Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 122 Just a Coincidence
I still vividly remember the regretful expression on Emperor Jingtai's face at that time.

"He was able to turn around the situation in Qianzhou in just five years. He is indeed a man of great talent in governing the country. It's just a pity that he took the wrong path."

Liang Heng paused slightly, then dismissed it with disdain.

"Now, of course, whatever you say goes, since you've caught me. But how could you possibly know what I went through back then? Now that I'm arrested, I have nothing to say. If you're capable of finding evidence, then go find it; there's no need for all this talk. I may not be a good person, but I have some backbone. If someone promotes me and values ​​me, I'll work my life for them!"

Jiu Que sighed. Actually, she wasn't afraid that Liang Heng was truly steadfast and unyielding; she just felt it was a pity. How many people in this world start out full of ambition and look forward to the future, only to inadvertently stray onto a wrong path on their way to that future? How regrettable!

Perhaps Liang Heng today can no longer recall how he made his grand ambitions, embarked on his official career, and diligently studied poetry and books.

“I understand. Since Lord Liang is unwilling to tell me, I will find it myself. In fact, people throughout history have only hidden things in a few places. Especially something as vital as this, if it is hidden far away, others may take it away; if it is close, one cannot help but look at it day and night. It will just be troublesome for Lord Liang to take us there.”

As for Liang Heng's refusal to cooperate, it was completely outside Jiu Que's consideration, because Cui Zhufeng simply moved his finger, and Liang Heng involuntarily took a step and walked freely.

Jiu Que and Cui Zhufeng followed behind him, passing countless guards and maids along the way. Not one of them questioned their actions, and they all bowed respectfully.

Huang Yu, who was initially quite angry, felt a strange sense of balance upon seeing this scene. It turned out that not only were his servants in his household incompetent, but the servants in Lord Liang's mansion were also like that.

The group made their way to Liang Heng's study without exchanging more than a few words, and successfully reached their destination.

The study blended seamlessly with the outside scenery, exuding elegance and a touch of refined nobility. Once the door was closed, he wandered around with considerable interest, while Liang Heng and Huang Yu stood stiffly at the doorway, unable to control their actions despite their anxiety.

What kind of sorcery does this woman next to him, who looks almost asleep, possess? How come he's never heard of her before?

Having admired the sights to the fullest, Jiu Que casually glanced around under Liang Heng's horrified gaze, seemingly finding nothing amiss, before heading towards his usual desk. The desk was made of sandalwood, nothing particularly special, just incredibly heavy. Sitting in Liang Heng's chair, Jiu Que sighed.

"I don't understand why you all like such hard tables and chairs? They hurt my bones when I sit on them."

Looking down at the sturdy desk, Jiu Que flipped it over and over, then reached under the desk and pushed and pulled it back and forth. Finally, to Liang Heng's horror, he pried off a piece of board the size of a palm. A small key was stuck to the back of the board.

"Oh, what's this key? I thought you'd glue the evidence under the table." Taking the key down, Jiu Que casually tossed it around, then searched the room for a place where it could be used. She tried all the locks, but none matched. She then looked at the room's layout. These days, most houses were made of wood and stone; the four pillars of this study were made of mahogany, carved with various patterns of flowers, plants, insects, and fish—luxurious yet understated. However, they weren't particularly conspicuous in this refined and elegant house. Jiu Que walked over and searched the four pillars from all angles, finally finding a spot carved with fox patterns on the back of the lower half of one of the pillars.

It was a nine-tailed fox, with nine lifelike, fluffy tails on its back. Jiu Que gently pried at it with his hand, and one of the tails could actually rotate. He pried off a small piece of wood, revealing what looked like a lock cylinder. He inserted the key he had found earlier into it and twisted it left and right.

With a "click," the wall facing the door slowly slid outward, revealing a secret room about one and a half people wide inside.

Cui Zhufeng was completely stunned by this series of unexpected events. If it were her searching, she probably would have searched forever without finding the mechanism. Jiu Que had never been to Quanzhou, much less to Liang Heng's residence, so how could he have found Liang Heng's secret chamber so easily, and with such a complex construction? He had just examined it closely; the secret chamber was entirely built of stone, and the interior and exterior were seamlessly integrated, making it impossible to detect anything unusual. Liang Heng had even made all four walls of the study the same thickness to prevent others from discovering anything amiss. Even if a fire broke out here, the secret chamber would remain perfectly intact.

If this were anyone else, wouldn't they be quick to start conspiracy theories? But Cui Zhufeng accepted it well.

Jiu Que is truly remarkable; the minds of intelligent people are simply different from hers.

Liang Heng was shocked. People like him tend to overthink, and he couldn't help but connect the dots to other things.

"So His Majesty had been watching me all along, even finding out the location of the secret chamber. I thought I had covered my tracks perfectly... How ridiculous."

Jiu Que looked at him in surprise.

"Why would you think that? It's just a coincidence. Didn't you see how long it took me to find it? Speaking of which, your secret room is well hidden. And your evidence... is quite substantial."

Isn't that a lot? It's piled up to the brim, probably dozens of account books. Of course, there are other things inside too, mostly gold and silver jewelry, and even stacks of large-denomination banknotes.

Jiu Que casually flipped through the pages and couldn't help but admire them, but there was something unsettling about his smile.
"Lord Liang truly deserves to be called an incorruptible and virtuous official. Look at his accumulation over the years. Even the collateral branches of a prominent family wouldn't have this much wealth combined. The quality of this coral is even better than the tribute offered this year. And this pearl ingot... It seems that Lord Liang has really not wronged himself over the years."

With his final trump card revealed, Liang Heng was utterly devastated, his eyes glazed over. He no longer cared about Jiu Que's slight sarcasm.
Gone, all gone, completely ruined! He had kept evidence of his association with that prince to avoid being discarded like a hunted dog after the hunt. But now he didn't even have that right anymore. And with this evidence exposed, how could that prince not be furious and retaliate?

Even if this matter is exposed, the prince won't be punished; after all, he's the Emperor's son. Isn't he just a convenient scapegoat? His only hope now is that the prince will spare his family and children out of consideration for his years of diligence…

(End of this chapter)