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

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.