Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Where does Chapter 14 come from?

"boom!"

Emperor Jingtai suddenly kicked the table in front of him, causing the plates and bowls on the table to jump and roll, making a clattering sound. Everyone hurriedly knelt down, trembling with fear.

For a long time, the only sound in the air was Emperor Jingtai's angry panting!
[Oh no! I knew I shouldn't have said that! But does the emperor really value his ministers that much? It's like he's extending his affection to everything related to the emperor. But Yu Lang is truly disgusting. He was just a newly appointed scholar who encountered some noble ladies watching the parade, and he treated them so badly! It's disgusting! Thank goodness he's dead; if he weren't, I would have stabbed him too! Scum!]

[Don't they care about girls' reputations these days? And even their mistresses are treated like this, it's disgusting! Wait! Is this bastard planning to use these pictures to blackmail people? Especially the wives and daughters of wealthy families...]

Emperor Jingtai's mood, which had been slightly relaxed, suddenly took a rollercoaster ride, with ups and downs.

The fact that he didn't breathe fire at this moment was already the greatest restraint he could muster.

Where is Yu Lang's body? I want him to be torn to pieces!
The surroundings were quiet, and everyone cautiously watched Emperor Jingtai's reaction, their hearts heavy with the oppressive atmosphere.

At that moment, Emperor Jingtai snapped out of his daze and slammed his fist on the table!
"presumptuous!"

"Crash!"

The crowd was already kneeling properly, and now they were practically prostrating themselves on the ground.

Emperor Jingtai transformed into a desktop cleaning master, sweeping everything on the table and dumping it all on the floor, creating a truly appalling mess.

"Yu Lang is a lawless, wicked, and beastly man! He deserves to die!"

That's it!

Hearing this, Jiu Que breathed a sigh of relief. At least those innocent girls wouldn't be implicated by Yu Lang.

Once His Majesty calmed down, he simply sent everyone to live in a side hall. Although it was somewhat inappropriate, who dared to say anything at a time like this? Thus, Jiu Que and the others were able to get a good night's sleep. The only one who couldn't even sleep well at night was Wei Yuan.

After the three men left, Wei Yuan was secretly summoned back and told Emperor Jingtai everything he had seen that day, which resulted in a long silence from the emperor.

Although he wasn't present, Emperor Jingtai could deduce the scene from Wei Yuan's words. He already knew the rest, but Ying Jiuque's words of comforting the residents of Tonghua Lane still shocked him.

After returning, Ying Jiuque didn't even bother to think about the matter, indicating that it was truly a simple matter for her, so natural that she wasn't surprised at all. The key issue, however, is that there are simply no officials in the world who can truly live in harmony with ordinary people. This is understandable during peaceful times, but before he became emperor, it wasn't uncommon for soldiers to kill civilians and claim credit for their crimes. Even during the struggle for power, one rebel army never worried about food supplies because they routinely used captured civilians as food.

We cook it during regular work hours and then it's ready to eat!
Therefore, the people of that time were most afraid of seeing soldiers or officials. Emperor Jingtai had been pondering for years whose empire it truly belonged to. Scholars always said that the emperor was the son of heaven, acting on behalf of Heaven. But if the empire truly belonged to the emperor, why did he encounter so many incompetent and despicable people in his youth? At that time, the last emperor was still indulging in pleasure in the palace. As the son of heaven, couldn't he see that the world was filled with suffering and the people were living in misery?
It's one thing for the emperor to be blind, but what about the ministers who assisted him in governing the country? Why couldn't they see them either?
Although the thirteen years of imperial life had indeed made him very pampered, and few ministers dared to disobey him as an emperor with real power, for some reason, Emperor Jingtai still felt a chill when he thought of the tragic state of the last emperor's reign, and often felt a sense of helplessness and being trapped in a quagmire.

So here's the question: why does Ying Jiuque, who has always lived in such a world, have a different understanding from most people? Don't say that he grew up in the village and never had any contact with the outside world. The more isolated he is, the more he can understand the cruelty of the world, right?
Although Ying Jiuque occasionally revealed a death wish, his behavior was unusually different from that of ordinary people. Coupled with this strange inner voice that only he could hear, it seemed... as if he wasn't from this world?

That must be a world far, far better than this one, so much better that a girl of marriageable age could still possess a naturally innocent heart. Otherwise, she wouldn't have stuffed the drawing away so tightly.

But does that mean the paradise of the immortals that those Taoist priests and monks talked about really exists?

With these random thoughts swirling in his mind, Emperor Jingtai felt agitated. Seeing Wei Yuan kneeling respectfully to one side, he simply told him to leave first.

"Continue the investigation tomorrow! Find out exactly how many dirty deeds that Yu Lang has done!"

Wei Yuan moved his lips, seemingly wanting to offer some advice, but ultimately said nothing and turned to leave.

However, Jiu Fu couldn't help but bring it up while carefully serving His Majesty tea.

“Your Majesty, Yu Lang is indeed despicable; even I find him hateful. However, he was, after all, the top scholar selected through rigorous processes. If his misdeeds were made public, wouldn't it damage the reputation of the court…”

Emperor Jingtai rubbed his temples, dismissing the matter with disdain.

"Face? What face does the imperial court have left! The loss is only for those few examiners! And the Ministry of Rites! How could they have arranged the exams to select people like these? Are there no other talented people in the world?"

Emperor Jingtai was always pragmatic and didn't care much about face. Besides, should those innocent women be denied justice because of this?
Yu Lang should really be glad he died, otherwise, Emperor Jingtai would have torn him to pieces!

Calming down, Emperor Jingtai glanced at the case files that the Golden Armor Guards had uncovered that day, especially Ying Jiuque's actions, and couldn't help but smile.

"This child did a good job."

Jiu Fu glanced at her quietly, firmly memorizing the name Ying Jiu Que. Few people receive His Majesty's attention; this little girl named Ying Jiu Que is truly lucky. As His Majesty's most trusted eunuch, he must always keep a close eye on the Emperor's likes and dislikes.

That night.

Although there had been a commotion during the day, it was late at night, and most of the lights in Tonghua Lane were off. Yunniang was one of the few who stayed up all night. She kept glancing towards the doorway, her face showing a worry and tension she hadn't seen during the day. She paced back and forth, her long, slender, fair hands kneading until they were red. She'd never noticed before, how could that official be so responsible? It was so late and he wasn't even resting…

Suddenly, in the dim light, a pair of hands grasped hers.

(End of this chapter)