Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 206 Complaints
However, as his father, Emperor Jingtai still had to make amends for the second prince, since he was the only one of his two remaining sons who was not so useless.

He gave the order without hesitation.

"Alright, Ying Qing's return is a great thing, let's not waste any more time on irrelevant matters. Jiu Fu, proclaim the imperial decree!"

Jiu Fu hurriedly stepped forward and unfolded the imperial edict that had been prepared in advance, announcing the rewards for Jiu Que and the others before anyone could react.

Ying Jiuque invents a new salt-making method to resolve the national crisis, captures the mastermind behind the Qianzhou Blood Mine case, rescues other innocent women in the Wuyou Cave case, saves the murdered Prince of Binyang, and finds out the court officials and princes who colluded with the Northern Barbarians...

A reward of ten thousand taels of gold, a hundred acres of fertile land, and a luxurious mansion...

He was promoted to Princess of Ruian, granted the title of Earl of Zhen'an, and promoted to the rank of Fifth-Rank Imperial Secretary!
Ok?
what? !

ha? !

The first part of the reward was one thing—Ying Jiuque had indeed made a great contribution—but what was the meaning of the second part? A woman, promoted to a county princess, was one thing, but how could she be granted a title that only men could receive? And it was a countship! Countless people in the entire court had racked their brains, risked their lives, and still couldn't get a countship. She, a woman, was granted one so easily? How was this fair? Moreover, she was just a sixth-rank official before, and now she'd been promoted three ranks in one go? Less than half a year since her last promotion. This speed of promotion was too fast! Even the fastest promotion record in history couldn't compare to Ying Jiuque's!
And this wasn't just any ordinary official position; it was the position of Zhongshu Sheren, which was equivalent to directly entering the Grand Secretariat. Although it was the lowest-ranking official in the Grand Secretariat, one could still be respectfully addressed as Grand Secretary. Did she, a woman, deserve such an honor?!
Before Jiu Fu could even finish announcing the rewards, the officials below were already in an uproar. In this chaotic situation, the rewards bestowed upon Chunyu Shuang and the others were hardly noticed. It could be said that Jiu Que alone drew all the criticism. However, even in the face of attacks from the entire court, Jiu Que remained unmoved.

What did she have to panic about? These titles and official ranks were personally bestowed by His Majesty, and with His Majesty even standing in front of her, what did she, being short, have to fear? However, the Emperor's bestowal this time did indeed shock her. Wasn't it a bit too high? No wonder these court officials were so excited; the reward bestowed upon her this time was simply too grand. But don't think she would refuse; how could she turn down something offered to her so readily?
Sure enough, even though the ministers in the court were wailing and trying to stop him, Emperor Jingtai only said one sentence: "My words are golden and have already been issued. How can I take them back?"

Then the court session ended. The officials stared at Ying Jiuque's figure, their teeth itching with hatred, but there was nothing they could do. Even on their way back from the court session, they gathered in groups of three or five, muttering under their breath. It was obvious that they were talking badly about Jiuque.

Chunyu Shuang heard the seemingly quiet but actually very clear mockery next to her, her eyes twitched, and she turned to look at her friend.

"How about we hurry up? That way we won't get angry if we hear that."

"I'm not angry at all. They're just blatantly jealous. To be honest, I'd be jealous too if I were them. They've toiled away in the court for over a decade, only to be outshone by a newcomer. But what can they do? They can't beat me. If they can't beat me, they should accept the loss. Why do they have to be so annoying? Who can they blame?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The two officials who had openly spoken ill of Ying Jiuque exchanged a glance, then left, filled with shame. Ying Jiuque was right; the reason they were grumbling was precisely because they couldn't compare to her. They had been officials for over a decade; who hadn't dreamed of the exhilarating days of being ennobled and promoted? They hadn't even achieved it themselves, yet they had watched helplessly as the woman they looked down upon achieved it!
Even the dignified and upright Xie Mingchen couldn't help but twitch his lips. These ministers changed their expressions far too quickly! They had just started wailing and howling in the court, which had given him quite a fright.

This time, everyone got a promotion. All three of them were promoted to the fifth rank, a truly remarkable speed of advancement. "Forget those sour grapes, we have to have a proper celebration this time. Promotions and wealth are great things. How about we go to Tian Shang Ju for a meal?"

“Great! I’ve long heard that the food at Tian Shang Ju is top-notch in the capital, but it’s too expensive. I couldn’t afford it before. Now that His Majesty has bestowed upon you ten thousand taels of gold, shouldn’t you go and feast like a tycoon? Let me make it clear, I want the finest banquet and the finest wine!”

"Okay, okay! I want the best of everything, but are you sure you can handle the alcohol?"

"Then don't worry about it. Even if I can't drink it, I still have to try it..."

"There's no time like the present, let's do it tomorrow. I'll go back today and tell the children about what's happened during this time, so they won't worry too much. Tomorrow at noon at Tian Shang Ju, it's my treat! Remember to be on time."

"to make!"

The rest of them left the palace happily, leaving only the Prince of Binyang, who had been summoned away by Emperor Jingtai, to listen to his adoptive father's complaints.

In the Hall of Nourishing Life, Emperor Jingtai dismissed everyone, leaving only Prince Binyang and Jiufu. Perhaps it had been too long since he had seen his adopted son, Emperor Jingtai held Prince Binyang's hand and chattered on and on.

"It's been several years since we last saw each other, hasn't it? Your father really misses you. You have no idea how much suffering and hardship your father has endured in the capital all these years?"

"..."

If he remembers correctly, his adoptive father was the emperor, right? Could an emperor really suffer?
“Your four younger brothers are all incredibly stupid and prone to causing trouble. They give up being proper princes to secretly collude with the enemy behind my back. And that's not all; they even kidnap their own people and sell them to others! What are they thinking? Have they been kicked by a donkey?! My son, you have no idea how those officials laugh at your father behind his back. I feel like life is getting more and more boring and meaningless every day…”

"Father, this can't be that bad..."

"What do you mean it's not that bad? You didn't see my miserable state with your own eyes. That good-for-nothing third son, I haven't even dealt with him yet, and he's already scared to death! And the eldest son. Consort Xian isn't a good person either. I used to think she was truly virtuous, but it turns out she's done so many bad things behind my back. Now, her misdeeds have been exposed, and fearing my punishment, she quickly took her own life, taking the eldest son with her. I only have four sons, and in the blink of an eye, two are gone, and the remaining two are more useless than the other. You saw them at court today, didn't you? That idiot second son, I don't even know what to say about him. He just keeps staring at Jiu Que. Does he have nothing better to do?"

(End of this chapter)