Ch. 846..850: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 846-850

Chapter 846: Chapter 846: The Fate of the Ma Family (3)

"As an official coming from the Capital City, after arriving in the Northern Land, my greatest impression was witnessing firsthand the transformation here over the past two years. All of you must have felt a great change in Feng City, but have you ever thought that without Princess Consort Ling, could your lives have been so prosperous?" Mei Hanqing also asked loudly.

There was a clamor around, and many people seemed to disagree with Mei Hanqing.

"Do you think I am exaggerating?" Mei Hanqing wasn’t in a hurry, "Most of the shops on the streets operate as though they have nothing to do with the Princess Consort. But have you ever considered, without the Princess Consort, could Feng City have attracted so many traders from all directions? After they came to Feng City, lodging, dining, sightseeing, taking carriage rides... as you earn money, have you ever thought of the Princess Consort’s kindness?"

The commoners, including the kneeling scholars on the ground, had almost never thought about this question.

"The free schooling was proposed by the Princess Consort, but where did the silver for the schools come from? It certainly didn’t fall from the sky. Thus, the Princess Consort devised the method of collecting taxes from the people and using it for the people. While you and your children benefit, have you ever felt gratitude towards the Princess Consort?" Mei Hanqing’s questioning words lingered in the air for a long time.

"The method of substituting beans for seeds was provided by the Princess Consort this year, and all the machinery running in the fields was designed by her. You are well-fed, and you earn silver from various professions. Have you ever felt gratitude towards the Princess Consort?" Si Jinyu stepped forward.

"Yes, each of you received the opportunity for free admission to school thanks to the Princess Consort’s benevolence, and yet you use the sour disposition of scholars to bully her. Have all your hearts been eaten by dogs? Without the Princess Consort, you are nothing." A group of young girls stood up. They had just come over to support Lin Ziyin, determined to seek justice for her.

"That’s right, without the Princess Consort, what are you worth?"

...

These young girls were all people who had received Lin Ziyin’s kindness the year before, and thanks to her, in the freely established textile, embroidery, and service industries, they could finally support themselves.

"The second question," Lin Ziyin looked at the elder on the ground, "Why did the Tatars abduct me?"

"This?" the elder found the question somewhat difficult and was not sure how to answer.

If he said that Lin Ziyin was abducted because of her identity, then people would surely sympathize with Lin Ziyin and stand by her side. The aforementioned speech had already made many young scholars’ faces turn red with shame, and a poor response might end today’s matters. However, he absolutely would not allow anyone to tarnish the Crown Prince’s honor.

But if he said it was because of her beauty, that would be complete nonsense. Because Lin Ziyin, standing among the crowd, was not particularly outstanding; what was outstanding was her serene temperament.

"He’s having trouble answering, I’ll answer," Mei Junlin said loudly, "Because the Princess Consort is a capable and virtuous person, the Tatars did not come for her beauty. They learned through spies about the earth-shattering changes in the Northern Land, most of which were due to the Princess Consort. They wanted to use her to change the dire situation in their North Country’s treasury and granaries. Capturing one person is much more cost-effective than starting a war, isn’t it?"

Many people echoed in agreement, and this was another group of forward-thinking scholars, who had also come carrying banners to support her.

"A bunch of fools." Suddenly Luo Yan and Si Jinhan appeared, looking weary.

"Do you know what happened to the Princess Consort after she arrived in the North Country?" Luo Yan said with a smile, "The Monarch of the North Country treated her as an honored guest. Even though he sent a large number of soldiers to watch over her every day, he did not torture her but rather allowed her to move freely through the streets and alleys of the Imperial Palace in the North Country. His aim was nothing more than to get the Princess Consort to lend a hand. The old man even shamelessly had all his sons pursue the Princess Consort, promising that whoever married her as their chief wife would be the Crown Prince."

Chapter 847: Chapter 847: The Fate of the Ma Family (4)

"Enough." Chu Suifeng bellowed, becoming especially irritated when the matter was brought up.

"Not enough," Si Jinhan continued, "You fools actually dare to push people away. Now tell me, would you resort to violence against someone who simply asks for help?"

Many faces on the ground turned red; they had never thought so much about it. More importantly, they didn’t realize how formidable the Princess Consort was.

"The third question, I ask you, if it were your daughter who was captured by the Tatars and even lost her innocence, what would you do?" Lin Ziyin looked at the elder on the ground, as he was the leader of this group of scholars, then she turned to the officials, "And what would you do?"

Many officials began to sweat, but the elder still responded with an air of righteousness, "If that happened, I would certainly put an end to her myself."

As soon as he said this, whispers erupted among the bystanders.

A woman and two girls in the crowd started crying loudly, their eyes fixed on the elder, filled with resentment.

"You are not fit to be a father," Lin Ziyin said calmly to the elder, "Children should respect the elderly, but elders should also protect their children. Every year at the border, our sisters from Northern Land are harmed by the Tatars, but did they ever wish for such disasters? They suffer immensely, both physically and mentally, but no harm can compare to the mockery and indifference from their own kin and friends. Such men are worse than beasts, for even beasts protect their young."

Her words resonated with many women present, though some remained unconvinced.

"To earn fame at the expense of hurting your own children and countrymen, and yet proudly act as a hero and role model, you truly are as low as beasts," Luo Yanlan supported the Princess Consort.

"You, you..." The elder, having never been publicly humiliated like this, was overwhelmed by anger and spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Prince, Mr. Situ," Lin Ziyin solemnly proposed, "I request that two more laws be added to the Northern Land’s legal code: one, anyone who forces a woman against her will should be punished, and the severity of the punishment should be determined by the specific situation. Particularly, those who harm young girls should face severe penalties. Secondly, no one should sell daughters unless they themselves agree in the presence of officialdom, including their parents."

"Women are also ’half the sky’ of our Northern Land. I believe as long as women are confident, self-reliant, and respectful of themselves, they will perform no less capably than men. Women can do everything men can do, and sometimes women are even more formidable since at least women can bear children, which men cannot."

The last remark had a teasing tone.

Laughter erupted among the crowd, a sound of good humor.

In fact, Shili Village’s regulations had long been this way, and though men had heard of it and felt a bit sheepish, there was no strong opposition. It was said that marital relationships in Shili Village were solid—truly a relationship where men plowed and women wove. Moreover, with officialdom providing free education, many girls really learned useful skills. With the appearance of wool yarns and knitting factories, many women earned as much silver as men, establishing a financial foundation that made everyone recognize the truth in her words.

"Once we successfully cultivate cotton in the southern part, factories will arrive needing many female workers, so girls must strive to excel. To ’strive,’ you must first respect yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, who else will?" Lin Ziyin encouraged everyone.

Chapter 848: Chapter 848: The Fate of the Ma Family (5)

"The Consort is making sense, Prince, what do you think?" Mei Hanqing looked at Chu Suifeng.

"The Consort’s intentions are the same as mine, and I add another decree, to severely punish those who unjustly strike women in their families," Chu Suifeng said viciously adding another punishment.

"Long live the Prince and Consort, may you live for thousands and thousands of years." All the women on the streets, whether married or not, all knelt down for Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin. No one had ever protected them like this, nobody had ever given them so much encouragement. All the women genuinely accepted Lin Ziyin as their Consort from the bottom of their hearts.

"Speak, who asked you to spread the rumors?" The advantage was now in Chu Suifeng’s hands, and the man whose finger had been cut off already was terrified out of his wits upon seeing how Chu Suifeng could kill a civil official without changing his expression, he had been frightened from the very beginning when he was captured. Initially, he couldn’t hold on, but because he harbored a tiny hope, he bit his tongue and didn’t confess, but then Prince Chu didn’t even give him a chance, directly cutting off his finger.

Oh mother, for a mere handful of copper coins, he had sold his own five fingers. If he had known, he wouldn’t have dared to speak recklessly even if he were beaten to death.

"Prince, spare my life, I’ll speak, I’ll tell everything," fear made him forget the pain, the man on the ground confessed everything, "It was a man, he gave me twenty copper coins and told me to say it, I will never dare to do it again."

As one man confessed, seeing the corpses on the ground and the man’s severed finger, the following people started confessing, "Prince, I remember now, that man had the accent of the Capital City."

"Yes, yes, I wouldn’t have remembered if you hadn’t said it."

...

Once one person thought of a clue, immediately others echoed it.

Hearing the whole story, enraged citizens with flushed faces yelled and demanded that those who spread the rumors be locked in the dungeon.

"Ten years of labor, family not to be implicated; if the offense is repeated, the extended family up to the ninth degree will be punished," Chu Suifeng pronounced coldly. "Bring the rest of them here."

The people who were brought out were dressed rather well, and they were looked upon with disdain by everyone.

"Injustice, Prince, I have been wronged!" Ma Zhicai was among these people, and having done many bad things, his psychological resilience had improved. Seeing Chu Suifeng, he immediately knelt and cried injustice, "I have not spread any rumors, I was just honestly working at the inn, I know nothing."

"Prince, I heard him mention it first, and only then did I foolishly repeat a few nonsensical remarks," someone immediately pointed out that Ma Zhicai was also a creator of the rumors.

"Are you saying that I have wronged you?" Chu Suifeng went forward and kicked Ma Zhicai, sending him flying.

"I wouldn’t dare," Ma Zhicai secretly resented, but clenched himself claiming he knew nothing.

"Just because my sister broke off the engagement, you hate me so much that you would collude with the people of the North Country to harm my Consort." Lin Ziyin stood tall, looking down at him from above.

Ma Zhicai’s face shifted slightly, but then he lifted his head and looked at Lin Ziyin with a look of grievance, "Consort, I’m wronged. It was my family who broke off the engagement first, I wouldn’t dare to bear a grudge against the Consort. I’m just a scholar who made a living at the inn, how could I have any contact with people from the North Country."

Ma Zhicai was clever, indirectly telling everyone that Lin Ziyin was using his position to get revenge and plot against him, and as a small figure, he could only suffer in silence.

The public despises spies the most, regardless of whether what Ma Zhicai said was true or not, the expressions of the onlookers became suspicious.

And Chu Suifeng was more ruthless, having not allowed the civil officials and scholars who were kneeling on the ground to get up.

These people liked to kneel so much, right? Then let them keep kneeling.

Chapter 849: Chapter 849: The Fate of the Ma Family (6)

Winter ground is extremely cold. Having knelt for such a long time, their legs had all gone numb. But with the Prince not uttering a word, no one dared to rise. Before them lay a corpse, decapitated, and many began to regret in silence.

"’Without reaching the Yellow River, one’s heart doesn’t die.’ To arrest you, the Prince had specifically left you to my disposition. Without evidence, how could I have possibly captured you?" Lin Ziyin sneered at him.

"Since the Princess Consort is adamant that I am a spy, then please produce the evidence," Ma Zhicai retorted, lifting his head in mockery.

"You want evidence? It’s simple." Lin Ziyin clapped her hands and immediately a squad of black-armored soldiers brought forth a woman and two children.

"Second aunt, Da Gouzi?" Ma Zhicai’s heart skipped a beat.

"Bao Family, you speak," Situ Gong commanded as he gazed at the newcomers. "Do you recognize this person?" He pointed to Ma Zhicai on the ground.

"Yes, replying to Prince and the Princess Consort, he is a nephew from my husband’s family, named Ma Zhicai, and he is from the same village as the Princess Consort. He and the head of my family home are spies for the North Country," the Bao Family woman replied softly.

The onlookers, hearing this, wished they could throw small stones at Ma Zhicai.

Unaffected, the Bao Family woman recounted all the grudges between her own family, Ma Zhicai’s family, and the Lin Family.

"Can you provide evidence?" Situ Gong asked.

"This is the evidence." The Bao Family woman brought out a bundle. "These papers for writing letters are all unique to the Tatar side, and they are also the kind used by wealthy families. I made special inquiries about them. This blanket is also something that the North Country’s wealthy families give to their servants. What’s more, I have personally seen him meeting with a group of Tatars."

"Where did they meet?"

"They met in an inn because the head of the family entrusted him to bring silver to me. I was suspicious, so I secretly followed him, never expecting to discover he was actually a spy," the Bao Family woman calmly answered, "Although I am but a woman, I am also from the Northern Land. I will not allow my children to become the North Country’s dogs, to grow up and be pointed at by others."

Da Gouzi and Gouzi were not small children, and upon hearing their mother’s words, they immediately burst into loud wails.

"Nonsense, all of this is your conjecture," Ma Zhicai glared at the Bao Family woman with hatred. He had not expected that the Bao Family woman’s visit to the inn that day was because she had suspicions about him.

The Bao Family woman, however, did not spare him a glance and instead knelt down to kowtow, "I beg the Prince and Princess Consort to spare them on account of the two children who are unaware."

After speaking, she kept kowtowing continuously.

At this moment, everyone was silent, with only Ma Zhicai roaring, "You wretch, you’re nothing but a wretch..."

"Da Gou, Gouzi, remember this. You are people of the Northern Land. Even in death, you are ghosts of the Northern Land. Swear to the heavens, if you ever bear a grudge against the Prince and Princess Consort because of this matter, may thunder strike you down, and may you never meet a good end," the Bao Family woman raised her head, her face serious, completely ignoring Ma Zhicai who was held by the black-armored soldiers beside her. "Your descendants must also remember this ancestral teaching; otherwise, the elders will take direct action."

At the conclusion of her statement, everyone drew a sharp breath.

"This Prince can spare you and your three children," Chu Suifeng said leisurely.

Lin Ziyin was somewhat moved. The Bao Family woman was not a virtuous person, and at times even her mean streak was undeniable. But now, her high cheekbones and thick lips didn’t seem so unattractive; she was a very remarkable woman.

Who says that those living at the bottom layer of society are the worst off? Human nature is the most complex. No one can ever truly guess what a person might think or do in the next second.

Chapter 850: Chapter 850: The Fate of the Ma Family (7)

"Whore, may you never rest in peace. These two bastards won’t have a good end either; they betrayed their own father, even Heaven won’t tolerate them." Ma Zhicai’s face twisted grotesquely, his already long face stretching even further.

"Shut your mouth, the one who deserves retribution is you." Lou Zheng, along with a dozen others, squeezed out from the crowd, "Your Ma Family disliked the poor and loved the rich first, breaking off the marriage, and in the end, you even blame the Princess. Ma Erlang brought it upon himself—if he hadn’t harbored evil intentions towards the Lin Family and snuck in to steal from them, how could he have been wanted? It’s your own sinister heart to blame, yet you blame others."

Lou Zheng had seen the armored soldiers raiding Ma Family’s home and, upon understanding the situation clearly, brought several villagers who were not off duty. He arrived just in time to hear Ma Zhicai’s words, causing him to bristle with anger.

"It’s the Lin Family, all the machinations of the Lin Family. Bao Family, you whore, what benefits did you receive to throw such filth upon my son? Oh heavens, there’s no way out anymore. Heaven, open your eyes." The Yan Family matriarch had yet to grasp the seriousness of the situation. Seeing Ma Zhicai in such a sorry state, she immediately began to make a scene.

Chu Suifeng and Lin Ziyin’s expressions remained unchanged, watching her as if they were observing a buffoon.

In contrast, Ma Youcai was terrified, "It wasn’t me, I had nothing to do with it. It was him, it was Ma Zhicai who colluded with the enemy. I saw it." Before even being interrogated, this fellow unexpectedly provided information, "He hid the items in a secret compartment in his own house, I know all about it."

"Are you possessed, spouting nonsense?" If it weren’t for being restrained, the Yan Family matriarch would definitely have gone over to give her younger son a few slaps to wake him up.

"Prince, Princess, we have already split from the family and severed relations. Their family’s affairs have nothing to do with my family. Lou Zheng and the villagers can testify to this, elder, you knew this at the beginning too." Mrs. Huang, though scared, held her two children tightly and knelt down to clarify.

"Yes, we split from the family and severed relations." Ma Xincai quickly echoed, captured along the way, he felt as if the sky was falling. He didn’t know what exactly had happened until he arrived in Feng City and discovered that Ma Zhicai was involved in a major incident, leaving him dumbstruck.

He could not admit, absolutely could not admit, collusion was the most shameful crime, one that implicated the entire family.

He hadn’t offended anyone and he had two children; he didn’t want to die, nor did he want to just cut off his future. But he didn’t know what to do, Mrs. Huang’s calmness seemed to stabilize his nerves.

He finally chose to save his immediate family.

"I can testify, everything Mrs. Huang said is true."

"What he said is true." The elder also came under the protection of Jue Ming and Yu Shao’en, squeezing forward.

"Grandfather." Lin Ziyin greeted warmly.

"You’ve done so much for the Northern Land, and since they are ungrateful, from now on, you no longer need to consider them. If the Prince is also displeased, you can come back with grandfather to the North Country; as long as there’s a bite to eat at home, you won’t starve." The elder looked at her with sadness and guilt, but more so with affection.

"Grandfather, calm yourself." Chu Suifeng came over sheepishly, quietly pulling Lin Ziyin to his side, "I naturally won’t allow anyone to bully the Princess, and those who dare bully the Princess won’t be spared."

Mrs. Huang’s family was finally no longer implicated.

What else was there to misunderstand at this point? The onlooking villagers, fearing the Lin family’s workshop might truly close down thus affecting their livelihoods, immediately started to shout indignantly, demanding severe punishment for the culprit.

"It’s you who harmed us, all of you caused this. We didn’t collude with anyone." Ma Zhicai struggled, howling.

"Bring up all the spies." Situ Gong, seeing him still unrepentant, sneered and ordered the armored soldiers.

Before long, Ma Erlang and a group of people from the North Country were brought forward. Some people even recognized some of them as the inn’s shopkeeper and helpers.

"Speak up." Situ Gong said with a sneer.

"The warriors of the North Country aren’t afraid of death. Being captured is our lack of skill, we have nothing to say." The shopkeeper said proudly.

"Dad." Ergouzi looked at Ma Erlang in surprise, Bao Family’s face tinged with sorrow, while Da Gouzi glared angrily at the somewhat sleazy man before him.

Ma Erlang opened his mouth but said nothing.

"It’s you, you caused all this, you bring misfortune on yourself and want us to share your fate," Ma Dazhang glared viciously at Ma Erlang.

Mrs. Huang, fearful for her children, quickly pulled her two children back while Ma Xincai silently protected his mother and siblings.

Towards Ma Zhicai and his parents, he felt somewhat disheartened. Why make trouble when you could have been living a good life? Who else to blame for ending up like this?

Mrs. Huang was even more determined to go back and properly teach her two children, ensuring they did not stray.

"It was you, big brother, who instigated the initial theft at the Lin Family. Zhicai, I advised him, told him not to tread this path, but he wouldn’t listen. You blame me, but whom can I blame?" Having heard Ma Dazhang’s accusations, Ma Erlang was heart-wrenched. His parents had died early, and he had always followed Ma Dazhang’s lead. If it weren’t for Ma Dazhang persistently instigating him, he wouldn’t have harbored resentment against the Lin Family, nor coveted their wealth, leading to today’s dire situation—it was all his own doing, and he closed his eyes in despair.

"His dad." Bao Family approached Ma Erlang with her two children, "I don’t care how others see you, but I know you’ve been good to us three. Don’t blame me, I can’t let my two children be..."

"I don’t have such a father." Da Gouzi pointed at him and shouted loudly, his emotions extremely agitated.