Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 194 Mother is right

"...You old hag, still spouting nonsense! Why don't you go and be a widow? I think you're constantly creating bad karma with your words, and you won't be able to accumulate any good deeds for your son. If you want to accumulate good fortune for your son, you, as his mother, would be better off eating vegetarian food, chanting Buddhist scriptures, and reciting sutras every day, so that he can rest in peace sooner."

"Uncle Li, you said you didn't know before, but you heard it with your own ears today, didn't you? This is how she always talks about my sister! Listen to this, is this the kind of thing a loving elder would say? It's chilling to hear!"

Lord Li was also somewhat surprised. He knew that his wife had said some unpleasant things outside these days, but because of the recent loss of their son, he understood his wife's grief and therefore did not interfere.

This was the first time he had heard his wife's words exactly as they were spoken. He had to admit that even he found them somewhat jarring, but as husband and wife, they were one, and in front of outsiders, he still had to protect his wife's reputation.

“Nephew, your aunt didn’t mean that…”

"That's exactly what I mean, you guys surnamed Yang, let me tell you! If you know what's good for you, hurry up and get your daughters ready and send them to my house! Otherwise, I'd like to see which young man in the whole capital would dare to marry your daughter?!"

This time, not only Yang Linyuan, but even Lord Yang was starting to lose his composure. He was the Marquis of Anyuan, in charge of the city's guards! Although he usually smiled at everyone he met, that didn't mean he had a good temper! This woman was really going too far. She dared to be so arrogant in front of him, and who knows how much she had gossiped about his daughter behind his back!
It’s simply courting death!

An Yuanbo's smile vanished, and Lord Li, who was opposite him, immediately noticed his displeasure and quickly stepped forward to grasp An Yuanbo's arm.

"Brother Yang, I really don't know..."

An Yuanbo swiftly withdrew his hand, tearing off half of his sleeve and throwing it at Lord Li's feet.

Everyone around was stunned by this sudden scene. Lord Li was also dumbfounded, staring at the half-sleeve at his feet, then looking up at Marquis Anyuan.

"Brother Yang, you..."

"Lord Li, you need not address me as such from now on. From this day forward, we sever all ties and will only be colleagues if we meet again. Farewell!"

An Yuanbo turned around and grabbed his dumbfounded son, striding away, leaving behind a mess. Seeing An Yuanbo leave, the servants waiting for news were excited and their voices rose considerably.

Even with Lord Li's keen hearing, he could hear the servants' relentless gossip about their master. He trembled as he withdrew his hand, looked down at the half-sleeve on the ground, and his whole body shook uncontrollably. Madam Li, who had initially intended to act tough, noticed that Lord Li's behavior was a bit off and quickly stepped forward to support him.

"Master, are you okay?"

Lord Li stared at her with wide eyes, opened his mouth, tried several times but failed, and before he could speak, he suddenly staggered and fell backward to the ground.

Madam Li let out a high-pitched scream. She tried to catch him, but Lord Li was much taller than her, and the two of them fell to the ground in a sorry state, making a spectacle of themselves for onlookers.

Regardless of how upset Lord Li will be when he wakes up, today's farce has spread throughout the capital in the blink of an eye, and even reached the palace.

Zhixiu Palace. Consort Mo had been depressed ever since she heard about this. The Second Prince rushed into the palace upon receiving the news, only to be met with his mother's tearful face.

The second prince was immediately filled with fear and unease, and hurriedly knelt at Consort Mo's feet to beg for forgiveness.

"Mother, who made you angry? Tell me, and I will avenge you."

Consort Mo covered her face with a handkerchief embroidered with green bamboo, and tears quickly soaked the handkerchief. The Second Prince pressed her for answers several times, even getting angry at the people around Consort Mo, before she finally choked out a sob.

"My son, have I caused you any trouble? It's all my fault. I only wanted to help you, but who would have thought that people in the capital don't like my books? It's even tarnished your reputation..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face again, and the Second Prince was nearly frantic with worry.

“What makes you say that, Mother? The young men in the capital I’ve been associating with these days highly praise your book, ‘Admonitions for Women.’ The sisters in their families love this book very much and are almost always reading it.”

"Didn't you hear about the argument between the Earl of Anyuan and Madam Li today, my son? Madam Li only likes my books, yet she was humiliated like this at her own doorstep. That young man from the Yang family is just a junior, yet he dared to speak so arrogantly to his elder. How can Madam Li face anyone after this? And the Earl of Anyuan, he actually severed all ties with the Li family in public. Isn't this a slap in my face? No, it's not just a slap in my face, it's a slap in your face too! He's far too arrogant..."

The Second Prince had never heard of the feud between the two families before. He had been frequently going out to banquets with young men from the capital to build relationships, so he was quite surprised to hear about it.

"Mother, there must be a reason why their two families have severed ties. Is it simply because they don't like your books?"

The Second Prince still had his own basic judgment, but he could never resist his mother's tears. Hearing him say that, Consort Mo was heartbroken.

"My son, are you worried that your mother is lying to you? This matter is known throughout most of the capital, and many people have witnessed it. It's just that Madam Li wants the Yang family's daughter to marry into the family so that she can be a widow for her young son. She has already promised to treat the Yang family's daughter well and is even willing to give up most of her family property to support her. She has already made so many concessions, but the Yang family is still unreasonable. Not only are they unwilling, but they also made outrageous remarks and insulted her in the street."

"And they even said their daughter would never be a widow. If all girls in the world were like their daughter, would there be any propriety or morality left in this world? To remain faithful to one's husband until death is the most beautiful virtue of a woman. Look at my mother, look at all the concubines in the palace, aren't they all like that? Does the Yang family's daughter have more honor than His Majesty's concubines?"

"This……"

The second prince instinctively felt that something was amiss, but overwhelmed by his mother's tears, he couldn't help but blindly follow. Besides, he himself disliked such noisy people. They claimed it was for his daughter's lifelong happiness, but who knew they might be trying to use her to secure a more advantageous in-law relationship?

“Mother is right. A woman should indeed remain faithful to her husband until death. Even though the son of the Li family is dead, the daughter of the Yang family should still be chaste and self-respecting. Madam Li’s request is not excessive. On the contrary, the Yang family is used to being arrogant and domineering. It is really too much to humiliate the Li family in front of the whole capital.”

"Once I report to my father and take action against the Yang family, the entire capital will know the imperial family's attitude and will naturally be more inclined to accept my mother's teachings."

"No, this matter cannot be known to your father."

(End of this chapter)