Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 412 Academy
However, His Majesty trusts Prince Chen too much, and given His Majesty's declining health, he has gradually begun to delegate some state affairs to Prince Chen. Naturally, some conservative ministers object, and after His Majesty declared in court, "I am ill and weak; Prince Chen can act on my behalf," one minister immediately cried out in anguish and rammed his head against the sturdy dragon-carved pillar in the main hall!

"Now that a villain has deceived Your Majesty, I have no choice but to die to set the record straight!"

Scholars will die remonstrating, warriors will die in battle!
The man who jumped out to smash his head against the pillar was a lowly fifth-rank official, unremarkable by day. No one expected him to do something like this so suddenly, and many froze in place, unable to react. Just as some had closed their eyes, unable to bear the sight of blood splattering across the hall, a foot suddenly shot out from the side. The running official, focused only on the sturdy dragon-carved pillar, didn't notice his footing and tripped over it. Because of the speed, he tumbled several times, and when he came to a stop, his forehead was covered in blood!

Someone gasped in surprise, but no one dared to help him up. At the same moment, Emperor Jingtai slammed his fist on the imperial desk, throwing the memorials and other documents at him. Although His Majesty was now weak, he was once a soldier capable of drawing a strong bow and taming a wild horse. The memorials landed squarely on the fallen official in charge, and many others struck other ministers. As fate would have it, those standing at the front were all high-ranking officials, who immediately abandoned their composure and knelt to beg for forgiveness. If a lower-ranking official had killed himself in court, there would have been some explanation; after all, a ruler wouldn't want to see a civil official die for his cause. But now that the official was alive, his chest still rising and falling, things were different. The world now knew that Emperor Jingtai was a rare and brilliant ruler, ending the chaos and establishing a new dynasty—achievements worthy of being recorded in history.

His Majesty is currently only desiring to handle state affairs due to illness, entrusting them to his only daughter, who is also the only prince in the court. What's wrong with that? Should we ignore the prince's merit in defeating the grasslands and capturing the entire grassland royal family simply because she is a woman? Let's not forget that this prince commands nearly two hundred thousand valiant and skilled Northern Frontier troops. Moreover, she rightfully controls the Northern Frontier troops because of His Majesty's imperial decree.

This Prince Chen has many identities. He is not only His Majesty's Princess Ruian and the daughter of General Ying, but also the Prince Chenrui with two titles, and can also be called the Prince of the Northern Frontier.

With such a prestigious position, helping her frail and ailing father with official duties and doing some simple tasks was perfectly legitimate. What could be wrong with that?
With Emperor Jingtai's rage already evident, no one dared to utter any discouraging words, though a simmering curiosity lingered, a desire to see just how far she could go. Everyone knew this prince was exceptionally skilled in military campaigns, but utterly inept at handling state affairs. She hadn't even taken the imperial examinations; how could she possibly know how to manage government? Her princely status was merely for show; if it came to truly governing, it was up to them, the ministers. What were the officials of the realm for? To govern the people on behalf of the emperor!
Even if Emperor Jingtai wanted to do something, it had to go through them. Even if they couldn't openly oppose it, they could slack off in private, and the time it would take to issue decrees would be indefinitely delayed. They wanted to see how this prince would handle such a situation.

After the court session, the officials left in small groups, but Chunyu Shuang stayed behind and went to Qiuwu Palace with Jiu Que. She was a significant figure in the Ministry of Justice and had a keen understanding of the officials' psychology. She was already worried that Jiu Que might encounter difficulties handling affairs.

However, Jiu Que didn't seem to care much about this; she glanced at Chunyu Shuang's feet with concern.

"You weren't hurt just now, were you?"

That's right, it was Chunyu Shuang who just delivered the righteous kick. Everyone in the court knows that she has a close relationship with Prince Chen, so everyone pretended not to see anything. Chunyu Shuang was in a great hurry.

"No, no! What can such a spineless coward do? Putting that aside, I can guarantee that the officials in the Ministry of Justice won't cause you any trouble, but I can't control anything else. Should we go and ask His Majesty for an imperial decree?"

"It's alright, there's no use in worrying. If they don't want to do anything, then let them rest."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you think you've heard enough of that noise?" Noisy noise?
Chunyu Shuang paused for a moment. Was she referring to those ministers who always voiced their opposition? Of course, she felt she had heard enough of them, but those voices would always exist, and even if she disliked them, she could only deal with them little by little. Although Chunyu Shuang often thought about simply killing all those noisy people, she only thought about it and didn't actually do it.

But judging from what Jiuque meant...

It was rare for him to be so cautious in front of Jiu Que.

"what do you mean?"

Jiu Que could tell from Chunyu Shuang's glance that she had misunderstood something, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What do you take me for? I'm not a murderer. I'm just saying that there are many talented people in the world. During the previous dynasty, the country was in turmoil, and many people, even if they wanted to learn to read and write, didn't have the opportunity. Therefore, those who could rise to prominence during the previous dynasty were all from powerful families. These people served as officials during the previous dynasty, and after the establishment of the Great Jing Dynasty, they received the Emperor's favor and were able to continue serving as officials. However, these people were used to peaceful officialdom during the previous dynasty and were extremely outdated and pedantic. In fact, they were no longer suited to this new dynasty. It's just that the Emperor has always lacked talent to manage the country, which gave them the opportunity to serve as incompetent and corrupt officials for so many years. Although it's not entirely like this, this situation will spread. Even if a newcomer enters the officialdom full of expectations, eager to make some achievements, if everyone around him is just going through the motions, and you are different, won't you be ostracized?"

"However, now that the country is stable, the grasslands have been eliminated, and the Southern Barbarians are not a threat for the time being, it is time to turn our attention to dealing with them. If they don't want to do it, there are plenty of others in the world who would. Let them enjoy their leisure time. It is time for those talented people from ordinary backgrounds to find a path to advancement."

Chunyu Shuang was thrilled and wanted to find his kind right away, but he was met with a crushing defeat.

"If we want to find a partner, at least we can't oppose women serving as officials. But it's still early in the season, and it's difficult to find such a person. Also, there are too few female officials. We can't possibly expend so much energy only to end up as someone else's dowry, can we?"

"Of course not."

Jiu Que smiled mysteriously.

"Guess what I've discovered these past few days? Just two hundred miles outside the capital, an academy has come to us, accepting only talented individuals regardless of background or literary ability. This academy is different from others; it doesn't just teach the Four Books and Five Classics. Instead, it's like a mini-court, teaching everything imaginable: water management, agriculture, construction, medicine..."