Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 192 Why doesn't your daughter remain a widow?
"You old hag, you used to take advantage of your seniority to make sarcastic remarks about my sister all the time. Did you think I didn't know? You even said outside that I was a useless son who would not only fail to bring honor to the family but also bring trouble upon us. Bah! What have I done? My parents haven't even said anything yet. What right do you, an outsider, have to point fingers and criticize? If you want to be a virtuous wife, do it at home! Don't embarrass yourself outside! Do you think everyone is like your family, having to listen to you?"

"To be honest, Uncle Li is really pitiful. Not only are his eyesight and hearing not very good, so he can't see or hear what his wife is doing, but his precious son, whom he finally had, has also passed away. It's hard to say exactly what happened in between, after all, isn't your backyard known for being very quiet?"

"You! You shameless brat..."

Madam Li was elderly, and in front of so many strangers, she wanted to maintain her image, so she spoke slowly. However, Yang Linyuan didn't care about her. He was young and strong, at the peak of his life, with a loud voice and quick thinking. He didn't even wait for her to finish her sentence before he cut her off.

"What's wrong with me? How shameless I am is none of your business! Even if I were a shameless brat, I'd know to mind my own business! Unlike you, who, with your adult title, elder status, and reputation for being virtuous, points fingers at other people's daughters and sons. Bah! With a mother-in-law like you, I wouldn't dare marry my sister to you. You step on other people's reputations to show off your own morality. You're so good at talking, so good at putting others down, why don't you just fly to the moon?"

"Oh, I see. You must have done this kind of thing a lot. Countless people are gossiping about you behind your back. You really think you're something special? It's laughable. The most ridiculous people are those who can't see their own worth. Do you really think you can rest easy just because you have a reputation for being virtuous? You old hag, don't you have a daughter yourself? Even sages say, 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.' Why don't you find your daughter a dying man, and then leave her a widow after he dies? So you can boast that your Li family has a chaste and virtuous woman?!"

Wow, this news is explosive! Even the servants who were waiting to hear the gossip couldn't help but whisper among themselves. This Madam Li used to be a well-known virtuous woman in the capital, but who would have thought she had such a temperament in private, actually forcing a girl she was about to marry to remain a widow for her dead son.

Moreover, judging from what the young master of the Yang family said, the Li family and the Yang family had only exchanged pleasantries and hadn't even discussed the proper betrothal rites. Then the young master of the Li family unfortunately passed away. While it's truly regrettable that such a young man died, that's no reason for Madam Li to make Miss Yang a widow. Miss Yang was also a beloved child raised by her parents; why should she be forced to remain a widow?
No wonder the young master of the Yang family was so angry; if it were their family, they would be even angrier.

Madam Li was never as shameless as Yang Linyuan, and now, seeing the servants she usually looked down on whispering among themselves, her face turned even uglier.

If we wait any longer, that brat from the Yang family will spill all the secrets of their family.

"Go quickly and fetch the master back."

The steward scrambled out to find his master, and Yang Linyuan saw it, but he didn't stop him. Today, he was determined to make a scene. Did they really think they were easy to bully? This kind of woman, if they didn't confront her head-on, they would really think they were afraid of trouble.

The situation was in complete chaos, and the Prefect of Jingzhao quickly received the news. He was practically in tears. If you were to ask who the most difficult official to be in the entire capital was, the Prefect of Jingzhao would be number one. Under the Emperor's nose, with countless important officials, imperial relatives, and high-ranking nobles, how could a lowly official like him afford to offend anyone? He couldn't afford to offend anyone.

Just as things were finally quieter and he was having a cup of tea, his advisor rushed in. Upon seeing the man's appearance, the Prefect of the Capital knew something had happened again. But after hearing what had happened, he could hardly believe his ears.

"Who are you saying is arguing with whom?!" "It's the young master of the Yang family and Madam Li!"

The Prefect of Jingzhao's hand trembled, and the fine celadon teacup fell to the ground and shattered!

"No, they're arguing? Why? Aren't their families going to be in-laws? How can they be arguing at a time like this?"

It must be said that Madam Li's ability to act was truly remarkable. Through her persistent and tireless promotion over this period of time, the entire capital knew that the two families were originally going to get married.

"Hey, didn't the young master of the Li family fall off his horse and die a few days ago? As a result, Madam Li insisted that Miss Yang be a widow for her deceased son, and even wanted her to commit suicide to preserve her reputation and get a memorial arch for her chastity! Young Master Yang certainly couldn't stand by and watch his sister suffer, so he rushed to the Li family's door and started arguing with Madam Li."

"What kind of thing is this? I haven't heard of a chastity archway in almost twenty or thirty years."

For decades, wars have raged across the land. Who would allow widows to remain widowed and widowed? Even widows had to be quickly remarried by the government because of the population shortage. Putting everything else aside, since their emperor ascended the throne, he has never bestowed a chastity arch upon any woman. What use is that thing?
Furthermore, the Prefect of Jingzhao also disliked what Madam Li was saying. He had two daughters who had been pampered since childhood. His eldest daughter had married five years ago, and her husband had unfortunately died of illness a year later. According to Madam Li's words, wouldn't his eldest daughter also have to be a widow? Or even commit suicide to protect the family's reputation?
Any normal person would stand by and watch their daughter suffer like this.

However, he was of low rank and position and dared not offend Madam Li, so he was also having a headache.

"Didn't anyone go and try to persuade them?"

"My lord, you have no idea. Young Master Yang's temper and his mouth, who dares to step forward? Even Madam Li was almost driven to the brink of collapse by his scolding. The others just watched from the sidelines, not daring to make a move at all. But more and more people are gathering over there to watch the commotion, and the street is being blocked. Shouldn't we go and clear the street? If we just sit idly by, you'll be impeached again tomorrow, my lord."

"Ugh……"

The Prefect of Jingzhao felt that his already sparse hair was about to fall out in large clumps. He frowned and sighed for a while, racking his brains, and then stopped worrying about anything else.

Why worry about so much? He's the Prefect of Jingzhao now; maintaining the peace and order of the capital is his duty. He should focus on clearing the streets first. As for the two families arguing, their respective heads will handle that. Besides, with this happening today, tomorrow those censors will be like cats smelling fish, determined to impeach each of them!
(End of this chapter)