Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 227 Guess who can't have children?
"Green Shadow, that's the Second Prince. Do you recognize him?"

The woman, who had been keeping her head down, slowly raised her head, revealing a face covered in horrific burns. Her face was so grotesque that even the seasoned military officer, accustomed to death and injury, couldn't help but glance at her. What agony must a woman have endured with such injuries, especially on her face?

The green figure had already burned out one eye. She looked at the Second Prince with a sinister gaze, then suddenly grinned. With that grin, she looked even more like a demon that had crawled out of hell.

The second prince was already feeling guilty, and at this moment he couldn't help but let out a low cry. By the time he realized that the officials were looking at him strangely, it was already too late.

"Second Prince, you don't remember my face? Well, someone as noble as you would probably feel it's dirty to burn us insiders to ashes, so why would you want to see it with your own eyes? I should thank you for letting me survive the pile of corpses and expose your true colors!"

"Although I am merely a cleaning maid, the Second Prince's Consort is considerate of her servants and has never been harsh with us. In fact, my life has become easier since she entered the palace. I once regretted not being one of her dowry maids, but now, precisely because I am not, my words carry more weight. Second Prince, you schemed and plotted, but you could never have imagined that while you and your confidants were conspiring, I was asleep in the bushes under the window because of the summer heat. I was awakened by your whispers—you wanted to kill the Second Prince's Consort! To make room for her! I was terrified. By the time I secretly went to find her, it was too late..."

"You bullshit!"

The second prince suddenly flicked his sleeves, still retaining some dignity of a superior, but his actions at this moment seemed more like an attempt to exonerate himself, which even Emperor Jingtai was reluctant to believe.

Seeing this, Green Shadow simply repeated what she had heard before.

“You said, ‘Although the Second Prince’s wife is gentle and virtuous, her background is too low. Now I am the eldest son of the Emperor, and my fourth brother is weak and incompetent. How can they shoulder great responsibilities? If we want to achieve great things, we should have a princess consort with a more suitable background.’”

"The advisor was extremely obsequious. 'Your Highness is quite right. A gentleman should be matched with a virtuous lady. With Your Highness's status, there are countless noble ladies in the capital. The Prince's residence can naturally find a high-ranking mistress. Why don't you find a reason to divorce the Second Prince's wife? Just say that she has been childless for five years, how about that?'"

“‘Fool! She has been childless for five years, and I, the prince, have no other children. How can this be a valid reason? Moreover, she has done nothing wrong, yet I want to divorce her. What will people say about me then?’”

“'Then, what does Your Highness mean…'”

"Go find Physician Wang. His granddaughter is also my concubine. He wants to give his granddaughter a better future, and as her grandfather, he has to do his part. His family's heirloom Yellow Millet Powder is quite good; teach him a lesson so that no one else finds out!" Green Shadow recounted what she had overheard in a hoarse voice. She truly felt that heaven hadn't completely abandoned good people. Who would have thought that she, a survivor, was the one who had overheard their entire conspiracy?
"Your Majesty! Everything I have said comes from the bottom of my heart, and I dare not lie in the slightest! I have clung to life until now precisely because I wish to seek justice for Her Majesty! If I have uttered a single falsehood, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

After saying these words, Green Shadow took advantage of everyone's inattention and rushed forward! The Second Prince thought Green Shadow was going to assassinate him and screamed for help, but he watched helplessly as Green Shadow passed by him and crashed hard into the pillar in front of him!
Her actions were so fast that even Lord Qin was stunned; there was no such thing before he arrived!

"Hurry up and save people!"

Emperor Jingtai suddenly stood up, but it seemed too late. Green Shadow had no intention of getting out alive. She crashed straight into the imperial pillar. Just as the quick-reacting ministers closed their eyes in sympathy, a fair hand grabbed her arm and pulled her hard!
Green Shadow was determined to die. Even though Ying Jiuque grabbed her arm and pulled her back in time, he couldn't save her unharmed. She fell to the ground and crashed into the golden bricks of the main hall, instantly bleeding from her head! She was on the verge of death!
Emperor Jingtai and the others breathed a sigh of relief and immediately ordered the imperial physician to be summoned, and also called over the audacious Imperial Physician Wang.

Now, no one doubted the truth of the matter. Even though Green Shadow was disfigured by the burns, she insisted on living on and was willing to use her own life as proof that the Second Prince's murder of his first wife was now a done deal after the trembling Imperial Physician Wang confessed.

Even those powerful figures who dreamed of using their daughters or granddaughters to secure an empress's position looked down on this. This man hadn't even achieved power yet, and he was already plotting to murder his wife. Their daughters and granddaughters were human too; what if, after all their efforts to elevate them, they felt their status wasn't high enough and simply killed them with a single dose of poison? That would be a huge loss. They did indeed want to gain merit by supporting the emperor, but they didn't want to be discarded after their usefulness was over.

This second prince is of such low character that he is utterly useless. Even some of the families who have been cultivating a close relationship with the second prince and Consort Mo in the palace lately couldn't help but shudder. Fortunately, the second prince and Consort Mo, hoping to sell themselves to the highest bidder, haven't yet chosen a principal wife from among them. I used to think it was a pity, but now I'm truly relieved!
But that wasn't all. Looking at the stunned Second Prince, Lord Qin snorted coldly and delivered the final blow! Anyway, he didn't want to keep this official position. His only daughter was dead, and if it weren't for his burning desire to clear her name, he would have died long ago!

So what if it's royal secret? We're not afraid to expose it to the heavens!
"Second Prince! My daughter Wanniang and you had only been married for half a year when you and Consort Mo began to subtly blame her for not conceiving. Wanniang was heartbroken and confided in my wife and me, begging me to search far and wide for renowned doctors to examine her. Because it wasn't something to be proud of, I never publicized it. In the end, my daughter was healthy and there was nothing wrong with her. Now, guess who is to blame for the fact that you and my daughter have been married for five years without having any children, and that none of your dozens of concubines in the harem have a single child?"

"No, that's impossible!"

The second prince, who had been silent and listless like a dead dog, jumped up upon hearing this. This was probably the pitiful pride unique to men. The fact that they hadn't had children after several years of marriage was definitely not their fault; it was because their wives couldn't bear children!

"You're talking nonsense! You're just trying to get revenge on me! I never even mentioned this to the doctor!"

Over the years, the Second Prince has consistently refused to summon the physician regarding this matter. Perhaps he himself harbors some suspicions, but if the pressure and criticism can be placed on the Second Prince's wife, why should he accept it? Isn't it the Second Prince's wife's duty to produce heirs for the prince?
(End of this chapter)