"Has the Marquis also heard about the Hat Demon? I wonder what the Marquis thinks of this? Is the Hat Demon really an evildoer?"
Gu Qianfan heard Zhou Chen talk about the Hat Demon Eucalyptus, so he took the opportunity to ask for advice.
Zhou Chen smiled and said: "You have already made a judgment in your heart, do you still need to ask me?"
Gu Qianfan said solemnly: "I don't believe in the hat monster or the hat monster. It's just a deception. I've fought against the 'hat monster' before. I'm sure someone is deliberately pretending. I guess there must be someone who wants to take advantage of it."
This hat monster is here to cause wind and rain."
"Then, Deputy Gu, who do you think is being mysterious?"
"I haven't found out this yet."
The mysterious appearance of the Hat Demon was that it was not in Tokyo at the beginning, but only appeared in Tokyo recently. Although he had fought with the Hat Demon, he could not figure out what the other party was about. He could only be sure that someone was deliberately causing trouble.
"Master Marquis, I came here to see you today just to ask your opinion on the Hat Demon Gum. One more thing is, what did you mean by what you said to me last time?"
"Which sentence?"
Gu Qianfan unconsciously looked around, and then whispered: "It's about Qi Mu Qi Zhongcheng. Why did you tell me last time to be careful about Qi Mu? Do you know anything?"
Zhou Chen chuckled and said: "It seems that you have noticed something recently, or you have found something, and you have become suspicious of Qi Mu, but you are not sure, so you came to me to ask about the situation, right?"
Gu Qianfan remained silent. Qi Mu's recent behavior really made him very suspicious.
Qi Mu, as the mainstay of the Qingliu lineage, has already collected the criminal evidence of Lei Jing and others. As long as Qi Mu takes it out, he will definitely be able to bring down many people.
But Qi Mu always pushed back and refused to do so. Instead, he wanted to take advantage of Lei Jing, and some of Qi Mu's recent practices did not satisfy him. This was very different from the Qi Mu in his impression.
"Master Marquis, just think that I owe you a favor and please tell me."
Zhou Chen did not speak, but tapped his fingers lightly on the table, with a serious and thoughtful look on his face.
After a long while, he finally said: "Deputy Ambassador Gu, you and I can be said to have hit it off right away. I also trust your character. I also know a lot about you, especially the relationship between you and Qi Mu."
I happen to know something about the connection."
Gu Qianfan was not surprised by this. He had already guessed it after Zhou Chen said those words last time.
"I don't know how much Deputy Gu trusts Qi Mu, but I still know a little bit about Qi Mu. We were Jinshi in the same batch back then. You should know something about me, right?"
Gu Qianfan nodded. Zhou Chen passed the Jinshi examination that year and became a disciple of Ke Xianggong, hoping to integrate into the Qingliu lineage.
But it is a pity that Zhou Chen was rejected by many officials in the Qingliu lineage in the end, and finally had to give up and chose to join the army and go to the border.
Although the officials of the Qingliu lineage did not represent the entire civil service group, at that time, the Qingliu lineage was indeed powerful and had a huge momentum in the court.
Unlike now, when the Hou Party gradually rose to prominence, Ke Xianggong was demoted, the Qingliu line suffered a heavy blow, and its power in the court became weaker and weaker.
"The person who rejected me in the Qingliu lineage back then was Qi Mu, and he was even the mastermind. I was still young at the time, and I had some resentment in my heart. But today, I have already figured out why that happened.
It's just that everyone's position and interests are different, which leads to such a result."
"But according to my investigation at the time, this Qi Mu has a deep mind. He deliberately got close to you, but in fact, he just wants to use you. He knows your abilities and wants you to join the Imperial City Division and take control of the Imperial City.
Si's power is used by him, I think you have already noticed this."
Gu Qianfan didn't answer, but his expression said everything.
"Did he want you to take down Lei Jing before? But now he doesn't do that. Instead, he wants to prevent you from dealing with Lei Jing?"
"How did you know?"
Gu Qianfan was really confused. Only he and Qi Mu knew about this matter. How did Zhou Chen learn about it?
Zhou Chen chuckled and said, "I am a bit petty. When Qi Mu tricked me back then, I remembered it in my heart and always wanted to find an opportunity to return it, so I paid more attention to his affairs.
"
"Is there anyone of yours around Qi Mu?" Gu Qianfan asked in surprise.
"maybe."
Zhou Chen did not give a direct answer, but used this ambiguous answer to let Gu Qianfan guess on his own.
Naturally, Qi Mu didn't have anyone around him. He knew this, of course, relying on his ability to 'foresee'.
"Deputy Ambassador Gu, you just need to know that I have no ill intentions towards you. On the contrary, I really think you are a good friend. We, a family of military generals, are not like those literati who have so many twists and turns in their hearts. I
When I say I treat you as a friend, I really mean I treat you as a friend.”
Gu Qianfan's face moved slightly. He believed Zhou Chen's words, because compared to Qi Mu, who was plotting against him, Zhou Chen had no connection with him at all, and he didn't have the value that Zhou Chen needed to win over.
Qi Mu is a civil servant and needs the power of the Imperial City Division, but Zhou Chen is different. Zhou Chen is a noble marquis, and now he is one of the two commanders of the guards. He has a high position and has no need to rely on the Imperial City Division.
strength.
And when they first met, he was just the commander of the Imperial City Division, but Zhou Chen saved his life and helped him a lot.
To put it another way, even if Zhou Chen really has some plans, at least at this stage, he can't feel any ill intentions.
After getting the answer he wanted to know, Gu Qianfan handed over his hand and thanked him.
"Master Hou, thank you very much."
"Don't be so polite. Maybe I will need your help in the future."
Gu Qianfan solemnly replied: "As long as the Marquis needs it in the future, I will do my best."
"Then I would like to thank Vice Ambassador Gu first." Zhou Chen smiled slightly.
Being able to make Gu Qianfan give up on Qi Mu as soon as possible is also a good thing for Zhou Chen.
It can be seen from the TV series that Qi Mu is a villain, not to mention that there is a bit of hatred between them. He hopes that Qi Mu will fall as soon as possible.
He has already begun to lay out the court. If no one comes down from the court, he will have no chance to fish in troubled waters.
In fact, compared to the hypocrite Qi Mu, Xiao Qinyan is a true villain who is easier to get along with.
It's just that Gu Qianfan's investigation of the Hat Monster probably won't come to fruition in the end, because behind the Hat Monster is not one person, but a force or even a combination of several forces.
If he really wanted to check, Zhou Chen could find out a lot of things, but why would he bother?
The Hou Party is already very powerful. If we get rid of those hostile forces, wouldn't it make the Hou Party even more powerful?
He knows that the current official family will die early next year. If the Houdang family is allowed to dominate the court, it will be very detrimental to his future plans. Of course, he will not sit back and watch the Houdang family become dominant.
As the saying goes, there are no enemies in the court, only interests. If you want to do something, do what is beneficial to you.
"well!"
Zhou Chen sighed heavily. If it weren't for his own side mission, why would he have to calculate so much? Being a free and easy prince is actually a good choice.
At worst, I would have more sons in the future, train them to be talented people, and let them strengthen the Zhongyong Hou Mansion. Wouldn't this be more comfortable than having to put in all the effort yourself?
It's a pity that in order to complete the side mission, he can only start working hard from now on.
Nainai, if he cannot take back the Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures, he will have to turn the world upside down.
As soon as Zhou Chen returned home, he learned that his fourth uncle Meng Wei was visiting.
"puff!"
Zhou Chen squirted out a mouthful of water and looked at Meng Wei in disbelief: "Uncle, are you kidding me? What do you think about asking me to marry Gao Hui from the Gao family?"
He never expected that Meng Wei came to him to marry him, and what he didn't expect was that the person he wanted to marry turned out to be Gao Hui, the daughter of Gao Observer.
Who is Gao Hui? How could he not know that the woman who almost married Ouyang Xu, let alone such a thing, he would not agree to it even if she did not.
"Xiao Chen, I really think about you. The Gao family is quite powerful. If you can marry the Gao family, it will only be good for you and not harmful."
Meng Wei patiently persuaded: "As for Gao Hui's previous engagement, it doesn't matter. It was canceled not long after it was signed. What's more, Ouyang Xu is dead. Gao Jianwen said that as long as you are willing to make an engagement with his daughter,
Make the engagement, and the Gao family and Concubine Xian will do their best to help you."
When they reach their status, face is important, but power is more important. The strength of the Gao family cannot be underestimated, so he came to persuade Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen glanced at Meng Wei indifferently. This uncle said nicely, but how could he not know what he was planning.
If he marries the Gao family, not only will he get benefits, but the Meng family will also get benefits. Who would think that his power has expanded.
Especially in this special period like this, the official family has serious health problems. This period is a time of turmoil, so there is naturally more to be concerned about.
"Uncle, stop talking. No matter what you say, there is no way I can agree to this."
Zhou Chen refused without hesitation, leaving no room for Meng Wei to persuade.
"You kid, why are you so stubborn?"
"Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but I have already made up my mind."
"You, well, well, you are old enough and have your own ideas. You can make your own decisions."
Seeing Zhou Chen's resolute attitude, Meng Wei sighed and did not try to persuade him again. Although he was his uncle, Zhou Chen's current status and power were no worse than his, and he indeed could not be Zhou Chen's boss.
This incident made Zhou Chen feel quite unhappy, so he quietly left the Hou Mansion and went to Anyefang.
Zhao Pan'er was reading at night when she suddenly heard footsteps and turned her head happily.
"You're here."
"Well, you're still up so late. What are you reading?"
Zhao Pan'er put down the book and smiled sweetly: "It's nothing, I just can't sleep. I just read it to pass the time."
Zhou Chen took advantage of the situation and sat down, hugged Zhao Pan'er into his arms, and said affectionately: "I thought you were thinking about me and couldn't sleep."
"Then I also said that you can't sleep because you think about me."
"Yes, you are right. I just missed you so much that I couldn't sleep, so I came to see you."
"You just tricked me on purpose."
Zhao Pan'er was very depressed. Every time she faced Zhou Chen, she felt as if she had become stupid and could not speak to Zhou Chen at all. This was something she had never encountered before.
Zhou Chen said with a smile: "Pan'er, this feeling is really good. Holding you makes me feel extremely at ease. Let me tell you something. I have asked someone to help us combine our horoscopes. Do you know the result?
?”
Zhao Pan'er's expression became serious and she couldn't wait to ask: "How is it?"
Zhou Chen scratched her nose and kissed her forehead gently.
"A match made in heaven, a perfect match."
"real or fake?"
Zhou Chen pretended to be unhappy and said: "What? Do you think I will lie to you? Or do you think we are not a match made in heaven?"
Zhao Pan'er immediately shook his head: "Of course not, I just think it's a bit unreal. Mr. Hou, do you really want to marry me as your legal wife? Will you regret it in the future?"
Zhou Chen smiled first, and then answered solemnly.
"What I have said will not change. You, Zhao Pan'er, are my official wife and the eldest lady of the Hou Mansion. As for whether you will regret it, my answer is no, and I am convinced that you, Pan'er, will not either.
Make me regret it, right?"
Zhao Pan'er's eyes turned red, and then she nodded vigorously: "Yes, I, Zhao Pan'er, swear that if I become the Marquis's wife, I will not make the Marquis regret choosing me."
"That's it. I have confidence in you, and you must also have confidence in yourself. When the time comes when we, husband and wife, are of one mind, we will be as powerful as gold."
"Um."
Zhao Pan'er leaned in Zhou Chen's arms. At this moment, she was no longer afraid, but felt extremely at ease.
After a long time, Zhao Pan'er suddenly remembered something.
"Master Hou, when I met Zhang Haohao yesterday, she told me something. Yin Zhang may have encountered trouble in the Jiaofang Division recently."
"I'm having trouble with the introduction. What's the trouble?"
"I heard from Zhang Haohao that there is a writer named Shen Ruzhuo in the Jiaofang Division who has been pestering Yinzhang. If she hadn't suddenly appeared last time, I don't know how Shen Ruzhuo would have bullied Yinzhang. Mr. Hou, I
I haven't asked you for anything, but I hope you can help her with the matter of Yin Zhang."
Zhou Chen raised his eyebrows: "Shen Ruzhuo? Okay, I understand. I'll have someone investigate tomorrow. If he really bothers Yin Zhang, I will handle it."
Shen Ruzhuo had been entangled with Song Yinzhang in the plot, and later almost betrayed Song Yinzhang. Now he has changed the plot. Unexpectedly, Shen Ruzhuo still refuses to change.
"Thank you, Mr. Hou." Zhao Pan'er said gratefully.
Zhou Chen said: "Pan'er, there's no need to say thank you to each other. Yin Zhang is your sister, so she is also my sister. This is what I should do. What's more, I promised her a long time ago that I would help her deregister, but
I haven't had time recently, and last time she had a conflict with her because of our affairs, so it hasn't been resolved yet. I just took this opportunity to help her deregister."