Lao He Tou was cleaning the yard, and when he saw Meng Tianchu coming out, he hurriedly stepped forward.

Meng Tianchu said: "Last night, the master asked me to go to his study this morning to find him, if there is something to discuss, you can accompany me." ”

"Yes! Master. Old He put down the broom and nodded.

"You are the pioneer for Young Master Ben, and you will open the way ahead!"

"Yes!" When Lao He heard this, he thought that Meng Tianchu had done a good thing last night, so he was happy in his heart and said this. couldn't help but be happy for the young master, he hurriedly took a step forward and led the way forward, how did he know that this young master had been stolen and replaced, and he didn't know the way, so he changed his method to let him lead the way.

Along the way, Meng Tianchu kept talking to him, talking and looking, and soon figured out where he was along the way.

When he came to the study, Lao He was waiting outside, Meng Tianchu stepped into the study, and saw Xia Hong sitting behind the desk, shaking his head and shaking his head with a book.

Meng Tianchu took a few steps forward, bowed down and saluted, "The son-in-law has seen my father-in-law. ”

Xia Hong saw that Meng Tianchu's face was calm, and he knew that the situation was fine last night. smiled and said: "Virtuous son-in-law, from now on we will be a family, the family does not speak two words, and the father will go straight to the point and tell you." ”

Meng Tianchu hurriedly bowed down and said, "The son-in-law listens to the teachings of his father-in-law. ”

"Well, after you get married, I'm afraid you won't be able to live here with your father anymore, otherwise, those who don't know will think that you are rich, which will affect your reputation. So, sooner or later, you're going to have to move out and live in another place. ”

When Meng Tianchu heard this, he was very happy, living here really felt like being under the fence, and he always had to go out to create his own career. Besides, it is more convenient to go out and live alone, and it is more convenient to deal with these two girls.

Xia Hong sighed: "My father wants to help you enter the gold list of the imperial examination and embark on a career, but after all these years, you have repeatedly failed, and your father is also a little discouraged. ”

Meng Tianchu was even more happy when he heard it, he crossed over by himself, not to mention the Four Books and Five Classics, he couldn't even write traditional Chinese characters, and if he wanted to take the imperial examination, he would not lose the dead. Now that Xia Hong didn't let himself take the imperial examination, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but on the surface, he looked very ashamed: "Tianchu is incompetent, which disappointed my father-in-law." ”

Xia Hong said with relief: "The virtuous son-in-law doesn't have to be sad, he can't enter the imperial examination, but it's not like there's no way out." In the past few days, after thinking about my father, I have thought of a way for you, and I called you here today to discuss it and see what you think. ”

Meng Tianchu was grateful and curious, thinking that the old man really didn't say anything to the old man, and he married his daughter and arranged a good future, although he also had selfishness for his daughter, but in general, he mainly thought about himself. Busy said: "What my father-in-law thinks must be a bright avenue, as long as Tianchu beats the horse and whips, he will naturally be able to move forward and go straight to the top of the sky!" ”

Xia Hong listened to him talk nonsense, he was really a little confused, shook his head, and said: "Virtuous son-in-law, this road arranged for you by your father is not an official career, and there is no such thing as a smooth progress, but if you do a good job, you have a great future." ”

"Oh?" Meng Tianchu was even more curious, "Dare to ask your father-in-law, what are you letting your son-in-law do?" ”

"Makubin!" Xia Hong stroked his beard, "Father introduced you to be a guest of honor." In the same year as his father, the last time he returned to the capital to be elected, he was appointed as the magistrate of Pinghu County, Jiaxing Prefecture, Zhejiang. He once asked his father to help him find a guest, how about introducing you to your father? ”

"Curtain ...... Curtain ...... What is a curtain guest? Meng Tian asked.

"Makubin is not a thing!" Xia Hong saw that Meng Tianchu didn't even understand the curtain guests, he was a little annoyed, and he said it, only then did he realize that his words were a little inappropriate, and it was not easy to change them for a while, so he had to continue in a deep voice: "The curtain guests are hired by officials at all levels to help make suggestions, they participate in confidential information for the owner, draft manuscripts, draft on behalf of the owner, handle case files, approve the adjudication, and contact the officialdom. The three classes of officials and ordinary people generally call them 'masters'. ”

"Master? Haha" Meng Tianchu smiled, remembered the master in the TV series, and continued: "Didn't you say that I didn't understand the master, hahaha, who doesn't know, the master shook a folding fan, kept two mustaches, and muttered in the ear of the county master, specially came up with some bad ideas, right?" Hey, hey, hey. ”

The position of master began in the early Ming Dynasty, because the officials of the yamen in the early Ming Dynasty had a strict quota, once determined, it was easy not to change, because the quota was too small, and the government affairs were busy, and the official master alone was too busy to die. What's more, the officials of the Ming Dynasty were all born in the imperial examination, and they had a set of four books, five classics, and eight strands, but for the practical work of government affairs, they were Ma Daha, and they could only follow their feelings, especially when it came to criminal lawsuits and Qiangu finance and other highly professional industries, they didn't know anything about it.

Therefore, the official lord of the Ming Dynasty paid his own money and hired people with these professional knowledge as staff members to help him deal with professional government affairs such as criminal names and money valleys, and these people were invited by the official lord under the letter of appointment, and the two sides were in an employment relationship, so the official lord respectfully called him "curtain guest", "curtain friend", or "old master" and "sir"; And they called the official lord "Dong Weng", "Dong Jia". Both sides meet each other in an equal manner, regardless of dignity or inferiority. Sometimes it is the chief who takes a subordinate position.

Because the curtain guests have professional knowledge and are here to help the official master deal with government affairs, the officials and the common people respectfully call the chief official "master", and the curtain guests are called "master".

The appearance of the ugly master in Meng Tianchu's impression is made up nonsense on film and television for the needs of the plot or other needs, in fact, the vast majority of masters in history are very upright, and in the case of the official master who does not know how to do it, it is all up to them to make the government yamen operate normally, it can be said that in many cases, the officials in front are puppets, and it is the masters behind who really play a leading role in the government affairs of the yamen.

Hearing Meng Tianchu's words, Xia Hong shook his head and smiled: "Virtuous son-in-law, don't underestimate the position of a guest in this scene, if you do it well, he can be more useful than the official master, and he has a great future." ”

Meng Tianchu smiled: "What is the future of Da? Hehe, after all, he is not a master, what future can he have. ”

Xia Hong's face sank and said, "Do you look down on the path that your father pointed you out?" ”

In addition to the ugly image of the master in movies and television, Meng Tianchu actually didn't have any concept of the master's work, seeing Xia Hong's face, he hurriedly restrained his smile, bowed down and said: "The little son-in-law doesn't dare, the little son-in-law is willing to obey the arrangement of the father-in-law." ”