Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 276 The winner and the loser
"Your Majesty was born into a lowly family and was only able to gather an army because you were born in a chaotic world and were lucky enough. If Your Majesty is truly noble and virtuous, why did you not lend a helping hand when the 300,000-strong allied army in the north was fighting against the northern frontier, but instead turned around and attacked the capital? In the end, wasn't it all for the sake of power?"

"Although I am old, I am strong and healthy and can live for at least another twenty years. Even if I am only emperor for one day, my name and life story will be recorded in the history books. When historians write biographies, I will be included in the biographies of emperors, not the biographies of ministers."

Emperor Jingtai had actually thought of this reason. If it weren't for becoming emperor, why would Mu Yanchun, who held a high position, take such a risk? Unfortunately, he originally thought that Mu Yanchun was risking the extermination of his entire family to raise the orphan of the former crown prince because of the deep teacher-student relationship between him and the former crown prince. It turned out that it was for such a simple and unpretentious reason.

That's incredibly boring.

Upon hearing his words, Emperor Jingtai glanced at Jiu Que with some concern. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Jiu Que's expression was normal, and even a little worried and anxious. Although he had a clear conscience, he really didn't know what to do if Jiu Que believed his words of provocation.

"Regarding what happened back then, I have no regrets. The victor is king, the loser is villain—this is an unchanging principle since ancient times. Since you committed this act, you should have been prepared for failure. Today, you cannot escape this imperial palace!"

Mu Yanchun stepped forward and grabbed the Fourth Prince by the neck. The hairpin in his hand, sharpened to a point, had already pierced half of his finger joint. He stared at Emperor Jingtai with an almost ferocious expression.

"Don't you want the Fourth Prince to live? He's your last son. If he dies too, how can you possibly have another child at your age? Are you going to give this vast empire to someone else?"

Emperor Jingtai flicked his sleeve, glancing at Jiu Que out of the corner of his eye. Jiu Que pursed his lips, and taking advantage of the tense standoff, quietly slipped into the back of the crowd.

Now, Mu Yanchun has shamelessly taken a high-ranking official hostage. If those ministers are injured in the process of capturing him, it would be a net loss. After all, these ministers have never committed any wrongdoing, and even now, while being held hostage, they have not yielded to the enemy. If even one or two of these loyal ministers were to be killed, it would be a loss for the court. Furthermore, with so many court officials watching, if they are not rescued in order to capture the Left Chancellor, there will inevitably be a sense of shared fate and unease in the future.

At this moment, Emperor Jingtai, who was expected to be panicked, suddenly smiled. Upon seeing this smile, Mu Yanchun had an ominous premonition.

"why are you laughing?"

"After all these years of being both ruler and subject, you, Prime Minister, still understand me. It's just that, unfortunately, I do have a child about to be born."

"How can it be?!"

The Left Chancellor's first reaction was that Emperor Jingtai was lying to him, but then he suddenly remembered a rumor from long ago, and his face turned ugly.

For the first time today, Emperor Jingtai truly laughed heartily.

"That's right, Consort Yu is pregnant with my son. Although the pregnancy was a bit unstable, it has been successfully maintained, and she will give birth in three months. Mu Yanchun, you've miscalculated."

Upon hearing this, Mu Yanchun's expression turned cold and unpleasant. The Fourth Prince, however, abruptly looked up, staring at his father in disbelief. He had always believed himself to be his father's last son, never imagining there would be a pregnant woman in his father's palace. And carrying the emperor's child?!

He was aware of his shortcomings. He had been timid since childhood, and his father had never really liked him. Finally, his three older brothers died for various reasons, leaving him the only survivor. Even if his father disliked him, he had to pass the throne to him. But unexpectedly, his father had another child, who, even before being born, was his greatest enemy! Father, why couldn't you only have me as your child?

Mu Yanchun was barely able to keep his composure at this moment.

"Why would Your Majesty lie to me? If that concubine is truly carrying a prince, why has she remained silent and there has been no news of her presence for the past few months?"

Yes, with His Majesty's personality, how could he possibly keep such a great event from others? That's how the royal family is; whenever there's a happy occasion, they want the whole world to know.

"If this had been revealed earlier, wouldn't it have given you, a traitorous minister, time to prepare? However, seeing your expression now, I can say I've gotten what I wanted. How does it feel to have your plan thwarted? Mu Yanchun, you refuse to take the broad road, insisting on this crooked path. If you had been a dutiful subject, wouldn't you have been able to enjoy your old age in peace? You're already in your fifties, yet you still refuse to admit defeat. Was it you who poisoned Chaosheng? You're already an old wretch, on the verge of death, yet you still try to seize the lives of others to strengthen yourself. With a body like that, you think you can be emperor? The supreme throne of the world must be occupied by a perfect person. How could Heaven, with its benevolent nature, allow you to succeed through such crooked means?"

As Emperor Jingtai spoke, Jiu Que had already quietly slipped behind the crowd. Taking advantage of the fact that the entire hall was filled with the Emperor's booming voice, she easily found a pillar, quickly climbed up, and just as she realized the pillar was too smooth to hold her position, Jiu Que pinched it with her hand, and a handprint immediately dented into the dragon-carved golden pillar. Nearby, a minor official who witnessed this scene widened his eyes in surprise, but remembered to cover his mouth.

"Senior, all of this is just for show; I'll have to rely on you."

"Ah."

A soft reply reached her ears, and Jiu Que immediately felt at ease. She pulled out the butterfly hairpin from her hair, curled her thumb and fingers into a circle, and pulled the hairpin upwards, removing all the scattered decorations, leaving only a bare gold hairpin.

This hairpin wasn't as sharp as the ones the Left Prime Minister and the others had sharpened, but Jiu Que just pinched it a few times with his hand, and it immediately looked like a hidden weapon.

Aiming at the Left Prime Minister, whose face was red with anger and who had lost all his composure, Jiu Que held his breath and focused for a long time before throwing it out with a whoosh!
At the same time, a faint, ethereal figure drifted past like a ghost. The ministers only felt a blur before their eyes, followed by a loud cry of pain.

"what!"

Although he quickly regained his composure and swallowed his cry of pain, the sight of Mu Yanchun's arm hanging limply like a noodle was still seen by the ministers.

The fourth prince, unsteady on his feet, was casually tossed aside by the suddenly appearing figure and landed among the ministers. Though he lost face, he at least saved his life.

Almost everyone present couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the only adult prince had survived.

But some people thought differently. The fourth prince's face turned red, and he quietly clenched his fist.

(End of this chapter)