Master Ma was furious and immediately inquired about what had happened. His servants told him that Ruan Fang had knocked out an old woman who was guarding her, changed into the old woman's clothes, and escaped.
If this gets out, it will be incredibly embarrassing. He knows Ruan Fang won't go far, so he has to bring her back no matter what.
His men searched all night without success. The next day, they set up roadblocks in key areas to search for the man and actually caught him.
But they never dreamed that Ruan Fang, who had just been captured, would be rescued by a passing girl, and that several of their men would be beaten up.
"A bunch of useless trash!" Master Ma was furious. He immediately arranged for people to follow Ruan Fang. After finding Ruan Fang's whereabouts, he arranged for eight of his skilled men, led by his most trusted steward, to capture her the next day.
My luck is terrible. Not only did we fail to catch Ruan Fang this time, but everyone who went there was arrested by the government.
This is really troublesome. People were immediately sent to find out what was going on. The matter was quickly clarified: the county magistrate and the prefect were accompanying the imperial edict messenger to Shuixian Village when they were clashed by their own subordinates.
Although he had powerful backers in the imperial court, they were too far away to help him in the present. If the government were to arrest him now, they could arrive in two hours.
Master Ma had no choice but to summon Chief Hu to discuss countermeasures. After understanding the situation, Chief Hu spoke:
"This problem is not difficult to solve. The issue of ghost marriage is not a big problem, and since it was not accomplished, the government will at most impose a fine. The main problem is that your subordinates gathered a crowd to cause trouble and were caught red-handed by the government."
You can send someone to the county government office with some generous gifts to tell the magistrate that you were unaware of the matter and that it was your subordinates who acted on their own. At this point, you should demand that the government severely punish these servants and that you will not protect them. Presumably, the government won't do anything to you then.
Master Ma nodded, thinking the idea was feasible. Now was the time to spend money to avoid disaster, and he shouldn't be stingy with a few dollars.
Master Ma immediately prepared generous gifts and found a eloquent person to go to the county government office, hoping to settle the matter.
No sooner had the people who went to the county government office left than a servant came to report.
"Dad, a few girls have arrived outside. They want you to go out and greet them. If you're late, they'll raze the Ma mansion to the ground."
Master Ma was already fuming, and hearing what the servant said only fueled his anger.
"What? A few maids have come, and I, the master, have to go out to greet them? This is outrageous!" Master Ma was so angry that he almost smashed his teacup.
Upon hearing this, Chief Hu sensed something was amiss. He told Master Ma to calm down and clarify the matter before proceeding.
Seeing that Master Ma had calmed down a bit, the servant continued to speak.
"Four women and one man have arrived outside. Two of the girls are dressed as young ladies, and the other two are probably guards. The man is a simple-minded boy. I heard from others that one of the girls hit one of our men last time."
"You mean the girl who rescued Ruan Fang last time and beat up a few of us?"
"Yes, it's her. She's highly skilled in martial arts. She's definitely here to cause trouble. What do you think we should do, sir?"
Master Ma couldn't help but gasp. Since this girl dared to come and provoke him, she must be quite capable, and the people she brought with her must also be quite skilled. Although there were many people in his mansion, including quite a few who could fight, none of them were experts. If a fight really broke out, he would definitely not have the upper hand.
Master Ma glanced at Chief Hu, wondering if he had any countermeasures.
“Master Ma, there’s no need to worry. They’re just a few girls. What can they do? The two men behind me are top-notch experts. They’ve followed me for years and have never failed. Let alone a few girls, what can they do to a thousand troops?”
"Come on, I'll go with you out to take a look. I happen to be short a few wives for my bandit chieftain. If I find any I like, I won't be polite and will take them all." He then burst into laughter.
Chief Hu's words reassured Master Ma considerably. He glanced at the two young men behind Chief Hu, and realized that they were actually top-tier experts, something he had never expected.
When the group arrived at the door, they saw four girls and a simple-minded boy standing there. Just as the servants had said, the two girls were only sixteen or seventeen years old, while the guard was older, probably around twenty.
The two girls were indeed quite good-looking, and Chief Hu took a liking to them at first sight. He was determined to bring these two girls to the stronghold today. He didn't care about their family backgrounds; once they were in the stronghold, he would be the one in charge, and no one else would be able to influence him.
No rush, let's see how things go first. He also wanted to know who these two girls were.
Seeing the imposing manner of the group, Master Ma dared not be negligent. He stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and asked:
"What are your names, ladies? What brings you to the Ma residence?"
Li Xue sized up the group of people who came out of the Ma residence. Chief Hu and the two young men behind him caught her attention. Judging from their physique and posture, they were definitely trained martial artists and should have some skill. She and her companions had to be careful.
Lin Xi also noticed this. They exchanged a glance, both understanding the situation.
"My surname is Li. May I ask if you are Master Ma?" Li Xue asked coldly.
"That is indeed me. May I ask what advice Miss Li may offer?"
"Yesterday, Master Ma ordered his servants to break into Narcissus Village with knives and cause trouble. What was their intention?"
Master Ma was taken aback. This was clearly a accusation. Within a radius of dozens of miles, no one had ever dared to speak to him like this. Although he was displeased, he did not lose his temper.
“Yesterday, a maid from the Ma family ran away to Narcissus Village. My servants went into the village to look for her, and there may have been some misunderstanding. I wonder why you asked about this, Miss.”
"Things aren't that simple. If it weren't for Prefect Shen arriving in time, there might have been a river of blood. How do you, as a wealthy man, manage your servants?"
Master Ma had never been lectured like this before, and he was both angry and humiliated. He suppressed his anger and said:
"Things have come to this point, my men have been arrested by the authorities, what more do you want?"
“We don’t want to do anything to you, Master Ma. I just want to warn you to keep your people in the Ma household in check and not let them cause trouble…” Li Xue’s words were interrupted abruptly by a voice from the side.
"If we don't heed your warnings and continue to send our men to cause trouble everywhere, and even massacre Shuixian Village, what can you do to us?" The speaker was none other than Chief Hu.
"Who are you to dare spout such nonsense?" Lin Xi roared in anger.
"Of course it's the Ma family. You few brats dare to cause trouble here. None of you will leave here today," Chief Hu said arrogantly.
Master Ma was terrified. He was already in enough trouble and didn't want anything more, but Chief Hu had said such a thing. Wasn't this just trying to harm him?
Chief Hu didn't think that way. He didn't want to waste his breath; he wanted to capture the two girls as soon as possible and bring them back to the village.
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