Ch. 511..515: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 511-515

Chapter 511: Chapter 511: Really Ruthless(4)_1

"Prince, you’re mistaken. Our Lin Family is humble and modest. Even if we were roasting ears of corn for you daily, I doubt we’re capable of hosting a prince." Lin Ziyin joked.

When the other ladies heard, they all felt as if she was intentionally challenging them. They looked at Lin Ziyin with even more hostility.

"Ming Consort, Liu Consort, and Lin Consort request an audience." Suddenly, a request came from outside.

"Come in." Chu Suifeng said.

The remaining two consorts had arrived. Lin Ziyin looked up curiously as they entered.

At this time, three differently styled ladies entered from outside the door.

"This humble one pays respect to the Prince and Miss." The woman leading, dressed in white, respectfully greeted Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin.

Lin Ziyin squinted a bit. This one seems to know her place, having the sense to pay respects to her. Quite interesting.

She scrutinized the lady who had just bowed. She had an undeniable respectful look on her face and watched Lin Ziyin with an ease of nonchalance.

"This humble one pays respect to the Prince." The other two ladies bowed to Chu Suifeng first, before nodding towards Lin Ziyin weakly,"Good day, Miss."

Chu Suifeng waved his hand. The three ladies all moved to the side, remaining silent. The room turned quiet.

Seeing the actions of Lin Consort and Liu Consort, Wang Consort felt regret and envy. She knew she should not have been provoked so easily, causing trouble for herself. Now that she has caused dislike from the Prince, she wondered if she would have peaceful days in the Wang Residence in the future.

"You all believe I am of low status and unworthy to be the prince’s consort." Lin Ziyin spoke up, "What does it matter? It doesn’t matter what you guys think. As long as the prince likes me, that’s all that matters. Your opinions don’t affect me."

Her voice was not loud yet it stunned all the women in the room. Although Lin Ziyin’s words were brazen, they had no retort.

True, what good would their opposition do? As long as the prince likes Lin Ziyin and favors her. Who are they to say anything?

Wang Consort felt like she had made a fool of herself. It seemed like everyone was waiting to see her make a spectacle of herself.

They had initially come to enjoy Lin Ziyin’s embarrassment, but in the end, they seemed to be the most laughable and pitiable people.

"What good will the Prince’s protection do, don’t forget there’s still the emperor above." In her shame and rage, Qin Consort pointed and scolded Lin Ziyin, "No matter where you go, you can’t change the fact that you are a cheap woman."

Everyone heard and hastily lowered their heads. Qin Consort was really boneheaded, even under such circumstances, she dared to curse. Now, she wasn’t only cursing Lin Ziyin.

Lin Ziyin was a favorite of the prince. She accompanied him into the Wang Residence. By calling Lin Ziyin a cheap woman, wasn’t Qin indirectly implying that Chu Suifeng was also cheap?

Every woman with a bit of wit in the room instantly felt today’s incident had gotten a bit out of hand.

Liu Consort and Lin Consort remained silent, not looking at anyone, maintaining their composure. Most of the other women were already kneeling, "Please forgive us, my Prince and Miss, I have failed in my management."

"If you no longer wish for a tongue, then cut it off. Pointing fingers at the princess, such great disrespect, might as well cut that off too." Chu Suifeng glanced over coldly, completely ignoring those kneeling on the floor.

"May the Prince punish as he sees fit." Ming Consort’s face turned pale.

"If you can’t keep things in line, I can find someone else." Chu Suifeng coldly responded.

"Please give me another chance, your highness." Ming Consort’s face turned even paler.

 

 

Chapter 512: Chapter 512: Really Ruthless(5)_1

"Leave and receive fifty strokes of the stick," Chu Suifeng commanded in anger. "Every person who came here is to be confined for three months and forfeit two months’ silver allowance."

"No, Prince. You can’t cut off my tongue, you can’t break my hand. Please, I did everything for your sake, everything out of loyalty for you," Lady Qin wept desperately, wishing to rush over and plead for mercy from Chu Suifeng.

Chu Suifeng maintained his cold and stern face, completely unmoved.

This time, it wasn’t just the old maids that came. It was Conger and Congsan.

The Prince’s personal guards took action, proving that the Prince wasn’t bluffing. Now, Lady Qin truly regretted her actions and was filled with fear.

No one dared to question Chu Suifeng’s orders at this point. All the women present felt extremely fortunate that they hadn’t said anything too harsh.

"Lin Ziyin, you promised earlier, no matter what we said, you would ensure we wouldn’t be punished. You can’t lie," Lady Qin said, seeing Chu Suifeng’s reaction and realizing her appeal was futile.

Chu Suifeng has a heart of stone, she had let her jealousy cloud her judgement and started this argument.

Fearing the consequences of her regret, Lady Qin spotted Lin Ziyin looking bright and refreshed. Desperate, she shouted at Lin Ziyin, like she was her last straw.

"Yes, I did say you could speak your mind. But I didn’t say I would stand by while you insulted me," Lin Ziyin answered calmly, before pleading to Chu Suifeng. However, her plea was not for Lady Qin, but for the other ladies present. "Prince, since I promised earlier that anything they said wouldn’t solicit punishment, could you retract the penalties you issued?"

Everyone looked at Chu Suifeng, full of anticipation for his final decision.

"My decision to punish them has nothing to do with you. I’ve told them not to leave the house without reason, but they seem to have forgotten. If they have forgotten, it’s only fair that I remind them. If I were to punish them for the disrespect they showed you earlier, taking their lives would be justifiable," Chu Suifeng replied to Lin Ziyin with a smile.

His words struck fear into everyone present, their faces going pale.

"All of you will watch the execution," Chu Suifeng commanded.

"No, no," Lady Qin wept, completely disregarding her dignity, and began to kneel before Lin Ziyin, begging for mercy. "Please, Miss Lin, I beg you."

"The punishment was decreed by the prince. What good would pleading to me do?" Lin Ziyin remained unmoved. "Besides, I’m just a woman, a young one at that. I’m not generous enough to plead for someone who’s insulted me."

Denied! This was a shocking turn of events for all the women. They thought Lin Ziyin, who’s not yet part of the Wang Residence, and has offended them, would fear facing them alone. She shouldn’t say no when Lady Qin pleaded to her. By doing so, she could earn their favor, gain a good reputation, and even owe one to Lady Qin. Why wouldn’t she seize such an opportunity? Did she really believe she only needed the prince’s favor when in the Wang Residence?

"Lin Ziyin, you watch others die without lifting a finger, you won’t die a good death," Lady Qin, driven to despair and the peak of anger, started hurling insults again. For a young beauty like her, losing her appearance and becoming disabled was worse than death.

Unfortunately, Chu Suifeng didn’t offer her the mercy of death. "Still daring to insult, that’s not bad. Break both her legs and knock out her teeth."

Chu Suifeng’s words held a ferocity, yet he said them in a casual, nonchalant tone as if he was having an ordinary conversation.

 

Chapter 513: Chapter 513: Really Ruthless(6)_1

Lin Ziyin didn’t speak, simply observing everything that was unfolding before her calmly.

She felt uncomfortable and had sympathy for the beautiful lady Qin, but she wouldn’t foolishly intervene on her behalf. Regardless of whether in the ancient times or the modern era, as an elite, she understood a principle: to sympathize with the enemy is to sign one’s own death warrant. Initially, Lady Qin did not give her a chance to live at the door of Ding’an Temple.

Today Chu Suifeng was avenging her. If she didn’t appreciate it and continued to argue on behalf of Lady Qin, that would indeed make her a fool.

As soon as Conger and Congsan heard Lady Qin swearing so viciously, they immediately dragged her out. The Consort was also pulled out.

Tongue-cutting, hand-cutting, and foot-cutting, to Lady Qin, was torture. But for the beauties who were forced to witness the execution, it was also a form of torture.

Several of the faint-hearted had already passed out at the sight of the tongue cutting.

Unfortunately, as soon as they fainted, they were immediately doused with water by the maids. Everyone was forced to watch the entire execution process.

By comparison, the fact that the Consort’s face had been beaten to a pulp received relatively little attention.

Chu Suifeng’s example of ’killing the chicken to scare the monkey’ had a significant effect. By noon, almost none of the beauties in the backyard were able to eat.

"I heard she was also beaten terribly; she had to be carried back," a few beauties whispered fearfully in Lin Consort’s room. "Consort, should we report this news back?"

"Let’s wait and see," replied Lin Consort with a somber expression, "It’s best to tread carefully given the tight security in the Prince’s Residence. Better to wait till this blows over."

"You’re right, sister," echoed another beauty dressed in a green dress.

"If there’s no business to attend to, try not to move around as much," Lin Consort instructed further.

All of the beauties agreed.

"Madam, I’m applying your medicine," said two maids in another quiet room who were currently tending to a beauty lying prone on a bed.

"The guards at the Punishment Hall were too cruel. They knew you belonged to the Prince and yet they dared to treat you so harshly," one maid complained sympathetically, passing a handkerchief to the beauty.

"It’s precisely because I belong to the Prince that I must suffer even greater punishment when I err," the beauty, Ming, said, knitting her brows. "That’s the only way the Prince can maintain respect."

"How could the Prince bear to inflict such severe punishment on you when you always prioritize his interests?" the maid continued to protest in her defense.

"It’s all because of that Lin Ziyin," the younger maid said angrily while handing over the handkerchief.

"If you ever dare again to disrespect the Prince or Princess Consort, you won’t be staying in the backyard any longer," the beauty lying in the bed, Ming, sat up abruptly as soon as she heard these words. She cared little for the wounds on her back.

"Please spare us, my Lady," the two maids fell to their knees in fear.

"You’ve been with me for so many years, don’t you know what should or shouldn’t be said? The Prince is always right, whatever he does. The Princess Consort is always right, whatever she does. This entire Residence is theirs. Do you understand?" Ming was visibly upset.

"We understand," the maids replied, too frightened to lift their heads.

"Even though you are my maids, all these years, I’ve always treated you as sisters. In this backyard, as long as you are genuinely kind to me, I wouldn’t want to see you lose your lives because of your impulsiveness or loose tongues," Ming said solemnly but softly.

"We understand that everything you do is for our sakes, Madam, we won’t dare to speak out of turn again," the maids assured her through their tears.

"Get up now," Ming sighed heavily, "Remember, the real master of the Prince’s Residence is the Prince."

Chapter 514: Chapter 514: Really Ruthless(7)_1

The two maids nodded vigorously.

"The prince has drawn some hatred on me." Lin Ziyin sat on a pavilion in the middle of the lake, contentedly watching the withered lotus leaves in the water.

Seeing her languid appearance, Chu Suifeng peeled some grapes and placed them in a bowl in front of her, "As long as we intimidate them, they won’t dare to be presumptuous in front of you. Perhaps soon, the Imperial Court will cut off our grain supply route."

Lin Ziyin understood his meaning. The grain Chu Suifeng was referring to wasn’t military rations, but regular grain trade shipments to the Northern Land.

"The grain being transported by the traders should be enough to support us until next autumn. Moreover, the prince and my farms will soon have a harvest. As long as we don’t levy grain from the common people, they will also be able to hold out until next autumn," Lin Ziyin analysed, "Currently, the biggest shortage in the Northern Land is manpower. Has the prince considered bringing more people here?"

"The Northern Land is vast and the population sparse, it’s also an extremely cold environment. Who would willingly come here for no reason?" Chu Suifeng responded in jest.

"If the prince is keen on bringing in more people, then there are solutions to this." Lin Ziyin replied thoughtfully.

"What solutions?" Chu Suifeng asked, his eyes lit up.

"There are many soldiers under the prince, and quite a few of them are injured and crippled. To be frank, even if they were to return to their original places, they wouldn’t necessarily live a good life. Take Feng City for example, it’s developing wonderfully. The prince could allow this group of soldiers to write letters home, encouraging their families to come here. We are willing to provide free housing, and allow them to reclaim farmland," Lin Ziyin shared her thoughts aloud.

"I’m afraid their families may not want to," Chu Suifeng was not optimistic about this plan.

"Not all areas are abundant, so it’s natural that most people wouldn’t wish to leave their hometowns to come to the Northern Land. Moreover, the reputation of the ’harsh life’ in the Northern Land does make it difficult to attract people. However, everything has two sides. The prince can choose to persuade people from poorer places. By letting them see the development model of the prince’s estate, I think there will be a portion of people willing to come." Lin Ziyin was much more optimistic than Chu Suifeng.

"I’ll give it a try." Chu Suifeng sighed, clearly not hopeful about the plan.

"If people are willing to come, we can have the merchants bring them. All the costs will be borne by us." Lin Ziyin said.

Chu Suifeng’s eyes brightened; this seemed like a viable strategy.

The two discussed further details, only finalising the plan after a while.

In recent days, the aristocrats in Feng City were all paying attention to the Wang Residence, after learning that the prince had punished the beauties in the back courtyard for a woman, they were all frightened. Everyone started paying more attention to Lin Ziyin.

On the third day, many people visited with gifts.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t meet Lin Ziyin in person. For early in the morning, Lin Ziyin had already returned to Shili Village.

"Miss Lin likes her peace and does not wish to be disturbed these days." Bai Xian, the steward of the Wang Residence, smilingly passed on Chu Suifeng’s words, "If you have anything to discuss, I can assist."

Despite Bai Xian being just a steward of the Wang Residence, none of the visiting aristocrats dared to underestimate him.

"Since Miss Lin is busy, we naturally won’t intrude."

"Please accept these gifts, steward. They are a small token of our regard for the prince on behalf of the Zhang Residence."

...

Those who came to visit naturally didn’t come empty-handed, Bai Xian accepted all the gifts on behalf of Lin Ziyin.

Although the visitors didn’t get to meet anyone, they all left in high spirits seeing the steward accept their gifts.

"We can’t keep any of it except for the grain needed for our own household. The rest must go." Inside the Marquis Residence, Li Jiesong was a bit agitated, "Hurry up and find Mr. Hei, to transport the grain away."

"What’s the rush?" Mrs. You looked at him unhappily, "Mr. Hei has already said that the patrols have tightened. He advised us to wait a few days, and if necessary, he will send people to notify us."

"How much longer do we have to wait?" Li Jiesong was furious, "If we don’t act now, we might not be able to save our own lives in the end."

"What did the prince say the other day?" Mrs. You asked shockingly.

"The rice planted in Lin Ziyin’s and the prince’s farm had a good harvest. I heard the prince has begun to inspect the grain merchants in Feng City. If he knows we have hoarded so much grain, he will undoubtedly force us to sell at market price. If that happens, we will definitely lose out." Li Jiesong scoffed, "Even if we are willing to operate at a loss, Mr. Hei probably won’t be."

Mrs. You was taken aback, that was indeed the case. They could afford some losses, but with the strength of the Marquis’ Residence, only minor losses would be acceptable. However, they couldn’t afford to lose on this deal because they had used high-interest loans to buy the grain they stored.

Chapter 515: Chapter 515: Forced to Death (1)_1

"No matter what, we must get Heiye to dispose of the grains as soon as possible." Li Jiesong was frantic. "Make sure the You Residence behaves themselves."

You’s words grated on his ears, but she still promised with a grimace, "Fine, I will go to the gambling house tomorrow."

Seeing her comply, Li Jiesong finally stopped nagging contentedly, showing no sense of a man’s responsibility.

That was the thing You hated most about him. He was worthless, but he liked to act like a big shot in front of her. Ha!

Li Yanran’s recent days had been unbearably painful. There was another woman by Chu Suifeng’s side, and this was a torment and blow she could not bear. Every time she thought about Chu Suifeng’s protection of Lin Ziyin, Li Yanran wished she could kill Lin Ziyin on the spot.

"Mother, I don’t care, I’m going to ask Grandmother to make a decision for me." Unable to bear the pain in her heart, Li Yanran decided to take matters into her own hands. Fortunately, she had not lost her sanity due to jealousy yet.

First, she went to the Mu Family to sob. "Why can that slut Lin Ziyin enter the Wang Residence, but I can’t be with my cousin?"

"The Prince has a misunderstanding about our Marquis Residence. Without your grandmother, the Prince wouldn’t even glance at our Marquis Residence, let alone allow you to enter it." The lady from the Mu Family saw the situation clearly.

"It’s all father and mother’s fault. If they weren’t so cruel and harsh to my cousin back then, how would he have a grudge against our Marquis Residence?" Li Yanran complained through her tears, "Now, I’ve been implicated."

"How dare you!" The lady from the Mu Family gasped at her precious daughter’s accusations, she was so hurt she could hardly breathe. She raised her right hand, hoping to slap Li Yanran and wake her up.

"My lady, don’t do it." The old woman serving at the lady’s side was shocked and quickly blocked her.

Seeing the always loving Mu lady about to strike her, Li Yanran cried even more bitterly, "Go ahead and hit me, it would be better if you beat me to death. Anyway, my cousin doesn’t want me anymore, I just wish I were dead already."

"What a torment, what a torment." The lady from the Mu Family was torn between compassion and anger. Her raised hand shook in the air as tears streamed from her eyes.

"Fine, I won’t stop you from seeking your grandmother. But don’t come crying to me after you’ve hit a roadblock." The lady from the Mu Family couldn’t bear to punish Li Yanran harshly and ended up compromising again.

"Fine, I won’t seek you." As soon as she heard the lady’s acquiescence, Li Yanran set off towards the matriarch’s yard without caring about her swollen eyes.

"My lady, and the matriarch?" The old woman watched Li Yanran’s decisive figure with worry.

"Leave her be, she has been spoiled by me over the years. She needs to hit some obstacles to understand that she cannot always have her way." Lady Mu sighed and said through clenched teeth.

"Yes, my lady. But the miss is still young, what if she can’t bear it and does something rash?" The old woman voiced her worst fears.

Lady Mu didn’t find her meddlesome. She knew how stubborn Li Yanran was. If the issue with Chu Suifeng and Li Yanran wasn’t handled well, her daughter could indeed do something extreme. Moreover, the old woman was her dowry maid and a true member of the Mu family, always loyal to her.

The old woman had watched Li Yanran grow up and usually cared for her greatly. Her words today were truly out of concern for Li Yanran.

"Keep a close eye on her." After all, she was her own daughter, and in the end, Lady Mu didn’t have the heart to be harsh.

"Yes, my lady. I will have Jiao Bai go and keep an eye on her." The old woman quickly walked away.

Lady Mu sat alone in the room, sighing repeatedly. She felt as if the sighs she had let out today were almost as many as those of her past combined.