Dr. Kong mentioned by Zhu Tingfang, that is, Master Kong Jiu, really did not dare to go out.
The words of Zhu Tingfang, as relayed by the confidant of the Grand Secretary Kong, made Master Kong Jiu feel like a bloody storm. He thought that after he left, he might be stabbed in the chest by Zhu Tingfang and die. After all, the fact that he was still alive and well here showed that the horse race last night might have been controlled by the other party.
In this case, how could he dare to meet this evil star? Did he want to die? Even though his brother was the only one missing a nominal prime minister in the cabinet, it would be easy for others to frame him for a crime.
Therefore, even if Grand Secretary Kong was furious, he would point at his nose and scold him, scolding him for not being able to accomplish anything but causing trouble, scolding him for spreading rumors and bringing a lot of people into trouble, but Master Kong Jiu would not give in, saying that he was a member of the Kong family, "Brother, are you going to watch me die?" In short, he only hoped that Grand Secretary Kong could invite Zhu Tingfang here to talk.
As a result, the noise alarmed Mrs. Kong Gu, who came over. Master Kong Jiu's wife, Mrs. Zhao, heard that someone had come to the door to look for her master before, and then the long street in front of the door was surrounded by soldiers, so she also came over in a panic. When the two sisters-in-law met, they had no time to figure out what was going on outside, and saw the furious Master Kong grabbing his cousin by the collar.
"If it weren't for you being so quick to believe everything you hear, how could I have misjudged the situation? Now Zhu Tingfang has only politely asked you to go out and talk, and he hasn't even rushed in with his troops to arrest you, but you're still cowering here. Did you pass the imperial examination in vain? If you don't even have this much courage, how can you be an official!"
It looked like a fight was about to break out, and the two women finally panicked. Gu knew that Grand Secretary Kong had a reputation for arrogance in the clan, and that many people who relied on him for support were frustrated, and many people hated him; and Zhao knew that although her master was a Jinshi, he was already forty when he passed the exam, and he was only in the third place. In the end, he relied on his brother, Grand Secretary Kong, to become a seventh-rank Taichang Doctor.
If the fight between these two brothers gets out, it would be disgrace to the elder brother and shame to the younger brother!
So, the two women rushed forward without thinking, and the accompanying maids also rushed forward to help their mistresses. After a lot of effort, they finally pulled the furious Kong Daxueshi away. At this time, Kong Daxueshi's two sons and two daughters-in-law also rushed over, all with anxious faces.
However, there was still chaos here. Young Master Kong had just asked what was going on when the noise outside became even louder.
Gu immediately got angry and shouted, "Go and see who is being so unruly. Don't think that the soldiers outside are a big deal! If anyone makes noise again, drag him down and give him twenty strokes of the cane!"
If this was said at any other time, it would be enforced. But at this time and place, not only was it ineffective, the maid who had originally run out to pass the order actually retreated back again with a look of horror on her face. Facing this scene, not to mention that Gu had been an official wife for so many years, even her two daughters-in-law felt that something was wrong.