Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 387 Suicide
Emperor Jingtai sighed inwardly. Only that foolish Jiuque would continue to believe that he would not suspect meritorious officials.

If it were those old foxes in the court, they would have to act all humble and fearful to show that they had no intention of rebelling.
Perhaps this is what they mean by "fools are lucky."

In fact, Emperor Jingtai never intended to distrust his meritorious officials, as he himself had risen through the ranks from general. Therefore, he deeply believed in the principles of the army: whoever has the strongest fist and is more powerful should be obeyed—isn't that just common sense?
Yuchi Mingxi had served on the frontier for over twenty years, managing the Northern Frontier Army exceptionally well, yet he never threatened to seize Yuchi Mingxi's power. In this world, there are few capable people, and even fewer who are both capable and willing to serve the court. How could he allow these military officers to suffer the hardships he endured to climb the ranks?
Moreover, an emperor doesn't necessarily need to be the most outstanding in both civil administration and military affairs. He only needs to know how to place talented people in appropriate positions and let them give full play to their talents.

If the emperor is too capable, wouldn't the burden of managing the entire country fall on his shoulders? One person can't do the work of tens of thousands. Even with boundless energy, it's impossible; after all, humans are only made of flesh and blood!

When Emperor Jingtai discovered that Jiuque was outstanding in both civil administration and military affairs, he was overjoyed. He could die in peace knowing that there was such an exceptional young man in the court.

No, no, no. If he had a good successor, he could die right now. But the problem is he doesn't have a single normal child! He only has his fourth son who isn't quite right in the head. If he becomes emperor, he'll be easily fooled.

Putting everything else aside, those old foxes in the court alone are enough to give him a run for his money. It's laughable that the young man still believes the ministers secretly contacting him are genuinely devoted to him and want him to become emperor. What kind of good grandchildren could someone like that possibly produce?

Moreover, after searching through all the families in the court with daughters of marriageable age, those with upright character and who loved their daughters were unwilling to let their daughters board the sinking ship that was the fourth prince. Those who readily agreed were simply thinking of selling their daughters for wealth and status, families that Emperor Jingtai wouldn't even consider. Besides, given the fourth prince's intellect, he shouldn't be wasting the daughters of good families. It's not like he hadn't been given wives and concubines before; look at what he did! Now, none of his wives and concubines pleaded for him; they'd rather spend their lives in ancient temples, practicing Buddhism, than bear him children. This alone shows what kind of person he is.

Therefore, Emperor Jingtai never actually considered agreeing with the ideas of these ministers.

We've gone off on a tangent. I don't know if it's because I'm getting old, but I just tend to overthink things. Emperor Jingtai snapped out of his reverie, looked down at the still-eloquent Sachi Khan, the ministers and commoners who had suddenly fallen silent and were even somewhat apprehensive, and the foreign envoys who were clearly looking to see him make a fool of himself. He grinned and revealed a sinister smile.

Sachi and the other foreign envoys suddenly froze. How could they have forgotten that Emperor Jingtai was not an incompetent ruler? They really treated him like that kind of weak and incompetent monarch! Now they were in deep trouble; they had offended him, and who knew if he would use this as an excuse to make trouble?

However, Emperor Jingtai simply smiled kindly and responded.

"Khan Saqi is quite old, and it's inappropriate for him to engage in such divisive activities. We're all getting old; it's now the era of the young. Yingqing is full of talent, and his civil and military achievements are outstanding. I'm so happy to have such a minister that I could laugh in my dreams. Khan Saqi doesn't need to worry about him. Alright, where is the master of ceremonies? Hurry up and finish the ceremony; I'm waiting to hold a banquet to celebrate."

The master of ceremonies, wiping sweat from his brow, stepped forward and directed the proceedings, his own brow beaded with perspiration. As for the self-humiliated Khan, seeing that the tide had turned and Emperor Jingtai seemed unmoved by his provocations, he was indeed distressed. However, he had done his utmost; who couldn't offer empty words? Who knew whether Emperor Jingtai truly took these provocations to heart? Though he could not see it now, those who came after would.

He had done all he could, and now it was time to give himself a dignified exit. Therefore, during the latter part of the captive presentation ceremony, Sachi behaved remarkably composed. Even the arrogant and unruly steppe royalty behind him became much more subdued.

The people of Beijing who came to witness the ceremony were thoroughly excited by the spectacle. Even as the ceremony ended, they were still enthusiastically discussing it with their companions, imagining how they would tell their families everything they had seen, certain they would receive admiring glances. Just thinking about it made them incredibly happy. But they had even more to look forward to. At the end of the ceremony, Emperor Jingtai wanted to share the joy with the people. Strong and capable eunuchs and guards from the palace brought out large buckets filled with wedding cakes. These cakes were made with great care, containing white flour, sugar frosting, and dried fruit—many buckets were filled to the brim, ensuring that every person who came to witness the ceremony could have a taste of the sweetness.

After all, a great victory in the Central Plains is a joyous occasion for the entire nation!

Everyone was already happy, and the extra joy of receiving free wedding cakes made them even happier. Those who didn't come out to attend the ceremony because they found it too much trouble must be regretting it terribly.

Amidst the jubilation of the capital's populace, the steppe royals, expressionless and dejected, followed the golden-armored guards away. They must have imagined such a scene of jubilation and cheers, only this time the roles of host and guest would be reversed. But what could they do? After all, they had lost, and suffered a crushing defeat.

In the future, when history books mention this scene, they will only say that the grassland people were brave but reckless, and were defeated by a naive young girl.

But what they need to think about now is far more than that.

As Emperor Jingtai was joyfully hosting a banquet in the palace, Jiufu stepped forward with a slightly embarrassed expression and began to speak of the departing nomadic tribes from the grasslands.

"Your Majesty, Khan Saqi, along with seventeen other members of the steppe royal family, committed suicide. What do you think of this…?"

Emperor Jingtai paused slightly. In truth, he had long anticipated such a scenario. If the situation were reversed, and he were the defeated party, then a ruler would naturally have to die for his country. Therefore, he was not surprised by Saqi Khan's choice. However, those steppe royalty who followed him in committing suicide did possess a certain backbone.

"The rest?"

"There are still twenty-eight people left, and they are probably terrified. They strongly request to attend tonight's banquet."

"Hmph! They're not scared, they're just desperate to find a way to survive."

In this world, there are ultimately more people who cling to life and fear death. It's just a pity for Sachi; one wonders what he felt when he saw his cowardly descendants on his deathbed. But the other side didn't lose out either, as they got to experience the grief and indignation they felt when they heard that the fourth brother was colluding with the grasslands.