Yet, even with this, even though Ding Yun had only granted them a tiny sliver of benefit, merely enough to get them started in two martial arts and cultivate a trace of internal energy.
The Taoist priests and Buddhist monks present were all exhilarated.
A few were even so moved they shed tears.
They cried out that heaven had opened its eyes, and this Daoist priest had no regrets even in death!
Because they had completely misunderstood.
Before this, no matter how much they believed in the existence of immortals and gods, no matter how diligently they read scriptures and meditated, the ultimate result was always a complete lack of any miraculous manifestation, as if their cultivation had been in vain.
Many had begun to doubt years ago.
Was the notion of cultivation a lie?
Now that Ding Yun had taught them martial arts and allowed them to successfully condense internal energy, it undoubtedly made them feel that they had finally embarked on the path of cultivation. They lamented the old saying that true teachings are concise, while false ones are verbose, and concurrently and mistakenly believed that what Ding Yun had taught them were methods for ascending to immortality and becoming ancestors.
Therefore, their intense excitement at this moment was understandable.
Facing their misunderstanding, Ding Yun saw no need to explain. She merely accompanied them in some pleasantries for a while, admonishing them to shoulder their responsibilities going forward.
They were to become the leaders of the Daoist and Buddhist sects.
Only then did she send off all these dozens of people.
What followed, of course, was a period of quiet waiting, specifically for the Duke An’s army to arrive so that they could be caught in one net.
...
That evening, the Duke An’s army, dust-covered and weary, arrived a dozen miles outside the capital. Perhaps considering that the soldiers were quite fatigued and the hour was late, making an assault inconvenient, they did not advance further. Instead, they simply set up camp where they were.
They halted their advance for the time being.
Concurrently, the relevant news swiftly reached the capital. However, Ding Yun, feeling fully confident, calmly instructed all the ministers to continue their work and rest as usual.
Everything was in her hands; there was no need to worry.
However, Ding Yun’s unwavering confidence led many to believe she had completely given up the struggle. Many officials and nobles began to harbor new thoughts, even planning their next moves regarding surrender or other actions.
Only the Duke of Dingguo found himself in a rather troubled state.
He had already received a letter from the Duke of An, sent by his messenger. The letter clearly stated that if the Duke of Dingguo did not resist and instead assisted him, the Duke of An was willing to bestow upon the Duke of Dingguo the title of King of a Different Surname.
The content of the letter was quite tempting, but he was unsure if the other party would honor his promise. He was even more uncertain if, even if the promise were kept, they wouldn't discard him like a worn-out tool afterward. Kings of different surnames rarely met a good end.
In that instant, the Duke of Dingguo felt a pang of regret.
If he had known this would happen, he would have been better off dying in battle years ago, letting his son inherit the dukedom. Their family's influence would have significantly diminished, and then he wouldn't have these worries.
Of course, regardless of what everyone else was thinking.
Time continued to flow at its unhurried pace.
Except for a few who still managed to sleep through the night until dawn, most people stayed awake all night, or rather, found themselves unable to sleep at all, anxious about the uncertain future.
Then, before the morning court session even began.
The army led by the Duke of An had already set in motion and swiftly advanced. Upon reaching the outskirts of the capital, they did not immediately attack. Instead, they first sent someone to the front to loudly proclaim that the Duke of An was returning victorious and demanded the city gates be opened to welcome them.
It could only be said that the other party was truly shameless.
The imperial envoy sent by the court had been detained by them, and they didn't even know if he was alive or dead. Yet, they had the audacity to claim they were returning victorious. What was the difference between this and speaking with eyes wide open? Were they trying to fool ghosts?
However, with his proclamation, those officials who had previously contacted him began to speak in his favor, suggesting there might be some misunderstanding and that the Duke of An might not have any rebellious intentions. He hadn't attacked the capital upon arrival and intended to enter the city according to protocol.
This undoubtedly served as proof.
Why not try trusting the Duke of An?
Because the Duke of An had not yet made any overtly flagrant statements of rebellion, Ding Yun felt it was inappropriate to simply crush him with a single blow as a rebel. Therefore, after a moment of hesitation, she agreed, only stipulating that the Duke of An must restrain his soldiers, and any who harassed the populace would be executed.
Then, she directly ordered the city gates to be opened.
Ding Yun's action, however, perplexed the Duke of An. He had assumed that the information about his intention to rebel should have already reached the capital. It was impossible for the capital to allow him entry under any circumstances. That was why he had specifically sent someone to shout at the city gates.
But who would have thought that the Empress Dowager in the capital…
Actually acted as if she knew nothing and opened the gates to let him in. And not just him alone, but his entire army. This made him hesitate, and he quickly looked to his strategist, asking with considerable worry:
"Qinghe, what exactly does the Empress Dowager intend to do?
Is this the legendary Empty Fort Strategy, or does she have an ambush laid out inside? Should we enter?"
That's right, because Ding Yun had agreed so readily.
The Duke of An was now completely unable to gauge the situation inside. He didn't know if they were trying to scare them with an Empty Fort Strategy, or if there were truly ambushes within the capital.
"This..."
Xu Qinghe had never encountered such a move before either.
After a long period of careful contemplation, they decided to delay slightly. They announced that, having traveled a long distance, they were covered in dust and it was inconvenient to enter the capital directly. Therefore, they needed to wash up first and tidy their ranks before presenting themselves at court.
They then dispatched soldiers to wash up, putting on a show, while frantically trying to contact people within the capital to ascertain what had happened. Was it an Empty Fort Strategy or an ambush within?
After some more time passed, and until they were certain there were no ambushes and that most of the capital's guards were stationed along the city walls and not hidden elsewhere, the Duke of An, with his mind filled with confusion, temporarily set aside his inner anxieties. After discussing with his advisors, he agreed to enter the capital directly, preparing to head straight for the imperial palace.
First, they would capture the young emperor.
The situation had progressed to this point, and he clearly could no longer remain the Duke of An peacefully.
Therefore, he could only choose to see it through to the end.
Subsequently, they passed through the capital's city gates very smoothly, proceeding unimpeded directly towards the imperial palace.
To put it perhaps inappropriately, more accurately, they were led to the imperial palace by a group of eunuchs and palace maids. They didn't need to find their own way.
Nor did they need to attack anything.
It was so smooth that the Duke of An privately grumbled to his advisors, wondering if this Empress Dowager was utterly afraid to resist, even preparing to abdicate. Was this smooth passage simply because she didn't want to offend him and wanted to save her own life?