Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 181 There's nothing shameful about this.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please let me explain. It's not what you think..."

"Alright, explain yourself, I'm listening."

Consort De was taken aback, and after a moment of gathering her thoughts, she put on a tearful performance.

"Your Majesty, you hold a high position and rule over the four seas. How could you know the bitterness in my and my son's hearts? My son is your eldest son. If there is a legitimate heir, the legitimate heir shall be chosen; if there is no legitimate heir, the eldest son shall be chosen! As the eldest son, shouldn't he be vying for that position? Isn't he worthy?"

"Of course he can compete for that position."

Unexpectedly, Emperor Jingtai gave an affirmative answer. However, before Consort De could even smile, Emperor Jingtai's next words shattered her completely.

"Not only him, but all my sons deserve this. After all, they are princes in this life, why don't they strive for the highest position? What angers me is not that he has this idea, but that he used the wrong method! Under heaven, all land belongs to the king, and all people within the realm are his subjects. He is a son of the Jing family, and no matter how he fights, this world belongs to the Jing family! All the people under heaven are his subjects. But what about him? Does he even care about the people under heaven? You are a woman too, don't you know what those women who were kidnapped and sold to the northern barbarians will suffer? This beast! He actually spends the money from selling his children, and he does it so calmly and self-righteously!"

"Your Majesty, the First Prince truly knew nothing about it. He was merely accepting offerings from his subordinates as a matter of custom. If you don't believe me, go and investigate! The other princes also received similar income..."

"But none of them spent the hard-earned money of the people like he did!"

Emperor Jingtai slammed his hand on the table. This table had truly suffered many misfortunes today, having been slammed by Emperor Jingtai countless times. But a table that could be placed in the Hall of Nourishing Life must be made of extraordinary material, and it was still sturdy at this moment.

"You think I don't know they accept offerings from their subordinates? I just don't care, because it's all normal practice. But he shouldn't have taken such a wrong turn! The Great Jing is currently at war with the Northern Barbarians. As a prince, he is supported by the people of the land. Even if he can't lead the charge, he shouldn't lie on the flesh and blood of the people and complain that they don't fetch much money. Do you know how incredulous I was when I saw that ledger? I wished it was a fake ledger, but your name was written clearly and plainly on it. Over the years, you've taken at least five million taels of silver from this one source of illegal income! Don't you feel uncomfortable spending that money?"

The eldest prince was trembling with fear. He had always been terrified of his father, the Emperor Jingtai. After all, the Emperor Jingtai was a warrior who had fought his way up from the battlefield, and he had accumulated considerable power and authority. He had witnessed his father's commanding presence and how he could kill without a trace with a single gesture. At this moment, the eldest prince couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal.

Seeing his spineless state, Emperor Jingtai became even angrier. He often heard his ministers praise the eldest prince's benevolence, which was indeed a good quality. After all, one emperor as ruthless as him was enough; a few more would be too much for the people to handle. If the next emperor could allow the people to recuperate and prosper, it would be a blessing for all the people.

I never expected him to be such an incompetent person.

Thinking of this, Emperor Jingtai felt a deep sorrow. He had spent his life on the battlefield, rising from a country boy to the throne, a path he had traversed for decades. Though arduous, he had persevered. He wasn't boasting; history would surely record his deeds in bold strokes. But who could have imagined that his sons would become increasingly incompetent? First the third, now the eldest, and what if it were the second and fourth? The thought of such a future plunged Emperor Jingtai into darkness. "What's most despicable is that you knew you were about to be punished, yet you still used every means to drag innocent people down with you. The Chen family girl is only fourteen years old, and you dared to barge into her room, claiming she had been disrespectful. Do you think everyone else is blind and deaf, unable to see or understand? Stop disgusting people. They're only being polite to the imperial family; do you really think your schemes are unparalleled?!"

Looking at the mother and son kowtowing below, Emperor Jingtai was truly puzzled. How could he have never discovered how foolish these two were after more than twenty years of living together?!
"You think that giving her the position of a concubine to a prince is a great favor, but little do you know that she doesn't care at all. I really find it strange that you haven't seen many outstanding female officials who emerged in the late dynasties of the previous dynasty and in this dynasty. Why do you think that their free and easy life is not as good as being a concubine in your prince's mansion?"

Consort De was truly speechless this time. She had served Emperor Jingtai for nearly thirty years and knew him quite well. Her sudden cold laugh was clearly a sign that she had given up entirely.

"Your Majesty knows who you're referring to—it's that man surnamed Ying! I find it strange too. You're clearly not one to hold onto old friendships, so why do you treat Ying Jiuque with such special regard? Could it be that your battle with Ying Chongming made you feel a sense of camaraderie? It's a pity that Ying Chongming looked down on Your Majesty. Otherwise, he wouldn't have refused to surrender to the Great Jing until his death!"

"..."

Emperor Jingtai looked at Consort De with curiosity.

"You look better when you're not pretending. It must have been quite difficult for you to pretend to be virtuous and gentle before, right?"

"However, you're mistaken. Of course, I admire Ying Chongming; he's a war god who, along with Chao Sheng, is known as one of the twin stars. In the late years of the previous dynasty, if it weren't for Ying Chongming leading the Ying family army to defend the border, the 200,000 iron cavalry of the Northern Barbarians would have marched south in no time. We wouldn't have had the chance to fight to the death within the Great Jing territory. It's just a pity that General Ying is too loyal and unwilling to betray the previous dynasty. Otherwise, having General Ying would be like adding wings to a tiger!"

"...Your Majesty, didn't you intend to marry General Ying? That female general resolutely refused, so Your Majesty doesn't hold a grudge?"

"So this is what you meant by this."

Emperor Jingtai suddenly realized what was happening, but waved his hand dismissively. He was completely open and honest, without a trace of pretense.

"Ah! Back then, my rebel army was the weakest among all the warlords, and General Ying was renowned throughout the land. What man wouldn't want to marry her? Not only would he gain a legendary general, but he would also have the 200,000-strong Ying family army behind her. What wouldn't he want? There were at least a hundred, if not a thousand, suitors who proposed to General Ying back then. And it wasn't just me; I even sought marriages for Chaosheng and a few others, but unfortunately, General Ying didn't approve of any of them. Alas, I still feel regretful when I think about it. Chaosheng and General Ying were known as twin stars; if they had married, their children, whether male or female, would surely have become legendary generals. Then, why would we need to worry about the Northern Barbarians and Southern Miao? We would have unified the world sooner or later!"

(End of this chapter)