Ch. 706..710: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 706-710

Chapter 706: Chapter 706 Impossible (3)_1

"How dare you!" Mr. Miao was driven nearly mad by Chu Suifeng, blame it on the misleading rumors. They said that Prince Ling only showed his ruthless side towards enemies, and that he was ever eager to return to Capital City, praying in its direction every day. But could this man, so devoid of familial affection, truly be Prince Ling? "Zajia is the Emperor’s envoy. Injuring Zajia is no different from disrespecting the Emperor. If anything befalls Zajia in the Northern Land, the Emperor won’t sit idle."

His eyes glinted with incredulity, but Mr. Miao didn’t back down an inch.

Lin Haisheng silently cursed him a fool. Despite the dire state of affairs, he still dared to threaten Chu Suifeng.

He didn’t even consider that Chu Suifeng had maintained his footing in the Northern Land for many years, earning the Tatars’ deep respect. Prince Ling wasn’t a pushover either. Years of being indulged in the palace had surely dulled this eunuch’s wits.

Mr. Miao wasn’t a fool. Having risen from a lowly eunuch, ridiculed and oppressed, he had become a figure of influence at the whim of the unpredictable emperor. He knew how to read people and act accordingly.

However, over the years, he had been greatly influenced by the daunting figures within the royal harem, leading him to treat Chu Suifeng with reverence and believe that the Northern Land’s scarce resources would cripple Chu Suifeng without the Imperial Court’s support. With only a modest amount of silver from his business shenanigans, Chu Suifeng’s influence seemed precarious. Proof of that was his trading grain for goods. Finally, the royal aura Chu Suifeng ought to radiate had taken a significant blow.

Misled, Mr. Miao grew bolder. "Release Zajia. Seeing it’s for the Emperor’s sake, Zajia shall let this slide."

"My prince, Mr. Miao has been serving the Emperor closely in the palace for many years. He’s accustomed to the palace’s way of nitpicking. Please show some understanding." Lin Haisheng hadn’t intended to plead for Mr. Miao, but he was forced to out of duty, though his plea came out rather tepid.

"Zajia is the Emperor’s special envoy. Prince Ling, let go of Zajia at once." Mr. Miao kept blustering in his myopic arrogance, leaving Lin Haisheng with the urge to leave this fool to his fate.

"My prince,"

"Shut up," Chu Suifeng drawled, clearly exasperated.

Lin Haisheng instantly fell silent after catching that hint of annoyance. He certainly didn’t want to get himself involved just for trying to intervene on behalf of Mr. Miao.

Congyi and Conger had pinned Mr. Miao down, ready to haul him away.

As he struggled, Mr. Miao finally paid close attention to Chu Suifeng’s expression.

Chu Suifeng switched his gaze to Lin Ziyin, "Whatever you wish to achieve, first prioritize preserving your dignity. Teach a lesson to whoever dares disrespect you."

"Oh," Lin Ziyin obediently acknowledged, indicating that she had taken the prince’s advice to heart.

Mr. Bai Xian, the butler, stood aside like a wooden stake with a smirk on his face as he watched Mr. Miao struggle in vain. He didn’t care about the penalty levied against him, instead, pondering what means he should use to deal with Mr. Miao later.

When Mr. Miao finally realized Chu Suifeng wasn’t bluffing, regret surged in his heart. Deceptive rumors indeed—there was no way he was going to let Chu Suifeng ruin the martial arts he’d honed over days and nights of strenuous training.

His eyes welling up with desperation, Mr. Miao began struggling even more fiercely, resisting Congyi and Conger’s grasp.

"Break his arms and legs," Chu Suifeng ordered.

Lin Haisheng shivered at the cold decree.

While Mr. Miao’s martial arts skills might be deemed exceptional in Capital City, his adversaries were Congyi and Conger, who grew up practicing martial arts in Ding’an Temple and had reaped countless lives on the battlefield under Chu Suifeng’s command. If they were seen in a different light, they could be deemed desperadoes.

Chapter 707: Chapter 707 Impossible (4)_1

In a battle between those living in luxury and those who are not afraid to die, the outcome is crystal clear, especially when the opponent is two people against one.

Worried that Lin Ziyin would be caught up in the fight, Chu Suifeng guarded her behind him, while Hong Ying and the others encircled her, providing a protection that was airtight.

"Your Highness, please calm down." Lin Haisheng tried to mediate with great anxiety. He feared that the Emperor would blame him later, yet in the Northern Land, he also dared not to offend Chu Suifeng with harsh words. In this dilemma, Lin Haisheng was almost driven to tears. "It’s just a slave, Your Highness, not worthy of your anger. My Queen, could you please persuade His Highness?"

With no other choice, Lin Haisheng redirected his pleading gaze towards Lin Ziyin, as he had noticed even the smallest incident involving Ziyin would prompt Chu Suifeng to treat it as a major issue.

While they were conversing, the eunuch Congyi and Conger, who had been driven into the courtyard, were already covered in blood.

Congyi and Conger, cruel as they were, had shown no mercy to the eunuch and instead had inflicted numerous small wounds on him with the sharp swords they held, their punishing brutality amplifying a sense of desperation.

Regret had already consumed the eunuch as he now understood that the Prince was not playing with him but was truly aiming to take his life.

The higher the status, the more fearful of death. As the eunuch thought of the wealth and status he held in the Capital City, and the nieces and nephews waiting for him to bring honor to their family back home, he was filled with fear and regret.

"Your Highness, please forgive this humble servant who was blinded by greed and spoke out of turn before you," he knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing towards the room, "Your Highness, kindly regard me as less significant as a fart."

Chu Suifeng remained cozy inside the room, responding to the pleas for mercy with a cold laugh, showing no signs of mercy. For Chu Suifeng, if one made him uncomfortable, be it the eunuch or Lin Haisheng, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut them off. As for the two inside the inn, well, they at least knew to avoid crossing paths with him.

"Your Highness." Lin Ziyin whispered into Chu Suifeng’s ear, confiding her worries. "If we let this person go, could he cause us trouble in the future?"

"Would you like to spare him, my Queen?" Chu Suifeng retorted, "He’s a mere servant, not worthy of my attention."

"If releasing him would not cause any trouble, let it be." Lin Ziyin’s voice was barely audible as she leaned her head closer to him, "In considering who the master is before we strike a dog, we should remember our food reserves are low and we are not ready to face the consequences. Let’s not tackle with force for now."

"It’s just a mere servant." Chu Suifeng’s voice suddenly rose, "How dare he disrespect my queen. He should be sentenced to death. My queen, do not worry. As per the rules, the Emperor wouldn’t blame us for punishing a servant who has disrespected the royal offspring."

Upon hearing this, the eunuch regretted his actions even more.

He was so overconfident today. Indeed, according to the rules, even though the Prince wasn’t favored by the Emperor, the dignity of the royal family was beyond question. Even if he was a favored servant in front of the Emperor, Chu Suifeng could still execute him for disrespecting the royal family. If the Prince insisted on using this reason, the eunuch would in fact end up losing his life for nothing.

He clearly understood the character of the Emperor.

Now at his wit’s end, he finally understood why the King and Prince Rui had declined to come and assigned him to deliver the decree instead. It was obvious that he was used as a puppet.

Regret and fear overwhelmed him as a multitude of complex feelings surged up. The eunuch felt as if he were on the brink of collapse. "Your Highnesses, please spare me, I was blinded by ignorance. I will never dare to do this again, I deserve to be punished."

Chapter 708: Chapter 708 Impossible (5)_1

Upon finishing, he disregarded the intense pain in his body, forcefully slapping his own cheeks.

Lin Haisheng stood in the courtyard, his mind a whirlpool of mixed feelings.

On the one hand, he felt a sense of satisfaction seeing Mister Miao end up in this state. On the other hand, it only served to deepen his fear towards Chu Suifeng.

"Madame, the slave was momentarily blinded by ignorance when he spoke insolently in front of you. However, my words were not intended to belittle you. I only spoke as such with your interests in mind." Mister Miao cried uncontrollably. In the face of death, he had completely abandoned his dignity.

"Prince," Lin Ziyin began from within the room, her voice became louder. "Although the eunuch’s words might have been crude, they weren’t completely unreasonable. Let’s just let this matter rest. Since the emperor went to all this trouble to send him to deliver his decree, it must be important. We should receive the royal edict first."

"The royal decree is with Sir Lin. This slave thanks the prince and princess for sparing his life." Upon hearing that his life had been spared, Mister Miao immediately assumed a posture of gratitude. He had not left the Wang Residence, but his heart was still filled with unease.

"For the sake of the princess, I’ll spare your wretched life. But though you’ll escape death, you won’t escape punishment. Congyi, Conger, I order you to break his legs, teach him a lesson he will remember. The next time he comes to the Wang Residence, he’ll know to respect the rules." Chu Suifeng commanded coldly.

"Yes, Your Highness," Congyi responded respectfully, and without playing anymore tricks on Mister Miao, he stomped on his legs with all his might.

A horrific scream echoed through the courtyard following the two cracking sounds.

"Too noisy," Chu Suifeng remarked indifferently.

Instantly, Mister Miao’s screams stopped abruptly, "The servant is thankful."

Sweat poured from his face because of agony, but he didn’t dare show any resentment.

"Princess, I hope you weren’t frightened," Chu Suifeng reassured Lin Ziyin in a gentle tone, ignoring Mister Miao’s state.

"I’m fine." Lin Ziyin breathed a sigh of relief in response. As for Mister Miao’s suffering, she did not feel a shred of sympathy. She only spared him for the sake of the bigger picture.

Lin Ziyin was sure that Mister Miao wouldn’t dare to act so arrogantly in front of her anymore. At least not in the Northern Land, as the old eunuch would not have the guts to do so.

"Prepare a calming soup for the princess to ease her shock." Chu Suifeng instructed the servants within the room.

"Yes, Your Highness, this old servant will personally prepare it right away." Nurse Lu replied loudly.

The neglected Mister Miao didn’t dare to show any discontent. The two minor eunuchs who had come with him were so scared that they shook uncontrollably. They stood beside Lin Haisheng and did not dare to help Mister Miao without Prince Ling’s orders.

"Congyi, have someone escort Mister Miao back to the post house later," Lin Ziyin declared, playing the part of the generous soul.

The previous day’s snowfall still lingered in the air. Mister Miao, now lying on the snow-covered ground, was a far cry from the proud figure he presented upon arrival. His exquisite gown now dirty—patches of black and grey replacing its former brilliance. Upon hearing Lin Ziyin’s words, he thanked her, trembling and clearly without any of his earlier arrogance.

"Thank you, Prince, and Princess. I will ensure that Mister Miao is returned safely," Lin Haisheng assured cautiously.

"Mister Miao, Sir Lin, shall we proceed with the reading of the decree now?" Lin Ziyin inquired lightly.

"I shall read His Majesty’s decree immediately," Mister Miao promised shakily.

As Lin Ziyin nodded to herself, she realized that while this old eunuch might fear death, he was also quite resolute. At the very least, he was harsh on himself.

His broken bones and extensive injuries caused him immense pain. Mister Miao had never expected to end up in this dismal state in the desolate Northern Land. However, disregarding his injuries, he hoped to quickly read out the royal decree and then leave the Prince Ling’s Residence as swiftly as possible.

Chapter 709: Chapter 709 Impossible (6)_1

"Endowed by Heaven, the Emperor decrees..." A quivering voice rang out in the courtyard.

Normally, those who received the decree were required to kneel in front of Mister Miao, even if Chu Suifeng’s status was high enough; that rule could not be abandoned. Otherwise, it would constitute disrespect to the Emperor.

However, Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin remained in the house and did not come out. Qin Mama’s voice had reverberated instead: "Prince, Princess, the mat has been prepared."

Afterwards, there was silence inside the house.

Mister Miao and Lin Haisheng could only laugh bitterly, yet neither dared to enter the house.

After faithfully reading the royal decree, Mr. Miao was eager to leave the Wang Residence as soon as possible.

Hong Ying came out to receive the decree, her casual impatient gesture made Mister Miao even more alarmed. It was only at this moment that he truly realized the Prince didn’t care about the imperial edict.

"The Imperial Court has cut off the Northern Land’s grain and salary supplies thus this Prince can only fend for himself. I am sure Mister Lin and Mister Miao have seen how poor I am, and how hard life is for the people in the Northern Land," Chu Suifeng’s cold voice emanated from the house.

Mister Miao and Lin Haisheng scrutinized the understated luxury within Prince’s Residence and secretly cursed Chu Suifeng. Poor, my foot! Look at all the colored glazes in the house. Even the Emperor didn’t have these in the Capital City, and he has the nerve to cry poverty.

Seemingly reading their thoughts, Bai Xian quickly explained the origin of the colored glazes. "Both of you shouldn’t think the Prince is pretending to be poor. A lot of the things in the Residence are replenished with the silver earned through trading, some even through bartering goods. Take the colored glaze in this room for example, it was a gift from foreign merchants in exchange for our goods."

So, that was it! Lin Haisheng and Mister Miao felt somewhat balanced. Just say it, the Northern Land can’t possibly become rich so quickly just by relying on the Lin Family.

When Lin Ziyin heard the eloquent butler, Bai Xian, crying poverty, she couldn’t help but laugh. It turned out that even a serious butler would lie.

"So, when you report back, tell them that this Prince of the Northern Land can hardly fend for himself, let alone have surplus goods to contribute. If the Emperor really needs these tributes, then let the Emperor offer grain and salaries in exchange," came Chu Suifeng’s second sentence.

Upon hearing this, Lin Haisheng could only give a wry smile, while Mister Miao was so shocked that he even forgot about the pain in his body.

The Prince has such audacity. He might be saying it politely, but his words clearly indicated that he was not willing to offer tribute, but wanted the Emperor to buy supplies just like other merchants.

They say that fate cannot be defied. Chu Suifeng dared to openly oppose the Emperor. Didn’t he fear the Emperor’s anger and being labeled as a rebel?

"Prince, after Mister Miao and I return, it may be difficult for us to complete our tasks," Lin Haisheng said bitterly. He now regretted terribly agreeing to let his legitimate daughter come to the Northern Land. If he had known that Chu Suifeng would be so troublesome, he would’ve replaced her with another girl from the family, even if it meant spending more silver to bribe the Emperor.

However, as regret medicine didn’t exist in this world, Lin Haisheng could only hope that the Prince would treat his daughter well.

"Prince, don’t make it difficult for Mister Lin and Mister Miao. Why not write a letter for them to bring back, to provide some explanation to the Emperor?" Lin Ziyin suggested.

"Annoying," came Chu Suifeng’s voice, filled with displeasure. Nevertheless, he commanded the maid to prepare ink, brush, and paper.

"Mister Lin, please take this." After a while, Qin Mama came out, holding an envelope in her hands. "This is the Prince’s letter."

Lin Haisheng received the letter with a bitter smile, thanked the Prince and said, "Now that I have completed my task, I shall take my leave."

 

Chapter 710: Chapter 710 Impossible (7)_1

There was no sound in the room.

Lin Haisheng immediately instructed two eunuchs to carry Lord Miao, "Take Lord Miao with us."

Two young eunuchs immediately went over to carry Lord Miao, and one of them crouched down to hoist him onto his back.

Lord Miao wished he had wings so he could fly straight out of the Wang Residence.

"Wait." The Prince suddenly spoke, and everyone froze as if they were under a spell, a look of vigilance flashed in their eyes.

"Mr. Lin, Lord Miao, these are letters from the Prince for both of you." Mr. Bai Xian, the butler, slowly walked out with a smile on his face, handing over two letters.

Lin Haisheng and Lord Miao looked at each other, neither daring to reach out and take the letters. They didn’t understand why Chu Suifeng would go out of his way to write letters to them. How wasn’t it better to express any matter upfront since they were in the Wang Residence?

Clearly, the Prince was trying to sow discord between them and perhaps even disfavour them from the Emperor. After all, those present weren’t just Lin Haisheng and Lord Miao. The current Emperor was a suspicious character; knowing that they received letters from the Prince, the Emperor might harbour a grudge against them.

"The Prince wishes for you to open the letters once you’re home." Upon seeing Lin Haisheng and Lord Miao eager to unfold the letters in public, Bai Xian, the butler, slowly and smilingly stopped them.

Lin Haisheng and Lord Miao looked up and saw the silent warning in his eyes. They shivered and simultaneously put away the letters they held.

"Mr. Lin, Lord Miao please." Bai Xian reassumed his duties as the butler.

Those who came all swagger and bluster, left like defeated dogs.

When Lord Miao and Lin Haisheng arrived, they rode in two carriages. When they returned to the carriages, they found their backs completely soaked in sweat. Usually a duty to present the imperial edicts was a glorious task, but here at the Prince’s side, it turned into a dangerous affair.

All the people on the carriage were trustworthy. Unable to bear the pain any longer, Lord Miao softly groaned.

"They will surely hold a grudge against us," Lin Ziyin remarked with a sigh inside the room.

"What of it? They won’t dare to conspire against me behind my back. On their return, they will also have no choice but to speak well of me." Chu Suifeng laughed, "They thought they could achieve something without spending anything. They thought we would just serve them our resources on a silver platter."

"I wouldn’t want that either," Lin Ziyin pouted, "These are our means of survival. They can wish for it, but it’s impossible. But matter of factly, the emperor’s guts for playing with our lives is truly ruthless."

"We won’t have to live in fear after next year," Chu Suifeng consoled her.

"I know," Lin Ziyin’s voice sounded stifled. War not only needs superb weaponry; logistically too, the support is Of high importance. The current food storage in Northern Land could only barely support the common people till the coming autumn harvest. If a war happens, caught between the Imperial Court and the Tatars, Northern Land would be in danger.

After all, one truly relies on human power during a war. If a large-scale conscription occurs in the Northern Land, who would cultivate the lands?

"Liao City is heavily guarded and is the most vital transit route for Northern Land and Daqin. If we want to live comfortably, we must keep Liao City in our control," Chu Suifeng began, "Firstly, we bring in some rescued people, and then we plan further growth."

"The soldiers defending Liao City won’t capitulate, will they?" Lin Ziyin asked.

"Guan Qinggu is a loyal servant of the Emperor, smart and brave. Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t have assigned him to guard Liao City," Chu Suifeng answered.

"According to the map, isn’t Liao City supposed to belong to the Northern Land?" Lin Ziyin queried in puzzlement.

"Correct, strictly speaking, Liao City indeed belongs to the Northern Land. But because of its strategic importance, the Emperor assigned it to his jurisdiction instead," a tone of contempt was evident in Chu Suifeng’s voice.

"Since it belongs to Northern Land, once we have the strength, we’ll find a way to retake Liao City," Lin Ziyin said, her eyes glittering, "I’ve done some research. The temperature in Liao City is considerably different from Feng City. The amount of sunlight is sufficient, capable of supporting two crop seasons and cotton planting.

So this girl has made plans. Chu Suifeng couldn’t resist pinching her cheeks. "To retake Liao City, the Queen must make great efforts."

"Why should I make efforts?" a curious Lin Ziyin asked.

"Such a strategic city will naturally require someone trustworthy to guard; we may not trust others, but if our son goes there, we wouldn’t have to worry," Chu Suifeng laughed out loud, "Since one son certainly won’t be enough, the Queen must have more."

He really is becoming a tease, thought Lin Ziyin, as her face flushed crimson.

Madam Qin and the others in the room couldn’t help but laugh as well. They all agreed with what Lin Ziyin said. After all, the Wang Residence had been quiet for so many years; having more princes would add to the liveliness.