jdhmnovel Chapter 752: Success and Failure Depend on the Son
Chapter 752: Success and Failure Depend on the Son
General Ma could never have dreamed that it was his son Ma Chuyang, whom he despised the most, that he wished to let the emperor keep him in the capital, not because of his outstanding performance.
Bixia Pass is the most important barrier to protect the capital. There is a saying that if Bixia Pass is breached, the capital will be breached.
General Ma has always been complacent, thinking that his talents are so outstanding among all the generals that the emperor values him.
Emperor Mingde sighed, "You! Your son is my success and your son is my failure!"
General Ma lowered his head, and his face flushed when he thought of how he had repeatedly accused his wife of ruining their son.
The reason why he thought his youngest son Ma Chuyang was useless was because his eldest son Ma Chuyi was too outstanding. But if you think about it carefully, it seems that the eldest son's excellence is also due to his own excellence. He almost never helped his eldest son secretly.
As for Ma Chuyuan, born to Wu, he did teach him. But he found that Ma Chuyuan was not that kind of person and he didn't even have the patience to do a horse stance.
He was cunning, domineering, petty, and always took advantage of others, and he was also ambitious... General Ma reminded him many times, but Ma Chuyuan just ignored him and forgot what he had promised in the blink of an eye.
Later he didn't want to care about it anymore, because he felt that after seeing his eldest son Ma Chuyi, he was dissatisfied with everyone.
Originally, General Ma planned to bring his daughter to be raised by his wife, but as soon as he made the initial suggestion, he was humiliated by his wife.
The lady said, "Do you think I can't have children, or do you think I'm too idle, or do you think I have too much money and don't know where to put it? I'm raising a daughter for you, what good are you thinking? You can even say that!"
General Ma was criticized, so naturally he didn't dare to bring it up again.
But he was very annoyed. His daughter looked more and more like Wu, calculating and petty.
It's not that he is unaware of this, but she is his own daughter, what can he do?
Eunuch Qi came in and reported, "Your Majesty, Dongyu Guard Zhou You wants to see you."
"Xuan!"
Zhou You rushed overnight to the nearby city where Wu and others passed by to collect evidence, and then rushed back day and night.
He greeted the emperor and then talked about business. "After my humble investigation and visit to the nearest city, I found that Wu and others, in the name of General Ma, demanded more than 1,700 taels of silver from government offices and wealthy gentry..."
They forced the city gates to open, didn’t pay for meals, lodging, and shopping, robbed and robbed people… Zhou You listed them all, reporting the time, place, and amount of money clearly.
Ma Liyang was stunned, his face was filled with shame, and he wished there was a crack in the ground for him to crawl into.
Zhou You added, "Ma Chuyuan also promised someone that he could let my father assign someone a position in the army."
What this means is that this is equivalent to selling official positions.
The more Emperor Mingde listened, the worse his expression became. After Zhou You left, he said in a deep voice, "If Ma Qing feels that the investigation of the East Feather Guard is untrue, I can give you half a month to investigate it yourself."
Ma Liyang knelt down on his knees, put his forehead to the ground, and crawled to answer, "I have no doubts. I will go back and sort out the silver and return all the silver that was taken unjustly."
He knew very well that among the mother and her two children, the only one who could be removed was his daughter. Neither Wu nor his son Ma Chuyuan could escape the crime.
Emperor Mingde was in a very heavy mood. "Ma Qing, you are a good general. I also know that all your salary over the years has been used to subsidize the military camp and the wounded. I am very pleased. However, what I want to tell you is that only by taking good care of your family can everyone be stable."
Ma Liyang was extremely ashamed, "I have failed the emperor's grace!"
"Your wife has made an indelible contribution in bringing up a child like Ma Chuyang to be so upright and outstanding." Emperor Mingde's words were meaningful.
After Ma Liyang returned to the palace, he finally understood what Emperor Mingde meant.
He was demoted from the third rank General Huai'an to the fourth rank General Zhaoyuan.
He was no longer needed to guard Bixia Pass and was still sent to guard the border.
In other words, his current rank is not as good as that of his son Ma Chuyi.
Who would guard Bixia Pass? Naturally, it would be his outstanding eldest son Ma Chuyi.
Who would take over Ma Chuyi's position as the chief of Dongyu Guard? It was Tang Xinghe, the champion of the martial arts exam last year, and Ma Chuyang was the left front commander of Dongyu Guard.
That’s not all. Following a series of job changes, an imperial edict was sent to the General’s Mansion.
This imperial edict was addressed to Madam Ma, conferring her the title of first-rank lady.
On the surface, Mrs. Ma is a good parent, but secretly, Ma Liyang has spent all his salary over the years in the military camp in exchange for the title of a first-class lady.
Mrs. Ma smiled happily as she held the imperial edict, thinking that the emperor was wise and the money was not wasted.
It was at this moment that she felt that eloping had real meaning. Otherwise, she would lose a lot!
But I have to say this, "My two sons are excellent. They earned me a first-rank imperial lady. Ahaha, you can't rely on your father! You have to rely on your sons!"
General Ma was also happy when he saw his wife's beaming face, but his happiness was mixed with some sadness, as he thought it would have been better if he had not provoked such a woman.
Originally, he should have been enjoying a glorious life and had a happy family, but now his wife doesn't even bother to look at him.
A broken heart is a broken heart.
In the past, she had counted on him to earn her the title of Consort, but now that she no longer needs one, he has even less confidence.
General Ma also discovered a problem. The wounded soldiers and guards in the house all sincerely praised the mistress for being kind to others and never being harsh to them.
The more he discovered that his wife was good, the more he couldn't stand Wu's petty-mindedness.
General Ma caught the mother and daughter in the inn and forced them to hand over the silver they had extorted.
Wu was so angry that she was shaking all over. "General, why don't you hurry up and find a way to get your son out? Instead, you come to me and ask for money! General, aren't they your children? Am I not your woman?"
General Ma winked and asked his deputy to take the girl out. Then he sneered, "Mrs. Wu, you still dare to bring up what happened in the past! I admit that you plotted against me. But if you want to use that incident to tie me up, you are wrong."
Wu's eyes turned red, "General, that's not what I meant."
"It doesn't matter what you mean now!" General Ma knocked on the table, "Hand over the silver first, otherwise you will be sentenced to death!"
Wu held the bundle in her arms and said, "No, all this silver is mine! You can't take it away."
"Then you must die!" General Ma snatched the bundle, opened it, and was extremely upset to see that there were more than three thousand taels of silver notes.
Wu refused to give up and cried, "General, I will give you two thousand, and you can leave the rest to me, okay?"
She was tired of being poor! The little money the general gave her was just enough to feed herself. She also wanted to be like the mistress, wearing gold and silver, elegant and noble, and living a life of luxury.
General Ma's words were like a bucket of cold water poured down on him. "I must return this money, otherwise you will be sentenced to death. Even if I return it, you will have to do hard labor and go to jail. Not only you, but also your son Ma Chuyuan!"