Ch. 736..740: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 736-740

Chapter 736: Chapter 736: See Again (5)_1

"Thank you, Prince." Upon hearing Chu Suifeng’s promise, Mrs. You quietly exhaled in relief. She had no doubt that Chu Suifeng would lie to her; everyone knew that once Prince Ling made a promise, he always kept it.

"Speak." Situ Gong urged her.

"The Princess Consort may have been taken out of the city by Li Yanran." As soon as Mrs. You made this statement, everyone in the room was taken aback. Li Yanran? Was Li Yanran somehow involved in the Princess Consort’s disappearance?

"Did you see the Princess Consort?" Bai Xian asked in confusion.

"No, I didn’t see the Princess Consort with my own eyes." Mrs. You shook her head, "When Li Yanran returned to the city, she was in the Mu Family’s carriage. The carriage she used when leaving the city had disappeared by the time she returned to the Li Family’s residence."

So it was just a conjecture. However, both Situ Gong and Chu Suifeng did not overlook what Mrs. You said. Instead, they were more convinced of the possibility she mentioned.

"Where might the Princess Consort be?" Chu Suifeng questioned further, his tone now carrying a murderous intent.

Mrs. You knew it wasn’t directed at her, Prince Ling was planning to kill Li Yanran.

"Li Yanran has her own estate about ten miles outside the city. It was her dowry from the Mu Family. Usually, Li Yanran’s people manage it, and she often goes there for inquiries. It is a place for her to practice managing provided by the Mu Family," Mrs. You explained, "All the people in that estate were arranged by Li Yanran herself."

"Lead the way." Chu Suifeng coldly commanded.

Having chosen to inform, Mrs. You was prepared mentally. With Chu Suifeng’s arrangements, she wasn’t afraid of what the Li Family would do to her. After all, the Marquis was already prepared to abandon her in his heart.

For the sake of her children, she also needed to take a gamble.

The estate wasn’t far from the city, just a dozen miles away.

"That’s it," Mrs. You pointed to the estate, indicating she did not wish to show herself.

This time Chu Suifeng didn’t make it difficult for her and led his black-armored soldiers directly into the estate.

The people in the estate panicked upon seeing them, and some of the more faint-hearted even fainted on the spot.

The black-armored soldiers did not utter a word as they began searching through the entire estate. Unfortunately, the person of interest was not found, "Speak! Where is the Princess Consort?"

"I don’t know. I have never seen the Princess Consort in the estate," The estate manager’s responses were direct denials to Chu Suifeng’s questions, though he seemed rather honest.

Chu Suifeng didn’t have time to argue and ordered his black-armored soldiers to interrogate all the estate’s residents individually.

However, everyone in the estate firmly denied ever seeing the Princess Consort, stating that no one new ever visited.

"Surround the estate. Don’t let anyone out," Chu Suifeng coldly chuckled as he ordered. If they do not speak, he had other methods to make them do so.

Luo Yan and Si Jinhan received the message quickly and arrived on the scene.

These two experts in interrogation were efficient—rumors soon circulated throughout Feng City that the Princess Consort was being hidden.

Everyone within Feng City, from high-ranking officials to everyday citizens, was thrown into panic. For a time, unease engulfed Feng City.

Upon hearing the news, Li Yanran’s face turned pale with fright. But soon enough, she regained her composure and chose to remain within her residence, not daring to step outside.

Thus, she was completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding at the estate.

Mrs. You saw that even though Chu Suifeng did not find the Princess Consort in the estate, he did not give her a hard time either. This told her that Prince Ling did indeed believe her words. The thought of her life being spared led Mrs. You to sigh in relief.

Chu Suifeng sent her back to gather information. Mrs. You was a tenacious character by nature. Having received her mission, she managed to return to her residence, presenting an air of calm.

Chapter 737: Chapter 737: See Again (6)_1

When Li Jiesong saw her relaxed demeanor, he was irritated. In anger, he decisively moved into the quarters of his concubine, refusing to see Lady You anymore.

Lady You was indifferent to this, for Li Jiesong’s absence was beneficial to her. She sent her maids and old nurses to start secretly collecting information around the residence.

Li Yanran was smart about it: she remained reticent, staying inside her courtyard without going out. The people sent by Lady You couldn’t glean a word of news.

Lady You couldn’t help but lose patience. Li Yanran was her bargaining chip in dealing with Chu Suifeng. If she couldn’t get any information, even if Chu Suifeng was willing to let her go, she won’t gain anything.

After much consideration, Lady You decided to handle it personally, wishing to meet Li Yanran in hopes of getting information from her. Yet, she, now in a more disadvantaged position, was hardly considered by Li Yanran.

"Madam, our young lady is not feeling well. Please go back," Xique blocked her way with a smile.

"She’s not feeling well? I’ll go in and see her," suggested Lady You, as she prepared to walk in.

"Madam, our young lady said she fears that her illness may infect you. She wouldn’t want to trouble you," Xique decisively stopped her without giving her any face.

Lady You was secretly resentful. During her moments of favor, every maidservant in Li Yanran’s room would try to curry favor with her. Yet now, such a short time later, these shameless servants dared to show her attitude.

Nonetheless, she did not dare to force her way in, fearing it would arouse Li Yanran’s suspicion.

"If that is the case, I shall visit her another time," Lady You said with a smile and left.

"Hmph," Xique watched her leave with contempt, then went back into the room to report.

"If she comes again, send her away immediately," Li Yanran calmly instructed from her bed. The visit from Lady You didn’t raise any suspicion, for she assumed that Lady You had come to ask her to plead on her behalf.

Her focus wasn’t on this matter at the moment.

Lin Ziyin, that wretched woman, was in her hands. Once the buzz died down, she would definitely go to the countryside and personally disfigure Lin Ziyin’s face. It would be interesting to see how she could entice Prince Ling then.

The protagonist, Lin Ziyin, was currently lying inside a carriage. For a moment her mind was clear, but she couldn’t move her body. The carriage was shaky and she couldn’t see the outside world. She didn’t know where she was.

However, one thing was certain. She had been kidnapped and was quite a distance away from Feng City.

Throughout the journey, despite the weather and nightfall, her kidnappers were constantly on the move.

Moreover, the dialect they occasionally leaked out confirmed that she was in the hands of the Tatars.

She didn’t know how long she had been unconscious in the carriage. She remembered that she seemed to have slept in her own bed at the Wang Residence the previous night.

How had these Tatars managed to get her out of the Wang Residence? What was Chu Suifeng doing now? He hadn’t discovered that she had been secretly taken out of Feng City by the Tatars yet, had he?

"Princess Ling, we apologize for the inconvenience. Once we cross this mountain, we can resume traveling in the carriage," a familiar man stood before her, explaining sincerely.

Upon seeing the newcomer, Lin Ziyin was surprised and her eyes widened in shock. She recognized him; they had met once before.

She wanted to speak, but she couldn’t make even a hoarse sound.

Had the Tatars poisoned her to silence her? The possibility made even the usually calm Lin Ziyin panic. No one would ever want to spend the rest of their life as a mute!

Chapter 738: Chapter 738: See Again (7)_1

She pointed in horror at her throat, looking fervently at the other person.

"Rest assured, Princess of Ling, there’s nothing wrong with your throat. To avoid unnecessary trouble, we made you uncomfortable along the way," the man replied after understanding her meaning, and explained with a smile, "Anyhow, you and I have met before. I will definitely not hurt the princess. The reason for inviting the princess to North Country this time is purely because my master wishes to recall past memories with the Princess of Ling."

Recall past memories? Lin Ziyin quickly visualized a young man’s face. Indeed, it’s not worth being a good person. Her momentary kindness at the market place back then has brought her such a big trouble now.

Looking at the man opposite her, she was certain who had kidnapped her. Thinking of that young man, her heart settled down.

She believed that Chu Suifeng would be able to find her soon and take her back to Feng City.

Now calm, Lin Ziyin began to stretch her muscles and took the opportunity to look around.

Endless mountains covered in white snow stretched across her vision. Some green pine branches were vaguely visible, giving the area a touch of life.

After clearly seeing her surroundings, Lin Ziyin was taken aback.

She was ’familiar’ with the mountains in front of her. She had seen them many times on the map in Chu Suifeng’s study during her days in Border City. She didn’t expect that she would have to cross this mountain range today.

Thinking of the complexity of the mountain ranges, her heart sank slightly. Just by sleeping, she woke up to a completely different world. From Feng City to Border City, it took almost seven days for her to travel by carriage under normal circumstances; by calculating the time and distance, it could be inferred that she had been unconscious for around four days.

Many things could happen in four days.

Lin Ziyin could imagine how frantic Chu Suifeng must be at this moment!

Indeed, Chu Suifeng was indeed very frantic.

The Consort Yu at the residence had failed to get any useful information from Li Yanran’s mouth, but he received some news.

"The Princess was indeed in Li Yanran’s carriage that day. Possibly due to the presence of the prince, the guards in black armor may not have searched thoroughly, thus she managed to slip by," Si Jinhan reported nonchalantly. "Li Yanran probably wanted to imprison her in her own estate and torment her. However, the carriage that was sending the Princess took a turn and headed straight for Border City. Most likely, Li Yanran still believes that the Princess is hiding in her estate."

"After the princess was taken out of the residence, three groups of people arrived. One group was definitely the Tatars, the other should be Blackie’s people. The origin of the other group is unclear," Luo Yan said with a heavier tone. "If I’m not mistaken, it should be people from Changchun Country. "

"Prince, now that people from Changchun Country are involved, the Princess’s life is safe for a short period of time. Keep an eye on Changchun Country," Situ Gong advised with a frown.

Luo Yan nodded, "Changchun Country’s involvement is likely due to the Crown Prince. Given the Emperor of Changchun Country’s cautious nature, he would never get involved in such a conflict."

"It’s hard to say," Situ Gong shook his head, "The weather and terrain in Changchun Country and the Northern Land are similar. For the development of Changchun Country, it’s worth taking a risk."

"Do they dare?" A vicious look flashed in Si Jinhan’s eyes.

Situ Gong shook his head, "In the face of interest, even the timid can kill."

Originally thinking it was just the North Country at work, Chu Suifeng didn’t expect there would be so many twists. His expression was incredibly serious.

"Based on the timing, the Princess must have arrived in Border City. Even if we push our speed to the limits, we won’t be able to catch up." With a voice full of murderous intent and coldness, he said, "Set Border City’s garrison on high alert, I will personally go."

None of Situ Gong, Si Jinhan and others objected.

Regardless of how important the Princess of Ling was to the Northern Land, even considering Lin Ziyin’s current status, they would spare no effort to rescue her.

The path on the mountain was exceptionally difficult to walk on. Besides being steep, the heavy snow, strong winds, and the ancient trees made it challenging to move forward.

Lin Ziyin’s treatment was relatively good; she was riding on a large white horse, wrapped in a thick fur blanket, almost buried in cotton. Even so, Lin Ziyin still felt her blood was about to freeze.

Her physique was naturally cold, and she was fearful of the cold. In such a place as the Northern Land, she was not very fond of.

But now, she was a prisoner, it was not up to her whether to go or not.

Fortunately, they found a sheltered place to spend the night in the evening. Lin Ziyin was helped off the horse by a woman.

"Princess, rest here tonight. Please forgive us for the poor conditions. After crossing these mountains, things will get better," Bayan said rather bluntly.

Lin Ziyin nodded, not wanting to talk more. After all, she was in their hands; she had to bear whatever they said.

Perhaps her cooperative attitude pleased Bayan, so she heard Bayan instruct the Northern Country woman who was supporting Lin Ziyin solemnly, "Tana, take more fur blankets and spread them on the ground."

Chapter 739: Chapter 739: Hot Commodity (1)_1

The Tatars were quite resourceful, setting up their tents wherever they could find shelter from the wind. The so-called tents were in fact simply a structure of timber with animal hides for walls. Despite the tent’s small interior, it was spacious enough for Lin Ziyin to lie in.

In contrast, their own circumstances were harder. They had managed to erect a few tents, but were forced to crowd together in them. In addition, some of them had to take turns standing guard in the severe cold. Guard duty in such freezing conditions was a challenge to both their willpower and physical endurance.

Lin Ziyin had no intention of making things more difficult for herself and honestly crawled into one of the erected tents. She was covered with a thick animal hide blanket, and there was even a down comforter inside. A bonfire was already burning in the midst of the tents.

From these indications, Lin Ziyin deduced that they must have now moved well beyond the vicinity of Border City. Were that not the case, these Tatars would not have dared to casually light a bonfire in the mountains for warmth. For the past few days, they had been surviving solely on cold food.

Firewood was plentiful in the icy desolation, and within a short period, the Tatars had gathered quite a bit.

The collected firewood was piled around the periphery of the tents. With this setup, the wood pile could serve as a windbreak, and they could easily grab pieces to burn, thereby killing two birds with one stone.

The sheltered space was quite all right, at least the piled up snow and frosty wind couldn’t blow in.

Quickly enough, Lin Ziyin soon fell into a state of drowsiness, her eyes tightly closed.

"Get another blanket for her." Bayan, seeing her state, marveled at how composed Lin Ziyin appeared to be. He had come to respect Lin Ziyin for her resilience throughout this whole ordeal and it dawned on him why Chu Suifeng was willing to marry this common farmer girl as his queen.

"Bayan, we don’t have many blankets." Tana responded with slight displeasure.

Women of the Northern Land were as tough as men, seeing Lin Ziyin, frail and sensitive to the cold, reminded Tana of a scrawny chicken. Even though the second prince told her that the queen was different, a woman of intelligence and ability, Tana still disliked Lin Ziyin.

Such a weak woman wouldn’t last long in their Northern Land. She would have been discarded a long time ago.

To Tana, Lin Ziyin’s so-called talent was no more than that of typical women from the Daqin Empire, who only knew romantic poetry. The Northern Land’s women had always looked down on such affectation.

When they first started out, they didn’t take much with them, but half was allocated to the queen, which was quite disproportionate. Moreover, Tana didn’t see any gratitude from Lin Ziyin towards them.

An ungrateful woman! Tana naturally liked Lin Ziyin even less as a result.

But the second prince had emphasized the queen’s importance and repeatedly warned them to treat her with respect and ensure her safety. So despite Tana’s dislike, she was generally decent in her behavior towards Lin Ziyin.

"Bring it over." Said Bayan, a man of few words, but with a careful heart.

Tana, not daring to defy him, found a blanket from an adjoining tent and gently draped it over Lin Ziyin.

Exhausted, Lin Ziyin fell fast asleep as soon as her eyes closed, but Bayan and the others didn’t let her sleep for long.

"Queen, it’s time to eat." Tana called, waking her impatiently.

Lin Ziyin slowly got up and then waited for her eyes to adapt to the dim light before she drew back the fur and blanket from her body, "Thank you."

"Henceforth, call her Miss Lin." Bayan shot a glance at Tana and instructed coldly.

Tana answered quietly in affirmation.

Lin Ziyin usually didn’t care much about formalities but Bayan’s instruction made her alert. Logically, capturing her, the queen of the Northland, should be a proud achievement for the Tatars.

Chapter 740: Chapter 740: Hot Commodity (2)_1

The people around the Second Prince chose to hide her identity, which spoke volumes about the instability within the North Country. Perhaps, her trip there would be fraught with life-threatening danger.

Next, she thought about the brutal final battle in Border City between General Bayal and the State Preceptor, and her heart began to sink once more. If a commoner from the Northern Land saw avengers who had taken the lives of their fathers and descendants, they would probably not just want revenge but would wish to devour their enemy’s flesh and drink their blood.

Except now, she was the object of this progressive enmity. The taste of it was anything but pleasant!

Bayan sensed her desolation but couldn’t guess the reason behind it. Assuming Lin Ziyin was reluctant to go to North Country, he tried to reassure her. "Don’t worry, with the Second Prince there, you will be well treated once you arrive."

Lin Ziyin’s mind was in turmoil and she could only nod in response to his words.

In contrast to Bayan’s kindness, the rest of the Tatars obviously harbored hostility towards her.

Yet, Lin Ziyin was not bothered. She laid back into her bedding after a hearty meal. Seeing her relax, the Tatars reluctantly accepted her as they crawled into their tents while the guards stood watch.

Tana didn’t get the same kind of treatment as Lin Ziyin, she had to sleep on a fur spread across the bare ground right outside her tent, wrapped in just a blanket.

Lin Ziyin was exhausted and even though she had a short nap before it got dark, she quickly fell into a deep sleep again.

The next day, the snowflakes in the sky got heavier and the north wind became fiercer. Lin Ziyin was woken up and hustled onto her horse to continue traveling after a quick meal.

They were heading north and had to face the harsh winds head-on. Their speed was much slower compared to their usual pace.

Bayan was slightly anxious. However, he could not do anything about the wretched weather. Furthermore, in his eyes, Lin Ziyin’s petite figure seemed vulnerable. To take care of her, he did not dare urge his companions to go any faster.

Thus, they traveled in the mountains for five or six days. On the seventh day at dusk, the exhausted group finally found a wind-sheltered cave to rest in.

"Once we cross this mountain ridge, we would have reached the territory of the North Country," Bayan encouraged everyone. "General Batulu is guarding that area."

Lin Ziyin didn’t know Batulu personally, but she had heard of his formidable reputation. He was said to be a staunch supporter of the second prince, not boastful yet not to be underestimated, and also the second prince’s relative by marriage.

He was a mortal enemy of the Bayal Family who supported the elder Prince. The Bayal Family had long sought to get rid of Batulu. However, he also had control over a large part of the Northern country’s army - enough to withstand the Bayal family. Hence, the Bayal family had not been successful in their attempts.

A General who could hold his own at the border was never someone to be trificked with.

Even without meeting him in person, Lin Ziyin was already strategizing on how to handle this individual.

"Roar..." A sudden roar of a tiger echoed, and the resting Tatars immediately sprung into action, gripping their weapons at the ready.

Tana and a young man silently moved closer to Lin Ziyin. From their movements, it seemed like their task was to protect her.

Lin Ziyin breathed a silent sigh of relief. Tigers were mostly solitary creatures; a couple at most. With the Tatars’ strength, even two tigers wouldn’t pose a significant threat. But a pack of wolves might present a dire situation.

With perfect calm, Lin Ziyin picked up a prepped wild chicken and began roasting it over the fire.