Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 461 Exam Questions
Emperor Jingtai stopped in his tracks, stroking his chin. So many people had come looking for Jiuque; had he arrived at the wrong time?
Seeing this, Jiu Fu, who was following behind, felt his heart leap into his throat. His Majesty is His Majesty after all, while His Highness is just a prince. Although His Majesty is nominally recuperating, so many officials are coming and going from His Highness's Qiuwu Palace. What if His Majesty becomes bothered by this?

Emperor Jingtai was stroking his chin in deep thought when he turned his head and saw Jiufu's worried face. He was so angry that he laughed.

"You old codger, I haven't even started to worry yet, what are you worried about? Isn't this what people mean when they say the emperor isn't worried but the eunuch is?"

"Oh dear, Your Majesty, please don't joke with this old servant. You've frightened me."

Jiu Fu pretended to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, looking somewhat disheveled. He was deliberately trying to make His Majesty laugh, and Emperor Jingtai, of course, knew this and smiled helplessly.

"I just feel that leaving all the important matters to Jiu Que while I indulge in eating, drinking, and having fun is a bit too lacking in fatherly affection, isn't it? Jiu Que hasn't left the palace for over a month now, has she? Oh no, we have to go! If that child catches us, we won't be able to leave the palace!"

Just as the group was sneaking away, a mournful voice, as if crawling out of hell, came from behind them.

"Father, you've already come all this way, why are you leaving?"

Emperor Jingtai stopped abruptly, and when he turned around, he saw a girl with dark circles under her eyes. His fatherly heart immediately stirred, and he felt a pang of heartache.

"Jiu Que, how did you get so tired? It breaks my heart..."

"Since Father Emperor dotes on his daughter so much, why don't you stay and help me set the questions for the special imperial examination?"

"Forehead……"

Emperor Jingtai immediately withdrew his hands and feet, intending to turn back at the next bend. However, he was old and no match for the young Jiu Que. In the short span of time, Jiu Que had already rushed forward and grabbed Emperor Jingtai's wrist. Jiu Que's strength was well-known throughout the Jingtai dynasty. How could Emperor Jingtai, a lonely old man, possibly compete?
He was immediately dragged by the wrist into Qiuwu Palace, where he was confronted face-to-face with a huge pile of memorials and topics.

Emperor Jingtai was practically in tears, deeply regretting that he had such long legs. Why did he have to go and take a stroll around Qiuwu Palace for no reason?
Now that they've caught him, he's definitely not going anywhere for a whole day.

He had barely moved when he was met with a death stare from his beloved daughter. Emperor Jingtai sighed deeply and picked up a memorial to read, but before he could even finish reading it, he flew into a rage and slammed the memorial onto the table with a loud bang.

"Insolence! You're courting death!"

When Jiuque, who was engrossed in her books, saw that Emperor Jingtai was so angry, she went up and took out the memorial to look at it. She wasn't angry at all. The memorial was nothing more than a hen crowing at dawn. It wasn't the first time she had seen such words. She was already used to it.

"Father, there's no need to get angry with these ignorant people. Don't ruin your health." Under his daughter's comforting words, Emperor Jingtai gradually calmed down, but he still felt wronged for his daughter.

In the past year, the entire Great Jing Dynasty has undergone tremendous changes under Jiu Que's leadership. The greatest beneficiaries have been the common people, yet they are ironically powerless to speak out on matters of state. Jiu Que's cheap paper, libraries, and examination books…

All of this benefited the common people but infringed upon the interests of powerful families. Those officials and scholars from powerful families could not condemn Jiu Que's actions on moral grounds, so they could only find fault with the gender of the people involved.

"For the past eight months, your father has watched you tirelessly dedicate yourself to the well-being of the people. Yet those ignorant fools spout nonsense simply because of their gender. All the books they've read over the years have gone to waste! Weren't they born of women? Did they crawl out of men's bellies? 'Hen crowing at dawn,' is that all you know after all those years of studying? Jiufu! Bring me my knife. I thought it had rusted after all these years of not using it!"

Seeing that his father was about to return to his old ways, Jiu Que quickly stopped him and told the bewildered Eunuch Jiu Fu not to pay any attention to his father's words.

My father is really something. When we first met, he was a reasonably dignified and polite emperor. Now he's becoming more and more unrestrained, even calling himself "I" (老子). If those old-fashioned folks heard that, they'd be submitting a whole cartload of memorials.

Hearing her father's words still warmed Jiu Que's heart. She had worked so hard for so long without complaint, wasn't it all because she had a father who supported her unconditionally?
It wasn't that she intentionally flattered Emperor Jingtai; her father was truly one of the few enlightened men of this era. Indeed, whether male or female, as long as someone is useful, isn't that enough? It would be too unfair to discriminate based solely on gender.

“Father, there’s no need to be angry. A person who can say such things has already reached the end of his life. His vision is not broad enough to see the distant future. So why bother getting angry at someone with no future? Getting angry at them would only elevate them.”

"...My son is truly broad-minded, and has inherited the virtues of the ancient sages."

Emperor Jingtai felt tired after waving around for a while, so he obediently sat down following Jiuque's force, and even picked up a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, which he slurped down.

He's a father, so he has to set a good example for his children. As for those short-sighted officials, let them run wild for a couple more days. Once they see the achievements of Jiuque, they won't be so arrogant anymore.

Having finally caught Emperor Jingtai, Jiuque was naturally not going to let him go easily. She respectfully asked her father to select the examination questions for this year's special imperial examination. If it were anything else, it would be fine, but when it came to matters concerning scholars, Emperor Jingtai was completely at a loss.

"Well, Jiuque, you know that Father Emperor is illiterate. Isn't it making things difficult for me to choose the exam questions? You can decide for me. There's really no need for me to do this!"

"Father, what are you saying? You are the ruler of the Great Jing Dynasty. This year's imperial examination is exceptionally different, with so many men, women, and children participating. It is bound to leave a significant mark on history. If you don't participate, how will the historians record it? Besides, the claim that you are illiterate is too exaggerated. Father, you were able to study diligently even under the harsh conditions of war. Your spirit of striving for excellence is truly admirable. Now it's just a matter of choosing an exam question. I believe Father can definitely do it."

"Forehead……"

While this flattery was certainly flattering, Emperor Jingtai knew his own literary talent was, in essence, barely scratching the surface. Wouldn't his exam questions, given his limited education, invite ridicule from scholars across the land?
Wait a minute, it seems he actually has a topic he wants students from all over the world to debate...