Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 123 Suicide by Biting Off One's Tongue?

Looking at the piles of evidence, Jiu Que breathed a slight sigh of relief. This trip to Qianzhou had been somewhat complicated, but thankfully the outcome was good. Now, the only remaining task was to extract information on which prince was colluding with Liang Heng…

Seeing Liang Heng's face turn ashen, Jiu Que gave him a bright smile.

"Before Lord Liang arrived, a friend asked me to pass on a message to you."

At this moment, Liang Heng no longer cared what the other party was saying, but since his life was still under the other party's control, he still had to raise his face.

"What?"

“‘On the day Lord Liang’s head rolls, I will definitely be there to witness the execution, because I really want to see if the blood flowing from a high-ranking official like Lord Liang is warm and red. I have a dog that is very intelligent and will bite wherever you point it. At that time, I will treat Lord Liang’s head with care and ensure that his body is intact.’”

"you!"

Liang Heng's pupils suddenly contracted. How could he not recognize the threat in that voice? Could there really be someone in this world who hated him so much…?

Seeing the other person's incredulous expression, Jiu Que was somewhat puzzled.

"Liang Heng, do you really think no one in this world hates you? Look at what you've done! I think there are plenty of people in this world who hate you to the core. Instead of getting angry with me, you should be thinking about how to dispose of your own corpse. This time, even if a god descended to earth, he couldn't save you."

"..."

The victor is king, the loser is villain; he deserved this treatment. Yet, Liang Heng couldn't stop trembling. He had considered this fate when he made his decision, so why did he still feel such pain now that the day had truly arrived? He truly regretted his actions, but not the deeds themselves. He regretted why he couldn't have been more discreet, why he couldn't have been more cautious upon returning home, and why he had placed two such deadly weapons in the residence.
If he hadn't been discovered, if those two women hadn't come to Qianzhou Prefecture, he would still be Prefect Liang, the most powerful man in Qianzhou. This deep-seated regret twisted his entire being.

"If only I had known..."

"Ok?"

"I should have been more cautious."

"……ha."

Jiu Que gave a sarcastic smile. She should have known that someone like Liang Heng would never regret his actions; he would only regret not being more careful. Paying even the slightest attention to such a person would be an insult to herself.

"You really can't change your nature."

"How dare you humiliate me like this? Even if I've become your defeated opponent, you shouldn't humiliate a court official like this! You're just a commoner, who gave you the audacity to do this?" To be honest, even at this point, Liang Heng still maintained his official arrogance, which was truly laughable. Jiu Que simply stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face.

"I've wanted to hit you for a long time. To be honest, I've seen people like you before who take the people's food and then complain about it being spoiled. It's disgusting! I'm an imperial envoy personally appointed by His Majesty to find and kill a great pest like you. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Although this was just a simple study, not a courtroom, Jiu Que's series of questions were like slaps to Liang Heng's face, leaving him defenseless.

Imperial envoy?

When did the imperial court ever have female imperial envoys? Although there were a few female officials in the court, they held only unimportant and inconspicuous positions. Shouldn't tasks like those of imperial envoys be assigned to male officials?

However, Liang Heng was, after all, an official who had risen through the ranks from the bottom, and he possessed exceptional abilities. After a brief moment of astonishment, Liang Heng regained his senses. What this imperial envoy wanted now was nothing more than the true mastermind. And he absolutely could not reveal it. Fortunately, he had already prepared for this situation. A glint of madness flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly looked up and shouted.

"After all this talk, you just want to know which prince I'm colluding with, right? I'll tell you the answer: it's the Third Prince!"

"...Do you think I'm stupid? The Third Prince has already died suddenly, and that news has spread throughout the Great Jing. Now you're telling me you're colluding with a dead man?"

"Why did Your Excellency, so wise all your life, make such a foolish mistake? The Third Prince died suddenly, so I naturally could not have colluded with him, but when he was alive, we had a close relationship. Otherwise, who do you think gave him those Rejuvenation Pills? It was me, of course. If you don't believe me, you can look through those account books now. Although these funds flowed into the hands of many court officials, the one who benefited the most was the Third Prince. Every word I have said is true, and I dare not conceal anything."

"..."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Jiu Que had to admit that Liang Heng's move was truly brilliant. He pushed all the blame onto a prince who was already dead. Although he himself was doomed, perhaps the real master behind him would protect his descendants out of consideration for his loyalty and duty.

After saying this, Liang Heng gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and bit down hard on his tongue. Those who haven't tried it might think that biting off one's tongue to commit suicide is simple—just bite it off, right? But in reality, the tongue is the hardest muscle in the human body, and it's very difficult for an average person to bite it off cleanly at the root. Firstly, it requires too much effort; secondly, it's, after all, one's own flesh, and even if one is truly determined, the body's instinct will cause them to slightly reduce their strength at the moment of biting down. And even if one were to actually bite off their tongue, it wouldn't necessarily result in immediate death. Unless you're exceptionally gifted and bite the carotid artery at the base of your tongue, causing uncontrollable bleeding and death, you'll likely be extremely unlucky and choke to death on your own blood.

Moreover, Liang Heng had been acupunctured, and his strength was less than one-tenth of what it used to be. After a moment of surprise, Jiu Que quickly stepped forward and pried open his mouth to check the situation.

Liang Heng naturally wanted to resist, but how could he compare to Jiu Que's strength? With a snap, Liang Heng's jaw was broken off, his mouth gaping open, blood gushing out.

Upon closer inspection, Jiu Que noticed that the other party had only bitten a few bloody gashes, so he didn't care. Seeing Liang Heng's agonizing expression, he couldn't help but want to laugh. This was a classic case of shooting oneself in the foot. Not only did he not die, but he also had to endure unimaginable pain.

Jiu Que never even considered bandaging him. He wanted to let him suffer for half an hour first. Liang Heng's current pain was far less than that of those who lost their lives in the mine.

However, the other party's insistence on not revealing the true mastermind was giving Jiu Que a headache. But she had already apprehended Liang Heng, and the evidence was readily available; she'd leave the torture and forced confession to the professionals. Speaking of which, she'd been out for over a month now, and she wondered how things were back home…

(End of this chapter)