Early in the morning, Yang Ling rode his horse, steadily making his way to the Deputy Station Office. Yesterday he mentioned that the saddle was too hard, so Young-niang made a thick mattress for him that very night. The mattress was so light and soft that he was afraid he would fall off.
Kua Guan swaggered to the entrance of the Courier Office like he was on a parade. Suddenly the sound of horse hooves was heard from afar. More than ten fast horses galloped over. Yang Ling raised his head and saw a group of guards in bright armor surrounding a general wearing a helmet and an armor. It was City Secretary Bi Chunbi.
Bi Dushi was beaming with joy. He was very different from the arrogant aura he had the day before. He held his horsewhip and cupped his hands. He smiled and said, "Brother Yang, thank you for taking care of me. I have come to thank you."
Last night, when Guan Shouying escorted the rations back, she repeated Yang Ling's words to him, word for word. When she repeated it, Guan Shouying's face was still full of pride. This straightforward Bodyguard Captain was very happy with Yang Ling's words.
Bi Chun had been in the officialdom for a long time, so she would not treat Yang Ling as her lifelong friend just because of a few emotional words. However, she still felt very pleased, and her impression of Yang Ling increased a bit. Early in the morning, he went to the city to dismount his horse. Remembering this post official, he was suddenly excited and decided to go directly to the post office to express his gratitude.
Yang Ling hurriedly stepped forward to greet her. Bi Chun heard that he was going to pay his respects to an elder, so it was inconvenient for her to leave immediately. Thus, she also went in to pay her respects, so as not to be impolite.
The group entered the courtyard and saw Magistrate Min's small green sedan parked in the courtyard. It turned out that his colleagues had arrived at the district headquarters early in the morning to visit Magistrate Min. Magistrate Min's arrow wound was not deep. It was only because of the poison on the arrow that he was unconscious for so long. Now that he had woken up, he was fine. Hearing that Magistrate Ma had died, he remembered that only Yang Ling accompanied him last night and felt sad. He ignored the dissuasion and rode the sedan to pay his respects.
Ma Ang and his sister did not expect Yang Ling to find so many important people to pay his respects. Magistrate Min and Magistrate Ma were brothers. Firstly, there was money to support them, and secondly, Magistrate Ma had an Imperial Bodyguard badge on him. Otherwise, there was a difference of several ranks between them. It was a great honor for them to come.
As for the general who was accompanied by Yang Ling … Just think about how the family of a deputy provincial leader would feel when the head of a county post office passed away and a deputy provincial leader came to attend the funeral.
The siblings had never seen some of these people before. Naturally, they had all come because of Yang Ling. Thinking of this, Ma Ang was truly grateful to Yang Ling. But Ma Lian 'er looked at him with a look of resentment, which puzzled Yang Ling.
Bi Chun had only come in to go through the motions, but when he saw Ma Lian 'er, he couldn't bear to leave. He did not expect to see such a beautiful woman in such a small place. She was about fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in a plain mourning dress, and looked extremely frail.
Her delicate face was like the first blossoming of a flower, covered with frost and dew. It was really indescribably charming. Her three concubines could also be considered the beauties of Jiangnan, but none of them could compare to her beauty.
It was only when the siblings came in front of him, the highest-ranking official, to thank him did Bi Dushi retract his reluctant gaze. He sat upright and still to accept their bow. He then raised his right hand and said: "Please rise. Your father sacrificed his life for the country. I, Bi, have great respect for him. It is only right that I come to pay my respects."
The siblings bowed but did not get up. Ma Ang said: "General Daren, Ma Ang wants to join the army, kill the Tartars, protect Ming Destiny, and avenge my father. Daren, please grant my wish."
"This …" Bi Chun couldn't help but hesitate. If he was in the military camp, it would be easy to take in a few people. But his army was under the control of the Wei Army. The soldiers under him were all military families. They were passed down from father to son, from son to grandson, from generation to generation. Even though there were some who impersonated others as soldiers, it was inconvenient to accept them in public in front of so many people.
Ma Lian 'er raised her head and said: "General Daren, my brother has learned martial arts. He can still be a pawn. I beg you to give him a chance to be filial to his father and loyal to the country."
Seeing this beauty begging him with such soft words, Bi Chun's body went limp. His pair of triangular eyes squinted. His brain heated up and he said: "All right, quickly get up. You know martial arts and are well-versed in literature. First, come to my side and be a personal soldier. Take the position of Centurion. In the future, if you make military contributions, you will be promoted."
Ma Ang happily kowtowed and stood up. Even though the Centurion was young, he was still a military officer. Ma Ang had always thought highly of himself. He was confident that with his martial arts, not only could he avenge his father in the army, he could also get an official position.
Her brother had a way out. Ma Lian 'er was happy for him. But when she thought of her brother joining the army and leaving her alone, she couldn't help but feel sad.
Before the war was clear, Bi Chun didn't dare to stay for long. After sitting for a while, he took his leave and returned to the barracks. He told Ma Ang to report to the barracks after the funeral. Lord Min had not recovered from his injury and couldn't stay for long. All the officials in the yamen had their own matters to attend to, so they also took their leave.
Logically speaking, the Ma siblings should guard the coffin for seven days and then let their father rest in peace. But at that time, it was important to return to one's roots. If one died in a foreign place, the coffin would usually be left in a temple and other places. When there was a chance, it would be transported back to their hometown for burial. Some families were poor and couldn't afford the long-distance transportation expenses. The coffin might even be left there for more than ten years.
After some discussion, the siblings decided to leave the coffin at the Pudu Temple of Chicken Crow Inn. It would be transported back to their hometown in the future. Now that Ma Ang was eager to take revenge and was eager to join the army, even though he didn't follow the rules of guarding the coffin, it was considered filial piety. Naturally, no one would blame him.
But now, how Ma Lian 'er was going to make arrangements became a problem. Seeing that Ma Ang was looking at him, Yang Ling said, "Brother Ma, don't worry. Miss will still live here!"
Ma Lian 'er glanced at him and said with a straight face, "My brother and sister have nothing to do with the inn now. Isn't it inappropriate for us to live here?" Women loved to hold grudges, especially beautiful women who were used to being spoiled. Yang Ling thought that she was still holding a grudge against that petty official and said, "What's wrong with that? I will help you arrange it in a while. "
Ma Lian 'er raised her nose and said, "You and I are not related, and we are not friends. There might be some rumors."
Ma Ang stared at her and said, "Who would dare? Besides … we are not related, so why not? Brother Yang and I can be considered good friends. What's wrong with helping me find a girl? "
Ma Lian 'er stomped her feet and turned her head away, ignoring this idiot. Yang Ling secretly thought about it and felt that Ma Lian 'er's words were reasonable. Because he was only the acting chief, he did not even move his family into the inn. If he allowed a young girl to live here, there might be some rumors.
Before Min Xian left, he said that he had sent someone to inform his brother-in-law. It would be better for her to stay with Young-niang for a few days and he would move to the inn. When the official appointment was issued, he would let her live in his small room. Thinking about it, he said to Ma Ang, "Miss's words are reasonable. It is inconvenient to live here. I think Miss should stay at my house first …"
As he said this, he saw Ma Ang's mouth open like a hippopotamus yawning. Ma Lian 'er's willowy eyebrows also raised. He hurriedly added, "Uh … I'll stay with my wife first. I'll just move to the inn. When the Tartars have retreated, Miss can decide what to do. "
Ma Ang could not contain his joy. What was there to worry about with this arrangement? Ma Lian 'er glanced at Yang Ling. She thought about it and did not say anything else. This matter was settled.
That day, the Tartars only sent out a small force to make tentative contact with the Ming army. Both sides were testing each other's strength. No one sent their main force into battle.
Near evening, Yang Ling took people to help Ma Ang and his sister move Ma Lian 'er's coffin to Pudu Temple. Everything was arranged. Ma Ang then went to report to the Bi Dushi Army. Yang Ling brought Ma Lian 'er home. Young-niang was a warm-hearted woman and she sympathized with this young miss who had fallen on hard times. Hearing that she was only staying for a few days, she agreed without hesitation.
Ma Lian 'er was as cold as ice to Yang Ling, but when she saw Han Youniang, she was still affectionate. This made Yang Ling heave a big sigh of relief. For the whole day, even the smile Ma Lian 'er gave him was cold and fake. Yang Ling did not know how he had offended her. He was really afraid that when this Miss Ma came home, she would throw a tantrum to Young-niang. He could stand it, but he could not stand anyone making Young-niang angry.
Young-niang did not study much, but she was gentle and well-behaved. She knew what to say and what not to say. Ma Lian 'er grew up outside the Great Wall. What she hated the most was the way the educated women of the Central Plains put on airs. Therefore, she got along well with her. In a short while, the two of them were very familiar with each other.
At the post office, a figure quietly slipped into the gatehouse. He asked the gatekeeper, "Is the post office in?"
The gatekeeper was originally a courier. Because his leg had been injured on the city wall, it was difficult for him to move. Moreover, the post office was short of manpower, so he was temporarily swapped with the original gatekeeper. He thought that the visitor was asking about the acting post office Deputy Yang Ling. He sat on the edge of the kang and asked, "Daren just left. What business do you have?"
As he spoke, he sized up the visitor. He saw that the visitor was dressed in the clothes of a commoner. The dog skin hat was pressed tightly over his eyebrows. His face looked weathered.
Hearing this, the visitor took out a sealed letter from his bosom. He handed it to the gatekeeper and said, "I came from outside the Great Wall and have to rush back overnight. I'll have to trouble you to give this to the post office Deputy Daren. Goodbye!"
The concierge nodded and took the package. The man pushed open the door and disappeared into the night. The gatekeeper looked at the letter. He saw that there was a strange fish drawn on the seal. He did not care. He yawned and put the letter on the edge of the bed.
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