Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 94 Failure at the beginning
"Alright, it was just a few kicks, it won't kill you. Now go and investigate! Find out exactly what His Majesty is planning! If you still don't find anything, you can forget about your life!"

"Yes! I obey my orders!"

The subordinate wiped the blood from his face and carefully backed away from the door, keeping his head down the whole time, his expression unreadable.

###

Half a month later.

On the official road to Qianzhou, two green horse-drawn carriages swayed along. As the weather gradually warmed up, it seemed that they were feeling hot. A fair and slender hand brushed open the curtain of the first carriage, revealing a contented face.

The weather was perfect along the way, incredibly comfortable, and the further south they went, the more pleasant the temperature became. With friends by her side, Jiu Que treated the trip like a vacation. The only downside was the incredibly bumpy carriage ride. She had brought a few storybooks with her, but once she was actually in the carriage, she realized that if she could actually read the pages in this bumpy, jolting carriage, she would be a crack shot!

"The weather is getting nicer, but it's a bit hot... Chunyu, what do you think?"

Sitting on one side of the carriage, Chunyu Shuang opened her eyes and glanced at the leisurely Ying Jiuque, feeling extremely envious.

"How can you still sleep? That shady shop owner we ran into the night before last might have accomplices plotting to assassinate us..."

"Hey! What's there to be afraid of? Although the three of us aren't very strong, we have Brother Wei Yuan with us, so there's nothing to worry about."

Winking and making faces, Chunyu Shuang immediately realized that Ying Jiuque meant that the peerless martial arts master Cui was still there, so they didn't need to worry. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. Anyone would be terrified if they were almost chopped up and made into meat buns the night they stopped at an inn! And she actually ate a meat bun that day!

Although Xie Mingchen repeatedly assured her after checking that it was just an ordinary beef bun, Chunyu Shuang still felt nauseous. She vomited several times along the way and was only now feeling a little better.

but……

"Why does it feel like the closer we get to Qianzhou, the more dangerous the road becomes? When we first left Beijing, our journey was smooth, but in these five days, we've encountered two groups of bandits."

This shows that the prefect of Qianzhou did not have a good grasp of the situation within his territory. But strangely, the memorial sent from Qianzhou to the capital stated that apart from the collapse of the cinnabar mine a few years ago, everything else was fine, and there was no mention of the chaotic public security situation within Qianzhou.

If it were just a memorial from the prefect of Qianzhou, it wouldn't be a problem, but the fact that the censors stationed here all think this way means something is amiss.

The quality of governance in a region can be seen in the smallest details. With the constant emergence of bandits and thieves, coupled with the collapse of the cinnabar mine a few years ago, even before arriving in Qianzhou, Chunyu Shuang felt that something must have happened. Moreover, it was something that everyone, from top to bottom, was colluding with, something they dared not let His Majesty know.

As they were pondering, Wei Yuan, who was driving the carriage, suddenly reined in the horse, his face serious. Jiu Que was still leisurely catching up on her sleep when the carriage stopped abruptly, causing her to crash into the carriage wall and get a big bump on her forehead. But she didn't utter a sound, quickly pulling Chunyu Shuang down to crouch low, cautiously peeking out through the gap.

However, it was very quiet outside. Only their two carriages were traveling along the entire official road, and there wasn't a single person passing by. Could it be that Wei Yuan was too nervous? No, no, no. Although Wei Yuan had never been on a long mission, he had, after all, risen through the ranks of His Majesty's Golden Armor Guard. His skills were not to be underestimated. Even if he couldn't compare to Senior Cui in martial arts, he was quite outstanding in other aspects. His judgment couldn't possibly be wrong.

Sure enough, the next moment, a slight rustling sound came from the bushes on both sides of the road, and then dozens of sharp arrows shot out from the bushes.

Take care of yourself!

Wei Yuan gave a low order, then swung his longsword, cleaving the arrows in two with a few swift movements. However, immediately afterward, a large group of fully armed young men rushed out from both sides of the bushes, each wielding a gleaming weapon, and surrounded the two blue cloth carriages. It was currently the season for lush vegetation, especially the bushes along the official road, which had grown wildly without any maintenance. This was precisely why so many people could be ambushed in the bushes.

Wei Yuan was highly skilled in martial arts. He jumped out and cut down a large number of people in just a few moves. However, strangely, the remaining people not only did not feel fear, but instead charged forward with red eyes. Xie Mingchen peeked out and carefully examined these people who were not afraid of death, and quickly came to a conclusion.

"They've just consumed a large amount of pills, and they're currently in a state of heightened energy. They probably don't even feel the pain right now!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Yuan's heart sank. He didn't want to use assassins unless absolutely necessary, but the current situation left him no choice but to act.

A flash of cold light appeared on his longsword, and in no time, several lives were taken. It was at this moment that Ying Jiuque's shout rang out.

Why are you attacking us? If you want money, we are willing to give up our money to save our lives!

However, this most common excuse for robbery was not adopted! Those people were like they were on drugs, showing no fear even at the death of their companions. Jiu Que took a breath. In the past, the thieves he had encountered would be afraid, and upon realizing they were no match for him, they would either run away or kneel down and beg for mercy. But this group was a bit more difficult to deal with. If Jiu Que were to describe them, these people were more like legendary puppets, impervious to pain, the best expendable material. It seemed that the person behind them didn't care about the lives of these people at all, so even if they were all dead, the person behind them wouldn't intervene. They would only create more puppets to stop or kill them.

But here's the problem: Jiu Que knew very well that their trip was absolutely confidential, so what exactly did this group of people who suddenly appeared want to do?
Even more serious is the question: where did Senior Cui go?
This senior expert disliked associating with others and preferred a free and unrestrained life. Therefore, even when following Jiu Que, he rarely showed himself, only appearing to lend a hand at crucial moments. He even refused to ride in the same carriage as them, relying entirely on his own lightness skills and his own two feet to travel the entire journey.

This is certainly very free and powerful, but at this time, Jiuque really needs Senior Cui's help!

Just as Jiu Que had guessed, the next moment more people with numb expressions and slightly stiff limbs rushed out from the bushes and forests on both sides. They held paper packets in their hands, and when they rushed over, they scattered them with both hands, and a large amount of white dust was scattered into the air, gradually forming a fog. Even though the people quickly covered their mouths and noses, they still could not escape the fate of inhaling a mouthful.

No way, this is unsportsmanlike conduct! Who would use so much sleeping potion?!
This stuff is very potent. Jiu Que only accidentally inhaled a mouthful and immediately felt dizzy and lightheaded. The last thing he saw was Chunyu Shuang collapsing with a thud.

(End of this chapter)