Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 293 Advance into the Grasslands
Emperor Jingtai's hands were trembling slightly. Suddenly, he thought of something and slammed his hand on the table.

"Where's Jiuque?! How is she? No, we have to get her out of here right now!"

Smallpox is a disease with almost no chance of survival once contracted. Jiu Que is still so young; if he continues to stay in Yunxiu Manor, he will only contract smallpox. What should we do then? Even the seasoned emperor, Emperor Jingtai, was struggling to stay upright at this moment, swaying a few times. Jiu Fu rushed forward worriedly to help His Majesty sit up steadily.

After enduring the sudden dizziness, Emperor Jingtai regained his senses and still resolutely stated that he would bring Jiuque out. If it were just an ordinary epidemic, it would be fine, but it was smallpox, an incurable disease! How could he leave that child in such a dangerous place? However, just as he was about to give the order, Jiufu carefully presented him with a piece of paper.

Emperor Jingtai looked at the paper and hesitated for a moment, because he already knew who had sent it. But in the end, he opened it anyway.

The paper clearly stated: "Your Majesty, I am still healthy. Smallpox, though dangerous, is not without a chance of cure. I have discussed this with Physician Xie for a long time and have come up with one or two solutions, which have been presented to the garrisoned guards. Yunxiu Manor has food and drink, doctors and medicine. We are also gradually gaining insights into smallpox research. If we can hold on for another half month, we will surely be able to devise a treatment. Your Majesty need not worry about me. I am now in good health and can eat three large bowls of rice at every meal; my belt is even tighter… I hope Your Majesty will be careful of the epidemic and take care of your health. The people of the world are waiting for Your Majesty. I also look forward to serving Your Majesty again after I am released. I humbly wish Your Majesty good health, peace, and a long life!"

After a long silence, Emperor Jingtai finally spoke.

"How could this child be so stupid? This is clearly not a responsibility she should bear. This is the time for the Great Jing royal family to stand up..."

Jiu Fu listened silently, not daring to utter a sound. He watched as the emperor's expression grew increasingly grim, eventually turning ashen. While trembling with fear, he couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder His Majesty values ​​and promotes Lord Ying so highly. In times of national crisis, he truly dares to risk his life for the cause; such dedication is extremely rare."

As for the royal family who should bear the responsibility, let's not even mention that His Majesty already has few heirs and shallow kinship ties, with no close relatives. Furthermore, only the Fourth Prince remains, practically the sole heir. Who would dare send him near smallpox patients? Even if the prince is slightly timid, he is still His Majesty's only child. A single seedling in a vast field cannot be harmed. Moreover, the Fourth Prince doesn't seem to have any sense of responsibility. Since entering his palace, he hasn't seemed to come out, nor has he checked on His Majesty's health, whether he has contracted the plague, or whether he's been angered by his incompetent officials.

Sigh, even Jiufu himself felt that the Fourth Prince was hardly a considerate son. But what could be done? And that one in Rongfu Palace…

Ugh!
After a brief moment of contemplation, Emperor Jingtai forced himself to stay alert. Jiu Que was right; the people of the world were waiting for him, and he absolutely could not give up now.

Of course, the epidemic among the common people must be controlled, but the most important thing now is the situation in the border troops.

"Jiufu, urgent dispatch! Contact all the generals and instruct them to keep their soldiers calm and, according to Jiuque's method, isolate the sick. Those who are not sick should also pay special attention to their diet and avoid contact with the sick..."

The decrees were issued methodically, one by one. Emperor Jingtai glanced outside; the sky was overcast, but it was already daytime, and even in bad weather, there was a glimmer of hope. In the following days, the entire Jingtai Kingdom was plunged into unprecedented panic. Many people became weak-kneed at the mere mention of smallpox, unable to muster any strength. Fortunately, they soon discovered that the court hadn't abandoned them; instead, a large number of officials and even soldiers were sent to help maintain order. Even those already infected, upon learning they wouldn't be executed, mustered some courage and left with the officials. Human nature is inherently selfish, but at times it can shine brightly, as in this moment when most people didn't want to implicate their families. Even though they weren't sure if they would return, they still followed without hesitation.

However, the situation on the frontier is indeed not good, especially in the northern frontier. Strangely enough, with winter approaching, the grasslands launched an attack at this time, and the soldiers seemed even fiercer and more fearless than before.

General Yuchi was already troubled by the unknown existence of smallpox, and when he learned that the barbarians of the grasslands had chosen to attack at this time, he was so angry that he was about to go crazy.

"Have those grassland barbarians gone mad? Winter has arrived, temperatures are dropping everywhere, and it will snow soon. Why are they attacking at this time? Are they tired of living? Or do they really think they're that powerful? Who's leading the troops?"

"Reporting to the General, it is indeed the Great Khan Saqi."

"..."

General Yuchi suddenly opened his eyes wide, somewhat unable to believe his ears. He even asked the messenger again.

"I think I misheard you. Who did you say?"

“It was indeed the Great Khan Sachi. He personally led the troops into battle, and those barbarians on the steppe attacked like madmen, not afraid even when they were wounded, as if, as if they were certain that we had no power to resist.”

That old codger, practically on his deathbed, instead of enjoying a life of leisure in his royal tent, why did he decide to lead an attack in this season? At his age, it would be quite an achievement to live to hand over the Khanate to his son; to do something like this before his death is truly incomprehensible.

However, General Yuchi had dealt with that Saki Khan before; he was a cunning and ruthless old lion. He never fought a battle he wasn't confident of winning, especially since he was personally leading the troops this time. A defeat would undoubtedly severely damage his reputation. On the grasslands, strength is paramount. Even if he were Khan, if he led his people to repeated defeats and suffered heavy casualties, someone might rise up in rebellion. After all, everyone wanted to have the throne of Khan!
General Yuchi was completely baffled. Even after discussing it with his advisors for a long time, he still couldn't understand why that old man would personally lead the expedition. This was not in line with his usual style of doing things.

The military tent was in an uproar, with everyone expressing their opinions. Lin Chongshan had remained silent until the heated argument subsided, at which point he suddenly spoke up.

(End of this chapter)