Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 165 Strange Phenomena at Birth

The Prince of Binyang was quite rational. After all, he only killed a few insignificant northern barbarians, which was just to scare the Left Prince. He didn't even touch the fake prince. To be honest, Jiu Que admired him.

The King of Binyang calmly sheathed his sword, his expression even somewhat gentle. However, his face, which was so thin and bony that it looked sickly, was rather frightening.

"Prince Zuo, of course I won't kill you. Your life is for my father to decide."

For years, the cavalry of the Great Jing Dynasty has been weak, not because the soldiers were incompetent, but because they lacked good horses. Strangely enough, for some reason, the horses raised on the grasslands are far superior in both endurance and load-bearing capacity to those raised in the Great Jing. This is probably because the grasslands have vast open spaces for horses to roam freely and offer superior breeds. Having finally captured a Left Prince of considerable stature, if they could exchange him for enough horses, it would be worthwhile.

Jiu Que and the Prince of Binyang had the same idea. However, this prince had suffered for three whole years, yet he was still able to sort out his thoughts the moment he woke up, and he didn't even take his anger out on others. He was truly a hero among men.

The fake prince stared blankly at the Prince of Binyang. It was the same old story. No matter how much pain and torment this man endured, he remained composed. Didn't this just make him appear utterly useless in comparison?
Since this world has given birth to such a foolish and mediocre mortal as him, why must there be such a hero as the King of Binyang? He always felt ashamed whenever he saw the other.

The Prince of Binyang's gaze didn't even linger on the fake prince. He merely glanced at the dazed man, then quietly returned to his bed, letting Xie Mingchen continue to treat him.

It was precisely because of his behavior that the fake prince's expression became even more unpleasant. How could he tolerate such an arrogant attitude? But before he could even bark, he was startled by the cold glance that Jiu Que gave him.

Jiu Que slowly withdrew her gaze. Although she desperately needed a witness, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't give this fake prince another beating if he continued to provoke her. Torturing a hero like the Prince of Binyang to this extent, even if he was forced into it, would be hard to forgive.

"Jiu Que, is that your name? I remember General Ying mentioning your name."

In fact, the Prince of Binyang had a very deep impression of Jiu Que. Firstly, because she was General Ying Chongming's only daughter, and secondly, because General Ying said he had a dream the night his daughter was born. In the dream, there was a misty, mystical palace where dragons and phoenixes circled, cranes soared, and even enormous fish, seemingly endless, swam in the clouds. The palace was filled with a strange fragrance, which, it was said, lingered for three months after the child's birth—a truly miraculous sight. Although they had never met Ying Jiu Que, they loved hearing General Ying talk about his daughter. He said she was precocious, acting like a little adult even at a young age, intelligent and capable. Of course, at the time, they all assumed it was because General Ying, as a mother, was overly fond of his daughter.

Whenever a great person is born, extraordinary phenomena always occur. For example, with Jiu Que, this news was kept tightly under wraps, known only to a few close friends. At that time, it was during a period of war and chaos, and spreading the extraordinary phenomena surrounding Jiu Que's birth might cause unnecessary trouble. Therefore, they kept it to themselves and did not tell anyone else.

Jiu Que's heart stirred. She had rarely heard others mention General Ying before, especially the Lin family. They seemed hesitant to mention his name and could only force themselves to forget it. Jiu Que subconsciously asked a question.

What did my mother say about me?

"You..."

"They say you were remarkably composed at such a young age, managing your little courtyard with impeccable discipline, impervious to any disturbance. They also say you were kind-hearted, never arbitrarily scolding or beating the servants. And they say you were very filial, always personally preparing a bowl of longevity noodles for General Ying on his birthday. Of course, although the taste wasn't great, General Ying always ate it all up." Recalling these past events, a nostalgic expression appeared on the Prince of Binyang's face. He hadn't thought of these old stories for many years; if he hadn't remembered them today, he would have thought he had completely forgotten them. Now, it seemed that those years were indeed hard for people like them to forget.

Looking at the young girl before him, Prince Binyang noticed a resemblance of six parts to General Ying. It was truly a case of mother and daughter; especially when the girl put on a stern face, her expressionless demeanor was even more striking.

Speaking of the King of Binyang, I feel somewhat ashamed.

"After returning to the capital, I went to see you, since you are General Ying's only daughter and I am your uncle. However, we are not related by blood, and I had to consider your reputation. After a few visits, some rumors started to circulate, so I stopped going. Asking again now seems a bit redundant, but I still want to ask you, how have you been all these years?"

The Prince of Binyang was an upright and honest man, but he spoke in a veiled and secretive manner. Jiu Que immediately realized that there might be something he had left unsaid.

Thinking back to my home situation, I immediately understood.

"Could it be that guy surnamed Lin who said it?"

In her memories, Gen rarely interacted with unfamiliar elders. It must be that the man surnamed Lin didn't want her, as General Ying Chongming's daughter, to have any dealings with these powerful figures, so he resorted to such a low-level tactic. Men, if they're inferior to their wives in some way, they wish everyone in the world were blind to the difference.

Seeing the prince nod with difficulty, Jiu Que became even more certain, cursed under his breath, and then changed the subject.

"Your Highness, now that you have awakened, are you able to take care of the affairs in Yancheng? There are still many people who are forcibly imprisoned in the salt fields and are suffering terribly. Every moment, people are dying because they cannot bear the torment. If you can still give orders, we hope that you can quickly gather the troops in Yancheng and rescue the suffering people inside."

"It's natural."

When discussing serious matters, the Prince of Binyang was very serious. He glanced at Zhao Gou silently, and the imposing aura that spread silently without him needing to speak made the guilty man tremble.

Zhao Gou originally thought that as long as he was willing to cooperate, he could save his life. However, when he saw the prince who had woken up and was reluctant to even give him a glance, he suddenly realized that his uncle was not going to protect him.
He lunged forward and hugged the bed leg, then began to wail at the top of his lungs.

"Second Uncle! Second Uncle, please save my life. I really didn't mean to, I was deceived and threatened by that fake prince, and I had no choice but to do it!"

(End of this chapter)