Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 391 Yang Linyuan

Lin Moran's forced smile froze awkwardly, drawing laughter from those around him. Many had been watching the scene since he arrived, as everyone knew the relationship between Prince Ying and Lin Wei wasn't good, and their previous break in their marriage was widely known. However, now that Prince Ying was enjoying a successful career, Lin Wei probably wouldn't want to lose his thriving daughter. As for the previous disagreements, they were insignificant compared to wealth and power.

This Lin Moran is truly ridiculous. Before Prince Rui rose to prominence, he always considered himself the legitimate son of the Lin family. Every wealthy family in the capital knew the true situation of the Lin family—he was merely the son of a concubine. Relying on the fact that there had been no mistress in the house for so many years, did he really think he was the legitimate son?

These days, the distinction between嫡 (legitimate) and 庶 (illegitimate) children is still quite important. Unless you have the ability to transcend the prevailing social norms, a legitimate daughter from an official family would never marry a 庶 (illegitimate) son from a humble background. Moreover, Lin Moran is neither talented nor capable, making him a poor match. Back in the capital, everyone laughed at him. Only he thought he was a young master from a prominent family.

Prince Rui has indeed risen in status, but he has his own mother. What does that have to do with you, a son born of a concubine? You're trying to climb the social ladder by leveraging his connections—it's utterly absurd. Trying to invoke filial piety now is laughable. At Prince Rui's level, even if he were truly unfilial, people would only whisper amongst themselves; what could they do? Didn't you see even Lin Wei himself didn't come? These days, there aren't many people like Lin Moran who can't see their own place. Aren't they eager to see him make a fool of himself?

Sure enough, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Moran's face quickly turned bright red, and her expression became unpleasant.

He was naturally furious. In his view, wasn't it normal for siblings to help each other out? No matter how outstanding Ying Jiuque was, she was still a daughter of the Lin family. What was wrong with an older sister helping her younger brother? Even if they were half-siblings, they still shared the same father. Promoting one's own family member was always better than promoting someone else, wasn't it?

His Majesty hadn't arrived yet, so Lin Moran mustered his courage and spoke in a low voice, but through gritted teeth.

"Elder sister, this is a private matter for our family. Are you really going to say these things in public? Won't that make us a laughing stock?"

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who brought this up first, weren't you? I only rejected you. Are you the kind of person who gets angry and embarrassed when rejected? That's very uncouth. Lin Wei is the Vice Minister of Rites, how come his son is like you? If you haven't learned proper etiquette, you should go back and study for a few years before coming out again, so as not to embarrass yourself. Also, I'll repeat myself one last time, I have no brothers. If you can't remember that, I don't mind helping you out."

As she said this, Jiu Que looked at the cups, plates, and bowls on the table in front of her. If any one of them were smashed in the other person's face, it would surely render him speechless in the blink of an eye, and he wouldn't call her by any terms of endearment like "elder sister" that would make her furious.

Lin Moran wanted to say something, but a sudden chill made him immediately shut his mouth. No way? Would Ying Jiuque really dare to attack him in front of so many people? But he wasn't sure. After all, this woman in front of him was someone who dared to single-handedly storm the Northern Frontier and defeat the grassland army, which hadn't been defeated in a century, achieving a great victory. She wasn't just a woman, and certainly couldn't be judged by the standards of an ordinary woman.

But he had already made that boast, and now that he was being held up, it would be too humiliating to leave like this. Just as they were at an impasse, Lin Wei somehow got wind of it and rushed over, grabbing Lin Moran and pulling him back.

Actually, Lin Wei wasn't unaware of what was happening when Lin Moran arrived, but he harbored a sliver of hope that Jiu Que might change his mind and be willing to help the Lin family. It wasn't impossible. Therefore, he didn't tell Lin Moran about his visit to Ying Jiu Que's residence yesterday. He hadn't expected Ying Jiu Que to be so heartless, causing the Lin family to lose face in front of so many people.

“Father! She’s gone too far! Aren’t we all family? How could she do this…”

"Shut up! From now on, you're not allowed to go to Ying Jiuque without my permission. From now on, you must address him as Prince Rui! She certainly wouldn't dare to lay a hand on me, but there's a different story with you. As a prince, dealing with a student like you who hasn't even entered the world yet would be a piece of cake for him, wouldn't it?"

“Father! Are we just going to give up like this? I still want to become an official as soon as possible!” “Let’s discuss this matter carefully. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of so many people.”

The father and son retreated in a tug-of-war, unaware that they had become the biggest laughingstock in the capital in the eyes of onlookers. Didn't they even notice that Prince Rui didn't give them a second glance? They were still indulging in self-pity, truly believing that a little bit of blood ties between sons was so important to everyone? With Prince Rui's current status and position, unless attacked by political enemies, this small accusation of filial impiety would have no impact on him whatsoever.

But so many people still can't see it clearly...

Yang Linyuan swayed back and forth in his seat, extremely restless. Uncle Anyuan didn't want to even glance at his good-for-nothing son. But with so many people watching, he couldn't let him continue to embarrass himself. He quietly reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Yang Linyuan's waist hard.

"Are you covered in fleas? What are you doing, swaying around like that?! This is a palace banquet, with so many people watching, including foreign envoys. If you embarrass yourself in front of foreign countries, don't ever say you're my son again!"

"Ouch! You're such a harsh father, hitting me so hard. I just wanted to see what was happening up ahead, I didn't do anything wrong."

Uncle Anyuan sneered. How could a father not know what tricks his son was up to? From a young age, he knew exactly what kind of shit this brat was going to poop the moment he turned his backside up.

However, seeing that the boy was quite clever, Uncle Anyuan was not stingy with his guidance.

“Since you have some prior acquaintance with them, you can naturally go and offer a toast later. It's your hesitation that's problematic. Look at all the boys in the world, do you know any like you, acting like a sheltered young lady who never leaves the house?”

"Oh, Dad!"

Yang Linyuan was embarrassed when his thoughts were exposed. After fidgeting for a moment, he asked his father in a low voice.

"But he is now a prince, while I am just a descendant of a noble family. I have no achievements to speak of, and I am utterly incompetent in both civil and military affairs. If I were to go and talk to him, would he even acknowledge me?"

I'm so sorry, everyone. The power and internet only started coming back on at my place today... I never imagined the wind would be this strong!

Putting everything else aside, here's the latest update at midnight!