Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 107 Gold Mine!

The past memories were too painful to recall. Qin Liang barely suppressed the soreness in his heart, and as the agreed time drew closer, he couldn't help but worry.

"Brother Wei, can you really take on this? As far as I know, this isn't something Liang Heng can handle alone; it might even be connected to those higher up."

As he spoke, Qin Liang pointed to the sky above. What was above? Besides the dark, sunless cave ceiling, there was only the sky that generously illuminated the entire land.

Wei Yuan nodded firmly. In the past, he certainly wouldn't have given such a definite answer. Even though his adoptive father was the Emperor's most favored Grand Eunuch, it was still a matter within the royal family, and a slight misstep could mean certain death. But now, for some reason, perhaps remembering that woman who didn't care about her own life or career, a woman who, despite her frail appearance, exuded an aura of strength and resilience, Wei Yuan could offer words of comfort without batting an eye.

"Don't worry, there's someone who came with me this time. The news might not have reached here yet. But after the Wuyou Cave case, the once-glorious Third Prince was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail by her, and was eventually stripped of his princely status by His Majesty. His Majesty not only didn't punish her, but also gave her a very high position. We only came to Qianzhou with her consent to this investigation."

Hearing this, Qin Liang was not reassured; instead, he became even more worried. Didn't this sound like the treatment reserved for a minister disliked by His Majesty? If His Majesty truly favored him, why would he send that minister to Qianzhou, where the situation was still unclear, to be the first to act?
Unfortunately, Wei Yuan was taciturn by nature and did not know how to explain the case that had shocked the entire capital in a straightforward and vivid way, so he could only repeat it over and over again.

"Don't worry, someone will come to rescue us. Even if it's a prince involved in this matter, His Majesty will never tolerate it."

Wei Yuan was absolutely not exaggerating. Previously, he and other ministers had assumed that His Majesty doted on his only four princes, but they hadn't expected that on matters of principle, His Majesty was utterly ruthless. The Third Prince had previously been so favored, frequently receiving rewards from His Majesty without even a reason. But when it was discovered that the Third Prince was involved in buying and selling his own people, His Majesty punished him without hesitation, even imprisoning him.
Moreover, this matter is no less significant than that of the Worry-Free Cave incident. With a slight twitch of his fingers, a ore the size of a fingertip fell from his sleeve into his palm. Having lived with his adoptive father for so long, Wei Yuan's skill in concealing things was unparalleled. Such a small thing was easy to hide. However, those overseers had eyes sharper than knives and couldn't find any larger ore. But even this little bit was enough. Little by little, it was enough to prove their illegal activities.

It was a bright golden stone, mostly grayish-white, but because of its high content, it formed a striking bright golden band.

That's right, this is a gold ore ore. And the mine they went down to dig was a gold mine! And a very rich one at that! According to the laws of the Great Jing Dynasty, all gold and silver mines belong to His Majesty and the national treasury! Unauthorized mining is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family! Yet these people not only mined gold on a large scale, but also captured so many innocent people to mine for them. This gold mine is of great importance, so the people behind it probably wouldn't dare to be careless. As a result, those who were captured never returned; even if they died, they would be buried in this mine! Because of this, Wei Yuan's actions were extremely restricted. But no matter where you are, there are always people who refuse to accept their fate. These laborers were originally registered citizens with their own lives, wives, children, and elderly parents. Just because they happened to pass by, they were captured and forced to mine. Even if they died, they were just dragged out and buried somewhere. The hatred in their hearts was already boiling like oil, and only a tiny spark could ignite it! In addition, this time he had no worries about the future, so Wei Yuan went ahead and did it without restraint. There's one thing, perhaps because he looks too capable and strong, that the foremen here keep a very strict eye on him. When he first arrived, the beating he received left him severely weakened, mainly because his lungs were hit. Now, he cramps and hurts whenever he exerts himself. He needs to rest and recuperate, but in the current situation, there's simply no time for him to properly recover!

If this continues, his body will only break down. He can't go on like this; he needs to find a way out.

Although Wei Yuan didn't know why His Majesty trusted Ying Jiuque so much, it was undoubtedly advantageous to him. He believed that with the other three's abilities, they were certainly alive and well at this moment. What he needed to do was to contact the other three as soon as possible, at least to know their exact location; otherwise, he would truly be derelict in his duty as a guard.

Unbeknownst to Wei Yuan, at this very moment, Jiu Que and his companions were also plotting something. They couldn't stay in the mine forever, treating patients and cooking for others. Through Xie Mingchen, who could barely move freely, the three had already devised a plan. No matter what, they had to get out of the mine alive, or at least inform outsiders of their presence. Jiu Que and his group were not lying about one thing: the people His Majesty had sent were indeed following them, just in case. After all, no one knew the situation in Qianzhou before they arrived, and if Liang Heng truly harbored rebellious intentions, he might resort to desperate measures.

Three days later, everything needed was prepared. Jiu Que helped with the cooking while keeping a close eye on the surroundings. When everyone came to eat, she kindly served up a rare meat soup. It was from rabbits caught by Yang Hui and the other supervisors. The meat had all been butchered and given to them, leaving only the skeletons, which Jiu Que had taken to make a meat soup for the poor laborers. In truth, with so many people eating and only a few skinny rabbit skeletons, the meat soup wouldn't have much flavor. But for the laborers who hadn't tasted anything oily in a long time, it was an unparalleled delicacy.

Having had meat broth for several days in a row, and perhaps it was just their imagination, everyone's complexion seemed a little better. The overseers, who had initially refused to even feed the laborers these skeletons, didn't say anything upon seeing this. After all, if these hot-blooded people ate well, they could mine more ore.

As for why Xiao Jiu did this, it was nothing more than a woman's useless sympathy. Honestly, if it weren't for Doctor Xue's usefulness, she would have long since withered away. Now she even has the energy to sympathize with others; it's truly laughable.

Jiu Que knew that the overseers looked down on her, but she didn't care. She just tried her best to provide everyone with nutrition so that even if they didn't dare to resist when things got out of hand, they would at least have the ability to protect themselves from being affected.

(End of this chapter)