Ch. 831..835: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 831-835

Chapter 831: Chapter 831: Return (2)

Chu Suifeng saw him "bullying" Lin Ziyin upon meeting her and immediately gave him several disdainful glances.

However, Master Hui Zhen didn’t even spare him a glance; instead, he stared at Lin Ziyin, waiting for her response.

"Alright, after we go back, Master, whatever you want to eat, I’ll make it for you," Lin Ziyin said with a smile, fulfilling his wish.

Upon hearing this, Master Hui Zhen’s eyes narrowed into a slit with satisfaction.

The mistress of the Northern Land finally returned, and that evening, the dining table was filled with joy and laughter.

Originally, Chu Suifeng planned to set off with Lin Ziyin after she had rested for two days, but unexpectedly, many of the villagers from the Border City, having heard the news, nominated several esteemed elders to seek out Lin Ziyin at the government offices.

"Prince, Princess," began an elder urged forward by his peers, "we few are here on behalf of the people of the Border City, hoping the Princess could take a specific look at the fields."

Lin Ziyin noticed his clothes were quite worn but washed clean, and seeing his respectful manner, she felt quite satisfied. "Has the soil in the fields all been turned over?"

Seeing her amiable attitude, the nervousness of the people who had come eased a bit, "Replying to the Princess, after the autumn harvest, all the soil has been plowed. Officer Xiao Yang specially dispatched machinery for deep plowing."

Lin Ziyin nodded; she had designed the machinery, so she naturally understood deep plowing.

"We’re asking the Princess to come this time to help us take a closer look and see if there’s anything lacking in the warm greenhouses."

Food is the foundation, the lifeblood of the people; these old farmers had all come with high hopes.

"Alright, I will come over tomorrow and have a look," Lin Ziyin agreed readily.

In fact, even if these farmers hadn’t come, she would have made time to visit the fields.

Given the unique location of the Border City, and having decided to manage and promote agriculture here, she wanted to ensure success on the first try.

Lin Ziyin was speaking about serious matters, and Chu Suifeng, sitting by her side, didn’t interrupt, letting her chat freely with the old farmers.

The old farmers, seeing that the Princess of the Royal Tomb had no airs about her and had received her promise, were satisfied after sitting for a while and finally left contentedly.

"You’ve just come back, your body is still weak, why promise them to do this?" Since Chu Suifeng had promised not to interfere with Lin Ziyin’s affairs, he only started complaining with a sense of grievance after the farmers left.

"It’s just a casual walk; I won’t tire myself," Lin Ziyin replied with a smile. "It’s the first year of the trial planting; they are also unsure. My going there might not make a big difference, but at least it can set their minds at ease."

"Tomorrow, I will accompany you to take a look," Chu Suifeng insisted on going with her because he didn’t feel at ease letting her go alone, despite being unhappy about her going through hardship.

In response, Lin Ziyin had no objections. Having Chu Suifeng accompany her would indeed be the best form of publicity. This would increase the villagers’ enthusiasm for farming and animal husbandry even more.

The next morning after breakfast, Lin Ziyin and Chu Suifeng set out.

Upon arriving at the nearby village, they found that Xiao Yang, the local official, had been waiting for them for some time.

"This humble official greets the Prince and Princess," Xiao Yang said respectfully with a bow.

"Forget it, today the Princess and I are just here for a simple visit; you don’t need to bother with such formalities," Chu Suifeng replied indifferently.

"Yes, Prince," Xiao Yang answered with a smile.

The villagers, having spent more time with Xiao Yang, were somewhat comfortable around him. However, the arrival of Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin made them feel a bit restrained.

Xiao Yang’s relaxed demeanor undoubtedly signaled to them, and the tension on everyone’s faces began to dissipate.

 

Chapter 832: Chapter 832: Return (3)

"Consort," Xiao Yang deliberately asked, "it’s rather cold outside, shall we prepare the palanquin for you?" He wasn’t trying to test Lin Ziyin, but knew she would definitely decline his offer. That way, her image in the peasants’ eyes would grow even taller.

After the battle at Border City, Xiao Yang had taken Lin Ziyin, the new consort, to heart.

Thus, he spared no effort to create momentum for her.

Among the peasants of Border City, Lin Ziyin’s prestige was no lower than that of Chu Suifeng, the Prince. Not to mention the profound impression left by the battle at Border City, but merely the fact that Lin Ziyin, born in poverty, had ascended high yet did not forget these poor peasants was enough for them to be endlessly grateful.

Xiao Yang’s proposal did not surprise or alienate the peasants; on the contrary, they all knew that Lin Ziyin had been taken away by the people of North Country, and the North Country folks wanted to obtain the miraculous agricultural techniques of Prince Lin. Presumably, as a captive, the Prince’s Consort must have suffered a lot in North Country.

Looking at Lin Ziyin’s frail little frame, many peasants felt sympathy and pity for her.

"Yes, yes, we have prepared the palanquin," Lou Zheng spoke up loudly. He had been scared to death; with Prince Lin present, he had been trembling with fear, worried about making a mistake or saying something wrong to anger the Prince. Finally seizing an opportunity to shine, Lou Zheng immediately tried to show off.

"No need," Lin Ziyin declined, just as Xiao Yang had expected.

Chu Suifeng was also well aware of this. He did not oppose Lin Ziyin’s refusal and walked with her towards the fields.

Because there was little time, she could only visit one village, so the Lou Zhengs from nearby villages, having heard the news, brought some of their best farming tools over.

A large group of people followed Lin Ziyin and Chu Suifeng into the fields.

When the villagers turned over their fields in autumn, they divided the land into plots as required.

The length of these plots was also divided according to specifications. The aim was to accommodate mechanical harvesting and transportation in the future.

And within two days, the fields had small rivers and canals. Don’t underestimate these rivers; each type of waterway was different, as canals were designed to irrigate the fields, allowing for fish and shrimp breeding and water storage, while rivers were meant for the conveyance of water.

Originally, the villagers relied on the heavens for water irrigation, where lands close to a water source were considered better, and those farther away were of incomparably lower quality.

In the sparsely populated Northern Land, the peasants did not have much farmland. But Lin Ziyin, borrowing modern management methods, had the farmers register with the government offices and clear new land for farming according to the size of their households. The land they cultivated would remain the same for thirty years; however, the ownership of the land remained in the hands of the state, and they only had cultivation rights. The grain they had to pay each year was only a third of the yield, and the rest was theirs to distribute as they saw fit.

However, the sale of grains outside of the Northern Land was strictly forbidden.

These measures may seem small, but for the peasants, they were incredibly significant. They almost revered Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin as deities because of these policies.

You see, they used to give up to fifty or even sixty percent of their harvest to their landlords when renting land, and that’s not counting the taxes they had to pay on top of that, leaving them with next to nothing in the end.

But now, they only had to give up a third, and the rest was theirs. This was a tremendous boon indeed, and they had also heard that the corn and rice yields in Shili Village were astonishing. Moreover, the borders of the fields were not included in the tax calculation. With the fertile lands of the Northern Land, as long as they worked hard, this was a significant source of income.

 

Chapter 833: Chapter 833: Return (4)

"Come spring, we can stock the fish fry," Lin Ziyin pointed at the small river and said, "As for how to allocate them, your own village can decide based on income or contract it out to individuals."

There was a fee for using the small river, but the amount the government offices collected in silver was minimal—it was almost like giving it away.

"Your Highness, when can the water wheels be distributed?" someone, seeing her easygoing nature, boldly inquired.

"What?" Lin Ziyin asked curiously, not understanding.

"Your Highness, the water wheels."

With someone starting the conversation, more and more bold people began to speak up.

"Rest assured, the price of the water wheels definitely will not increase. Subtracting the labor and transportation costs, each wheel will only profit thirty copper coins, absolutely no more. Of course, if local craftsmen are able to make them in the future, you can definitely price them according to the local rates," Lin Ziyin answered with a smile, knowing that what the common people cared about most were issues that affected them personally. She would certainly resolve them well.

"Your Highness, we tried them, and those water wheels really work well," someone said with a chuckle. "With the channels delivering water, we are no longer afraid of dry land."

"Everyone, as long as each person treats the Northern Land as a true family, and we work together, we will certainly make sure every hardworking person has a full stomach. Of course, that doesn’t include the lazy ones."

"Exactly, lazy people deserve to starve," everyone laughed heartily.

With her harmonization, Chu Suifeng seemed to have become just an ornament. The common people preferred to be close to Lin Ziyin, the Princess.

But Chu Suifeng showed no displeasure at all; on the contrary, he always wore a smiling face.

Following that, for the chicken coops and the duck and goose pens in the village, she gave several apt pieces of advice. For example, the height, the size of the area, the handling of feces...

The old farmers nodded in agreement as they followed her, growing more and more impressed with Lin Ziyin.

They had farmed their whole lives and had no idea what integrated use meant, what mixing organic fertilizers entailed, and that the fertilizer formulas needed for sweet potatoes and beans were actually different. Today they had truly broadened their horizons.

It was midday by the time Lin Ziyin and Chu Suifeng declined the villagers’ hospitality and went back.

It wasn’t that she disdained the simple farmers’ meals but Lin Ziyin knew that the common people were not living an easy life; if they had stayed, they would have surely consumed all the good things the villagers had saved.

Disturbing the peace was naturally not something they would do.

Even Xiao Yang, with the government officials, followed them back.

Having observed the village, she certainly wanted to see the military’s plant and livestock breeding bases as well.

Thus, their stay in Border City was extended by three days.

Three days later, Chu Suifeng had people prepare the supplies for the journey. On the fourth day early in the morning, Lin Ziyin was already seated in the carriage, while Si Jinhan and Luo Yan, who were in pursuit of the North Country’s State Preceptor, hadn’t sent any message at all.

"Don’t worry about them," Chu Suifeng said, holding her in his arms, "they took enough people with them."

That was enough; Lin Ziyin didn’t ask about other matters.

On the return trip, afraid that she would be jostled too much, Chu Suifeng did not rush the journey. They carefully planned each day’s travel to ensure accommodations were arranged.

"How many people in the residence are involved in this case?" Finding a moment when Chu Suifeng was not around, Lin Ziyin, sitting in the inn, finally took the time to inquire about the inside story of the past events.

"...Ming Ling and Lady Qin have been executed by lingchi by order of the Prince, dragged daily to the market entrance to be cut several times." When mentioning former companions, Hong Ying and the others felt no more regret or pain, but a deep-seated hatred, "Li Yanran was stabbed to death personally by the Mu Family, who also took her own life. Li Jieyong, out of fear, had already lost his mind, so the Prince decided to show him mercy and banished him to Underworld City for labor reform."

Chapter 834: Chapter 834: Return (5)

"""Indeed, she died! Lin Ziyin had not expected that the maid by Lady Ming’s side would actually be a spy from the North Country. Thinking of that stubborn girl, who was wholeheartedly devoted to Lady Ming, she couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

"Also, that Ma Zhicai, he’s got the gall to collude with the Tatars," Lun Luo said through clenched teeth. "If it weren’t for the Prince wanting to leave him for the Princess’s own handling, that scum would’ve been chopped up and fed to the dogs by the Prince by now."

"Even dogs wouldn’t eat his kind," Huangying interjected disapprovingly.

"How did the Prince find out?" Lin Ziyin asked curiously.

"There have always been Tatar spies in the city, as well as spies from Capital City. But the Prince’s situation doesn’t allow him to exterminate these people completely. Killing one group just means another second and third group will come. It’s better to keep those discovered right under watch. Of course, there are spies who haven’t revealed their identities. But even if they exist, they’ve never gotten their hands on any actual information. Who would have thought they would audaciously target you," Huangying explained angrily. "The Prince has been restless over this."

Lin Ziyin fell silent.

Indeed, it had only been a few days since she and Chu Suifeng got married, and they had encountered the funeral of the elderly lady. They had been negligent.

Thinking of Chu Suifeng’s behavior along the way, she knew that this incident had become his inner demon, and he might feel guilty about it for the rest of his life.

"Ma Zhicai doesn’t know he has been exposed, does he?" Lin Ziyin asked.

"That fool has been betrayed and doesn’t even know it," Hong Ying said, wanting to chop Ma Zhicai to pieces upon hearing his name.

Honestly, if it weren’t for the Princess being taken away, the Prince wouldn’t have even noticed such a petty character.

But it was just such a petty character who nearly ruined their important plans.

Although Ma Zhicai wasn’t the mastermind behind the kidnapping, without his instigation, the Princess wouldn’t have been schemed against by multiple parties.

Ma Zhicai, that despicably petty man, was truly hateful.

"Don’t worry, Princess, the Prince has already had the Ma Family watched - they won’t be able to escape," Lun Luo thought Lin Ziyin’s silence was because she was angry with Ma Zhicai.

"It’s fine, he’s just a grasshopper, not worth my attention," Lin Ziyin said indifferently. "Is the meal ready? The Prince should be returning soon."

"Yes, the chefs have prepared everything and are just waiting for the Prince to return," Hong Ying replied respectfully.

While they were talking, Chu Suifeng pushed open the door and entered.

"You all go get ready, we’re about to eat," Lin Ziyin instructed.

"What’s the matter? You look unhappy," Chu Suifeng was very sensitive to her mood changes.

"It’s nothing," Lin Ziyin held him tightly, her voice muted, "I just feel a bit sad and blame myself. After all, it was my own oversight that allowed others to scheme against me, causing so much trouble for everyone."

"It’s not your fault, it’s those damned people who are to blame," Chu Suifeng’s chill began to seep out; what he didn’t say was, he blamed himself too.

"If the Prince knows it’s those people’s fault, why do you keep taking the blame upon yourself?" Lin Ziyin asked, looking up at him while holding on tight.

So she knew all along! Chu Suifeng found himself at a loss for words, unable to get over the hurdle in his heart.

"I’m sorry," Chu Suifeng’s embrace conveyed all his apologies in one sentence.

Lin Ziyin choked up in response, "Prince, we are one, I don’t want to hear those three words ever again."

"Alright," Chu Suifeng fell silent, only after a long while did he respond in a low voice.

After this conversation, Chu Suifeng indeed became much more cheerful. Seeing his change, Lin Ziyin felt unspeakably happy."""

Chapter 835: Chapter 835: Return (6)

After traveling for eight days, on the evening of the eighth day, Lin Ziyin saw the outlines of Shili Village.

"Finally, home." Lin Ziyin excitedly looked out the window.

"Grandfather and the others should be very happy to see you," Chu Suifeng said with a smile.

"Yes." Lin Ziyin excitedly nodded continuously.

"Crackling and popping." While they were speaking, suddenly, the sound of firecrackers erupted in the village.

The horses were a bit frightened, but since they were well-trained, they quickly calmed down.

The sound of firecrackers continued without pause, and the pungent smell of gunpowder quickly wafted over.

"Did they already know I was coming back?" Lin Ziyin asked excitedly.

"Yes," Chu Suifeng smiled and nodded, "Someone was sent yesterday to inform them."

Not long after the carriage entered the main road of the village, villagers, appearing out of nowhere, stood on both sides of the road, continuously clapping and cheering, "The princess, the princess is back."

These people were not only villagers from their own village and servants of the Lin Family, but also from nearby villages, almost all gathered together. These were the people who first benefited from Lin Ziyin’s kindness; because of the Lin Family, because of their workshops, because of Lin Ziyin’s support, their lives had changed drastically.

Thus, during the time Lin Ziyin was missing, they were almost sleepless with worry, fearing that Lin Ziyin might encounter some misfortune in the North Country.

"Grandfather, big brother, sister-in-law, elder sister, and brother-in-law." When Lin Ziyin saw her relatives all standing in the middle of the road, she could no longer hold back, and had the coachman stop and jumped down from the carriage herself.

"Be careful." Chu Suifeng, seeing her eagerness, carefully protected her.

As soon as the carriage stopped, the elder and others all came forward. When they saw Lin Ziyin jumping down, Lin Zige and Hui Niang along with other women just could no longer hold back, and all started sobbing loudly.

When the women cried, the other women in the village also started crying.

Many children also began to wipe their tears, Changting had grown much taller, and he stared intently at Lin Ziyin, trying hard not to let the tears in his eyes fall.

He firmly remembered the words Lin Ziyin once taught him: "A man does not easily flick away his tears," he is a little man and should not cry.

Much younger Yanzhi did not care about all that and had already run up and hugged Lin Ziyin, sobbing loudly.

"Grandpa, it’s okay, I’m back," Lin Ziyin said with tears in her eyes, while gently stroking Yanzhi’s head.

"Good that you are back." The elder was especially excited, his voice trembling as he spoke.

Lin Ziyin noticed that it had been just over a month since they last met. The old man’s face had more wrinkles, and he looked particularly haggard, as did other family members, each of them wearing a look of exhaustion.

"Princess." Qiaoqiao looked at her with tearful eyes and knelt before her, "It’s all me, the useless servant..."

She choked up and could not continue speaking.

"You silly girl, why do you take all the blame on yourself?" Lin Ziyin came forward and personally helped her up. These past days, Lin Ziyin had been worried about Qiaoqiao, this girl, fearing she might needlessly blame herself, similar to Chu Suifeng taking the blame on himself.

Sure enough, this girl had walked into a dead end.

"Even I, being so clever, did not foresee the trouble, and you, silly girl, are not clairvoyant, could you really be more capable than your master?" Lin Ziyin deliberately used a light-hearted tone to tease and comfort her.

"Princess." Tears fell again from Qiaoqiao, who almost collapsed when she initially heard that the princess had been taken away by the villains. Returning to the estate, she was constantly blamed and reprimanded by her parents. But now that the princess had returned, she showed no signs of blaming her, which made Qiaoqiao even more upset.