Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 385 Sachi
Then everyone thought about it again and realized that it was true. These grassland people had already failed, so what were they still doing jumping around? They had no reason to be afraid. After all, they were the victors. This was a ceremony to present prisoners of war. These grassland barbarians were already prisoners. What were they afraid of?

With this in mind, everyone felt less panicked. They even had the leisure to carefully observe the appearances of these grassland royalty, especially the famous Grassland Sachi Khan.

Some people recalled the invasion of the Central Plains by the steppes more than a decade ago, when they were almost at the gates of the capital. The suffering of the people back then was indescribable. But who would have thought that fortunes would turn so drastically, and in just over a decade, they would be the victors.

And all of this was thanks to a woman who was not yet 20 years old, their Prince of Rui.

These days, people are very simple and honest. Whoever enables them to live a good life is a good person.

Moreover, Jiu Que has indeed done a great deal for them. From the newly harvested salt that every household can now afford, to the families whose children have been rescued, and to those with relatives and friends in the northern border region, everyone holds her in the highest esteem. This Prince Rui, though young, has truly distinguished himself in battle. He genuinely works for the people and has achieved remarkable success. Such a person deserves everyone's respect and love.

The people of the Great Jing Dynasty were naturally happy, but the grassland royals who were being treated like monkeys were very upset. They wished they could kill all the Central Plains sheep who were watching them like a show!
They're nothing but a bunch of weak, two-legged sheep. They've only won once, yet they dare to be so arrogant! They were just careless this time. If they could do it all over again, they would never have been defeated by Ying Jiuque, a mere greenhorn!

Moreover, isn't the Great Jing always known for its gracious treatment of prisoners of war? It also consistently bestows gifts upon the surrounding smaller nations. Why are they being treated with such indifference and disdain? Even if they lost, they should be given the dignity befitting royalty, not locked in cages like animals!
Actually, the Great Jing wasn't always like this; it's just that this time they received instructions from above, explicitly stating that these grassland royals should suffer more. Although they had various disputes in the court, such as differing political views or temperamental differences, they were united on the issue of dealing with the grassland people. These were people from an enemy country, and unless they were spies, no one liked them.

Of course, the fourth prince, who colluded with the grasslands to seize power, doesn't count. Although everyone harbors resentment towards him, he is, after all, the Emperor's only son, so what can they do? If these princes had even one or two children, that would be fine, but unfortunately, they were all young when the incidents occurred and had no children. This makes things incredibly difficult. Only the fourth prince remains, and they are afraid of breaking the jade bottle (a metaphor for a broken promise), so they can only plead with Emperor Jingtai to release him, even if it's just to let him have a child—he needs an heir!
His Majesty must be pleased with today's presentation of captives. We can bring this up during the banquet tonight when His Majesty is in the best of mood. It's not a good idea for His Majesty to keep avoiding the topic; everyone is waiting to assist the next emperor. Moreover, His Majesty's health has been poor lately. To speak frankly, if something were to happen to him, and the Fourth Prince hadn't had time to father an heir, wouldn't the empire descend into chaos? The world has finally found some peace; if chaos breaks out now, not only will the escaped steppe prince return, but even those seemingly docile small states around us will likely cause trouble. In this era, which country doesn't want to be a hegemon?

However, since the ceremony was underway, the ministers had no intention of causing His Majesty any discomfort, so they all watched quietly as the grassland royals entered.

Sachi Khan naturally walked in first. Although he had been extremely weak throughout the journey, he had somehow managed to muster the strength to walk with his back straight and stride ahead. For a moment, he truly had the bearing of a steppe Khan.

As Sachi strode forward, his eyes remained fixed on the Vermilion Bird Gate tower. Sure enough, he saw the people he longed to see there: Emperor Jingtai of the Great Jing Dynasty, and the woman who had brought him countless defeats and humiliations—Ying Jiuque!

In truth, given his physical condition, he wouldn't be able to make it back to the capital on a slow journey. But he was determined to see for himself what kind of person the Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty was. With Ying Jiuque's merits, she was directly granted the title of Prince while still in the northern frontier. Did Emperor Jingtai truly trust her that much? Or was this just a means of rewarding and appeasing her?

When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked. He's going to die anyway, so if he could see the discord between the emperor and his ministers in the Great Jing Dynasty before he dies, or even the emperor's suspicion of his generals, then he could die with a smile on his face!

So he forced himself to come to the capital.

He kept his eyes fixed on the emperor and his minister on the city wall, but unfortunately, both of them had smiles on their faces. He wondered if his injuries were too severe and his eyesight was failing, but the smiles on their faces were so genuine and without any sign of forced smiles.

No, they must be faking it. No matter how dissatisfied they are in front of so many people, they can't show it. The people of Dajing are indeed treacherous and cunning.

Tsk, he should have thought of this sooner.

A moment later, a group of grassland captives arrived at the Vermilion Bird Gate. Under the guidance of the etiquette officer and with the gentle assistance of the golden-armored guards, these grassland royals reluctantly knelt down one by one.

But Saqi Khan kept his head tilted back, and for some reason he was so curious about the emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty that he didn't even blink.

The golden-armored guards around them originally intended to come over and take good care of Sachi Khan, who couldn't see the situation clearly. However, Sachi Khan spoke up loudly the next moment.

"The Emperor of the Great Jing Dynasty! I've never admired anyone in my life! But Ying Jiuque is truly a remarkable talent, worthy of being General Ying Chongming's daughter. These two are both extraordinary geniuses from the same lineage. What a pity! If Ying Jiuque had been born on my grasslands, the situation would be reversed, and you would be the one bowing down to me!"

"Be bold!"

The ministers were astonished that even in this dire situation, Sachi still dared not restrain himself, daring to provoke His Majesty in front of all the people! He truly did not know what was good for him!
These prisoners should have already been instructed that such a grand occasion would be ruined if things went wrong. Especially with envoys from surrounding smaller countries watching. How could the Great Jing Dynasty, a great and powerful nation, lose face?