Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 168 Cargo Ship Burned
Seeing that things had been settled, Jiu Que and the others were about to take their leave. They were on their way back to the capital to report on their duties, and the tribute teams heading to the capital were already impatient. If they missed their appointed time, they would be blamed in the capital.

However, now that Yancheng has returned to the control of the Prince of Binyang, they no longer need to endure the arduous journey. They can travel downstream by water, which will save them nearly half the time and allow them to reach the capital more than once. In fact, Baiyi Chun and his group had previously traveled to the capital by water, but three years ago, Yancheng forbade them from using its port. At the time, everyone was puzzled and furious. Now, they understand why: it's clear that the fake prince and Zhao Gou don't want them to uncover the truth about the smuggled salt trade.

On the night before their departure, the Prince of Binyang hosted a banquet for them. Although it had only been a few days, the Prince of Binyang's recovery was terrifying. Before, he could only lie in bed and could hardly get out of bed to walk, but now he could walk with great strides and even host banquets.

It must be said that this prince's physical condition was truly terrifyingly strong.

That said, it was quite an interesting thing to meet someone like Prince Baiyi Chun of Binyang during this imperial envoy's trip. The group enjoyed a pleasant banquet, and Jiu Que even promised to let Baiyi Chun stay at his residence after he arrived in the capital.

"Really? To be honest, every time we go to the capital, we stay in government-assigned courtyards. They're old and dilapidated, and there are always so many people there that I can't sleep at night. And as you know, our place is poor, and every year around this time, a lot of people go to the capital. Most of the inns and other guesthouses are booked up, so we can only stay in government-assigned courtyards. But let's not even talk about those courtyards. We could rent a private house if we paid a high price, but we only stay there for a few days each time, so it's a bit of a waste of money. If we could really stay at your house, it would save us a lot of money."

"Of course it's true. Sister Baiyi is my friend. Isn't it normal to stay at a friend's house when you're traveling and it's inconvenient? Not to mention, I'll definitely take you to try all kinds of delicious food in the capital! In addition, I have a few very cute children at home. They are clever, lively, well-behaved and sensible. They want to learn martial arts, but I know nothing about martial arts. I'm just a little strong. It's perfect that you can teach them, Sister."

Clever and lively, well-behaved and sensible? Bai Yichun couldn't understand what kind of child this was for a moment. After all, the children in their area were incredibly mischievous and naughty. They would climb trees and swim in the water, there was nothing they wouldn't do, and they never stopped giving adults a headache.

But seeing Jiu Que's confident demeanor, Bai Yi Chun believed her. Perhaps people in the capital were exceptionally good at raising children. It was a good opportunity to ask Jiu Que for advice, after all, she had a mischievous little niece…

"Boom boom boom!!"

Just as everyone was enjoying their feast, a deafening sound suddenly came from afar. The gentle smile on the King of Binyang vanished instantly; he abruptly stood up and stared straight north. The wide, long river was now a sea of ​​fire!
That's the location of Yancheng Wharf!
Without hesitation, Binyang King Jiuque, Wei Yuan, and their entourage grabbed their weapons, mounted their horses, and galloped towards the dock. Simultaneously, orders radiated outwards from Binyang King. When Jiuque and his group finally arrived at the dock, they were met with a massive cargo ship that was rapidly disintegrating and sinking into the water.

People around the dock were shouting for help to put out the fire, but it was clearly not a normal fire, and water couldn't stop its spread. And then there was that huge explosion we just heard…

"Your Highness, thieves have placed a large number of oil drums on the cargo ship under the cover of night and set them on fire. The fire is now out of control, and the cargo ship... is doomed."

These words not only made the Prince of Binyang's face turn ugly, but Jiu Que's face also turned ashen. This ship belonged to Yancheng; what else could it be carrying besides salt? Originally, this cargo ship was scheduled to depart with them tomorrow…

Sure enough, the official who came forward to reply then gave a response with an unpleasant expression.

"And the salt that's already loaded and destined for the border, dump it all into the river..." Nearby, soldiers were frantically trying to salvage the salt from the boats, but they could only manage to save a tiny fraction, a mere drop in the ocean.

Amidst the towering flames, everyone fell silent as they watched the cargo ship plunge into the river and the salt, which had perhaps melted or been washed away by the surging waters.

Who did this? Everyone looked at each other, unable to come up with a concrete answer. Logically speaking, all the thieves should have been imprisoned, including the fake prince, Zhao Gou, and the group of officials who committed crimes while the Prince of Binyang was unconscious. They should all be under close surveillance. Who else would have the ability to do such a thing?

A moment later, Jiu Que and the others looked up abruptly, an answer already obvious: The mastermind behind it all!
"This fire couldn't have started out of nowhere. Where are the guards? Since the cargo ship was already loaded, there must have been someone on night watch to prevent any accidents. How were those oil drums placed on the ship so quietly? Did anyone sneak up on the cargo ship? Perhaps those oil drums weren't just loaded tonight; perhaps they were already secretly placed on the ship, just waiting to be ignited."

Chunyu Shuang quickly came up with several possibilities. After all, she had worked in the Ministry of Justice before, and her abilities in investigation, reasoning, and interrogation were outstanding.

Upon hearing these possibilities, the Prince of Binyang simply handed over the authority here to Chunyu Shuang for the time being, while he himself led more troops to thoroughly inspect the entire Yancheng, and also to arrest those who were acting suspiciously.

Soon, everyone at the dock was locked up. Now that the salt on the ship had been lost, their task was to prevent even greater losses.

These dockworkers were also considered half-officials, and because of this, they knew all too well the consequences of this dereliction of duty. They were all terrified and trembling, wondering if their good days were about to end again.

Jiu Que stared at these people for a long time before suddenly turning around.

saltworks!

If the person behind this is aiming to destroy Yancheng or to retaliate against them and the Prince of Binyang, the most direct method would be to destroy the salt fields on which Yancheng depends for its survival! Once the salt fields are destroyed, the entire salt industry in Dajing will be in chaos!
not good!

"Senior! Please go to the salt field immediately. If someone damages the salt field, the entire salt in Dajing will collapse!"

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Cui Zhufeng, who was hiding behind the scenes, didn't hesitate and turned to rush towards the salt field. Meanwhile, the Prince of Binyang, who was running through the city maintaining order and searching for suspects, also realized the problem at the same time and hurriedly ran towards the salt field!

(End of this chapter)