Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 137 It Flyed
Bai Yichun had only followed them out of concern, but he was astonished to see how well they worked together and how quickly they had figured out the location of the salt field.

No, how come they're so skilled? It seems like this isn't the first time they've caused trouble. Especially Jiu Que, where did that warm, cheerful, generous, and charming little girl go? Is this woman, who looks like a demon reincarnated, still the Jiu Que she used to know?
Bai Yichun, who felt as if her life had been completely reshaped, was now assigned a task by Jiu Que.

"General Baiyi, you are highly skilled in martial arts. If a conflict arises later, I hope you can lend a hand."

Bai Yichunyue was alarmed and quickly tried to stop him.

"No, you're not planning to storm the salt fields directly, are you? These salt fields are the property of the Prince of Binyang, like his own private domain, and no one is allowed to interfere. This is his biggest source of income! Do you know how many people are stationed at the salt fields? At least a thousand. Those are all assassins raised by the Prince of Binyang, and they patrol continuously every day. Once they find any strangers approaching, no matter who they are, if they don't have the Prince of Binyang's letter, they will be killed without exception! You'd better not get involved in this mess. Jiu Que handled the matter in Qianzhou perfectly. As long as you can return to the capital safely, you will receive plenty of rewards from the court. Why make trouble for yourselves?"

Bai Yichun spoke earnestly, her intentions were good. With the Prince of Binyang occupying such a privileged position, who wouldn't have some ulterior motives? But this place wasn't so easy to enter. The salt workers there were all from clans that had settled in the salt fields, their ancestors having stayed for generations to boil salt. Unlike the miners in the Qianzhou mines, they didn't have any lingering attachment to their families, and even imprisoned, they were determined to escape. These workers had long been accustomed to the harsh environment, had lost their will to fight, and were unlikely to rebel with Jiu Que and the others.

So, with just these few people, aren't they just there to deliver food? They wouldn't even be enough for someone to charge into battle.

He tried his best to persuade Jiu Que, but they didn't listen at all; they had a perfectly good plan.

"Senior Cui, we still need you to lead the charge this time. We need to gather enough evidence. I don't believe that the salt produced by so many salt wells and salt lakes isn't enough to feed the entire Dajing, unless there's something wrong with their salt fields. The salt price reported to the capital isn't that high. Who got all the profit they made? Did it all go to Prince Binyang? We need to find out whether Prince Binyang knew about this or not."

If anyone is arbitrarily inflating salt prices, they must find evidence and present it to His Majesty before they can take action against the Prince of Binyang.

In short, since they've already made a huge fuss, they might as well make it a little bigger! After all, they've finally managed to come out of hiding, so they can't just ignore the suffering of the people, can they? They have to make the long journey worthwhile.

Cui Zhufeng, who had been lost in thought and appeared somewhat dazed, suddenly snapped back to reality upon hearing these words. The sharp glint in her eyes made everyone take her title as the number one martial arts master seriously.

When it comes to schemes and plots, or attack plans, Cui Zhufeng is not good at anything; her only skill is direct assault.

Nodding emphatically, Cui Zhufeng grabbed Jiu Que in his hand and, amidst the worried or excited expressions of the crowd, used his lightness skill to disappear in a few moments.

"...She...she..."

Baiyi Chun, who was originally worried about the safety of these people, suddenly saw a scene beyond her imagination and was so surprised that she couldn't speak.

What's going on here? It turns out there's such a top expert hidden among this group, so what is she worried about? However, the remaining few people are still eager to try. It's fine with the others, but what's with this Xie brother next to you, who is supposedly a doctor and can't even kill a chicken? Why are you in such a hurry?
Seemingly sensing Bai Yichun's doubts, Xie Mingchen smiled slightly. "Although I am only a doctor, I am also somewhat knowledgeable in poisons, so General Bai Yichun need not worry."

Oh, she understood. The legendary inseparable link between medicine and poison—she knew that. Heh, heh heh, she was overthinking it.

Watching helplessly as the group disappeared, Bai Yichun had wanted to do something, but was only left with the task of staying behind. Although somewhat resigned, she had no choice but to comply. She only hoped that Jiu Que and the others wouldn't offend the Prince of Binyang, and that she could return safely.

This was the first time Jiu Que had been carried so high by Senior Cui, and she felt a bit thrilled. There was no safety rope, and if Senior Cui accidentally let go, she would fall straight down. But after overcoming the thrill that made her heart jump, Jiu Que actually found it quite fun.

"Senior Cui, are all of you who know martial arts this powerful? You can fly so high and so far without worrying about falling? Can I be this powerful too?"

Senior Cui took a moment to glance at Jiu Que. She had already examined Jiu Que's physical attributes. Although she had such good physical attributes, she had heard that Ying Chongming was also a top-tier martial arts prospect. Her daughter's physical attributes were naturally not bad either. However, the child had never learned martial arts, so even the best physical attributes were wasted.

The best age for developing one's physical constitution is from the age of three, which is why learning martial arts has always been a very difficult thing.

"If you start learning martial arts now, it's already too late. But it's not impossible. If you practice basic skills for eight hours every day and get beaten up for one hour, and persist like this for twenty years, it's still possible to become a second-rate master."

But could a pampered young lady like Jiu Que truly accept this? Yes, even though growing up on the estate was seen as a great humiliation and suffering by the people of the capital, Cui Zhufeng considered her spoiled. After all, in this world, the poor generally study literature, while the rich study martial arts. Without investing a great deal of time, energy, and money, one simply cannot achieve anything.

At this moment, Jiu Que's expression had frozen. She rubbed her face and said helplessly.

"...Then forget it. I originally thought I was pretty good at enduring hardship, but after listening to what my senior said, I think I should just stick to this and endure it."

Cui Zhufeng didn't mind. Everyone has their own strengths. Jiu Que's strength wasn't martial arts, but rather her personality.

Although she didn't understand many things, Cui Zhufeng knew very well that His Majesty held an extraordinary level of trust in Jiu Que. A son of a wealthy family shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof; His Majesty, though ruling the entire realm, couldn't travel to more distant places for investigation due to his status. Jiu Que, enjoying His Majesty's complete trust, had practically become the sole decision-maker. If she spoke, and the evidence was irrefutable, how could His Majesty not believe her?
Although Cui Zhufeng is simple-minded, the purer a person is, the more likely they are to see through the fog and get straight to the core and most important issues.

(End of this chapter)