Ch. 366..370: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 366-370

Chapter 366: Chapter 366: Prosperity (6)_1

Upon hearing the State Preceptor’s proposition, Alhatu began to bitterly smile to himself. It was within expectations that the State Preceptor would support the Eldest Prince, since he was the prince’s mentor, and the Emperor had great trust in him.

"The climate in the Northern Land is not suitable for farming. Losing the support of the Imperial Court, on top of provoking the aristocrats of Feng City, Chu Suifeng will inevitably reap the consequences by autumn. The aristocrats of the Northern Land are true locals; how could they sit back and let Chu Suifeng have his way? Their current inaction is surely a precursor to striking Chu Suifeng when the time is right. I’ve been training the Fire Bull Formation, which is starting to show promise. Come winter, we can attack Border City, and Chu Suifeng with his internal worries of the aristocrats and external threats from our North Country’s warriors, will certainly have his hands full. Once the Northern Land is captured, the Khan’s army can easily march southward; Daqin will have no choice but to pay tribute to us."

"State Preceptor, what should we do if Changchun Country takes advantage of our absence and makes a surprise attack?" Alhatu asked coldly.

"The second prince is overthinking." The State Preceptor sneered, "Changchun Country is not that strong; they are good at naval warfare, yet they’ve been quiet during all these years without causing any conflicts with us. Moreover, with the arrival of the winter months and its freezing waters, how would they mobilize an attack?"

The Khan nodded, finding the State Preceptor’s analysis reasonable. Changchun Country, over the years, had kept to themselves and had never provoked any conflicts with the North Country. Furthermore, Changchun Country’s expertise in naval warfare does not suggest any provocations in winter.

"Why has my younger brother become so timid? You’re not acting like a North Country warrior at all," the Eldest Prince sneered at Alhatu.

Seeing the two princes squabble, the Court Officials wisely kept silent. Yet, many of them looked at Alhatu with mild disdain.

Alhatu bitterly smiled inwardly. The North Country greatly worshipped military strength; his indirect approach to saving the country was not accepted by the Court Officials. Under Chu Suifeng’s administration, although the Northern Land was not impregnable, it was solidly defended. In addition, Chu Suifeng was highly favored by the military; it was virtually impossible to capture the Northern Land quickly. Ever since Chu Suifeng gained military power as a child, he displayed outstanding military talent. The North Country’s many years of raids hardly took any advantage and instead, due to their annual warfare, the North Country’s people found it hard to make a living.

However, the Eldest Prince, the State Preceptor, and others disregarded the people’s hardship and blamed it all on Chu Suifeng. What use was his single voice of advice?

Even though there were now those who supported him in the court, the majority of those who held military power sided with the Eldest Prince. He felt so helpless!

With the arrival of May, the warmth of the southern spring was generously bestowed upon the Northern Land. The weather in the Northern Land warmed up, and the beans and corn planted in April had already sprouted, neatly lining up and filling people’s hearts with joy when they looked at it.

Most of the newly cultivated land in Lin Ziyin’s control was planted with beans and corn. By May, the focus shifted towards planting a lot of sweet beets, vegetables and especially tomatoes and chilies on the newly cultivated land; potatoes were also planted on a large scale.

"Everyone, pay attention to how this is done," Lin Ziyin instructed the villagers on how to plant as he stood in the field.

The rice seedlings cultivated at the end of March had already grown palm-length, appearing very tender.

"You need to plant six rows in a meter, introducing two to three plants in each spot, but don’t plant them too deep." Lin Ziyin stayed on the bund guiding the villagers for a while, then instructed them to watch as the others continued to plant the seeds.

Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Prosperity (7)_1

"They’re planted in rows."

"Indeed."

"It has been one and a half months since planting, there should be a harvest soon."

"Look, the machinery is getting back into the fields." Manual labor was in full swing here, and the rice transplanting machines were busy on the other side. The villagers watched as the machines went about their work, leaving behind a verdant landscape. They watched enviously.

"Master, it would be great if you could produce a few more machines."

"Indeed."

Everyone was watching eagerly.

"Hurry up with your work, let’s try to finish early," Lou Zheng shouted. Since April, the Lin Family had given everyone leave to unseal the wasteland for cultivation. Due to the recent surge in demand, the products manufactured in the Lin Family’s workshops has been insufficient for their sales, and new orders have been piling up. Lou Zheng worried that if this situation continued, the Lin Family might need to hire more workers.

If more people were hired, they would lose their jobs and many of them would certainly cry.

That being said, many shrewd villagers thought of this, which is why most villagers had asked their relatives and friends for assistance when it was time to plant rice.

These outsiders, upon seeing the transformation of Shili Village over the past year, were green with envy. Some residents of neighboring villages even requested their relatives living in Shili Village to ask if they could also come to the workshop for work.

However, the Lin Family categorically declined all of them.

Left with no choice, these people resorted to hoping they could work in the fields. After giving it some thought, Lin Ziyin took in a few honest farmers as long-term workers.

Fortunately, the Lin Family was benevolent. Even those who only came to work long-term, tending to the crops, received decent wages. Their children were also allowed to attend the private school.

Villagers from neighboring villages vied fiercely with each other for the chance to work, employing every means at their disposal, such as asking for favors through their connections or making a self-recommendation. After Cui Da and others scrutinized a few people, they selected a dozen or so workers.

By mid-May, surrounding areas of Shili Village and Ding’an Temple, as well as Chu Suifeng’s farm, were brightly green.

Finally, the rice transplantation season was over, and work in the workshops gradually returned to normal.

"Bah, I can’t wait to see them fail." Mrs. Yan spat towards the black soil. "The Northern Land has never grown rice well. I look forward to seeing the Lin Family lose and everyone crying with them."

"Hold your tongue." Mr. Ma shot her a glare. "In the next few days, Zhicai will need Lou Zheng’s signature for the evaluation. Behave yourself. If your nonsense affects Zhicai, I will skin you alive."

"I have the decency, and I don’t go gossiping about it." Mrs. Yan muttered, and then saw Ma Youcai, who had just been released from prison. Her resentment flared up again.

Ma Youcai had spent over five months in prison, and judging by his emaciation, he had suffered a lot. Upon his return, Mrs. Yan cursed at the Lin Family many times in secret.

Since being released, Ma Youcai had been holed up at home, barely ventured outside. He plunged into bed early every night, and only showed aggression at meal times, scrambling for food with anyone, including Mrs. Yan and even the two children from the Ma Xincai’s family.

No one in the Ma family knew how to handle Ma Youcai’s ill-mannered behavior. In spite of Ma Zhicai’s reproof, Ma Youcai was relentless in his ways.

Feeling stifled by Ma Youcai’s situation, Ma Zhicai started packing for the city ahead of the exam. "Father, I will stay at an inn in the city to avoid the rush when it’s time for the exams."

"Why find a separate place? You can share a room with your father," suggested Mrs. Yan.

"Father’s place is far too small, and there’s constant coming and going. It wouldn’t be conducive to my studies," Ma Zhicai objected.

"Zhicai is right. He needs a quiet place for studying. There are many scholars staying at the city inn. It would be beneficial for him to interact with them," Mr. Ma supported his son.

Hearing this, Mrs. Yan did not dare to object further, even though the idea pained her to part with the money. But then again, if her son was successful in the exams, she would finally be able to hold her head high. Having realized this, she eagerly helped Ma Zhicai pack.

Ma Xincai also wished for his brother to succeed, so when he saw Ma Zhicai ready to leave, he smiled and gave him a few words of advice, "Zhicai, study hard. You’re smart, I believe you can pass the examinations."

Looking down on his older brother who could only toil in the fields, Ma Zhicai merely let out a cold snort in response to his well-wishes.

Seeing Ma Zhicai’s arrogant behavior, his sister-in-law, Mrs. Huang, grew upset. If Ma Zhicai passed the examination, would he even spare them a thought? Her enthusiasm for his success faded at this point.

"Start adding green fertilizer immediately." Seven to eight days later, the rice fields of Shili Village were teeming with life. Lin Ziyin inspected the seedlings in the fields and immediately ordered the long-term workers and servants to fertilize them.

Farmyard manure was different from chemical fertilizer. If too little was used, it was certainly not ideal.

Luckily, the land was fertile, and they had already added base fertilizer when ploughing. This time, they didn’t need too much green fertilizer to support the seedlings’ growth.

Initially, the villagers were skeptical about Lin Ziyin’s method of planting rice. But a month later, upon seeing the growth of the rice plants in the fields, they were thoroughly convinced. Judging by the seedlings, they were surely looking forward to a bumper harvest this year.

Chapter 368: Chapter 368: King Ling Takes Action (1)_1

Chu Suifeng, being a gambler, was naturally very concerned about the crops in the fields. Regardless of how busy he was at his residence, he would invariably visit Lin Ziyin in Shili Village every few days. This abnormal frequency of coming and going caused quite a stir among the aristocratic families of Feng City.

"That shameless wretch, I want to kill her." Li Yanran had been grounded. When the New Year approached, she was released. Elated, her first thought was to take advantage of the New Year’s festivities and go to the Prince’s Residence to cultivate her relationship with Chu Suifeng. Alternatively, she could spend some time alone with him when he came to pay his respects to the older generation for the New Year.

But she never saw it coming that before she could act on her intentions, her father, Marquis Li, imposed another banning order. This time it was a residence-wide ban. Not only was she, as the daughter, not allowed to go out casually, but even her mother and others from the Mu Family were not allowed to leave the residence easily.

Li Yanran was extremely disappointed. She could only pin her final hopes on Chu Suifeng visiting for the New Year’s greetings. Sadly, even this little wish was not fulfilled. Chu Suifeng did arrive during the New Year, but before she could approach him, he left gifts, had a brief private conversation with the old lady, and then left. He even hastily greeted his uncle, her father. Not to mention her, his cousin, they didn’t even get a chance to speak at all.

What slightly comforted Li Yanran was that Chu Suifeng had not forgotten to prepare a New Year’s gift for her. Seeing the pearl necklace in the jewellery box, Li Yanran felt that she still had a place in Chu Suifeng’s heart.

The reason Chu Suifeng was so hasty was surely as the family elders said - as the Prince, he was doing important things and did not have too much time to waste on matters of love.

Although Li Yanran felt unsatisfied, she was also able to understand Chu Suifeng’s difficulties.

But what was the gossip from outside about? Lin Ziyin, Lin Ziyin, always that wretched woman Lin Ziyin! All the nobles of entire Feng City knew that the Prince behaved differently towards that woman named Lin Ziyin. Even when the Prince was busy, he would inevitably return to Shili Village every now and then, even during the New Year. The gifts that the Prince’s Residence sent to Shili Village during the New Year were many times more than those sent to the Li Residence.

Could the Prince really be falling for Lin Ziyin? This realization almost drove Li Yanran mad.

No, Chu Suifeng’s queen must be her, Li Yanran. No one could steal him away. Whoever dared to stand in her way would not live.

"I am going to kill that wretched woman Lin Ziyin!" The more Li Yanran thought, the more hateful she became, and with a gloomy face, she went to look for her father, Marquis Li. "Father, are you just going to stand by and watch cousin marry that wretch? If I don’t get into the royal residence, will the Prince still care for the Li Family in the future?"

"What’s the rush?" Marquis Li reprimanded his daughter, "These are troublesome times. The Prince frequently goes to Shili Village for a reason. He may love talent, but it doesn’t necessarily mean he pities beauty. And what does that Lin Ziyin, lacking in looks and family background, have to win the Prince’s heart?"

"But..." Li Yanran was not resigned.

"What do you know?" Marquis Li continued to scold his own daughter," A person accomplishing great things wouldn’t mind small details. The Prince’s new law has just been enacted, and who knows how many people are watching him. Under these circumstances, the Prince naturally takes agriculture seriously. This woman named Lin, if nothing else, does have some skills in farming. The Prince is just placing his bets on her farming skills."

"What if they fall in love over time?" Li Yanran had her own thoughts.

"Let’s take a step back, even if the Prince wants to marry that peasant girl, can you stop him?" Marquis Li was also somewhat anxious in his heart. Chu Suifeng’s attitude towards the Li Residence was becoming increasingly distant. If this carried on for a long time and there were no significant breakthroughs, he feared that once the old lady passed away, Chu Suifeng would completely abandon the Li Family.

Chapter 369: Chapter 369: King Ling Takes Action (2)_1

The most pressing matter was to marry Li Yanran into the Wang Residence. With the added affection between relatives, Chu Suifeng would not mistreat Li Yanran, the granddaughter of the old lady, out of respect for her.

Even though Marquis Li spoke such pleasing words, since deep down he still felt uneasy. The emergence of Lin Ziyin clouded his judgment about whether it was good or bad.

"How long will my cousin remember that witch once she’s gone?" Li Yanran upgraded Lin Ziyin from a cheap girl to a witch, discussing her murder without even blinking.

Marquis Li was very satisfied with his daughter’s stern attitude. If Li Yanran became the lady of the Ling Wang Residence in the future, she would need this kind of toughness. But concerning Li Yanran’s wisdom, Marquis Li felt a bit of a headache, "What type of person is the Prince? If anyone dared to hurt someone he cares about, Chu Suifeng would never show mercy."

Thinking of Chu Suifeng’s ferocity towards his enemies, Li Yanran couldn’t help but shiver. Indeed, the Ling Prince’s ruthlessness towards his enemies was unparalleled. He could apply all sorts of cruel punishments available.

"Don’t think that just because you’re his cousin, he would show you mercy," said Marquis Li, smashing all the little hope left in Li Yanran. With tears brimming in her glistening eyes, she felt unbearable heartache asking, "So, should I just give up? What should I do?"

"With your grandma around, the Prince won’t go too far with the Li Residence. Men naturally like gentle and caring women. Don’t let your jealousy cast other women in a bad light. If the Prince sees women in his backyard bickering with jealousy after finishing his busy daily tasks, would he like such a petty woman? Besides, you are the Prince’s cousin; you are our Li Family’s legitimate daughter. Your status is naturally different from theirs; the rightful wife is the master, and the rest are merely concubines. Even if Lin Ziyin enters the Wang Residence later, as long as you are the main consort, are you afraid that you can’t hold down a mere concubine?" laughed Marquis Li coldly, "The Prince currently needs Lin Ziyin’s experience in farming. Once the people in the Prince’s estate learn her skills, what can a mere farmer’s daughter hold on to make the Prince love her?"

"What should I do now?" Li Yanran asked in confusion.

"One word, endure." Mu’s Wife walked in from outside, "Proper wives don’t bicker with inferior concubines. Haven’t you noticed your dad’s many women in the backyard and how few he actually cares for?"

Upon hearing this, Marquis Li’s face turned red. His wife had suddenly turned the spearhead towards him. He coughed, giving Li Yanran a serious look, "Everyone in Feng City is on edge. You should stay in the mansion for now. Everything will calm down by next spring at the latest."

"Your dad’s right," said Mu’s Wife, comfortingly holding her hand. "The rapport between you and the Prince can’t be compared to other women. The Prince is not one to be infatuated with women. Haven’t you seen how many women are in the Prince’s backyard and how few actually receive his affection?"

"They are all a bunch of vixens," muttered Li Yanran jealously, thinking about the women in the Wang Residence.

"You’re still a child. How can you say such things? Harsh words like ’vixen,’ you dare to say out loud. If someone heard you, they’d definitely say you lack manners," said Mu’s Wife, looking at her with extreme disappointment.

"Your mother is right. You need to learn these etiquettes well," Marquis Li seriously warned.

Li Yanran was left with no choice but to suppress her resentment under the persuasion of her parents.

"My Lord," said Yu’s Wife, lastly, who had finally been able to get a maid to locate Li Jiesong from her sister’s room. She was undeniably frustrated, but had nowhere to vent. Her husband was such a lascivious figure. Despite the lockdown in the residence, he had even managed to get courtesans from the Flower Building into the residence.

 

Chapter 370: Chapter 370: King Ling Takes Action (3)_1

Ever since she arrived at the Residence, she had often been made to feel inferior, and it was becoming increasingly rare for Li Jiesong to spend a night in her room each month. On the surface, Lady You had a glamorous life, but the hardships she endured were insurmountable and never shared with others.

"Speak your mind quickly, I have things to attend to." Li Jiesong impatiently grumbled, his mind preoccupied with the dainty figure of his new concubine.

"Father." Two young boys entered from outside the room, and respectfully greeted Li Jiesong. "Mother," they then turned to Lady You and greeted her as well.

"Since you’re here, Muxiu, you should use this opportunity to rest well indoors." Lady You tried to hide her relief as she turned to her sons. With their father’s unpredictable behaviors, she placed all her hopes upon them.

"Yes." Noticing their parent’s likely need for a private conversation, the two boys tactfully exited.

"Master, I request your presence as there’s something I need to discuss with you." Lady You started.

"Just handle whatever it is on your own." Li Jiesong responded impatiently.

"It’s a serious matter, I can’t decide about it on my own." Lady You snapped back angrily, "Master, the Prince is reforming the land distribution system. With the arrival of the autumn season, fluctuations in food prices are inevitable."

"What’s the relationship between land reforms and volatile food prices?" An exasperated Li Jiesong asked. "Why are you, a woman from a well-bred family, bothering yourself with such affairs? Father has clearly expressed his disinterest in us getting involved in this situation."

In response to Li Jiesong’s impatience, Lady You maintained her composure, "Master, you must bear in mind that although the Li family is quite wealthy, all of our assets are tied up in public shares at present. Our Hostess, who happens to be our birth mother, should not be forgotten by you, Master. Moreover, she has more than one son, and the second house is not an easy target either. With the backing of the old lady, do you think they would willingly give up a part of the estate?"

"They..."

"Master, swallow your pride and think about it. How much private property do we truly possess? If not for my dowry, Master..."

"Enough." Li Jiesong’s face reddened at the mention of his use of her dowry, and he reacted with exasperation.

"Since I am wedded to you, my loyalties naturally lie with you, Master. However, in the long run, without any savings of our own, we will eventually suffer." Lady You could see clearly that the Marquis was favoring Li Jieyong, his second son. Unfortunately, Li Jiesong seemed blind to this fact, showing no ambition beyond indulging his personal pleasures. She had misgivings about what they could retain from their inheritance if this state of affairs persisted.

"What’s your solution?" Realizing his inferiority to Lady You in finances, Li Jiesong immediately softened his tone.

"There are those in Feng City who are dissatisfied with the Prince. When winter comes, food prices will certainly fluctuate. If we start hoarding food now, by then..." Her voice trailed off, but Li Jiesong listened with increasing interest.

"Prince, the first batch of grain has quietly been brought in by waterway. Moreover, a branch of the Jiangnan’s premier aristocratic family has already entered into a business deal with us," Situ Gong reported with favourable news. "Since letting out the news, the Ma, Bai, and Mo families have all begun making their moves. It won’t be long before these families supersede the likes of the Zhang Family."

"Send escorts for the Ma and Bai families." Chu Suifeng directed, a glint of bloodlust in his eyes.

"Yes, Prince."

"As for the Lin Family, ensure someone is there to protect them." Chu Suifeng added another command.

"Yes, Prince." Situ Gong agreed before departing to make the arrangements.

Alone in his study, Chu Suifeng sat quietly observing the markings on his map. No one knew what he was contemplating.