Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 465 When the Silent Ones Break Their Silence

Hearing this, the already furious father and son became even angrier. The father stepped forward and slapped his daughter hard across the face. However, just as he was about to strike a second time, Wang Xiu'e nimbly dodged and blocked her father's arm with one hand, then swung down hard.

Wang's father stared at his hand in disbelief, as did Wang Yaohui, who was watching the commotion. Wang Xiu'e actually dared to lay a hand on her own father?! This was a grave act of filial impiety. After a brief moment of surprise, Wang Yaohui was overjoyed. In this day and age, filial impiety was a capital offense. Wang Xiu'e's audacity to lay a hand on her own father proved her unfilial piety. Who in officialdom would dare to appoint such an unfilial person? If she could harm her own father, who could guarantee she wouldn't harm her colleagues and friends?
"How dare you lay a hand on our own father?! This is a grave act of filial impiety, and I'm going to report you to the authorities!"

"Wait……"

Mr. Wang was quite surprised and angry, but he never considered suing his own daughter. If such a reputation got out, who would dare to marry into their family? Outsiders would only think that if even his usually obedient and sensible daughter couldn't tolerate defying her own father, how wicked must he be as a father? But before he could finish speaking, Wang Yaohui rushed out. He knew very well that with his own talent and his usual methods of deliberately slacking off in his studies, he had no chance of passing the exam. His younger sister, whom he had always secretly resented, was exceptionally intelligent; even just standing outside the classroom secretly listening to lectures, her writing was far superior to his. But even if he couldn't pass, why should his sister be able to?

Outsiders would only say how foolish the older brother is, not even as good as his own sister. They'd rather the family stay poor. Anyway, the family will support him as the son, leaving him enough inheritance to get married and have children; after all, he's the son. A son should receive the full support of the whole family…

"boom!"

Wang Yaohui's excited, smug, and strangely eerie expression froze instantly, and he slowly collapsed in disbelief. Standing behind him was his mother, who was panting heavily.

"You, you did it..."

The father was so shocked by the unexpected scene before him that he was speechless and retreated repeatedly. He was even worried that the woman holding the washing stick, who looked like a god of death, would turn around and rush at him.

As he retreated, he accidentally tripped over his own foot and fell heavily to the ground, scraping his palms.

Panting heavily, the Queen Mother turned to look at her husband. She had always been a woman of few words, seen by outsiders as the ideal wife and mother. Quiet, hardworking, and devoted to her husband and children her entire life, she never uttered a word of complaint. For so many years, she hadn't even mentioned buying herself a new piece of clothing. What a woman of sacrifice and dedication she was! How worthy of praise and emulation she was!

Many families in this ordinary street used her as an example when disciplining their wives and daughters-in-law, which shows how pleasing the Queen Mother was.

That's why, when they witnessed her hitting her son with a washing stick, not only did Wang's father find it hard to believe, but even Wang Xiu'e rubbed her eyes in disbelief, speechless.

On the contrary, it was Wang's mother who was probably the calmest person in the courtyard. She casually threw the washing stick aside, took a few steps forward, and vigorously wiped the tear stains on Wang Xiu'e's face with her rough sleeves.

"What are you crying for! What's there to cry about? If you pass the exam and enter the officialdom, you'll be surrounded by colleagues who want to crush you. Do you really expect them to show you mercy just because you cry? Since you've chosen this path, you have to keep going, even if it kills you!"

"Do you understand? Even if you and your daughter turn against each other, your brothers resent each other, and your children don't understand you in the future, you must remember one thing: you chose this path yourself! So you have no right to resent me!"

“I…” Wang Xiu’e looked at her mother in surprise. It seemed that she had never understood this woman, even though she was the closest person to her.

After comforting her daughter, the Queen Mother glanced at the man who had collapsed to the ground, too terrified to speak. Her face remained expressionless, though a hint of disdain occasionally flashed in her eyes. She had long known he was a good-for-nothing, but she hadn't expected him to remain so incompetent after all these years.

"Nothing happened today. The two kids were just too nervous after their special exams, so I stayed home to take care of them. Old man, don't you think?"

"me……"

"You actually hit your own son. Did you beat him to death?"

The Queen Mother curled her lip in annoyance. She knew this man was utterly useless. In this situation, if he was worried about retaliation, shouldn't he have been careful with his words and actions, trying not to mention his son who had collapsed to the ground?
"How could I possibly kill him? After all, he's my own son. And what's wrong with a mother disciplining her child? Can anyone say I'm not compassionate?"

Under the father's fearful gaze, the matter was brought to a close. As for Wang Yaohui, who had been knocked unconscious, the mother and daughter carried him to a room and took good care of him. They couldn't let people talk about it later, saying that the mother had beaten her son to death, could they?
This was just an insignificant little thing during the Enke exam. When women who had been silent for hundreds of years suddenly discovered that they could also stand on the same land as men and compete fairly, could everyone continue to remain silent and be a subordinate whose life was controlled by others?

Many people may still not understand the significance of this special examination for women of all ages and genders, but that's okay. Some of them will always be pioneers, leaving a path for those who come after them.

After several days and nights of exams, the candidates were finally able to relax, but the examiners who had been summoned to grade the papers were exhausted.

Balancing quality and speed was incredibly difficult, putting them under immense pressure. The fact that His Majesty, who had enjoyed an enviable, relaxed lifestyle for almost a year, would occasionally stroll by, attempting to find hidden gems, only added to their tension. By the time the grading was finished, all the examiners looked ashen-faced.

"I'm so exhausted..."

"I never want to be an examiner again."

"Are you sure? During my time as an examiner, I received a hundred taels of silver as a reward from His Majesty and His Highness. My family is poor, and I have elderly parents and a bunch of children to support. If you don't want it, you can always push all these things onto me in the future!"

"Dream on, I was just complaining..."

"Hahaha……"