The fiercest soldier of the border army

Ma the Cripple knelt at the city gate entrance, trembling all over, his voice hoarse, "Lord Tang! Everything I've said is true! I beg you to do me justice!"

After saying this, he kowtowed repeatedly, his forehead swollen.

Gradually, people gathered to watch, and the city gate became a lively scene.

Not far away, Li Yingchu blinked her spring-like eyes, watching all of this with great interest.

Tang Shun's gaze fell on Ma the Cripple's face.

Xie Anzhi frowned and was about to step forward when Tang Shun raised his hand to stop him.

My daughter... is only thirteen years old...

Ma the Cripple raised his face, his eyes bloodshot. "The county magistrate's son has been dead for half a year, and he's been searching everywhere for someone whose birth date and time match his for a ghost marriage."

"My daughter's birth chart matched theirs, and they broke into the house in the middle of the night, dragged her away... They sewed her mouth shut, tied her limbs to a coffin, and buried her alive in the cemetery!"

"To suppress the news, our entire Ma family of thirteen was wiped out!"

"Please, Your Excellency, do me justice!"

Zheng Wenhan's expression changed drastically. He abruptly took half a step back, hysterically exclaiming, "My lord, you are unaware that he is not only a cripple, but also a madman!"

"A madman! How dare he disturb the imperial envoy's journey!"

"Guards! Arrest him!"

Just as the constables were about to arrest the man, Tang Shun raised his hand to stop them.

Tang Shun said in a relaxed tone, "You're Ma the Cripple, aren't you? Slandering an official of the imperial court, that's a crime punishable by death."

A ruthless glint appeared in Ma the Cripple's eyes. "Lord Tang, that night, I pretended to be insane, ate excrement from the latrine, and drank their urine to survive!"

"My legs were broken by them too!"

"If I hadn't feigned madness, how would I have had a chance to take revenge?!"

As he spoke, tears streamed down his filthy face again. "Please, Your Excellency, investigate thoroughly!"

For a moment, the city gate was quiet.

Tang Shun was guarded by soldiers dressed in official robes on one side.

On one side were onlookers.

There was a lame man kneeling on the ground, crying and wailing.

There was also the daughter of the military governor who stood aside and observed silently.

Tang Shun remained calm and ignored Ma the Cripple's roar. Instead, he turned to Zheng Wenhan and said, "Magistrate Zheng, is this a madman?"

Zheng Wenhan shuddered and hurriedly nodded, "Yes, yes, he's a madman! Everyone in the county knows!"

Tang Shun stopped looking at him and waved to the two soldiers behind him: "Take him away."

The soldiers immediately stepped forward, grabbed the madman, and drove off.

Ma the Cripple struggled and roared, "Lord Tang! You lowered grain prices to save the people, why do you ignore my family's misery!"

"I'm telling the truth! My daughter is still buried in her grave! Everyone in the village knows that! I'm innocent!"

The sound faded into the distance.

Tang Shun then slowly withdrew his gaze. "Let's go, out of the city."

The group started walking again, and the streets resumed their activity, but the atmosphere was different.

Outside the city, Ma the Cripple was stuffed with rags and sobbing.

Surrounded by soldiers, he was unable to move.

"Magistrate Zheng," Tang Shun said, walking through the doorway with his hands behind his back, "I know about your son's matter."

Zheng Wenhan trembled. "Your Excellency... this humble servant... doesn't know what you mean..."

"No need to pretend." Tang Shun's voice was not loud, but every word was clear. "About your son's ghost marriage."

"No! Absolutely not!" Zheng Wenhan knelt down with a thud. "Your Excellency, please investigate! This is a frame-up! It's a lie fabricated by that madman!"

Tang Shun walked up to Zheng Wenhan and patted him on the shoulder.

"I know what you're afraid of."

Tang Shun said, "I'm afraid I'll report this to the military governor's office, have you dismissed from your post, and investigate your crimes, but I want to tell you—I don't intend to do that."

Zheng Wenhan looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

"The matter of the refugees is settled, and I'm about to leave Wenchi," Tang Shun continued. "Everything here is none of my business, and I don't want to meddle."

Zheng Wenhan's breathing became rapid.

"But I can't let you ruin things either."

Tang Shun leaned down and lowered his voice, "Listen to me carefully, from this day forward, no more wrongful convictions shall be made in Wenchi."

"The resettlement of displaced people must be stable, the distribution of wages and food must be substantial, and the market price of grain must be stable."

"If anything goes wrong, the military governor and judge will surely take your life!"

Zheng Wenhan's face was ashen.

"Of course, if you handle it well, I'll suppress this matter for you before I leave." Tang Shun withdrew his hand. "I won't touch you, so don't disappoint me."

"Yes...yes..." Zheng Hanlin kowtowed, his forehead thumping against the bricks. "This humble servant will certainly do his utmost! I will never dare to slack off!"

"Very good." Tang Shun continued forward. "I will leave Xie Anzhi here to oversee government affairs."

"He will keep a record of everything you do each day."

"That's enough for now, no need to see me off any further."

When Tang Shun arrived outside the county town, Zhou Ren led him a horse.

Xie Anzhi stood to the side, listening clearly, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"My lord, do you intend to keep me here?"

"You are a reasonable person, and Wenchi County cannot be thrown into chaos," Tang Shun said. "I don't trust him, but I trust you."

Xie Anzhi remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded: "I'll stay."

Tang Shun nodded and walked to Li Yingchu's side.

Perhaps because she was going on a long trip, Li Yingchu changed into a thick ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), but even so, it could not hide her plump and graceful figure.

Looking at the masculine face before her, Li Yingchu was slightly taken aback and somewhat lost in thought.

At this moment, Tang Shun was dressed in a civil official's uniform with wide sleeves, but he did not have the weakness of a scholar. Every move he made showed the demeanor of a warrior.

Li Yingchu was fully aware of all of Tang Shun's methods in Wenchi County.

She didn't know why the young man in front of her, who was clearly not very old, could have such unpredictable abilities.

Tang Shun cupped his hands and took the initiative to speak, "Greetings, Miss Li."

Li Yingchu snapped out of her reverie, a hint of unease appearing on her pretty face. "Are we about to set off?"

"Yes."

Tang Shun nodded, looking at the pretty widow in front of him with admiration.

"You lecherous scoundrel, how utterly rude!"

Li Yingchu frowned, but showed no anger whatsoever.

Seeing that she didn't blame him, Tang Shun smiled slightly and said, "It's just that Miss Li is so beautiful that I was momentarily stunned. I hope Miss Li won't take offense."

If an ordinary person were to offer a few words of praise, Li Yingchu might not take it to heart.

But the one who praised her was Tang Shun, who had all the grain merchants in the county under his control, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

Tang Shun smiled slightly and gestured to the carriage beside him, "Miss Li, why don't you get in the carriage? Let's talk as we travel."

Li Yingchu nodded. "Alright."

"Grandma Zhou, little dumpling, let's get in the car."

After saying that, Li Yingchu took the lead in boarding the car and bent down to enter.

Beneath the wide skirt, a round and well-shaped heart was faintly visible.

This figure... is probably even more perfect than the photoshopped images of later internet celebrities.

now.

The troops had already assembled outside the city gate.

Horses are ready, flags are unfurled, and soldiers are lined up, awaiting departure.

The people rushed to see him off upon hearing the news.

Just a few days ago, they were singing satirical songs in the streets, but now they are genuinely grateful for the sharp drop in food prices.

Some people carried dry rations, while others held rough pottery bowls, wanting to bring some food to Tang Shun.

But when they saw the complainant being dragged away, and saw Tang Shun chatting and laughing with the county magistrate, everyone froze.

They stood by the roadside, holding something halfway up, unsure whether to hand it over or take it back.

No one cheered, and no one said thank you.

The wind blew across the open fields, stirring up dust.

Tang Shun mounted his horse, glanced at the crowd, and cracked his whip, ordering, "Let's go!"

The cavalry started moving, their hooves making a dull thud.

Li Yingchu sat inside the carriage, following behind Tang Shun.

She had been staring at Tang Shun's back through the curtain, then suddenly chuckled softly and spoke from behind him:

"Lord Tang, I've heard that your methods for lowering grain prices are first-rate. Why are you putting on this show again today?"

"Ignoring the grievances of the people and instead helping the county magistrate cover them up?"

Tang Shun glanced at her and saw that the woman's watery eyes were full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge.

She had already placed herself in a subservient position, and in this state, she would mostly believe whatever Tang Shun said.

"I am neither an inspector nor a prefect."

Tang Shun patiently explained, "I am merely a pacification commissioner, ordered to inspect the resettlement of displaced people and supervise disaster relief efforts. I have no authority to punish local officials."

Li Yingchu blinked: "Then why didn't you report it when you clearly knew the truth? And why did you reassure the magistrate?"

"What good will it do to report it?" Tang Shun looked ahead. "The military governor's office is far away in Tingzhou. From the investigation to the punishment, and then to the arrival of a new magistrate, Wenchi County will only become more chaotic."

"So you used a handle to control that commoner and forced him to obey?"

Tang Shun shook his head slightly:

"We took that civilian away to protect him; otherwise, he would surely have died a violent death."

"In chaotic times, what ordinary people want is to survive, not for honest officials to solve cases."

Tang Shun tightened the reins. "Zheng Wenhan is afraid of being exposed. I gave him a chance, so he will work hard."

"As long as the hot springs don't get out of control, the refugees have food to eat, and the public works are carried out in an orderly manner, it's better to have a bad person in charge than to have a county magistrate die."

Li Yingchu was stunned.

She looked at Tang Shun's profile; the sunlight shone on his brow bone, casting a small shadow.

Li Yingchu shook her head vigorously, cursing herself inwardly, then suddenly smiled: "You say you're just a pacification envoy, but you're doing things like someone in power."

Tang Shun glanced at her but remained silent.

Li Yingchu received no response and felt a pang of disappointment. Through the curtain, she kept thinking of trying to strike up a conversation...

The group had already traveled thirty li.

Inside the carriage, the little boy was fast asleep, while Grandma Zhou leaned against the carriage wall with her back hunched over, resting with her eyes closed.

Suddenly, an arrow pierced the air and shot straight into the carriage!