Ch. 471..475: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 471-475

Chapter 471: Chapter 471: Risky Move(6)_1

He did not hide his previous desire to embezzle silver.

When this was said, the Bao Family’s hearts became more settled.

"No one will know about today’s events." The Bao family silently assured.

"I must go now." Ma Zhicai stood up, smoothed his clothes, and then looked at the Bao family, "Store the silver and vegetables. I need to take the basket back with me."

On hearing this, the Bao family hurriedly stood up, clumsily held the silver, and took it into the house. They then poured the vegetables onto the ground, and finally handed the basket to Ma Zhicai in one seamless motion.

Ma Zhicai, carrying the basket, returned home without looking back.

After he left, the Bao family returned to the house and individually touched each silver ingot; they then spent some time in a daze alone.

"Mother, the food is ready." Gouzi asked Ergouzi, wanting to know what Ma Zhicai had said to his mother in the house.

Ergouzi was made to stand far away by the Bao family and was unclear about what exactly had happened. Seeing that the Bao family had gone inside and hadn’t come out, he yelled out loud.

"I am coming. Serve the food first." The Bao family jumped awake, immediately turned over the bed board, hid the silver in a hidden compartment, tidied up the bed, and then came out acting as though nothing happened.

"Why are you carrying a basket?" Ma Zhicai had just entered the courtyard when he was stopped by his mother from the Yan family.

"Your second uncle is not home. Life isn’t easy for your aunt and your two cousins. I am sending them some vegetables." Ma Zhicai impatiently replied.

"Don’t they have hands and legs to plant their own?" Yan family became annoyed as soon as they heard this.

"It’s just some vegetables." Ma Zhicai, even more displeased, entered his chamber with a frown.

"All of you are the same. Does this old woman owe you?" Yan was infuriated by the replies, and she cursed loudly in the courtyard.

Ma Xincai and his wife hid in the house with their child, sighing in relief. They didn’t dare come out to utter a word.

As promised, the next day she went to Lord Hei’s gambling house, bringing several maid servants with her.

Inside the gambling house, the crowds were rowdy, with excited gamblers betting everywhere.

She wore a veil to maintain a low profile, and the maidservant beside her did the same. She had to be cautious. As long as she was on the land of Feng City, she could not reveal her identity.

If possible, she wouldn’t want to come. But the silver she owed was to Lord Hei who was a legendary and formidable bandit. Even though this bandit had never opposed King Ling or wantonly killed the people of the Northern Land, she was still very afraid of this man.

If she didn’t come, there was only her incompetent husband Li Jiesong in the residence who could negotiate this business deal with Lord Hei. But Li Jiesong was unwilling to come, so it had to be her.

The enchanting beauty standing in the gambling house immediately drew the attention of many gamblers.

However, no one dared to make trouble in Lord Hei’s gambling house. Although the gamblers were looking covetously at her group, none of them dared to really approach and chat up.

"Sorry, upstairs is not open to the public." Her group went straight to the staircase.

But before she had stepped onto the first step of the staircase, she was blocked by people from the gambling house.

"I am not here to gamble, but to discuss a major business deal with Lord Hei." She spoke lightly and quietly, as if afraid someone would recognize her voice.

"Take a good look, this is a casino, not a place for business discussions. You’ve come to the wrong place." The person guarding the staircase entrance spoke in a mocking manner.

Chapter 472: Chapter 472: Risky Move(7)_1

"If Lord Black doesn’t want to make this deal, I’m afraid he won’t recover the Silver he has lent out," Mrs. You blandly stated.

"You’ve got guts." The face of the man guarding the staircase darkened, "Nobody has ever dared to swindle Lord Black of his Silver."

"It’s not about swindling. It’s about not completing this deal. If it falls through, Lord Black will be left collecting Silver from a dead person," Mrs. You stated resolutely.

The guard was taken aback by her words. He probably never thought she’d be fearless of death.

"Let her come up. Take the rest to the backyard." A languid voice echoed from upstairs.

The guard immediately moved aside and gestured to Mrs. You to proceed.

Thus, Mrs. You was allowed to ascend, while the rest of her company were escorted to the backyard by the gaming house’s staff. As she made her way upstairs, the patrons appeared shocked to see her ascend.

In the room on the second floor sat a young man with a silver mask, an arrogant and mocking smile lit his eyes as he watched Mrs. You.

Mrs. You removed her veil, "We borrowed Silver from Lord Black, but now we can only repay him with a business venture." She knew that in front of Lord Black, she had no room for maneuver, let alone resorting to any clever tricks. Otherwise, the consequences would be terrible, even as a daughter-in-law of the Marquis Residence, she couldn’t escape Lord Black’s punishment.

"You use Lord Black’s Silver for business then demand that he acts as your errand boy too. How quaint." The masked man derisively chuckled while his eyes harbored an intense killing intent.

Mrs. You felt a little nervous but not to the point of actual fear, "That’s correct, I borrowed Lord Black’s Silver for doing business. However, if Lord Black is willing to join this business venture, he stands to benefit too. To put it another way, he is not actually working for me. It’s a win-win situation."

"In that case, you’ve piqued my interest." The masked man chuckled lightly, "What kind of business is it? Do tell."

"Can you make decisions on behalf of Lord Black?" Mrs. You counter-questioned, not satisfying his request outright.

"As long as it is within Feng City, I can make decisions on behalf of Lord Black," the masked man answered laughing. His attitude suddenly turned frivolous. "Including how you would be dealt with," he added.

Unflinched by his provocation, Mrs. You retorted with a cold laugh, "The grain business. Are you interested on behalf of Lord Black?"

"Madame, you really know how to do business." The masked man laughed heartily, "Who in Feng City doesn’t know that the grain business is the hardest of them all to run. Are you joking, Madame?"

"I have a large volume of grain. While the King is strict about monopoly control over the grain market, such a mogul as Lord Black, should be able to sell some of the grains, right?" Mrs. You stared at the silver mask earnestly without a hint of a smile, "Otherwise, he simply wouldn’t be Lord Black."

"What’s the price?"

Mrs. You quickly quoted the price.

"Are you joking?" The masked man glared at Mrs. You with murderous intent, "You know, your price is higher than the market price in Feng City. Are you hoping we will run a loss for your sake?"

"Admittedly, the price is on the higher end, but our initial purchasing cost was also relatively high. Adding in the labor and transportation cost, the price is reasonable. As for the market price, it is only temporary. Those grain merchants absolutely wouldn’t sell at a loss just to maintain peace on behalf of the King," Mrs. You analysed calmly.

"How much stock do you have?"

Mrs. You named a specific volume directly.

The masked man remained silent for a while before speaking, "At present, the only way this business can profit is if we transport the grain out of the Northern Land."

Mrs. You was taken aback. Transporting out of the Northern Land? Certainly, it would not be viable to transport to Jiangnan, as all the grain she had was transported from Jiangnan after great efforts. Retracing the route would be a fool’s errand. Not achievable in Jiangnan or Feng City - that only leaves the possibility to transport to the Tatars in the North Country.

"What, are you scared?" The masked man scoffed at Mrs. You, "I thought you had some guts, at least when you speak, you seem much smarter and more capable than the legitimate son of the Marquis Residence. But it turns out you are just an unworldly woman."

Mrs. You felt somewhat embarrassed, not for herself, but for Lin Jiesong: the legitimate son of the Marquis Residence the masked man mentioned – her husband.

"If this business deal isn’t successful, how will you repay what you owe Lord Black?" The masked man continued to taunt her.

Mrs. You calmed herself down, "I’m only conducting regular business with Lord Black. As for whom Lord Black wants to do business with, how can I, a woman of bounded virtue, interfere?"

"Indeed audacious." The masked man laughed heartily, "I hope you won’t regret this."

"Rest assured, since I am here, I will not regret my actions," Mrs. You stated firmly.

"Fine, in three days, I’ll send someone to contact you." The masked man finally appeared serious.

"I want to collect the Silver before delivering the goods," Mrs. You announced.

The masked man looked at her for a good while. Mrs. You withstood the pressure and met his gaze.

"Deal." At last, the masked man conceded.

A few days later, Chu Suifeng collected the first batch of crossbows from Lin Ziyin. Accompanying Chu Suifeng was Mei Hanqing, indicating Chu’s high level of trust in him.

Chapter 473: Chapter 473 Development of Private Schools (1)_1

"Kun Noodles?" Even as a civil official, Mei Hanqing was able to recognize that the crossbow before him was currently the most advanced weapon. Upon learning that it was made by Lin Ziyin, a young girl, he stood in astonishment for a long time before deeply bowing to Lin Ziyin as a sign of respect.

Lin Ziyin didn’t know him, but she understood that if Chu Suifeng brought this official to see her, he must be a trustworthy person.

She respectfully returned his bow.

Chu Suifeng gazed at Lin Ziyin tenderly, "The spring wheat and rice were all cultivated by her. The corn, which you saw along your way here, was also her achievement."

"How did the young lady come up with so many farming techniques?" Mei Hanqing looked at Lin Ziyin in astonishment. When he arrived, he saw that all the land around Shili Village was being fully utilized, presenting a thriving scene everywhere.

If a country wants to progress, it must place importance on the development of agriculture. The Northern Land is a harsh, cold place, where, in years past, nothing besides beans and potatoes would grow. Therefore, seeing the lush crops in the field, Mei Hanqing excitedly walked a great distance on foot.

Not to mention the endless fields of rice in Shili Village and another kind of crop he didn’t know the name of, almost brought him to tears of joy. He had been pondering to meet the capable person who planted the rice.

What he never imagined was that the person who grew the rice was a young girl.

"I read books and thought of these ideas randomly. Luckily, my family allowed me to experiment, and to my surprise, the planting was successful." Lin Ziyin explained with a smile.

"That bearded crop, I heard it’s called corn." Mei Hanqing, although he often stays in the Hanlin Academy in the Capital City teaching students, was actually born in poverty and has always been paying attention to agricultural matters. "Is it high yielding?"

He often exchanged ideas with the Minister of Agriculture in private. He was truly a man of great learning and talents.

Yet, such a talented person never dared to dream that it would be possible to grow rice and introduce new species in the Northern Land.

"Yes, it is high yielding. Corn is cold-resistant and can to some extent replace wheat. Although the Northern Land can produce spring wheat, its taste is far worse than wheat grown outside the Northern Land." Lin Ziyin answered.

"Being able to cultivate it is already quite an achievement. Only when people have enough to eat can they have the strength to clear and farm land, in order to protect their homes and the country." Mei Hanqing exclaimed, "Young lady, your talent is remarkable."

"In a few days, the corn should be ready to harvest." Chu Suifeng smiled warmly at Lin Ziyin, a hint of pride glistening in his eyes.

"If there are no accidents, this year should yield a good harvest." Lin Ziyin replied proudly. She hadn’t managed the crops in the field every day, but she’d certainly invested a lot of effort. Her contribution to the harvest in Shili Village is truly significant.

"Did you raise deer?" Chu Suifeng asked with a soft laugh.

"Not only deer, but also roe deer."

Mei Hanqing was slightly taken aback at the rapport and familiarity between Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin. At the same time, he began to treat Lin Ziyin with more caution.

"Mei Sir, you will be in charge of the Academy in the Northern Land in the future. Why not take a look at the teaching model of the private school in Shili Village first?" Chu Suifeng finally took his eyes off Lin Ziyin, turning to Mei Hanqing.

"The village has opened a private school?" The mention of his professional expertise immediately piqued Mei Hanqing’s interest.

"Haha, Sir Mei, you haven’t seen the private school in Shili Village. If you want to cultivate talents for the Prince in the future, you really must visit the private school." A hearty laughter accompanied by a voice came from outside the door.

 

Chapter 474: Chapter 474 Development of Private Schools (2)_1

Chu Suifeng sat still without moving.

Mei Hanqing, however, stood up excitedly and went forward. "Brother Situ?"

"Brother Mei, long time no see." The person who arrived was Situ Gong, appearing travel-stained all over.

"Don’t rush to chat." Seeing Mei Hanqing’s excited expression, Situ Gong laughed and waved his hand, asking him to calm down.

Mei Hanqing thought about it, indeed he was too excited, forgetting completely that Situ Gong hadn’t yet paid his respects to Prince Ling upon entering.

"Prince, Miss Lin." A thing that shocked Mei Hanqing was that Situ Gong actually likened Lin Ziyin and Prince Ling together.

"Mr. Situ." Lin Ziyin was stunned and didn’t dare to accept his bow, preparing to stand up and return the courtesy.

"You’ve done so much for the Northern Lands, you deserve his respect. Besides, in the future, he must bow to you whenever he sees you. You must get used to it." Chu Suifeng’s words had a hidden meaning.

"What the Prince said is right, Miss Lin has done so much for the Northern Lands, all the people of the North should remember the great kindness of the lady." Situ Gong seriously replied, "the lady’s great name will be forever etched in the history of the Northern Lands. Situ Gong does not dare to be arrogant in front of the lady."

Lin Ziyin knew he wasn’t being sincere.

She was clear on why Situ Gong was bowing to her, but this respect wasn’t something she desired.

"Your Highness, I’m merely a woman..." Not able to reason with Situ Gong, she turned her gaze to Prince Chu Suifeng, hoping she could persuade him.

"In the future, not just him, but any official or commoner of the North who dares not bow when they see you, or dares to slight you, I won’t stand for it." Chu Suifeng was watching her with a raised brow and a faint smile. Not only did he not help Lin Ziyin, he even added an even more striking comment.

Mei Hanqing broke out in a cold sweat. He wasn’t a fool, he could already hear what Prince Ling was implying. If he didn’t grasp this, there was no need for him to come to the North.

"Please forgive me, miss, for the rudeness earlier." Mei Hanqing felt a bit troubled. Although Prince Ling had already recognized the young lady before him as the mistress of the Wang Residence, he hadn’t given her a title yet. He wasn’t sure how to address himself in front of Lin Ziyin.

If he called himself ’this official,’ it would be awkward, as Lin Ziyin’s current status was just that of a small peasant girl. Calling himself ’I’ seemed extremely disrespectful to her and possibly Prince Ling would not be pleased hearing this address either. So, he simply omitted the address.

"Official Mei jests, when have you ever slighted me?" While Lin Ziyin glared fiercely at Chu Suifeng, she explained to Mei Hanqing with some embarrassment, "The prince was just joking with us."

Joking? Chu Suifeng just laughed upon hearing this, without rebutting or elucidating.

"Let’s go to the private school and take a look, the students are in class now." Chu Suifeng changed the subject.

Lin Ziyin heaved a small sigh of relief but her heart was still somewhat gloomy. Chu Suifeng had merely hinted at his intention to marry her in secret before, but today, he was almost about to tear through the veil of secrecy. What should she do going forward? She secretly felt for the jade bracelet on her wrist, then hid it in her sleeve.

Mei Hanqing was already somewhat eager. As Prince Ling had proposed to visit the academy, the private school must be out of the ordinary. As the owner of the private school, Lin Ziyin, had shown him the exceptional, he was full of anticipation for the upcoming academy visit.

The private school of Shili Village was built at the back of the village, not too far from the workshop, but not too close either, and the apothecary was not far from it. With more and more children in the village, and children from the surrounding area also coming here to study while their parents worked, it was no longer the few buildings with green tiles it used to be.

Chapter 475: Chapter 475 Development of Private Schools (3)_1

"Quite impressive." Mei Hanqing began to observe the environment of the Academy carefully as he followed Lin Ziyin into the yard.

The main entrance of the study room had a guard. Random people could not stroll in casually. Inside, all sorts of flowers and tall trees were planted. The place was landscaped with little bridges over flowing water, hinting at the charm of Jiangnan. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Mei Hanqing would find it hard to imagine that a private school could possess such elegance. Different forms of chairs and stools were arranged in an orderly fashion along the lengthy wooden corridor.

The sound of reading echoed from various courtyards, a feature seemingly not different from other academies.

Lin Ziyin was calm, while Chu Suifeng and Situ Gong seemed rather relaxed. Only Mei Hanqing was scrutinizing the surroundings in all seriousness.

"Sir, I believe there is a problem here." A student’s questioning voice was heard as they approached a courtyard.

Mei Hanqing frowned slightly.

In Daqin, teachers and students shared a relationship akin to that of father and son. The audacity of the student in this private school to question his teacher directly was shocking. In other academies, such behaviour would definitely lead to punishment. The most severe consequence would be expulsion from the academy.

"Let’s hear it." What surprised Mei Hanqing was that the teacher inside did not react angrily. Instead, he gently encouraged the student to express his opinion.

Next, they heard the student’s immature voice conveying his understanding on the Analects.

Mei Hanqing was slightly taken aback by the student’s interpretation. From the voice, he could tell that the student was young, but his uncommon and yet sensible viewpoint was surprisingly impressive.

"Does anyone else have a different opinion?" The teacher inside asked again.

"I do."

"Sir, I also have an opinion."

There were several different voices appearing in the room.

Lin Ziyin halted, careful not to disturb the teacher and students inside.

After a moment of quiet listening, Mei Hanqing finally understood why the Prince of Ling had brought him here.

"Memorized the formula?" After some time, Lin Ziyin started to move again, leading them to another room. What surprised Mei Hanqing was that this little private school was actually teaching arithmetic. In Daqin, where literature was valued over martial arts, only large academies would occasionally discuss a few Chapters of subjects like arithmetic. And the purpose was not to ensure that everyone understood, but rather a means for students to relax.

Yet in this private school, arithmetic appeared to be regarded as an important subject on par with literature.

"Column addition?" Mei Hanqing, listening at the window, was so shocked at what he heard that he couldn’t get a word out.

The method of column addition and mental arithmetic taught by the teacher was unknown even to a widely learned man like him. The teacher inside the room, fairly young, taught with structure and earnestness. As Mei Hanqing listened, he gradually became fascinated.

"Mr. Mei, there’s a martial arts class in the back, would you like to go and see?" Lin Ziyin asked.

"Yes, let’s go there. Thank you, Miss Lin." Mei Hanqing could no longer underestimate this private school.

Behind the private school, there was a large open space, surrounded by a huge circular path where the students were running. There were many odd-looking devices around, with students busily occupied with them.

In the centre of the open space, a young man was seriously instructing the children in sparring.

Despite their young age, the movements of the children were professional, suggesting that they would be the hope of the Northern Land in the future.

"Good, good, very good." Mei Hanqing couldn’t help but utter his admiration multiple times.