Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 454 The Smiling Old Man
"Today is the library's first day open, and everyone's attention is on the books they haven't seen before. Besides, if you're here to read, why bring your own books? Do you have so much money you don't know what to do with it, that you have to spend a penny to come to a crowded library? So you're not here to read, you're here to cause trouble! Your goal is to ruin the library's reputation, and by extension, His Highness the Prince's reputation!"

The middle-aged man's pupils dilated in shock, followed by a loud rebuttal.

"How could that be? How could an ordinary citizen like me possibly think of so many complicated details? This is all your own fault, all your speculation, you have absolutely no evidence!"

A murmur of disbelief rippled through the crowd. Some of the brighter-eyed among them had already figured out what had happened and their gazes toward the middle-aged man turned dangerous. Most of the others, however, were still bewildered.

Despite the middle-aged man's shouting from afar, he remained unmoved, displaying the demeanor of a great general despite his young age. Bai Baihu looked at him with admiration.

"Imagine this: if, in broad daylight, we discovered that he truly possessed books identical to those in the library's collection, the library staff would undoubtedly be indignant. However, when everyone gathered around, he suddenly changed his tune, explaining the origin of the books and claiming we had wronged him. With irrefutable evidence, wouldn't everyone feel resentful towards the Royal Library? In this way, his scheme would succeed; he wouldn't be here to read books, but to deliberately damage the library's reputation! Even worse, he's targeting His Highness the Prince, the Royal Family, and His Majesty!"

"I didn't! You're making false accusations!"

At this point, Lin Mingde chimed in.

“I’ve been studying at school for over a year now. The word ‘slander’ you just used—if you weren’t literate, it would be hard to use it so fluently! You keep insisting you’re a commoner, but if you look closely, you won’t see any calluses on your hands from manual labor. And your clothes, though they look worn, are padded with plenty of cotton. Cotton isn’t yet in high demand, and many wealthy families don’t even have any. Where did you, a so-called poor person, get the means and money to buy so much cotton?”

At this moment, Bai Baihu stepped forward, grabbed his clothes, and ripped them open forcefully, causing the cotton filling to spill out. Everyone around immediately changed their expressions. How could they not understand that they had been used as pawns!
That damned bastard! His Highness the Prince has been so kind to everyone, personally funding the establishment of this Royal Library for all those who want to study and improve themselves. This bastard is not only ungrateful, but he also dared to frame His Highness! He deserves to die!

The middle-aged man tried to say something in his defense, but no one was willing to listen. The crowd was furious and wanted to send him to the authorities. Some particularly brave men even kicked him. This bastard deserved to die; he had disgraced them, ordinary people. What if His Highness found out and became disillusioned with them?
"You're a worthless farmer! What kind of farmer has such delicate skin? Explain yourself clearly: whose lackey are you? Don't slander our reputation. Who is your master?!"

"I found this strange earlier. You keep saying you're an ordinary citizen, but what ordinary citizen is as fair-skinned as you?"

"If it weren't for the quick wit of Commander Bai and the cleverness of these two young masters, we would have been completely fooled by you. To be willing to do such a dirty thing is disgusting!"

Amidst the crowd's outrage, the middle-aged man actually took several blows. He was never a loyal man to begin with, and now, being kicked and beaten by the crowd, he quickly surrendered.

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! My master is the head of the Wang family! One of the five great families and seven clans, do you even know that? How dare you lay a hand on me?!"

Watching the unfolding events, Jiu Que almost laughed. He wondered who had sent the middle-aged man, for he was so considerate of him. These words deepened the capital's people's resentment towards the powerful clans.

Sure enough, everyone was in a bad mood and expressed their anger.

"Is having five families and seven surnames that impressive? Why doesn't he open a library?"

"That's right! He's heartless! Arrest him and lock him up in jail so he'll learn his lesson!" With the help of the enthusiastic citizens, the middle-aged man was quickly subdued and taken to a quiet room next door.

After the farce, the crowd quickly quieted down and dispersed to find the books they wanted to read. Time was limited; they had paid to come in, and they couldn't just give up because of this commotion, could they?

Jiu Que quietly entered the quiet room to eavesdrop. The middle-aged man initially feigned the noble air of a powerful family, but after witnessing Bai Baihu's bone-dislocating skills, he immediately backed down and blurted out everything he knew, practically wetting himself in fear.

The five families and seven clans were indeed still up to their old tricks. They seemed to have given in, but in reality, they were still secretly plotting these underhanded schemes. She was originally worried that after dealing with the Xie family, she wouldn't have a reason to deal with the Wang family, but unexpectedly, the head of the Wang family was eager to give her a reason. How kind of him!

Chunyu Shuang was also there, and Jiuque was handed over directly to her.

"Your Highness, rest assured. Your humble servant will certainly deal with the Wang family thoroughly."

A cold smile appeared in Chunyu Shuang's eyes. The Royal Library was of great importance, and people of all ages and genders could come in to read books. His Highness had given the women such a good opportunity, so they couldn't let those shameless scoundrels ruin it, could they?
You're the head of the Wang family, right? We haven't even settled the score for mistreating Wuwei Jushi yet, and you're already jumping around like this? Thank you so much!

Watching Chunyu Shuang's murderous retreating figure, Jiu Que rubbed her nose. Oh well, she knows what she's doing; she won't really do anything to the Wang family head. At most, she'll just beat him up in private.

However, the war between imperial power and the aristocratic families has now truly begun. To gain the upper hand in this war, it's best to strike first. But ultimately, the opportunity to seize it rests with the Emperor…

The next moment, Jiu Que saw Eunuch Jiu Fu, who was practically inseparable from his father, walking smilingly through the crowd. It was truly a case of speaking of the devil; following Eunuch Jiu Fu to the restaurant across the street, Jiu Que was pleasantly surprised to see Emperor Jingtai looking remarkably well.

"Father! You're all better now?!"

Emperor Jingtai was all smiles; he wasn't always this smug, wealthy man. It was only after finding Jiuque that he was in a good mood, feeling much lighter and more at ease, hence the smile.

He patted Jiu Que's head with a smile.

"Who am I? I've survived countless battles and even more serious illnesses, so I don't care about this little ailment!"

After exchanging a few playful words with Jiu Que, Emperor Jingtai inquired with concern.

"Did you just run into trouble? Do you need Father's help?"