Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Is Chapter 204 interesting?

The surrounding ministers had initially hoped to witness a fierce battle between father and daughter, but it turned out that Minister Lin was utterly useless. It wasn't that they underestimated him, but he couldn't even utter a complete sentence to his own daughter—was there really anything to be afraid of? Oh, they remembered. This handsome Minister Lin had once used his looks to win the favor of General Ying Chongming, known as the Twin Star War God. In short, he was just a pretty boy.

Tsk!
Although Vice Minister Lin couldn't bring himself to criticize him, the surrounding officials were very willing to help. At that moment, one of them, adopting the demeanor of a compassionate and venerable elder, earnestly advised Jiu Que.

“Niece Ying, I am an old friend of your father’s. Your father is unwell, and I cannot bear to see him suffer. Today, I must take advantage of my seniority and say a few words of advice in front of all of you gentlemen…”

"Excuse me, who are you?"

The middle-aged man was about to speak when Jiu Que stopped him. His face immediately darkened, and he began to explain his identity with a grim expression.

"I am Fang Yu, an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Rites, and I have been an old friend of your father for over ten years..."

"I'm really sorry, Lord Fang. Perhaps your friendship with Lord Lin was formed during the ten-odd years I spent growing up on this estate. As for me, I have absolutely no recollection of you."

Jiu Que had already said all that; a wise person would have shut up by now to save face. But this Lord Fang was quite the oddball. He was now relentlessly pressing the issue.

"Although you are now a court official, you still need to observe proper etiquette. I am still your elder, how can you interrupt when an elder is speaking?"

Ying Jiuque sighed deeply. Whenever she tried to maintain the impression of being law-abiding in front of others, there were always people who couldn't wait to jump out and challenge her bottom line. Did these people really think she was the kind of gentle and filial person?
Chunyu Shuang, who had been keeping her head down and silent, couldn't help but smile slightly. She shifted to a more comfortable position and waited quietly.

Sure enough, the next moment Ying Jiuque spoke earnestly.

"Why can't you understand, sir? I was just being lenient with you. You said you were my elder! Well, I have something to say too. Although I am young, I am still your elder. In officialdom, since we don't use official titles, please call me 'Grandma'."

"What?! This is outrageous! How dare you humiliate me like this in front of His Majesty and his ministers? Who are you to me as an elder? What proof do you have?"

"So, Lord Fang does know that one should speak with evidence. I thought you could claim to be the elder of everyone present based solely on your words, without any proof. Although I am young, I have something to say to you, Lord Fang. In this world, age does not automatically make you an elder. If we are truly judging by age, I do know an eighty-year-old man. Why don't you call him great-grandfather? As for the issue of different surnames, since you, Lord Fang, don't mind, I think that old man wouldn't mind having a great-grandson either."

“You! You?!”

The moment Lord Fang stepped forward, he was utterly stunned by Jiu Que's barrage of words, his chest heaving violently. Those watching worried he might choke to death. Chunyu Shuang gripped her palms tightly, afraid she would burst out laughing. Calm down, she had to stay calm. She was standing in the Golden Palace, and the ruler of the country sat on the high platform. How could she laugh in such a solemn place? She shouldn't, she absolutely shouldn't.

Minister Chen of the Ministry of War, however, had no such concerns and was laughing heartily. Serves him right! Who told this scoundrel to jump out and be the first to act? Didn't you see everyone else was silent, but you had to show off?! Now you've gotten yourself into trouble for showing off, haven't you? Serves you right. Does he really think that just because he's old he can be a senior to others? He'll have to see if they even acknowledge him.

Since the first person to speak up was immediately shut down by Ying Jiuque and left half-fuming, no one else dared to speak up for a while. Mainly, they were afraid that Ying Jiuque would relentlessly reject them. Failing to arrange a marriage was a small matter; losing face was a much bigger one.

However, just when everyone was hesitant, another warrior appeared. This warrior was none other than the Second Prince, the Master of Ceremonies.

The Second Prince's plan was simple: when everyone was too afraid to speak up, he would take the lead and suppress Ying Jiuque. Wouldn't all the civil and military officials then worship him?

He was confident because even if he couldn't win an argument with Ying Jiuque in this situation, his father wouldn't stand idly by and watch his reputation be damaged; his father would definitely help him!
Indeed, the Second Prince possessed an inexplicable self-confidence.

Before he stepped forward to speak, the Second Prince didn't actually look up at his father's face, because Emperor Jingtai's expression was really unpleasant.

What kind of trouble is this scoundrel up to now? Doesn't he know the situation? Everyone in the court is keeping quiet about Jiu Que, so why is he jumping out to cause trouble?!

Unfortunately, the second prince was not clever enough and could not see through Emperor Jingtai's thoughts at all, and at this moment he expressed his opinion in a righteous and indignant manner.

"Ying Jiuque, as a woman, it is already a great fortune that you have received His Majesty's commendation and entered the court. How can you be so sharp-tongued? All the ministers in the court are your seniors. Is this how you speak to your seniors? Besides, no matter what the past was, Lord Lin is still your biological father. This blood ties cannot be severed. I have heard that you had some misunderstandings with Lord Lin before. Why not take this opportunity to clear up the misunderstandings and make the family harmonious again? Why not?"

The Second Prince spoke with absolute confidence. He was convinced that Ying Jiuque did not want to be expelled from the Lin family; who in this world would want to leave their family? Therefore, he had brought up this topic, and Ying Jiuque should be grateful to him, right?
Strangely enough, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

A chill ran down her spine, because Jiu Que was mentally complaining about the Second Prince.

[Has this second prince been kicked in the head by a donkey? Such a big bump! Why is he meddling in my private affairs? Isn't he a prince? And a prince who aspires to be emperor, so he should be handling state affairs! What's the point of fussing over my personal matters? In court, before His Majesty, you should demonstrate your abilities and skills! Now that the new salt-making method is in place, the people of the land will no longer lack salt. Shouldn't we seize this opportunity to promote the benevolence and achievements of the Great Jing royal family? This is the perfect time to make the whole world submit! Is it meaningful to fuss over whether I acknowledge him as my father?]

(End of this chapter)