Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 125 Ascension to the Hall
Back then, Jiu Que had almost finished sorting out the case of the mining in Qianzhou. Liang Heng had been in Qianzhou for so many years. Not only were the mines under his control that produced a lot of money every day valuable, but Qianzhou was also a remote place, and he was practically a local tyrant there. Over the years, he had done a lot of evil deeds, especially his relatives, who had committed countless evil deeds in his name.

Although the people dared not speak out against their anger, they all had their own opinions. They knew that Liang Heng hadn't left his residence for several days, and that outsiders had suddenly surrounded the Qianzhou government office and were arresting people everywhere. Therefore, many aggrieved people were secretly watching the situation at the government office. Most of them had lost their loved ones and had no hope of survival; they were desperate and at their wits' end. So, after observing carefully for two days, some of them couldn't hold back any longer. Taking advantage of Jiu Que's appearance, they directly shouted "Injustice!" in the street, begging Jiu Que to make a decision.

This was the first time Jiu Que had encountered a situation where someone was kowtowing in the street and pleading for justice. He and Chunyu Shuang exchanged a glance and knew that this was no small matter. So, they simply opened the Qianzhou government office and ordered people to spread the word everywhere, so that all those who had been wronged could come and seek justice.

These words caused a stir throughout Qianzhou. Initially, it was only the people of Qianzhou city who boldly asked acquaintances to write petitions. When they discovered that the female official had actually taken the case, most of Qianzhou city went to see what was going on. Although most people were just there to join in, those who were nearby could actually see what was happening inside and could even relay the news to those behind them.

Jiu Que was a little nervous as it was his first time handling a case. He glanced at Chunyu Shuang, who was acting as his scribe, and Wei Yuan and Xie Mingchen, who were there to bolster his courage and give him face. Jiu Que cleared his throat and signaled the aggrieved party to speak.

"My lord! My name is Zhang Hao, and I live in the second alley in the east of the city. I have a complaint against Wang Jinhua, the brother-in-law of Liang Heng, the prefect of Qianzhou! My family sells candy. While he was strolling on the street, he took a fancy to my younger sister and kidnapped her right there. My father saw this and chased after him desperately, but he trampled my father to death on horseback! My mother wanted to take my father to the hospital, but he was annoyed by her crying and threw a water bag off his horse, which hit my mother on the head. My mother fell unconscious on the spot, and he rode away!"

"By the time I received the news and rushed over, my father had already passed away, and my mother was barely clinging to life, longing to see my sister return safely. I went to demand her return, but my leg was broken. When I finally made it home, I found that Zhang Jinhua had burned the fruit shop to the ground!"

"I am heartbroken. Who would have thought that Zhang Jinhua would be so shameless? Three days later, he dumped my sister's battered body at my doorstep, even threatening that anyone who helped me would be his enemy, and that if I didn't want to suffer the same fate as my family, I should stay away from me. My poor old mother died on the spot. I am just an ordinary man, but I am also a man, the pillar of my family, and I want to seek justice for my family. But before this, I never imagined that seeking justice in this world could be so difficult. Why is it so difficult? I have exhausted all my wealth but have nowhere to turn, all because Zhang Jinhua has a brother-in-law who is a prefect!"

At this point, the victim's previously numb expression quickly ignited with the flames of revenge, and he almost gritted his teeth as he recounted Liang Heng's shamelessness.

"I waited a long time and finally found an opportunity to meet Liang Heng. I wanted to tell him about the suffering my family had endured and also ask him to discipline his brother-in-law. But who would have thought that Liang Heng would pretend to be sad and remorseful, and then tell Zhang Jinhua about it? That scoundrel came to take revenge that very night, beat my wife and children to death, and broke all my arms and legs. He made me crawl around the city of Qianzhou before he would let me go."

“What else can I do? I’m the only one left alive in my family. If I die too, who will be able to witness the end of Zhang Jinhua and Liang Heng, those scoundrels? I crawled for two whole days and nights to finish. I’m covered in so much flesh. If it weren’t for the help of kind people, I would have died long ago.”

"I have suffered for five long years, and finally, a just and upright official has arrived! Your Honor, I beg you to clarify the injustice and do justice for my family who have perished! Your Honor, I beg you! I beg you..."

The aggrieved man prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing frantically, and in the blink of an eye, a bloodstain appeared on the ground. Jiu Que had already clenched his fists upon hearing the poor man's story, but this was only one side of the story. He suppressed his anger and ordered Zhang Jinhua to be brought in. Zhang Jinhua only learned today that his seemingly all-powerful brother-in-law had been arrested! And, supposedly, by an imperial envoy sent by the court. He only dared to act recklessly within the territory of Qianzhou City; upon hearing of an imperial envoy, he would have been terrified, hiding in his house, hoping to survive by remaining hidden. Who would have thought that disaster would strike so suddenly?

Someone actually dared to sue him at this critical juncture. He was initially about to get angry, but to his surprise, the tall, burly strangers who came to arrest him barely even laid a hand on him; all the servants he kept at home were beaten to a pulp, rolling on the ground in a sorry state. Seeing this, Zhang Jinhua had no right to be angry anymore. He followed along, head down and sullen.

Upon arriving at the familiar courtroom, before even kneeling down, Zhang Jinhua felt an almost predatory gaze upon him. He looked down at the disheveled man sprawled on the ground, completely unable to recall who he was. Carefully kneeling in a relatively clean spot, Zhang Jinhua began to loudly proclaim his innocence.

"Your Excellency, I am innocent! I did nothing wrong, please do not believe his one-sided story!"

"Zhang Jinhua, you scoundrel! How dare you claim you're innocent? Do you dare swear to God that you didn't do those wicked things?"

"What's there to be afraid of? I swear to God right now, if I, Zhang Jinhua, have done anything against the natural order, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

Zhang Jinhua swore the oath with practiced ease, leaving the aggrieved party speechless for a moment. What was so serious about someone like him just swearing a few oaths? These commoners were laughable; did they really think that saying a few words would bring down divine punishment? If that were the case, where injustice would exist in this world?

The so-called "Heaven is watching" or "There are gods three feet above your head" are nothing more than words used by desperate people to comfort themselves. Because they have no power to resist the oppression they face, they can only use these words to deceive themselves and gain a moment of peace.

That kind of talk might fool a child, but trying to scam him? You're really overestimating yourself.

(End of this chapter)