Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 98 Silly Little Nine

"Oh? It's nothing, it's nothing. I just heard something."

"It's time to eat. Hurry up and don't get in their way, or I won't be able to save you."

"Yes."

Seemingly never having seen such a cooperative person before, Wang Mo paused in his movements, then impatiently placed the prepared steamed buns and rice dishes on a clean table, stood aside with his hands clasped, and quietly waited for the supervisors to come and eat.

Jiu Que looked around and saw that everyone else had hidden themselves in a corner, so he also found a secluded corner. The people who had been working in the distance stopped what they were doing and stood carefully in place, waiting for the overseers to pass by before swarming over to this side.

The women who had been hiding earlier now emerged from every corner, scooping food for each hungry person. The food looked unappetizing, but these laborers didn't even feel disgusted. At their point, as long as they could eat their fill, who cared what the food tasted like?
Meanwhile, the supervisors who were already sitting at the table eating glanced at the hungry crowd and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Look at them! They look like they haven't eaten in eight lifetimes. How can they eat this kind of pig swill?"

"Pig swill, my foot! The fact that they have anything to eat is already a great act of mercy on our part. They've started putting pebbles in the soup at the Third Mine, and no one's died from it, did they?"

"That's true. But our output here is quite high, so the higher-ups are very satisfied. They only give them this much to eat. If they don't have anything to eat, how can they mine for us?"

"That's true. The food today is quite good, and there are even meat buns. Madam Wang, your cooking skills are getting better and better."

Wang Mo stood to the side, smiling obsequiously.

"I'm glad you guys like it."

As Jiu Que served the workers their meals, she listened to the sounds coming from the other side. She was surrounded by eager eyes, and each bowl was only so big; even if she wanted to give them more soup, she couldn't. She recalled the time when they were building Mushroom Village, when every meal consisted of rice, meat, and plenty of salt. But now, the soup she served these workers was almost entirely water, with only a few scattered pieces of dough and wild vegetables, and even the seasoning was just some coarse salt. Jiu Que couldn't imagine what it would taste like, but the workers who had already received their food held their bowls carefully, drinking each sip cautiously.

Jiu Que sighed inwardly.

After distributing the food, Jiu Que was also quite tired, but she took the opportunity to count how many workers there were. The mine was large, but there were only a little over eight hundred people. This ratio would make the workers feel exhausted, but the overseers clearly didn't care. In other words, the owners behind the mine simply didn't care about the lives of these workers.

Thinking about the purpose of her trip, Jiu Que felt a headache coming on. She had originally intended to investigate the cinnabar mines in Qianzhou. But who would have thought that she would be thrown into a cinnabar mine before even setting foot in Quanzhou? That's right, everything mined from this mine was cinnabar.

Therefore, the so-called collapse of the cinnabar mine is clearly a lie.

Tsk, first they massively sold pills laced with high-grade cinnabar, then sold them at exorbitant prices after people became addicted. The cinnabar itself naturally fetched a good price. Such a meticulously planned and successfully executed scheme would require at least five years of planning. What exactly is the person behind this doing that requires so much money?
Moreover, this plan ruined the health of the wealthy, powerful, and court officials of the Great Jing Dynasty who were originally healthy, even making them vulnerable to manipulation due to the effects of those elixirs. What exactly was the purpose of doing this? It couldn't possibly be a rebellion, haha…

Hahaha?!

Could they really be planning a rebellion? The old emperor has done a pretty good job these past few years. Although there have been constant natural disasters and man-made calamities, he has been a relatively enlightened ruler. At least he is much better than the last emperor of the previous dynasty. He truly cared about the people, and that alone is enough to surpass the vast majority of emperors.

Who is behind this? What is their purpose? This is terrifying to think about. She needs to leave this place quickly and tell the old emperor everything so he can prepare. "Little Nine, come and eat."

After everyone had finished eating, the women invited Xiao Jiu to eat. When Wang Mo cooked for the overseers earlier, he had left some vegetables in the pot, worried that they wouldn't have enough to eat. However, there was enough food on the table for the overseers. So, when the food was served, the women could also have a little bit of meat.

Actually, given Jiu Que's love for delicious food, the meal Wang Mo prepared didn't meet her expectations at all. But who would complain about such things at a time like this? She had wanted to eat heartily and fit in. But once the food was in her mouth, she forgot everything and wolfed it down just like the other women around her.

It was at this moment that the overseers, who were resting at the table after eating and drinking their fill, noticed that there was one extra woman in the group, and that she looked rather withered.

Yes, the zombie team sent over a few people today, and this is probably one of them. Fewer and fewer people pass through Qianzhou in recent years; perhaps the reputation of being a one-way trip has scared away most merchants. They're quite interested in this rare, somewhat novel arrival.

"Hey, you new guy, come here."

Jiu Que swallowed the dry, hard cornbread in her mouth. At this moment, she dared not resist and could only walk over awkwardly, letting the overseers look her over.

"What's your name? Where are you from?"

Despite the malicious gazes, Jiu Que remained calm, though her face still betrayed her panic.

“I am from Qingzhou. My family suffered a disaster and we couldn’t survive there, so I came to stay with relatives. My name is Xiao Jiu. My mother said it means that I am the ninth child.”

"He doesn't seem very bright. Is he an idiot? Hey, Xiao Jiu, do you know where this is?"

"I know, I know."

"Then tell me, what place is this?"

"This is a place where you can get enough to eat."

The foremen, who had originally intended to tease her, were stunned for a moment. Combined with her thin and frail body, a whole series of scenarios were already playing out in their minds.

They exchanged glances, and one of the overseers was about to speak when he was stopped by a more taciturn man.

"Alright, what's the point of bullying a silly kid? We'll have to continue after we've rested enough; the higher-ups are demanding more cinnabar."

This statement successfully diverted the attention of the supervisors, who then began to hurl insults.

"Damn it! The current cinnabar production isn't enough?! Do we all have to go mining for it? Isn't cinnabar supposed to be poisonous? Who are they trying to poison by demanding so much cinnabar?"

(End of this chapter)