Ch. 211..215: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 211-215

Chapter 211: Chapter 211: Relying On (5)_1

When she learned that so many pine nuts on the mountain remained uneaten, she wanted to exploit the treasure trove of nuts in the mountains. Coupled with the various types of beans and seeds that grew well in the Northern Land, she had the drying machine and roasting machine designed and delivered to Tianji Building by Hei Yi in the summer.

Chu Suifeng did not disappoint her. All the machines she required had truly been made.

With these machines, a few days later, after she prepares the ingredients, the roasting workshop can start production.

Lin Ziyin could foresee the butterfly effect that roasting would bring to the Northern Land.

However, no matter what the consequences are, as long as it does not affect her business, she is indifferent. If that does not work, she also does not want to have a monopoly. If trouble arises, she does not mind giving some profits to Chu Suifeng.

As for Chu Suifeng, the big boss of the Northern Land, Lin Ziyin did not want to offend him.

"Prince asked me to tell the lady that if there is anything wrong with these machines, the lady can tell me. I will have someone improve it," Hei Yi said, admiring Lin Ziyin as she assembled the machines with her skilled hands doing men’s work so skillfully and lightly, as if the hands were alive.

"Thank you. We can only discover the shortcomings of the machines when they are put into production. If there is anything unsatisfactory at that time, I will let the manager inform you," Lin Ziyin thanked him with a smile and a nod.

"I just heard the villagers saying the lady is buying mountain fruits?" The manager, Hei, asked with a smile.

"Yes, I plan to open a roasting shop. There are many fruits on the prince’s mountain, sour fruits, pine nuts. As long as the quality is good, I’ll take them all", Lin Ziyin answered with a smile.

"There are indeed many fruits on the Prince’s mountain, I will send people to pick them upon returning," Manager Hei made a decision after asking about the price.

Three coins a pound for pine nuts, one coin a pound for sour fruits. Although the price is not high, the volume of these fruits on the mountain is large. Considering this, the income from harvesting in autumn would be no less than several thousand taels of silver.

The Northern Land is poor to start with, thus several thousand taels are welcome. It’s better to put idle pickpockets to use, giving them something to do, and justifying the food that is provided to them.

Lin Ziyin was bustling around at home while Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu who returned from outside in the morning ran into big trouble.

"Ziyin, it’s bad, there has been an incident." Lin Ziyin had assembled the machine and had someone try it out. After discovering some minor problems, she tidied up carefully before exiting the workshop.

Unexpectedly, just as she left the workshop, she saw a village housewife stumbling to deliver the news, "Changshu and Dayou are stuck at the village entrance and can’t leave."

Lin Ziyin was taken aback, who had the audacity to cause trouble at the village entrance?

"Do you know who caught them?" Lin Ziyin asked as she walked.

"The Yan family relatives. Aunt Hui and Old Lin have gone there too," the young wife gasped in response, "Almost everyone in the village has gone there."

"What happened?" Lin Ziyin asked as she walked.

Jue Xin and Jue Ming and a few others follow close behind her carefully, fearing that she would be bullied when she reached the village entrance.

Younger maid Yu Qiaqiao also kept close by to her.

"Yan’s brother is a gambler and he has run up huge debts. His wife worried that he would sell their two daughters, so she sent them to the Ma family for shelter. The girls went home on the Mid-Autumn Festival, planning to return to the Ma family after the holiday. However, they did not expect that their useless father has locked them in and won’t let them leave." Seeing Lin Ziyin showing interest, the housewife who came to report the news eagerly told her everything she knew.

 

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Relying On (6)_1

Seeing that she had not gotten to the point after talking for so long, Lin Ziyin grew anxious, but her face revealed nothing of her impatience. She guessed that the trouble involving Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou must be related to Miss Yan of the Yan family. Considering the demeanor of the Yan family, she furrowed her brow slightly. Then thinking about Ma Zhicai’s scheme against Lin Zige, she felt an intense dislike for the Ma Family.

"Somehow, those sisters returned sitting on your Lin family’s bullock cart. But just as they got to the village entrance, the Yan Family came after them with the gamblers’ crew. The Yan Family reversed the charges, claiming that their own innocent daughters were with Wu Dayou and a few men. They accused your family and demanded five hundred taels of silver. Brother Changshu and Wu Dayou refused and started arguing at the entrance of the village. The sisters, being bold, said they didn’t want to cause trouble for them, and in their desperation, they jumped into the river." The young wife paused for a moment, stealing a glance at Lin Ziyin to gauge her reaction.

Lin Ziyin laughed coldly in her heart, her face turning even calmer.

What a coincidence that just as the Lin Family’s bullock cart returned to the village entrance, the Yan Family arrived with their posse.

Also, she had to find out how the sisters managed to get onto the Lin family’s bullock cart.

"Did they die?" Seeing the young wife’s reaction, Lin Ziyin asked coldly.

The young wife jumped at the question. Who reacts like this? When hearing about people jumping into a river, you would normally ask about the process, or how the people were doing, not bluntly ask if they were dead. Was she cursing them? But not wanting to risk losing her job with the Lin family, the young wife decided not to take the issue seriously with Lin Ziyin.

"They didn’t die, Brother Changshu and Wu Dayou jumped into the river and saved them," she answered.

"Didn’t any of the Lin family’s servants jump in to save them?" Lin Ziyin’s voice throbbed with barely veiled wrath. When Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou left running an errand, several skilled servants acquainted with martial arts had gone with them.

Even if someone had to dive into the river to save those girls, it wasn’t supposed to be done by their masters, was it?

"They didn’t have the leisure to save those who fell into the river. When the Yan Family saw the girls jumping in, not only did they not save them, but they also brought along the gamblers to fight with Wu Dayou. Both sides began to fight. Wu Dayou and Brother Changshu had no choice but to jump into the river to save them. There were others who jumped in as well, but they were definitely the first ones to rescue the girls." The young wife answered cautiously, intimidated by Lin Ziyin’s stone-cold composure.

Lin Ziyin thought for a moment and realized that the laborers in the village must have gone to the mountains to collect fruit.

Those who stayed behind in the village were mostly the elderly and children, who definitely couldn’t help in the rescue.

After hearing the young wife’s account, Lin Ziyin basically had an idea of what was going on. She suspected that Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu had been framed by the Yan Family.

Perhaps, the Ma family also had a hand in this.

However, these were just suspicions, to find out what exactly happened, she had to see the scene for herself.

The Lin family’s workshop was nearby, at a slight distance from the village. As Lin Ziyin hastened her steps and arrived at the village entrance, she found that quite a crowd had gathered. Among them were some who were carrying bags, who seemed to have just returned from the mountains.

"You touched my girls and saw their bodies—You have to marry them!" A man with droopy eyes fingered Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou, shouting bitterly.

"What misfortune is this!" Mrs. Yan held one of her daughters sitting on the ground, crying, "Given that one of them is already married and the other engaged, what will happen to my poor daughters?"

"What does it matter if they are married or engaged? Are we to let my daughters’ honor for nothing?" The man was relentless, "The marriage should be annulled and the engagement should be broken. If not, I will bring this matter to the government offices."

 

Chapter 213: Chapter 213: Relying On (7)_1

"Indeed, go ahead and sue." Several ruffian-looking men leered at the weeping sisters on the ground. It was a hot noon during an autumn day, and the sisters were lightly dressed. Their bodies were drenched and their youthful curves were on full display.

The eyes of almost all the men in the crowd were glued on the Yan sisters.

Yan Yun and Yan Liu huddled together, crying so hard that they could barely catch their breath.

"Father, we’d rather die than let them be accused. What are you forcing them for?" Yan Yun pleaded through her tears.

"Father, they have nothing to do with us." Yan Liu also seemed to have a sense of integrity.

"Did you hear that? My brother, Dayou, has absolutely nothing to do with them." Lin Zige was about to explode in anger. He had seen shameless people before but had never seen such audacity. His brother and fiancé were being wrongfully accused of taking advantage of the girls just because they had rescued them.

"What they said doesn’t count." Yan Daniu glared, "Could it be that you two have had a clandestine relationship with the two dead girls, and that’s why the girls are defending you?"

Yan Daniu was doing everything he could to get himself into the Lin Family.

"You tell your aunt, is it true what your father is saying?" Mrs. Yan snuck a glance at Lin Ziyin.

She noticed Lin Ziyin standing expressionlessly in the crowd, and she sneered, echoing Yan Daniu’s question, "No wonder you were riding in their oxcart when you came back."

"Aunt." Yan Yun was crying so hard that she didn’t seem to hear Mrs. Yan’s words at all, and offered no explanation.

"So that’s how it is." Yan Daniu appeared even more smug, as if he had caught hold of Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou’s secret.

"What’s going on?" Lin Zige looked at Wu Dayou in confusion, then at Lin Changshu.

"No, Zige, don’t listen to their nonsense." Wu Dayou was so anxious he broke into a sweat, fearing that Lin Zige would misunderstand.

"What do you mean ’no’? You mean to tell me you two grown men decided to embarrass these two young ladies without considering the consequences?" A thuggish man eyed mischievously the Yan sisters on the ground, then cast an indecent look at Lin Changshu.

"On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, our carriage didn’t only carry the two of them. If it weren’t for the fact they were guests in the village, we wouldn’t have bothered in the first place." Lin Changshu regretted his foolish action to get involved. Not only did the incident cause trouble, it also made his family worry.

He glanced guiltily at his wife, Guo Huiniang.

Guo Huiniang was both worried and infuriated by Yan Daniu’s shameless behavior. She had spotted Ziyin, but as he hadn’t come forward to take charge, she didn’t want to force him into the situation.

"Right, I was in the carriage that day." A man stepped forward to testify. "My wife was there too."

As soon as he spoke, several others came forward to testify for the Lin Family.

Lin Changshu’s frantic worries finally subsided a bit.

"I don’t care how many people were in your carriage. Today, if you don’t give us an explanation, we’re going to sue." Yan Daniu was prepared to take the risk, "Even if the Lin Family knows people in the government offices, it doesn’t excuse you from tarnishing the reputation of our daughters."

Who was the real shameless one here? Lin Zige and the others were almost fuming at his reverse-charge tactics.

"If you want to sue, then sue. Everyone here can bear witness that we jumped into the river to save lives." Wu Dayou angrily retorted.

As soon as Yan Yun and Yan Liu heard this, they resumed crying loudly.

"Elder Brother Lin, I’m willing to become your concubine." Yan Liu, who had been rescued by Lin Changshu, suddenly rushed over and knelt before him.

Lin Changshu was taken aback.

Guo Huiniang nearly fainted when she heard this. Seeing Lin Changshu’s stunned expression, her eyes welled with tears. Now that things at home were finally going well, was her husband considering taking a concubine like wealthy men did? However, she quickly shook off the thought, knowing Lin Changshu was not that kind of man.

While she was clear-headed, her mind felt heavy and conflicted.

"Brother." Lin Zige gasped in surprise. Then she showed her dissatisfaction towards Yan Liu, "Don’t make a fool of yourself. I won’t accept allowing a fox-like woman like her into the Lin Family. I only recognize my sister-in-law."

"What are you talking about? What kind of person do you think your brother is?" Lin Changshu glared at Zige, then glanced at Guo Huiniang, "Miss Yan, I saved you out of necessity. I believe if it hadn’t been me, anyone from our village would have done the same and not let a life be lost."

In the end, he looked at Yan Liu as he said these words slowly and clearly.

"I understand that my request is a bit too much, but although you saved me, you’ve also ruined me." Yan Liu covered her face and cried softly.

"Brother Wu, I’m willing to be your concubine too. If you don’t accept me, I have no choice but to die." Suddenly, Yan Yun seemed to lose her sanity and knelt before Wu Dayou, knocking her head against the ground as she pleaded.

The sight of the two beautiful girls begging like this drove many village people to tears. After all, Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou had touched the girls’ bodies and so the girls’ reputation was gone.

If Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou were to take them as concubines, it would in fact be a wonderful thing. Some people were even envious of Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou’s luck, but no one considered the feelings of Zige and Guo Huiniang.

Chapter 214: Chapter 214 Undriven (1)_1

"Go ahead and kill yourselves then. I guarantee they won’t be fishing you out of the river this time." Lin Ziyin finally saw through the Yan Family’s true colors. Since they had no shame, she had no need to show them any mercy.

Yan Yun and Yan Liu were stunned by her words, even forgetting to cry. The sisters dumbly watched a sharp young girl in neat attire stride out from the crowd, at a loss about how to react.

"What did you just say, you brat?" Yan Daniu didn’t recognise Lin Ziyin. Seeing her jeopardise the Yan Family’s plans, he immediately regarded her as an enemy.

The folks in the gambling house were sizing up Lin Ziyin. The girl was pretty with sparkly eyes, clever-looking, but hardly intimidating. However, the sight of the few men behind Lin Ziyin made them step away from Yan Daniu.

The regulars in the gambling house were quick at reading people. Seeing Jue Ming and his companions, they knew they were experienced martial artists, and of an intimidating kind at that.

They were only there to collect Yan Daniu’s gambling debt, not to pick a fight for the Yan Family. So, they chose not to upset the other party.

"What did you say? Under the clear blue sky, are you trying to push people to their deaths?" Yan Daniu glared ferociously at Lin Ziyin.

Lin Changshu stepped next to Lin Ziyin protectively. "I’m sorry, sister."

"You’re his sister?" Yan Daniu perked up. He had heard from his sister, Yan Family’s mother, that the most formidable person in the Lin Family was this young girl, with all the wealth in her hands. If he could intimidate her, would he still have to worry about his gambling debt? "Perfect timing. I hear you’ve got quite a fortune in your hands. You also run Lin house affairs. We can discuss the marriage dowry right here. It’s unacceptable to make my daughter a concubine, she shall join your family as a principal wife."

On hearing her father only caring about her younger sister’s marriage and ignoring hers, Yan Yun became frantic. In her anxiety, her crying got louder.

Yan Daniu glanced at her older daughter and continued, "As for the one ready to play sisters with your sibling, you better be prepared to see those two rascals rot in jail."

With that, he burst out laughing arrogantly.

"Go ahead and report it, I’m not scared." Wu Dayou tried to attack again and was quickly held back by others.

"Give it up, if you want to lodge a complaint, go right ahead. The villagers are watching. We were just rescuing them, we had no other intentions." Lin Changshu retorted defiantly.

Guo Huiniang and Lin Zige felt helpless against the Yan Family’s antics and their hearts were in turmoil.

"I’d rather die." Yan Yun’s sobbing intensified.

Meanwhile, Yan Liu got up from the ground, ready to jump into the river again.

Of course, Yan Family’s mother wouldn’t let her jump right back in. She clung onto her daughter tightly, but her eyes were locked onto Lin Ziyin, "Lin Ziyin, I know you misunderstand the Ma Family, but my daughters are innocent. Would you really sit back and watch them die? Even if Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou were rescuing them, the girls’ reputation is already gone. So, you..."

"What do their suicidal intentions have to do with my family? It can’t be that after my brother and brother-in-law save them, they are expected to maintain them for life, right? What if every shameless woman they see on the street starts undressing in front of them? Are we to let my sister-in-law and sister rake in sisters from all over? Besides, they may not care, but I do. I can’t stand the sight of these shameless women around me all the time. Might make me puke." Lin Ziyin interrupted, not letting her finish.

Chapter 215: Chapter 215 Undriven (2)_1

Yan Family’s matriarch was choked by her words, reaffirming that Lin Ziyin was truly a tough nut to crack.

"Sister-in-law, brother, let’s go home. If they want to die, let them die. If they want to go to the government offices to file a complaint, let them do so. We have lunch waiting at home, and we have work to do this afternoon," Lin Ziyin told her family.

"Let’s go home." The old man nodded in satisfaction, shot a penetrating gaze at the Yan Family matriarch, and then turned around to walk off with his hands behind his back.

"Don’t you dare leave." Yan Daniu, seeing Lin Ziyin’s disregard for everyone, was livid, and attempted to charge at Lin Changshu.

"Fight back if they rob without cause, just don’t kill them," Lin Ziyin ordered Jue Ming and the others as she turned her head.

Upon hearing her command, Jue Ming and the others started to ready themselves.

"Oh dear, they’re going to kill someone. Does the Lin Family even abide by the law? Oh, heavens!" Yan Daniu may have been a scoundrel, but he wasn’t stupid. He saw the major players in the gambling house retreat and deduced that the Lin Family’s servants were not to be trifled with. Hence, when he saw Jue Ming and the others menacingly approaching him, he immediately began to cry out loudly.

"The law is enforced in the government offices, not by your words. If you don’t agree, you are more than welcome to take it up with the officials," Lin Ziyin sneered while watching Yan Daniu ranting all by himself.

"Lin Ziyin, how can you be so cold-blooded?" Yan Family’s matriarch glared at her in resentment.

"Well said," a poignant voice echoed from the crowd, before Lin Ziyin could rebut.

Everyone turned towards the voice and saw a group of people. The voice belonged to a sassy young girl. She was dressed in a bright red dress overlaid with a white gauze, with a shiny Kingfisher Gold Hairpin adorned with a striking Big Pearl in her long black hair that reached her waist. The girl had a beautiful peach-like face, delicate brows, and expressive eyes that seemed to exude an enticing charm.

Being a small rural village, the inhabitants of Shili Village had never seen such a beautiful girl before, and they were momentarily stunned.

The woman standing side by side with her wore a Peony Green Smoke Scarf and a dragging pink skirt with scattered green leaves. The woman’s serene and magnificent demeanor made her appear affluent, but her eyes were extremely sharp, causing many villagers to avert her gaze and lower their heads.

The maids surrounding the two women were all dressed in top-quality satin robes. It was evident that these two women came from affluent families.

The outermost layer was made up of a few guards with swords. The sharp and dismissive gaze of these guards made the villagers feel suppressed, causing them to continually retreat backwards.

"We have heard about the situation. This young lady, as the saying goes, saving a life is more meritorious than making a seven-layered pagoda. If your brother saved someone’s life, how can he bear to tarnish their reputation and cause two deaths?" The lady standing beside the young girl asked Lin Ziyin with a smirk.

Upon seeing the two women, Lin Ziyin sneered inwardly. It seemed that she had run into some old acquaintances who were always looking for trouble with her for some unfathomable reasons.

"May I ask this lady, which is more important, reputation or life?" Lin Ziyin reined her steps back and asked.

"Reputation is of course more important," the young girl snickered and answered before Lin Ziyin could, spite clearly visible in her eyes when she looked at Lin Ziyin.

Lin Ziyin was taken aback, it seemed she didn’t have any conflict with this girl. If there was any, it was because they provoked her first. So why did this girl look at her with such malice?