Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 146 Trouble is Coming
These cases are indeed connected!

The fake prince's vast wealth amassed in Yancheng was actually connected to the princes! Jiu Que almost wanted to shed a tear of sympathy for the old emperor. What kind of luck was this?! One of his princes had just been implicated, and now another one was dragged into it. Out of four princes, wasn't there a single good one? Thinking of the old emperor's seemingly benevolent expression, Jiu Que couldn't help but sigh. Perhaps it truly was just bad luck. Jiu Que truly couldn't understand why those princes would try to undermine their own family, especially since the empire belonged to the Jing dynasty. This smuggling of salt ultimately harmed the Great Jing Dynasty and damaged its interests!

Why can't these princes understand?!

Despite his grief and indignation, Jiu Que secretly memorized the list. Through Liang Heng's case, he understood that sometimes forced interrogation could not achieve the best results. It was better to let them panic or think that everything was normal, and then more clues would emerge.

Sure enough, after sorting through the large amount of gold and silver he had just collected, the fake prince let out a sigh of relief. He then lazily picked up an account book and a pen, casually scribbling a few lines. Because the fake prince had changed his posture, Jiu Que couldn't see clearly and dared not make a sound, feeling quite frustrated. Cui Zhufeng, who had been relatively quiet, suddenly frowned. Although he didn't make a sound, Jiu Que clearly sensed that Senior Cui was very angry.

What did this fake prince just do to make someone as good-tempered as Senior Cui angry?
Although very curious, Jiu Que restrained himself. The fake prince was very relaxed in the room. After completing the task he had just finished, which involved writing something he didn't know, he even leaned back in the wide chair, closed his eyes to rest, and almost fell asleep. Perhaps he had accepted this as his own territory, and his posture was quite leisurely.

To be honest, Jiu Que couldn't quite understand the other party's behavior. If the real Prince of Binyang were to wake up, this fake prince's physique wouldn't even be enough for him to take a punch! Wasn't he afraid that he might fall asleep and never wake up again?

Jiu Que gave Cui Zhufeng a look, as if asking whether they should make their move now. Given Cui's current relaxed demeanor, Jiu Que was absolutely certain he could subdue him without a sound. He had already tried it once before at Liang Heng's residence, and it had gone quite smoothly.

But Cui Zhufeng gave Jiu Que a reassuring look and nodded towards the door. The next moment, a cautious announcement came from outside.

"Your Highness, Your Highness? General Zhao requests an audience."

The fake prince quickly opened his eyes, his gaze returning to clarity in a very short time, making him seem nothing like someone who was asleep.

He quickly got up, straightened his clothes, stuffed several ledgers on the table under the table, and then calmly spoke.

"come in."

However, Jiu Que keenly sensed that the fake prince's mood wasn't as calm as it appeared. He seemed unwelcoming to the approaching person; could it be because they disturbed his sleep? That accusation was far-fetched.

The door swung open the next moment, and a hurried figure strode in—it was General Zhao, whom Jiu Que and the others had just met.

General Zhao, who had previously been arrogant and condescending in front of them, now had a face that could barely be considered handsome, filled with anxiety.

"Your Highness! A scout reports that the female imperial envoy who caused such a ruckus in Qianzhou is heading towards the capital, and she's traveling with a tribute convoy. She might pass through Yancheng!" "What's the panic? Even if she does come to Yancheng, we'll give her a warm welcome. Why put on such a flustered act?"

The fake prince glanced at General Zhao casually, but General Zhao didn't see the complex emotions of disdain in the fake prince's eyes. He just paced restlessly in place. He seemed to care more than the 'Prince of Binyang'.

The Prince of Binyang utterly despised the other man's tendency to panic in the face of trouble. If everyone were as useless as this man surnamed Zhao, they would have been terrified long ago, even considering the possibility of execution. But since this man surnamed Zhao was still useful and there was no immediate way to deal with him, he could only keep him around as an eyesore.

The guards at the door had already closed it discreetly. General Zhao, noticing something amiss under the watchful eye of the 'Prince of Binyang,' quieted down before speaking slowly and deliberately.

"What's the panic? This is our territory. It's lucky she, an imperial envoy from out of town, managed to survive all that trouble in Qianzhou. It's all because that Liang fellow was too arrogant, raising his soldiers to be haughty and self-important. If he hadn't driven the people to desperation, how could he have caused such a commotion? And how could he have died at the hands of those lowly commoners? In the end, he was just too useless. Have you heard any bad news coming out of Yancheng these past few years?"

"The salt from Yancheng is far more important than the cinnabar from Qianzhou. People can live without elixirs but not without salt. Don't you know this principle?"

"Of course I know that! But I've heard that the female imperial envoy has the God-Slaying Whip bestowed by His Majesty, and has the ability to execute first and report later! Moreover, that Ying guy is a complete madman! He can even disregard his own father and talk about exterminating the clan, he's just insane. Although we're not afraid, it's never too much to be careful."

The Prince of Binyang naturally knew what General Zhao was talking about. Although he looked down on the other party's cautiousness, the Prince of Binyang also knew that in these turbulent times, no amount of caution was too much.

Moreover, that female imperial envoy is truly a major problem. In the past, if it were an imperial envoy, upon hearing the name of her master, who would dare to relentlessly investigate? At the very least, offering a large amount of gold and silver, or even beautiful women, would suffice. After all, the beauties circulating in their possession are rigorously selected; each one is stunningly beautiful, with a captivating charm that can immerse any man in a world of tenderness until death.

But this imperial envoy is a woman, so all those beauties they've trained are useless. Wait a minute! They have men among the beauties they've trained; maybe a few could be sent up, even just to serve them and gather information.

Now it all depends on whether the other party is willing to accept them. After all, in this day and age, men and women are very different. If a man accepts two women to serve him, it's just a refined affair, but if an unmarried woman suddenly has two handsome men by her side, it's a serious crime that she'll be condemned by the public.

Tsk, women are so hard to deal with.

But it's not like we can't give it a try...

After all, that woman was able to become an imperial envoy and travel thousands of miles to the remote place of Qianzhou for a secret investigation, so she must be different from ordinary women.

(End of this chapter)