Chapter 973: Summoned by officials, casino overlord Zhao Paner
In the main hall of the Hou Mansion, Zhou Chen asked Gu Qianfan to sit down, and the servants quickly served tea.
"When I was in Qiantang, I saw the wanted order for Commander Gu, but at that time I had to return to Beijing before the Qingming Festival, so I didn't go to support Commander Gu. Don't blame Commander Gu."
"The Marquis is serious. This is my own business and has nothing to do with the Marquis. I can't thank you enough for being able to save my life."
Gu Qianfan behaved very humbly. Although the Imperial City Division is the real power organization in Tokyo and its status is not low, it still depends on who it is compared with.
Not to mention that he is just a commander of the Imperial City Division, even the company with the highest position in the Imperial City Division has to lower its posture when facing Zhou Chen, the loyal and brave prince.
After all, Zhou Chen is not the kind of honorable person who just waits for death. He is only observing the period of mourning. With Zhou Chen's qualifications, as long as the period of mourning is over, he will definitely be valued by the officials, entrusted with important positions, and his future will be bright.
They can compare.
"Is it because of that matter that you came to the Hou Mansion to see me today?"
Gu Qianfan looked around. Zhou Chen knew what he meant and waved his hand to let everyone else in the hall go out, leaving only him and Gu Qianfan.
"Master Marquis, last time you said that the night banquet picture was in the hands of Ouyang Xu, a new prodigy. Now that Ouyang Xu is about to marry Gao Observer's daughter, even our Imperial City Division will not be able to offend Gao Observer."
Gao Kuan was a third-grade official, several levels higher than their company, so it was really hard to offend him.
"I sent people to sneak into Ouyang Xu's ancestral house, but did not find the Night Banquet Picture. Lord Marquis, I am not questioning you. This matter is very involved. Are you really sure that the Night Banquet Picture is in Ouyang Xu's hands?"
The importance of the night banquet picture is self-evident. It is related to the queen's reputation. If she does not appear, everything will be fine, but if someone takes advantage of it, it will be a big trouble.
His duty is to find the night banquet picture and hand it over to the company. As for how the company handles it, it is none of his business.
Zhou Chen said: "The Night Banquet Picture was indeed in Ouyang Xu's hands before. This is true, but it is no longer in his hands now. In order to please Xianggong Ke, he sent many calligraphy and painting gifts to Mr. Ke, and the Night Banquet Picture is among them."
"In the hands of Mr. Ke?"
Gu Qianfan looked shocked. Mr. Ke was the leader of the Qing Dynasty, the first scholar in the world, and was highly respected by scholars. Although he was no longer the prime minister and was about to be demoted, he still had a strong prestige.
If it were in Ouyang Xu's hands, he could still think of a way, but if it was in Mr. Ke's hands, it would be impossible for them to get the Night Banquet Map from Mr. Ke without revealing the truth about the Night Banquet Map.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, and he quickly made a decision not to worry about the night banquet picture.
"Master Marquis, I owe you my life. If Master Marquis finds me useful in the future, I will never delay."
He is a person with a clear sense of grudges and grudges. No matter what purpose Zhou Chen had, he saved his life and he will remember this kindness.
"Commander Gu is serious. We are Jinshi at the same time. We didn't have the chance before, but we can get closer in the future. However, the Imperial City Division is a place that offends people. Commander Gu should take good care of himself."
Gu Qianfan understood what Zhou Chen meant. He had worked in the Imperial City Division for so many years. From his nickname of "Living Yama", he knew how bad his reputation was.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for reminding me. I still have something to do in the office, so I'll take my leave now."
Gu Qianfan stood up to leave, but Zhou Chen stopped him and said, "Commander Gu, it's almost noon now, why don't you leave after eating?"
Gu Qianfan did not stay. After thanking him repeatedly, he left the Hou Mansion.
After several contacts with Gu Qianfan, Zhou Chen could feel that this was a person whose character was trustworthy. Unfortunately, he had always been unkind to others.
First Qi Mu as his father, and then Xiao Qinyan as his biological father. No one treated him sincerely, they all just treated him as a pawn.
It's sad and deplorable.
But it is precisely because of his ability that he is valued by all parties. Even the company of the Imperial City Division is obviously very afraid of him, but they have to reuse him.
In the afternoon, Zhou Chen rested for a while, and then began to practice. The progress of Chunyang Jue was slow, but he continued to practice unremittingly every day.
Without extraordinary martial arts talent, he could only rely on hard work to make up for it. Accumulation of small things makes more, and over time, he does not seek to reach the realm of the Langya Bang world, as long as continuous progress is enough.
"Dongdongdong..."
Suddenly, a hurried knock on the door woke Zhou Chen up. He frowned slightly. Before he could speak, Zhou Huai's voice rang out.
"Master Hou, the official's internal eunuch came to the Hou Mansion and said that he had the official's will."
"Creak!"
Zhou Chen opened the door: "Where is he?"
"We have arrived at the middle hall."
Zhou Chen didn't say anything more and immediately left for the middle hall.
"The official issued a decree announcing that Zhou Chen, the Zhongyong Hou, would come to the palace to pay an audience."
When the eunuch saw Zhou Chen's arrival, he immediately conveyed the official's order. Then Zhou Chen asked Uncle Yan to deliver the things quietly, and then went to the palace with the eunuch.
On the way, Zhou Chen asked the internal eunuch for details. The internal eunuch was very respectful, but he didn't know why the official announced Zhou Chen's entry into the palace, so he naturally couldn't answer Zhou Chen.
The imperial palace of the Song Dynasty was quite special, spanning the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. It was certainly incomparable to the Forbidden City, but it was still tall, majestic and majestic.
Traveling to this world, this is the second time Zhou Chen has entered the palace. The last time was when he returned to Beijing to resume his duties. After that, he was in the period of observing filial piety and did not need to go to court, so this is the second time.
The main hall of the imperial palace is called the Daqing Hall, where grand ceremonies are held. To the north of the Daqing Hall is the Zichen Hall, which is the front hall where the emperor visits the court, holds court meetings every month, receives congratulations when the suburban temple ceremony is completed, and receives Khitan envoys.
Held in Zichen Hall.
Under the leadership of the eunuch, Zhou Chen came to the Wende Hall in the northwest. The emperor usually rested in this hall after handling the morning dynasty.
Standing outside the palace, Zhou Chen waited patiently for the eunuch's report. After a while.
"Xuan, Lord Zhongyong! I have an audience."
After Zhou Chen heard this, he immediately straightened his purple robe, and under the leadership of the eunuch, he slowly walked into the Hall of Wende.
Walking to the center of the hall, Zhou Chen bowed to pay homage.
"Weak minister Zhou Chen, please pay homage to the official family. Long live the official family. Long live the official family."
"Please get up, Qing Zhou."
Zhou Chen stood up and raised his head, facing the official Zhao Heng. Zhao Heng's face was not old, he was dressed in luxurious clothes, he was sitting upright, and he looked a bit ethereal.
Zhou Chen knew very well that at this time, official Zhao Heng's life had entered a countdown. It was precisely because of this that at this point in time, he would particularly admire Taoism and pursue Taoism wholeheartedly, which caused chaos in the government and the public, with various forces scheming and fighting against each other.
Criticize.
But it is undeniable that the successive emperors of the Northern Song Dynasty were very tolerant to their ministers, especially scholars. Unless they committed a particularly serious crime, they would be exiled at most and would not endanger their lives.
Zhao Heng's generation was nothing, but the next generation of Emperor Renzong became even more powerful and so lenient that he couldn't even protect his own prince. This can no longer be said to be lenient, but cowardly.
I have never seen many emperors in all dynasties who were bullied to death by civil servants.
Zhao Heng in front of the eucalyptus asked: "Zhou Qing, I called you here this time because I want to listen to your advice on something. Xiazhou's disaster-defeating army has been on the rise again recently. You once defeated the disaster-defeating army. With your
In my opinion, who should be sent to guard the border of Xiazhou?"
Zhou Chen looked surprised. You must know that a few years ago, he defeated the distress army led by Li Deming and almost captured Xiazhou. He could have killed Li Deming if it weren't for the lack of food and grass supplies.
It's only been a few years, but the trouble-making army has risen again? Is it so tenacious?
"The official family, Wei Chen feels that the Dingnan Army has been colluding with Liao Ting all the year round. The best choice is to use troops to destroy them in one fell swoop. Otherwise, they will be like weeds, endless. If the official family wants to use troops against Xiazhou,
I am willing to serve as a vanguard general."
"I understand Zhou Qing's thoughts, but if we launch troops against the Dingnan Army, Liao Ting will not sit idly by and ignore it. The Chanyuan Alliance has only been around for more than ten years, so it is not appropriate to launch another attack."
Zhou Chen was not surprised by Zhao Heng's words. If Zhao Heng had been ambitious, he would not have delayed it until now, not to mention that he was already in his old age and would be more likely to launch troops.
"In the official family, the Li family of the Dingnan Army is as cunning as a fox, so the border must be guarded. The minister thinks that a mature, prudent and experienced general should be sent to guard it."
"What do you think of Meng Cong? I remember that he seems to be your uncle, right?" Zhao Heng suddenly asked.
"Going back to the official house, Mr. Meng is Wei Chen's eighth uncle. Wei Chen can't say much."
Zhao Heng laughed and said: "You are not old, but you are mature. You don't avoid relatives when promoting talents. Forget it, just Meng Cong."
He had obviously already thought about it, and calling Zhou Chen over was just a routine question.
"Zhou Qing, I remember that your period of filial piety is almost over, right?"
"Back to the official house, the period of filial piety for the humble minister ends in two months."
The three-year period of filial piety is actually only twenty-seven months.
Zhao Heng nodded and said: "Well, you are a young general of our Song Dynasty. You can't just stay at home like this. You have to serve the court quickly."
"Wei Chen thanked the officials."
Zhao Heng chatted with Zhou Chen for a while before letting Zhou Chen leave the palace.
After leaving the palace, Zhou Chen secretly thought to himself that Zhao Heng called him here today. Although he said a lot, he basically had no nutrition, as if he was just chatting with him. This should be because his filial piety period is approaching.
To end it, to appease him in advance and win over him is also to remind him that after the filial piety period is over, he should be put to good use.
This is a good time for him. Generally, officials after Ding You are very rare to be reinstated to their original posts, and those who can get a high-level position are even rarer.
This is also the biggest reason why many officials deceive their superiors and conceal the death of their parents and relatives for the sake of their own career.
It's just that the Song Dynasty governed the country with filial piety, and after perfecting the Dingyou system, not many people dared to touch it.
From the chat with Zhao Heng, Zhou Chen could also feel that this emperor's temperament was definitely much better than that of Emperor Liang in the Langya Bang world in terms of his generosity towards others.
…………
"What are Mrs. Zhao and the others doing recently?"
After Zhou Chen pointed out the guards, he asked Qin Yi that he had always asked Qin Yi to arrange people to protect Zhao Pan'er, but Zhao Pan'er and the others did not know.
Qin Yi replied: "Ms. Zhao and the others recently got into trouble with Ouyang Xu. I don't know why. They even blocked the door of Ouyang Xu's ancestral home, which caused quite a stir in the surrounding area."
"Oh, is it so?"
Zhou Chen looked surprised. He knew that this scene had happened in the plot, but at that time Zhao Paner wanted more from Ouyang Xu to return the night banquet picture.
But because of his appearance, although Zhao Pan'er already knew about the night banquet picture, he had no interaction with Gu Qianfan, so logically speaking, he shouldn't have made such a big fuss.
"Is it really for the purpose of canceling the engagement?"
Zhou Chen had some guesses in his mind, but did not delay his actions.
"Ask Zhou Huai to prepare the carriage and go out."
"Yes, Lord Marquis."
Zhou Chen took a carriage and arrived at the inn where Zhao Pan'er and the others lived. As soon as he entered the inn, he found that the inn was very lively and bustling with people, and many people were crowding in.
At Zhou Chen's signal, Zhou Huai grabbed a person and curiously asked the reason.
"It's the famous Thirteenth Young Master Chi Yanei in Tokyo City. He's competing with someone. I heard that the other party is a few young ladies from out of town."
"I heard that there will be three games. Now we have two games. If we win and lose, we will compete in the last one."
When Zhou Chen heard this, he immediately became interested. It turned out to be this.
"Let's go over and have a look."
Zhou Chen followed the crowd and came to the corridor inside the inn. There was a pavilion in the center of the lake. Many people gathered there.
It was Chi Yanei and Zhao Pan'er who were the two parties in the fight.
Not surprisingly, Zhao Pan'er and Chi Yanei Chi Pan competed on dice.
Zhao Pan'er is really good at both civil and military skills. Even at casino dice, he is very good at it. In the end, he relied on trickery to throw thirty-seven points and won Chi Pan's thirty-six points.
Chi Pan was so angry that he screamed strangely again and again, but in full view of everyone, he had to admit defeat, and finally reluctantly led the people out of the inn.
Zhou Huai was dumbfounded and his eyes were shining: "Ms. Zhao is so amazing. If I were as good as Ms. Zhao, I would definitely win all the money from Blind Man Wang and the others. I want to take Ms. Zhao as my teacher."
"
"Get out of here, this is nothing."
Zhou Chen held down Zhou Huai's head, pushed him aside, and walked towards the pavilion.
Because the competition was over and Chi Pan had left, Zhao Paner and the girls received a lot of applause, but the audience saw that it was no longer fun and left one after another.
Zhao Pan'er and the three girls sat down in the pavilion, and the maid Yin Ping was waiting beside them, pouring wine for them.
Song Yinzhang took a sip of wine and said in surprise: "This is my first time drinking wine from Tokyo. The wine from the Central Plains is really different from the wine from Jiangnan."
Sun Sanniang said happily: "We defeated Chi Yanei today, it's really a pleasure."
Zhao Paner smiled and was about to say something.
"It's really fun. As soon as I arrived in Tokyo, I was in the limelight. I was right. Madam Zhao, you are really suitable for Tokyo."
"Master Zhou!"
Song Yinzhang was the first to stand up and shouted excitedly. Zhao Paner and Sun Sanniang also stood up at the same time.
Zhou Chen raised his finger: "You don't need to call me that when you are out. Just call me Zhou Guanren as before."
The three women looked at each other, and finally it was Zhao Pan'er who shouted first: "Guan Zhou, why do you have time to come here today?"
Zhou Chen sat down opposite Zhao Pan'er and said: "I heard that you guys were making trouble in front of Ouyang Xu's house recently. I was worried that you would cause trouble, so I came over to take a look. I didn't expect that I would encounter such a wonderful scene as soon as I came here. Qiantang
Mrs. Zhao is indeed a person that the casino bully will be afraid of whenever he sees her."
Even Zhao Pan'er felt extremely embarrassed when he showed this kind of ability in front of Zhou Chen.
"Guan Zhou, don't make fun of me anymore."
"This is not a joke, but a compliment. There is no difference in ability. No matter what the ability is, it may be useful one day. Just like today, if you don't have superb gambling skills, how can you win Chi Yanei?
?”
When Zhou Chen was young, he often watched God of Gamblers and Gambler, and was obsessed with him for a time. However, his talent was limited and he had no achievements in gambling.
