There was an accident in Xigu Village, it turned out that when Li Chujiu went to Xigu Village on behalf of Zhu Yuanzhang this morning, a few big-footed women suddenly ran over, stretched out their hands and grabbed Li Chujiu's sleeve and shook it violently, saying that early in the morning, his man was sent by Chen Guanyu, the commander of Baishui County, to arrest him. When asked why the county order wanted to arrest people and what happened, these big-footed women were too short-sighted to say.

Li Chujiu screamed in his heart that it was not good, and he ran back as if flying, and when he saw Zhu Yuanzhang, he immediately told the matter like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened silently, and said with a sinking face: "I understand, you hurry up and go to the door of the inner courtyard to spread the word, and ask the family members to quickly call the second young master to come to the front yard." I went to the front yard to find Ma Qianjiu's steward, this matter is very serious, and I must let the second young master and Ma steward make up their minds. ”

Li Chujiu asked a little strangely: "How does this matter have anything to do with the front yard?" The second young master had already instructed that if something happened in Xigu Village, just call it directly. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "The current situation is no longer something that can be solved by fighting, go quickly, don't ask more." ”

Li Chujiu went to the inner courtyard to report, but Zhu Yuanzhang hurried towards the front yard.

Going around to the gate of the front yard, the Jinshi pole appeared in front of Zhu Yuanzhang's field of vision again, he couldn't help but raise his head lightly and glanced at the pole, thinking to himself: I am afraid that this time the matter is not small, and I don't know if this Jinshi pole can protect the Ma family. Under the nest, how many eggs are gone? This time, it seems that I have to make a lot of effort to help the Ma family tide over this difficulty.

After letting the guards of the courtyard report, Zhu Yuanzhang entered the gate and came to the top of the hall. I saw that Ma Qianjiu was in the hall, he was sitting on the chair on the side, holding a few account books and looking at them carefully, calculating while reading, and his fingers were still lightly tapping on the account books. Seeing Zhu Yuanzhang coming in, he frowned and asked, "Why did you run to the front yard and what happened?" ”

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his voice and said: "This morning, the county lord sent someone to arrest all the villagers in Xigu Village!" ”

It is very clear that smart people don't need to do anything, just this sentence is enough to scare Ma Qianjiu's whole body, and the few account books in his hand slipped down and fell to the ground with a "click". But he didn't bother to pick it up at all, and the whole person was stunned.

After a long while, he woke up from the shock, frowned, and said: "I have been in charge of business affairs in the front yard, and I don't know much about the farming affairs in the side yard. ”

"Exactly!"

"That's not good......" Ma Qianjiu's eyebrows were almost twisted together.

"It's really bad, it's a desperate situation right now!" Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said: "I have already sent someone to invite the second young master, I hope he can preside over the overall situation, otherwise our Ma family is very likely to be planted in this matter." ”

Ma Qianjiu nodded, and the two of them looked forward to the second young master coming quickly.

The waiting time felt quite slow, and Ma Qianjiu said to Zhu Yuanzhang: "Eighth Brother Zhu, what do you think of this matter?" Say it and confirm it with me, and see if we think the same way. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang coughed lightly and said in a low voice: "Last time, Chen County's order blocked our family's 'trick', and it was also pointed out that this matter was instructed by the Chengcheng Zhang family, which gave us a signal, so that our family could quickly settle with the Chengcheng Zhang family, otherwise there would be a backhand to deal with us." But our family has never expressed anything, neither went to the county order of the county to show goodwill, nor did we go to negotiate peace with the Zhang family in Chengcheng...... It seems that the other party felt despised and shot again. ”

"That's right, you've got a pretty good move." Ma Qianjiu snorted coldly: "He also did a very clear job this time, which village didn't arrest the people of which village, but he arrested the people of Xigu Village, and it happened that the place where the last fight was Xigu Village." This is obviously telling us that we have to settle old scores. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a low voice: "Steward Ma, after the last 'trick sent' failed, the hostility of the county commander has been obvious, why didn't our family go to the event, send some gifts to the county magistrate or something, and strive to solve this matter?" ”

Ma Qianjiu sighed lightly, stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction of the inner courtyard, and said in a low voice: "It costs a lot of silver to give gifts, I can't be the master of this kind of thing, only the second young master can support the silver in this family, he doesn't want to, and I can't help it." ”

"Why is the second young master unwilling?" Zhu Yuanzhang said strangely.

"Good face!" Ma Qianjiu shook his head: "The young man just can't stand it, he said that the county master beat Qi in charge, which is to sweep the face of the Ma family, if our family wants to go over and give gifts to please others, it is our family that bows its head, this matter should be given by the county master to our family......"

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent, this second young master was too stupid. The Ma family is just a local gentry, although the old man in the family used to be a county magistrate, but after all, he has already gone to tea, you actually dare to rely on the identity of the old man who was called Huanghua yesterday, and the county lord of this county is angry, it is really a child who does not know the severity.

"Alas, it would be nice if the eldest young master was here." Ma Qianjiu sighed and said: "If the eldest young master was in charge of this family, there would be no last fight, and even if there was a fight, the county master would be able to handle it properly." ”

The two waited for a while, but they still didn't see the figure of the second young master, and when they were anxious, a family member in a green coat and a small hat came and said to the two people in the hall: "The second young master is taking a nap, and he doesn't have time to take care of things, so let you take care of it yourself." ”

"What?" Ma Qianjiu suddenly jumped up, kicked on the family who was passing the word, and scolded angrily: "What's the matter, the second young master is still taking a nap?" The Ma family has fallen into great danger, and their home is about to be gone. You killing talent, I don't care what method you use, within half a cup of tea, call the second young master here to discuss things. "Others are afraid of the second young master, but he is not very afraid, after all, he has the support of the eldest young master behind him, even if he offends the second young master, he can mix in this family.

The family was beaten, but he didn't move, and said with a sad face: "The second young master was woken up when he was taking a nap, and he was also going to beat someone...... You also beat me, and the second young master also beat me, I don't know which side to beat. ”

Ma Qianjiu was furious, kicked him to the ground, and scolded: "Then you can just be beaten by me, and I will go to the second young master in person." Zhu Ba, you come with me too. ”

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and followed.

Ma Qianjiu raised his feet and walked to the inner courtyard, there is a courtyard and a corridor connected between the front yard and the inner courtyard, there is a beautiful hanging flower door in the middle of the long corridor, there is an ancient saying that "the gate does not go out, the second door does not step", the second door in this sentence refers to the hanging flower door, it is the separation line between the front yard and the inner courtyard, the female dependents of large families, especially the girls who have not yet gone out of the cabinet, are not allowed to go through this door to the front yard, out of this door is called showing up, it is a manifestation of not abiding by women's morals. This door does not allow women to go out, and at the same time does not allow men to enter, not only foreign guests with male surnames must abide by this rule, but even their own male servants must pay attention to it.

On the left and right sides of the Hanging Flower Gate, there are two families in green clothes and small hats, who are responsible for guarding the entrance of the inner courtyard and preventing idle people from entering.

Seeing Ma Qianjiu and Zhu Ba coming over, the two families in green clothes and small hats stretched out their hands to stop them and said, "Steward Ma, steward Zhu, what are you going to do in the inner courtyard?" If there's anything you want, let's pass it on on your behalf. Although they stopped people, their attitude was quite respectful, especially towards Ma Qianjiu, and they didn't dare to be disrespectful.

"Flash aside." Ma Qianjiu said angrily: "I have a very urgent matter to find the second young master, and if it is late, there will be changes, how can I have time to wait for you to spread it slowly...... Hey? Wrong! I am an old slave of the Ma family, and I can enter and exit the inner courtyard at will, when have I ever been blocked? What do you two mean? ”

The two family members smiled bitterly and said: "Steward Ma, we don't dare to stop you, but just now a partial dean named Li Chujiu came to pass the word, saying that he wanted to invite the second young master to the front yard, but he woke up the second young master to take a nap." He lost his temper and gave a strict order, no matter who came, he would stop him, and said...... Ma Qianjiu was definitely going to come, and he blocked it and blocked it. ”

"What?" Ma Qianjiu was furious: "What's the matter, the second young master is still messing around." ”

Zhu Yuanzhang next to him was secretly amused, this second young master was really too lazy, when Zhu Yuanzhang was the emperor in the previous life, how diligent he was, if the ministers were in a hurry to find him, even if it was the middle of the night, he would have to get up to review the folds, how could it be as useless as the second young man of the Ma family?

Ma Qianjiu said angrily: "Get out of the way, you only have the second young master in your eyes, don't you have the eldest young master?" ”

The two family members didn't move, and they didn't let go of the door at all, and said with a wry smile: "This ...... We...... How can you have such guts...... It's just that the second young master's orders must be obeyed......"

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly understood in his heart that the people of the Ma family were originally divided into two factions, one faction was the eldest young master's faction, mainly the family members in the front yard, and the leader was Ma Qianjiu, the chief steward of the front yard. The other faction is the second young master's faction, which is dominated by the family members of the inner courtyard, and the Qi steward of the side courtyard is also standing in the second young master's faction, so the second young master instructed the Qi steward to do things. And Steward Qi hinted that he would choose an obedient person to be the new steward of the side courtyard, and he could help in the future, and secretly wanted to continue to let the side courtyard stand on the side of the second young master.

In the past, Zhu Yuanzhang's status was low, so he didn't notice this faction problem, and the eldest young master was not in the mansion, so this situation was not obvious. It wasn't until something happened this time that the two parties began to compete, and he found out that the family member who passed the message just now was firmly on the side of the second young master, so he was unwilling to help Ma Qianjiu pass the word, and the two family members guarding the door in front of him were also standing on the side of the second young master, and they did not sell Ma Qianjiu's account.

It's fun! Zhu Yuanzhang sighed secretly in his heart, factions are really everywhere, there were also two major factions under his own command at the beginning, Li Shanchang's faction and Liu Ji's faction, these two factions fought upside down, and the military generals of Wenchen stood in line one after another, specializing in some trivial things. I didn't expect that a squire's home also had similar problems, and it was also a struggle over some trivial things such as passing the word and guarding the door, are you annoyed?

I'll have to take sides, right?

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't need to think about it to decide which side to stand on, raised two fists, and blasted left and right at the guards at the door...... When the fist arrived, the person flew, and the two family members covered their chests and fell backwards a foot away.