Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 43: A Calculation Mistake Leads to Arrest
When leaving the palace, His Majesty seemed hesitant to speak, but ultimately didn't say anything. At the time, Qi Zheng wondered what His Majesty couldn't say directly to him, but now he understood that His Majesty was hesitating about whether or not to mention the suspicious aspects of Ying Jiuque.

A young lady from a prominent family, raised on a country estate and not valued by her clan, had received little formal education, yet she could casually create something of such immense power. This could no longer be described as mere innate intelligence; it was simply a miracle.

At the same time, Qi Zheng felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, a sense of crisis from nowhere making his scalp tingle. This enormous commotion had come from a small jar; one could only imagine how powerful that weapon was. On the battlefield, such a single object could startle horses, potentially causing soldiers to fall and die. After all, at high speeds, even the slightest external force could lead to an accident.

But what did Ying Jiuque say before? That tiny jar, such a divine weapon, could be made for only one tael of silver?! What has the Ministry of War been doing all these years? They're not even as good as a teenage girl? Even though he's retired, he's heard about how much effort His Majesty has spent on military preparedness over the years. A sea of ​​silver is poured in every year, and not even a ripple is made; they can't even produce a single powerful weapon. They might as well give it to the frontier soldiers so they can eat and drink well.

Of course, this was just an angry outburst. Qi Zheng himself knew it was impossible. After all, no one understood the role a powerful weapon could play on the battlefield better than him, a battlefield general.

With a gentle tap of his foot, his warhorse, seemingly understanding his instincts, surged forward, catching up with the staggering figure. Although he was filled with questions, his immediate priority was finding his child! Then, he would go to His Majesty. As a general, even in retirement, upon seeing such a divine weapon, how could he afford to wait idly? He had to inquire whether it could be remade!
Jiu Que was still puzzled. This group of people had been standing still like idiots, but suddenly they rushed forward like madmen, leaving her and Chunyu Shuang behind. She didn't know if they had lost their minds or what...

However, looking back at the guards who stayed by their side to protect them, Jiu Que couldn't lie and could only sigh helplessly and speed up.

However, as a novice who had just learned to ride a horse, she could only hear the chaotic noise from afar, and the sounds were getting fainter and fainter. It seemed like it was almost over, and Jiu Que was incredibly anxious. How could it be over before she even saw the battle? She could have helped, couldn't she?
Just as Jiu Que was considering whether to kick his horse, a series of hurried footsteps approached. The guards behind him quickly became alert, but before they could rush over, the disheveled figure had already arrived and immediately spotted the magnificent steed beneath Ying Jiu Que. This was a fine horse specially bestowed upon Ying Jiu Que by the Jingtai Emperor, naturally making it very conspicuous. The masked man paused for a moment, then without the slightest hesitation, charged forward.

Ying Jiuque was riding at full speed when the man, relying on his superior skills and daring, charged straight at her and tried to steal the horse! He grabbed Jiuque's leg with one hand and pulled her down hard, while simultaneously leaping into the air himself. With his other hand, he grabbed the reins, and it seemed he could escape on horseback...

If his calculations are correct.

As he was being dragged along by the reins towards the pursuers, he discovered an embarrassing problem: he hadn't managed to pull the seemingly frail woman off the train at all.

Ying Jiuque glanced at the man who was treating her like a pushover, and her lips twitched. Although she looked a bit weak, she had plenty of strength and methods! Cough, I'm getting a bit off-topic. But she immediately kicked him hard, making his face contort, but he still stubbornly tried to take Ying Jiuque hostage. After all, she was wearing official robes, and more importantly, she was a woman—the most suitable hostage.

Jiu Que took a deep breath, looked at this man who still harbored evil intentions, reached out and grabbed the other's arm, and twisted it downwards hard in the other's bewildered, painful and incredulous gaze!
"Crack!"

The man's arm was broken! Taking advantage of his weakness, Jiu Que still wouldn't let go, grabbing his neck and slamming his head against the saddle. In those days, wealthy people only had a few ways to adorn themselves when going out. Ying Jiu Que had seen those young masters parading through the streets dressing their horses in clothes, draping them in all sorts of silks and satins. She didn't expend much effort, but this horse was a gift from the Emperor; she didn't need to adorn it, as it came with a saddle that looked extremely luxurious. The only downside was that it was too hard and uncomfortable.

But at times like this, the sturdy saddle adorned with various gold and silver jewelry becomes an absolute blow to Mr. Yi!
"what!"

Mr. Yi let out a scream and finally collapsed to the ground. If Jiu Que was not mistaken, he was also mercilessly trampled several times by the hooves of the galloping horses behind him, and the sound of bones breaking was terrifying.

Even Qi Zheng, who had been closely following behind, twitched his lips. Judging from the sound, at least five ribs were broken. But recalling the scene he had just witnessed, he felt that the punishment was far too lenient.

Without Jiu Que uttering a sound, the guards from Qi Zheng's mansion behind him had already skillfully used ropes they had obtained from who-knows-where to lasso Mr. Yi and dragged him along the ground for a distance before slowly stopping.

By the time Qi Zheng and the others dismounted to see what this night's biggest prize had been, Mr. Yi was barely breathing. His mask had fallen off, revealing a pale, ghostly face.

Even at this point, Mr. Yi still looked down on everyone. Even though he was tied up like a dumpling, surrounded, and had no chance of survival, he still looked down on everyone equally.

Of course, being so high-profile at a time like this was just asking for trouble, because a tall guard couldn't resist stomping on him several times, adding more large footprints to his already bloodstained body, making him look rather comical. Mr. Yi's previously haughty expression finally crumbled, and he glared fiercely at Qi Zheng! This was the man who had just rushed in when the underground cave collapsed, mercilessly stabbing several of his subordinates who tried to resist to death. Then he had chased him out like a rat!
That cold, dismissive look in his eyes...

Utterly disgusting!

"If you allow your subordinates to torment me, I will immediately commit suicide, and you will not get any news from me!"

(End of this chapter)