Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 487 Ascension to the Throne (Part 5)

The voice was so mournful it was heartbreaking; even the most hard-hearted person in the world would have softened. However, Emperor Jingtai was no ordinary man. He simply looked at his son quietly, his eyes even showing a hint of curiosity, as if he were seeing this foolish son for the first time.

In Emperor Jingtai's mind, the fourth prince had always been a foolish, cowardly, and incompetent person. To gamble with the entire world's population to achieve an impossible ambition was utterly unacceptable. This was the first time he had ever seen his son possess such wisdom.

If he had possessed such wisdom back then, perhaps he wouldn't have made such a grave mistake later. This shallow wisdom was probably acquired after more than a decade of seclusion in the deep palace.

The fourth prince's voice gradually faded, eventually disappearing without a trace. Faced with his father's gaze, which seemed to be able to peel his skin off and dismember him, the fourth prince could no longer speak. He felt as if he were performing a pantomime, and the audience had no interest in his performance.

Seeing that the other party had finally stopped speaking, Emperor Jingtai spoke up.

"I always thought you were a stupid son, but you've surprised me. The strategy of feigning distress is indeed effective, but it's not very useful to me."

"Father..."

The fourth prince's face grew increasingly pale. He had long known that his father was a cold and ruthless man, and he had thought that after more than a decade apart, his father would show him some leniency. But he never expected that his father would remain so heartless.

"Do you really intend to kill your son? How can you do this to your mother? Your mother has been with you since you were a nobody, through thick and thin all these years. Do you think we, mother and son, are so insignificant in your heart?"

Emperor Jingtai closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, those chaotic thoughts were gone.

He spoke with absolute certainty.

"I may have let many people down in my life, but I have no regrets about the country and its people!"

"The nation and its people, always the nation and its people! And what use are those common people? What good are they? You always have these words on your lips. Are those people you may never see again more important than me, your son whom you see every day? And that Jiu Que, do you really believe she's your daughter?! Everyone in the capital knew how much Ying Chongming and Lin Wei loved each other! Although Lin Wei was indeed a hypocrite, he pretended so well that even Ying Chongming didn't notice anything amiss. Besides, Ying Chongming has been dead for so long, who can be sure that Ying Jiu Que is really your daughter? Aren't you afraid that all your efforts over the past decades will be in vain, that everything you've worked for will fall into someone else's hands? You are the founding emperor! Shouldn't you handle matters of questionable bloodline with caution? Why did you so rashly acknowledge Ying Jiu Que?! You…"

The fourth prince's eyes narrowed suddenly.

He had lived most of his life in a daze. But all the inspiration he had wasted over the years seemed to burst forth at this moment, and he suddenly realized something.

Staring incredulously at the calm-faced Emperor Jingtai, the Fourth Prince's voice became shrill with disbelief.

"You knew? You knew everything from beginning to end?!"

Emperor Jingtai's expression finally changed, and he sighed sincerely.

The Fourth Prince remained in shock, unable to comprehend how such a person could exist in the world? How could someone disregard blood ties and, for the sake of the dynasty's survival, be willing to adopt a stranger's daughter as their own child?! Such a ridiculous thing had actually happened within the royal family, and even to the Emperor! Utterly incredulous, the Fourth Prince's expression contorted. He had been kneeling on the ground, but now he abruptly stood up. Even with Eunuch Jiufu standing protectively before Emperor Jingtai, the Fourth Prince paid no heed. He stared intently into Emperor Jingtai's eyes—eyes that remained unmoved even if the world were collapsing before them. He simply found it all utterly absurd!

"Is it worth it? Do you even know what you're doing? Do you want our family line to end? Are you even a man? Is this empire so important? So important that you'd disregard a man's dignity and bloodline? You've deceived everyone—the royal family, the upright military officers—everyone has been deceived. This is a colossal deception—"

The fourth prince stepped forward, and if it weren't for Jiu Fu's obstruction, he would have almost pressed his face against Emperor Jingtai's. His eyes were fixed on Emperor Jingtai as if he had seen the most unbelievable joke in the world.

"And then you'll kill your last offspring for this deception. My three brothers and I have worked so hard, only to have it all benefit a stranger? If they knew the final winner was a woman with no blood relation to us, how furious they would be! How could there be someone like you in this world? How could there be someone like you?... Why did I have a father like you?"

Emperor Jingtai's expression remained calm until he heard the last sentence, at which point his eyes twitched uncontrollably for a moment, and his hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists.

"As long as you are human, you will always have to make choices. If I choose what is important to me, I will inevitably have to give up other things."

With a flick of his sleeve, Emperor Jingtai gestured for two guards behind him to bring forward the poisoned wine.

"Out of consideration for our last bond as father and son, I will grant you a complete corpse."

Although the two guards were inwardly terrified, they had been given repeated orders by Emperor Jingtai before they arrived. Now, they faithfully carried out their master's orders, held down the powerless fourth prince, and brought him the cup of poisoned wine.

The fourth prince, of course, refused to comply. He desperately dodged the cup of poisoned wine that was terrifying to him, howling in pain all the while!

"Father! Father!! I grew up by your side since I was a child. The first word I learned, the first step I took, the first word I uttered—it was all taught by you! After all these years of father-son relationship, can't you spare my life? I'm willing to spend the rest of my life imprisoned in the palace! Father, I will no longer fight or snatch. I just want you to spare my life, is this even too little hope? You should know I can't possibly defeat Ying Jiuque; I pose no threat to her. I just want to live, I just want to live—"

He struggled too hard.

The two burly guards weren't actually unable to restrain him; it was just that they had reservations. No matter how serious the Fourth Prince's past mistakes, he was, after all, His Majesty's only son. They couldn't guarantee that His Majesty wouldn't waver because of his words, and if that happened, they would be the ones punished.

It is said that there is no lasting grudge between father and son. Perhaps His Majesty will really let the Fourth Prince go?

Emperor Jingtai, whose resolve had been slightly wavering, was instantly jolted awake by the hesitation of his two guards. It was precisely this fear that had spurred him to act decisively. There cannot be two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a country. As long as the fourth prince lived, there would always be opportunists trying to use him to manipulate the court and seize power.

He shouted it out loud!

"Force it down his throat!"