Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 275 Supreme Authority

So many civil and military officials were taken hostage, and even if they were panicked, they didn't show it on their faces. But this fourth prince, in front of so many people, cried for help. Is this the demeanor expected of a prince? Although everyone knew that the fourth prince was naturally timid, no one expected him to lack even this much courage. Alas, he is already the last prince born to the current emperor. If the fourth prince truly ascends the throne, it's really hard to say what the future of the Great Jing Dynasty will hold.

Of course, all of that is irrelevant now. We can't just stand by and watch our colleagues or even the Fourth Prince be kidnapped. So, some military officers quietly crept up, only to be stopped by the prepared Left Prime Minister.

"It would be best if my colleagues did nothing underhanded, otherwise the lives of these ministers might be in danger."

Those who were kidnapped were all high-ranking officials of the first rank in the imperial court, and now someone spoke up fearlessly.

"Gentlemen, you need not worry about us! To dare to use force in the Golden Palace is tantamount to treason! Left Prime Minister, I advise you not to be so stubborn!"

"Your Majesty, please do not concern yourselves with such a trivial matter. The dignity of our Great Jing Dynasty cannot be trampled upon!"

"Our lives are of little consequence; the dignity of the Great Jing Dynasty is of paramount importance! We urge you all to act swiftly!"

The kidnapped ministers, each one fearless in the face of death, made the Fourth Prince seem rather useless. He was practically trembling, only managing to stay upright thanks to the men holding him back. He knew, of course, that so many people were watching, but he was genuinely terrified. Who wouldn't be afraid of death? Don't be fooled by how loudly those men were shouting slogans; weren't they afraid too? Every human being is afraid of death.

Thinking of this, the Fourth Prince secretly regretted running so fast today, giving the thieves the opportunity to kidnap him. He was already his father's last son; who else was qualified for the throne besides him? As long as he could live well and live until his father made him crown prince and ascended the throne, he could become the master of the entire world. Even though he had no great ambitions since childhood, what prince hadn't dreamed of ruling the world? But who would have thought that he would lose such a disgrace before even becoming crown prince!

Quietly noting down the displeased expressions of those ministers, the Fourth Prince felt a surge of anger. He was the future Crown Prince, even the Emperor! Instead of trying to save him, these ministers were mocking and ridiculing him. Did they have any regard for their sovereign or father?

Yes, the fourth prince is indeed not very magnanimous; even under these circumstances, he still holds a grudge.

Looking at the clearly contrasting scene below, Emperor Jingtai slowly rose, walked to the steps of the palace, and looked down at the Left Chancellor.

"Left Prime Minister, what are your intentions?"

The Left Prime Minister gritted his teeth. He had secretly plotted for decades, and no matter how hard the court pursued him, even with the changing of dynasties, they hadn't found a single fault in him. He never imagined that his scheme would be thwarted without his knowledge! How could he not be seething with rage?!
He thought he had the man above him completely under his thumb, after all, the deaths of the three princes were related to him, but Emperor Jingtai hadn't noticed anything. Who would have thought he would be exposed because of an accident! Could it really be fate? No, he didn't believe in fate! Nor did he believe in heaven! Clearly, the four princes were all incredibly stupid. If they were truly the sons of heaven, how could they be so foolish? They couldn't even understand his subtle provocations.

But what's done is done, and dwelling on the past is pointless; he needs to figure out how to get out of here. "Your Majesty, are the lives of these high-ranking officials enough to exchange for my life?"

"...You're willing to sacrifice your entire family of over a hundred people. Is this how you save your own life, even abandoning your wife, daughters, and grandchildren?"

"Why must Your Majesty say such things? If this old minister could truly save their lives, I would naturally be willing. But right now, Your Majesty is unwilling to spare their lives, so why place all the blame on me? If you are truly compassionate, then let them go."

"wishful thinking."

Emperor Jingtai merely sighed that this seemingly kind and benevolent old man was actually such a greedy and self-serving scoundrel who didn't even care about his own children and grandchildren. However, it was probably precisely because he was good at disguising himself that he hadn't noticed his various abnormalities for thirteen years right under his nose.

In fact, ever since he learned the true identity of the mastermind behind the scenes, Emperor Jingtai had been puzzled by one thing.

"Left Prime Minister, no, Mu Yanchun, I've always wanted to ask you a question. Wouldn't it be better to just be an honest official? You're already the head of the civil officials and nearly seventy years old. Even if you kill my son, how can you ascend the throne? And even if you do, how many years can you be emperor? What have you been busy with all these years for?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Yanchun's eyes glazed over for a moment. Why? He himself was eager to know. During the previous dynasty, he had only thought of climbing higher and higher, assisting the crown prince, and even becoming the crown prince's tutor—all for the sake of securing a place in the imperial court. But who would have thought that because the last emperor of the previous dynasty was incompetent, cruel, and tyrannical, the people would actually rebel! In his shock, it suddenly dawned on him: even those lowly commoners could covet the throne, so why couldn't someone like him, born into a noble family, do the same? In terms of background and talent, was he inferior to those peasants?

However, those peasants who were usually looked down upon acted swiftly, quickly raising one rebel army after another. By then, he no longer had the advantage of time, and could only barely protect the crown prince when the previous dynasty collapsed. Unfortunately, the crown prince was too weak and died before the age of twenty.

I had assumed that Emperor Jingtai, being of humble origins, would be ill-suited for handling state affairs. But who would have thought that this uncouth commoner possessed such strategic brilliance? He managed national affairs with remarkable efficiency. If it weren't for the unfavorable weather and constant natural and man-made disasters of the past decade or so, Emperor Jingtai would have long been revered as a great emperor throughout history.

Later, he shifted his target. Since he couldn't find a way to deal with Emperor Jingtai, his four sons were still young. Having served as Grand Tutor for so long, he had considerable experience in educating children. Over the years, he hadn't directly contacted the four princes, but rather used various connections to subtly influence them. The current emperor's sons weren't exceptionally talented, and by the time they were born, the emperor's power was already considerable. They hadn't suffered hardship from a young age and naturally didn't understand the suffering of the common people. Coupled with these influences, they easily developed arrogance and became one of the beneficiaries who trampled on the masses for personal gain.

Thinking of this, Mu Yanchun felt a surge of pride.

"For what? Of course, it's for supreme power! Your Majesty, having seized power over the world, how could you not understand this? When you first raised an army in rebellion, didn't you have the same thought in mind?"

(End of this chapter)