Ming Dynasty: Empress Ma and I swapped clothes!

Chapter 49 Good Overcomes Evil! Old Master Ma's Happy Life

suddenly!

Whether it was arranged by Magistrate Huo Tianlang or spontaneously by the crowd, someone suddenly shouted, "Young sir, spare him! His crime doesn't warrant death!"

As soon as one person spoke, the surrounding crowd was also stirred up. Infected by the emotions, the scene before them became a sensation and extremely lively.

"Young master, spare him, spare him."

"He still looks like a child. Who hasn't made mistakes when they were young?"

"Giving him a chance is giving Qingfeng County a chance. The young master is kind and compassionate."

The voices of the people reached Ma Xiuying's ears.

She glanced at Li Zizhi and Huo Tianlang beside her, and seeing them smile and nod at her, she knew that this was a way of returning the favor after she had forgiven Huo Qian.

If Empress Ma Xiuying were still in power, she would be furious at their blatant manipulation of public opinion, their attempts to sway public sentiment, and their incitement of the people. She would have ordered the two to have their families exterminated, the woman sent to the brothel, and the man exiled to the army.

At this time, however, she was a child prodigy of auspiciousness in Qingfeng County.

Taking a deep breath, Ma Xiuying made the wisest choice at that moment.

She reached out and gently helped the blood-stained Huo Qianfei to his feet. Then, with a youthful and spirited expression, she shouted to the surrounding crowd, "To err is human, to forgive divine. Throughout history..."

Good will never prevail over evil!

As a result, the voices of the people grew louder.

Good will never prevail over evil!

"Evil cannot prevail over good."

……

This time, the collective political campaign by Qingfeng County's civil servants was a great success.

Not only the surrounding counties, but even the military officers of the garrison commanders near Qingfeng County were fully aware of the situation.

The commander of a thousand households, dressed in the official robes of a fifth-rank official, is the highest-ranking officer within this thousand-household unit.

He fiddled with the two iron walnuts in his hands.

With a pair of mustaches and bright, expressive eyes, his square face with its regular features exuded a particularly dignified and upright aura.

But just as the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive, and the more honest a man is, the more cunning he is. As the highest-ranking official of the Qianhu Office in Qingfeng County, the Qianhu official's wealth and connections were certainly not lacking.

"The paths of literature and martial arts are different, but the reputation of this auspicious prodigy is growing louder and louder. No, absolutely not. How can we, these roughnecks, only smell the fish but not even get a sip of the soup?"

This immense wealth, we brothers must also have a share of it.

Seeing that the commander had spoken, the other two deputy commanders in the garrison exchanged glances, also tempted, and licked their lips, saying, "We heard that people have come from the capital. What should we do?"

The commander glared at them irritably: "Did you think it was the same old robbery and plundering? That's so outdated."

"We're going to make friends, not rob people. Robbing people now would be risking our lives. We're all adults here, can't we be serious for once?"

Startled by the shout, the two deputy commanders abandoned their previous scheming ideas. One of them even said with a slightly aggrieved tone, "Then, Commander, what should we do?"

"Let's go to the Hundred Household Office below."

"This young gentleman's family is still military households, so we can take this opportunity to befriend them. We've prepared our gifts. One hundred taels now will be worth one thousand or ten thousand taels in the future."

The commander has gone to great lengths to say this, showing the utmost kindness and righteousness.

Judging from the obvious unwillingness of the two deputy commanders in front of him, he knew they were still harboring evil intentions.

……

Inside the Hundred Households Office, the spear training was conducted in a neat and uniform manner.

The soldiers at the grassroots level, clad in silk armor and with resolute expressions, continued to perform repetitive actions under the scorching sun.

Grandpa Ma walks with his hands behind his back, his toes touching the ground first before his heels land smoothly, which looks strange, like an old ape.

This was a skill he had honed over many years on the battlefield.

"Ma Tianlu has given birth to a fine grandson."

Now, Commander Sun, dressed in armor, stands atop the city wall, not letting his guard down despite being unsupervised.

As a veteran of the battlefield, he was able to rise to the rank of centurion; he was a ruthless man.

Normally, he would at least step in and discipline him, but now the Ma family has produced a fine grandson.

Thinking of this, a look of envy flashed in Sun Baihu's eyes.

The only consolation is...

He had made plans in advance, sending his youngest son to befriend the man.

Currently, within the Ma residence in Qingfeng County, the people he usually associates with are either scholars who have passed the imperial examinations, or graduates who have passed the provincial examinations, or sons of various prominent families in the north.

His broad vision and future prospects alone are completely different from those of his father, a centurion.

Basically, there were no major mistakes, and he would later become an official in the imperial court.

It was only natural and inevitable that the Sun family would break free from their military household status and rise to prominence alongside the Ma family.

The Northern Expedition was still nearly a year away, and the official documents from the imperial court had already been issued.

However, since the northern regions needed to be managed, not many people were transferred there. The army mainly relied on the old court staff, and the main force consisted almost entirely of people from the south.

The main function of the North was basically to defend the city; otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible for Sun Xing'an, the Grand Commander of Beiping, to become the largest military power in the Central Plains.

Otherwise, now that the investiture ceremony has passed, any marquis or duke in the Ming Dynasty court could easily suppress him.

One after another, figures rushed in from outside the fortress of the Hundred-Household Garrison. Commander Sun raised his right hand, and immediately the soldiers on all sides of the city wall began to stand guard.

Once the newcomers entered their attack range, Commander Sun finally saw who they were and raised an eyebrow: "Why are they here? They're not slow either."

He glanced quickly at Ma Tianlu, who was putting on an act, pursed his lips, went down the city wall, opened the gate, and also beckoned Ma Tianlu to his side.

His former subordinates have now become his backers, which has also made this group of uninvited guests behave themselves a little.

"This humble official greets Commander-in-Chief and Deputy Commander-in-Chief."

Sun Baihu greeted him with clasped hands and a fist salute.

"Which one is Grandpa Ma Tianlu?"

Lord Qianhu chuckled, appearing approachable and without a trace of cunning on his square face, making him instantly likable.

Sun Baihu pushed Ma Tianlu forward, but the old man remained blank.

He shouldn't have provoked Commander Qianhu.

Even if he did, he wouldn't be qualified.

Just as Ma Tianlu was at a loss, the commander in front of him suddenly gave him a big hug in front of everyone.

Qianhu's face was burning with enthusiasm, and his eyes were filled with deep affection. Anyone who didn't know the situation would surely think they were long-lost brothers.