Ch. 666..670: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 666-670

Chapter 666: Chapter 666: The Bull, Snake, Ghost, God (5)_1

"I’ll go to the bathroom to clean up, and then come back." Lin Ziyin ran out of the room as if she was escaping.

Behind her, was Chu Suifeng’s hearty laugh.

"My Queen." When Lin Ziyin came back, Chu Suifeng immediately scooped her onto the bed in a coquettish manner, then he began to struggle with the clothes Lin Ziyin wore.

The pace? Even if Lin Ziyin was a fool, she would know what he was trying to do.

"I’ll do it myself." Not accustomed to Chu Suifeng’s changes, Lin Ziyin, with a crimson face, jumped onto the bed and drew the curtain, "No peeking."

"Okay." Chu Suifeng obediently agreed.

Lin Ziyin breathed a sigh of relief, and hid in the quilt to change into her pajamas. "Okay."

"Then I’m coming in." Chu Suifeng, from outside the curtain, was very gentlemanly, waiting for Lin Ziyin to speak, before stepping in.

"Ah." But when he entered, Lin Ziyin got so scared, she slipped into the covers, "Didn’t I tell you not to sleep naked?"

"Ha ha, my queen, I promised to be honest with you for a lifetime. Do you have any objections to me?" Chu Suifeng, holding back his laugh, insisted on his "truth" shamelessly considering Lin Ziyin’s flustered and exasperated expression.

While he was speaking, he also climbed into the quilt.

The pajamas were robes; Lin Ziyin’s slender thighs were immediately entwined.

"Put your pajamas on right away." Lin Ziyin’s face was as red as cooked shrimp.

Unfortunately, Chu Suifeng became a "tyrant" in bed, not paying the least attention to her orders. After not too long, the room was not filled with arguing sounds anymore but startling gasps.

When Lin Ziyin got up the next morning, she felt like her waist was about to break.

"My queen, may I massage your waist for you?" Early in the morning, the "culprit" immediately tried to curry favor with her very brownnose.

Lin Ziyin shot him a fierce glare, she would get into trouble if she trusted him.

"No need, Prince, get up quickly. We’re going back home today." Lin Ziyin fled and try to escape from the quilt while he was off guard.

"It’s cold outside. I won’t tease you. Just get dressed in the quilt." Chu Suifeng turned first and got out of bed.

Lin Ziyin quickly closed her eyes, afraid of being cursed.

"My queen! I, am dressed in neat pajamas, I have always listened to you obediently." Chu Suifeng sulked and tried to act cute.

"Prince." Lin Ziyin opened her eyes in anger, and then found he was indeed wearing pajamas. The cartoon kitty on the pajamas seemed to be smiling at her.

This guy, he’s definitely teasing her on purpose.

Lin Ziyin was both amused and agitated, she rolled her eyes at him.

Chu Suifeng kept smiling happily, his mood was extremely good.

After breakfast, Mr. Bai Xian and Madam Qin had prepared the gifts to take back home and put them in the carriage.

"Come and sit here." In the carriage, Chu Suifeng was unhappy to see Lin Ziyin sitting far away from him.

"I’m not cold." Lin Ziyin glared at him.

"But, I am." Chu Suifeng replied shamelessly without blushing or panting.

What a lousy excuse! Lin Ziyin silently looked at the carriage’s cozy interior decorations: thick tiger skin, a cotton quilt, and a hot water bottle in it. Even if you wanted to catch a cold, it would be difficult.

"Stop talking, let me sleep a while longer." Lin Ziyin was so tired after being tormented by a certain rogue all night. If word got out, she guessed she would be too shamefaced to meet anyone.

As she obediently came over and used Chu Suifeng’s knee as a pillow, Prince Chu finally looked satisfied, "Sleep well, I’ll wake you up when we get there."

Chapter 667: Chapter 667: The Bull, Snake, Ghost, God (6)_1

Lin Ziyin closed her eyes, as the carriage’s rocking motion lulled her like a cradle, quickly carrying her to the realms of dreams. Seeing this, Chu Suifeng’s expression softened. He pulled open the blanket next to him, tucking Lin Ziyin in soundly and securely.

"Miss, why do you torment yourself like this?" In the exquisite chamber of the Ling Wang Residence’s backyard, Miss Ming lay on the bed with tears streaming from her eyes after she heard the maid’s report. To prevent her from being discovered, she kept her face turned inward.

"You wouldn’t understand." She replied coldly. "Make sure no one finds out."

"Miss, don’t worry. They are all fawning upon me, they wouldn’t dare to spy on my movements." The maid explained hurriedly, "I never expected that the Prince would willingly accompany Lin Ziyin home. Although it’s only..."

"Quiet." Miss Ming was slightly annoyed, "Don’t forget that we are not entitled to call the Princess Consort by her name. If the prince finds out, I won’t be able to protect you, don’t make trouble for me."

"Understood, Miss." The maid looked aggrieved, but still obedient, "I’ll be careful and won’t bring any trouble to you."

"Qingting, you are like a sister to me. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. Understand?" Miss Ming’s voice softened, "We have depended on each other for years, I don’t want to be alone from now."

"Miss, I understand." Qingting’s tears welled up, precisely because Miss was good to her, she was more willing to consider everything for Miss.

"Remember, you must treat the Princess Consort with respect when you meet her." Miss Ming advised once again, "Those who are protected by the Prince can never be disrespected by others."

Seeing Miss Ming’s desolation, Qingting despised the new Princess Consort, Lin Ziyin, even more.

"The consort has heard that the Madame is ill and has come to pay her respects bringing gifts." Suddenly, a voiced hailed from outside the door.

Miss Ming’s look of grief immediately vanished, replaced by a fierce look. The backyard was neither big nor small. Someone was rushing over to gloat.

But not just anyone was permitted to see her being made a mockery of. "Let the consort in."

The tone was light and cold. Upon hearing this, consort Lin, outside the door, smiled lightly. However, that mocking smile quickly disappeared.

The maid raised the curtain, "Lady Consort, be careful."

Like a rare treasure, consort Lin was carefully led into the room by two maids.

Although Miss Ming was in charge of all the women in the backyard, nothing in her room was particularly valuable. In her heart, consort Lin snickered at Miss Ming.

"Madame, I hope your health is improving?" Regardless, Lady Consort Lin’s position held weight. No matter how much Qingting despised her, she still brought over a comfortable chair for her to sit on.

Consort Lin sat down unceremoniously, and even ordered her maid to place the chair as close to the bed as possible.

Miss Ming, having been punished with beatings, could hardly move and laid prone on the bed. Having consort Lin watch her so intently made her feel uncomfortable.

"Qin is impulsive and caused Madame to be punished by the Prince. Ah, if she doesn’t change her temper, it’s feared that more troubles will follow." Consort Lin prattled, pretending to be concerned. "However, it’s the Madame who suffers."

"Consort, did you deliberately come to laugh at my misfortune?" Miss Ming didn’t want to bother with her any longer and directly asked, "If there’s something you want, just say it."

"Straightforward." Consort Lin laughed, clapping her hands to signal a maid to bring forward a box, "Here is a little gift from me. Since Madame is straightforward, I won’t beat about the bush either. Please say a few good words to the butler on my behalf. I want to leave the Wang Residence to visit my father. Just for one day, no, even half a day would be enough." As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.

Chapter 668: Chapter 668: The Bull, Snake, Ghost, God (7)_1

Miss Ming didn’t care if the consort was crying for real or just pretending. She showed no emotion on her face. "Consort, instead of wasting time on me, you might as well personally ask Butler Bai. Can’t you see that I’m not able to move?"

Her statement wasn’t an evasion. Consort Lin glanced at the woman on the bed and nodded slightly. "Alright. Since I’ve said so to the Madam, this is not an insult to her. Here is a box of excellent healing drugs for your wound, you can try it."

With that, she rose to her feet.

"See off the guest," Miss Ming said impatiently.

Consort Lin paid no attention to her attitude and hurriedly left with her maid.

"Take your things with you," a beautiful woman named Ming coldly declared.

Consort Lin stopped in her tracks. This time she made no attempt to hide the mockery on her face. "This modest gift, I can afford. We are all suffering. If the Madam is worried about using it, feel free to throw it away."

With that, she walked away without looking back.

"Madam, look at her arrogant posture." Qingting stared angrily at the back of Consort Lin, and then picked up the box on the table. "She has ill intentions. I will throw the box away right now."

"Keep it," Miss Ming said indifferently.

Qingting looked at her in surprise.

The weather had been quite nice these past few days, with the bright sun hanging in the sky for three consecutive days.

Ma Zhicai, idling away in the city, felt extremely gloomy. Ever since he met with those Tatars three months ago, he hadn’t seen them again. There wasn’t any important intelligence being passed along, but this left him feeling stifled. In his gloom, he wished he could find someone to talk to, yet he was utterly confused about what to do next.

"Look, it’s a carriage from the Wang Residence."

"The prince is bringing the princess back to her home."

"My lord, there are so many gifts, the Lin Family certainly has made a fortune."

"Give it a break. Who doesn’t know that the Lin family is now the most powerful in Feng City?" The speaker gave a thumbs up.

"I heard that, to support the princess, her family is willing to share the method of rice planting in the coming spring and even provide seedlings for everyone."

...

Sitting in the carriage, Chu Suifeng’s smile widened upon hearing the outside chatter. He was deeply grateful for the elderly gentleman’s arrangement. Afraid that someone might harm Lin Ziyin, he had forced all the planting techniques and the manor onto his eldest grandson, Lin Changshu.

The villagers in Shili had also kept their promise to the Lin family and Lou Zheng by keeping this a secret, leading everyone outside to credit all the changes to Lin Changshu.

Chu Suifeng was happy with this outcome, as people are inherently selfish and he didn’t want Ziyin to be exposed to danger. However, once things settle down next year, he won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Standing in the crowd, upon seeing the carriages from the Wang Residence and hearing the crowd’s chatter, Ma Zhicai felt even smaller.

With a resentful glance, he turned to leave the crowd and their chattering voices.

"Caught you at last, you rascal." He Bang grabbed Ma Zhicai. "You tricked us and even dared to hide. Today, if I don’t give you a beating, I will write my name backward."

"That’s right, we must not let him off easily." He Nian joined the chorus.

Caught off guard, Ma Zhicai was shoved and fell sitting on the ground.

Just as he was about to get angry, he looked up and found that the ones in front were members of the He family. His anger immediately soared. "Lay a hand on me again and see if I don’t report this to the government offices."

"You little bastard, go ahead and report. Last time, wasn’t it you who provoked us, leading to all the loss we suffered?" He Bang, a bit of a fool, didn’t care about the reactions on the street, rolled up his sleeves and moved to strike Ma Zhicai.

"What exactly did I provoke? Why don’t you tell everyone?" A learned Ma Zhicai responded swiftly. Upon noticing the Wang Residence carriage retreating in the distance, he instantly toughened up. "Everyone, they are the Lin family’s in-laws, but they are born of a stepmother, so they are not their real uncles. Last time, they purposely bumped into me on the street and tried to blackmail me. Later on, when they saw their relatives from the He family, they immediately inquired about the news. I thought they were relatives of a certain family in the village, so I told them everything without hesitation. Unexpectedly, they actually wanted to mooch off the Lin family. It was them who sold the princess’s mother to the Lin family. Of course, the Lin family now refuses to associate with them, and the prince even gave them a stern punishment. However, they are trying to cause me trouble today. Everyone, what do you think, can we let them go?"

"These rascals cannot be let off."

"Can’t fuel their bad behavior." The people loved to watch drama, and upon hearing that some in front of them had once bullied the princess, their emotions easily flared. Many people began throwing rotten vegetables and clumps of earth at He Bang and He Nian.

The members of the He family, realizing the situation was turning dire, immediately ran off.

Now free, Ma Zhicai had a smile on his face and his mood lightened. But then a hand suddenly reached out from behind him and pulled him out of the crowd.

Chapter 669: Chapter 669 Funeral (1)_1

Ma Zhicai was taken aback, instinctively wanting to scream, to draw the attention of others.

"Don’t shout, it’s me." A familiar deep voice came from behind him, immediately calming him down.

"Uncle." Ma Zhicai turned around in surprise and joy.

"Let’s head back to the inn." Ma Erlang was clad in a fur jacket, his head covered with a large fur hat, and a scarf popular in Feng City wrapped around his neck. His entire person was bundled up, only leaving his small eyes exposed.

Even so, he lowered his head slightly, fearing others would recognize him.

Compared to him, Ma Zhicai appeared much more at ease. He was dressed in a thick cotton robe, wearing a cotton hat on his head. He was usually thin, and in this pale robe he quite resembled a suave scholar.

The uncle and nephew did not walk side by side, instead moving through the crowd towards the inn from different directions. Ma Zhicai, watching Ma Erlang up ahead, felt particularly excited. Finally, his several days of waiting had not been in vain.

However, as they approached the inn, his joy turned into confusion. The year-end was near, what could the Tatar want from him in Feng City?

"Uncle." Once they’d entered the inn, but before they reached the room with Heaven’s Code, Ma Zhicai finally couldn’t help but ask Ma Erlang, "The New Year is approaching. What brings you to Feng City now?"

He spoke in a whisper, audible only to the two of them.

"We’ll discuss it once we meet the others." Ma Erlang replied hesitantly, not mentioning what exactly he planned to do.

Ma Zhicai’s heart began to beat anxiously. Although he was willing to assist the Tatar, he was still afraid that one day they would ask him to engage in something big that he would not be able to handle. At that point, he would likely have to flee Feng City like Ma Erlang, living a life on the run.

This sort of unsettled life was not what Ma Zhicai wanted.

The duo arrived at the entrance to the room bearing Heaven’s Code. Ma Erlang reached out to push the door open. The door creaked before finally opening.

This Heaven’s Code room was not Ma Zhicai’s room. His own room was next door.

Following Ma Erlang into the room, Ma Zhicai surreptitiously evaluated the individuals inside. This time, there were several unfamiliar faces in the room. Particularly noteworthy was the man sitting at the head of the room, clad in a white fur coat. He had thick brows and large eyes, his physique stout and his eyes bright and spirited. He emanated an almost intimidating air of refinement and was clearly not an ordinary man.

Ma Zhicai even noticed that the Tatar who had berated him the last time was now standing deferentially at the lower end of the table, scarcely daring to breathe. He could see the reverence in the man’s manner towards the nobleman at the head of the room.

"This humble one pays respects to your Excellency." Ma Zhicai became even more cautious after his observation. Given the Tatar’s disdain for the people of the Northern Land, he dared not show any carelessness in front of this important figure.

"The queen of the Imperial Tomb is from your Shili Village?" The nobleman at the top of the room asked with a light laugh and a quite easy-going attitude.

"Yes." Ma Zhicai was unsure why he would mention Lin Ziyin. In his clueless state, he only dared to provide terse responses.

As soon as Ma Erlang had taken him into the room, he quietly moved to the door to monitor the situation outside.

"Are you certain all of the Lin family’s workshops were established by Lin Ziyin?"

"Yes, sir. I can confirm that all the tools used in the workshops were Lin Ziyin’s ideas. Even the self-propelled vehicles used on the farms were her invention." When Ma Zhicai answered, he seemed excited. Though he didn’t know why these Tatars were interested in Lin Ziyin, since they were on opposing sides, they must be planning something against Lin Ziyin.

 

Chapter 670: Chapter 670 Funeral (2)_1

Hmph, as long as the Lin Family was in trouble, he felt pleased. So without letting the Tatar continue questioning, he eagerly told the Tatar about Lin Ziyin and the villagers’ admiration for her at Shili Village.

"You mean to say, the law of free education was also proposed by her?" The person in the high seat listened very carefully, and after listening, he even asked about some specifics with great interest.

"Yes, the Dean of Shili Village was a very arrogant man initially, but he soon yielded to Lin Ziyin," Ma Zhicai carefully observed the young master’s reactions while earnestly explaining, "The prince was initially attracted by her because Lin Ziyin knows how to farm, do business, is good with her hands."

After hearing Ma Zhicai’s explanation, the young master on the high seat couldn’t help but start laughing. If what this man said was true, the prince’s consort is more than just skillful at handiwork.

The renowned prince’s consort should be considered a remarkable woman.

"I invited you here to deliver a message to someone and to persuade her to act according to our will," the young master opened his mouth slowly.

Ma Zhicai was taken aback. He was meant to be a messenger? Who was he meant to persuade?

"The master wishes for you to convince Miss Li Yanran from the Marquis Residence to cooperate with us and invite the prince’s consort to visit North Country together," the young master cheerfully said, his gaze zeroed in on Ma Zhicai like a hawk.

Kidnap the prince’s consort? Ma Zhicai’s mind was in bedlam.

This could cost him his life. He felt regret; he really shouldn’t have stayed in Feng City. What should he do? If their plot gets exposed, he would certainly die. He did not believe that the scheme to kidnap Lin Ziyin could succeed. Even a fool would understand how precious Lin Ziyin was to the prince right now.

Chu Suifeng would absolutely never allow Lin Ziyin to fall into danger.

"You only need to convince Miss Li. The rest is none of your concern," the young master, seeming to understand the thoughts in his head, maintained his calm smile as his gaze sharpened, "Of course, it is alright if you refuse. This young master can just find someone else for the job."

The moment he finished speaking, before Ma Zhicai could even reply, the guard behind him had already drawn his sword.

"Zhicai." Ma Erlang was in a cold sweat, his forehead dotted with many beads of sweat. He wore an anxious look staring at Ma Zhicai.

Ma Zhicai saw the young master draw his sword for the slightest disagreement and understood his threat. If he refused the task today, he certainly wouldn’t make it out of this room alive.

But if he agreed to serve as the Tatar’s middleman, he would be equally doomed! He was ready to be driven mad.

"Rest assured, Miss Li will certainly assist you, as long as you are not intimidated by her, and you manage to complete the task successfully. Once the task is completed, you will be rewarded with five thousand taels of silver, and you will virtually bear no risk," the suave young master seemed to grasp Ma Zhicai’s thinking very well. "Of course, if you can’t perform your task, I can’t guarantee your safety. After all, someone else would be willing to take over, and the task will carry on."

With the threats and temptation, Ma Zhicai finally loosened his lips, "May I know if Miss Li and Lin Ziyin have any disagreements?"

The young master smiled satisfactorily. He really hadn’t judged this man wrongly. Although this man feared death, he was a clever one. He asked the right question, and it seemed like success was just around the corner.

"Because Lin Ziyin stole the prince from her, is this reason sufficient?" the young master slowly answered with a smile.

Enough! Ma Zhicai’s eyes lit up, "I will surely accomplish the task, however, I need to think about how to approach Miss Li."