Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 129 A Crowd of People Sees Them Off

"..."

In the gentle morning light, the faces of these people who had waited all night showed weariness, but even more so, blessings and reluctance.

To be honest, they didn't spend much time with this female imperial envoy sent by the court. But those few days were enough for them to know that she was a good official who loved the people like her own children and was willing to stand up for them. Good officials are rare in this world!
Moreover, this imperial envoy genuinely solved their problems. Those ordinary people who had thought they would never see their enemies confess and be brought to justice, those who haven't experienced similar hardships, cannot understand their adoration and love for Ying Jiuque. Because she was the one who saved them from endless suffering. To everyone, Ying Jiuque was their savior.

Unfortunately, this savior was a bit shy, and any attempt at being overly enthusiastic would frighten her into staying indoors. Everyone wanted to express their gratitude, but they couldn't find an opportunity. After learning that this lady might be punished for executing the thieves without informing the court, they could only come up with this clumsy solution.

The carriage carrying Jiu Que and her entourage moved slowly forward. She had already opened the curtain and stood in front of the carriage. The surrounding people were shouting her name enthusiastically. Jiu Que suddenly felt a slight soreness in her nose. She didn't think she had done anything particularly important, but everything she had done was firmly remembered by the people. This mutual affection made Jiu Que's eyes redden.

Amidst the enthusiastic cheers, Jiu Que bowed to the people on both sides and remained standing for a long time.

A respected elderly woman emerged from the crowd; she was a perfectly healthy old lady with a high reputation. She was carrying two items in her hands, and the convoy slowly came to a stop upon seeing her.

With Chunyu Shuang's help, Jiu Que jumped off the carriage and quietly walked towards the old woman. The old woman was holding a large umbrella and a folded piece of clothing.

The old woman was now ninety years old, and Jiu Que had a deep impression of her. Previously, Liang Heng's men had seized the land belonging to her only daughter and injured her daughter and son-in-law. It was this frail old woman who bravely filed a lawsuit to seek justice for her daughter and son-in-law's family.

At this moment, the old man solemnly handed the heavy umbrella bearing the name of ten thousand people to Jiu Que. Jiu Que slowly opened it, revealing that the inside of the umbrella was covered with names. Most of them were written very roughly, indicating that the people who wrote their names might not have been literate before. Perhaps they had practiced for a long time to write these somewhat ugly characters, but every stroke contained their sincere emotions. They wrote with utmost care; Jiu Que could even see the indelible ink stains on the hands of the people around him, and he wondered how long they had practiced in private to be able to write their names completely.

The spring and summer sun is a bit intense, but under the shade of the umbrellas, Jiuque felt only a refreshing coolness.

She suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her eyes reddened.

The old man then unfolded the folded garment in his hand. It was a large cloak-like outer robe, made of pieces of cloth, each about the size of a palm, sewn together. Each piece of cloth was a different color and a different material, as if it had been cut from someone's clothes and pieced together to form the garment.

The old man grinned, revealing a bright smile with no teeth, every wrinkle on his face seemingly brimming with boundless joy.

“Young Master Ying, we are all illiterate commoners. You may never return after you leave. We are deeply grateful for your kindness. We have nothing to give you, but this umbrella and robe for all people are our small tokens. Please accept them and do not refuse.”

"..." Jiu Que looked down at the clothes she was wearing and suddenly felt ashamed. She felt that she had not done anything, but she had received such respect and love from the people. She was really unworthy of it. The people standing next to her seemed to have guessed what Jiu Que was going to say. At this moment, they all knelt down. Only their anxious voices echoed in the mountains.

“My lord, please accept these. If you don’t even accept these, we will not be at ease. You may be punished by the court for going there, but you are doing this for us, who are not related to you. We really have nothing else to offer but these two items. Please accept them, my lord.”

"Yes, sir, please accept it. If you don't, we won't get up today."

"Yes! We won't get up."

Jiu Que was both amused and exasperated. Was this some kind of forced sale? But seeing everyone's enthusiasm, he couldn't refuse and had no choice but to accept.

However, she could not suppress the tears welling up in her eyes and bowed deeply to the people around her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, though the mountains are high and the rivers are long, we will surely meet again someday. I hope you will all live in peace and happiness and enjoy the rest of your lives."

"The new prefect is on his way. He was personally selected by His Majesty and is sure to be an honest and upright official. You need not worry. Qianzhou will only get better and better in the future."

"Thank you for your kind words, sir. Rest assured, we will live a good life, and you should take good care of yourself too!"

In just a few dozen days, the two strangers developed a deep bond.

Standing to the side, seemingly invisible, Baihua Chun clicked her tongue in amazement. In all her years as an official, she had never witnessed such a scene of harmony between officials and commoners. It seemed this rare female imperial envoy was truly a capable and efficient official. She had to publicize this widely, lest those stinking men in the court only know how to appoint men to positions of power and are unaware of the power of women.

Chunyu Shuang was deeply moved by this scene. The people's admiration was genuine; such a powerful and widespread phenomenon, known as the "umbrella of the people" and "robe of the people," had only occurred a handful of times throughout history, far too few to count on five fingers. And here was a real-life example of this, a person praised by the people who was also her close friend. How could she not be excited? Perhaps the scene she had longed for—a woman serving as an official in the court—was not far off.

With this situation, who in the court would dare to accuse Jiu Que of punishing so many corrupt officials without His Majesty's permission? Moreover, she possesses the God-Slaying Whip bestowed by His Majesty himself; punishing princes and nobles and criminals alike is perfectly justified. Furthermore, this event will undoubtedly be recorded in history, and she, as one of the participants, will also benefit and have her name etched in the annals of history.

Xie Mingchen and Wei Yuan exchanged a glance, completely convinced. Especially Wei Yuan; in the past, he would have secretly thought that Princess Ying's current position was inseparable from the Emperor's favoritism. But after nearly two months of getting to know her, he truly understood that Princess Ying, as a woman, had reached her current position because she was worthy! Because she had the ability!

(End of this chapter)