Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 214 A chaste woman
But to her surprise, Jiu Que, who didn't want to cause trouble, insisted on coming to her for help. After the court session ended today, Jiu Que originally planned to return to Wenyuan Pavilion to organize documents. After waiting for the past few days, the elders finally noticed her and assigned her some document-organizing tasks. Jiu Que had also been thinking of buying a Drunken Immortal Duck from Zuixianlou on her way back after finishing the documents so that her little ones could have a treat.

As soon as I stepped out of the Golden Palace, I hadn't even taken a few steps when I was bumped into from behind.

Jiu Que himself was incredibly strong, so he was unharmed after being bumped, but the person behind him who had been charging at him was thrown back half a step and landed hard on the ground, groaning in pain.

The officials attending court all turned to look at the commotion. Jiu Que couldn't pretend nothing had happened, so he could only glance back. The official appeared to be in his early thirties; being able to convene a grand court assembly indicated a relatively high rank, and he could barely be considered a promising young talent. However, having just made a fool of himself in front of all the civil and military officials, a flash of resentment crossed his eyes, and he groaned as he struggled to his feet. He dared not wait for Ying Jiu Que to help him up.

After standing up, he stared at Jiu Que for a long time with an expression that he found utterly displeasing, his lingering gaze sweeping over her from head to toe several times.

Jiu Que remained expressionless and simply cut to the chase.

"Sir, if your eyesight is poor, you can see a doctor. Scanning up and down like this is rather improper; please don't be afraid to seek medical help."

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could there be something wrong with my eyes?!"

The official instinctively retorted, then his face paled. He had forgotten Jiu Que's current status; aside from his position as a drafter in the Imperial Secretariat, he was also a newly appointed earl of the court. Logically, he should address himself as "your humble servant." But surely this little girl wouldn't notice such a detail? She's just a woman; how could she possibly understand the intricacies of officialdom?

Jiu Que wasn't going to tolerate him, and immediately turned cold.

"My lord, although I do not recognize you, judging from your official robes, you should be a fifth-rank official, right? Besides, as the Marquis of Zhen'an, you may relax a bit in court if I don't mind. But who gave you the audacity to disrespect me?!"

"You? When have I ever disrespected you?"

The official wanted to defend himself, but Jiu Que saw through him at a glance; he was just looking for trouble.

"With such a wide road, why did you have to run right into me? Even if we set aside the fact that one shouldn't walk quickly in the palace, you are knowingly violating this rule and showing contempt for imperial authority?"

Now the official was truly terrified. He simply resented Ying Jiuque, a woman, for holding such a high position and even stepping on his head, and wanted to cause trouble. He had thought that if he apologized first, Ying Jiuque wouldn't be able to do anything to him in front of everyone. He never expected that being caught making a grammatical error would escalate to the point of being accused of disrespecting imperial authority. Even if he had a hundred times the courage, he wouldn't dare to disrespect imperial authority!

"I know I was wrong! I will be more careful in my words and deeds in the future and will not dare to make any more mistakes."

Jiu Que stared coldly at the official opposite him, his sharp gaze almost piercing the other's face, making the other feel ashamed and his scalp tingling, before he finally raised his chin slightly.

The other party immediately fled in a panic. Seeing this, the officials who had initially wanted to watch the spectacle stopped looking at the sky and the ground, ignoring the imperial palace, and pretended to leave.

Jiu Que sneered and tried to leave, but unexpectedly, there was still a brave soul who dared to challenge her. It was none other than the Second Prince. The Second Prince directly addressed Ying Jiu Que by her full name. In official circles, those who were close would address each other by their courtesy names, and even those with differing political views would address each other as "Your Excellency." To call someone by their full name in public, especially since Jiu Que was a woman, was indeed inappropriate. Several passing ministers couldn't help but frown. How could the Second Prince shout like that in front of the main hall?

I was hoping to finish my work quickly and go home early, but it seems like troublemakers keep coming one after another. What's wrong with these people? Or is he just having a run of bad luck today?

"Your Highness."

Despite his dissatisfaction, Jiu Que still bowed to the other party in accordance with etiquette.

However, the Second Prince, intending to torment Jiu Que, refused to tell her to get up for quite some time, leaving her in a bent-over position. Fortunately, she was young and strong, so this temporary discomfort didn't harm her. However, the officials witnessing this scene couldn't help but frown. Although many civil and military officials had pledged allegiance to the Second Prince, hoping to gain favor through his support, those officials of the third rank and above remained inactive. Those who had reached their positions always valued their lives highly.

Your Majesty is in the prime of life now. Why should you pledge allegiance to a new master so early and work in constant fear? It would be better to do your job honestly and leave such matters of succession to Your Majesty.

The Second Prince usually behaves gently and politely, but I never expected him to be so arrogant towards the court officials in front of so many people. Although Ying Jiuque is a female official, she is still an official of their court. Moreover, she is a meritorious official. It's only been a few days, and the Second Prince has already embarrassed her in front of so many people? Isn't he a bit too naive?

"Get up! I was thinking that Lord Ying would be in a bit of a predicament, but now it seems you're adapting very well! Oh no, should I say you're thriving?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness."

"I……"

I wasn't praising you at all, you have such a thick skin!
The Second Prince stopped himself from saying the rest of his sentence in time, managing to calm himself down. Then he glanced at Ying Jiuque with a half-smile, his gaze not like that of someone looking at a subordinate, but more like that of someone looking at a dispensable ornament.

He had never seen such a shameless woman before, but fortunately, a remarkable woman had appeared in the capital who could serve as a model. He wanted to see if a woman like Ying Jiuque could remain composed with such a gem before her.
"Lord Ying, you are probably too busy to know. A virtuous woman worthy of being included in the 'Admonitions for Women' has recently appeared in our capital. I was just about to petition His Majesty to bestow a chastity arch upon her. Lord Ying, as a woman yourself, with such a role model before you, you should learn more from the Yu family's daughter."

"hiss!"

The officials around him, who had deliberately slowed their pace, couldn't help but gasp upon hearing this, looking at the Second Prince with some concern.

Your Highness, you probably don't know, but this Lord Ying possesses superhuman strength. Just a few days ago, she tossed several students who had spoken inappropriately through the air like fruit. With your small frame, it's best not to deliberately provoke her. Although Lord Ying probably wouldn't dare to lay a hand on a prince in the palace, if you go too far, no one can be sure what will happen.

(End of this chapter)