Ch. 836..840: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 836-840

Chapter 836: Chapter 836: Return (7)

The Yu Family members felt a deep sadness when they saw Lin Ziyin interacting with Qiaoqiao.

"It’s cold outside, let’s talk back home," Chu Suifeng spoke in a timely manner.

His words brought everyone back to their senses, and the crowd escorted Lin Ziyin and Chu Suifeng back to the Lin Family courtyard.

Too many villagers had gathered, and after a lively moment of expressing their happiness, they all went home. However, the He Family, and the Wu and Bai families, who usually had good relations with the Lin Family, stayed behind.

"Those Tatars didn’t hit you, did they?" Once inside the house, Zige finally voiced her concern, "Did they bully you?"

At her question, the old master and others also looked at her anxiously.

"The Monarch of the North Country wanted me to teach them farming techniques and also wanted me to share the methods for making powdered milk and wool yarn, so they didn’t dare lay a hand on me," Lin Ziyin covered her concerns well, not mentioning the ordeal she had suffered in the North Country.

"They sure wish," Changting interrupted angrily, "Even if they begged us, we wouldn’t pay them any attention."

"And as for Changchun Country, we’ve already stopped doing business with them this month," Lin Changshu also said furiously. "We will never deal with their merchants again."

"Who is Changchun Country’s distributor?" Lin Ziyin asked.

"Reporting to Your Highness, it is the fifth prince," Yu Shaohui answered from the side.

"When you get back, bring me the information on the fifth prince," Lin Ziyin ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness. Once I return, I’ll organize all the information regarding Changchun Country and bring it to you," Yu Shaohui promised. He and Jue Xin, who managed internal and external affairs respectively, made an excellent team and were very capable butlers.

They had detailed records of all the merchants who did business with the Lin family, including backgrounds.

This was precisely the information Lin Ziyin needed; she wanted to analyze the personal data and strength of Changchun Country’s fifth prince to see if she could use him to eliminate an enemy indirectly.

Chu Suifeng and the others guessed her intention and couldn’t help but smile.

Even if Lin Ziyin were not to pursue the matter, Chu Suifeng would not let the Crown Prince of Changchun Country get away with his actions behind the scenes.

But to use another to eliminate one’s enemy, that was the best strategy. Chu Suifeng was glad that Lin Ziyin was not of a soft-hearted disposition.

Indeed, Lin Ziyin didn’t want to waste a single soldier in dealing with the Crown Prince of Changchun Country. Doing business with the Lin Family was immensely profitable. If the fifth prince had enough strength, he wouldn’t willingly let go of such a large piece of the pie. Perhaps with a little catalyzation and instigation, the fifth prince would take care of the Crown Prince in the way she desired.

On the other hand, if the fifth prince lacked strength, it was no matter. After all, a wise man wouldn’t let a duck that comes to his mouth fly away. Even if he couldn’t outcompete the Crown Prince, he would still find opportunities to cause trouble for his elder brother.

"You’ve gotten so thin, we’ll have to nourish you well when we get back," Guo Huiniang said with a look of affection, "I’ll go to the kitchen to see if we need to add a few more dishes."

"Okay," Lin Ziyin felt much more comfortable back at home. Feeling the care of her family warmed her heart.

Yanzhi was always sticking close by, carrying a little stool to sit near her. Changting had grown up and was a bit too shy to stick close anymore. But his eyes never strayed from Ziyin.

"Ah." Perhaps because they saw the interesting items in Lin Ziyin’s hands, the two chubby children kept staring at the small windmill she held.

Lin Ziyin watched them with joy, her heart filled with amazement. In just over a month, the little ones seemed to have grown chubbier.

She longed to hold the children, but Chu Suifeng forcefully kept her from the chance, firmly holding her other hand.

Having no choice, Lin Ziyin had to be content with just looking.

Lin Ziyin’s return filled the entire Lin Family with immense joy; everyone not only wore smiles on their faces but also walked with a newfound vigor.

This joy nearly spread throughout the whole of Shili Village, and even to the neighboring villages.

The Ma Family, however, was under a cloud of gloom.

The matriarch of the Yan Family sat biting her nails in her house, too lazy to even cook.

When Lin Ziyin was captured, she had been the happiest person in the village. Over the past month, every look of worry on the Lin Family’s faces and every query from the villagers excited her.

Although Ma Dalang did not show it as openly as Yan Shi, he was equally motivated. In Ma Dalang’s view, the Lin Family had risen thanks to Lin Ziyin. With her disappearance, it would surely collapse.

He might even find a chance to seek better business opportunities.

With this in mind, he worked tirelessly every day. Ma Dalang was very ambitious; he always sought to learn a craft from the Lin Family workshop. If he could master even one, especially the cosmetics or candy-making process, which he considered the most profitable since becoming a broker, he was convinced he could become as wealthy as the Lin Family.

The prospect of becoming a household as grand as the Lin Family got his heart soaring. Of course, for his dream to become a reality, Lin Ziyin had to stay in the North Country or, better yet, die there; only then could the Lin Family lose the protection of Prince Ling. Then, he would have a chance to plot.

But Lin Ziyin had returned, and his dreams were dashed. From the moment the villagers prepared to welcome Lin Ziyin back, his heart felt empty.

 

Chapter 837: Chapter 837: Dealing With Rumors (1)

"The heavens are so unfair, why did that dead girl who was snatched by the Tatars come back?" Yan Family muttered to herself with a mix of sighs and complaints.

"Mom, what are you talking about? I’m hungry, why haven’t you started cooking yet?" Ma Youcai came back and dove into the kitchen, but both pots in the kitchen were empty, spotless.

So he had to go and look for Yan Family.

"Still not preparing food for the child, you do nothing at home all day, don’t even cook meals on time, what can you do right?" Ma Dalang’s anger had no outlet.

The words of Ma Youcai gave him just the right target and reason to vent his anger.

"Isn’t it just starting to get dark?" Yan Family answered, puffing up with irritation as she reluctantly stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

From the small yard next door, the laughter of grandchildren and the calls from Huang Family telling the kids to be careful could be heard.

These sounds were incredibly grating to her ears.

On the second day of the new year, under the insistence of that wretched Huang Family, the eldest son’s family had finally split off. It was one thing to divide the household, but Huang Family actually created a fuss about cutting ties with this side. Because of a scar on a child’s face, Yan Family had to soften in front of Huang Family and Lou Zheng, and since the head of the household was someone who cared about face, after all the bickering, by the fourth day of the new year, Huang Family had her wish granted.

Even more infuriating, it wasn’t their own problem that the daughter-in-law made a fuss about, but after the eldest son divided the household, on the fifth day, he found people to build a wall to separate the courtyard, and now basically there was no interaction between the two sides, and even the kids were unwilling to come over.

If they didn’t want to come over, then do not. After all, she, Yan Family, didn’t lack children. Subtract a Ma Xincai, there were still Zhicai and Youcai. Hmph, what she really cared about was that her past efforts towards her son had gone unrewarded.

"That wretch, all she does is eat, she’ll eat the house into ruin one of these days," Yan Family cursed as she walked into the kitchen. Seeing the cold pots in there, her irritation grew.

Originally, all these chores had been done by Huang Family, and Yan Family couldn’t remember how many years it had been since she’d done such rough work. Unexpectedly, as she aged, life had become harder than before.

Yan Family felt that everything was Huang Family’s fault, and she cursed Huang Family as she worked.

Next door, after Huang Family had finished eating and brought out the bowls to wash, she couldn’t help but smile upon seeing that the neighbor had just started the fire. Even though it had only been a month after the household split, she felt enormously relieved this past month. Even though she returned from working at the Lin Family and still had to cook and do laundry, all she handled were the meals and clothes for a family of four, and this made her heart content.

"Mom, let me help you wash the dishes." Her son had turned seven this year after the new year, and finally, he could attend the Lin Family school for free and had become much more sensible. Her daughter also started attending the lower class, with a specially assigned female teacher; Huang Family felt this was truly living.

"No need, Mom can handle this little bit of work," Huang Family said with a smile, stroking her son’s little face.

"Mom’s been working hard all day, washing dishes isn’t tough. The master said that everyone should take on a bit of work they could manage at home. Since Dad and Mom are tired from a day’s work, from now on, I’ll take over washing the dishes," the boy said without a second thought, rolling up his sleeves and starting to wash hands-on.

His expression was very serious.

"Mom, come in, I’ve already massaged Dad’s shoulders, it’s your turn," the little girl called out from inside the house.

"Alright, Mom’s coming," Huang Family said with a happy smile.

A family of four, with only four bowls, and the son quickly and skillfully cleaned and put away the bowls in the cupboard. Watching his adept movements, Huang Family felt an even deeper sense of contentment, thinking that all the hardship she had endured over the years had been worth it.

Chapter 838: Chapter 838: Dealing With Rumors (2)

Holding her son’s icy hands, mother and son entered the house.

Huang saw the smile on Ma Xincai’s face that wouldn’t fade and tentatively asked, "Husband, I want to buy a piece of land from the village chief and build a new house."

Ma Xincai remained silent.

Huang continued, "Although we’ve separated from the family, you’ve seen their attitude towards the Lin Family. We still hope our child will become successful and take care of us in our old age. The old masters have been generous to us, and we mustn’t be ungrateful. Now that the old masters’ daughter is a princess, if the Prince finds out they’ve been cursing her, won’t the family end up in trouble? Also, I always feel that our second son isn’t doing anything proper in the city."

Having lived with the Lin Family for a long time, Huang’s experiences had broadened. She also took advantage of her free time to attend adult classes in the village, naturally providing her with a very different perspective than before.

Ma Xincai still didn’t speak.

"Of course, we’ll send the proper gifts during holidays and festivals. But living here, my heart is always uneasy," Huang said, eventually breaking into tears.

Ma Xincai watched her, sighed deeply, and finally said, "If you want to buy it, go ahead."

She had agreed! Huang finally broke into a smile through her tears.

The two children, seeing her happy, also cheered up and vied to lovingly massage the legs and backs of their parents.

Ma Xincai actually wasn’t a fool; he knew exactly what sort of person the Yan Family was but, as a parent and child who had just separated, cutting off the relationship was already drastic enough. If he hurriedly moved house now, wouldn’t people point at his spine and curse behind his back?

Huang knew her husband cared about appearances, but her goal had been achieved, so she would simply bring some extra gifts to the neighbors during the festive seasons.

Lin Ziyin didn’t rush back the next day but instead verified the household ledger and examined the quality of the corn, rice, and legume seeds prepared in the manor.

Under her leadership, the village had learned to select premium-quality seeds. The rice and corn seeds, needless to say, were all from the Lin Family this year, and every household had soybeans which were now being roll-seeded. Roll-seeding involved a board stitched together with sorghum stalks, creating a slope for the seeds to roll down freely.

The most full-bodied grains usually rolled to the bottom and could be used as quality seeds for planting.

"Master, here’s the information on Changchun Country," Yu Shaohui came in with a stack of documents.

All the materials were neatly arranged using special clips and labeled. It was clear that Yu Shaohui was a qualified butler.

"Put them down," Lin Ziyin pointed to the table.

"Stopping economic trade with Changchun Country, along with the blockade from Daqin, our income has dropped significantly this month. Perhaps our family’s business might continue like this for half a year or even longer. What are your thoughts?" Lin Ziyin asked.

Jue Xin, who had always stood behind Lin Ziyin like an invisible person, was moved by the conversation but remained silent.

"Jue Xin, have a seat as well, and share your opinion," Lin Ziyin ordered.

"I think we should open up maritime trade routes," Yu Shaohui spoke first, "Merchants from the Western Region have brought many exotic items to the Northern Land, but the Nanyang market remains untapped. There are many small countries and tribes along the coast. If we can solve the difficulties of maritime transportation, this market has huge potential."

"I agree," Jue Xin seemed somewhat excited, "Jue Ming’s family lives along the coast. We can have him summon a part of the crew; coastal people are very proficient in aquatics and navigation."

"Once the maritime route is open, naturally, merchant ships from Nanyang will come to us in the Northern Land to initiate trade. As long as the business takes off, we could sit at home and simply collect the money," Yu Shaohui agreed wholeheartedly with him.

Chapter 839: Chapter 839: Dealing With Rumors (3)

"It seems you already had ideas in mind," Lin Ziyin said with a smile.

"Hehe, it’s just that watching the business decline made us a bit anxious," Jue Xin replied with a laugh.

"Pirates are a major problem too," Lin Ziyin said, suggesting they hold off on maritime shipping for now.

"Alright."

After discussing, the three of them sat down quietly again to look at the ledger and analyze some of the data that had emerged.

At noon, an unexpected guest suddenly arrived at the Lin Family.

Mrs. Zhen’s face was flushed with shyness, looking as if she had something to say but didn’t know where to start.

Guo Zhongkui, on the other hand, looked furious as he gazed at the two couples opposite him. "You brought this upon yourselves, so you handle it."

"Auntie, ah no, Your Highness the Princess, please spare my life," the middle-aged woman, who had been sitting, said. Upon hearing Guo Zhongkui’s words, she suddenly knelt down before Lin Ziyin and burst into loud sobs.

"There’s no way out, Your Highness. We are all family here; please have mercy and help us," another woman cried out as well.

The first woman to cry, Lin Ziyin somewhat recognized her; she seemed to be Mrs. Zhen’s sister-in-law.

Mrs. Zhen, being the eldest daughter-in-law of the Guo Family, was a good person, but her maternal family seemed somewhat lacking.

From the sound of it, her sister-in-law had caused trouble and had come to seek refuge. However, the timing was too coincidental; her sister-in-law had only just returned when they came knocking, perhaps a bit too opportunistic?

"Your Highness, we are not human. We should never have committed such heinous actions for mere petty gains," the other woman exaggeratedly blamed herself.

"Please, Your Highness, save our family," the man beside her cried as well.

"Sister-in-law, what is going on?" Guo Huiniang said dissatisfiedly as she looked at her brother and sister-in-law.

Lin Ziyin had already helped the Guo Family quite a bit, assisting with duck farming, purchasing duck feathers, and even helping to sell the eggs. Could it be that seeing Lin Ziyin become a princess made her brother and sister-in-law greedy?

Faced with Guo Huiniang’s unsatisfied and suspicious gaze, Guo Zhongkui and Mrs. Zhen blushed even more. The couple wanted to explain but didn’t know where to start.

"Nevermind, I’ll explain," Guo Zhongkui eventually said reluctantly. "They saw our family making a profit from buying duck feathers, so they also started buying them sneakily. It would have been fine if they just sold them to the workshops. But they went behind our backs and set up a duck feather cleaning workshop, and then a down jacket workshop to compete with the princess’s business."

That explained it!

"How could you do this?" Guo Huiniang raged. "Get out, the Lin Family doesn’t welcome you! Go back to where you came from!"

She cursed while she also cried. Ever since Ziyin became a princess, she had been under a lot of psychological stress. Still, she was more rejoiced, for her current life was something beyond her wildest dreams, like living the life of a celestial being.

She didn’t dare or want to cause trouble for Ziyin, so she was very strict with herself and her children. Even towards her own family, every time she went back, she repeatedly warned them not to act recklessly under the banner of the princess, or else she would disown them.

To her dismay, just a few days after, trouble of this magnitude had already been stirred up on her side.

"Our entire fortune is tied up in the workshop, and the silver was borrowed at a high interest from the moneylender. If we don’t return the silver, we are doomed. Please, Your Highness, you are a generous person. Please spare us this once," the woman cried and pleaded for mercy, while Mrs. Zhen’s sister-in-law stood by fearfully.

 

Chapter 840: Chapter 840: Dealing With Rumors (4)

"Aunt Guo, Uncle, you own half of the workshop too. Please, beg the Princess Consort to show mercy," the woman said, her voice filled with accusation when she saw the couple in such a state.

"Presumptuous," Hong Ying chastised coldly. "Who do you think you are to yell like that in front of the Princess Consort? Keep disrespecting her, and be careful or you’ll get a beating."

"We, we are relatives of the Princess Consort, how could you talk about beating us?" the woman retorted defiantly, glaring at Hong Ying.

Lin Ziyin couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing her reaction. She figured today was the day she encountered a real piece of work.

"Get out, get out of here," Guo Huiniang exclaimed in real anger, "The Lin Family doesn’t welcome you."

"Aunt Guo," Mrs. Zhen’s sister-in-law looked at her timidly, trying to garner sympathy.

"Is it because you can’t remove the peculiar smell from the duck down that your business is failing?" Lin Ziyin asked, drawing out her words.

"Yes, it’s because we can’t get rid of the smell," the woman replied, her eyes lighting up as she stopped crying.

"What if I just tell you how to remove the smell? Then your workshop would be saved, right?" Lin Ziyin continued to speak with a smile.

"Thank you, Princess Consort."

"Thank you, Princess Consort."

The odd couple happily kowtowed to Lin Ziyin, while Mr. and Mrs. Zhen looked ashen. They had suffered at the hands of Lin Ziyin before and knew that the Princely Consort was not easy to fool.

"Drag them out and chop," a commanding voice suddenly boomed.

Everyone looked up to see Suifeng had returned.

"Princess Consort," Lin Ziyin greeted him with a smile.

"Filth like this should be dragged out and chopped without a second thought," Chu Suifeng said with a vicious glare at the kneeling couple. Mr. and Mrs. Zhen, still standing, trembled uncontrollably with fear.

"Spare us, Prince, spare us, Princess Consort," the people on the ground screamed in terror.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhen’s faces looked terrible. The people they had brought with them were not there to cause trouble but to apologize out of guilt. They didn’t expect these four to be so greedy, trying to pry the secret recipe from the Princess Consort was utterly shameless.

By now, Mrs. Zhen’s feelings for her family had completely faded.

"You brought this upon yourselves," Lin Ziyin said with a light laugh, looking at the people on the floor. "For the sake of Guo Zhongkui and his wife, I will spare your lives this time. But if there’s a next time, don’t blame me for being ruthless."

"Yes, yes." Both couples had no more illusions once they saw Suifeng. Thinking of the creditors at home, they were filled with regret.

"Thank you, Prince, Princess Consort, we shall take our leave," Guo Zhongkui said, his tone tinged with sadness and embarrassment.

Mrs. Zhen was so ashamed she couldn’t even lift her head.

Guo Huiniang didn’t ask them to stay for a meal because of the misunderstanding and her anger.

"Sister-in-law, don’t blame Guo Zhongkui and his wife. They’ve been deceived by that couple too," Lin Ziyin said with a soft laugh, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Pfft, they are weak, they deserve to be bullied," Guo Huiniang retorted, her fiery temper flaring, and she was not one to relinquish an argument easily.

"It won’t happen again," Mrs. Zhen promised, her eyes red.

"Sister, brother-in-law, I didn’t come today to plead for them; it’s because of them that we’ve had much less down feather collected in the past few months," Guo Zhongkui replied dully.

Lin Ziyin sighed inwardly; Guo Zhongkui and his wife were honest people, which was why she had helped them. But because they were too honest, they had suffered more than their share of losses.

"Sort things out when you get back. If anyone is being dishonest, don’t accept their down. This warning should keep them in line," Lin Ziyin advised, giving them a strategy.