Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 116 Completely Taken
Who is this?

Some sharp-eyed people had already recognized the clothes; it looked like Yang Hui from the neighboring mine. Where had their own mine manager gone? But at that moment, no one had time to think about such things; they were simply instinctively calling for help.

"Manager Yang, we have a few people here who have suddenly gone mad. What should we do?"

Wei Yuan strode forward, his voice still ringing.

"What else can we do? Get a few people up there and tie them up. Do we need to be taught how to do this? No wonder you managers are so angry. You're all a bunch of idiots."

The supervisors were used to being scolded, so they didn't notice anything amiss and instead nodded and bowed in agreement.

"Yes, yes, we'll get to it right away. You guys hurry up and get a rope to tie them up!"

One of the foremen sensed something was amiss. He had been in close contact with Yang Hui before, but he didn't remember the man looking like this. Yet, the man was definitely wearing Yang Hui's clothes…

After much hesitation, the foreman, adhering to the principle of caution, spoke cautiously.

"Manager Yang, isn't today the day you hand over accounts at your mine? What brings you here?"

Wei Yuan paused for a moment, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"You remember it well. But who told you today is my accounting day? All eight mines always settle accounts together. Your manager is still here. Do you think I would go early?"

"Look at my brain, I must have misremembered, Lord Yang. You are a magnanimous man, please don't hold it against a fool like me."

"Of course I won't hold it against you, after all, you won't be able to keep this up for much longer."

"Yes, yes... um?"

Wait a minute, what does that mean? Before he could figure it out, a fist flew towards him, slamming viciously into his temple. The man didn't even utter a sound before collapsing to the ground, his fate unknown. Everyone around was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

What had they done to offend Supervisor Yang? But at that very moment, the five tall, previously seemingly deranged men suddenly stood up and, kicking one after another, quickly beat the overseers so badly they couldn't get up. The trembling miners nearby noticed something amiss, and many of their eyes lit up with disbelief. Were they fighting amongst themselves, or... or had someone come to rescue them?
Although the possibility is slim, everyone still holds onto a tiny glimmer of hope.

Before arriving, Wei Yuan and his men had already thoroughly explored the mine. They didn't have time to explain in detail to everyone. They found the overseers patrolling various places, tied them all up, and brought them here before casually mentioning it.

"We are imperial envoys sent by the court to rescue you. From today onwards, you are free. Once all the corrupt officials here have been arrested, you can go home."

The miners, who were almost numb from the torment of their miserable lives, were still in disbelief. But after a moment, they saw that the people had begun to count heads and distribute food. They finally realized that this was not a dream, and that someone had really come to rescue them.

However, before they could cheer, Wei Yuan stopped them. "I know you are all very excited right now, but please don't make too much noise. After all, our people are at the mines next door. Once we have taken over all eight mines, you can cheer."

So everyone covered their mouths tightly, and some of the older, more composed miners even covered the mouths of the younger miners. After things finally calmed down, a few of the bolder and more meticulous miners volunteered to restrain the overseers who were tied up like dead pigs. Naturally, they received plenty of punches and kicks from the angry miners in the process.

The men had long harbored resentment towards these miners who usually bullied and oppressed them, and now that they had the chance, they didn't hold back in beating them. The miners' mouths were stuffed with rags, so they could only groan in pain, which only made the men happier.

"Pah! You never thought this day would come when you were bullying us all this time, did you? You actually beat my third uncle to death! He was just a little slow, did you have to be so cruel? You were the one who tricked us into coming here, saying there were job opportunities outside with high wages. We trusted you, that's why we came with you. We never expected that you, as a fellow villager, would be so heartless, even deceiving your own relatives! Are you even human? Our ancestors were all one family!"

"Weren't you very arrogant when you knocked my youngest son unconscious? Try being arrogant again now! People like you should be thrown into the mountains to be devoured by wolves!"

"Don't hit them too hard, or you might accidentally kill them and let them off easy. Once the imperial envoys have taken over all eight mines, that will be the time for us to settle our scores and get revenge."

"Yes, I'll let you live a little longer, since your death is inevitable anyway!"

The overseers stared in horror at the miners they used to whip like pigs and dogs, hardly believing their eyes and ears.

How dare these people do this? Aren't they afraid? These mines are backed by Prefect Liang Heng of Qianzhou, and even more unspeakable figures, as well as these imperial envoys. How dare they do this? And when did they arrive at the mines? They had no idea.

Does this mean that His Majesty already knew about their conflict?
Does Lord Liang know about what's going on here? They really don't want to die. They've been living too comfortably, bullying others and acting arrogantly all the time. Who would want to die?

However, they were now tightly bound, unable to move their hands and feet, and could only wait in fear for tomorrow to arrive.

There were indeed quite a few guards at these eight mines, all fully armed with top-quality swords and armor. However, they were not facing the emaciated miners who had become pale and weak from years of toil and hunger, but rather the exceptionally skilled Wei Yuan and his men. These men had all undergone special professional training, not to mention the presence of Cui Zhufeng, who had an unfair advantage. By dawn, all eight mines had been captured.

Jiu Que didn't stop last night either. Although her martial arts skills were a bit rudimentary, she was incredibly strong. After all, there were too many enemy soldiers, and even a half-baked fighter like her had to go and help. Tonight, she finally got her hands dirty and started to draw blood. Her demeanor was quite different from before.

Those acquaintances in the capital probably wouldn't recognize him.

"What exactly do you want? Do you even know who the big shots behind us are? If you offend us, you won't even be able to leave Qianzhou! I advise you to think carefully before you act, I..."

"It's noisy."

One of the managers kept shouting, which Jiu Que found unbearable, so he punched him to the ground, earning him horrified stares from the surrounding crowd.

(End of this chapter)