"Mrs. Zhao, you're welcome. There's no need to call me sir, because I don't have an official position now."
In fact, Zhou Chen is not without an official position. He is also the second-class Duke Zhongyong Marquis of the Song Dynasty. If you really count, he is more noble than most officials.
But it was naturally impossible for Zhou Chen to specifically tell Zhao Paner and Sun Sanniang his identity.
Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were both very surprised when they heard Zhou Chen said that there was no official position. After all, in their eyes, a Jinshi could definitely become an official. Is it possible that a Jinshi could not become an official?
Sun Sanniang was straightforward: "Don't the Zhou officials become officials? You are a Jinshi. Can't all Jinshi become officials?"
Zhou Chen explained: "It's true that Jinshi can be officials, but it doesn't mean that all Jinshi can be officials. It also depends on the vacancies in the court. As for why I didn't become an official, there are some special reasons that I won't tell you.
.”
Seeing that Zhou Chen had no intention of continuing, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were sensible and did not pursue the question further.
Zhao Pan'er hesitated for a while and asked softly: "Guanren Zhou, you are from Tokyo. I want to ask you something."
"you say."
"Have the imperial examinations in Tokyo started at this time?"
"It hadn't started when I left Tokyo a few days ago, but it should have started now. Why would Mrs. Zhao ask this? Do you have any relatives who went to Tokyo to participate in the imperial examination?" Zhou Chen asked knowingly.
Before Zhao Pan'er could speak, Sun Sanniang said impatiently: "Pan'er's fiancé went to Tokyo to take the exam a few months ago. When he passes the Jinshi exam, they will get married, and Pan'er will be successful."
"Sanniang."
Zhao Pan'er shouted with some dissatisfaction. Sun Sanniang also realized that she had spoken too quickly and apologized to Zhao Pan'er with an embarrassed look. As soon as she apologized, Zhao Pan'er lost her temper. The two had been together for eight or nine years, so of course she knew what Sun Sanniang was.
temper.
Zhou Chen said with a smile: "So that's it. Madam Zhao is so outstanding and outstanding, so her fiancée must also be a talented person, with a lot of talents, but..."
When she first heard Zhou Chen praising herself and Ouyang Xu, Zhao Paner kept a modest smile, but when she said the word 'nothing', her smile immediately faltered.
Sun Sanniang was even more anxious than she was: "It's nothing, Mr. Zhou, you tell me."
Zhou Chen picked up the tea cup, took a sip of tea, motioned for Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang to sit down, and then spoke again.
"First of all, let me explain that I don't know Mrs. Zhao's fiancé, nor do I know much about him. I don't know what his character is, but I still know the situation in Tokyo very well."
"If he fails the exam, it goes without saying, but if he passes the exam and ranks well, then he has to face a problem. When the Tokyo Imperial Examination is released, it is very popular to catch a son-in-law under the exam. If he
If you do well in the exam, you will most likely be valued by the nobles in Tokyo and be taken back as their son-in-law."
"Ah? Really? Are Tokyoites so lawless that they can force someone to be their son-in-law?" Sun Sanniang looked shocked.
"Is there anything strange about this? If you are a high school Jinshi with a good ranking, it means you have great potential. Those dignitaries in Tokyo City are willing to invest in advance. If the Jinshi in the rankings can get the help of noble people, many
It’s all something you can’t ask for.”
As soon as Zhou Chen finished speaking, Zhao Pan'er said firmly: "Ouyang is not that kind of person. He is a gentleman. I trust him."
Sun Sanniang also echoed: "Yes, Ouyang Xu is definitely not that kind of person. Our family Pan'er still has a good eye for people. When Ouyang Xu was down and out, it was Pan'er who always supported him in his studies. If he had prospered in high school,
, I will definitely not forget Pan’er.”
Zhou Chen smiled and did not refute, he just reasoned and presented the facts.
"I'm not the kind of person who likes to speak ill of people behind their backs. I'm just analyzing it for you. If you want to hear it, I'll say it. If you don't want to hear it, I won't say it."
Sun Sanniang didn't say anything, she just looked at Zhao Pan'er, whose expression kept changing.
"If it were Ouyang High School, would those dignitaries in Tokyo really capture him as their son-in-law?"
"Then it depends on how outstanding he is. Let me tell you, many similar things have happened in Tokyo before. Even some Jinshi after high school were willing to abandon them in order to marry the daughter of a noble man and make themselves prosperous in the officialdom.
My wife and children from my hometown divorced my wife and married another nobleman’s daughter.”
Sun Sanniang cursed: "This is so shameless, are they still human?"
Zhou Chen sneered and said: "For some people, face is not important, getting real benefits is the most important. I also look down on such people, but it is undeniable that such people can sometimes do well.
It was clear at a glance which one was more useful to them: the powerless wife of a poor peasant in the countryside, or the daughter of a well-known aristocrat."
"There are even some more powerful nobles. Even if you don't want to, they can go to the official and force you to marry. Who dares to resist the official's will?"
Zhao Pan'er's eyes were a little confused, but in the end she said firmly: "I believe Ouyang, if he is in high school, he will definitely come back to pick me up."
Zhou Chen praised: "It should be so. I believe no one would be willing to give up on such a wonderful woman as Mrs. Zhao."
What Zhou Chen had just said was still echoing in Zhao Pan'er's mind, but she didn't care what Zhou Chen said. Instead, Sun Sanniang looked at Zhou Chen suspiciously, and then at Zhao Pan'er. She had felt that this Zhou official was a little interested in Pan'er.
I mean, this feeling is even deeper now.
After a long silence, Zhao Paner suddenly asked another question.
"Mr. Zhou, I would like to ask, are there any women like us in Tokyo doing business in public? Well, except for the land of fireworks."
"Yes, there are definitely some, but in most shops, men are still the shopkeepers, and women usually work behind the scenes. There are many vendors, and many of them are women."
Zhou Chen understood the meaning of Zhao Pan'er's question. Although Zhao Pan'er was ready to support her husband and raise children after marrying Ouyang Xu, she had been used to supporting herself for so many years. If she had a choice, she would definitely still want to start her own business.
Women like Zhao Pan'er can be found everywhere in modern society, but in the Song Dynasty, they were absolutely rare and out of place.
After chatting with Zhou Chen, Zhao Paner was out of sorts all day, and closed the door early in the afternoon.
After tidying up the kitchen, Sun Sanniang saw Zhao Pan'er sitting there, looking at the river, and walked over to sit next to her.
"Pan'er, I see that you have been in a daze this day. Is it because of what that Zhou official said?"
Zhao Pan'er did not answer directly, but asked: "He is from Tokyo, and he must know more about Tokyo than we do. He has no reason to deceive us, let alone think about it carefully, what he said is not unreasonable, a powerful wife family
It is clear at a glance which one is more important than a powerless wife."
Sun Sanniang consoled her: "Don't think nonsense. Your official Ouyang is not that kind of person. You have worked hard to take care of him for three years. He eats and uses your things. Even the expenses for going to Beijing to take the exam were given by you. If he
If you dare to be ruthless, you are not worthy of being a human being."
Zhao Pan'er rolled her eyes at her and said angrily: "Sanniang, Ouyang is not that kind of person. What I want is that if Ouyang passes the exam and becomes an official in Tokyo in the future, if I go to Tokyo, I don't know if I can get used to the life there.
.”
"Yo, yo, yo, we are all ready to go to Tokyo, Jinshi lady?"
"Hate."
Although Zhao Pan'er was a woman, she was still relatively strong in her heart. After thinking wildly for a while, she quickly returned to normal.
Mainly because she thought about it for a long time and finally believed in her relationship with Ouyang Xu, feeling that it was impossible for Ouyang Xu to betray her, let alone abandon her.
Sun Sanniang held her chin, looking thoughtful.
"However, what I am more curious about is that the Zhou official was obviously a Jinshi, but why did he not become an official? Moreover, he came to our Qiantang from Tokyo. Pan'er, do you think he offended someone?"
"Maybe, Sanniang, I think you seem to have a good impression of that Zhou official?" Zhao Pan'er suddenly teased.
Sun Sanniang was teased, but she was not as shy as Zhao Pan'er. Instead, she puffed out her chest and said: "Yes, I think Zhou Guan is very nice. He is handsome, he is a Jinshi, and he lives in Tokyo. If I were ten years younger, I would definitely
Just look for a man like Zhou Guanren, not someone like Fu Zifang’s father.”
Sun Sanniang's generous admission made Zhao Pan'er feel at a loss, and then they stopped discussing this topic.
When Zhou Chen returned to the inn, Qin Yi came over to report.
"Master Marquis, according to your order, I went to Jin Huan's house. I brought all the things you asked me to, and notified him that he could stay at home for a while and don't have to rush to join us."
"Well, you can inform him before we go back."
Zhou Chen estimated that it would be some time before Gu Qianfan arrived in Qiantang and the news about Ouyang Xu came back, so he was not planning to leave Qiantang. Naturally, there was no need to call Jin Huan back early to let him enjoy his family.
joy.
In addition to drinking tea at Zhao's Tea Shop every day, Zhou Chen also wanders around Qiantang and looks at the scenery.
But compared to Tokyo, Qiantang County is still too small. People are busy and there are too few places to visit.
Zhou Chen also wants to go to Jiaofangsi, because there are too few places for him to play, and he also has the side mission of 'listening to music on hooks', so going to Jiaofangsi is not only for fun, but also for
In order to complete the task.
But after thinking about it, he still didn't go. Although no one in Qiantang knew him, even if he went to Jiaofangsi, if he was careful, no one would know.
But if others don't know, it doesn't mean that he didn't do it. Since he traveled to ancient times and traveled to the Zhongyong Hou Mansion, the old Marquis was very good to him, so he still had to abide by what he should abide by.
For no other reason than to have peace of mind.
In the blink of an eye, another few days passed.
On the stone arch bridge outside Zhao's tea shop, Zhou Huai was eating candied fruit and bragging with Zhang Heng and Xue Wu.
"Zhang Heng, Xue Wu, let me tell you, our Lord Marquis has definitely fallen in love with Madam Zhao in this tea shop, otherwise it would not have been possible for him to come here to drink tea for more than ten days in a row."
Zhang Heng and Xue Wu looked at each other, neither agreeing nor refuting.
Seeing that they were silent, Zhou Huai said anxiously: "You two are talking. Do you think what I said is wrong? You have all seen Mrs. Zhao. She is really beautiful. She matches the Marquis very well. That's her identity.
According to the Marquis, it's too far off. The eldest lady of our Marquis' mansion should be one of those famous ladies, or a princess, princess, or something like that."
"Why don't you speak? Am I wrong?"
Zhang Heng sighed helplessly: "What do you want us to say? It was you who said that the Marquis fell in love with Lady Zhao, and it was you who said that Lady Zhao was not worthy of the Marquis. You have already said everything, what else can we say?
?”
Xue Wu looked convinced. After spending time together, they had already known Zhou Huai's character. He couldn't sit still and talked a lot. It was extremely inappropriate for them who were always serious and seldom talked.
"You two are really not interesting at all. I really can't talk to you."
Seeing that he had said so much, but the two eldest brothers never responded at all, Zhou Huai felt very frustrated.
"If you can't continue chatting with them, why don't you talk to me?"
The sound behind him made Zhou Huai jump up in shock. When he turned around and saw Zhou Chen, his face was immediately filled with nervousness.
"Master Hou, I, I was just joking."
Zhou Chen looked serious: "You said that the princess and the princess are more suitable for me, then you will help me find them?"
Zhou Huaiqian laughed a few times and quickly begged for mercy: "Master Hou, I was just joking with them. You don't remember the faults of villains. If you bypass me this time, I will never dare to do it again in the future."
Zhou Chen hummed: "Even I dare to comment. I think you just lack the rules and are too idle. From tomorrow on, you will train with Zhang Heng and Xue Wu."
"Zhang Heng, Xue Wu, starting tomorrow, you will train with Zhou Huai, focusing on military standards, and drill him hard for me. I will check after a month. If he does not meet the standards, you will be punished together."
Zhang Heng and Xue Wu were more straightforward and responded loudly: "Yes, Lord Marquis."
Zhou Chen took the lead and left, followed closely by Zhang Heng and Xue Wu, and finally Zhou Huai followed behind with a sad face.
After being with Zhou Chen for so long, he felt that Zhou Chen was a very good master, so he sometimes spoke with less scruples, but the words he just said behind his back were indeed inappropriate, and he himself realized the problem.
Just the thought of being drilled by Zhang Heng and Xue Wu made him tremble with fear, because when he was in the Hou Mansion, he had seen how Qin Yi and the others trained him. With his small body, he would probably be exhausted to death if he were to do the same thing.
However, no matter how reluctant he was, he could only silently endure Zhou Chen's orders.
Early the next morning, while Zhou Huai was still sleeping, he was forcefully pulled up by Zhang Heng and Xue Wu. Amid a burst of wailing, he was carried to a separate courtyard of the guest room to start training.
Zhou Chen watched all morning and saw that Zhou Huai collapsed from exhaustion, so he took Qin Yi out after lunch break.
There were many more people drinking tea in the tea shop in the afternoon than in the morning. When Zhou Chen brought Qin Yi to Zhao's tea shop, several tables of guests had already gathered in the tea shop.
