Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 269 Crash
The assassins were practically checking their calendars to see if it was a bad day to go out. How could such a simple assassination mission, with just a few ordinary people who knew no martial arts, be so difficult to kill?

Did the master get the information wrong?

Seeing that the enemy outnumbered them and that the palace guards had already been alerted, the assassins, not being fools, considered a temporary retreat. Jiu Que, seeing their intentions, waved for his men to apprehend them. Daring to commit violence in front of the palace gates was no small matter; let's see what their motives were.

"Get them!"

The assassins fled from all directions, only to be caught by Jiu Que's subordinates the moment they leaped. But before they could be pinned down, they had already bitten open the medicine pouch hidden in their teeth and died instantly.

Dead soldier?

Seeing that only a few people remained, Wei Yuan panicked. He used his hand as a knife and struck one of them on the neck. With a snap, the man's neck slumped to the side, too weak to bite through the poison. Unfortunately, Wei Yuan couldn't control his strength, and the man died instantly.

Seeing this, the remaining assassins hurriedly bit open the medicine pouches, and the poison took effect quickly, killing a large number of them in no time.

Jiu Que frowned, then strode forward, grabbed one of them, and struck his jaw with her palm. She was incredibly strong; half of the man's tooth fell out, along with the poison sac. The assassin struggled in pain, but Jiu Que held him down with one hand.

The guards behind him rushed forward and tied him up, but they couldn't help but shudder at the sight of his bleeding mouth. Ouch, that must hurt terribly.

Indeed, Ying Da's strength is boundless!

Soon, several people were left alive. However, Jiu Que's expression was grim as he looked at the corpses scattered on the ground. These people dared to commit such a heinous assassination attempt at the palace gates; clearly, they didn't respect His Majesty. If His Majesty found out, he would likely be furious.

But first, let's see if there are any survivors in that carriage. Jiu Que quickly stepped forward, worried that the people inside might act rashly in the heat of the moment, so she revealed her identity. Fortunately, it wasn't all bad news; the carriage curtain was quickly opened, revealing a bloody scene inside. However, after carefully looking around, Jiu Que found that the only truly seriously injured person was a middle-aged man with a long beard, and he only had a wound on his arm; he didn't seem to be in mortal danger.

Moreover, his arm had already received emergency treatment, which looked quite professional. Looking at the people inside, Jiu Que was somewhat bewildered. The people sitting inside didn't seem to be a family; there were people of all ages.
"Physician Lu and Imperial Physician Liu?! Are you two alright?"

Fortunately, someone in their group recognized the person cursing in the car. Xie Mingchen came over and took a look, and immediately exclaimed in surprise.

Seeing this, Jiu Que narrowed his eyes. This matter actually involved the imperial physicians in the palace, so it was obviously not that simple.

Although the lady sitting in the carriage was pale, she still bowed and thanked Jiu Que with utmost courtesy.

"Thank you for saving me, Lord Ying."

“Madam, there’s no need for such formalities. I see you’re heading to the palace, aren’t you? Let’s go in while things are calm.”

After all, no one knows if the mastermind behind this might have a second group of assassins. Coincidentally, she had just arrived in the capital today, preparing to go to the palace to report on her duties, when she heard unusual noises coming from ahead at this street corner. Fortunately, she arrived in time and prevented an assassination attempt.

Since she was going to enter the palace anyway, she might as well bring these surviving assassins and their corpses with her, so that they could serve as witnesses for this lady.

Just before leaving, Jiu Que suddenly felt uneasy. She had been away from the capital for over two months, and she wondered how her children were doing back home. Someone dared to kill someone in the street; she was genuinely worried about them.

He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards the air.

"Senior Cui, please go home and check on them from afar. For some reason, I feel a little uneasy."

No one answered, but Jiu Que was relieved and led everyone into the palace.

No one spoke along the way, each clearly preoccupied with their own thoughts. It wasn't until they met His Majesty that the pale-faced lady revealed the life-threatening incident she had accidentally encountered. Before speaking, she glanced at Jiu Que; the fewer people who knew such royal secrets, the better. What if this Lord Ying found out, and His Majesty later held a grudge against her? But Emperor Jingtai didn't dismiss Jiu Que. The child had just returned to the capital and encountered such a thing; who knew how terrified he must be? Sending him away now would only cause him more anxiety.

Seeing that His Majesty was determined to do so, the Duchess of Ningguo had no choice but to recount the incident that had almost cost her her life.

"That day, my mother-in-law's older sister came to visit. I had just returned from my estate and heard that she was coming. I didn't want to be impolite, so I went to the backyard to ask her to come. However, the head maid in my mother-in-law's courtyard said that my mother-in-law was talking to her sister and it was inconvenient for her to see me, so she told me to go back on my own. I didn't think much of it, since my mother-in-law and I didn't get along very well. But when I passed by the garden, I saw that the early chrysanthemums were blooming beautifully, so I went closer to take a look. I didn't expect to hear someone talking."

For some reason, the old Duchess and her sister were not in their own courtyard, but instead strolled around in the garden, which was overheard by the Duchess of Ningguo.

The old Duchess of Ningguo looked anxious. She had never been good at controlling her expressions, probably because she was the youngest daughter in the family and was doted on by her elders; she had always been guileless. Now, she couldn't help but raise her voice.

"Big sister, are you out of your mind?! This is a crime punishable by death and the extermination of nine generations of your family. Are you just going to stand by and watch your husband do it?"

"Keep your voice down! Can this be discussed openly? Do you think I'm not worried? But even if I am, what can I do? You know your brother-in-law's temperament. Once he's made up his mind, not even ten oxen could pull him back, let alone me!"

"But you can't just stand by and watch. His Majesty has been on the throne for thirteen years now, and I really can't imagine someone else taking his place. Can't that child be dealt with privately?"

"What are you saying? That is, after all, the bloodline of a true dragon. Do you think I would dare?"

The old Lady of Ningguo tore at her handkerchief in anger. She never imagined that her eldest sister would bring up such a serious matter as beheading. She should have known better than to listen, but even if she hadn't, would she be spared the consequences of having her entire family implicated? She was both anxious and furious. This eldest sister of hers, usually so ambitious and strong-willed, was useless when it came to serious matters. Why was she being so soft-hearted at a time like this? She should have dealt with the witnesses and evidence early on; even if her brother-in-law was angry, it would be too late then.

It's infuriating that my brother-in-law does things without any regard for his blood relatives! If my sister hadn't accidentally discovered it, how long would this have been kept from them?

(End of this chapter)