Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 60 Destroying corpses and eradicating traces
Unexpectedly, Ying Jiuque actually possessed an imperial gold medal. Why did Father Emperor value this woman so highly? Could it be, as the court and the public speculated, that Father Emperor had taken a liking to this mere sixth-rank official? But that didn't make sense either. Although Ying Jiuque wasn't ugly, she could only be considered above average, and she was so arrogant and attention-seeking. In the Third Prince's eyes, she wasn't even as good-looking as his own maid. Father Emperor, who ruled the world and had seen countless beauties, why would he stop and pay special attention to a mere Ying Jiuque? There must be some trickery involved.

However, with the imperial gold medal in hand, the Third Prince couldn't very well keep Ying Jiuque in the mansion. But just as Ying Jiuque was about to swagger away, the Third Prince's gaze shifted to the loyal head steward.

"Lord Ying, even the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review wouldn't be in such a hurry to arrest someone. Zhao Jie hasn't even changed his shoes properly. Aren't you being a little too hasty? Is there something I, the prince, cannot know?"

"how could be?"

Ying Jiuque stopped and glanced at the Third Prince, who still refused to disperse, and could only temporarily give in. Zhao Jie looked gratefully at his master, as if he had found a powerful backer, and slowly returned to his room.

At that moment, the Third Prince glanced thoughtfully at the scroll in Ying Jiuque's arms, his eyes flickering slightly. A capable maidservant beside him immediately gave the order. Soon, a maidservant with tear-streaked face arrived, chased and crying. Jia Twenty-Three watched her warily, protecting his mistress.

"I'm so ashamed I can't live anymore! Your Highness! My lord! I'm an innocent young lady, why should I be falsely accused of stealing? If this gets out, how am I supposed to live? I don't want to live anymore..."

The woman's clothes were disheveled and she looked quite disorganized. A large group of maids and servants followed behind her, surging forward like a tide. Jia Twenty-Three and Yi Eleven were so crowded that they barely had room to move. In addition, the guards of the Third Prince's residence deliberately blocked them. In the midst of the chaos, the first maid who rushed over bumped into Ying Jiu Que hard. At the same time, a torch was thrown at him. Ying Jiu Que had no choice but to jump away to protect himself. The scroll in his hand fell to the ground with a thud and was immediately set on fire by the torch.

"Crackling——"

Seeing the scroll engulfed in flames in an instant, Jiu Que was furious. Her eyes seemed to breathe fire as she stared intently at the Third Prince. She simply did not believe that this farce was caused by the maid herself; it must have been the master of this mansion who was behind it!
Is there any point in doing something like this? Isn't this just blatantly trying to cover up the crime?
"Your Highness, you've gone a bit too far. In such a grand mansion, these troublesome maids and servants just had to run this way. Not only did they knock the things out of my hands, but they also just happened to set them on fire. Tell me, do you think things in this world are really that coincidental?"

"I am truly sorry, it is the servants in my household who lack discipline."

"Is that so, Your Highness? This official sees it as an attempt to cover up the crime. And surely a prince's residence doesn't even have a decent lantern? Why must they use torches for lighting?"

The Third Prince merely glanced coldly at Ying Jiuque, completely disregarding her petty provocation. At that moment, Jiuque also sensed something was amiss. With such a commotion outside, why hadn't the head steward, who claimed to be changing his shoes, come out yet?

"Eleven, go and see. Is the head steward planning to stay at home tonight? Why hasn't he come out yet?"

Yi nodded at 11 o'clock, but soon came out with a dark face.

"Sir, Zhao Jie is dead."

Ying Jiuque's pupils contracted, utterly unable to believe what he had heard. He rushed inside to check and saw that Zhao Jie's entire head was smashed; he was beyond saving. Jiuque could only emerge with a grim expression. The Third Prince, however, remained remarkably calm, glancing at Ying Jiuque with a hint of amusement in his eyes. Ying Jiuque hadn't expected the other party to be so self-righteous, even killing his long-serving steward without hesitation.

"I don't understand what you're saying, and I need to ask you something. Zhao Jie has been living in this manor for so many years without any problems, so why did something happen to him as soon as you arrived? Is this related to you? Did you secretly coerce or entice him to commit suicide just now?"

"...Your Highness truly has excellent methods. Let's go." After watching Ying Jiuque angrily lead his men away, a loyal guard stepped forward, but was stopped by the Third Prince.

"Follow her and see where she's going. She's just a county princess in name only, yet she dares to oppose me, Your Highness. Doesn't she know how many lives she has, or whether she can hold out?"

"But what if she goes to the palace and complains to His Majesty..."

The Third Prince narrowed his eyes; this was exactly what he was worried about. However, Ying Jiuque had come so openly tonight, and countless people along the way had seen her. It would be extremely difficult to keep quiet about it. Moreover, if she were assassinated the moment she left the Third Prince's residence, even a pig would know that it was related to him.

If it weren't for the Emperor's high regard for her, he could have crushed such a lowly sixth-rank official with a single finger.

Now that Ying Jiuque has no evidence, he's just a person with his own mouth. Even if he enters the palace, would the Emperor believe an outsider instead of his own son?

But before that...

"Sweep it all up properly. If anyone finds out you're all dead."

"Yes."

The Third Prince glanced up at the dark night sky, lost in thought. A moment later, he let out a cold laugh and swept into the house. After all, he was still his father's son, and what did this matter have to do with him, the Third Prince? The mastermind behind it all wasn't even confirmed—it was still uncertain whether Zhao Jie was truly behind it. Even if it was, he was just a chief steward, and already dead, easily discarded. If one chief steward wasn't enough, there was the steward's entire family and the ill-gotten gains of the past years—enough to satisfy certain people's appetites!

Enraged, Ying Jiuque left the prince's residence, mounted the imperial steed, and galloped towards the palace. His fury was plain for anyone with eyes to see. Not only were the families hiding along the roadside gathering information nervously following, but even his twenty-three or so bodyguards followed closely, fearing that Lord Ying might get into trouble because of his anger.

Riding on horseback, Jia Twenty-Three was still somewhat uneasy. The evidence that his lord had just painstakingly found had been so easily burned to ashes. Anyone would be angry in this situation, but the problem now was that there was no physical evidence, and even the witnesses were dead. Even if they rushed into the palace now, would His Majesty believe them based solely on his lord's testimony? After all, that was His Majesty's son!

Yes, even Jia Twenty-Three understood that a mere head steward of a prince's residence could not possibly control the Worry-Free Cave that spanned the entire capital. The prince standing behind the head steward was the most likely culprit. But who dared to speak such a truth?

Everyone in the world understands the principle of not alienating relatives, yet only one person dares to stand up and say it's wrong.

My lord...

This book will be available tomorrow! I hope everyone will support it! Don't miss it! Hehe~
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(End of this chapter)