Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 112 Failed Resistance
Many people were tempted, and Wei Yuan did not stop them. After all, everyone wanted to save their lives in this situation. However, when they went out one by one, they were met with a barrage of whips from the person in charge.

The chubby, well-fed manager, accompanied by a dozen or so henchmen, wielded a long whip with ferocious force. Each strike tore open the skin of those affected. The men rolled on the ground, howling in pain, and even Wei Yuan, who had just peeked out, was struck. A bloody gash immediately appeared on his exposed, muscular arm.

Wei Yuan couldn't help but frown. He could still bear this little bit of pain, but what was wrong with the person in charge now?

The foreman had been looking for an opportunity to deflate Wei Yuan's arrogance, and the mine collapse gave him a chance. Seeing that these men had come out without the signal to leave the mine, he finally had a handle on them. This Wei fellow, though somewhat lucky and capable, was incredibly arrogant, repeatedly disregarding him. Now that he had his chance, the foreman was overjoyed, whipping his whip even harder.

Wei Yuan was not one to stand still and take a beating. If it were His Majesty who was beating him, that would be one thing, since His Majesty was his master. But what was this person in front of him? He was someone who wouldn't even let him touch him normally, but now that he was in trouble, he thought he was his master? And he was even waving a whip around. It was truly disgusting.

He grabbed the whip and pulled hard, whipping it out. The foreman, lacking strength, nearly stumbled and fell to the ground. A few snickers came from the surrounding crowd, who were initially furious. The foreman's face turned bright red. He had made such a fool of himself, and his hatred for Wei Yuan only intensified.

"Who do you think you are? I only treat you differently because you can find ore. Do you really think you're some kind of master here? Let me tell you! In my territory, if you're a dragon, you have to crawl before me; if you're a tiger, you have to lie down before me! Go get him! Grab him! If I don't give him thirty good lashes today, I'm not a Huang!"

"Yes!"

Those lackeys had long disliked Wei Yuan. Don't think they couldn't see it; Wei Yuan pretended to be taciturn, but in reality, he looked at them with a haughty gaze, completely disregarding them. How could these lackeys, used to bullying others, be happy? They had been plotting to teach him a lesson for a long time.

Seeing this, the surrounding miners looked terrified and couldn't help but run away. They were afraid of being whipped by these people, and their bodies instinctively reacted to the sight of the long whips they were waving.

Wei Yuan reached out and grabbed two of the whips, pulling the man down violently. However, he had previously suffered severe injuries, especially to his legs, and now even the slightest exertion caused excruciating pain, making him unsteady on his feet. The lackeys around him had been observing him for several days and were naturally aware of this weakness. They exchanged glances and began attacking his legs.

It is said that two fists cannot defeat four hands. Wei Yuan was originally a skilled fighter, but when he was seriously injured, he still had to face the attack of twenty or thirty people. He was truly at a disadvantage and in a dilemma.

Those around him who had reached a consensus with him, seeing that the person in charge was preparing to beat Wei Yuan to death, dared not ignore it. They exchanged glances and quietly walked behind the lackeys. When the whips in those men's hands fell on Wei Yuan again, the group that had already sneaked over pounced on him fiercely, and they immediately started wrestling.

"How dare you?! You've gone too far! Guards! Bring me the swords! Where are the guards? Where have they been when we needed them? If I don't kill seven or eight of them today, I'll see these men are itching for a beating!"

Seeing that these lowly people, whom he had previously subdued, dared to resist him, Manager Huang was enraged. The gold mine was far more important than the cinnabar mines, so its defenses were the strongest. Soon, dozens of fully armed, burly men carrying swords, bows, and arrows arrived. Seeing them, many wore expressions of despair. These men, starving and exhausted, were already weak, let alone the guards who were well-fed, healthy, and equipped with full weapons and armor. How could these unarmed men possibly defeat them? Wei Yuan had originally planned to attack when the guards were out on patrol, but no one expected this unexpected turn of events, let alone Manager Huang choosing this day to strike.

Everything happened so suddenly. Wei Yuan hadn't expected that his trip to Qianzhou would be so humiliating; he had never suffered such hardship before. Previously, Wei Yuan had been frustrated by his status and inability to gain the Emperor's favor, but only after facing the harsh realities of life did he realize that his previous frustrations were nothing but empty words.

Although injuries were commonplace when he was learning martial arts, his martial arts masters never attacked him so viciously as these people do now! Moreover, he always ate and drank his fill before practicing martial arts back then, unlike now, where he has to fight others bare-handed while severely injured.

"Take their weapons!"

Several slightly stronger miners followed Wei Yuan to seize weapons from the guards. However, the guards weren't fools; led by their leader, they drew their bows and nocked arrows from a distance, aiming hundreds of gleaming arrowheads directly at Wei Yuan and his companions. Wei Yuan's eyes flashed, and he protected his men, running aside. Unfortunately, space was limited, and in the blink of an eye, several of his men had been hit. Although they weren't dead, they lay on the ground groaning in pain. Their bodies were already weak, and these sudden injuries left them powerless to resist!

Wei Yuan had also been hit by an arrow in the arm, which was a double blow. He had used up all his strength in the previous dodge, and he had no strength left to resist. The guards had already drawn their bows and aimed at his position again. It seemed that they were determined to kill him this time.

Taking a deep breath, Wei Yuan stared intently at the faces of those people. He was a vengeful man, and even if he died, he would remember the faces of his enemies and tell his adoptive father in a dream after he died that he must kill these people to avenge him!
"Fire arrows!"

With that command, dozens of cold arrows shot towards Wei Yuan. The cold glint of the weapons almost hurt Wei Yuan's eyes. He sighed quietly. Was this really the end for him?
"Whoosh whoosh—"

Under Wei Yuan's watchful gaze, the arrows were still fired. As they drew closer and closer, the surrounding miners closed their eyes in disbelief. They had hoped that someone in the mine would succeed in their rebellion, but they never expected that Wei Yuan, whom they considered the most promising, would fail. Moreover, they were about to witness his death. The thought of their own miserable future filled them with sorrow.

"Brush!"

After a soft sound, a cheerful female voice rang in my ears.

"Wei boy, you're still alive? That's great!"

(End of this chapter)