Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 382 Gift
Perhaps sensing what Jiu Que was thinking, Xu Minghui quickly explained.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I am not trying to exonerate that beast. It is simply that what happened back then made me extremely disgusted with Lin Wei. But because of this disgust, I know how he raised Lin Moran, and the son he raised could never be a good person. Now, Lin Moran is just too young to properly conceal his true thoughts. Therefore, his selfish, hypocritical, ruthless, and vicious character is still evident."

Now that things had come to this, the past wasn't so difficult to talk about. Xu Minghui poured out all the grudges and entanglements between herself and Lin Wei, speaking until she was breathless. But she still kept a close eye on Jiu Que's expression, afraid that Prince Rui wouldn't believe her.

After hearing about what happened back then, Jiu Que seemed to be deep in thought. As the mother and daughter waited anxiously, she finally nodded.

“Regardless of whether Madam Xu's words are true or false, this evidence cannot be faked. Madam, rest assured, I understand your thoughts. But there is still a problem. If Lin Wei is convicted, your son will likely be implicated as well. You…”

Jiu Que had originally intended to say that it wasn't impossible to keep Lin Moran if they wanted to. However, before she could even utter these tentative words, Xu Huiran had already excitedly expressed her opinion.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. I will definitely report to the authorities when the time comes. In the entire Lin family, only Lin Moran is Lin Wei's biological son. The father and son should share both wealth and hardship."

hiss--

It seems I accidentally overheard some shocking news.

Lin Wei had many concubines and mistresses, and even more children. Could it be that none of them were his children? Oh no, after all the calculations, it seems I am Lin Wei's biological son.

Tsk, it would be better if it weren't like that.

Xu Minghui realized she had let something slip, so she stopped pretending and revealed all the secrets.

"Lin Wei has committed countless evils; how could he possibly deserve his own children?! He only has himself to blame. How could I not hate him for what he did? I gave him an infertile drug early on. That drug was extremely potent; although it didn't affect his function, it rendered him unable to conceive. The concubines he took into his household initially didn't dare. But who told Lin Wei to reap what he sowed? One night, drunk, he openly declared he would sell the concubines who couldn't bear children. 'If they can't have children, keeping them is a waste of food.' Those were his exact words. Although he said this while drunk, no one knows if he would actually do it. After all, outsiders might not know what kind of person Lin Wei was, but the concubines in his household knew him perfectly well. What good place could a concubine sold by an official's family go? They were all afraid, but unable to conceive for a long time, they would always find other ways. There's more than just Lin Wei in this world."

Wow!

Jiu Que really wanted to exclaim in surprise; she had done the same. That's why they say you shouldn't do anything that goes against your conscience. The wrongdoings committed many years ago will always come back to haunt you years later. Like Lin Wei, he considered himself a first-rate man in the world. Having endured countless hardships to climb to his current position, he must be incredibly proud and arrogant. But he stumbled because of a woman he looked down upon.

So many children, yet not a single one is his own. To be honest, Jiu Que really wants to see Lin Wei's expression after he learns the truth; it'll definitely be quite a show.

Now that they had come to this conclusion, it would be a disservice to Xu Minghui for all the evidence she had painstakingly collected over the years if they didn't take action. So Jiu Que nodded.

"I appreciate your kindness. If you ever need any help in the future, you are welcome to visit Prince Rui's residence."

Xu Minghui was already very happy with this result. After all, she had even considered that Prince Rui might not believe her.

Therefore, she didn't say much, quietly thanked them, and prepared to leave with Lin Shuran. However, before leaving, she hesitated for a moment, then took out a tightly wrapped package from her bosom. "Prince Rui, when you were born, I told Sister Ying that I would give you a gift. But all these years of chaos have prevented me from doing so. This is a handkerchief I embroidered myself; it's not worth much. If you don't mind, please accept it..."

"...Thank you."

Jiu Que did not refuse the small gift. After the mother and daughter left, she quietly opened the package, revealing a clean white handkerchief with a small, exquisite flower embroidered on one corner.

Touching the pattern of the flower with his fingertips, Jiu Que finally smiled after a long while.

"Asagao flowers... Over the years, this craftsmanship has become even more exquisite."

The next day.

Early in the morning, the entire capital was filled with a joyous atmosphere. Although the common people couldn't witness the grand ceremony at the Imperial Temple, they could observe the presentation of captives. Yesterday, many hadn't seen the steppe Khan and his royal family; after all, they were prisoners, and no one had bothered to change their clothes or wash their faces along the way. They were just a dark, unkempt mass with beards and hair. Today, on such an important occasion, they would surely be given a proper wash and a good look.

Quite a few people shared this idea, and they all met outside the Vermilion Bird Gate.

"You guys are here pretty early."

"Hey, with such a lively event today, who wouldn't want to come and see? You arrived quite early too, didn't you?"

"That's true. Yesterday I wanted to see what the Khan of the Steppe looked like, but all I saw was a dark, smelly blob. Today I must see it clearly, and tell my son and daughter that their father was someone who saw the Khan of the Steppe with his own eyes!"

"You haven't even gotten married yet, have you?"

"I already said it's a wish. You understand what a wish is? I need to prepare it for my son and daughter first, so they can brag about it later!"

“You’re something else. I’m different from you all. I wanted to see our Prince Rui again. That’s why I brought my daughter here. I wanted her to see that women don’t have to be gentle, quiet, and virtuous. Someone as brave and capable as Prince Rui can also achieve great things in the future.”

"You love your daughter so much, huh? Speaking of which, there was an academy that recruited girls before, saying that there would be no tuition for the first three months. Did you send your daughter there?"

“I’ve heard about it too. This academy wasn’t particularly noticeable before; it just suddenly appeared recently. But a relative of mine saw it when they took their daughter there, and the academy looks quite old. It’s located in the northern suburbs. Not only does it occupy a lot of land, but it also has a considerable number of teachers and students. I just don’t know why it wasn’t famous before…”

"No tuition for the first three months?! How come I didn't know about such a good thing? What's the name of that academy? I have to go and see it. If it's really good, I'll have to send my daughter there too."

"Hmm, it seems, it seems to be called something, what, oh right, Asagao Academy!"