Chapter 121 Little Lady~

Zhang Bo looked at Ma San Niang with great interest: "Do you know who I am? Why are you speaking to me like this?"

Ma San Niang glared at me, raised an eyebrow, put her hands on her hips, and cursed, "I don't care who you are! Does the Heavenly King himself care who I sell my stuff to? I said I won't sell to you, and that's final! The way you look at people is disgusting! Look at me again and I'll gouge your eyes out!"

Zhang Bo's face turned red from the scolding, and many people gathered around him.

Because her father was in the army, few people dared to cause trouble here. This was the first time Ma San Niang had encountered someone like Zhang Bo, and she was so disgusted that she couldn't even eat.

Zhang Bo's personal guard shouted angrily, "How dare you! This is Lord Zhang Bo, the new commander of our garrison. Letting you bring some of our signature snacks is a favor!"

Upon hearing the man's name, Ma San Niang knew she had offended someone, but the man's gaze was so disgusting that she had to suppress her discomfort and bow slightly: "I was blind to your greatness, please forgive me, Commander. I will now serve you your signature pastries."

Although this man was disgusting, her father was still working for him, and she couldn't let herself harm her father. Ma San Niang knew what was more important.

After bowing slightly to serve the snacks and tea, Ma San Niang was about to leave when Zhang Bo suddenly grabbed her arm and gently rubbed her skin through her clothes with his rough fingers: "Young lady, don't rush off. Sit down and talk to this commander. Let's chat about your father."

Ma San Niang shook off Zhang Bo's hand, her eyes filled with fear, her face turning pale. Unpleasant memories flashed through her mind, and she hurriedly retreated.

"Don't touch me!!"

Zhang Bo wasn't angry at being shaken off; he leered at Ma San Niang and asked, "Young lady, are you married this year?"

Ma San Niang's face was pale, her body was trembling like a leaf, and tears were about to fall from her eyes, making her look even more pitiful and adorable. Seeing this, Zhang Bo became even more excited and coaxed her in a gentle voice, "Don't be afraid, little lady. I'm not a bad person. I just want to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

Hearing the commotion in the front hall, Madam Liu, who was making pastries in the back room, hurriedly came out and hugged her frightened daughter. Looking at Zhang Bo sitting in the hall, she answered with a stiff smile, "Your Excellency, my daughter is already betrothed to her cousin, and she will be getting married next year."

Zhang Bo stared at Ma San Niang for a while and then laughed, "Madam Liu's daughter is very beautiful. I am not talented, and I am now the commander of Daxing. I have a virtuous wife at home, but we have no children. Isn't it a mismatch for such a beautiful lady like Madam Ma to marry a country bumpkin? I am still missing a concubine. I wonder if you would like to ask, Madam?"

Madam Liu's face paled, but she pretended to be calm and said, "Thank you for your kind words, sir. My daughter's appearance is too plain to meet your standards."

Zhang Bo's face turned cold: "Madam, do you know that your husband's life and career are all in my hands?"

Madam Liu remained silent, only embracing Ma San Niang and refusing to look at Zhang Bo. Zhang Bo, feeling bored, sneered, "Ungrateful."

Just as he was about to leave, the guard whispered something in Zhang Bo's ear. Zhang Bo pondered for a second and nodded: "I am still short of a cleaning maid in my garrison. I can't find anyone suitable right now. Miss Ma, I think you are quite efficient. Could you go to the garrison and help me clean the houses?"

Before Ma San Niang could speak, Lin Changning and Qi Rong led Old Ma in from outside. Lin Changning smiled and cupped his hands towards Zhang Bo, saying, "Greetings, Commander."

After saying that, Qi Rong continued, "Commander, we neglected to clean the garrison properly. Even a young maid like Miss Ma has a hard time cleaning it. This is our fault for not arranging things properly. We will go to the garrison now to clean for you, sir."

Commander Ma didn't speak, but stepped forward and shielded his wife and daughter behind him: "Thank you for your kind words, sir. But my daughter is clumsy and I'm afraid she might break some of your valuables again. I can't afford to pay for that. I'll go to the commander's office to clean your room right away."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bo's face turned pale. He seemed surprised that several people had suddenly appeared. He coldly reprimanded them, "Didn't I tell you to prepare supplies and organize the military equipment? Why are you slacking off?"

Lin Changning coughed lightly: "Reporting to the commander, everything has been completed. There are just a few minor issues that I need to consult with you on, which is why I came here. Commander, you may return to the garrison first. We will go to find you after we have finished cleaning the rooms in the garrison."

Zhang Bo snorted coldly, flicked his sleeves, and walked outside.

The group breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, they had rushed over before finishing their work at the garrison. Fortunately, the soldiers at the garrison gate were quick-witted. Seeing Zhang Bo walk to Ma San Niang's shop and hearing his frivolous words, they quickly went to find someone to inform Commander Ma. Since the group was together, they came over together.

Commander Ma closed the shop door and sighed, "How could such a disaster have happened out of nowhere?"

Ma San Niang burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably in her mother's arms. Qi Rong sighed, wondering how such a greedy and lustful man could have seen them. Fortunately, the others arrived in time.

Commander Ma gripped his waist knife and suddenly knelt down before Qi Rong: "Commander, my child is my lifeblood. The incident with Bai Changsui last time almost cost Third Sister her life. Our family can't afford any more trouble. I really can't stand that filthy man. To harm my daughter is to harm my life. Tonight I will go and kill that villain. Please, Commander, save my family!" After saying that, he kowtowed.

Qi Rong hurriedly raised his hand to help Commander Ma up: "Old Ma, get up, don't be impulsive!"

Old Ma looked up, his expression clear: "Commander, I know you're feeling frustrated, and so am I. The brothers have been holding their breath these past few days. If I succeed, you can regain power. That Zhang guy is a scoundrel. When he first arrived, we embarrassed him. He's probably holding a grudge and thinking about how to get rid of us. Rather than waiting for him to slowly boil us, let me take this opportunity to kill him. That would be a way for me to be loyal to Daxing."

Old Ma continued, "Today he tried to force himself on my daughter. The people on both sides of the street were watching. I have a reason to take action, and it will not implicate anyone else."

Ma San Niang threw herself onto Old Ma, her voice filled with unconcealed grievance: "Father! I, I don't want you to go! At worst, I'll just die. I will never let that villain's wish be fulfilled. Father, you are the pillar of this family, you can't take the risk!"

Qi Rong forcefully pulled Old Ma up and said, "There may be other ways to handle this matter. The army is about to launch a surprise attack on Yongning. We still have time. Old Ma, get up first. Let's discuss this carefully. Miss Ma, this matter is not difficult. My aunt is from the Chu Prince's Mansion. Perhaps we can wait until we capture Yongping and open the official road, and then secretly send Third Sister out of Daxing to the Chu Prince's Mansion as a maid."

Old Ma paused for a moment: "Like this? Is that alright?"

Lin Changning nodded: "I think it's a good idea. No matter what, Zhang Bo wouldn't dare to offend the King of Chu. Now we just need to get through these two days, and we can quickly reorganize the troops. We can set off the day after tomorrow. That way, he won't have time to think about other things. Anyway, he won't let us follow him. So let's wait until he leaves, take Yongning, and then send Third Sister out directly."

Old Zhou agreed: "Then let's do it this way. Go and clean up the Thousand Household Office now, and then expedite the reorganization tonight. It would be best to bring Zhang Bo along to help with the reorganization. We'll get through these next two days."

Madam Liu, accompanied by her daughter, suddenly knelt down and bowed to the three men: "Thank you, gentlemen, for your kindness in saving us. The Ma family will never forget it!"