Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 373 A Small Gathering of Friends
Just when he thought Jiuque was already outstanding enough, this child always surprised him even more. This child was like a treasure trove; the deeper he dug, the more his goodness was revealed.

"I'm wondering, how could there be such a gifted person as Jiuque in this world? You are truly more intelligent than I ever imagined."

Jiu Que felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this; she was merely echoing others' opinions. If it weren't for the accumulated knowledge from later generations, she wouldn't have offered these suggestions. Of course, these suggestions proved to be practical and feasible in the trials and tribulations of subsequent dynasties.

Emperor Jingtai completely disregarded Jiuque's modest words.

“I said you have the ability, so you have it. There’s no need to be modest. Those ministers who almost came to blows in the hall just now should have come and listened to what you had to say. Some of them have been officials for decades, yet they can’t even come up with a useful solution. They still have the nerve to argue. It’s truly laughable.”

When Emperor Jingtai got excited, he couldn't help but cough a few times, and his face turned a little pale. Seeing this, Jiuque couldn't help but ask again.

"Your Majesty, shall I summon Physician Xie? If you require it, Physician Xie will be happy to treat Your Majesty."

"It's alright. I know my own body well. The imperial physicians have already examined me, and there's nothing seriously wrong. I just need time to recuperate. But as you've seen, those ministers in court don't seem to want me to rest at all. I'd be grateful if they didn't start arguing in court one day. There's not a single person on my side in court right now, which really saddens me. Jiu Que, do you think I've been a terrible emperor for the past ten years? Otherwise, I wouldn't be in this situation where my children are disloyal and my ministers are incompatible?"

"How could Your Majesty fail? Your Majesty is a good emperor. Without Your Majesty's efforts over the years, perhaps only one in ten people would survive today. If Your Majesty had not rallied the people and turned the tide of the dying dynasty back then, re-establishing the Great Jing Dynasty, the Central Plains would have long been conquered by the grasslands. Your Majesty, no one can erase your contributions!"

Jiu Que spoke very seriously because that was truly what she thought. Over the years, if it weren't for the constant natural and man-made disasters, the Jingtai Emperor would have already taken off. The Jingtai Emperor was truly a rare emperor in history who genuinely cared about the people, perhaps due to his humble origins. Even more remarkable was that, throughout his more than ten years on the throne, his original intentions remained unchanged.

There are many people in this world who, upon suddenly becoming rich, reveal ugly sides they've never shown before. Emperor Jingtai was no ordinary rich man; he was the emperor of this country, a ruler standing above millions. Yet, he still cared for the people, which is extremely rare.

[How could Your Majesty have such thoughts? Could it be that the actions of the four princes have saddened Your Majesty? Those four princes were truly despicable. Your Majesty has been wise and powerful all your life, how could you have such foolish and incompetent princes? Moreover, as a father, how could you not feel pain in your heart seeing your sons want to harm you? It seems that these past few days, Your Majesty has only pretended to be normal on the surface, but in reality, you must have been extremely distressed.]

Emperor Jingtai finally managed to stop coughing and the itching in his throat. Looking at Jiuque in front of him, he felt that the child was exactly what he wanted in every way.

If only this child were her own flesh and blood. Even if she were a woman, with enough maneuvering, she could certainly take charge of the affairs of state. Finding a naive young child in a remote area and making that child the regent to govern the country would eliminate any worry about the Great Jing dynasty dying out in one lifetime.

Wait a minute, this child is now his daughter in name only, and also the Prince Rui of the court. The only higher rank a prince can hold is the Regent, right?

It seems like there's no room for maneuver here.

Emperor Jingtai was in high spirits when this brilliant idea suddenly popped into his head. However, looking at the still bewildered Jiu Que before him, he didn't voice his thoughts. Emperor Jingtai simply smiled mysteriously and told Jiu Que to go back and rest.

Of course, Jiuque also brought back a large amount of gold and silver treasures, as well as His Majesty's rewards, with him on this trip.

When she returned with her bags full of things, she saw several children standing to greet her from afar. She was deeply moved. She rushed over, wrapped her arms around them, and lifted them high in the air!
The children's excited screams immediately rang out, and Yuandao's little face also turned red with excitement. However, he always prided himself on being mature, and at this moment he was too embarrassed to join his companions in screaming with surprise. He could only stare at Jiuque with a rosy face and longing eyes.

"Have you missed me? Have you been behaving well at home?"

“We are all very obedient sisters, and we haven’t run away. Sister Chunyu and Brother Wei often come to visit us and bring us lots of delicious food. Sister, you won’t go out again this time, right? We miss you so much.”

"Yes, yes, we really miss you. You seem to have lost weight. We have some meat pies at home, you must try them later, they're delicious."

Children always have a unique, whiny way of speaking. Jiu Que listened with a smile and looked at Chunyu Shuang and Wei Yuan, who were standing to the side with smiles on their faces, unable to hide their excitement. He then gave them a big smile.

"It's been a long time. How are Lord Chunyu and Lord Wei doing?"

Chunyu Shuang immediately rolled her eyes. If the officials of the Ministry of Justice saw her like this, they would definitely stare in horror. It was truly unbelievable that their infamous Jade-Faced Yama of the Ministry of Justice would make such an expression.

"All right, all right. You have no idea how many corrupt officials I've dealt with while you were away from the capital. Now, those officials don't chatter in front of me anymore; they all gossip behind my back. You have no idea what awful nicknames they've given me. They even call me Jade-Faced Yama, ugh, that's awful. Actually, I know they want to call me She-Devil, but they don't dare."

Upon finally seeing Jiu Que, Chunyu Shuang was incredibly excited and became quite talkative. Chunyu Shuang hadn't accompanied Jiu Que on this expedition. She was doing very well in the Ministry of Justice and couldn't easily leave.

The two chatted and laughed for a while, and then they all went into the mansion together.

A banquet had already been set out inside, along with a variety of fruits that are now extremely rare. The most eye-catching items were the jars of fragrant wine.

Did the children find these bottles of alcohol too?
"Don't worry, these are all fine wines from the capital that I've collected. Just try them, you definitely won't be disappointed."

Chunyu Shuang's tone was quite lively, and even the usually silent Wei Yuan couldn't help but glance at her again. This person seems unusually lively and energetic in front of Jiu Que?