Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 117 Yellow Croaker
Jiu Que realized she was a little embarrassed. But hadn't everyone already witnessed her strength? Accidentally knocking one out now wasn't a big deal. Of course, the main reason was that he was just too noisy.

Those around her, thinking they were being discreet, withdrew their gazes, trying their best not to look at the female warrior. They had long known that Xiao Jiu was not as kind as she appeared; otherwise, she wouldn't have devised such a plan, taking over all eight mines in just one night.

In truth, Jiu Que didn't have much of a plan. She simply had someone impersonate the foremen of the surrounding mines, then had Senior Cui, the nuclear weapon expert, appear, creating a coordinated attack. Taking down a mere few dozen fully armed guards would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it? After all, her subordinates were top-notch military experts carefully selected by Emperor Jingtai.

Arrest all the foremen and managers of these eight mines, as well as those traitors who had long harbored disloyal intentions, and execute the particularly disobedient ones on the spot. The situation will become much easier to manage.

Previously, Jiu Que had learned from Wang Mo that the foremen and managers of these mines would submit their accounts at fixed times. However, they wouldn't leave; instead, people from above would come to collect the payments. This also served to incentivize the managers of the mines with the lowest output. This practice greatly benefited Jiu Que. Even better, this month's accounting deadline was tomorrow. If it weren't for the time pressure, Jiu Que wouldn't have been in such a hurry to take control of these mines.

The next day.

A luxurious carriage, making no attempt to conceal its presence, swayed and rattled along the official road towards the endless mountains. At the entrance, it received a grand welcome, with those who came to greet it displaying obsequious expressions. However, the person sitting in the carriage held their head high with an arrogant air, clearly accustomed to such treatment. They even ignored the slightly dirty mine manager, not uttering a single word to them throughout the journey. This haughty attitude, however, did allow Jiu Que, who was secretly following behind, to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

The carriage traveled along winding paths and finally arrived at one of the mines. This mine was the closest to the exit, and it was clear that the person coming to collect the debt did not want to endure any more bumps along the way, so they always chose this mine when collecting debts.

The man who came to collect the debt was named Huang Yu. Perhaps because of his name, he was naturally very interested in money. It was also because of this trait that Liang Heng took notice of him and kept him by his side, making him arguably Liang Heng's most valued minor official. Therefore, he entrusted him with the important task of collecting debts. Huang Yu had a bad habit: he was extravagant and dissolute. It was unclear whether he had been too poor as a child, but now he was obsessed with pomp and circumstance and enjoyment. As a result, the monthly debt collection became his biggest headache.

Huang Yu was a handsome young man. Judging by his appearance alone, one wouldn't guess how arrogant and domineering he was, but his words and actions clearly revealed him to be no pushover. Even before dismounting from the carriage, he cast a disgusted glance at the throng of people before him. He was clearly very dissatisfied with them; his eyes flickered slightly, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

Covering his mouth and nose with a clean, tight handkerchief, Huang Yu made no attempt to hide his disdain for the filthy foremen and supervisors below. He glanced at the number of people, including the leading foremen and supervisors, and then urged them relentlessly to bring up the account books.

This month's output is quite good, especially the gold mine, which produced 20% more gold than last month. Huang Yu nodded in satisfaction. Liang Heng was his superior, and the higher-ups valued the output of this gold mine highly. Increased output would earn him a reward from Lord Liang.

"You've all done a great job this month. I'll report your achievements to the master. Don't worry, as long as you do a good job, you'll have all the delicious food, fine wine, and beautiful women you want."

"Thank you, sir."

The people below immediately kowtowed in gratitude, as Huang Yu was already used to their flattery. After checking the accounts and finding them correct, he prepared to leave. He had no desire to be in the same space as these lowly people, breathing the same air; it made him feel filthy inside and out.

"Alright, tell me what you want."

Wei Yuan stepped forward, slightly shrinking back.

"Sir, many miners have died or been injured this month in an effort to meet production targets, and we're short-handed. Could you bring in more people?" "More dead? How can these people be so useless?"

Huang Yu clearly knew about the cause of death of these miners. He nodded impatiently, agreeing to the condition. He then glanced at Wei Yuan up and down a few times before casually looking away.

"You all smell really awful. Alright, I understand. I'll report this to the adults when we get back. Is there anything else you want? Just say it all."

This person had always been dismissive of them, and now he seemed to want to avoid sharing the space with them. No one dared to move, and since they had no other needs at the moment, they could only stand by and watch him leave.

Huang Yu hurriedly left with his beautiful maid, boarding a carriage. The faint scent of incense inside dispelled the pungent stench. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, his fingers involuntarily clenching. But they had only traveled a short distance when a commotion arose outside.

Huang Yu paused for a moment, then impatiently lifted the curtain.

"What's going on now? It's so noisy and annoying!"

The stewards around the carriage remained silent, standing quietly around it. Huang Yu sensed something was wrong, but his tone remained condescending.

"What exactly happened? Let me tell you, the adults entrusted this mine to you out of trust. If something goes wrong and you can't handle it, don't expect me to smooth things over for you. You're just a bunch of hungry, weak miners. If you can't even manage them, what can you possibly accomplish? Really..."

"Lord Huang, why don't you come down for a chat?"

A clear female voice stopped Huang Yu from uttering the curse.

Huang Yu paused, looked up, and saw a tall, slender woman. She was dressed in similar dim clothes to the people around her, and there was even dust in her hair that she hadn't had time to brush off, but she stood there, looking up at herself with a calm and composed demeanor.

Huang Yu pinched his palm, a sneer on his face.

"Who do you think you are? You dare tell me to go down here! How come I didn't know there was a female manager in these eight mines? Whose mistress did you fail to keep in check, letting her rise up here? If you don't want to live anymore, you can just tell me, there's no need to use these roundabout methods..."

"Lord Huang, now that you've already discovered it, there's no need to pretend anymore. Or do you want your brothers and sisters to invite you down?"

(End of this chapter)