Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 203 Jealousy
“Lord Wang is right. A woman must eventually marry, and Lady Ying is not young anymore. If she delays any longer, she will not be able to find a suitable young man. Your Majesty, if you really want to reward Lady Ying, why not raise her rank? A title of Princess would be enough to reward Lady Ying for her hard work this time.”

"Yes, Your Majesty. With Princess Ying's rank elevated, she'll have a better chance of finding a suitable family..."

Look at how lively this hall is. If the scene were different, how would it be any different from matchmaking? I never expected that the very heart of this grand palace would be a chaotic mess of matchmaking and marriage proposals, and they're even trying to arrange a marriage for me.

It has to be said that this scene was quite novel for Jiu Que. If an ordinary woman had come here unaware of the inside story, seeing these people being so enthusiastic, she might have misunderstood that they were genuinely doing it for her own good, unaware that beneath their warm exterior lay selfish motives.

These people can gossip and chatter like this right in front of her, and they do it with such relish, clearly showing they don't respect her at all. They even say she's getting old, and if she delays any longer, she won't find a suitable husband. Is she really that old? Eighteen, she's in the prime of her life! And these officials who keep saying she's old, aren't they all nearing thirty? They're like old cabbages themselves, yet they call others old—they have no shame!

Moreover, the people they're recommending are all their own nephews and nieces, as if they're afraid others won't see through their thoughts. They probably think that His Majesty doesn't need to reward them; he should just bestow them as wives and all the rewards and official positions they deserve this time upon them. Bah! They really have the nerve to say that! Why not just give them all the good things in the world?

"Everyone, we're having a great time talking, but it's not really appropriate to do this without the permission of the person in question."

The Minister of War had a fairly good impression of Jiu Que, and given that his daughter had also recently encountered trouble, perhaps out of a sense of shared misfortune, he didn't want to see such a good daughter like Jiu Que entrusted to the wrong person. They were all officials in the same court; everyone knew each other. Just now, some of the most boastful ones, whose nephews and nieces were clearly useless, incompetent in both literature and martial arts, just good-for-nothings, yet they had the nerve to praise them so lavishly in front of His Majesty and all the officials.

His opening remarks drew most of the attention away from the attack.

"Minister Chen, you're mistaken. Marriage is arranged by parents and matchmakers. Although Lady Ying is an official, her father is still alive, and her marriage depends on Lord Lin's opinion. Besides, who doesn't know that you also have eligible young men in your family?"

"what do you mean?"

Minister Chen was furious. While he had previously intended for his youngest son to marry Ying Jiuque, his understanding of women's plight had deepened after the events surrounding the eldest prince and Consort De. This time, he genuinely cared for Ying Jiuque. But unexpectedly, a lowly fifth-rank official appeared out of nowhere and slandered him in this way.

"You know what I mean, so there's no need to repeat it."

The onlookers, who had been watching the spectacle, realized the minor official's words made sense. Ying Jiuque's mother had long since passed away, but her father was still alive, and among the court officials. Although there had been some incident of him betraying his family, blood ties are not so easily severed. So everyone turned their attention to Lord Lin, whose expression was not pleasant.

Lin Wei was initially filled with regret for breaking off his relationship with Ying Jiuque before she stepped in, but now, with so many people watching, he suddenly gained courage.

That's right. No matter what, he is Ying Jiuque's biological father. How can Ying Jiuque sever this blood relationship and father-daughter affection with just a few words?

The more Lin Wei thought about it, the more sense it made. He subconsciously glanced at Ying Jiuque, that rebellious daughter. Just then, Jiuque also followed everyone's gaze and looked at her cheap father. She didn't actually give her a particularly meaningful look; she just glanced at him indifferently. Unexpectedly, the other woman immediately seemed to be provoked, her face turning bright red, her body trembling, and she couldn't utter a single word.

"Lord Lin is overjoyed."

Those officials weren't fools; they naturally saw through Lin Wei's reaction, and they were actually quite disgusted. He'd already risen to the position of Vice Minister of Rites, yet he still couldn't distinguish right from wrong. What did it matter if his own daughter glanced at him? Was he really that afraid? No wonder he climbed up through women's connections; he was utterly useless.

Lin Wei's heart was already racing from Ying Jiuque's gaze, and now, being stared at like that by his colleagues, he felt like he couldn't breathe. Having navigated the officialdom for over a decade, he never imagined he'd be stuck at such a crucial moment. He really wanted to overcome his fear of Ying Jiuque, but in the past, it was one thing—this rebellious daughter always lived on a suburban estate, and he rarely saw her, so he didn't have a deep impression of her. But now, looking at that rebellious daughter, he felt as if he were seeing the valiant female general he once knew.

Ying Chongming, she was a woman of extraordinary talent, known throughout the world. Even Lin Wei admired her greatly, but such a woman was only suitable to be admired from afar, not to be a bedmate. To this day, he could still recall how, whenever he went out with his wife, all eyes were on Ying Chongming, and everyone's first reaction upon seeing him was, "This is the husband of that twin-star female general." He, too, had studied diligently for decades to pass the imperial examinations, and he was clearly a prodigy in his youth, so why was everyone's attention focused solely on that woman? Over time, that initial admiration and respect gradually transformed into an unspeakable bitter jealousy.

Yes, even if he didn't want to admit it, Lin Wei knew deep down that he was jealous of his wife, jealous of the woman known as the Twin Stars War Goddess. So jealous was he that he left their own daughter on a country estate for over a decade without ever glancing at her. Because every time he saw her, he was reminded of his own disastrous first half of life.

Unexpectedly, more than a decade later, he saw a reflection of that woman again. Was the Ying family bloodline so revered? So powerful that even a daughter who was clearly raised without any support could stand out in the court at such a young age, even surpassing her biological father in popularity?

"you you……"

His voice trembled as he tried to speak, but when Lin Wei actually opened his mouth, only one word echoed in his ears. Looking at that rebellious daughter, she clearly didn't take him seriously!
(End of this chapter)