In the end, Zhu Lin stepped in and stopped everyone from trying to silence them. "Keep the rest of you here. If anyone dares to kill another person, I'll chop off their hands."
It wasn't that Zhu Lin sympathized with the Japanese; he simply didn't want these people to go astray. Doing anything too often or for too long can easily become a habit, and killing is no exception.
A person with too much blood on their hands won't care about taking a few more lives. While the Japanese certainly don't deserve sympathy, it's not good to drive their own people mad.
The leader of the miners even tried to argue, "We didn't kill all the dead Japanese; those foreigners also got involved."
"I will also warn the foreigners that from today onwards, you are not allowed to kill anyone. Even if you have grudges in your hearts, you should vent your anger now. If you continue to kill like this, you will all become demons, neither human nor ghost. Aren't you afraid?"
Seeing that everyone's faces had turned pale, Zhu Lin knew that they had taken his words to heart, so he said no more. He simply said, "You all stay put. The army of the Great Jin Dynasty will come to pick you up soon. In the meantime, do not cause any more trouble, or you will be killed without mercy."
In short, only about two hundred Japanese people were left alive; the rest were killed and buried, and the matter was resolved very cleanly.
At this moment, Xingxing called everyone into the house to talk, "Besides potatoes, this island also has sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkins, and even millet and barley, enough for the island's inhabitants to eat. We'll only take the potatoes because the Great Jin Dynasty doesn't have potato seeds."
Furthermore, we've confirmed that there are silver and iron mines on the island. This island is very valuable. We've left four thousand men to guard it. I'll have Father send more men when I return to expedite the mining."
"Sister, I'll stay and guard the silver mine. We're not in a hurry to go back." Zhou Erfu was already worried about his parents' eagerness to arrange a marriage for him, so he decided to avoid it as much as possible and delay it for as long as possible.
Thinking of this, Zhou Erfu suddenly felt something was wrong. "Right, where are my parents? Why aren't they here?"
"Mother is seasick and has been vomiting for a long time. Father is busy taking care of her, and the imperial physician is taking her pulse." If they weren't feeling unwell, the two elders would have rushed over and hugged Xingxing, crying.
Xingxing jumped up, not in the mood to say anything else, and walked straight out. "Mom and Dad are here. Why didn't you say so earlier? Where are they now? I'll go see them."
"Don't worry, I'll take you there." Zhou Erfu quickly chased after him.
Zhu Lin paused for a moment and then followed them out. Naturally, the others couldn't stay still, so they all left the house.
Xingxing was led by Zhou Erfu to Zhao Guihua's room. The imperial physician had already examined her pulse and written a prescription, which was then prepared by the apprentice. The medicine could then be decocted and taken.
"Imperial Physician, how is my mother?" Xingxing asked anxiously.
"Princess, rest assured, Madam Zhou is fine. She's just been worrying a bit and is seasick, which is why she's feeling unwell. A few doses of medicine will help her recover." The worry was naturally due to the princess's disappearance; now that the princess has been found, she feels relieved.
"It's good that you're alright. Thank you for troubling the imperial physician." Xingxing breathed a sigh of relief.
The imperial physician repeatedly said he dared not, “Your Highness is too kind to me. This is my duty, Your Highness need not do this.”
Zhao Guihua was drowsy when she suddenly heard Xingxing's voice. She opened her eyes abruptly and saw the face that she had been longing for. She rubbed her eyes hard, thinking that she was seeing things.
“Mom, it’s me, you’re not mistaken,” Xingxing said, both amused and exasperated, as she grabbed her mother’s hand that was rubbing her eyes. Suddenly, her throat tightened, “Mom, I’ve missed you so much.”
“Xingxing, my daughter, we’ve finally found you,” Zhao Guihua cried and sang as she hugged Xingxing. “Your mother was so worried. Your father and brothers were so worried about you. They searched for you for more than half a year, seven or eight months without any news. God really knows how to play tricks on people.”
Old Zhou, his eyes red, came over and hugged the mother and daughter, sobbing, "They've run all the way to Japan! No wonder we couldn't find them anywhere. We were so worried!"
The brothers also had tears in their eyes, feeling a mix of emotions as they thought about the search and worry they had endured over the past few months.
Outside the door, Zhu Lin and Zhao Mingyue looked at the group of people inside who were wailing and crying loudly. To outsiders who didn't know the situation, it sounded like someone had died.
"What happened? Why are you crying so sadly? Did a miner's family come looking for you and find out that their loved one has passed away, so you're crying loudly?" Jones, as the only person who could speak the Central Plains dialect, was naturally sent out as a representative to inquire.
The foreigners already knew that Zhao Mingyue was their commander-in-chief and held the most power, so Jones came directly to him to inquire.
Listening to the other person's broken Central Plains dialect, Zhao Mingyue succinctly said eight words, "A long-awaited reunion, tears of joy."
Jones clearly didn't understand the meaning of those eight words and looked completely bewildered, but Zhao Mingyue didn't seem inclined to explain. Jones looked at Zhu Lin, the white-clad youth with a cold expression and a pair of peach blossom eyes that held a chilling edge. With such an unapproachable demeanor, there was no way he could answer any questions.
Furthermore, Jones didn't dare to ask any more questions. He had personally witnessed how skilled the boy was, and he dared not provoke him.
After resting on the island for a few days, Xingxing signaled Zhao Mingyue to call over all the people who were originally mining to talk. Xingxing did not reveal her identity as a princess to outsiders, not even to the foreigners.
Therefore, in the eyes of outsiders, Zhao Mingyue was the one with the most authority. When he spoke, everyone was quiet and listened attentively.
"We will soon bring these two hundred or so Japanese back to the Great Jin Dynasty. The silver mine on this island now belongs to our Great Jin. After we return, we will send more people to mine here."
I would like to ask, are there any of you willing to stay and continue mining? You won't work for free. Those who are willing to stay and continue mining will be provided with three meals a day and a monthly stipend. Mining is hard labor, but the money you earn is hard-earned, and the imperial court will not treat you unfairly.
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