Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 450 Is it hereditary?

Realizing what was happening, Xie Kun struggled desperately, even shouting at the city guards who had arrested him without cause. Xie Mingli ran a few steps forward, trying to catch up with his father. But the city guards, who were usually so respectful to the powerful families, sternly prevented Xie Mingli from approaching, even patting the long swords hanging at their waists as a threat. Xie Mingli slowly stopped, turning back to look pleadingly at his uncles from the powerful families.

But to his surprise, the heads of those powerful families had already scattered in a hurry. Xie Mingli quickly caught up with the head of the Wang family.

"Grandfather, won't you help Father? Our five families and seven clans are all of one blood. Are you just going to stand by and watch Father be arrested?"

"What does this have to do with me? He offended His Highness the Prince with his inappropriate words, so of course he has to be arrested as a warning. I didn't say anything just now."

Xie Mingli's shout only made things worse; the more he shouted, the faster the Wang family head ran, his attitude clearly showing he didn't want to associate with them.

Xie Kun, who was being led away, also saw the scene behind him as he desperately turned his head. He was so angry that he almost cursed out loud. He knew these people were unreliable. "Better to die for a friend than for myself!" he thought. "Bah! What talk of being of one mind with one heart! They're clearly abandoning each other when disaster strikes."

But did they think this matter was over? Their arrest was just the beginning of the battle. Emperor Jingtai had been on the throne for more than ten years, and what he wanted most was to completely control the entire country. Previously, the powerful clans had become too powerful to control, but now that there was someone with such ingenious ideas as Prince Chen, today the Xie family was arrested, tomorrow it could be the Wang family, the Li family, the Wu family, or even other major clans.

Today they stand by and watch us die, but little do they know that tomorrow they too may be the ones arrested and executed.

The guard who had been observing from the sidelines reported the situation to Jiu Que, who nodded. The alliance of the five families and seven clans had been temporarily broken; now they needed to press their advantage and completely dismantle them as soon as possible.

Opening a window, Jiu Que looked down at the bustling crowds at the Royal Library across the street and smiled slightly. The various powerful families had always assumed her aim was to use the Min Shuo Bookstore to control public opinion and, incidentally, help Wang Heng win her divorce case. But without those previous incidents, how could the Royal Library, which had infringed upon the interests of the powerful families, have opened so smoothly?

Once this library is built, everyone in the world who wants to study will have the most basic right to education. Currently, over 90% of the officials in the court come from powerful and influential families—there are simply too many. It's not that officials from powerful families are bad; they receive the best education from a young age and are indeed talented. However, since they come from powerful families and are supported by them, they are obligated to repay their families, and their interests are too intertwined, often making their actions less than their own. Conversely, those from humble backgrounds have far fewer vested interests. It's not that they won't become corrupt after becoming officials, but ensuring that everyone has the right to education and that there is a clear path to advancement in officialdom is the only way to truly bring all the talent in the world under our control, instead of relying solely on officials cultivated by powerful and influential families.

That is precisely why His Majesty supports her actions so much. His Majesty has long suffered under the rule of powerful families. Of the natural and man-made disasters he has encountered in the past ten years since his ascension to the throne, how many were truly natural disasters, and how many were manipulated by others?
Previously, His Majesty had no one else to rely on, so he had to reluctantly use those officials. But as we've seen, few of them truly served the country; the vast majority had their own selfish motives and were not easy to manage. From now on, things won't be as comfortable as those powerful families imagine.

The offense and defense are alien!
Although Emperor Jingtai was in the palace, news of the grandeur of the royal library soon reached him. Upon seeing the reports, Emperor Jingtai couldn't help but slap the edge of his bed and burst into laughter.

"I knew this child had a way with things! Look, she solved my biggest worry of over a decade without shedding a drop of blood! Ah, this child is just like me! And those officials from aristocratic families, from now on they'd better watch their backs. If they try to manipulate me like before, I'll make them retire! Do they really think I have no one else to rely on?" Emperor Jingtai was extremely satisfied with Jiu Que. Remembering what she had said before—that the royal library could not only be located in the capital but also in every prefecture and county, thereby controlling the scholars of the land and selecting the most outstanding talents—he immediately decided to entrust Jiu Que with full authority.

Seeing His Majesty's trust in Prince Chen so much, Jiu Fu, standing to the side, was unsure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. His Majesty had given the Prince so much power; was it really alright? Giving it was easy, but taking it back would be difficult, and a slight misstep could easily lead to chaos…

"I haven't even started to worry, why are you so concerned?"

Over the years, Emperor Jingtai had spent the most time with Jiufu, and just by looking at the expression on his face, one could tell what he was thinking.

Casually tossing the intelligence reports onto the plate beside him, Emperor Jingtai was truly at ease. Perhaps it was because he had finally found his most satisfactory successor, but lately he had felt refreshed and his health had improved.

Sure enough, his previous illnesses were caused by those fools constantly provoking him. Now he's finally cured, and he can finally enjoy some of the privileges of being an emperor. For example, he can delegate various important matters to his subordinates, specifically referring to Jiu Que.

"Your Majesty, I shouldn't be saying this, but I am truly worried. His Highness the Prince is certainly a good person. I've observed him closely these past few days; he is kind and filial, compassionate yet shrewd, combining kindness with severity. Those officials have been completely fooled, and they've witnessed him accomplish so many great things, each one beneficial to the people. I can't find a single fault with His Highness. However, no matter how good His Highness is, his status as a woman is always a point of contention. Furthermore, although Your Majesty has reprimanded the court officials before, their desire to use handsome young men to curry favor with His Highness remains undiminished. Over time, this will inevitably have some impact. After all, this empire belongs to the Jing family..."

"Doesn't she have the surname Jing?"

Emperor Jingtai was unconcerned about this; he had indeed experienced similar anxieties before taking that step. But once he truly made up his mind, he realized that these were trivial matters compared to the life and death of the nation.

"I only want a crown prince who can shoulder the future and destiny of the country. As for the problem you mentioned, I believe that Jiuque is not the kind of person who is blinded by lust."

Emperor Jingtai had spoken with great conviction, but at that moment he suddenly remembered General Ying, Jiu Que's mother. She seemed to be a wise and sagacious woman, yet she had stumbled because of Lin Wei.

Is this hereditary?