Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 210 How embarrassing!

"Do you know why I understand your business hasn't been doing well these past few days? Because how can someone like you, who shouts from a male perspective and imposes your ideas on women, possibly attract business?"

"If you don't want your business to go completely out of business, you'd better send your wife over here as soon as possible. What do those noble people up there have to do with you? You can't even make ends meet, yet you want to learn how to look down on women? That's just ridiculous."

After saying this, Jiu Que turned and left. The onlookers touched their noses and quickly backed away.

Goodness, it's been a long time since I've seen such a outspoken young lady in the capital. Look at how sharp her words are; she's practically humiliated that little vendor to death.

Seeing that Jiu Que had already gone far away, the vendor dared to curse loudly this time, but some insightful people around him kindly advised him against it.

"I think you're just as prejudiced. Didn't you see that the carriage that person was riding in was reserved for officials? The palace bells hanging in front of the carriage are the style of those in the palace. I guess this must be the Earl of Zhen'an. How dare you, a mere commoner, insult an earl of the court?! Insulting an official with the status of a commoner is punishable by a beating! You should thank him for not taking your words to heart."

The vendor was stunned for a moment, then quickly looked at the carriage that was gradually disappearing into the distance. When he realized that what the passerby had said was true, his face turned pale. He immediately stopped thinking about selling his goods, quickly packed up his things, and ran away.

The surrounding vendors shook their heads, thinking that the embroiderer had truly married a worthless man. He used to seem perfect in every way, gentle and considerate. But this past month, for some reason, he had convinced her to stay home and work on her embroidery while he went out to sell his wares. And now, seeing the business declining day by day, he was still stubbornly clinging on.

Previously, these neighbors had only found it strange, but today, after the female official exposed it, they finally understood. It turned out this young man was plotting to monopolize the embroidery girls' business and keep them confined in the backyard. Ugh! Absolutely disgusting.

This young man is penniless. If it weren't for his decent looks, how could he have married the embroiderer? The embroiderer is a well-known capable woman in their area. She managed to run the business at such a young age, and the other young women around her also made a small fortune through embroidery. That heartless man married such a good girl, yet he openly and secretly mistreats her. It's truly despicable.

Back in the carriage, Jiu Que felt no joy at her victory. Her brows were furrowed, and her expression was quite serious. How long had it been? The atmosphere in the capital had changed so drastically. That Second Prince truly deserved to be called 'meritorious.' As a prince, instead of thinking about the benefit of the country and its people, or how to fight on the battlefield and defend the nation, he was particularly enthusiastic about oppressing women and suppressing their status. He really had nothing better to do.

The fatal flaw was that in this feudal era, the words and actions of those in power often inspired endless imitation by those in lower positions. Especially since the second prince, despite his questionable character, was a real possibility of ascending to the throne, there were plenty of people willing to curry favor with him and imitate him.

Now women are not allowed to set up stalls or do business outside. Next, will they be unable to go out without a man's company? Will they have to cover themselves completely from head to toe every time they go out? And then, will they lose their independent human rights?

Boil the frog in warm water.

By the time women realize this, they no longer have the same rights as men. Most men, however, won't care about this change because they are the beneficiaries. No one feels the pain unless they are punished themselves.

It's hard to imagine that this is still the early days of the nation's founding, yet there's still an all-female army on the border and numerous female officials in the court. Under such subtle influence, the entire country's situation will change within three years. She, the highest-ranking female official, will be the first to bear the brunt. So, was the Second Prince prepared yesterday? Did he intend to use her as a scapegoat to intimidate the other women?
Ha, it's not that Jiu Que looks down on the Second Prince, but with his intelligence, he probably wouldn't have thought of such a subtle, gradual approach. There must be a powerful figure behind him. It's just that I wonder if this is His Majesty's intention.

But considering Emperor Jingtai's character, it doesn't seem quite right. The current emperor is trying to use men like donkeys and women like oxen; as long as you can breathe and are useful to the country, he'll exploit you to death.

So the person behind this has ulterior motives. Are they so eager to cause internal strife in the Great Jing Dynasty?

The carriage passed by the execution ground in the distance, where it was bustling with activity. Jiu Que remembered that today was the day for executing criminals. The fake prince and a group of criminals he had brought back from Qianzhou were all being executed today.

At this moment, the execution ground was crowded with people whose family members had gone missing. They wished they could kill those people themselves. But now that they could see them being beheaded by the government, they could consider it revenge for their families.

From afar, Jiu Que saw the head roll down. She wasn't afraid of the dead; she even moved closer for a better look. But then she suddenly noticed a flower petal clinging to the fake prince's head. That was…

Morning glory?
It's this thing again. I heard that when the eldest prince died, there were morning glory flowers on his body. Why does this thing look so much like a keepsake?
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Even when Jiu Que arrived at Tian Shang Ju, he was still filled with melancholy. Not to mention, as soon as he stepped through the gates of Tian Shang Ju, he heard a group of scholars dressed in scholar's robes discussing the Second Prince and the book "Admonitions for Women," which was popular throughout the capital.

"Second Prince's move is brilliant! Our Great Jing is a celestial empire, a superior nation. If we allow women to enter the court, where will our Great Jing's reputation be?"

“Brother Li is right. Putting aside others, just look at Ying Jiuque. He had that new salt-making method, but instead of telling his father, he took it upon himself. He even openly severed ties with Vice Minister Lin. He is truly an unfaithful and unfilial person. How could such a person be granted the title of Earl! Alas, it is truly a misfortune for our dynasty.”

"Who says otherwise? Not only her, but also that Chunyu Shuang from the Ministry of Justice. I've already found out; she's disloyal, unfilial, and wicked! Raised with such hardship by her parents, she defied their wishes. I heard she even had a huge argument with them before leaving the capital, and they even came to blows. How could someone like that get promoted?"

"Not only that! I heard that Chunyu Shuang is already twenty-six! Oh my! She's so old and still not married, who knows if she has some kind of moral problem?"

"Is there even a question? Disobeying her parents, of course she has character issues. And someone like her, so old and still going to men's dens all the time, what decent man would want her? They'd even refuse to be her a concubine, right? Shameful..."

(End of this chapter)