Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 351 Our Danger

"Mother……"

Lin Shuran had never seen her mother so emotionally expressive. In her eyes, her mother had always been timid and cowardly, charming and adorable in front of her father for the past ten years. It turned out that so much pain and glory were hidden beneath her mother's mask-like smile.

But there was one thing she really wanted to know.

"Mother, was it me who appeared at that time?"

Although Xu Minghui didn't mind using cruel words to describe what she had suffered, Lin Shuran, as her daughter, couldn't bring herself to utter such cruel words.

Although she spoke cryptically, Xu Minghui understood. She shook her head and smiled gently at Lin Shuran's relieved expression.

"No, don't worry, what you're worried about hasn't happened. Besides, your father isn't Lin Wei."

Lin Shuran let out a half-exhale, but the other half was stuck in her throat, making a clicking sound, and she didn't know what to say.

How could this be? What did she just hear? What did she mean by Lin Wei not being her father? Mother, did Mother say something wrong? This shocking news was far too much for Lin Shuran, who had always followed the rules for over a decade. Her first thought was that her mother might have misspoke.

Good heavens! Could it be that my mother is having an affair? No, no, no, how could she use such words to describe my mother?

"Silly child, why are you so agitated? Lin Wei, that beast, isn't your father. Shouldn't you be happy?"

That's true, but it completely contradicts the education she received over the past ten years.

Xu Minghui gently patted her daughter's shoulder.

“How could I possibly have a child with someone like Lin Wei? I’m disgusted with him. All these years, he’s refused to find you a husband with a broad perspective, just so you’d become a conventional woman. I’ve seen his tricks many times; he just wants to imprison a woman’s mind. But no matter how much he planned, there was one thing he miscalculated.”

“A woman’s child is always her own. But a man can’t guarantee that his child isn’t his. I know he’s suspicious. Over the years, every time a child is born in the manor, Lin Wei has secretly performed a blood test to determine paternity. Fortunately, the women in the manor are ‘well-behaved’ and have never done anything wrong. Every blood test has come back positive. So, do you think he should be a father or not?”

"I……"

"Silly child. Don't be sad about this. Only women can give birth. What do men sacrifice? The hardships of ten months of pregnancy, the excruciating pain of childbirth, the tireless work of raising a child from dawn till dusk... all of this is done by women. Men only get a moment of pleasure. Do you really think it's not worth it for him?" Lin Shuran's face turned bright red. She had never heard such blunt words before. And weren't these words a bit too shocking for an unmarried woman?
But upon closer reflection, it does seem to make some sense.

Looking at her shy daughter, Xu Minghui opened her mouth, but swallowed the even more shocking news. Lin Wei had lived his entire life in inferiority; he looked down on women, yet still needed them to procreate. What punishment could be heavier for a man with such a mixture of inferiority and pride than to leave him childless for life?
He killed Sister Ying and still wants to have offspring? There's no such thing as a free lunch!
In short, today was a truly memorable day for Lin Shuran. In any case, a new world had opened up before her eyes.

As the conversation drew to a close, Lin Shuran became quite puzzled.

"Mother, why are you saying these things to me? Have you said these things to my brother?"

It wasn't that Lin Shuran was petty, but Lin Moran's previous behavior made her unable to believe the younger brother she had grown up with. It seemed that this younger brother had quietly rotted away without her knowledge.

Fortunately, Xu Minghui gave a negative answer.

"No, I never intended to tell him."

Xu Minghui's words were somewhat meaningful.

“Although he is my biological son, in this world, daughters are always more understanding of their mothers. Sons are naturally on their fathers' side. Besides, your brother was practically raised by Lin Wei, and he's practically a carbon copy of him. Lin Wei has always been jealous of Sister Ying, while he's jealous of Jiu Que. Before this, perhaps the whole family's attention was focused on him, and he had gotten used to this feeling of being the center of attention. When one day, this kind of praise and envy from others was given to someone else, he felt as if everything had been taken away from him. So, I won't tell him.”

Lin Shuran secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then a sense of melancholy welled up within her.

Sigh, she grew up with her younger brother, but when exactly did that well-behaved boy from childhood turn out to be so wicked? She had no idea...

As for the first question, Xu Minghui carefully examined her daughter's face, just as she looked at herself more than ten years ago when she was all alone and helpless.

"More than a decade ago, I was too cowardly and incapable of stepping forward to do more for women. But my sister said that women hold up half the sky. We are clearly divided into yin and yang, and men and women. We are just different in physical structure, so why should we be subordinate to others? So many years have passed, and the young lady has taken the lead and rushed to the forefront. Should we, the beneficiaries, continue to turn a deaf ear? Now, the plight of the young lady and women is not in the war in the northern frontier, but after the war ends."

"Now that the frontier has been won, everyone's attention is focused on the outcome of that battle, and no one can pay attention to the increasing number of women wanting to enter the court as officials. But once the war ends and we win, this natural antagonism will become increasingly intense. No one is willing to share their power with others, let alone women who have been trampled underfoot. Some men would rather give their power to a stranger's son-in-law than to their own daughter. Is this short-sightedness? Don't they know that this will foster their son-in-law's ambition? No, they know very well. They simply see their 'son-in-law' as another version of themselves."

"There are plenty of men in this world who dream of having a virtuous wife and loving mother who will accompany them through hardships and difficulties, even saying that they will repay her when they become successful. But when they achieve fame and fortune, the first thing they do is divorce their wives. Men who can divorce openly are considered to have a conscience. Other men make their wives disappear quietly so as not to delay their search for a better match. What do they call this? Oh right, they call it 'being too far removed from their wives, and their wives not being able to understand them. The two of them are no longer in the same world, and it is very difficult for them to get along.'"

“My daughter, there are far too many men like this in the world; it’s all just human nature’s inherent weakness. Our danger is imminent…”