Today's morning court ended unhappily again. After discussing politics for a while, someone untimely brought up the matter of appointing King Shu as the emperor. This caused Empress Dowager Cao, who was listening behind the curtain, to shout angrily, and also made all the civil and military officials in the palace angry.
The officials had differences and quarreled with each other.
It was still the same as before. After arguing for a long time with no result, the officials just walked away and hurriedly ended today's morning court.
There was nothing important to do today, so Zhou Chen went back directly after the morning court.
Although he is the commander of the front office, he does not have to stay in the office every day. The current uncle of the state stays in the front office all day long, wooing people everywhere, hoping to gain a greater say.
Zhou Chen is too lazy to compete with him. If he likes to express himself, let him express himself. If he likes to win over people, let him win over them.
He has been rooted in Bianjing for many years, and his ancestors were among the first batch of noble marquises. His prestige in the military cannot be compared to that of an uncle with little merit.
Not to mention that the Palace Chief is a member of the official family. Historically, most of the commanders and commanders have come from noble families. As the head of the noble family, Duke Jingguo, he dare not say that the commanders and commanders under him are more loyal to him.
Even worse for officials, but definitely much better than Shen Congxing.
Therefore, he is not worried at all that Shen Congxing can win over all the people from the Dianqian Division. Even if the current officials come forward in person, they may not be able to fully control a department like the Dianqian Division, let alone Shen Congxing.
In the military, if you want people to respect and be loyal, relationships are only part of the reason; strength and reputation are equally important.
Zhou Chen possesses all three of these, but Shen Congxing, in the eyes of the imperial guards in front of the palace, is relevant, but has no reputation or strength at all.
In short, he was a nouveau riche in a small place. Suddenly his brother-in-law became the emperor and gained power all of a sudden. However, he didn't even understand the situation in Bianjing City, so how could he play well among the imperial guards in front of the palace.
Even in the court, factional disputes are very serious. For example, the military officers and officials from the Yuzhou faction brought by the officials were all rejected by the civil and military officials in Bianjing City. No one wanted to see officials from the Yuzhou faction.
Dominate the court.
Although everyone fought fiercely among themselves before, but now that you, an outside faction, have come in, everyone has a tacit understanding and is united in dealing with the outside world.
When Zhou Chen returned to the mansion, he was surprised to find that Minglan was here and talking to Hualan.
"When did Sixth Sister come?"
"Eldest brother-in-law."
Minglan stood up and saluted Shiran. Although she married into the Duke of Qi, she respected and aweed Zhou Chen from the bottom of her heart.
Hua Lan smiled and said, "Sixth sister just came here not long ago, and you just happened to be back. We will have lunch together later."
Minglan didn't refuse, and responded with a smile: "Thank you, big sister, then I'll be welcome."
"We are sisters, why are you so polite?"
Hua Lan smiled and pulled Minglan. She was a kind-hearted person who cared about her younger siblings. Minglan was nice to talk to and knew how to get into trouble, so she still liked Minglan very much.
Zhou Chen sat down and asked casually: "How is Sixth Sister doing lately? Has that boy Yuan Ruo ever bullied you?"
Before Minglan could say anything, Hualan glared at Zhou Chen dissatisfied.
"What are you talking about? It's too late for the sixth brother-in-law to love the sixth sister. Sixth sister, don't pay attention to what he says. He is just like this. He has no integrity at all in his own family."
Minglan showed her signature smile, which was a habit she had developed over the years. She would show this smile whenever it was difficult to speak.
She has known Zhou Chen for a long time, and naturally knows some of Zhou Chen's temperament. Although he usually looks majestic and solemn, sometimes he can be really sinister.
Lunch was ready soon. Zhou Chen, Hualan, his wife, and Minglan ate together. Hualan originally wanted to call Shulan. Although Shulan was Zhou Chen's concubine, they were also sisters and their relationship was still very close.
OK.
However, Shulan's pair of children were too annoying, and she couldn't bear to let them go, so she didn't come over to eat together.
Minglan also visited Shulan and her two children just now, and brought many gifts, all of which were given to Shulan. They were even more rare for Shulan's children.
At the dinner table, Minglan said to Hualan: "Sister, don't forget about the polo match tomorrow. I will come to the Duke's Mansion then and go there with you, eldest sister."
Hua Lan nodded and replied, "Okay, I won't be bored if you accompany me to talk on the road."
Zhou Chen was very surprised: "Polo club? What polo club?"
Minglan explained: "It was a polo match held by the Queen, or at the venue next to Jinming Pond. I heard that the Queen invited many dignitaries from the palaces in Bianjing City, and she also invited my eldest sister and me."
"The polo match hosted by the Queen?"
Zhou Chen really hasn't heard the news, but the queen is a member of the harem, so it's normal for him, a member of the front court, not to know.
However, he immediately understood the Queen's intention, which was to use the polo club to attract people's hearts.
When watching the TV series Zhifu, from the plot point of view, this queen is a dignified, graceful and elegant mother of a country. At least her performance in the TV series is much better than that of the current official family.
But Zhou Chen knew very well that someone who could become a queen would not be a simple person, let alone that she had been a queen for a year.
In order to win over him, the officials not only asked King Huan to find him, but also asked the Queen to find Hualan. However, the Queen Mother discovered it later, and Hualan was called to the Queen Mother's palace again, and Hualan was not allowed to spend more time with the Queen.
.
This time the queen personally held a polo match, and she knew the purpose at a glance. She could see it, and so could others.
After Minglan had lunch, she went to Shulan's yard again and prepared to say goodbye and leave.
Zhou Chen originally wanted to tell Minglan about Qi Heng, but after thinking about it, he still didn't say it. Qi Heng is now a member of the official family. Even if they are brothers-in-law, they each represent their own interests. If he said
Too much is not a good thing.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of Gu Tingye. Although Gu Tingye was not his brother-in-law like Qi Heng, but in this way, he had a better relationship with Gu Tingye.
If it were Gu Tingye, he would not hesitate at all and would say whatever comes to mind.
But now Gu Tingye is probably still fighting with the Xiao Qin family in the Hou Mansion. I don't know when the fight will come to an end.
As time went by, there were more and more disputes between the officials and the Queen Mother. There was no peace in the court because of the fight between the two palaces. As the chief assistant, Han Zhang tried to persuade him to make peace several times, but with little effect.
nothing.
But Zhou Chen understood that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable to Empress Dowager Cao. After all, the official family was not a child. It had been a year since she took the throne, and the ministers' minds had changed because of their kindness.
In fact, this is normal. After all, not everyone can become Wu Zetian or Empress Lu. Empress Dowager Cao's skill is still a bit poor. Another point is that the civil servants in the Song Dynasty are really terrifying and can vaguely threaten the imperial power.
In the eyes of civil servants, letting the Queen Mother listen to politics behind the curtain was just to stabilize the situation and protect their own interests.
But now that everything is stable, civil servants will naturally favor the official side, and there is no need for the Queen Mother to spread power.
Sheng Hong has also been very troubled recently. The reason for his troubles is not from official affairs, but from his family.
Ever since Lin Sushuang returned to Sheng Mansion, Wang Ruofu, the eldest lady, had never given him a good look. Even the old lady treated him coldly.
What originally comforted him was that Lin Sushuang was at least obedient to him, allowing him to feel the long-lost love again.
But recently, he has been very irritable because Lin Sushuang has been urging him to find a suitable in-laws for his daughter Mo Lan. He has suggested a few, but none of them can catch the eyes of Lin Sushuang and his daughter. These two people are really too ambitious.
, you have to find Lord’s House.
But as a civil servant, he had no interaction with the nobles at all. Even if he talked to those people, they mostly did it for Zhou Chen's sake and had no friendship with him at all.
Moreover, this was related to marriage, and it was difficult for him, a grown man, to speak. If Wang Ruofu was willing to help, it would be easier to talk. But the problem was that Wang Ruofu didn't even want to see Lin Sushuang and her daughter, and asked her to speak for Mo Lan.
Honey, this is simply a delusion.
As for the old lady, let alone that. It is estimated that as soon as she opens her mouth, she will be scolded.
In desperation, he could only find Wang Ruofu in a "compromising manner". After all he said softly, he carefully coaxed and said so many reasons, only then did Wang Ruofu relax a little and said that if there is a polo club in the future,
For gatherings like this, I would take Mo Lan there.
Sheng Hong also wanted Wang Ruofu to talk to Hua Lan. If Hua Lan, the wife of the Duke of Jingguo, came to help, it would definitely be much more honorable than Wang Ruofu.
But as soon as he said it, he was ridiculed by Wang Ruofu, so that Sheng Hong could only pinch his nose and dare not refute.
Zhou Chen came back from work that day. While eating, Hua Lan told him what happened today.
"Officer, you guessed it right. My aunt really came again. I asked the concierge to tell her that I was not here today, and then she left. I estimate that my aunt will come again in the future.
Come again."
When Hua Lan said these words, her expression was very strange. When Aunt Kang fell out with them last year, she swore that Aunt Kang would never come again.
But now it seems that I was really wrong, or Zhou Chen is more accurate in judging people.
Zhou Chen was not surprised, he just said: "I know you are kind-hearted, but this Aunt Kang is extraordinary, you still have to pay more attention."
"I understand." Hua Lan replied seriously.
Just as Hualan guessed, a few days later, Aunt Kang came to visit again, but this time she brought Wang Ruofu with her. Even if Hualan didn't want to see her, she had to see her for her mother's sake.
She was also very dissatisfied with her mother Wang Ruofu's actions, as she had said before, but her mother still knowingly committed the crime, which made her very embarrassed.
Aunt Kang's attitude this time was much better than last time, and she was full of compliments and nice words. Originally, she wanted to meet Zhou Chen's mother, but when Zhou Xu heard that she was coming, she didn't show up at all.
Let her be rejected.
But Aunt Kang had nothing but thick skin and didn't care at all. She talked to Hua Lan for a while and then found an excuse to go to Shulan's courtyard and see Shulan and her two children.
Speaking of which, her relationship with Zhou Chen's two women was unusual.
Hualan is her niece, and Shulan is also related to her, because the wife of Shulan's brother Sheng Changwu is her daughter Kang Yuner, so she and Shulan are also related.
During the chat, she mentioned Sheng Changwu from time to time, saying that Sheng Changwu was lucky. He followed Zhou Chen and was now an eighth-grade officer.
Hualan understood what was going on as soon as she heard it. It was nothing more than envy. Zhou Chen had promised Kang Jin the ninth-grade position, but she refused because of it.
As a result, this opportunity was given to Sheng Changwu. In just one year, Sheng Changwu was promoted from the ninth grade to the eighth grade. This speed of promotion was entirely due to Zhou Chen.
What's even worse is that Kang Jin failed in this year's imperial examination.
So she is very regretful now. If she had agreed at the beginning, Sheng Changwu's position now belongs to her son, and with Zhou Chen taking care of him, he will definitely have a bright future in the future, and he may not be able to become the next Gu Tingye.
But even if her intestines are full of regret now, there is nothing she can do, so now she can only try to make up for the relationship with Zhou Chen and Hua Lan, hoping that Zhou Chen can help her son again.
Aunt Kang and Wang Ruofu stayed at the Duke's Mansion for a long time and did not leave until Zhou Chen came back.
Although Aunt Kang tried her best to say nice things today, Hua Lan still remained vigilant. Zhou Chen told her that the official family and the Queen Mother were fighting fiercely at this time, and both sides were trying to win over him, so it was best to keep a low profile at this time.
some.
She didn't welcome Aunt Kang's visit, but every time Aunt Kang used her mother as a shield, her mother was willing to do it even though it was useless. This was very annoying. She didn't know what kind of confusion her aunt had fed into her mother.
Soup.
But a few days later, when Aunt Kang came to the Duke's Mansion with a concubine from the Kang family and said she wanted to be Zhou Chen's concubine, Hua Lan went crazy on the spot.
As soon as Zhou Chen returned home, he heard Hua Lan yelling angrily: "Get out, take her away from me, get out now, your aunt is not welcome in our Duke's Mansion, please don't come to our house again."
Immediately afterwards, Zhou Chen saw Aunt Kang and an unknown girl, who were forcefully pushed out by Cuichan and several nuns.
"Jingguo Gong."
Aunt Kang had been struggling. When she saw Zhou Chen, she screamed as if she had seen a savior.
"Jingguo Gong, hurry up and take care of it. I am your aunt. This child Hua Lan is really disrespectful and wants to drive me away. You have to make the decision for me."
Zhou Chen didn't even look at her, and asked Cuichan, "What's going on?"
Cuichan said with a dissatisfied look: "Master, this is Aunt Kang. She insisted on sending their concubine to you as a concubine. The eldest lady did not agree. She also insisted on keeping her as a concubine.
"Hey, this person was still crying and crying, and the lady couldn't bear it anymore, so she asked me to drive them away."