Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 64

The clanging of chains echoed through the empty cell, attracting the attention of the passing Third Prince. He glanced back and could only vaguely make out a blood-soaked figure hanging on a rack, screaming at him. He frowned. What kind of filthy thing was that? What was it yelling about?

Before he could even turn around and ask, he was surrounded by guards and led forward. He had never been so humiliated in his life. How dare these lowly guards treat him like this?!
She couldn't help but glance at Ying Jiuque again. It was because of her presence that she was in such a sorry state!

His teeth were grinding together as the Third Prince memorized Ying Jiuque's face. He was already secretly plotting how to transfer her away and make her disappear from his father's sight. Would his father still remember her after some time? Once forgotten by those in power, who would care even if she died tragically at home? Besides, he wasn't the only one in the court who was dissatisfied with Ying Jiuque.

It would be one thing for a woman to stay quietly in the inner quarters and live her whole life in her rightful place, but she insists on jumping out to compete with men for power and profit. Even if these men fight to the death among themselves, they will never give up their positions to a woman.

Deluding oneself to things that don't belong to oneself will only lead to one death.

The Left Vice Minister of Justice, bowing and scraping, escorted the Third Prince to a clean and tidy single cell. Turning around, he discovered Ying Jiuque was nowhere to be seen. "Hey," he thought, "this official is really strange. He finally managed to get the Third Prince into the cell, but then he disappeared. Does he want me to take the blame for the Third Prince's wrath?"

This won't do! He's just a minor official; he needs to protect himself. Losing his position is a small matter; he has to protect his wife, children, and elderly parents. So, under the expressionless gaze of the Third Prince, this Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice used every flowery phrase he could muster in his life to flatter him relentlessly.

Ying Jiuque stood in front of Mr. Yi, feeling strangely scrutinized from head to toe by his terrifying gaze.

"What do you have to say?"

"...Hahahaha—"

Mr. Yi didn't speak, but instead burst into a series of loud laughs, leaving Jiu Que completely bewildered. Had this man lost his mind?
"No, I'm not crazy. I just never expected that there would actually be an official in this world who would stand up for a commoner like me."

"You're thinking too extremely. There must be many officials like that in the court; you just haven't encountered them yet."

"Perhaps that's true, but over the years, I've never met a single official who was willing to lend a helping hand."

Whether he was mocking himself or not, Mr. Yi calmly looked at Ying Jiuque after saying that.

"You can probably guess what I've been through all these years, right? If I hadn't humbled myself and fawned over others, I would have been buried in someone's backyard as potting soil long ago. But it is precisely because of this experience that I know many secrets, including what you want to know most now: who is behind the Worry-Free Cave?"

Jiu Que's eyebrows twitched slightly as he warily looked at the blood-soaked man opposite him.

"You want to tell me?"

"Of course! And without any consequences. I only hope you can uphold justice and arrest all those behind this!" Mr. Yi seemed to be glowing, especially his eyes, which shone with a light that could almost hurt. He was indeed not a good person; he had done many things against his conscience to survive. Just as Ying Jiuque said, he himself was already mired in corruption, yet he still dragged innocent people down with him. At first, he felt guilty, but gradually, his heart became numb in the mire.

He thought he would die like this, but unexpectedly, he encountered Ying Jiuque, this extraordinary individual, before his death. Since he was going to die anyway, he might as well drag more people down with him. Especially those high-ranking officials who wantonly bought and sold the people they were supposed to protect! During those days of living hell, he memorized everyone's faces. At that time, he didn't really know why he remembered those names and faces, because he had no power to avenge himself or those who had died.

But now, looking back on my absurd and laughable life, perhaps it was all for this day.

How exhilarating it would be to bring down those high and mighty people as a lowly commoner! He couldn't even imagine it; just thinking about it made him tremble with excitement!

Jiu Que stared into his eyes for a long time, making sure he wasn't lying, and nodded. Her insistence on bringing the Third Prince to the Ministry of Justice prison was precisely to pry open Mr. Yi's mouth, because she simply didn't believe that the Third Prince was the only one involved in this matter. The underground channels had existed for so many years, and when the Third Prince came to this imperial city with Emperor Jingtai, he was only about ten years old. Could a child really have committed such a major human trafficking case?

Even assuming the Third Prince took over the "big deal" of Wuyou Cave from someone else, who exactly passed it on to him? And how many people were involved in this?
Simply investigating the Third Prince is meaningless, as the underground organization will continue operating. They might even move on to another noble family or high-ranking official. After all, the profits from human trafficking are immense, and some people are inherently prone to losing all moral and legal principles when faced with enormous gains. These individuals have become accustomed to high rewards and have lost their conscience; even if they were forced to quit, most would not change.

Only by eradicating this organization can we prevent more and more innocent people from being trafficked and forced to leave their loved ones.

"Put him down."

After giving a low command, Jia Twenty-Three went over and laid the man, whose skin was torn and bleeding, down. Ying Jiuque had originally intended to treat him before questioning him, lest he suddenly die during the questioning, but unexpectedly, Mr. Yi was even more anxious than he was.

"Where are the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone? Give them to me now! I'll write it down right now!"

Jiu Que frowned.

"There's no rush, let the doctor treat you..."

"What if I die during the treatment? No one will tell you this information! Lord Ying, you can't be so soft-hearted!"

"..."

Ying Jiuque had a vulgar curse she wasn't sure whether she should utter. What does "womanly compassion" mean? Aren't you also a kind of "manly evil"? Never mind, she decided not to stoop to the level of a petty man.

She beckoned to Yi Shiyi to find a doctor. Jiu Que took out a medicine bottle from her bosom. Jing Tai had previously bestowed many gifts upon her, including some high-quality pills, enough to at least keep the other person alive and prevent them from dying anytime soon. Then she had someone bring pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. Actually, she was also very anxious. Since even the man surnamed Yi didn't care, she wanted to see a more specific list and evidence as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)