Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 36 Helping with All Our Might
Jiu Que looked up blankly at the people who suddenly seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, not knowing what was going on. But when she turned around, she could see Aunt Lin wiping away tears.

"Lord Ying, I know, I know you're a good official! Thank you in advance! When I find Mingde, I'll definitely treat you to lots and lots of candied melon seeds!"

Ah, so she still remembers this. Jiu Que smiled helplessly. Then she chased after her. That day, many people who were busy making a living heard the commotion and put down what they were doing to help.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood, and since ancient times, people have held a unified hatred for human traffickers. Everyone has children, and everyone is afraid that their children will be stolen. Helping others now is also helping yourself! Moreover, the families of the six children arrived one after another. Although the children had been taken away by the squad leader, after hearing the details, they felt a little relieved. However, Jiu Que gradually realized that something was wrong.

Even though only six children were found, more and more families came looking for their children—at least twenty households! Upon inquiry, it turned out they had all been searching for their children for the past three days, and the number was steadily increasing. These parents and elders who had lost their children all looked distraught, but hearing that children had been rescued gave them a glimmer of hope, and they waited to see if their children were theirs when they were brought back.

But for the capital city, with so many children going missing, shouldn't the prefect be on high alert? But listening to the parents, the prefect could only tell them to wait patiently and did nothing else.

Looking at the parents of these missing children, their clothing suggests they are from ordinary families, at best shop owners. This indicates that traffickers conduct prior investigations before stealing children. However, these children are scattered throughout Beijing; finding a decent-looking one among so many people, someone with an opportunity to strike, is no easy task.

Back then, there was no internet or anything like that. To find out what the other party was doing, you had to go there in person. But when we asked these parents if there was anything strange about it, after careful consideration, they all said there wasn't.

"That's strange. They steal children so silently, without catching them in the act or leaving a trace. Did they all escape by river? And why are their methods so similar? Surely all the child traffickers in the capital aren't from the same family?"

As Jiu Que rushed about, he was also quickly thinking. However, for some reason, the capital was unusually chaotic today. Many patrol soldiers were searching the city, and upon inquiring, they discovered that the only son of a high-ranking official had gone missing. This was even stranger. Since these kidnappers only targeted ordinary families, it meant they were somewhat wary of the powerful and wealthy in the capital. Why would they risk kidnapping the only son of a high-ranking official?

This doesn't make sense...

Following the waterways of the capital, the search spread from the bridge where the six children had just been discovered. Everyone sprang into action. These people, surprisingly obedient to Jiu Que, moved with extreme speed during the investigation. A quarter of an hour later, they apprehended a man and a woman.

Unfortunately, they only found two children who were seven or eight years old.

The further they spread outwards, the more insufficient their manpower became. Just then, another patrol force encountered the situation and demanded that Ying Jiuque and his group temporarily halt all operations. Their reasoning was sound: they feared alerting the enemy and hindering their search.

"But the captain of that squad has already taken the six children they found into the palace!"

A subtle commotion arose from the patrolmen opposite. It seemed even the patrolmen weren't entirely united. Now that their credit had been stolen, this group was even more impatient. They were delighted to see the two abducted children, however, and prepared to take them away as well. Their reason was quite plausible: they wanted to let the magistrate who had lost his children see if they were his sons.

The people were anxious to find their children, and seeing the patrol soldiers constantly obstructing their way, they became increasingly worried. Especially Granny Lin and others, who pleaded pitifully, made the scene somewhat chaotic.

Jiu Que frowned. If things continued like this, a conflict might break out. She herself wasn't afraid, but if these kind-hearted people who came out to help were punished, their helpful hearts would be dampened. Who would be willing to lend a helping hand in the future if such a situation arose again?
Just then, the urgent sound of galloping hooves came like thunder. Those who heard the noise turned around and saw that many of them gasped in shock.

In the gradually dimming sunlight, a troop of men clad in black armor, wielding long swords, and whose horses were also clad in armor chains, galloped rapidly towards them. The leader was likely nine feet tall, appearing exceptionally imposing even while seated. Their target was clearly Jiu Que. "Whoa—"

Pulling on the reins, the entire group stopped almost in unison, clearly indicating they had undergone rigorous training.

The leader had a cold and stern face, and looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a few strands of gray hair on his head. His aura was icy, as if he had just emerged from a hail of bullets, and his entire being exuded a bloody and metallic scent.

Noticing the other person's gaze fixed on him, Jiu Que remained silent, but inwardly he wondered if he had ever offended such a person...

Just then, the leader jumped off his horse and walked away quickly.

To be honest, under the other party's gaze, Jiu Que felt his blood rapidly freeze and then slowly boil. This was a subconscious reaction when encountering a powerful enemy.

"You are Ying Jiuque?"

Jiu Que averted his gaze from the other person and looked at the trembling children being held in the arms of the black-armored knights behind him. One, two, three... six?!
So the high-ranking official's son was never found?

Because they were in a hurry to sell, the six children, including the two they had just found, had their outer garments removed and were dressed in inconspicuous linen clothes. Jiu Que didn't have time to carefully discern their attire. So, they hadn't been found? Wait, then who is this man with the cold face but tense and anxious eyes...?

"I'm."

"My son, Bao'er, is five years old. He went missing about an hour ago. Can you find him?"

"you are?"

"I am Qi Zheng. You can find six, no, eight abducted children, can you find more?"

"I need more manpower, and no one can stop me from finding people."

Qi Zheng looked at the patrol soldiers who were already trembling and had simply knelt down on the ground under his gaze, and made a swift gesture.

"No problem. His Majesty has already decreed that the city patrol troops, along with myself, will do our utmost to assist you in finding the person. The people you are used to are already on their way and will arrive soon."

People who are used to it?
Uh, could it be Chunyu and the others who worked on the case together before?
(End of this chapter)