, he mixed in some ginseng and lingzhi in an attempt to mask the taste of other poisons and create the illusion that the elixir had nourishing effects.
What's even more disgusting is that he went so far as to add filth such as placenta and children's urine, and then forcibly melted these ingredients into blocks using high temperatures.
To help the lump take shape and look more presentable, he added some honey.
After polishing, it was disguised as a round, elixir-like object.
The presence of realgar and gold gives this elixir a yellowish hue with a hint of red.
At first glance, it seems to have a mysterious air about it, but in reality, it contains a deadly poison.
If the Emperor was truly deceived by him and took this elixir, judging from the Emperor's current physical condition...
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they can probably hold on for another year or two.
Of course, this is on the premise that Kongming did not recklessly increase the dosage afterwards.
If he were to recklessly increase the amount of poison in the elixir, the emperor probably wouldn't even survive six months; he would die a natural death.
Upon hearing 001's detailed explanation, Qin Qianluo's gaze involuntarily turned to Kongming, who was standing in the center of the hall, and a complex sense of "admiration" appeared in her eyes.
She exclaimed, "This old man is truly brave! It's obvious he's aiming directly at poisoning the emperor. He's acting so recklessly and without any scruples."
However, it's understandable that he dared to act this way, since emperors throughout history have found it hard to resist the temptation of immortality and longevity.
It is not entirely incomprehensible that the emperor would trust him so easily and fall into such a deception.
Consider Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, both great rulers who were powerful and influential, yet they failed to see through the sweet talk and schemes of those sorcerers, and were manipulated by them.
Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, who ushered in the Zhenguan era of prosperity and was so wise and powerful, also harbored fantasies about the art of immortality and was ultimately deceived by those alchemists.
"Now that His Majesty holds such a high position, it is only natural that he could succumb to such temptations."
001 looked at Kongming with some disdain and said, "What old man? Luo Bao, don't be fooled by his disguise."
This guy's white hair and beard were all carefully disguised. In reality, he was only thirty years old, in his prime. He just used this otherworldly appearance to deceive people's trust.
He even boasted that he was the 19th generation direct disciple of Yunshui Temple, which is utterly absurd!
The Taoist priests of Yunshui Temple have always devoted themselves to cultivation within the temple, following the doctrines and traditions of Taoism. None of them would go around swindling and deceiving people like him, wandering from place to place.
Moreover, Yunshui Temple has a well-established lineage, with clear records and lineage for each generation of disciples. There is no such person as him, let alone a direct disciple.
This farce he staged is probably the worst attack on Taoism in history.
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