Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 6 Xie Mingchen

Emperor Jingtai pondered for a while, then made his decision.

"Then let's make it ten days! Within ten days, Jiuque, resolve this matter."

Ying Jiuque nodded obediently, completely ignoring the dissuasive look in Lin Shilang's eyes. How could making others happy compare to her own pleasure?

Although the ministers did not agree with His Majesty's decision, His Majesty had already taken a step back. If they continued to dissuade him, it would inevitably be seen as coercing the monarch. So they exchanged glances and understood each other.

Emperor Jingtai wasn't stupid; how could he not see the scheming in his ministers' eyes? He simply remained silent; he still had to choose the person himself.

Thus, the birthday banquet, which should have been a harmonious and joyous occasion, came to an end. Minister Lin wanted to take Ying Jiuque back to his residence, but was refused.

“Father, I have been granted the title of County Princess and, according to regulations, I have my own County Princess Mansion. Although it is a bit small, I live alone there, and it is close to the palace, which makes it convenient to report cases to His Majesty. I will not go back today.”

Looking at his respectful and modest daughter, a hint of confusion flashed in Lin's eyes, and he then whispered words of advice.

“Jiu Que, you’ve always grown up on the estate, a clean and pure person. How could you get involved in such filthy things? The smell of blood is so strong, aren’t you afraid? Although this is His Majesty’s order, and you must obey it respectfully, if you really can’t do it, don’t be afraid. Your father will plead for you. After all, you are just a woman, and it’s normal that you can’t do such a thing.”

Ying Jiuque showed a grateful expression. Although she hadn't met this father many times, his words were, on the surface, a tremendous support for a native ancient woman. However, what she disliked most was hearing about a woman being a "woman"—did being a woman mean she was useless? That was too arbitrary!

Of course, these words couldn't be said so casually, so Ying Jiuque only expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you for your concern, Father. However, I cannot refuse the Emperor's kindness. Since His Majesty values ​​me so highly, I must do my best to repay His Majesty."

Does His Majesty value it?

Minister Lin's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. How could His Majesty possibly value a child he had just met? Especially a girl? But in the end, he only said it softly.

"Alright, then give it a try. By the way, once this matter is settled, it would be better to come home. After all, you're not a child anymore, and it's time to get started."

What are you arranging? Of course, it's the wedding! Ying Jiuque wasn't so stupid as to not understand this, but she didn't get angry. Instead, she bowed to Minister Lin and then got up and left.

Lin Shilang stood there, watching Ying Jiuque's figure grow ever more distant, his eyes filled with a hint of melancholy.

Ying Jiuque was oblivious to her adoptive father's thoughts. She simply followed the eunuch sent by the old emperor back to the side hall where Scholar Yu had died, wanting to examine the scene closely. Emperor Jingtai had sealed off the entire side hall and, incidentally, detained all the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards who had passed through or entered the side hall during that time period, imprisoning them in the open space in front of the side hall. The area was surrounded by imposing golden-armored guards wielding sharp swords.

Although the palace maids and eunuchs were terrified, they managed to control themselves well. They dared not shout or scream, and even their tears flowed silently.

Forget about them for the time being, Ying Jiuque wandered around the side hall for a while but couldn't find any clues. When she sensed a figure flash by outside, she instinctively looked up and saw a person in a white robe tiptoeing in. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was an extremely young and handsome imperial physician. It seemed the old emperor still had some sense; she really knew nothing about the dead. To investigate a case, one had to find out how the person died. It wouldn't be funny if, at the last minute, it turned out that Scholar Yu had indeed died of illness.

Upon seeing Ying Jiuque, the young imperial physician hurriedly put down his medical kit and gave a perfunctory bow. "Your humble servant Xie Mingchen greets County Princess Ying."

Ying Jiuque nodded, then couldn't help but cough lightly. Her body wasn't very strong to begin with, and after a whole day of this, being with a blood-soaked corpse, she was starting to feel the strain.

"Physician Xie, please examine Scholar Yu first to see how he died."

To be honest, she was a little skeptical of the old doctor who had just scared her so much she wet herself. If he were truly capable, he wouldn't have ended up with such a simple conclusion of 'sudden death'.

Whether it was an external or internal injury, poisoning or suffocation, he couldn't say anything. What use was he? If she were the old emperor, she'd be angry too. This young imperial physician in front of her probably wasn't someone highly regarded in the Imperial Hospital, otherwise, he wouldn't have been pushed forward at this critical juncture.

Xie Mingchen looked somewhat flustered. He glanced at Ying Jiuque again, his gaze lingering on her slightly pale face for a moment. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he held back.

"Your Highness, there's no need to call me Imperial Physician. I'm just a lowly student receiving special allowances. Please just call me by my name. The smell of blood in the room is too strong; Your Highness should stay away."

Without further ado, he opened his medicine box and went over to examine the unseeing eyes of the deceased scholar, Yu Zhuangyuan.

The imperial palace was a place of great importance, and coroners were not allowed to enter for the time being. Only a lowly, powerless official like him would be pushed out to do such a thankless task. However, Ying Jiuque was slightly surprised to find that Xie Mingchen did not feel any dissatisfaction because of this. His every move was extremely serious.

Ying Jiuque knew nothing about autopsies, so she tried to remain quiet for the time being, afraid of disturbing the other party. After all, anyone with real skills deserves respect.

Half an hour later, a figure in light green lightly stepped in, bringing with it a faint fragrance of plum blossoms. Just then, Xie Mingchen stopped moving.

Ying Jiuque turned around and carefully examined the female official who had silently entered.

Yes, a female official. Ying Jiuque, having witnessed the various explicit and implicit expressions of contempt from the officials of all ages at the previous birthday banquet, had thought the world was truly so unbelievable. Unexpectedly, a serene and beautiful female official appeared before him! And not the kind who could only serve in the inner palace, but the kind who could properly enter and leave the court and government offices!

Even if Ying Jiuque were blind, he could still see that the female official was wearing the same light green official robes as the male officials.

"you are?"

The young female official in her twenties possessed an elegant and reserved demeanor. When she bowed in greeting, every gesture and movement exuded a dignified and composed air.

"Your humble servant Chunyu Shuang, a clerk in the Ministry of Justice, greets Princess Ying."

The next moment, the person bowing slightly raised his eyes and met Ying Jiuque's dark eyes. A gust of wind suddenly blew through the room. In the spring of the thirteenth year of Jingtai, a gentle breeze blew, and the wheel of fate quietly turned.

(End of this chapter)