freenovelworld Chapter 990 Ma Zhong Requests an Order
Chapter 990 Ma Zhong Requests an Order
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood incense, and Li Che was intently reviewing memorials.
The next second, a shout of "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" came from outside the door.
Then, the palace doors were pushed open, bringing in a biting cold wind.
Ma Zhong burst in, his face still covered in sweat and dust, as carefree as ever.
Huai En chased after him, looking anxious and helpless.
Seeing that he had already barged in front of the emperor, he had no choice but to stop, give Li Che a look of apology, and silently step aside.
Li Che was suspicious. Ma Zhong was young and did occasionally act recklessly, but he had never been so impulsive before. What was wrong with him today?
Could it be that he has started to act recklessly because of his own favoritism?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but darken his face and curse, "You scoundrel, what do you think this place is? The Fengtian Army camp?"
"This is the Emperor's residence! You've barged in like this; according to the law, it wouldn't be unjust to have your head chopped off!"
Ma Zhong quickly clasped his hands in apology: "Your Majesty, please calm down. It's not that I'm ignorant of etiquette, but if I hadn't come this way, I wouldn't have been able to see you!"
Li Che's expression darkened, and he put down his vermilion brush: "What happened? Explain yourself."
Ma Zhong said urgently, "Your Majesty, I heard that you are organizing people to go to that awful place of Qiongzhou for disaster relief, and you are short of someone to lead the troops for escort. I am willing to go on this mission!"
"But Xue Wei and his gang of scoundrels are absolutely preventing me from seeing you, saying that Qiongzhou is dangerous and not letting me go."
"This humble general had no choice but to come and plead with you himself!"
Li Che looked at him, feeling both amused and annoyed, and a warm feeling welled up inside him.
It wasn't for nothing that we spoiled this kid; he eagerly took on jobs that others would avoid at all costs.
But Li Che continued to berate him: "You brat, do you even know what happened there?"
"A major epidemic is breaking out there!"
"Doctor Hua and the others are going to treat and save lives. What are you doing going along, a rough man like you? What if you get sick?"
Ma Zhonghun patted his chest nonchalantly, making a dull thud: "Your Majesty, look at what you're saying, this humble general is tough as nails."
"Back then, I followed you outside the Great Wall, braving countless times through swords, spears, and arrows, and I didn't even lose a single hair. I'm truly a lucky general!"
"With this humble general protecting you, I guarantee that Physician Hua and the others will be safe and sound, and even the plague will have to detour around them."
He took a few steps closer, lowered his voice, and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I know that place is dangerous, but it is precisely because it is dangerous that I must go."
“You always say that I am a lucky general, and a lucky general should go where luck is meant to go and bring good fortune to those who need it.”
Li Che looked at Ma Zhong and understood.
He always said that Ma Zhong was his lucky general, which meant he genuinely liked this youngest general in the Fengtian Army, and his favoritism was real.
The other generals below might not say anything, but they inevitably had their own opinions.
After all, everyone else earned their achievements through hard work and real battles, while Ma Zhong relied solely on a mysterious stroke of luck to pick up kills.
Over time, Ma Zhong appeared carefree on the surface, but he must have been harboring a lot of resentment inside.
That's why he actively tries to take on every task, especially the risky ones that others are unwilling to do.
The point is to prove that I am not just relying on luck, but also have a sense of responsibility, and that I am not just taking credit for easy tasks because of the emperor's favor.
Li Che knew that Ma Zhong was determined to go. Although he was extremely unwilling for him to take the risk, as the emperor, he could not refuse him.
After all, Ma Zhong's life is precious, but aren't the lives of other generals also precious?
It's unreasonable to prevent Ma Zhong from going because of personal bias, and then forcibly assign a general who doesn't want to go.
Li Che sighed deeply, stood up, walked to Ma Zhong, and patted him heavily on the shoulder, everything understood without words.
"Very well!" Li Che said, "I grant your permission. I will give you two thousand... no! I will give you three thousand elite troops!"
"Add your own troops and go to Qiongzhou together. You must protect Physician Hua and all the medical officers for me."
"They are going to rescue people; they are the hope of millions of people in Qiongzhou. There must be no mistakes."
"Once we get there, follow the instructions of Physician Hua and Commander Yang, and strictly implement the epidemic prevention policies, understand?"
Ma Zhong grinned, clasped his hands in a fist and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty! Rest assured, this humble general knows what is important!"
Li Che waved his hand, as if to dispel the gloom in his heart: "Get out of here, hurry up and prepare, we'll set off tomorrow."
“Your Majesty,” Ma Zhong said, not leaving immediately, “there is one more thing.”
Li Che looked at him and said, "Speak."
Ma Zhong still wore his signature smile: "This subordinate is preparing to leave that brat Duan Rui in the capital."
Li Che's gaze suddenly turned cold, and his tone became icy: "But he doesn't want to go with you?"
He was well aware that although Duan Rui was only mediocre, the fact that Ma Zhong had chosen him as a deputy general was largely due to the fact that the young man was somewhat 'lucky'.
But for Li Che, the reason he cared about Ma Zhong was because he was Ma Zhong, a brother who had fought alongside him to conquer the world.
Duan Rui is different. If he dares to desert at this moment, no matter whether he has good fortune or not, he will not be let off easily!
Ma Zhong quickly waved his hand: "Your Majesty misunderstands. Although Duan Rui is a bit timid, he still has a sense of responsibility. He also volunteered to go with me."
Upon hearing this, Li Che became even more puzzled: "Oh, then why keep him?"
Ma Zhong scratched his messy hair and said, "This humble general is thinking of leaving him to His Majesty."
"What if... I mean, what if something happens to me and I don't come back? At least Your Majesty will still have someone who can capture prisoners, right?"
"Shut up!" Li Che immediately snapped, his face contorted with rage. "How dare you utter such ominous words before me? If you wish to disobey my decree, stay here now!"
Seeing that the emperor was truly angry, Ma Zhong quickly bowed and said, "This humble general knows his mistake, Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Seeing his expression, Li Che's anger gradually dissipated, turning into a helpless sigh.
Then, his tone softened: "I understand. I will grant your request and leave him in the capital to take over your duties."
"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Ma Zhong bowed solemnly once again.
He raised his head and looked deeply at Li Che, as if trying to etch this emperor, who was both a ruler and a brother, into his heart.
Then he turned around and strode out of the hall.
"Wait." Li Che's voice came from behind again.
Ma Zhong paused, stopped at the palace gate, and looked back at the emperor.
But Li Che stood before the imperial desk, gazing intently at him with deep eyes, his previous anger and joking expression gone.
"Don't get sick."
Such a simple sentence instantly brought tears to Ma Zhong's eyes, filling his tiger-like eyes with tears.
He clasped his hands in a deep bow, his voice choked with emotion: "Your Majesty... take care!"
Having said that, he didn't linger. He turned around resolutely and strode away into the sunlight outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.