Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 179 Utterly Shameless

When Minister Chen spoke of his sorrows, he wept uncontrollably, a sight that would move anyone who heard or saw him to tears. He even pulled down the collar of his official robes, revealing several bright red fingernail marks, like cat scratches, clearly visible between his neck and collarbone—a sight that looked painful.

Jiu Fu glanced over and felt a sharp pain in his neck.

I heard that Minister Chen's home is extremely quiet, with only his wife of nearly thirty years and their six children. In those days, people believed that many children meant many blessings, but even so, all six children were born to his legal wife and grew up safely and peacefully, which was a first in the capital.

I'd heard before that Minister Chen was quite afraid of his wife, but I didn't believe it then. Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I do believe it. However, his wife's temper is too much. You have to understand that Minister Chen is a high-ranking official, a powerful figure in the court, a person of great importance. It's really inappropriate for her to resort to violence so easily.

Sure enough, when I secretly glanced at His Majesty, his face had turned ashen.

Emperor Jingtai let out a heavy sigh and waved for Minister Chen to rise. This old man wasn't complaining about being beaten and scolded by his wife at home; he'd come to him to lodge a complaint.

"I remember your youngest daughter is only fourteen years old this year."

"Exactly."

When Minister Chen got up, he staggered slightly, looking quite old. Jiu Fu felt a pang of pity and was also puzzled. How come he remembered that Minister Chen was a few years younger than His Majesty? Just now, when the ministers were making their move, Minister Chen was still vigorous and powerful, his fists clenched with ferocity. How come he suddenly looked so old now?
Emperor Jingtai was so angry he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, stop pretending in front of me. I know what you mean. You can leave the palace now. I will give you a satisfactory answer to this matter."

Minister Chen wiped away his tears, looked up at His Majesty with a wronged expression, and when he found His Majesty looking at him in return, he couldn't help but sigh, everything understood without words. Although he also sympathized with His Majesty, his precious daughter was now in dire straits, and saving his own family was the priority. As for that prince…

Heh, did he really think he could force me to stand on the same side as him using such underhanded methods? That Consort De is said to be of outstanding virtue, gentle and obedient, always a model for all the concubines in the harem. But a few days ago, when he summoned his own wife for a talk, he showed absolutely no mercy. In his words and actions, he belittled his precious daughter to the point of worthlessness. He even deliberately left his wife waiting, and afterwards, her legs ached for several nights. Minister Chen was heartbroken!

Looking at his seventh son, who was frowning and sighing, and then at his beloved daughter, who was crying and terrified, Minister Chen felt a surge of anger. Even if the other party was a prince, using such methods was far too despicable. Did they really think he, Minister Chen, was just a roughneck who only knew brute force? Of course, on the other hand, Minister Chen trusted Emperor Jingtai very much; he was not the kind of person who would force others.

Once Minister Chen had walked away, Emperor Jingtai gave his orders in a cold voice.

"Investigate Consort De and the First Prince. What terrible things have they done these past few days?" In fact, ever since he obtained evidence that the First Prince was colluding with Liang Heng, the prefect of Qianzhou, and the fake Prince of Binyang, and even doing business with the Northern Barbarians, the First Prince was already a dead man in his eyes. If it were just greed for money, that would be one thing, but he shouldn't have sold the economic lifeline of Dajing and innocent women to the Northern Barbarians.

They are currently fighting against the Northern Barbarians. What are the frontier soldiers working so hard to guard the border for? Isn't it for the countless people behind them? They fight desperately on the battlefield for the safety of their wives and children. But the eldest prince, not only does he not care about his own people, he even sells them to the cruel Northern Barbarians! Those are all Han women! During times of war, while the men are fighting, women are responsible for everything at home, from the big and small affairs to farming. Without them, where would the stable rear be, where would the continuous supply of food and clothing come from?

Each and every one of them is invaluable. What right does the leader have to sell them to the enemy?!
Moreover, the trade also involved salt and iron! Even if you gave the Rejuvenation Pill to the Northern Barbarians, Emperor Jingtai could still find an excuse for the eldest prince.

After the secret guards delivered the investigation results, Emperor Jingtai flew into a rage.

"Good, good, truly good. You truly are my good son and good concubine!"

Jiu Fu swallowed hard, sensing that His Majesty was about to lose his temper. What terrible thing had the First Prince and Consort De done to make His Majesty so angry? But he didn't need to guess anymore, because the next moment Emperor Jingtai flew into a rage.

"A prince of such high standing, unable to win over court officials, yet resorting to such underhanded tactics to ruin someone's daughter's reputation! What's the point of this, abducting her? The Chen family's daughter fell into the water at the banquet five days ago. She's a capable girl; she climbed out on her own and even found a room to change clothes, avoiding outsiders. That scoundrel, instead of playing the hero, barged into her changing room. And what's with the innocent act?!"

"If that's the case, then so be it. Nothing clearly happened between the two of them, and they kept quiet, so who would know? But the next day, the whole capital knew that the Chen family's daughter had been disrespectful in front of the First Prince and had been seen naked by him?"

"Pah! How dare you use such despicable methods on a fourteen-year-old girl! You're unworthy of being a son! I don't have such a shameless son!"

No wonder Old Chen looked so pitiful just now, and didn't dare to say it directly. It must have been difficult for him to beat around the bush.

That idiot, does he really think that getting Old Chen on board before I deal with him will save his life? How foolish and ignorant! Even if this tactic succeeds, does he really think he'll gain a maternal family member who'll be completely devoted to him? The Chen family woman—her background, temperament, appearance, and virtue—is she not worthy of being a principal wife? Why should she marry a nearly thirty-year-old prince as a concubine?!

And that Consort De, she always acted so proper, you'd really think she was a virtuous woman, but who knew she'd secretly learned the art of using both kindness and severity. Old Chen's wife knows martial arts, though. When Old Chen was robbed, it was she who stepped in, killing the bandit in just a few moves and saving the whole family. Doesn't she fear angering him, that she might just stab him to death, you bastard!

Furthermore, Old Chen and his wife have been loving and devoted to each other their entire lives, and he has never taken a concubine. His five sons each have only one legal wife, and the family is known for its upright character; they certainly wouldn't want their precious daughter to marry into a family with such complicated relationships. The eldest son's family has nearly twenty wives and concubines combined—how dare they come up with this idea! I am ashamed for you!

(End of this chapter)