Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 75 Congratulations!

As is well known, Emperor Jingtai was not highly educated, so he did not give his concubines any profound or mysterious titles. Instead, he simply bestowed titles upon them based on their surnames.

These two concubines had actually been with Emperor Jingtai for quite some time, so they naturally had feelings for each other, after all, they were husband and wife who had gone through thick and thin together. It was precisely because of this that everyone had a feeling that 'the show is finally about to begin' when they saw these two arrive.

Sure enough, even before the two reached Emperor Jingtai, bursts of weeping could be heard.

"Your Majesty, what are you doing? I heard that our son has been arrested and imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Your Majesty, you know our child's character best. He is so timid, how could he do anything bad? Someone must have tempted him!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, don't you know what kind of person Ping'er is? He is timid by nature and dares not do anything. How could he possibly do anything bad? You must investigate thoroughly and catch those who are spreading rumors and slander."

Good heavens, the person hadn't even arrived yet, but the voice was already drifting over. Why did Jiu Que feel like these words were directed at her? She hadn't done anything truly heinous, had she? She'd just exposed some people's shady dealings—was that wrong?
As expected, when the two empresses approached, their eyes were filled with hostility. But before they could even make a move, Emperor Jingtai's face turned cold.

What are you two doing here?

Although there are no strict rules prohibiting the empress from interfering in politics, the court and the empress's quarters are usually separate. For empresses to come to the court without reason, even during court assemblies, and to arbitrarily discuss political affairs—especially at this time of year—how could Emperor Jingtai possibly have a good impression of them?
Upon seeing this, the two ladies quickly stopped crying, but continued to sob as they wiped away their tears.

"Your Majesty, I just want to know, what heinous crime has our child committed to be imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail? It's no place for a human to live; it's damp and cold. How can our child endure it?"

"Can't bear it? Can all those innocent people who are trafficked really bear the pain of being separated from their families?"

"Human trafficking? What does that mean?"

"The Wuyou Cave case involves thousands of victims. The third prince, the Prince of Peace, is a member of the royal family and a nobleman, supported by the people of the world! And yet he raised two good-for-nothing scoundrels?"

“But they were clearly good children before, and His Majesty even praised them. How could they suddenly turn bad? There must be a reason, right? Besides, Your Majesty, we've only been in the capital for thirteen years. How old were those two children thirteen years ago? What bad things could they have done? We can't just convict them without finding out the truth…”

"Yes, Your Majesty, even if we just let them out of the Ministry of Justice prison and put them in another place, that would be fine."

"Alright, that's enough. A doting mother spoils her child. It's because you spoil your children so much that they've become so arrogant and ignorant."

Do these two even realize that being imprisoned elsewhere means being confined to their residence? Being confined means losing their right to inherit the throne. Just as Consort Yu said, he doesn't intend to deal with the two children until the truth is fully revealed. He wants to see why those two seemingly obedient children have turned out this way, who will plead for them, and who has corrupted them.
However, Emperor Jingtai didn't explicitly state his meaning, and the two empresses, unaware of his intentions, couldn't help but plead for their child. The main issue was that both empresses came from ordinary families and were illiterate. They only learned to read after entering the palace, where Emperor Jingtai hired tutors. However, learning to read late in life is different from receiving years of formal instruction.

Just like now, Emperor Jingtai couldn't explain things clearly to them in front of so many officials, and they were still crying and sobbing beside him, which soon made Emperor Jingtai furious.

"Jiufu, escort the two empresses back to the palace. The affairs of the previous dynasty are for the officials of the previous dynasty to handle. What does it have to do with you? Mind your own business first before you talk about others." The two empresses were shocked, but how could they dare to say anything more in front of so many officials? If they were to be reprimanded by His Majesty, they would truly lose all face.

The ministers, who had been hoping for a turn of events, were speechless when they saw the two empresses come out and were immediately taken back by His Majesty.

"May all of you take this as a warning. I hope that you will all be law-abiding citizens and serve the country and its people in the future."

"Yes--"

After saying this, Emperor Jingtai flicked his sleeves, turned and left, but he took Ying Jiuque with him before he left.

The ministers behind him watched His Majesty turn and leave without a second glance, and saw Ying Jiuque, a woman who was trusted and kept by His Majesty's side. They secretly gritted their teeth.

Although the culprit had been taken away by His Majesty and they couldn't say much, the culprit's biological father was still here. So when Lin Wei realized what was happening and tried to sneak away, he was horrified to find himself completely surrounded.

"Lord Lin, you've really raised a fine daughter. How come I never noticed your talent before? I heard you have several other daughters. If they were all as outstanding as Lord Ying, what would you have to worry about in the future? Wouldn't that be a perfect example of having a worthy successor?"

"Look at what you're saying. Even if Lord Lin is good at raising his daughter, he wouldn't tell you his methods. What if we had one or two outstanding daughters like Lord Ying in our family? How would we communicate with our colleagues in the future?"

"You'd better keep your voices down. If Lord Ying hears you speaking up for your father, you and I will be in big trouble. We might even end up in the Ministry of Justice's jail..."

"Oh, you're right. I'd better keep my voice down. I've heard that the Ministry of Justice prison is cold and damp, not a place for a spineless coward like me. Oh well, what can we do when we're not so lucky?"

"My lords, that rebellious daughter grew up on the estate; I truly never taught her these things..."

Lin Wei was truly aggrieved. He had never paid much attention to this daughter since she was a child, and who would have thought that she would cause him so much trouble after only a few days of returning home.

"Lord Lin, that's a strange thing to say. Since you didn't teach him, and Lord Ying grew up on the estate surrounded by peasants, how come he's both literate and capable of handling cases for His Majesty so well? Look at him, so well that even a prince and a nobleman have been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail. Anyway, I think, Lord Lin, your good fortune is yet to come."

"Yes, yes, I'll congratulate Lord Lin in advance..."

(End of this chapter)