Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 67 Half a Ledger
Rubbing his temples as he stepped outside, the moment he stood in the sunlight, Jiu Que felt his head buzzing and couldn't help but close his eyes.

Although there was a commotion last night, it's not enough. Dealing with just this small group of scoundrels isn't enough, let alone for others; even Ying Jiuque herself can't get over it. She can catch people on the spot and convict them directly, but what about those high-ranking officials who didn't go last night? They might not even deign to go to such places of pleasure, but what about those who profited from these places and whose pockets were filled with such activities? Without direct evidence, she can't convict them with just her words.

Mr. Yi had said that the masterminds behind it all were quite vigilant; otherwise, they wouldn't have pushed forward a mere steward from the Third Prince's residence to be appointed as one of the "Three Dukes." The evidence Mr. Yi presented could only convict those who were too insignificant, aside from the Third Prince himself. If only someone could steal that ledger of their secret transactions for her right now…

She let out a long sigh, and when she opened her eyes again, a haggard-looking figure appeared before her, which startled Jiu Que and made her shiver.

"Senior! Don't you know that people can be so scary they'll scare you to death?!"

Cui Zhufeng's expression was quite grim. Ever since those innocent children were silenced, she hadn't been in good spirits. After arriving at the Ministry of Justice with Ying Jiuque, she realized she wasn't really of any use, so she hadn't slept much last night. Instead, she had wandered around the entire capital, eavesdropping on conversations from the rooftops of some adults' houses. In Cui Zhufeng's opinion, anyone staying up late was definitely guilty, especially if they were not only not sleeping but also discussing matters in their study—that only added to their guilt!

So she took it to heart, and that's when she noticed something amiss: those people were subtly referring to an account book. Although they were quite cautious in their speech, some words inevitably came up that sounded familiar to Cui Zhufeng, such as "Worry-Free Cave."

Cui Zhufeng found it strange and listened in. It turned out that the group, who had initially been discussing things amicably, were now fighting. Although they were just a group of civil officials, they fought with a ferocity that showed no regard for life or death. Before long, everyone was bleeding from head to toe, until finally a person completely wrapped in black cloth stopped the farce.

The man used some secret method to control his throat bones and change his voice. At this moment, his voice was hoarse and unpleasant, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he controlled everyone present.

"We're all in this together now. If this boat capsizes, no one can escape. Without the most important and direct evidence, what can Ying Jiuque do to us?"

"But I heard that His Majesty bestowed the God-Slaying Whip upon her..."

"So what? Without evidence, can she arrest people at will? Everyone should behave themselves for now and not cause any trouble that might attract attention. That woman won't be smug for long. Do you think the entire court will just sit idly by and let a woman trample on their heads? Besides, she even arrested the Third Prince. Isn't that a huge achievement enough for her to squander? The most important thing now is to keep things stable. Once we fall into chaos, then even a god can't save us!"

Those who were anxious finally had something to rely on, and began to worry about the safety of the ledger.

"There was never any ledger at all. In a business that carries such heavy ties, do we need to write down evidence? Where did this rumor about the ledger come from? Haven't you seen the ledger?"

"No, wasn't it said by the 'Three Dukes'?"

"Him? He's just a small fry. He probably said that to save his life. But don't you think about it? If he really had this ledger, why didn't he take it out before he was silenced? Even if he made some arrangements beforehand, he's already dead, and the ledger hasn't appeared."

That...that makes some sense, but it's still not entirely reassuring.

The man in black was getting impatient.

"Alright! Instead of worrying about that untraceable ledger, we should think about how to get that woman out of here. We can't let her continue to act so recklessly. How much money have we lost in just a few days? And they're pressuring us for help. Don't forget, this is just a small matter. At worst, we'll all go down together, and it'll just be our own deaths. But if what's going on over there is exposed, your entire families will probably meet again in the afterlife!"

"there?"

Hearing this, Ying Jiuque couldn't help but repeat the word. 'Over there'? Where is that? Why are these people using code names when they're discussing things amongst themselves? Can't they just say it openly so she can get some useful information?
However, at least we know from Mr. Yi that this group does indeed possess an account book. It's just that we don't know where the account book is now. If we could get our hands on it, wouldn't we be able to use it to track down and arrest everyone listed in it? It's a pity that even Mr. Yi doesn't know where the account book is…

but……

I glanced at Cui Zhufeng. Could this highly skilled martial artist have simply been eavesdropping on the conversation from the rooftop last night?
Thinking of this extraordinary skill, Jiuque perked up.

"Senior, did you hear where the ledger was last night?"

"No."

Cui Zhufeng shook his head honestly.

“They are extremely vigilant, and the vast majority of them have no idea whether there are any ledgers.”

"That's it..."

Ying Jiuque was somewhat disappointed and was about to say a few words of comfort when he was stunned by what she took out. Wait, this looks so much like…

"Ledger?"

Cui Zhufeng nodded regretfully.

“I left with that man in black last night and snatched it from him, but unfortunately, I looked at the ledger and it seems incomplete…”

In the end, she still couldn't help at all...

"No, no, no! This half-book is enough."

Ying Jiuque's eyes were practically sparkling. What does it mean to have a pillow delivered to someone who's sleepy? This is it! He thought today he'd only get information about the account book from Senior Cui, and that it would take some time to find it. He hadn't expected Senior Cui to be not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also incredibly efficient. Didn't he just find it directly?

After flipping through a few pages, Ying Jiuque was incredibly excited. This was like a godsend! It not only recorded the quantity of goods bought and sold, the buyers and sellers, but even which bank held the money from the transactions!

Isn't this proof that God has specially bestowed upon her as a sign of His favor?
Oh no, it's not because of divine favor, but because of Cui Zhufeng, the best in the world!
"Senior! You are truly my lucky star!"

Jiu Que praised Cui Zhufeng so much that he blushed.

(End of this chapter)