Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 281 Epidemic
It would be a lie to say that Emperor Jingtai wasn't excited. After all, the Imperial Seal of the State was the coveted possession of emperors throughout history. When he first ascended the throne, it was somewhat illegitimate. Now that he had the Imperial Seal of the State in his hands, who could question the legitimacy of his throne?
However, Emperor Jingtai's joy was short-lived, and he quickly calmed down. Dequan, on the other hand, was very nervous. Of course, Emperor Jingtai knew that Dequan's reason for saying all this and presenting the Imperial Seal was only to spare Ajiu's life.

Many people probably thought Emperor Jingtai would eliminate all traces of the former crown prince, but in reality, whether Ajiu was a descendant of the previous dynasty's crown prince was irrelevant to him. More than a decade had passed; did he really think that revealing Ajiu's identity now would immediately provoke a wave of supporters of the former royal family to enthrone him and restore the dynasty? Impossible. If the people still held even a sliver of hope for the former royal family, so many wouldn't have joined the rebellion. Even if Ajiu was nominally the heir of the previous crown prince, what use would it be if the former crown prince suddenly came back to life? Even if there were indeed a group of loyalists back then, more than a decade had passed; circumstances had changed, and people's hearts were fickle. Discussing these things was pointless now.

Moreover, he wouldn't bother pursuing a child who's only a few years old.

"You have rendered meritorious service by presenting the treasure, so the Qingyun Manor outside the city will be your residence, master and servant. Let bygones be bygones, from now on you will both be citizens of the Great Jing."

For a moment, Dequan couldn't believe what he had heard. After regaining his senses, he quickly pulled Ajiu and kowtowed heavily.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty. We will certainly behave ourselves and live peacefully."

Seeing Dequan weep with joy, Emperor Jingtai was also filled with emotion. No matter how incompetent the previous emperors were, at least that little boy named Ajiu had such a loyal and reliable old servant, and could live a peaceful life in the future.

[As expected of His Majesty! Which emperor throughout history has possessed such a magnanimous heart? This is the true spirit of a founding emperor—I care nothing for your petty schemes! Hmm, now that you mention it, when I saved the Fourth Prince just now, did he secretly glare at me? I saved him, shouldn't he be grateful? Why does he seem so angry? I really don't understand…]

"..."

In fact, Emperor Jingtai was also very puzzled about what kind of child he had given birth to. The fourth prince did seem a bit timid, but he was not so incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. In that situation, if Jiu Que had not acted decisively, he would not be alive today. If Mu Yanchun, that selfish and harmful person, knew that he had no chance of escaping alive, he would definitely have killed the fourth prince and cut off his bloodline.

For an emperor in his fifties to have all his sons die is a huge blow to the country and its people.

Although the fourth prince might think he had hidden it well, which of the civil and military officials present wasn't a seasoned old fox? How could they not see through it? It was just that no one brought it up out of consideration for His Majesty and the princes.

Sigh, he was just mocking the last emperor of the previous dynasty, saying at least the last emperor's crown prince was much better than his sons. Even when he was under house arrest and in poor health, he managed to outwit that old fox Mu Yanchun, and even hid the Imperial Seal of the State well, only taking it out now to save the life of that loyal servant. But what about his four sons? Sigh, they're all utterly useless.

However, no matter how incompetent the fourth son is, there's nothing that can be done. He's his only child now, and he has to plan ahead for him. The future leadership needs to be prepared now. And then there are the menacing northern and southern barbarians; the transition between old and new imperial powers is the easiest time for outsiders to take advantage. While he's still alive, he needs to prepare as much as possible…

As for the Fourth Prince, who had narrowly escaped death, he truly felt no gratitude towards Jiu Que. Not only that, but upon returning home, he smashed every piece of porcelain in his study. The servants had long since hidden far away, their faces etched with worry, not daring to utter a single word. For some reason, while their Fourth Prince had previously been timid and cowardly, he had been relatively lenient with his servants. But since the deaths of the three princes, his temper had suddenly flared up. Yet, he had never acted like this before, returning home to smash the entire study. Having wrecked the study, the Fourth Prince finally felt a little better. He glanced expressionlessly at the shards of porcelain scattered on the floor, as if he were seeing the fragments of the corpses of the ministers who had mocked him in court that day.

"You all look down on me... I am a prince! I am His Majesty's only son! I will surely ascend the throne! What right do you have to look down on me? Eldest brother, second brother, third brother, you three have looked down on me and suppressed me since childhood, and what has become of you? You are all dead now. If you were still alive, how wonderful it would be to see me ascend the throne! Father, Father... I am your only son, why don't you see me? No, you can only have one son!"

After a long while, the study finally returned to calm. The fourth prince slowly raised his head, his dark eyes fixed on the direction of the palace. Finally, he revealed a sinister smile.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away on the grasslands, an unprecedented disaster erupted.

"Ahhhhhh—Mother! Open your eyes and look! The eldest prince and the youngest prince have come to save us! Mother!"

"Your Highness, you've finally arrived! Come and see! For some reason, many of our cattle, sheep, and rabbits have died. And our horses! Our family is hardworking and diligent, and we've never neglected them for a moment, yet they've all perished. Why is this? Aren't we hardworking and capable enough?"

"Eternal Heaven! Why do you not continue to care for your people? The harsh winter is coming, yet so many of our cattle and sheep have died. Are we just supposed to wait to die?"

Muldur, riding his horse, saw this scene from afar, and a hint of pity appeared on his heroic face. Just as he was about to spur his horse forward, Namtso beside him pulled him back.

Murdoch was puzzled, but then he saw in the direction Namtso was pointing that the people kneeling on the ground crying and begging had bursting with dense red pimples, and he immediately gasped.

"What is this? Is it the plague?"

What the people of the grasslands fear most is not war, but plague, especially plague that spreads among livestock. Their daily food depends on cattle and sheep; if all their livestock fall ill and die, how will they survive? Moreover, now humans are also infected with this disease, and some have already died from it!
And judging from its appearance, it's highly contagious.

Even the mighty Crown Prince couldn't help but feel a chill run through his body and his limbs go weak at this moment.

(End of this chapter)