Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 301 Did he really think that was my child?

"Of course I know you wouldn't dare. You're just indecisive and wavering! Since you deliberately infected me with smallpox, why not just kill me while I'm weak and seize the throne? Wouldn't this empire still be yours? But you're a coward, retreating at the crucial moment. I merely closed the palace to guests, but you have three hundred elite soldiers under your command. Killing me in the palace would be incredibly easy for you. Yet you still don't dare! How can I entrust the empire to someone like you?"

Emperor Jingtai was exhausted after saying so much. Seeing the Fourth Prince with tears streaming down his face, speechless and unable to utter a word, he was even more furious.

"Let me ask you, why did you agree when the northern barbarian envoy offered you his advice?"

"me……"

The fourth prince was already too frightened to utter a sound, kneeling on the ground, not daring to move. He had no idea that his father, the Emperor, knew everything he had done. But now that Emperor Jingtai was staring straight at him, the fourth prince dared not not answer, and could only stammer and mumble a reply.

"He said that if I succeed, the grasslands will agree to my right to succeed to the throne. From then on, the grasslands and the Central Plains will be forever brothers and friends, and our friendship will last for generations."

"I think you might as well just become Sachi's son!"

The fourth prince burst into another bawling cry, interspersed with pleas for mercy. Emperor Jingtai was nearly driven mad by this unfilial son; he pointed at him, his hand trembling.

"You believe everything he says? If he told you to die, would you die or not?!"

The Fourth Prince, of course, did not want to die, but he dared not contradict his father at this moment. He could only wail and cry, making Jiu Que's head ache.

Even though Jiu Que had always held Emperor Jingtai in high esteem, she couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy for him. What kind of son was he? He'd be better off with a blockhead! The Great Jing and the grasslands had been enemies for so many years, with countless deaths on both sides; the hatred couldn't be dispelled overnight. For the grasslands to say they recognized the legitimacy of the Fourth Prince's succession to the throne—wasn't that laughable? What did the grasslands' recognition or not have to do with the Great Jing? This was an internal matter for the Great Jing!

However, on the other hand, perhaps the northern barbarian envoy simply felt that the Fourth Prince's personality would inevitably make him weak and incompetent as emperor, only benefiting the grasslands, which is why he was so actively encouraging him. But the Fourth Prince is truly too foolish; how could he believe such a thing? What's wrong with his brain?

Emperor Jingtai finally caught his breath and grabbed the jade pillow from the bed, throwing it at the fourth prince's face.

"I know you've been timid and weak since childhood, but I never expected you to pull such a stunt at the very end. It seems you're not timid, just cowardly. If someone like you were to inherit the throne, the people of my Great Jing would be in grave danger."

The fourth prince dared not dodge, but continued to weep bitterly. Even now, he didn't think his father would do anything to him; after all, he was now his only son. If not him, who else could the throne be passed to? His father didn't even have a blood relative; he couldn't possibly pass it to an outsider.

Moreover, the woman in Rongfu Palace has already been infected; now, let alone giving birth, she can barely protect herself.

Emperor Jingtai knew his son fairly well, and just by looking at his expression, he could tell that he was two-faced, which inevitably made him feel weary. He leaned listlessly against the headboard, feeling utterly devoid of any interest in life.

"Of the four of you brothers, you are the youngest, and your birth mother died early. Whether in the countryside or the palace, you are the most inconspicuous one. I thought you would be my most sensible child, but who would have thought that the allure of this supreme position is too strong, and even you have developed a desire for it. When you made your move on that palace maid in Rongfu Palace, did you ever think that she was carrying one of your own brothers and sisters?"

"Father!"

The Fourth Prince was now truly panicked. He had no idea that his father knew even this. He practically crawled on his knees to Jingtai's bedside, grabbed his legs, and begged for mercy. "Father, there must be some misunderstanding! You must clear my name! That woman in Rongfu Palace is my stepmother. How could a son lay a hand on his stepmother? Besides, Father said she's pregnant with my brother. Even if I were a beast, I wouldn't lay a hand on my own brother!"

Seeing the fourth prince wailing uncontrollably, Emperor Jingtai only uttered one sentence quietly.

"I don't recall ever saying she was carrying a boy, but you seem to know. I'm afraid you've bribed the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital as well?"

The fourth prince's desperate attempt to explain himself abruptly stopped. Although he was still crying, his voice had become much softer.

At this moment, Jiu Que wanted to quietly leave. It seemed that he was not suitable to listen to these palace secrets. What if one of the father and son remembered his existence in the future, heard those unsavory rumors, and wanted to harm him? Of course, this specifically refers to the Fourth Prince.

However, Emperor Jingtai had already pointed out the fourth prince's burning ambitions as if no one else was around.

"You are an ambitious man, something I never realized before. I misjudged you, but your abilities don't match your ambition. Your vision should be focused on the people of this land, on the neighboring northern and southern barbarians, not on the wombs of the women in your harem! Even if she is carrying a boy, whether he will be born safely, whether the child will grow up safely, and what his future prospects will be are all uncertain. Yet you are already so eager to kill him. Your heart is too narrow. How can you be an emperor?"

Jiu Que's feet had already subtly moved backward; she really shouldn't have listened to those words. But Emperor Jingtai seemed to have foresight, insisting that Jiu Que stay put. He seemed to recall something amusing, and a malicious smile appeared on his face.

"You keep assuming she's carrying a boy, but you seem to have never considered whether the child in her belly is actually mine."

hiss--

This time, not only was the Fourth Prince so shocked that he forgot to scream, but even Jiu Que couldn't help but secretly pinch his palm to avoid showing too much surprise and being disrespectful to His Majesty.

This, this, this, this...

This is too explosive! Although the palace maid in the harem who is pregnant with His Majesty's son is not very noticeable, so much so that many people seem to subconsciously ignore her, everyone has not forgotten about it. After all, this is His Majesty's only son in recent years. Even if it is a princess, His Majesty will be overjoyed.

But no one expected that the child was not His Majesty's!

The fourth prince couldn't help but shout.

"How could that be? She's Father's woman! How could she dare commit adultery?!"

Emperor Jingtai smiled wryly. When he first learned of this news, he was not without anger, but now, looking at his foolish son's incredulous and unacceptable expression, he found himself not so angry anymore.

(End of this chapter)