Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 274 I'm really not lucky
"..."

Even Emperor Jingtai couldn't help but admire the Left Prime Minister. He was able to take things in stride and abandon his wife of many years at any time. After all, the reason why the Left Prime Minister's wife was in this predicament was because of the Left Prime Minister's audacious act.

But no matter how disgusting and shameless this tactic was, at least the Left Prime Minister's words cleared him of suspicion, and he could even be seen as someone who sacrificed family for the greater good. Alas, it must be admitted that sometimes being a little shameless in officialdom can indeed make one's life better.

However, Emperor Jingtai had long anticipated that the Left Chancellor would say such a thing. If Jiuque hadn't sent him new witnesses and evidence before he went to court, he really wouldn't have been able to do anything about the shameless Left Chancellor.

With a wave of his hand, Jiu Fu led an old man and a young man out. The usually calm and composed Left Prime Minister changed his expression for the first time when he saw the faces of the old man and the young man clearly.

How did they end up here? Are the people from Qingyun Manor just sitting around doing nothing? How could they let them out like this?

But the Left Prime Minister quickly regained his composure. Even if His Majesty found these two unexpected individuals, so what? He was certain the old eunuch wouldn't betray him. As for the younger one, ha, he was raised to be extremely naive, and with some mental issues, he wouldn't recognize him at all. How could he be used as a witness?
He glanced at the old man and the young man with feigned ignorance.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, who are these two gentlemen?"

"Zuo Xiang, is it really that your memory is failing due to old age? Aren't these two the descendants of the former crown prince that you hid in Qingyun Manor? It's quite a coincidence, really. While you were all busy entering the palace, another group of thieves tried to snatch someone in the street. And the one they were trying to snatch was none other than the son of this former crown prince. If it weren't for the righteous actions of the people of the capital, this child would have been kidnapped or killed long ago. I say, Zuo Xiang, you've raised this child all these years, don't you have even a shred of affection for him? This child is so young, why must you be so ruthless?"

The Left Prime Minister shook his head in confusion.

"Your Majesty is too kind. This old minister truly does not know these two people. If Your Majesty does not believe me, Your Majesty can ask them."

Emperor Jingtai glanced at the old man and the young man, and the older one quickly spoke up.

"Your Majesty, this old servant was a palace eunuch named Dequan during the previous dynasty. When the palace was in turmoil, the Left Prime Minister took me away, saying that I was to serve a noble person. That noble person was none other than the former Crown Prince."

The old eunuch swallowed hard, clearly terrified, but he managed to stay calm. After all, he had served in the inner palace and still had some courage.

He was actually being euphemistic; he had been kidnapped by the Left Chancellor during the chaos, along with many other eunuchs. However, over the years, they had all been killed for disobedience or other reasons, leaving only him. Dequan knew perfectly well why he had been spared: he was an orphan, without parents, wife, or children. There was no one outside who held him any appeal, so he would naturally serve his master wholeheartedly. Moreover, for someone as utterly alone as him, whose death would mean no one would even seek him out, finding a place to stay was already extremely fortunate.

The Left Chancellor thought the same way. He had always looked down on those without connections. He had brought them back from the palace coup and given them a place to live, yet those eunuchs not only didn't think of repaying him with their lives, but instead worried about their so-called relatives. It was truly laughable. Back then, there was only one, Dequan, who was timid but meticulous, and he was the one he trusted most to serve the former Crown Prince.

After all, at that time, the former crown prince had undergone a great upheaval, was extremely weak, and was very wary of everyone. The Left Chancellor had no other choice but to find a few eunuchs to serve him.

However, the Left Prime Minister still didn't quite understand Dequan. It was precisely because he was all alone and had no relatives in the world that he was so devoted to the former Crown Prince and the current young master, Ajiu. Dequan wasn't stupid; he sensed that the Left Prime Minister didn't show the Crown Prince and the young master the respect he did, so he kept a watchful eye. He had secretly let Ajiu go out to play, originally just because he couldn't bear to see the young master so depressed all day, but unexpectedly, it saved the young master's life by a twist of fate. Now, in front of all the civil and military officials, Dequan told them everything he knew.

As he recounted his story, the Left Prime Minister's expression grew increasingly grim. With this prime witness, no matter how much he argued, he couldn't escape punishment. Those officials who were usually on good terms with the Left Prime Minister, seeing this, distanced themselves from him.

That's how it is in officialdom; there are no permanent friends or enemies. Now that the Left Prime Minister has lost this contest, it's only natural that they want to sever ties with him. The Left Prime Minister listened to the accusations against him in court, remaining silent for a moment. He was actually quite puzzled. He had narrowly escaped unscathed from so many major cases, so why, on such an ordinary day, had all his schemes been exposed?
Lady Ningguo wasn't poisoned; instead, she left with the imperial physician. And what a coincidence that a group of defenseless, unskilled people being chased by assassins survived? Meanwhile, her own wife was terrified, and the bargaining chip that had been safely in Qingyun Manor had secretly escaped…

Is it really that heaven is not on his side?

He exhaled a deep breath, and without waiting for His Majesty's instructions, the Left Prime Minister stood up and stretched his body, immediately feeling an unprecedented sense of comfort and ease.

"Now that Your Majesty has investigated thoroughly, there's no point in hiding it any longer. Your Majesty truly deserves to be called the Son of Heaven, blessed with great fortune. Unlike me, who has planned for so many years, only to have everything ruined by a small mistake!"

"...Prime Minister, I truly do not understand why you would do this. Don't tell me you are concerned for the previous dynasty and cannot bear to see it perish. You were the one who initiated opening the city gates. Or perhaps you have a close relationship with the former crown prince and are willing to defy the law to save his life?"

"Since Your Majesty is so clever, why don't you guess again?"

"you……"

"Don't move!"

Just as the emperor and his ministers were exchanging questions, the officials who had quietly crept up behind the high-ranking officials suddenly made their moves, either strangling them or pressing sharpened hairpins against their necks.

Among them was even the fourth prince, who was caught completely off guard. The fourth prince was naturally timid, and he had already turned pale with fright upon hearing such royal secrets. He never expected to be kidnapped in the blink of an eye! He couldn't help but scream and cry for help to the person on the throne.

"Father! Father, save me!"

Emperor Jingtai slowly rose, his brow furrowing slightly as he looked at the ministers who had been taken hostage. Despite their initial shock, the ministers maintained the decorum expected of officials of the Jing Dynasty, trying their best to relax and not cause His Majesty any trouble. In contrast, the Fourth Prince's panicked and disoriented behavior caused everyone to frown.

(End of this chapter)