Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 292 Smallpox
His Majesty wasn't the only one to receive this news; the entire capital was watching. Naturally, some admired Jiu Que's actions, but a considerable number believed he was merely seeking attention and serving no purpose other than enhancing his own reputation. The Fourth Prince held this view.

When he was a prince, he had his own palace in the palace. This time, Emperor Jingtai allowed him to return to his palace temporarily, which was also intended to protect him. However, the fourth prince did not think so, especially when he heard that Ying Jiuque had risked his life to lead the three thousand sick people to Yunxiu Manor for isolation. His resentment and dissatisfaction were even stronger.

He threw the set of white porcelain on the ground with a loud thud, the crisp sound of it shattering echoing throughout the space.

"Those who seek fame and fortune are nothing but fools to deceive the common people, yet they pretend to be so great. If they were truly great, they should honestly contract the disease themselves and live and die with them. What are they doing now? Who even knows I'm Father's only child?! Everyone's eyes are on that woman now, who remembers me? I've never seen such a shameless woman. As a woman, instead of thinking about how to be a good wife and mother, she insists on getting involved with men. No wonder my three brothers hate her so much; she's utterly repulsive!"

After venting his anger, the Fourth Prince managed to calm down and gestured for the servants outside to come in. When the palace maids entered tremblingly, the Fourth Prince glared at them angrily.

"Useless thing, what are you shaking for?! How's it going at Rongfu Palace? Any news?"

"Your Highness, Rongfu Palace is completely surrounded by palace guards. I simply cannot get in. I only know that the master inside seemed to want to see His Majesty today, but was refused."

"Useless! You can't even do this, what use are you?!"

The palace maid felt wronged. She was just an ordinary palace maid. How could she possibly do such a task as gathering information when His Highness suddenly asked her to do it? After being scolded and berated, the Fourth Prince impatiently told her to leave. However, the palace maid paused before leaving, and the Fourth Prince could see this unusual behavior.

"Speak up if you have something to say, or get lost!"

"Your Highness, a man from the grasslands just asked me to pass on a message to you."

"...Why didn't you say so sooner? What did he say?"

He said, 'The wolf king in the pack is growing old, and the young giant wolves are at the prime of their lives. We are willing to lend Your Majesty a hand; if you have any requests, please feel free to give them.'"

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince abruptly stood up. The words couldn't have been more blunt, which explained his terrified expression. Yet, at the same time, they held an irresistible allure for him. After all, everyone in the land knew the Fourth Prince would be the next emperor, but how could he possibly survive when his father was so robust, never even sneezing a day? If his father were still alive, the generals wouldn't acknowledge him, and those cunning, fox-like civil officials would likely treat him as a useful puppet.

The Fourth Prince pondered for a long time, then nodded slightly. At this time, he didn't have many allies, but damn it, they were all related to Ying Jiuque. The only ones who were unrelated to him and willing to help were those few barbarian tribes from the grasslands. Even though he still looked down on them, it was good enough to have someone who could be used at this time. So the Fourth Prince quickly received the delegation from the grasslands.

When the chief envoy and his deputy entered, there was no trace of drunkenness on them. Clearly, their behavior at the banquet had been an act. But at this moment, the Fourth Prince couldn't care less; he practically pounced on them.

"What can you do to help me?" "We can help Your Highness completely defeat that old wolf king and make him bow down to the newly appointed wolf king."

A sickly blush flashed across the faces of the four princes. For all four princes of the royal family, their father, Emperor Jingtai, was an insurmountable mountain. This was not only because of his extraordinary martial prowess and wisdom in war, but also because he was the founding emperor. If their generation wanted to surpass their father's achievements, they would have to achieve something even more noble and outstanding than the founding of the dynasty!
But this is simply too difficult to achieve. The Fourth Prince had already given up hope, but now that such an opportunity has presented itself, why not take advantage of it? Even if it involves risks, what in this world doesn't involve risks?

"Okay, I promise you."

Even if it means dealing with a tiger for its skin, I will still strive to become the most like my father and the most successful one.

Leaving aside what happened next in the palace, for the next few days, no one in the capital could wear a smile. After all, many of those sent to be imprisoned were their relatives and friends. How could they not be worried when their loved ones were arrested and locked up?
But for the sake of all the people in Dajing, everyone had no choice but to do their best to provide support.

Even though everyone had done everything in their power and prepared for life and death, no one expected the epidemic to be so fierce. First, the three thousand people at Yunxiu Manor became increasingly ill; not only did red spots appear on their bodies, but many also began vomiting or passing blood. Three days later, dozens had become delirious. This outcome sank the hearts of many.

Even more serious was the fact that not only were patients with symptoms being continuously sent to Yunxiu Villa from the capital, but urgent reports coming from all directions also seemed to indicate the beginning of this misfortune.

The worst-case scenario unfolded: the epidemic spread not only to the capital but also throughout the entire country. At that point, the death toll would likely extend far beyond those three thousand. As it turned out, just when you think the situation is bad enough, it can get even worse.

Xie Mingchen and the skilled physicians of the Imperial Medical Academy worked for almost three days and three nights without sleep, finally identifying the type of disease. However, they preferred to admit their lack of medical knowledge rather than face this despairing result.

"...Is it really smallpox? You're not seeing things?"

Emperor Jingtai's hands trembled as he looked at the thin piece of paper. He would rather be illiterate than be able to understand what was written on it.

How could it be smallpox? Smallpox hasn't appeared in so long! If it does, the death toll won't be just a few thousand! Throughout history, countless emperors have tried to eliminate this number one enemy of mankind during their reigns. But smallpox is both incredibly mysterious and incredibly deadly. People don't know how it appears, but they know that the mere mention of smallpox means many will die.

In his earlier years, Emperor Jingtai didn't only have these four sons; he had other bloodline offspring, but two of them died from the terrible disease smallpox. How could Emperor Jingtai not be afraid of such an outcome? No matter how wise and powerful he was, no matter how many people shouted "Long live the Emperor!", he was still just a mortal with flesh and blood.

(End of this chapter)