Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Is Chapter 396 probably true?
For a moment, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stared intently at Xu Minghui in the center of the hall, trying to hear a definite answer from her.

Xu Minghui did not disappoint everyone's expectations and repeated it aloud once more.

"Your Majesty, I dare not conceal anything. I assure you that everything I said just now was true, without the slightest falsehood! If it weren't for General Ying's entrustment before her departure, I would not have dared to disobey her."

“Back then, when General Ying went on his campaign, he had already sensed Lin Wei’s wolfish ambitions. Therefore, the General told me that if Lin Wei ever used his biological father’s name to coerce Prince Rui into doing things for him, I should step forward and expose this matter to the public. At the time, it was just a mutually agreeable transaction, but if Lin Wei has already received the corresponding benefits but is still greedy and wants more, or even tries to climb to the top by stepping on Prince Rui, then I should expose his shameless behavior!”

After being confirmed once again, everyone had to believe that there was really something wrong with Prince Rui's background. What was even more deadly was that she not only had a world-famous mother like General Ying, but also an emperor father whose identity was unknown!

However, although everyone was shocked, this kind of thing cannot be determined based on Xu Minghui's statement alone; evidence is needed!

Therefore, a seasoned and prudent minister immediately stepped forward and asked Xu Minghui to present the evidence.

Xu Minghui stepped forward at this moment, naturally not unprepared. She immediately requested to summon Ying Jiuque's wet nurse and other witnesses, as well as some old, yellowed letters.

When the trembling wet nurse stammered that she had indeed heard the late General Ying mention that Prince Rui was not the daughter of Vice Minister Lin, she said it was just idle gossip.

"Back then, General Ying advised Vice Minister Lin to divorce him so that he could find a good wife and have children. But Minister Lin disagreed, saying that even a day of marriage is a hundred days of kindness, and since he had already married General Ying, they would be husband and wife for life. He also said that he didn't mind Prince Rui's daughter. At that time, the old woman just thought it was strange, but now that I think about it, there is indeed a problem."

"I can also testify. I was a maid who was transferred to serve Prince Rui after he was born. At that time, I was naive and secretly wondered why Lord Lin was so distant from his only daughter. He would only play with her when General Ying was around, and once General Ying left the mansion, he would discard her like trash. Now that I think about it, he was just upset that Prince Rui wasn't his daughter, so he took his anger out on a newborn child."

"I have been Lord Lin's servant for many years. Lord Lin did complain after drinking that General Ying had no feelings for him whatsoever, and that he didn't need to stick to the rules or care about the previous agreement. I don't know why Lord Lin said such a thing back then. I only know that Lord Lin and General Ying are not as close as the rumors suggest, and are even quite distant. Ever since General Ying gave birth to her daughter, the two of them have never been in the same room."

"Your Majesty! I am an old nanny who has served General Ying for many years. You and General Ying fell in love at first sight and even made a promise to support the royal family and save the people from their suffering. However, the last emperor of the previous dynasty was unable to support the family and even became suspicious of General Ying. Unfortunately, General Ying was devoted to the royal family and did not want to rebel. Therefore, he parted ways with you, and since then, he has been pregnant. However, having a child out of wedlock is detrimental to one's reputation, so when Lin Wei came to us, he agreed to our proposal. But I think that someone like Lin Wei who would take the initiative to come to us is not a good man, so I have always disagreed. After General Ying passed away, Lin Wei immediately dismissed all the servants of the Ying family. I was among them. Over the years, I have longed to return to the young lady's side, but I have not been able to. Your Majesty, this is Prince Rui's birth date and time, as well as the keepsake you left behind. I have kept it all these years..."

“If it weren’t for Minister Lin’s excessive arrogance, and his recent attempt to silence my entire family to prevent this matter from leaking out, I wouldn’t have spoken of this. After all, the dead are gone. But the Ying family has truly done me a great favor, and Prince Rui has a bright future ahead of him. Not only for my own family’s safety, but also to repay the kindness of my former master, I must inform Your Majesty of this matter. Prince Rui is indeed your own daughter!”…

As the last witness delivered his irrefutable testimony, Emperor Jingtai had already examined all the presented evidence, including the worn-out dragon and phoenix jade pendant. Seeing this familiar object, Emperor Jingtai seemed to remember something, and quickly looked down to examine the dragon pendant he wore at his waist. As he put the two together, tears of longing streamed down his face.

In the presence of a full court of civil and military officials and foreign envoys, Emperor Jingtai wept tears of joy.

"At first, I thought I would never see General Ying again. General Ying once said that love is voluntary and there is no regret afterward. She has always been such a free and unrestrained person, so I never imagined that she would give birth to a daughter for me..."

This is actually a direct admission of guilt.

Those ministers who had been quietly observing the situation were starting to get restless. Why did His Majesty admit it so readily? Although the evidence was overwhelming, something just felt off. Could such a coincidence really exist? But recalling Emperor Jingtai's previously unwavering trust in Jiu Que, they couldn't honestly deny that the two were related by blood.

After all, judging others by one's own standards, if it were them, they certainly wouldn't be willing to share power with others; giving it to their own children would be the best solution.

However, well, how should I put it, these eloquent and persuasive ministers seemed to have their mouths gagged at this moment, and for a moment they didn't know what to say.

No, could a concubine possibly find so many witnesses and pieces of evidence? But Xu Minghui spoke with absolute certainty, saying she had spent over a decade doing just this, so it's not impossible. Could Prince Rui really be His Majesty's daughter?

Everyone couldn't help but look at Lin Wei, the other protagonist of the conversation. Whether it was the shock he had just suffered or something else, Minister Lin staggered as he stood up, and after being helped by the golden-armored guards, he sat down in a chair without uttering a sound. To remain so composed in the face of such a scene—truly befitting Minister Lin!

Lin Moran, standing beside him, looked extremely grim. Ying Jiuque wasn't just not a bastard, but His Majesty's daughter? How could that be?
Yes, how could that be? But there's ample witness testimony and physical evidence, and even one of the parties involved has remained silent, essentially admitting it. So, there's actually an 80% chance this is true?