Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 202 Suppression
Although Ying Jiuque was just a young girl, she was now a trusted minister personally recognized by His Majesty, and would surely be greatly rewarded this time. Logically, this should be a joyous occasion, but for Minister Lin, it wasn't so good. After all, before this Princess Ying left the capital, she had brazenly severed ties with the Lin family.

Although everyone had secretly mocked Minister Lin for climbing the ranks solely through nepotism, seeing his expression shift from pale to dark, they couldn't help but feel sympathy. They, at least, had no connection to Princess Ying; her meteoric rise only caused them a bitter taste. But for Minister Lin, wealth and status were forever out of reach. Especially for an official like him, from humble origins without the support of powerful families, reaching the position of Minister was already a stroke of incredible luck. Barring unforeseen circumstances, this was his life's journey.

But now, watching his own descendants achieve lasting fame through the new salt-making method, and on the verge of gaining the Emperor's favor, he can only watch helplessly. They are treated worse than strangers, since there's no deep-seated hatred between strangers and Princess Ying. Yet Lin Wei manages to sever ties with his own daughter, showing no affection whatsoever, and treating her worse than a stranger.

At this moment, no one knows how much Lin Shilang regretted his actions, but just by looking at his face, one can feel the deep pain and remorse he felt.

However, when I'm down on my luck, seeing others who are even worse off makes me feel inexplicably better. That's probably the effect of comparison.

In short, the officials present weren't so upset anymore. Looking at the overflowing pile of white salt, their minds raced with calculations. If used properly, this salt might give the Northern and Southern barbarians a severe beating. But unfortunately, His Majesty had led them to the city gate to greet them, and why hadn't the envoys from the Northern and Southern barbarians come along? If they hadn't been unaware beforehand, they could have certainly caught them off guard. What a pity!

The Left Prince wasn't stupid; he naturally sensed the thoughts of the Great Jing officials and was furious. However, he was also thankful he'd come along, otherwise he would never have believed that Ying Jiuque had managed to develop a new salt-making method and bring back so much salt. Since Great Jing no longer lacked salt, they needed to change their strategy. They had to quickly send a message to the grasslands. The world changes so quickly; who could have imagined that the salt they'd gone to so much trouble to obtain would lose its appeal so soon?
In short, Emperor Jingtai was overjoyed and even allowed several officials from the Nine Palaces to accompany him. Such an honor made the officials in the capital green with envy.

When will they be able to gain His Majesty's favor?
"Yingqing, you must rest well now that you're back. This trip has been very tiring for you all. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask me..."

His Majesty led the way with Jiu Que and his entourage, followed by swaying, fully loaded salt carts. The people, who had been excitedly spreading the news, now stood on both sides of the street, their eyes shining as they gazed at the salt carts. They had heard that this snow-white salt was even less than half the price it used to be. Wouldn't they want to buy as much as possible?

However, as the lady-in-waiting just mentioned, this is only the first batch of snow salt. Many more new types of snow salt will be produced and transported to the Great Jing territory. Those who have already purchased salt at home don't need to panic; they'll receive theirs eventually.

In short, everyone was overjoyed. At this point, some people finally realized that the person who brought back the large quantity of salt was actually a female official.

"Um... I seem to remember that our Second Prince said that women should stay obediently in their private quarters and not show their faces in public. What did this lady-in-waiting say?"

"Are you crazy? If it weren't for this Lord Ying, where would we get salt to eat right now?"

"But His Highness the Second Prince did say something like that. Do you think Lord Ying will be reprimanded by the Second Prince now that he's back?" "What's there to reprimand? Are you out of your mind? He didn't commit a crime. He's rendered a great service. If even those who have rendered meritorious service are to be reprimanded and offended, what's the point of being an official?"

Not only were the common people curious, but the Second Prince, who had been holding back his curiosity all the way, also watched with bated breath as his father led Ying Jiu Que ahead. Ying Jiu Que didn't even greet him. Didn't she know that he was a top contender for the throne?

He was quite shrewd; he didn't say a word on the way. When the officials returned to the palace hall, Emperor Jingtai was smiling and discussing with them how high a position to promote the children. Finally, the second prince couldn't hold back and jumped out to be the first to speak up.

“Father, Ying Jiuque is just a woman, how could she be promoted three ranks? Our Great Jing Dynasty is full of talented people, can’t we find a young and promising man? Must a woman take her place? Moreover, I think Lady Ying is getting old now. If she doesn’t find a suitable husband to marry soon, she may not have any good options in the future. Why not take advantage of her youth and have Father choose a young and talented man for her, so as to fulfill her wish?”

"..."

Wow, Jiu Que turned to stare at the Second Prince, whom she had never really looked at seriously before. She found it strange; was this Second Prince truly thinking that way? If he was just using this opportunity to suppress her, that would be one thing, but if that was really what he was thinking…

What an idiot.

He had just accomplished a great service, not only thwarting the plots of the northern and southern barbarians but also bringing back a new salt-making method and an inexhaustible supply of salt. Even if it was just to appease him, such a foolish suggestion was unacceptable. If this second prince truly wanted to be emperor, shouldn't he be at this moment trying to appease him, or even establish a connection with him to secure his place in history and increase his own chances of success? Why would he jump out to suppress him at this crucial time?

However, seeing the Second Prince take the lead, the other officials in the court could no longer suppress their anger and jumped out to say that this was indeed a good idea. They truly could not tolerate a woman about to step on their heads. Before, it was one thing for Ying Jiuque to be a sixth-rank Imperial Censor, a very insignificant official, but now His Majesty was going to promote Ying Jiuque three ranks in a row, wasn't that putting her above them? After serving as an official for so many years, to be suppressed by a woman was truly the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Everyone was dissatisfied, but seeing that the Second Prince had brought it up first, they naturally seized the opportunity to press their advantage.

"Your Majesty, the Second Prince is right. Although Lord Ying has made tremendous contributions, he still has to get married and have children. Does he expect to attend court with a pregnant belly after he gets married and has children? It would be quite an eyesore. If Your Majesty truly wants to reward Lord Ying, why not choose a virtuous and talented young man from among the many talented young men in the capital? That would be a fine story."

(End of this chapter)