Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 380 Willing to be a Pawn

"In Your Majesty's opinion, this Lord Lin..."

Emperor Jingtai's face flashed with intense disgust. He was always an upright man, even when he raised the banner of rebellion, it was done openly and honestly. He despised men who lacked ability themselves but secretly envied others. Especially Lin Wei, who was inferior to his wife in the past, and now inferior to his daughter. Unable to compete in ability, he tried to suppress them by virtue of the difference in gender. Now he had even grown more powerful, wanting to use his father's status to oppress Jiuque.

Such hypocrites and scoundrels are truly despicable.

"In my opinion, he is unworthy to be Jiu Que's father. General Ying was wise and brilliant his entire life, his only stain being his blindness in falling for Lin Wei. But we can't blame him, after all, this guy is too good at pretending. For the past ten years or so, haven't everyone in the capital thought he was a loving husband? If I were Jiu Que's father, I would be laughing in my sleep if I had a daughter like that. I wouldn't have to worry about the successor to this empire..."

Speaking of this, Emperor Jingtai inevitably thinks of his good-for-nothing sons. The three who died are one thing, but the one who is still alive is truly shameful to think of.

The son is not like his father, what can be done...

Thinking of this, Emperor Jingtai couldn't help but speak.

"Jiufu, do you think there's a possibility? Although I've never had any interaction with General Ying, she might be the mother of my daughter? The more I look at her, the more I feel that Jiuque is my child! Tell me about Lin Wei, besides being a bit more refined in appearance, what does he have that compares to me? How could he be Jiuque's father? Heaven is truly unfair. I've been wise all my life, yet I have four good-for-nothing sons. That Lin Wei is selfish and self-serving, not only having a virtuous wife like General Ying, but also an outstanding daughter like Jiuque. I'm so jealous!"

Jiufu: ...

Don't you have any idea whether Prince Rui is your daughter or not?
Isn't Your Majesty's wish a bit too grand? It's simply impossible! Does Your Majesty really believe in the existence of spiritual intercourse and procreation? Does General Ying really not know whose child his daughter is?
And Your Majesty. Before Prince Rui appeared, you were quite fond of your four princes. How come, once Prince Rui came along, you only had eyes for him? In this world, every disease can be cured, but this favoritism is incurable!
Forget it, His Majesty only has this one hobby now. As His Majesty's closest person, he can't even be deprived of this one hobby, can he?

“Look at what Your Majesty is saying. All the people under heaven are your children, and Prince Rui is naturally your child as well. Moreover, hasn’t Prince Rui already been granted the titles of princess and prince? From the perspective of etiquette, Prince Rui is your child. This will surely be recorded in the history books of future generations.”

"History books are always harsh; who knows how they will evaluate me after my death? They might not even put me alongside the Nine Palaces."

Emperor Jingtai was somewhat dejected. In any case, Jiuque was not his biological daughter, so how could later historical records compare the two of them?
However, it was indeed recorded in later historical books.

Emperor Taizu Gao was of a fierce nature, but he especially loved and respected Emperor Taizong Jingwu.

Historical records are generally sparing with words, so it's already quite rare that they describe the relationship between these two emperors as one of "affection and respect." Moreover, the addition of the word "especially" further demonstrates Emperor Taizu Gao's affection for Emperor Taizong Jingwu.

Later historian Si Zhongnian couldn't resist dedicating a considerable portion of his "Annals of Emperors: The Great Jing Dynasty" to describing the mutual appreciation between these two emperors. Emperor Taizu Gao, as the founder of the Great Jing Dynasty, undoubtedly achieved remarkable feats. However, later generations largely believe that Emperor Taizu's greatest achievement was nurturing the only emperor in history to receive two posthumous titles—Emperor Taizong Jingwu.

But that’s all in the past.

Back to Jiu Que's side, after a warm welcome and seeing off his friends, he hadn't even had a chance to rest before the third group of guests arrived. Looking at the two people in front of him, both wearing heavy veils, Jiu Que couldn't help but rub his temples.

"My little Prince Rui's mansion is really bustling today; this is already the third wave of guests."

The two people opposite did not speak for a moment, and Jiu Que just sighed and looked at them lazily.

"Speak, there are no outsiders here. What do you want with me? If you want to stand up for Lord Lin, you've come to the wrong place."

Indeed, the visitors who came late at night were Xu Minghui and her daughter Lin Shuran. Now that it was out in the open, the two of them removed the heavy veils from their heads.

Lin Shuran was still somewhat apprehensive, but Xu Minghui, looking at Jiu Que, had an indescribable light in her eyes. She couldn't help but step forward and carefully examine Jiu Que's princely attire. Jiu Que had received his honors in the palace, so naturally he had to wear the most solemn ceremonial robes, namely the official robes of Prince Rui. Although he was a woman, these princely robes were completely unchanged; the four-toed golden dragon embroidered on them still shone brightly under the lamplight, reflecting a golden glow.

Xu Minghui stared at the clothes, as if watching her idol finally achieve their wish. She even had the mind to recall what Sister Ying looked like. If Sister Ying had also met a wise ruler back then, would she have been able to wear this solemn and dazzling attire as well?

It's a pity that despite her upright and honest life, Sister Ying never encountered a monarch who truly appreciated her.

"Ok?"

"Has Lin Wei's concubine been staring at me for a little too long?" Jiu Que raised an eyebrow and asked. Xu Minghui also noticed her lapse in composure and quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Please forgive me, Your Highness, I have lost my composure. I have come here to lend you a helping hand."

Jiu Que tapped the tabletop lightly with his finger, remaining noncommittal about the other person's words.

Xu Minghui knew that her words were not very convincing, so she immediately took out a thick stack of receipts from her pocket.

“I know that Prince Rui has always wanted to sever ties with Lin Wei. But a man like Lin Wei doesn’t care about propriety, morality, or face as long as he’s associated with someone and it helps him climb the social ladder. Moreover, now that the Prince is in a high position, and he has his biological father as a powerful tool, I’m afraid he might do something that will displease the Prince in the future.”

"It just so happens that I also have a grudge against him and think every day about how to bring Lin Wei down. It's just a pity that I'm outnumbered and outmatched, and I'm afraid my strength alone is not enough. I'm willing to be your vanguard and clear away this obstacle, Lin Wei, for Your Highness!"

Xu Minghui's words were forceful and her tone was firm, filled with feelings of disgust and satisfaction. But at this time of year, and considering the other party's identity, she had just thoroughly humiliated Lin Wei, and now Lin Wei's most beloved concubine and daughter had come to her residence, saying they were willing to cooperate with her to overthrow Lin Wei. This seemed like a trap.