Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 180 He's just a child.

I was originally thinking of dealing with the boss later to save him some face, but now it seems that there's no need to save face anymore.

"Summon Consort De and the First Prince here!"

Emperor Jingtai was so angry that he stopped speaking even as "I, the Emperor." Jiufu hurriedly rushed out to summon them. Before long, the mother and son arrived in a hurry. Perhaps having anticipated this, the mother and son were extremely obedient and docile at this moment, and immediately came forward to apologize.

Emperor Jingtai looked at them with a half-smile.

"No need, I can't accept your courtesy."

"Why do you say such a thing, Father? Your son is terrified."

"I am terrified."

"Fear? I see you are not afraid at all, but rather quite pleased with yourselves. Look at the entire court, who else is as resourceful as you, managing to win over Chen Mo with just a little trick, and even arrange a marriage between you?"

Consort De and the eldest prince exchanged a glance, realizing that His Majesty already knew about her little scheme. Taking a deep breath, Consort De decided to strike first.

She spoke with a beaming smile.

"Your Majesty, I was just about to report this matter to you. As you know, the eldest son is not young, but his wives and concubines are all unworthy, not even having given birth to a daughter. How can I, as a mother, not worry about this? I happened to meet the Chen family's daughter at the banquet a few days ago; she is exceptionally beautiful, virtuous, and of outstanding birth. Wouldn't she be a perfect match? Of course, I know that Minister Chen and his wife dote on this daughter, so they were preparing to give her the position of a secondary consort to the prince, which would not be an insult to the child. I had discussed this matter with Minister Chen's wife before, and they were also willing. I was just looking for an opportunity to discuss it with Your Majesty, so how did Your Majesty find out beforehand? Has Minister Chen changed his mind?"

Look at how Consort De spoke! She was tactful and subtle, and she secretly laid many traps for Minister Chen by making several complaints against him.

If Chen Mo were to say he was unwilling to marry his daughter to the eldest prince, wouldn't that be breaking his promise? His impression in front of His Majesty would immediately suffer. It must be said that Consort De, having lived in the palace for many years, was indeed worthy of her reputation; after all, she was a daughter of a noble family before entering the palace. She certainly possessed some skill in palace intrigue. It's just a pity that she encountered Emperor Jingtai.

"That's very well said, and it makes a lot of sense."

Before the mother and son could show any surprise, Emperor Jingtai's tone suddenly changed.

"If I hadn't known beforehand what dirty things you two had done, I might have believed it."

Consort De and the eldest prince's expressions immediately turned ugly, but they still held onto a sliver of hope.

“Father, I truly love that Chen family girl. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given her the position of concubine. I beg you to investigate.”

"You shameless scoundrel, how dare you say that?! The Chen family's daughter is only fourteen years old this year, and you're old enough to be her father. Besides, you already have quite a few children in your household, young and old, yet you insist on ruining that young girl!"

The eldest prince felt a burning pain on his face; he did indeed have ulterior motives. Shouldn't the Chen family's daughter feel honored to have gained his favor? Was she not willing? They had already shared a room together; her reputation was ruined. Who would want to marry her now?
And what's wrong with being fourteen? She's in the prime of her life.

Of course, he dared not say these words to his father, the emperor, for fear that the Jingtai Emperor would beat him to death.

“Father, I know I was wrong. I couldn’t help myself. Now that things have come to this, I am willing to make amends.”

"Hmm?" "Once that Chen family girl marries into the family, I am willing to let her manage the affairs of the household. I will give her the appropriate title and ensure that the wives and concubines in the household respect her..."

The eldest prince kept rambling on and on, completely unaware that Emperor Jingtai had already closed his eyes. Emperor Jingtai was really worried that if he opened his mouth, he would breathe fire!
That's utterly foolish. Does he think that just because he's a prince, he can trample on his subjects at will? Everyone has a temper. Does the eldest prince really think Chen Mo is just a rough and uncouth brute? And to have someone manage your household affairs and then have the nerve to boast about it so smugly, does he think it's some kind of cushy job?

With all those wives and concubines in your household causing such a commotion, do you really think that girl would willingly marry into this mess and have to deal with it?

Looking at Consort De, who also wore an expression of agreement, Emperor Jingtai truly wanted to sigh. No wonder his eldest son was so foolish; it turned out he had a clever-looking mother standing there. This kind of method of governing was far too rudimentary; it not only failed to win over the hearts of his subjects but also breeded rebellious tendencies.

You regard me as worthless grass, and I regard you as an enemy.

If subordinates accept everything their superiors say and do, good or bad, then why did they rebel in the first place?

"Actually, I know why you're so panicked."

The eldest prince, who had initially been putting on an act, was now genuinely flustered, and he involuntarily glanced at Consort De. Seeing his pathetic state, Emperor Jingtai became even angrier.

With a sudden wave of his hand, he swept everything off the table. The emperor was furious, and everyone around trembled, especially the eldest prince, who had a guilty conscience. Consort De, however, managed to remain composed, giving her son a reassuring look and forcing a smile.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? You can tell me what's wrong. There's no need to get so angry."

Even at a time like this, she still wants to put on that tender and gentle act.

Emperor Jingtai gave a cold laugh.

"I had intended to save you some face, but it seems you don't need my leniency... How much were you involved in the Qianzhou and Yancheng incident?!"

The truth was revealed, and even Consort De couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, but she still tried her best to exonerate her son.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is still just a child. Why are you so harsh on him? This is all the fault of the officials below. What does it have to do with him? This child has grown up in front of us since he was a child. He hasn’t even left the capital in the past ten years. What could he possibly know? It’s nothing more than those officials taking every opportunity to offer him tributes in exchange for protection, and the child, being kind-hearted, accepted them. I can guarantee that this child has absolutely not done anything illegal or disorderly. If you don’t believe me, you are welcome to investigate.”

Emperor Jingtai stared coldly at the other party. Seeing that Consort De's face remained calm, Emperor Jingtai felt a wave of annoyance. How could he have thought that although this woman's appearance was not exceptionally beautiful, her virtue was outstanding?

And that good-for-nothing son who always seeks help from his mother after being exposed and sabotaged—how did we ever think he was so filial, always doing everything himself?

Sure enough, there's something wrong with my eyes.

"The reason you two are so calm now is probably because you think the person you sent to kill and cover up the crime has succeeded, right?"

Amidst the sudden change in the expressions of the mother and son, Jing Taidi spoke leisurely.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. You thought you had everything planned out and could destroy all the witnesses and evidence with a mere flick of your wrist. Little did you know that they had already anticipated this move and left behind things to save their lives—all solid evidence. But now, all of these things belong to me."

(End of this chapter)