Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 69 What exactly are you after?
The next moment, everyone saw Ying Jiuque raise the God-Slaying Whip and tap the Taihu stones in the lake.

"I've heard that Taihu stones are highly regarded among scholars and literati for their rugged shapes. However, Taihu Lake is too far from here, and each Taihu stone transported to the capital is worth a thousand gold pieces. Lord Zhang, I remember you are only a fourth-rank official. Even if you didn't eat or drink for ten years, you still couldn't afford a single Taihu stone. But there must be far more than ten Taihu stones in this small lake, right? May I ask where you got the money to buy these Taihu stones worth a thousand gold pieces?"

Zhang Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought the woman had discovered something, but it turned out she was just trying to use this excuse to coerce or entice him. He didn't even consider that he was, after all, a wealthy landowner; how could he possibly be lured out of his real reason by such simple rhetoric?
He straightened up, looking down at Ying Jiuque with an air of superiority, thinking women were foolish. Even with great power, they would ultimately resort to such petty tricks.

"Where my family's money comes from is none of your business, is it? It's the accumulation of my ancestors. Our family has always been like this, we don't need to live on a salary. My Zhang family is not very capable, but we have been in the capital for five generations. Each generation of ancestors left behind some wealth, and it has accumulated over the generations. However, I'm afraid you wouldn't understand if I explained it to you. After all, a woman can't control the family's finances, and I've heard that Minister Lin doesn't value you as his daughter. Minister Lin and I are friends, so today I'll act as an elder and give you a piece of advice. It's best for a woman to be gentle and manage the household well. You are already eighteen years old, which is considered an older woman. If you continue to be so arrogant and domineering, no young and handsome man will be willing to marry you."

"..."

Chunyu Shuang couldn't bear to look directly at him and turned her face away. She simply couldn't imagine where this Lord Zhang got the confidence to speak to Lord Ying in such a tone when his entire family had been arrested. Was it just because of his supposed little friendship with Lin Shilang? Putting aside whether this friendship was real or not, even if they did have a friendship, she couldn't see any affection or admiration from Lord Ying for Lin Shilang. After all, since being granted the title of county princess and official rank, Lord Ying seemed to have never returned to the Lin family.

Using such reasons to persuade Lord Ying, and saying that a woman should be gentle and demure, isn't that just adding fuel to the fire?

As expected, Ying Jiuque gave Lord Zhang a look that was neither a smile nor a frown.

"What kind of relationship you have with my father is none of my business, but Lord Zhang, are you sure you're not going to tell me?"

Zhang Yuan remained stubborn, believing he had nothing to explain. Ying Jiuque didn't waste words with him, but bent down, picked up a stone from the ground, weighed it in his hand to determine its weight, and then threw it hard. Everyone heard a sharp explosion, followed by a loud crash.

A huge plume of smoke filled the air, forcing everyone to close their eyes temporarily. When they opened them again, everyone wore expressions of surprise.

Because the Taihu stones in the lake, some in clusters, others standing alone, suddenly collapsed. But instead of shattering upon impact, they chipped away the surface layers, revealing a golden interior in the sunlight. Wait, these aren't Taihu stones? What's inside...?

Gold? !
"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Ying Jiuque fanned away the dust that had run into him, his expression one of utter surprise.

"Lord Zhang, why did you hide your gold inside a Taihu stone? Isn't it easy to hide it in a money exchange or bank? Or is there something you're trying to hide your gold from the public? You don't need to be so careful, after all, you'll have to take it out eventually, won't you?"

"You! You brat! This is my family's wealth, why should I take it out? Besides, this is my family's gold, I can hide it wherever I want, what does it have to do with you? On the contrary, you exposed the location of my family's gold hiding place, if even an ounce or two is lost, it's all your responsibility!"

"Don't say that. He couldn't possibly lose just a tael or two, because all this gold would be taken away." Ying Jiuque's expression grew colder and colder.

"You know your family has been officials for generations, born into a position of power, yet instead of standing up for the people, you collude with evildoers and sell human beings! Is this how you conduct yourself as an official?! Don't you feel any remorse spending the money you get from human trafficking? Those abducted people are separated from their families, their lives hanging in the balance, while you lie on their blood and tears, enjoying wealth and luxury. Is this your way of being an official?"

"You yourself have wives, concubines, and children. How would you feel if your own wives, concubines, and children were kidnapped and sold to others for humiliation?! As the sages said, 'Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you.' You have been an official for so many years, and you have read so many books of sages and worthies. Have you read them all in vain?! Did you think about how to kidnap people and how to profit from their flesh and blood when you first became an official?"

"..."

Lord Zhang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly felt somewhat exhausted. The incredulous expressions of his wives, concubines, and children around him made him feel even more ashamed, but after a moment he straightened up again.

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not in the same boat. Do you think being an official is easy? In this bureaucracy, every official protects each other. If you don't join them, you'll be brought down. I studied hard for so many years, and only managed to become a minor fourth-rank official thanks to my family's connections. If I'm brought down, what will my parents, wife, and children think of me? How will my political enemies treat me, a man surnamed Zhang? I'm just trying to protect myself. You think you can remain innocent when you're in this filth?"

"Ying Jiuque, I know you are very capable, but no matter how capable you are, you are still just one person. Can you resist the countless people in the court? Right now, His Majesty needs you, and you are a rare female official in the court. But once the cunning rabbit dies, the hunting dog is cooked. His Majesty cannot fight against the entire court. Who do you think will be thrown out to appease the public's anger?"

"You've worked so hard to stand against everyone and haven't gained anything. I'm really curious, what is it all for? You could have been a noble lady from a wealthy family, with no worries about food or drink, and without having to worry about outside troubles. Why do you have to become the target of everyone's criticism? Don't you know that you might die?"

Ying Jiuque listened quietly to the other person's long speech without interrupting. Under the bright sunlight, Ying Jiuque looked up at the sky, found it a bit dazzling, and squinted slightly.

Silence reigned all around, and even the Zhang family members who had been sobbing stopped crying.

why?

Perhaps in this world, these officials are used to being high and mighty. The ordinary people beneath their feet are nothing more than roadside weeds, easily climbed. But in the world she came from, although there were its own problems, she still vividly remembers that ubiquitous slogan.

The interests of the people are paramount.

(End of this chapter)