Upon entering the capital, and considering that the city might descend into chaos for a while, Ding Yun did not head to the palace immediately. Instead, she maintained her disguise and indulged in the capital's culinary delights for three days, sampling every renowned dish before resting for a night. Only then did she shed her disguise and make her way to the imperial palace.
The journey was, needless to say, a headlong rush.
And a headlong rush that aimed to avoid counter-attack as much as possible.
It wasn't that Ding Yun had suddenly developed a benevolent heart. It was simply that after she became emperor, she would still need these imperial guards for ceremonial purposes. If she killed them all now, she would have to recruit new ones later.
To save herself some trouble in the future.
Of course, she had to hold back a little. She would just charge forward, passively enduring their attacks, and try not to strike proactively to avoid accidentally killing a few with a casual wave.
As a result, Ding Yun's speed actually increased. After all, blindly charging forward required less effort than charging forward while also defending. It was logical that she would be faster.
Before long, Ding Yun burst into the inner court.
To put it plainly, her speed of entry was faster than that of the eunuchs who discovered the situation and rushed back to report. As she stepped in, several seconds passed before the eunuchs behind her arrived, panting, and then hesitated, unsure whether to speak.
Now that the person was already inside, would saying something be useful?
The Emperor and the officials were not blind.
"Audacious…"
"Who dares to intrude! Seize them at once!"
It must be said that Ding Yun had chosen her timing quite well; it was precisely when the officials were holding court.
Upon seeing a stranger burst in,
someone immediately shouted a reprimand.
After all, most officials were not qualified to see the princess. Although Princess Anping was renowned, her fame was only through written accounts; no one had ever specifically drawn her portrait.
Thus, they immediately began to scold her.
However, their scolding did not frighten Ding Yun. Instead, it terrified Zhao Jun and the officials who recognized Princess Anping, making them fear another complete annihilation like that of the Wei kingdom.
Therefore, someone immediately stepped forward to quell the commotion:
"Be silent! This is Princess Anping!"
"She is not an outsider! Bow down at once!"
However, Ding Yun paid no attention to their well-intentioned actions. She was still contemplating whether to directly slap Zhao Jun to death or use her points to exchange for a skill to eliminate him. While killing him would be satisfying, it would ultimately lead to the infamy of patricide.
After a moment's thought…
Ding Yun ultimately decided to eliminate him indirectly.
Preferably in a way that even if recorded in history,
no one would believe it!
Thus, the next second, she exchanged for a temporary "curse tongue" skill from the system and directly said:
"Father Emperor, it has been many days since we last met. You seem to have aged considerably, looking like an old man of eighty or ninety. Your health is likely not very good either. You must rest more, or you might not have long to live!"
After this outlandish statement,
before Zhao Jun could even become enraged, the officials were already gasping, some even crying out in shock.
Because everyone could clearly see that Zhao Jun, seated on the dragon throne, was visibly aging at an alarming rate. From looking less than forty years old due to good upkeep, he rapidly devolved into the appearance of an octogenarian or nonagenarian, with not only thinning, graying hair but also age spots.
Simultaneously, Zhao Jun himself could feel something was wrong with his body, as if his vitality were rapidly draining away. This was followed by a dull ache in his internal organs and a tickle in his throat, leading to a coughing fit that brought up dark purple blood.
It was then that he saw his hands, frail and aged, and the white, withered hair falling from his head.
He then looked at himself as if on the verge of madness,
and demanded a mirror, or something similar.
In his panicked fear, he completely forgot about Ding Yun.
"Esteemed officials, my father is so old, yet we still make him toil on this dragon throne. Is this not too much? In my opinion, Father Emperor has reached an age where he should enjoy his retirement. To show my filial piety, I shall gladly shoulder this arduous task."
"Now, I would like to hear from everyone: who agrees, and who disagrees? This will also allow me to get to know all of you."
Compared to the utter terror and disbelief on everyone's faces, Ding Yun was remarkably calm. She walked unhurriedly to the side of the dragon throne, gently pulled Zhao Jun, who was in a state of delirium, aside, and took his seat.
She spoke leisurely as she did so,
casually surveying all the ministers present.
What followed was silence. Firstly, they wanted to save face and felt hesitant to be the first to back down. Secondly, this Princess Anping was simply too terrifying. She had now displayed her fourth ability, in addition to being immune to poisons, impervious to weapons, and possessing immense strength.
This ability was akin to words becoming reality.
Facing an existence with such terrifying abilities, would their resistance be effective or meaningful? And even if they themselves died, would it implicate their family?
Coupled with the fact that some might still be dazed and their minds not yet catching up, no one immediately objected.
After a considerable pause, some individuals began to step forward.
They loudly denounced Ding Yun as a demon, destined for heavenly retribution for disrupting the order of the human realm, and accused her of treasonous misrule and cursing the sovereign, proclaiming her deserving of death.
Ding Yun showed no mercy to these brave souls.
With a casual flick of her wrist, she plucked a piece of material from the dragon throne and hurled it at them, instantly ending their lives. After three had died, the remaining ones immediately conceded. The survivors who had initially accused Ding Yun also began to prostrate themselves and beg for mercy.
"Since everyone has no objections, the Ministry of Rites should promptly prepare the abdication ceremony, the enthronement ceremony, and the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven. Oh, no, just prepare for the funeral.
Father Emperor seems to have already passed away…
Hurry and summon the imperial physicians!"
Initially, seeing that Zhao Jun was not dead, Ding Yun assumed he might linger in a semi-conscious state for another year or two. However, because she had ignored him and not called for imperial physicians to examine him, merely placing him aside and dragging on for a bit longer.
Zhao Jun, already weakened by the curse that aged him decades and afflicted him with an inexplicable serious illness, succumbed and ascended to the heavens due to the lack of timely medical treatment.
Thus, the moment Ding Yun saw him breathe his last,
she immediately changed her tune,
replacing the abdication ceremony with a funeral.
She then urged the eunuchs by her side,
"Furthermore, you few should quickly draft an imperial decree. Since Father Emperor did not object just now, he has naturally tacitly agreed to what I said. The first decree will be Father Emperor's personally appointed me as Crown Princess, to ascend the throne after his passing.
The second decree… forget it, let's just stick with this one.
The remaining decrees will be issued after I ascend the throne."