Ch. 761..765: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 761-765
Chapter 761: Chapter 761: Goodbye (2)_1
The servants did not dare to hold back, each whip was struck with full force. The sound of every lash reverberated painful echoes in the ears of everyone present. Coupled with their memories of the woman from the Wang Residence being brutally cut into pieces just a few days ago here, everyone felt a chill in their bones.
The more manic Chu Suifeng became, the more Ma Zhicai revelled in his feeling of retribution within the crowd.
Who would’ve thought that he, Ma Zhicai, otherwise considered a minor character, could like small ants, have the capability to harm people lethally?
All of today’s events could not have transpired without his, Ma Zhicai’s accomplishments.
"Let me go, let me go. My son, my daughter." Mrs. Mu was crying so much that she found it difficult to breathe. Her maternal affection was so moving that it made some of the softer hearted women shake their heads and feel sympathetic towards her.
The men however remained indifferent, discussing the matter freely without a shred of empathy.
Gradually, Li Yanran’s voice became quieter and quieter and eventually, there was not even a whisper to be heard.
"Prince, please spare them. They have already been punished and will not dare to offend again." Li Jieyong could not bear it any longer, so he knelt before Chu Suifeng.
Chu Suifeng remained unmoved, "If you hand over the princess now, this Prince will be forgiving and let bygones be bygones."
Li Jieyong was at a loss for words. How could they produce the Princess when they didn’t even know where she was?
Marquis Li, however, was quick to take action, giving Li Jieyong a kick, "What’s your confusion? They’ve committed a most serious crime. This is what they deserve."
This was the good man she married! The corners of Mrs. Mu’s mouth curled up; she had suddenly regained her composure.
"Let’s go." She stood up.
"Seventh brother, it should be enough. They’re descendants of the Li family, after all. Lady of the house has just departed..." Prince Rui also arose to plead for mercy.
"If it wasn’t for the respect I have for the elder lady, I would annihilate all nine generations of them." Chu Suifeng spoke with terrible vehemence.
Prince Rui shook his head and sighed, giving Mrs. Mu a glance of regret, signifying his helplessness.
"I heard that the wife of Prince Rui is of extraordinary beauty, and is greatly loved?" Chu Suifeng turned his head with a smile which was tinged with threat as he glanced at Prince Rui.
A warning! A threat! The pupils of Prince Rui’s eyes tightened immediately. Chu Suifeng was warning him that speaking one more word could very well put his own wife at risk.
Prince Rui had never interacted with Chu Suifeng while in the Capital City. He heard stories about Chu Suifeng’s unique personality, which was hard to fathom, and the respect he carried in the Capital City. It was notable that regardless of the obstacles the Imperial Court imposed on him, he never complained, despite the lack of supplies and military pay.
Over time, Prince Rui had come to believe that Chu Suifeng was a brave man lacking in strategic planning. He assumed that if it were not for the monks of the Ding’an Temple and Situ Gong’s sage advice, Chu Suifeng would have been doomed.
However, after getting to know Chu Suifeng upclose in the Northern Land and seeing how well he managed Feng City and its surrounding cities, Prince Rui had begun to have his reservations.
Chu Suifeng was not as reckless as he seemed on the surface. On the contrary, he was patient, smart, and had a grand sense of strategy.
If a man like that has ambition, then the Crown Prince would hardly be a match for him.
Fortunately, while stationed in Feng City, Prince Rui had conducted thorough investigations and had been relieved to find that Chu Suifeng bears no ambitions.
However, Prince Rui was not going to take Chu Suifeng’s warnings lightly. He was sure that Chu Suifeng could carry out his threats.
"Speaking of it, you have yet to meet my Queen. When Prince Chu returns to the Capital City, you must be my guest at Prince Rui’s Residence." Prince Rui showed flexibility not a moment too late. He quickly adjusted his approach, realizing that it was unwise to offend Chu Suifeng over a minor figure like Mrs. Mu.
Chapter 762: Chapter 762: Goodbye (3)_1
Not to mention, he only came for the sake of earning a bit of good reputation.
But, by this time, Lady Mu had obediently climbed onto a carriage and left without so much as a second glance to her children who were still suffering, teetering between life and death.
In a cave within the North Country, with Bayan’s awakening, Lin Ziyin and Tana could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank you." Bayan, still somewhat out of sorts after his fever subsided, had parched, cracked lips due to dehydration. His voice was hoarse.
"It was Miss Lin who saved you." Tana did not claim any credit.
"Thank you," Bayan said, looking at Lin Ziyin with a complex expression.
Lin Ziyin was drained of energy, the sky outside was already kind of bright; they had to extinguish the fire inside the cave, or else the smoke would be easily noticeable to others.
It would be fine if the people of the second prince found them first, but if the enemy did, they’d be in trouble.
Given the unknown circumstances, Lin Ziyin felt it safer to take the most cautious course of action, "We need to extinguish the fire."
Neither Bayan nor Tana objected to this, so Lin Ziyin withdrew a few pieces of firewood then moved pineneedles and grass over it in several loads, "This can retain some residual heat. Later, I’ll go out and see if I can find some food."
"It’s too dangerous outside, you can’t go alone." Bayan objected immediately.
"What if you encounter wild beasts or enemies?" Tana also objected.
However, in the eyes of Ziyin, the words of two injured men held no sway. "It’s too cold and you both are injured. We haven’t eaten for a long time, so our bodies cannot hold on much longer. Otherwise, let’s leave now. But considering your condition, do you think that’s feasible?"
Bayan and Tana fell silent upon hearing this. Indeed, they were a burden to Ziyin.
Seeing their expressions, Lin Ziyin shrugged. Don’t think she didn’t understand Bayan and Tana’s thoughts. But what could they do?
She wasn’t a fool. Nowadays, Bayan and Tana’s injuries couldn’t stop her. But in such unfamiliar icy terrains, it was impossible for her, a weak girl, to escape on her own. Besides, she only had a small dagger. Running away on foot signified stupidity to her.
"Since you two can’t leave here, I’ll venture out and try my luck in finding some pine nuts," Ziyin said with a sigh.
"Be careful," Bayan said, a little ashamed. He was lying on the pine needles, his head almost buried under his arm.
Tana could not help but remind Ziyin to be careful.
Ziyin waved her hand, not looking back as she crawled out of the cave.
Strictly speaking, the place where they had fallen was the lower part of a slope, which was full of green pines. However, due to the heavy snow, the green colour had been covered with white.
Ziyin looked at the world around her covered in a silver-white veil and shook her head with a wry smile. It was really not easy to find food in such horrible weather.
Yet, without trying, she couldn’t rest. The only thing she could find now were some wild fruits that were still hanging from the trees in the fall, or to be more accurate, frozen fruits. Even so, finding them would be difficult.
The snow at the foot of the mountain was very deep, as tall as half a person, and moving through it was very slow for Ziyin. It was so slow that it could be better described as shifting.
However, because she was in the woods, low and various kinds of miscellaneous trees surrounded her.
Based on her past experience of wilderness survival, she went intentionally to search and actually found a few frozen fruits hanging from the trees.
Chapter 763: Chapter 763: Goodbye (4)_1
The fruit wasn’t big and was very red. Counting them, there were only five. They were the kind of small fruits that were a little bigger than a thumb.
Such a small amount of fruit wouldn’t even be enough to fill Lin Ziyin’s teeth if she ate them all by herself, but she resisted the hunger and, wrapping the fruit in a handkerchief, she began to make her way back.
"What if she runs into a wild beast while she’s out there alone?" Tana, from inside the cave, had been restless ever since Lin Ziyin had left.
Despite being very hungry, very tired, and very sleepy, the pine needles under her buttocks and the warmth left by moved charcoal made her not feel cold.
It was freezing cold outside, and the Queen of the Mausoleum going out alone to find food was truly dangerous.
At this moment, Tana was genuinely worried about Lin Ziyin.
"She is a smart person and wouldn’t do anything dangerous." Bayan seemed to be comforting Tana, but also seemed to be talking to himself.
Hearing this, Tana knew that Bayan was also worried about Lin Ziyin.
The worrisome Lin Ziyin had fallen into trouble at that moment.
She had finally found something to eat, but on her way back, even though she was following her own footprints, she somehow tripped. This was at the bottom of the slope, and even though the slope was not steep, she rolled a considerable distance down it.
Consequently, the poor Queen of the Mausoleum had further to go to get back to the cave. Even more vexing was that her left foot was sprained. Every step she took, she felt a pang of pain in her ankle.
Still, Lin Ziyin did not wish to stay outside alone.
Wild animals were generally hungry in the winter. If she ran into one, she certainly wouldn’t escape.
"My luck really is bad." Lin Ziyin sighed, brushing off the cold, and vigorously rubbed her ankle with the snow on the ground. After the pain in her ankle had lessened a bit, she gritted her teeth and continued walking.
The cave was upward. Climbing required strength in her feet. After only a short distance, Lin Ziyin again felt a sharp pain in her ankle.
She couldn’t let this foot be ruined. She thought with bitterness, but dared not waste any time, gritting her teeth and continuing forward.
The weather today was bad. The sky became gloomy again. The northern wind was ruthless, the cold air was uncomfortable going down her lungs, and she could only take a few steps before she had to stop to catch her breath.
When she was close to the cave, even though Lin Ziyin was walking with her head down against the cold wind, her natural sense of alertness alerted her to something wrong in her surroundings.
What to do? Lin Ziyin began to feel anxious.
Under the circumstances, it would be fine if friends were coming, but if enemies were approaching, she speculated that she would be done for.
The enemy advanced rapidly, the half-person-deep snow seemed non-existent to them.
All the people from the other side were dressed in white, and they were not easy to detect. They were all very tall, clearly people from the North Country. Height wasn’t their main characteristic; it was the uniform weapons they carried.
These were a group of soldiers, well-trained soldiers from the North Country.
Unable to escape, Lin Ziyin calmed down. She sat down, not wanting to crane her neck to look at the people on the other side.
"Are you the Queen of the Mausoleum?" The person from the other side probably had already confirmed her identity, but to make sure, he still asked her.
Lin Ziyin nodded her head, not denying it.
Denying it was useless. In the icy world outside, she was the only woman, and a petite one at that. Even if she did deny it, the others would be able to find out her identity eventually. It was better to admit it directly.
The person who had approached was a big-bearded man. Hearing Lin Ziyin’s answer, he immediately waved his hand.
Chapter 764: Chapter 764: Goodbye (5)_1
A guard immediately pulled out a flare and lit it.
It seemed that quite a few people had come out to look for her, Lin Ziyin speculated. They were willing to put in a lot of effort to search for her in such cold weather. Evidently, she must be quite valuable.
Whether they were friends or foes, given the current situation, she was temporarily safe.
Her heart relaxed, she sat in the snow and did not want to get up. However, she never let go of the wild fruits in her hand.
A guard came over and handed her a new fox fur cloak. After receiving it, Lin Ziyin politely said thank you.
Her gratitude took the group by surprise. They probably were wondering why she, amid such a dire situation, still had the mood to thank them.
Lin Ziyin, on the other hand, didn’t care. She simply put the cloak on. In such chilling weather, another cloak would provide much-needed warmth.
Alas, it was her kindness that had left her without a cloak. She had given her own cloak to the wounded before leaving, and now she was freezing.
Not long after the flare was released, another team of a hundred people approached quickly.
Upon seeing who had arrived, Lin Ziyin finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I apologise for frightening you, Princess" Alhatu apologized courteously as soon as he saw her.
"The second prince certainly has a peculiar way of playing host." The sight of him still irritated Lin Ziyin. If it weren’t for Alhatu, she would still be living comfortably in the Wang Residence, oblivious to the hardships she was now experiencing.
No matter how handsome or gentle he may appear, Lin Ziyin refused to be fooled by his guise.
The North Country and Chu Suifeng had long been in opposition. As the wife of King Ling, she was now at their mercy. If they claimed to have no intentions toward her, she would never believe it.
"I’m truly sorry." Alhatu’s temper was incredibly good. Despite her taunts, he didn’t show any traces of anger and continued to smile gently. "I invited you to visit the North Country without any ill intentions. We have met before and can be considered friends. I assure you, during your visit to the North Country, I will play the host to the best of my ability and ensure that you are not wronged in any way."
Lin Ziyin had no interest in debating with him.
Regardless of Alhatu’s intentions in abducting her to the North Country, she was certain of one thing. For now, this man would not harm her.
And that assurance was enough.
As long as she had enough time, Lin Ziyin was confident that Chu Suifeng would find a way to rescue her.
"Bayan and Tana are still in the cave ahead." Lin Ziyin said indifferently.
Upon hearing this, Alhatu and his company broke into smiles.
Lin Ziyin gathered that Bayan must be well-liked among the soldiers of the North Country.
She was secretly relieved that she had chosen to save Bayan and Tana at the beginning.
Though Alhatu would not harm her, the political situation within the North Country was unstable. Infighting was severe and as a potential adversary to Alhatu, the first prince, Lin Ziyin figured that they would not want her to leave the North Country alive.
Therefore, when she arrived in the capital of the North Country, the actual danger would ensue.
Under such circumstances, there was no guarantee that the first prince hadn’t infiltrated Alhatu’s ranks. If she had Bayan and Tana to protect her, she would feel more secure. Sometimes, keeping a backup plan could be useful, at least, she had kept a good one for herself.
In times of trouble, true friends show their colors. Bayan and Tana, both straightforward in their character, would surely remember her act of saving their lives. Perhaps, this trip to the North Country might yield unexpected gains.
Chapter 765: Chapter 765: Goodbye (6)_1
"My queen, please." Alhatu clapped his hands.
Immediately, two guards carried a warm sedan chair before her.
Where did that chair come from? Lin Ziyin looked at it in surprise, her wariness of Alhatu deepened.
He had prepared a sedan chair for her in advance, which showed that he had a meticulous mind, unquestionably a tough opponent.
Traveling in a sedan chair is much more comfortable than walking. Lin Ziyin wouldn’t make things difficult for herself, so she settled down in the sedan chair without fuss.
To her surprise, Alhatu had even prepared some soup dumplings for her in the sedan chair.
Lin Ziyin’s eyes flickered.
"Master."
"Second Prince."
Soon enough, the guards ushered out Bayan and Tana who, immediately upon seeing Alhatu, exclaimed in relief, as if they had survived a disaster.
"Are you injured?" Alhatu inquired with concern.
"Just a minor wound." Bayan answered with a wide grin.
His injury was on his back, preventing him from walking like a normal person, so Alhatu immediately commanded that some branches be cut from the trees to make makeshift stretchers.
The guards made two stretchers, as Tana was also injured.
On the way back, the pace of the team slowed considerably, perhaps due to having accomplished their mission.
"Miss Lin, have some snacks first. We’ll prepare better food when we reach the camp," Alhatu spoke gently.
"Thank you." Lin Ziyin munched on snacks while sitting in the sedan chair. The snacks of the North Country had a strong dairy flavor but seemed underprocessed and had gamey undertones. However, Lin Ziyin, famished as she was, cared little about taste and was more concerned with filling her stomach.
Determined, the matron of the Mu Family in Feng City boarded a horse-drawn carriage and directly returned to their residence.
"Ah, sister. Did you manage to gather rescue troops?" Mrs. Jin, along with her daughter-in-law and daughter from the second branch, were waiting for Mrs. Mu inside the residence.
Seeing the entire second branch had come to laugh at her, Mrs. Mu sneered, "You’re itching for them to die, aren’t you? Don’t celebrate too soon. Chu Suifeng is ruthless; he is bored with the Li Family now, but soon, he will target you. The second branch will be next, scram!" Having said that, Mrs. Mu headed toward her courtyard without a backward glance.
"Mrs. Mu, you’re mad! Because your children aren’t doing well, you curse ours. You deserve it!" Mrs. Jin didn’t want to deal with Mrs. Mu anymore. In a few days, they, the second branch, would definitely separate and live apart.
The first branch had offended the Prince, so their second branch had to maintain a good relationship with him. They couldn’t let the people of the first branch drag them down at a critical moment. The most annoying thing was that Mrs. Mu dared to curse their second branch. It was unforgivable! They knew, Mrs. Jin was especially proud of her obedient children, far better than those of the first branch.
Mrs. Mu must be cursing out of jealousy, yes, that must be it.
So, despite Mrs. Mu having entered her courtyard, Mrs. Jin, together with her daughter-in-law and daughter, lambasted Mrs. Mu right at the entrance of her courtyard.
"Madam, I will send Mistress Jin away now." The shrewd old servant compassionately suggested. Although the first branch was in trouble, they were yet to formally divide the family. Essentially, Mrs. Mu was still in charge of the Li Family.
As long as Mrs. Jin lives in the Marquis Residence, she must follow Mrs. Mu’s will. The old servant frowned, considering how to deal with the second branch.
The old servant was Mrs. Mu’s trusted aide, who had served as her wet nurse when brought over from the Mu Family. She had over the years gained Mrs. Mu’s trust and often dealt with unpleasant affairs for her. To teach Mrs. Jin and her family a lesson, there was no need for Mrs. Mu to intervene, the old servant could manage on her own.