Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 208 I don't believe you haven't thought of this.

The maidservants who had been serving had already gone out, and had naturally overheard a bit of the conversation. They had mixed feelings about the lady-in-waiting who had been granted the title of count. On one hand, if it weren't for her, they might not have been beaten today. But on the other hand, they couldn't help but feel envious; it turned out that women could also rise to high positions.

Even the prince himself was furious at her promotion, wishing they could be so capable. But they were just ordinary maids, forced to work every day and constantly subjected to the prince's beatings. The prospect of rising through the ranks in court was nothing more than a dream for them.

However, hearing that Lady Ying, also a woman, had accomplished something significant, for some reason, they felt a little happy. It was just that their wounds were incredibly painful. If only the Second Prince's Consort were still alive. She was a gentle woman; when she was alive, the Second Prince's residence was always well-organized, and the Second Prince never arbitrarily beat or scolded his servants. But it's strange, though; the Second Prince's Consort had always been healthy, how could she suddenly fall ill and die? Without even a doctor being called?
Moreover, all the maids and servants in the Second Prince's Consort's residence were beaten to death, supposedly for improper service to the Second Prince's Consort. They said it didn't seem like punishment for servants, but rather like being silenced.

"Do you think the Second Prince's wife really died of illness?"

Back in the servants' quarters, several maids wiped each other's wounds, and one of them couldn't help but ask a question. But before he could finish speaking, another head maid tightly covered his mouth, and at the same time, nervously walked to the door and looked around. Only after confirming that no one was there did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He turned around and gave his companion, who had just spoken, a good scolding.

"You don't want to live anymore! How dare you speculate about something like this?"

The maid who had covered her mouth brushed her hand away, her expression showing a hint of stubbornness.

“I don’t believe you haven’t thought about this in your hearts! The Princess Consort was so good to us when she was alive. She even gave me five taels of silver to treat my sick mother. I will remember her kindness for the rest of my life. You should all know that the Princess Consort was troubled by not having children all these years and had consulted the imperial physician. The physician said that she was in excellent health and had the appearance of longevity. How could such a person just die from a serious illness?”

"Then what do you think is wrong with her?"

The head maid who had just covered her mouth now lowered her hands as if in despair, and if you looked closely, you could see that her whole body was trembling.

“I don’t know why the Princess Consort died, but I know there must be something wrong with this. Don’t forget, Consort Xu handled all the funeral arrangements for the Princess Consort so quickly that her family didn’t even have time to see her one last time before she was buried. Isn’t there something fishy about this?”

"You think you're the only one who knows? What can lowly people like us do? Besides, do you have any evidence? Do you know who killed Her Highness? We have no proof, and besides, do you think anyone would risk offending the Second Prince to clear the name of a deceased princess?"

"I! I... I don't know either..."

The maid in green, caught off guard by the question, didn't know how to answer. Everyone gradually recovered, cleaned their wounds, and went back to work. However, a thought vaguely formed in the maid's mind. If none of the officials dared to offend the Second Prince, then only someone unafraid to offend him would dare to reopen this old case. Would Lord Ying, newly appointed as the Earl of Zhen'an, intervene? Would she dare offend the Second Prince…?

Jiu Que was unaware that she was being remembered. She was excitedly telling the children from afar about her experiences on this trip. These children were young and had never left the capital. They knew very little about the outside world, but they were extremely interested in Jiu Que's wonderful and surprising explanations. Every little face was tense, as if afraid of missing a single word.

After recounting his experience with artistic flair, Jiu Quezhi was pleased to receive the concern of the children. "So it was quite a dangerous trip for you, sir. It's a pity we couldn't go with you, otherwise we would have witnessed your heroic deeds."

"Yes, sir, I've learned several moves from the guards in the manor, and I'm quite skilled now. Not only can I protect myself, but I can also protect you in the future!"

"Me too! My lord, watch me give you a performance! Black Tiger Pounces on the Heart! White Crane Spreads its Wings!"

Children's attention spans are short, and by now the topic had completely veered off course. The little ones started practicing martial arts in front of Jiu Que, laughing and chuckling. And you have to admit, judging by their momentum, they actually looked quite impressive.

Watching the little ones perform, Jiu Que ate the snacks offered to him while giving them lavish comments. This is life!

While she was enjoying her early family life, the outside world was already in an uproar. Ultimately, it all came down to the rewards Emperor Jingtai bestowed upon Jiu Que. Now, the taverns had stopped telling stories and started talking about Jiu Que, this female official who had risen through the ranks. It was so lively that even passing dogs would want to go in and listen.

"Didn't His Highness say a while ago that women should stay obediently in the inner quarters and not interfere in matters of state? How come this Princess Ying, or rather, this Earl Ying, is so different? Since the Second Prince dislikes women's involvement in politics so much, didn't he reprimand her a bit? Or ask His Majesty to rescind his order?"

"Look at what you're saying! Is the prince more important than the emperor?"

"Of course, the emperor is the greatest."

“You know the emperor is the most powerful. Our emperor trusts Earl Ying, and besides, Lord Ying brought back a new salt-making method. The salt you’ve been eating these past two days is the snow salt he brought back. With such good food, it would be a real shame not to thank him.”

"I didn't say I wasn't grateful to Lord Ying, it just feels a bit strange. I never knew before that women could be officials and enjoy it so much. Look at how high she's risen, many officials who have worked diligently in the court for decades haven't had this honor."

"Then who can be blamed? It's their own fault for not having the ability. If they were as capable as Lord Ying, they would have been promoted long ago! But then again, the Second Prince is His Majesty's own son after all. If he doesn't like Lord Ying, won't that affect His Majesty's feelings towards Lord Ying?"

"This...this shouldn't be the case, right? Lady Ying has done such a great service this time, no one in the world would dare to take credit for her work, after all, this is a great thing that will go down in history. Even if the Second Prince doesn't like Lady Ying, he wouldn't cause trouble at this critical juncture, would he?"

"Who knows? I've never been able to guess what those emperors and nobles are thinking..."

(End of this chapter)