Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 427 Disgusting
Wow!

Jiu Que and Chunyu Shuang exchanged a glance, then couldn't help but touch their noses. They hadn't expected that this Xie family head had such a strong opinion of them. Indeed, although no one dared to say it to their faces, the whispers behind their backs were certainly unavoidable.

But judging from what she just heard, this Xie family head is incredibly shameless! Does he really think he can marry anyone? Hearing this, she could only feel sorry for Wang. She thought he was her lifelong partner, but before the marriage, he had laid a web of schemes waiting for her to fall into it, while her family, whom she relied on, turned a blind eye to her suffering. Jiu Que could hardly imagine the pain Wang would feel when she returned home and faced those suddenly changed faces. No wonder she stayed in the small Buddhist hall; such a life was indeed full of hardship.

However, from Wang's perspective, it's understandable that she didn't want the child in the first place. But what about when that child became her good friend Xie Mingchen? What were Xie Mingchen's thoughts?
The next moment, Jiu Que heard Xie Mingchen's voice, which was unusually angry.

"I truly don't know if someone like me can continue to serve as an official, but in my opinion, you are the least fit to be one! You can even scheme against your own wife; what else are you incapable of? Now you pretend to be a good father in front of me, but who can see that beneath the seemingly kind and benevolent face of the Xie family head lies a selfish and treacherous devil? Furthermore, Princess Chen is a noblewoman of the royal family, His Majesty's only daughter, and the only prince in the court. I advise you not to speak ill of her. Princess Chen is a first-rank prince, while your father is merely a third-rank official. What right do you have to criticize your superior or the royal family?"

"You beast! Do you still consider me your father? How dare you point fingers at me?! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll really think I'm made of clay! Let go, Dalang, don't hold me back!"

"Father! Father, please calm down! Third brother is still young, not married yet, still a child. Please don't hold a grudge against him. Third brother, quickly apologize to Father and make amends. How can there be any grudge between father and son that lasts overnight? Even the upper teeth sometimes clash with the lower teeth, let alone father and son after so many years. How could there be no affection between them?"

Xie Dalang quickly pulled back his father, who was about to strike, and repeatedly tried to persuade him. Judging from his voice, he really was a good older brother and a good son who cared about his father and his good-for-nothing younger brother. But strangely, Xie Clan Head, who wasn't so angry before, became angrier the more he talked. Seeing that he was about to strike again, Xie Mingchen simply pushed away Xie Dalang, who was still trying to appease him.

“Young Master Xie, there’s no need for such consolation. Although I dislike these infightings within the household, I’m not blind or deaf; I can still see through your petty schemes.”

"Third brother? You..."

Xie Dalang's anxious expression froze on his face, his body even creaking under the strain, as he turned to look at his expressionless third brother. For a moment, he almost doubted that he had misheard.

Not only him, but even the Xie family head next to him was stunned for a moment, and then flew into a rage.

"You still say you're not blind or deaf? Wasn't your older brother helping you just now? He's always been the one who dotes on you the most since you were little. Even when you disobeyed him time and time again, it was he who pleaded for you. Hasn't he done enough? Although you don't have the same mother, you've lived together in the same house for over ten years. He practically watched you grow up. How could he possibly have bad intentions towards you?"

"Father, there's no need for that. I think my third brother is just too angry to say that. I'm fine."

Wow, what a peerless white lotus flower, rising from the mud unsullied! Even the Nine Palaces would applaud.

Not only Jiu Que couldn't stand it, but someone else at the scene also couldn't bear to watch—Xie Mingchen, at the center of the storm. He'd been used to Xie Mingchen's eldest son's ever-present, gentle smile since childhood. Having witnessed countless instances of Xie Mingchen's feigned help, he was utterly disgusted. Now that he wanted to sever all ties with the Xie family, he didn't need to show him any mercy. He glanced indifferently at his nominal elder brother, who felt a chill run down his spine at that look, almost wanting to touch his own face to see if he was still as polite and respectful as usual.

But the next moment, Xie Mingchen's words almost tore his face off.

"Xie Mingli, I've been looking at your face for twenty years, and I'm really tired of it. Since we were little, you've liked to pretend to be a gentle older brother and belittle me to achieve your goal of showing off in front of others. To be honest, every time I hear you call me 'Third Brother,' I feel very ironic. You probably hate me, you hate me so much that you wish you could take my place."

These words shattered the facade of brotherly harmony and peaceful coexistence that the Xie family had maintained for so many years. Even the Xie family head couldn't help but give his eldest son, who was usually the most sensible, a complicated look. He knew Xie Mingchen's stubborn and eccentric nature, and he knew that he had always disdained lying. Could it be that his eldest son had really done something to betray his third son without his knowledge?

Xie Dalang was almost completely stung by his father's suspicious gaze, but he still forced himself to shake his head.

"Third brother, what are you talking about? I can guarantee that I have never mistreated you! Have you forgotten? When you were little, I often took you out to play. We rode horses, flew kites, and played cuju together. You were so happy back then. Are all those memories fake?"

Hearing this, the Xie family head was immediately relieved. Yes, he had witnessed these things firsthand. The eldest son was always kind to his younger siblings, while the third son was known for being eccentric since childhood.

Dalang treated him incredibly well, almost like his own son. Unexpectedly, after all these years, Sanlang not only doesn't remember Dalang's kindness, but also says such things.

“Sanlang, you should have a conscience. Our whole family has seen how your elder brother has treated you…”

"is it?"

Xie Mingchen was thoroughly fed up with the Xie family's entanglement. He had long ago said that he did not want to return to the Xie family or compete for the so-called position of family head, but these people just refused to believe him or let him go. They insisted on torturing him to death before they would believe that he really had no intention of seizing the position.

"Your family is truly laughable. The father clearly doesn't respect his legal wife and favors his concubine, yet in public he puts on a show of respect for the legal wife and legitimate son. The illegitimate son clearly wants to seize the family position, but he tries to portray himself as a model of brotherly love and respect. Does doing so wash away his status as an illegitimate son? Whether he is legitimate or illegitimate is not that important to me, because I never took the Xie family seriously. But you insist on throwing these dirty things in front of me, and even trying to force them into my mouth to disgust me!"

Xie Mingchen took a deep breath; he felt disgusted just looking at the two of them.