Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 462 No one is perfect.

"Now that you mention it, I do have a question for students everywhere."

"Oh, I don't know what it is?"

"Secret."

Emperor Jingtai actually kept it a secret. Jiu Que shrugged, not caring at all. However, he wanted to condemn his father's unscrupulous behavior of dumping all political affairs on him.

Her expression was somewhat mournful at that moment.

"Father, no offense, but haven't you been a bit too idle lately? How can you dump all the tasks on me? I want to go out and have fun, I want to go shopping. I haven't gone out to meet up with my friends in a long time. I don't even know if they're fat or thin, round or flat. How can I be a friend like that? How about I hand over today's memorial to you?"

Emperor Jingtai felt quite ashamed when he heard the first part, but upon hearing the last sentence, he immediately covered his head weakly, his face turning ugly.

If he hadn't come in looking so healthy and radiant, everyone would probably think he was seriously ill.

"Cough cough cough, Jiuque, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have entrusted you with so much government affairs. It's alright, I'm feeling much better today. Go out and have some fun, don't worry about me. Cough cough cough..."

Seeing that the other person was practically coughing up their lungs, Jiu Que couldn't help but twitch his lips.

No, this act is so convincing! Does Father think he's blind? Just a moment ago he was radiant and strong, and now he looks so old and frail in the blink of an eye. He's really testing his acting skills.

Jiuque can only be a filial daughter now.

“Since Father is so weak, let’s just forget about it. I’ll help Father deal with it. It’s been a long time since we’ve sat down and talked together, hasn’t it? Perfect timing, today is a good day.”

Huh?
Emperor Jingtai was somewhat conflicted. His original intention was to leave all the memorials here to his daughter to handle and return to the palace to rest. But after hearing what Jiuque said, he felt embarrassed to leave his daughter behind. Oh well, since they were both handling memorials anyway, the two of them working together would surely speed things up.

Then she smiled, her face radiating fatherly love and filial piety. "Of course, we two need to have a heart-to-heart talk."

The mutually destructive outcome was achieved, and Jiu Que revealed a smile of honor despite the defeat.

Today was another day spent immersed in folding paper. How wonderful.

Soon, the special imperial examination was held as scheduled. Within just half a month, students from all over the country flocked to the capital, almost filling it to capacity. Inns and even private residences were packed with students coming to take the exam. Aside from other issues, maintaining order in the capital was a major concern; with so many people, friction between them was inevitable. The scholars might not have much physical strength, but they were certainly the epitome of scholarly pride, and often just a few words could spark a large-scale discussion.

Moreover, scholars of this era were not the weak and frail figures imagined by later generations. It should be noted that the Great Jing Dynasty had only been established for a little over a decade, and during the wars of the previous dynasty, those with poor physical condition would not have survived to this day. Therefore, even some 'weak scholars' possessed some martial arts skills; after all, if they couldn't win an argument, they still had some physical strength.

Emperor Jingtai once told Jiu Que that in his court, when the ministers argued with each other and disagreed on political views, there were also lively scenes of them fighting each other. Emperor Jingtai himself accepted it well. After all, he was an emperor who had fought his way up from the battlefield. When he encountered injustice, he would naturally resort to fists if he couldn't win with words. This was a unique phenomenon of founding emperors.

The workload of the city patrol soldiers has increased exponentially over the past two weeks, but they have little to complain about, since His Highness the Prince has given them three times their usual salary. Not only the patrol soldiers on duty, but even their colleagues who are on leave are green with envy.

Sigh, why does His Highness always give such a large salary when it's my turn to rest? I'm so unlucky! Those brats who used to show off in front of me not only get triple pay, but also many fine gifts from His Highness. First of all, there's brand-new armor and weapons, all newly made by the Ministry of Works, supposedly forged from the finest iron. The longsword looks gleaming, with layers of patterns on it—clearly a superior weapon. They've never seen such fine weapons before; it's said to be made using a new smelting and forging method provided by His Highness. They even curiously compared the new swords with their old ones, two equally strong people hacking at each other with all their might, and the old weapon snapped in two!
The eyes of all the patrolmen present were filled with envy. His Highness said that these new knives were limited and could only be supplied in batches, with the patrolmen still on duty for the past two weeks being the first to receive them. Good heavens! Those on leave were practically begging to rush forward and offer to work without rest in exchange for such new knives. What soldier doesn't love fine horses and weapons? How could they not feel envious and resentful that they weren't getting their hands on such good things?

Not only that, they had refreshing iced mung bean soup every day, with plenty of sugar in it, and every meal included meat. Those animals gained a lot of weight in just half a month, and they still complained about the hardship; they'd fallen into a paradise!

Therefore, even when faced with those pretentious scholars, the patrol soldiers showed unprecedented patience. Although some of their remarks were unpleasant, they got used to them after a while, and it was better to think about what meat and vegetables they could have for lunch. Speaking of which, the chef specially appointed by His Highness was incredibly skilled, proficient in frying, boiling, and cooking. He even brought two large iron pots and a dish called stir-fried vegetables, which was absolutely delicious. Even the most ordinary green vegetables, stir-fried in hot oil, were incredibly tasty.

Moreover, the meals ordered for each of them were quite substantial, enough for them to eat until they were about 80-90% full, and they could even take the leftovers home so that their parents, wives, and children could also enjoy them. However, His Highness had stipulated that they must eat their fill to ensure they had enough strength to patrol the streets. Now that the imperial examination was about to take place, His Highness would not be lenient if any mistakes were made at this crucial juncture.

Everyone listened to the advice. They weren't fools. If they made a mistake at this crucial moment and embarrassed His Highness, what future would they have? They were all eager to impress His Highness! Just look at how the city patrol troops have been treated these past two weeks; you can tell His Highness would never mistreat his men.

Therefore, even though there are many more people in the capital, there may be some minor frictions, but no major conflicts.

The entire court observed this, and although they didn't show it outwardly, their opinion of Prince Chenrui rose even higher. The only regret was that such a fine prince couldn't be a man. Truly, no one is perfect…