How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Duan An entered the magnificent and solemn palace, which now exuded a deathly silence.

In the main hall, the emperor sat on his throne, looking down at Duan'an with an inscrutable expression in his eyes.

Wearing armor and holding a sharp blade, Duan'an stepped into the main hall. She did not walk directly forward, but stood just a few steps inside the hall, watching her father.

Her sword was not forcibly removed by the guards, not because they didn't want to, nor because they dared not, but because as guardians of the imperial city, each of them was of noble birth. Under such circumstances, they had naturally already weighed the pros and cons, and they would certainly avoid the sharp edge of this princess who was very likely to become the ruler of the dynasty.

It's not that if someone entered the palace wielding a sharp blade, or even with a large army, they would simply pretend not to see it.

"You've arrived." The emperor looked at his daughter coldly.

Duan An looked up at him, completely unconcerned by his indifference, and simply stared at him.

In Duan'an's memory, her father was a typical cold-blooded emperor. He was always weighing everything, and even though he was extremely absurd, he still firmly controlled the court.

The concubines, sons, and daughters in the harem were nothing more than the things he valued.

He categorized everything in the world into useful or useless.

He always looked down on everyone, measuring everything before him with those cold eyes.

But now, those once clear and indifferent eyes have become the cloudy eyes of an old man, devoid of any clarity whatsoever.

In her memory, he was once a tall and imposing figure, but now he was thin and bony, like a skeleton, especially when placed on the enormous dragon throne, which made him look even thinner.

"Yes, Father, it's time for you to abdicate." Duan'an didn't make any move, only looking at him coldly as he replied.

The emperor showed no surprise whatsoever. He twitched his lips and said, "Back then, I went to great lengths to become the ruler of the world, and even laid a hand on my father. But I never expected that retribution would come, and that I would be overthrown by my own daughter."

Hearing his seemingly weak voice, Duan An coldly replied, "Do you have any other choice but me?"

The emperor's eyes seemed to clear for a moment, and his gaze pierced Duan'an like sharp blades.

Those eyes made Duan'an feel a little dazed, as if he were seeing the emperor who could once be called the wise ruler of the world.

"I have plenty of sons..." the emperor replied expressionlessly.

A hint of mockery appeared on Duan An's face: "Those idiots?"

The emperor looked at her and asked directly, "What did you do to them?"

Duan'an tilted her head, seemingly puzzled, and asked, "I am not like Father, so ruthless."

"My daughter just... whispered a few words in their ears; it was all their choice."

"Hahahaha, as expected of you, as expected of my daughter!" The emperor suddenly burst into laughter.

Duan An was not surprised by the other party's words at all, and continued to say: "The eldest prince had two sons, both of whom have died in the struggles in the inner quarters. The second prince had one son, who is probably mentally impaired by the fall. The third prince had three sons and one daughter, but unfortunately one son and one daughter died in the struggles in the inner quarters. The remaining two sons were born sickly and are probably not going to live past this year."

"The fourth son's family still has two daughters and two sons," the emperor said coldly.

Duan An nodded and said nonchalantly, "That's true. Those four children are healthy and intelligent. I really feel a little reluctant to part with them. It's a pity, but I have to make my own choice."

"What did you do?" the emperor continued to ask.

"I am merely relaying a message to the various prefectures: I am inherently weak and unsuitable for childbearing. For the sake of the stability of my throne, my crown prince will certainly come from one of these four prefectures, regardless of gender." Duan An forced a smile.

"Very well, very well..." the emperor chuckled softly, "What a brilliant scheme to achieve victory without bloodshed."

“Yes, girls have ambitions too. Since both men and women are welcome, why should they be forced to give up? Wouldn’t it be better to just eliminate the competition?” Duan An continued.

"Are you really infertile?" the emperor continued to ask.

“Nothing in this world is absolute; just because something is unsuitable doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” Duan An continued.

The emperor slowly exhaled and leaned back, as if he had exhausted all his strength.

He looked at Duan An, a hint of pity on his face: "Your brothers are all idiots, so don't take their lives."

Duan An looked at him and didn't reply for a long time. It wasn't until he seemed to understand and a look of disappointment appeared on his face that he finally said, "Then why don't you let your brother go?"

The emperor was taken aback by her question before a bitter smile appeared on his face: "I regret it too..."

As he spoke, he beckoned to Duan'an: "Father has not seen you for many years. Come forward a few steps, let me see you again..."

Duan An's expression relaxed, as if he was moved.

The emperor looked behind her, as if he saw another person in her, and slowly said, "He Yunxi... Yunniang..."

Duan An moved his foot, as if he was about to step forward.

A deep, unfathomable glint flashed in the emperor's eyes, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by a deep, affectionate look.

Duan An seemed oblivious to the unusual movement and was about to bring his foot down.

Can……

To the emperor's disappointment, Duan'an slowly put her foot back in place.

His expression changed drastically, and he stared intently at Duan An with a sinister look in his eyes.

A smile appeared on Duan'an's face as he slowly said, "Father, I am no longer the child who craved fatherly love."

The emperor glared at her fiercely and rebuked her, "If you want my throne, you'd better see if you have the life to back it up."

After saying that, he clapped his hands.

The surroundings were completely silent, which caused a look of surprise to flash across his face.

Duan'an smiled and replied, "Father, as I said, I'm not that child anymore, so... I'm not stupid either."

The emperor's face was extremely ugly. He sat on the dragon throne, panting heavily, staring intently at Duan'an, as if he wanted to tear her to pieces.

Duan'an looked back at him, and for a moment there was complete silence.

Perhaps a long time had passed, or perhaps not long, when the sound of footsteps came.

The emperor looked at that familiar figure, a look of anticipation flashing across his face.

Unfortunately, the man walked up to Duan'an and handed him the imperial edict and the jade seal: "Your Majesty."

"Wen Shi!" The emperor looked at his former imperial concubine and was so angry that he almost fainted. He gripped the dragon throne tightly and dared not relax for a moment.

Just as the emperor was focusing his attention on Consort Wen and Duan'an, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest.

A woman with a skeletal face, pale complexion, and sickly appearance gritted her teeth and pulled a sharp blade from his heart.

"You...you..." The emperor tried to raise his hand, but failed.

"Consort Zhang!" The woman had only pulled out her sharp blade a few moments before collapsing to the ground.

Duan'an and Consort Wen quickly stepped forward to support her.