The Empress Dowager asked with a worried expression, "Have you inquired about the origin of the Gu poison?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Jiangli also realized this point.
Gu poison is rare to begin with, so its origin is naturally very important.
She suddenly paused, as if something had suddenly come to mind.
“Your Majesty, I remember that when the Empress gave me this gourd, she mentioned that it was a gift from a friend of hers, and that she was giving it to me in return.”
The emperor was not surprised at all.
"Yes, what she said wasn't a lie."
“Song Wanshan’s sweetheart is the Left Deputy General of the Cavalry Battalion, who was born in Miao territory. If nothing unexpected happens, the Gu worms came from him.”
Gu Jiangli was startled.
"But after the Empress entered the palace, she had no chance to meet her beloved."
"Could it be that this deputy general gave her the jade gourd containing the Gu worm before she entered the palace?"
"But why would he do that?"
"If the Empress uses his things to harm people, and it is discovered, doesn't he know how serious that crime is?"
This thing is incredibly powerful; the emperor survived because she had the system to assist her.
But if anyone else had encountered the Empress's methods, they would have been doomed.
The deputy general actually allowed the empress to bring such a dangerous item into the palace; his intentions were clearly malicious.
The emperor, intending to answer her question, said slowly and deliberately:
"Actually, after the Empress entered the Crown Prince's residence, she never saw him again."
"In other words, this dangerous jade gourd was already in Song Wanshan's hands before she entered the Crown Prince's residence."
"No matter who this jade gourd was used to harm, as long as it is found that the Empress was the one who did it, she will inevitably be punished."
"As long as the Empress is convicted, he will have the opportunity to stir up trouble in front of the Song family and create the illusion that the royal family is deliberately making things difficult for the Song family."
Gu Jiangli listened attentively, and was utterly shocked after hearing it.
"Your Majesty means that this deputy general is exploiting the Empress's hatred to incite conflict between the royal family and the Song family. His purpose is..."
The emperor spoke calmly, uttering two words that sent chills down one's spine:
"rebellion."
The Empress Dowager's body trembled.
She never expected that an empress would cause such a huge commotion.
"Your Majesty...we must arrest the Song family as soon as possible. It will be too late once they gather their troops."
The emperor remained calm and composed, his expression suggesting he had been prepared all along.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. The Song family and the deputy general of the Flying Cavalry Battalion have already been secretly detained by me yesterday. They will be fine."
The Empress Dowager gently patted her chest, "That's good, that's good."
Gu Jiangli slightly raised her head to look at the emperor.
He discovered these hidden conspiracies and resolved them quietly.
His thoughts and ideas were always one step ahead of others; no wonder he could so easily discern her inner thoughts.
He was adept at judging people and possessed great talent and strategic acumen.
For an emperor to reach such a level, he was truly among the best.
Gu Jiangli rarely sincerely admires anyone, but she truly doesn't hold back her praise for this emperor.
"Your Majesty's wisdom and foresight ensure that the Great Jiang will be safe and sound for a hundred years."
A barely perceptible smile appeared at the corner of the emperor's eyes.
"If Li'er hadn't discovered the 'wolf' that is the Empress, I wouldn't have so easily realized the sinister intentions of the deputy general of the cavalry."
Gu Jiangli shook his head modestly.
He then asked, "What does Your Majesty intend to do with the Song family and that deputy general?"
The emperor did not hesitate, as if he had already made his decision long ago.
"The deputy general was suspected of having malicious intentions from the beginning, so it would be best to kill him. As for the Song family, we can use this incident to strip them of their titles and reclaim their military power."
"The men of the Song family will be executed in the autumn, but the women... let them live."
Gu Jiangli nodded silently without saying a word.
The emperor suddenly added, "Won't Li'er think I'm cruel?"
Gu Jiangli smiled and shook his head. "No, according to common sense, the Empress's act of falsely conveying an imperial edict and poisoning His Majesty is already a serious crime that could implicate nine generations of her family."
"His Majesty has already shown extraordinary mercy by sparing the women of the Song family."
"Your Majesty must think that the women of the Song family are incapable of participating in the various decisions made by the men of the Song family, so they should not bear the blame for these crimes, right?"
Gu Jiangli understood that the emperor was never a cold-blooded and ruthless person.
Although he has a cold exterior, he is a good person at heart.
The emperor did not deny it, "It's good that Li'er understands."
————
The Empress and the men of the Song family were executed in the autumn.
The Empress's actions were revealed to everyone, and Gu Jiangli's mother's innocence was thus cleared.
After the Empress and the Song family were sentenced to death, her system, Zizai, reappeared on its own initiative.
[Congratulations on completing the covert mission! The extra reward points have been credited to your account.]
Gu Jiangli smiled, knowing that the Empress's storyline wasn't so simple.
"The fact that it can be called a hidden mission suggests that the Empress's character's trajectory probably plays a very important role."
Yes, my dear, the Empress is a very important figure in this world, and she will play a decisive role in the future downfall of the Great Jiang Dynasty.
[According to the original storyline, the Empress's poison would be used on the Empress Dowager, and upon the Empress Dowager's death, the entire country would mourn.]
The Song family, taking advantage of the emperor's grief over the empress dowager's death, launched a rebellion. The empress, along with the Song family and the deputy general, colluded to assassinate the emperor.
"Huh? That sounds so hasty! And the Queen is so crazy."
[My dear, I thought you already knew the Empress was a bit crazy.]
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