Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 403 Beware of Backyard Fire
"...Brother already said that was in the past. That was many years ago. Nowadays, I rarely step into the palace. Even if His Majesty has something important to discuss, he wouldn't summon me back from such a long distance. Besides, isn't it a good thing that His Majesty has been able to find his long-lost daughter? Prince Chen is both scholarly and martial, intelligent and quick-witted, and what's rare is that he has a benevolent heart for the people, which is very similar to His Majesty's. Brother should be happy about this. If one of the four princes were to ascend the throne, that would be the beginning of misfortune for the entire Great Jing Dynasty."

"My brother, please, just shut up."

An Yuanbo quickly covered his second brother's mouth. He had long known his brother was a bit of a simpleton, but he hadn't expected him to be this stubborn. Did he really think he could spout nonsense just because he was at home? Even at home, it wasn't always a secret. What if this reached His Majesty's ears and caused a misunderstanding?
He was truly exasperated by his brother's complete lack of emotional intelligence.

Marquis Weiyuan flung his elder brother's hand away with obvious disgust, looking utterly unwilling. Who knew what those hands had just touched? They weren't even clean yet, and they dared to cover his mouth like that—utterly filthy.

An Yuanbo was already used to his younger brother's inappropriate cleanliness, so he didn't care much at the moment. He was just deep in thought, wondering if Prince Chen was really His Majesty's daughter.
This was certainly a good thing for him, since he hadn't had much of a relationship with the Emperor's only surviving fourth prince. Now that Prince Chen had ascended to the throne, it was good news for most of the court officials. However, the fourth prince was still alive, and the Emperor might release him at any time. If he surrendered to Prince Chen now, wouldn't he be caught in a dilemma later?
After thinking it over and over, An Yuanbo, who always prided himself on being smart and capable, was no match for his clumsy younger brother when it came to guessing the emperor's thoughts. So at this moment, he could only rub his hands together and shamelessly inquire with a smile.

“Little brother, look, we are brothers. As the saying goes, ‘brothers fight tigers together, and fathers and sons go to war together.’ If you can get any information from His Majesty, you must tell your elder brother. Our two families are of the same origin and should stand together. If you are well, I am well, and we are all well.”

Marquis Weiyuan shook his head solemnly, showing utter contempt for his elder brother's actions.

"Officials in the court are forbidden from forming cliques and engaging in favoritism. Brother, you've served in the court for so many years, how can you still not see this? We were originally commoners, and only through our merits in battle did we manage to obtain a title. Now, instead of thinking about serving His Majesty, you're thinking about perpetuating your wealth and glory. Brother, have you forgotten your original aspirations? When you're starving, you only think about being able to eat and stay warm. When you're well-fed and clothed, you think about rising above others. Now that you have wealth and glory, you think about reaching the highest ranks of the court. You've already enjoyed wealth and glory for generations, and you still want to extend it for thousands of generations. Even dynasties can't last for thousands of generations. Can our newly established family really achieve that?"

"Brother, what you need to do now is not think about what will happen after you pass away, but rather how to discipline your children while you are still alive, so that you don't have a few spendthrift sons who will squander all the wealth we have worked so hard to accumulate. Putting aside everything else, brother, you have far too many wives, concubines, and children. You must have amassed a considerable fortune during the war, but now I hear that your thirteenth son, born out of wedlock, has started lending money at exorbitant interest rates. We have struggled to survive from poverty; lending money at exorbitant interest rates is an act that will bring ruin upon the family. Surely you are not unaware of this, brother?"

An Yuanbo was already blushing from his brother's merciless words. Even though he had cultivated over the years, his thirteen years of pampered life had made him accustomed to being flattered. He was already feeling uncomfortable, but when he suddenly heard this deadly matter, he turned pale with fright and almost jumped up to prove his innocence.

"Second brother, you know me. I love enjoying wealth and luxury. I would never dare to do anything illegal or disorderly. If you hadn't brought it up today, I really wouldn't have known about this. Don't worry, I'll start cleaning up the house as soon as I get back. Those who dare to do bad things, I'll definitely hang them up and whip them."

Weiyuanbo looked at his elder brother quietly, clearly dissatisfied with what he had said. Anyuanbo gritted his teeth.

"I will definitely return the money to the owner and make them satisfied."

The Earl of Weiyuan nodded. Of course, he had more to say than just this one thing; with more people in the family, there would always be more trouble.

“Brother, it’s not that I’m interfering in your family affairs. Your sister-in-law followed you when you were penniless, and she suffered a lot before things finally turned out well. But even though life has gotten better these past few years, I can tell she’s not entirely at ease. You’ve had one woman after another in your backyard, and one illegitimate child after another has been born like rabbits. Which woman would be willing to accept that? Your sister-in-law used to be a woman of fiery temper, but when Anning met her the other day, she didn’t even recognize the emaciated woman.”

“A man cannot lose his conscience. Besides, brother, we've been brothers for so many years, do you think I don't know you? You've always looked down on women, even your sister-in-law who has shared joys and sorrows with you, you think she's foolish and unworthy of your intelligence. But everyone in this world has eyes and ears, they can see and hear clearly. How could there be so much gossip and grudges in a truly harmonious family? Who in the entire capital doesn't know that the wives and concubines of the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion are at odds? If you truly respected your sister-in-law, would your inner courtyard be like a leaky box, with every little thing spreading throughout the capital?”

Marquis Weiyuan was not usually a talkative person, but he was only saying so much now because his elder brother had protected him when he was young. However, although there was a blood tie, it was his sister-in-law who sometimes took care of him more. If his elder brother remained stubborn, there were plenty of women who had divorced him, and he was not stingy with the money; he was willing to take his sister-in-law and her children out.

"Of all your children, I only recognize the three born to your eldest sister-in-law. You know what the situation is like now. Women are no longer the kind of women who can swallow their pride and live a miserable life. If you don't want to be laughed at by the whole world, you should reflect on yourself."

Earl Anyuan had originally hoped to get some exclusive information from his younger brother, but he hadn't expected that instead of guessing the emperor's intentions, his own family would be embroiled in a lawsuit. If Earl Weiyuan hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have known that his own household was already in turmoil. He just felt that every time he saw his wife, she was indifferent to him. But wasn't it normal for a man to have multiple wives and concubines? Back in the day, even a wealthy landowner in the countryside would think about having a concubine if he had a few acres of land. Now that he was an earl, what was wrong with taking a few more young and beautiful concubines? Why couldn't his wife understand?