Ch. 421..425: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 421-425

Chapter 421: Chapter 421 Unexpected Person(5)_1

"My son, they didn’t hurt you, did they?" Yan said immediately after seeing Ma Zhicai, her most beloved son, kicked by Zhou Ming, she rushed over to inspect him.

Her action was so hilarious that the crowd burst into laughter again, not caring about her feelings.

"So, you’re still a baby." Zhou Ming taunted and looked at Ma Zhicai provocatively.

"Mother, let go of me." Ma Zhicai, full of rage, pushed his mother Yan aside, and charged towards Zhou Ming.

However, Yan held back her son. She knew her son’s abilities well - Ma Zhicai was her boy after all.

For years, Ma Zhicai’s main job at home was studying, he never did any heavy labour. Zhou Ming, on the other hand, had a much harder life - working in the fields and gathering firewood every day. His body was hard and muscular. The fair-skinned and delicate Ma Zhicai was no match for Zhou Ming.

Yan certainly did not want to let her precious son walk into the face of danger willingly.

"Older son, are you heartless? Can’t you see that your mother, your grandmother, and your brother are being bullied?" Yan’s spirit lifted when she spotted Ma Xincai, her eldest son, holding a club. If her second son was not up to the task, she still had her eldest.

Unlike his brother, Ma Xincai worked in the fields daily. He was fully capable of taking on Zhou Ming.

Ma Xincai, who was put on the spot, reluctantly stood forward. However, he did not impulsively rush forward to fight. "Brother Zhou, please don’t misunderstand. My mother only meant to break up the fight, she did not intend to join the dispute. This is strictly women’s business, you as a man should not interfere."

"Nonsense." Zhou Fa spat at him. "If she was trying to stop the fight, why wouldn’t she pull back your mother?"

"You fool! Why are you bothering to reason with them? Start fighting, beat them all." Yan snarled, wishing she could grab the club from her son and beat the Pang family herself.

"Our son is right, that woman had malicious intentions." Seeing that her two sons were backing her up, the younger Mrs. Pang regained her composure, "She was pinching my arm the whole time which made me vulnerable to that vile woman’s attacks. If they dare to touch me again, hit them hard for me."

The villagers realized things were escalating dangerously. Both women and men from two families were now involved. Everyone lived in the same village here, and despite their distaste for the Zhou and Ma Families, the villagers did not want to see them genuinely harmed.

"Enough, we’re all from the same village. Let’s not take this feud too seriously, alright?"

"We’ve had a long day, let’s just go home and rest."

...

Many villagers started stepping in, attempting to break up the fight. Mrs. Pang and her family agreed to back down, as they wished to maintain good relations with the other villagers.

But Yan had a different plan. In her eyes, her family had suffered losses. It wasn’t fair that Mrs. Pang could just walk away unscathed after throwing all those punches.

"Eldest son, use the club to beat them to death." Yan spoke fiercely, her eyes trained on the Zhou Family with murderous intent.

The use of clubs now! The villagers gave Yan incredulous looks.

At the moment, Ma Zhicai didn’t care about losing face. He had only one thought in his mind, kill Zhou Ming, kill Zhou Ming.

Seeing his elder brother Ma Xincai wielding the club in a hesitant manner, Ma Zhicai scoffed, snatched the club from his grip and, taking advantage of Zhou Ming’s distraction, swung it at his head.

If the club had indeed hit Zhou Ming’s head, he would have surely been knocked out cold.

Everyone gasped in shock. No one expected the usually courteous and gentle Ma Zhicai to possess such a ruthless and impulsive side.

"Don’t hit him!" Ma Xincai screamed in shock.

"How did he get so bold all of a sudden?" But the club did not land on Zhou Ming’s head, instead, it landed snugly in a large hand.

 

Chapter 422: Chapter 422 Unexpected Person(6)_1

People looked around; it was Lou Zheng who showed up. With someone to take charge, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"You’re a scholar, how come you’ve learned to use weapons?" Lou Zheng glared at Ma Zhicai, who usually appeared unassuming and gentlemanly, but transformed into a young wolf when he became ruthless. "Can’t you talk things out properly? We’re all from the same village, is there a need to fight to death?"

"Come on, hit me, I’ll beat you to death." Zhou Ming nearly suffered a loss, his eyes were red. If looks could kill, he would have killed Ma Zhicai a hundred times over.

"Lou Zheng, your arrival is timely." Ma Xincai rubbed his hands as he looked at Lou Zheng, expecting him to enforce justice.

It was a difficult situation to handle. In the end, Lou Zheng’s resolution was to criticize both parties and advise them, essentially disciplining both sides equally.

Ma Dalang and Zhou Dasheng, who had come upon hearing the news, were also severely criticized by Lou Zheng and were instructed to properly discipline their wives and children.

"Lou Zheng, rest assured, I will discipline them when I get home." Ma Dalang was seeking favor with the Lin family recently. Naturally, in front of so many villagers, he wanted to give a good impression.

The trouble with the Zhou family today seemed severe, but it was actually trivial matters that caused the uproar. If things got too violent and couldn’t be pacified, their Ma family might not stand a chance in the village.

Ma Dalang may be from Shili Village but he has always been a deputy shopkeeper in the city. Deep down, he looked down on villagers from Shili Village. However, now he had no choice. Under someone else’s roof, one has to bow their head; to have a good life in the village, he must get along with these country people. This is an unwritten rule passed down from generation to generation.

He sighed inwardly at the thought that city life was much better.

"Lou Zheng, I’ll listen to you." Little Mrs. Pang didn’t miss the chance to show her obedience.

"Lou Zheng, don’t blame her for her lack of understanding as a simple woman." Mrs. Pang, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, finally spoke. "My daughter-in-law always seems stingy and likes to take advantage, but she is very filial to my wife. Today she’s angry because she’s trying to protect my old bones. She’s thick-skinned, she doesn’t care about a minor collision, she’s just worried that I’ll be hurt by younger people."

Ma Dalang was infuriated but was helpless looking at the white-haired Mrs. Pang. As for Zhou family stirring up trouble, Mrs. Pang was indeed nagging now. As an elder, can a grown man like him retort to her nagging?

Ma Dalang cared about face, but Ma Zhicai didn’t want to take the blame, "Don’t try to distort the facts. It was clear that it was her who bumped into me first." He pointed at Little Mrs. Pang to defend himself.

"On such a wide road, I was supporting an old man, and you were standing there waiting for me to knock into you?" Little Mrs. Pang didn’t back down. Usually, her rudeness could stir up trouble and even more so now when she felt in the right.

The surrounding people laughed softly. Indeed, the village road was very spacious. Did Ma Zhicai deliberately wait for Little Mrs. Pang to hit him?

"Okay, okay, it wasn’t worth wasting time on such a trivial matter. You’ve been working all day and aren’t you tired?" Seeing that the dispute might turn sour again, Lou Zheng instantly became unhappy.

He was busy working every day and managing the affairs of the village, he was not interested in dealing with these minor issues.

"Lou Zheng, we won’t quarrel with them. We’ll go home now." Little Mrs. Pang and Zhou Dasheng sensed Lou Zheng’s impatience and quickly echoed his words with obedient smiles.

Chapter 423: Chapter 423 Unexpected Person(7)_1

Ma Zhicai, seeing that the surrounding people dismissed him entirely, was so livid that his face turned purple, and his whole body was shaking.

"Let’s go, you’re just making a fool of yourselves!" At this critical moment, Ma Dalang followed Lou Zheng’s intentions, bellowed at his own people with pretense, not caring about Ma Zhicai’s feelings at all.

Why, why? He was a Tongsheng, he would be a scholar and an official in the future. How dare these ignorant villagers embarrass him, he’d make them pay for this one day. Ma Zhicai bulged his eyes, casting a sullen look at the surrounding villagers.

The villagers ignored him completely.

"Let’s go." Ma Dalang thought Yan Family’s matriarch was a family-wrecking woman. He was still thinking about finding a way to get someone to speak for him so he could manage the Lin Family’s shop; he didn’t expect Yan’s matriarch to sabotage him behind his back.

Yan’s matriarch was defiant, but she was afraid of Ma Dalang. Seeing Ma Dalang’s angry face, she knew he was seriously mad. Even though she didn’t know why Ma Dalang was angry, she didn’t dare to embarrass him in front of everyone.

"My God, I don’t feel my waist anymore, can’t you come over and help me up?" Yan’s matriarch, consumed with anger, vented her spleen at the innocent Huang family over there.

Huang’s matriarch was afraid of her, so she quickly went over and helped her up.

"Mother, let me help you back." Small Pang family’s matriarch suffered a minor injury, but she saved face in front of everyone. If any kind person spread her today’s "brave" act of defending the Lin Family to the Lin Family’s ears, it would be even better.

Pang’s matriarch was very pleased with the performance of the young matriarch that day, and she nodded for the young matriarch to support her.

Zhou Ming and Zhou Fa, seeing the radiant face of their mother, guessed that their mother might not have been at a loss, so they helped pick up the basket Small Pang Family’s matriarch had dropped on the ground, preparing to leave.

"Let’s all disperse." Lou Zheng shouted with a frown. As the people involved were not pursuing the matter, the villagers had no drama to watch and laughed as they prepared to go home.

"Slow down." Turning around, Wu Dayou was helping heavily pregnant Lin Zige go on a walk on the road not far away, with Sister Xiang trailing behind them.

"Why are there so many people gathered?" Wu Dayou wondered aloud upon seeing so many people.

"Nothing, just watched some commotion. Dayou, soon you’ll see your son, right?" A villager teased.

"Almost there." Wu Dayou responded with a big grin.

Lin Zige was a little shy, she pinched his waist, which made Wu Dayou laugh even more.

"Master, Madam, it’s time to go home for dinner." Sister Xiang urged.

"We’re going back." Lin Zige promised. Seeing the Ma family was present, Wu Dayou didn’t want to lay eyes on them. He greeted the crowd, supported Zige and left straight away.

"Such a lucky guy." Someone said enviously. Villagers assented, each thinking about how different others’ lives could be. Despite the hardships Wu Dayou went through when he was a child, his life was definitely thriving now. With the Lin Family as his backer, he was destined to enjoy luxury and wealth for the rest of his life.

He was poor before, but now he has married into richness, he has a beauty, a house, land, even plenty of silver. Soon he’d have a son too, he must be overjoyed with his life.

Yan’s matriarch felt a mix of envy, jealousy and hatred, she glared at the departing young couple with dagger-like eyes. If the engagement hadn’t been called off, all the blessings that Wu Dayou was enjoying should have been her son’s...

The Ma family returned home amidst the scoffing of the villagers, "You’re clueless."

As soon as they got home, Ma Dalang was furious and prepared to scold Yan’s matriarch and Ma Zhicai.

"I’m heading into the city tomorrow." Ma Zhicai spoke coldly, he turned his head and entered his room, shutting the door behind him, showing no intention of listening to Ma Dalang’s preaching.

"You..." Ma Dalang wanted to reprimand him, but he couldn’t as he always held his son in such high esteem. Despite his anger, he didn’t continue his scolding.

Early the next morning, Ma Zhicai really did pack some silver and left for the city without breakfast.

When Yan’s matriarch thought about the little silver they had left at home, and the likelihood of her son spending that silver in the city, she immediately felt the pain.

After Ma Zhicai entered the city, he didn’t really have a destination, so he found an inn to stay in for a few days. Then he went to a small tavern, ordered some dishes, and called for a pot of wine, preparing to drown his sorrows.

About drinking, when a man and a woman drink, it’s about love and lust; when two men drink, it’s about fellowship; if one drinks alone, it is only about loneliness. Ma Zhicai thought about how he was in the spotlight when he was young and passed the Tongsheng examination in the village, then he thought about his current situation of being ridiculed for being destitute; the pain in his heart was indescribable. Thus, he kept drinking cup after cup of clear wine.

"Hmm?" Just when Ma Zhicai felt a little drunk, he seemed to see a familiar face, someone who shouldn’t be in Feng City at this time — Ma Erlang.

Am I drunk? Ma Zhicai forcefully shook his head, hoping to sober up.

Chapter 424: Chapter 424 Threat (1)_1

"It can’t be my second uncle," Ma Zhicai kept reminding himself. Perhaps, he had mistaken a stranger who resembled his uncle for him due to too much drinking.

After successfully reassuring himself, Ma Zhicai decided to sit down and continue drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

While drinking, Ma Zhicai still felt uneasy. The figure of that man indeed resembled his second uncle, Ma Erlang. Even if he had mistaken him due to blurred vision, that man and his uncle looked too alike.

Unable to shake off his anxiety, he immediately put down his liquor bottle and ran out of the tavern to check, yearning for another confirmation.

People were bustling to and fro outside. Where could he find the person what he was looking for?

Despite the vastness of the Northern Land and its scarce resources, Feng City, its center, remained very prosperous. Numerous shops lined both sides of the street, and merchants wearing various ethnic costumes were everywhere - coming from the south, heading to the north.

It was almost impossible for Ma Zhicai to find a single person in this overwhelming crowd.

He stood outside the tavern for a while, observing, until he confirmed that the person he was looking for wasn’t there. Then Ma Zhicai returned to the tavern to continue drinking, a bit disheartened.

After he drained another pot of liquor, his face reddened like a heated iron, "Waiter, I want to settle the bill, please."

He stood up unsteadily, took out some copper coins from his pocket, handed them to the waiter, and then staggered off.

Watching his retreating figure, the waiter sighed and went back to his chores. Usually, the ones who came to the tavern to drown their sorrows were the unfortunate ones, like that gentleman with fair and tender skin.

Admittedly, despite Ma Zhicai’s hard gaze, his countenance was still quite misleading.

Once outside the tavern, Ma Zhicai aimlessly shuffled along the street for a while until he grew bored then returned to the inn.

Back when his father Ma Dalang worked as a shopkeeper in town, Ma Zhicai mostly stayed in his father’s dedicated room behind their store. But now, being alone outside, he had to spend money for an inn.

As Ma Zhicai lay in bed, he felt utterly dispirited about life and uncertain about his future. He still stubbornly believed that he failed in the examination not due to a lack of ability, but because the Lin Family had intentionally sabotaged him.

The Lin Family had associated themselves with Prince Ling, who had business dealings with Lin Ziyin. As long as Lin Ziyin could earn silver for Prince Ling, Chu Suifeng would not let go of the Lin Family, also indicating that Ma Zhicai would never see the light of day again.

Why was it that after years of studying sage books, he now found himself in such distress? It was all because of that bastard Lin Ziyin. The more Ma Zhicai thought about it, the tighter he clenched his fists.

"The room is in the right wing of Tianzi Pavilion," a voice spoke from outside the door, carrying a hint of flattery.

"Hmm."

That was his second uncle’s voice! Ma Zhicai instantly sobered up from his anger. He was certain that he was not drunk or having delusions; he had indeed heard Ma Erlang’s voice.

Excitedly, he jumped out of bed intending to find Ma Erlang, but as he sat up, doubt set in again.

Ever since his second uncle Ma Erlang was discovered to have collaborated with outsiders to steal from the Lin Family and ran away, he hadn’t returned home even once during the last half-year. He had been wandering out there, and nobody knew his whereabouts, not even his wife from the Bao family. And yet, now he showed up in Feng City. Was he not afraid of being recognized and arrested?

The Lin Family had reported the case to the government offices. Though Ma Erlang had escaped and vanished, if he were ever discovered and returned, he would still be imprisoned.

Chapter 425: Chapter 425 Threat (2)_1

Theoretically, under such circumstances, Ma Er-lang should not be in such a dangerous place as Feng City.

The more he thought about it, the more confused Ma Zhicai became, and his head started to ache. He still couldn’t decide whether or not to meet with Ma Er-lang.

In the end, overcome with alcohol, he laid back down on the bed.

By the time he woke up again, it was already noon the next day.

"Sir, do you require anything else?" The serving boy brought a basin of fresh water in. "However, it is too late for us to provide breakfast at this inn anymore."

"No need, I’ll go out and eat in a bit." Ma Zhicai replied coldly, hesitating slightly before asking about Ma Er-lang again, "Who is staying in Tianzi Pavilion?"

"Honored guest, I am just a runner. I cannot reveal information about our guests casually." The serving boy looked at him with crafty eyes.

Greedy creature! Somewhat vexed, Ma Zhicai pulled a dozen or so copper coins out from his pocket and handed them over, "Take these as tips for your trouble."

A dozen copper coins? The serving boy looked at him with a hint of disdain.

"Their noise yesterday disturbed me, and I want to settle accounts with them. If they have not yet left, I will go find them right now." Ma Zhicai hinted that he didn’t really care about the information of the guests in Heaven’s Code, and if the serving boy was clever enough and guessed his intention, then he could earn the dozen copper coins. Otherwise, Ma Zhicai would take the coins back.

After hearing this, the serving boy immediately grabbed the coins from Ma Zhicai’s hand and chuckled, talking in a soft voice, "Thanks for the tips, honorable guest. The guests at Heaven’s Code are visiting merchants who left early this morning, but they did not check out. This morning, I overheard them saying that they would only return in the evening."

"Understood." Having obtained the information he wanted, Ma Zhicai wanted to send the serving boy away.

But the serving boy was talkative. Seeing that Ma Zhicai was the only guest in the room, he lowered his voice and implored mysteriously, "Forgive me for meddling, but honorable guest, you are by yourself, whereas there are several guests at Heaven’s Code. They are robust types, clearly not from the Northern Land. They might cause you trouble if you confront them. It’s best to swallow your anger. When one is out traveling, it’s important to stay nice in order to make money."

Ma Zhicai was quite irked to be looked down on by the serving boy. However, a thought occurred to him and he grabbed the serving boy who was about to leave, "Do you know what kind of business they are in?"

"I saw that they appear to be livestock traders, but I’m not entirely sure. However, they are very generous in their transactions." After saying this, the serving boy looked at Ma Zhicai with a sly smile.

Having cursed the serving boy’s greed internally, Ma Zhicai ended up giving the serving boy a few more copper coins to save face.

After receiving the coins, the serving boy left cheerfully. The inn was rather small, so regardless of the amount, any tips he received were pocket money for him. The serving boy was very pleased with his gains for the day.

Ma Zhicai sat alone in the room, his stomach empty, but he didn’t feel hungry. His mind was full of what the serving boy had just said.

Ma Zhicai was very clear about what kind of person Ma Er-lang was, but according to the serving boy, the guests at Heaven’s Code were very generous. When did Ma Er-lang start hanging out with the rich? And if he had indeed become wealthy, why hadn’t he sent any silver home?

The more he thought about it, the more chaotic Ma Zhicai’s thoughts became.

He sat alone in the room, poured himself a cup of water, and drank it all in one gulp. As the warm tea settled in his stomach, he started to feel slightly more comfortable. Regardless, he decided to wait until he met with Ma Er-lang in the evening to figure out the situation.