After the meal, Mrs. Yu and her family were the first to leave. Mrs. Yu was quite happy today. She drank a lot of wine and was supported by the servant.
Minglan reluctantly said goodbye to her good sister Yu Yanran and sent Yu Yanran away. Just as she was about to return to Shou'an Hall, she saw Qi Heng appearing in front of her with Buwei.
"Little father-in-law."
"Sixth sister."
Minglan was careful and reserved, while Qi Heng drank wine, his face was reddish, and his eyebrows were smiling.
Although Qi Heng wanted to talk to Ming Lan more, Ming Lan was still very cautious and did not dare to have too much contact with Qi Heng and ran away after saying a few words.
"Girl, my young father-in-law seems to treat you very differently."
Xiaotao, the maid next to Minglan, is a foodie and naive, but she also feels that Qi Heng treats Minglan a little differently.
Minglan hurriedly retorted: "Xiao Tao, don't talk nonsense. My young father-in-law and I are classmates in school. My young father-in-law is a kind and honest man, and he treats me, my fourth sister, and my fifth sister the same."
Xiaotao tilted her head: "I think it's different."
"You damn peach, how dare you laugh at me."
The two of them walked to Shou'an Hall laughing and joking, but before they entered, they saw Zhou Chen standing at the door and quickly saluted.
"Master Hou."
"Master Hou."
Zhou Chen looked at Minglan and said, "You don't have to be reserved at home. I came to Sheng Mansion as a son-in-law, not as a marquis."
Minglan understood and bowed again: "eldest brother-in-law."
"Young Master Qi has a docile and gentle temperament. He is like a tree in the wind and has a graceful demeanor. He is a humble gentleman."
Zhou Chen said calmly: "Young Master Qi is good, but now Princess Pingning is in charge of the Duke of Qi's mansion. Princess Pingning is arrogant and high-minded; Qi Heng is a filial man and will not go against himself when doing things."
Mother, this is a good thing, but when it comes to certain things, it is not a good thing."
Minglan blinked and asked in confusion: "Brother-in-law, why are you telling me this?"
Zhou Chen chuckled and said: "It's okay to deceive others, but stop pretending in front of me. You know very well why I told you this. I didn't mean to stop you, but just let you do it."
Before doing anything, think carefully and carefully, and don’t let your temporary emotions control you.”
Minglan lowered her head and whispered: "I don't know what eldest brother-in-law means, but I will remember eldest brother-in-law's teachings."
"I hope you can really remember."
Zhou Chen shook his head. He didn't know how much Minglan could listen, but he also knew that Minglan was a very stubborn person. He didn't think that he could change Minglan with just a few words.
"It's not a good thing to be so thoughtful at such a young age."
After saying this, he turned around and walked into Shou'an Hall, leaving Minglan with a pensive look on his face and Xiao Tao with a confused look on his face.
"Girl, are the Marquis talking about the girl and Young Master Qi?"
"You're the only one with a lot of problems."
Minglan patted Xiaotao gently.
Xiaotao was still muttering in a low voice: "Girl, Young Master Qi is very good, but I think Mr. Hou is more handsome than Young Master Qi."
"You little peach, you are so shameless. You even compared your eldest brother-in-law with Young Master Qi. They are neither bigger nor smaller."
Although this metaphor was very inappropriate, Minglan found it funny. Although Qi Heng was from a good background, good-looking, and a courteous gentleman, there was still a big gap between him and his eldest brother-in-law.
The eldest brother-in-law is the real civil and military man, a first-rate hero.
"Girl, I'm just telling you quietly. How dare I tell others? Anyway, I think the Marquis is very kind to the eldest girl. No one in our house says that the eldest girl is lucky, even the old lady.
Say it often."
Minglan nodded in agreement. The eldest sister married into the Marquis's Mansion. Her eldest brother-in-law loved her. The old lady was also kind to her. She took care of the house after she went to the Marquis' Mansion. Within two years, she became the Marquis's wife again.
Let alone their Shengfu, there are countless women in Tokyo who envy their eldest sister. Which boudoir girl doesn’t want to be lucky enough to have her eldest sister?
"The eldest brother-in-law is indeed very kind to the eldest sister, but don't say this nonsense. If someone hears it, you will be slapped."
"Oh, I know, girl."
Xiaotao scratched her head naively. She was not clever, but she was not brainless. She still knew what she could and could not say.
The Zhongjing Marquis Mansion is one of the most prestigious high-gate courtyards in Tokyo. It covers a huge area. In such a huge Marquis Mansion, there are hundreds of people including the master, servants, and guards.
In addition to the residences and courtyards, there are also artificial lakes, rockery gardens, and small martial arts venues and training grounds.
At this time, Zhou Chen was on the training ground, holding a bow and arrow. With a 'swish' sound, he hit the bull's-eye of an arrow target dozens of steps away.
Rapid footsteps sounded, and a tall man with a beard walked up to Zhou Chen.
"Master Hou, people are already here."
"Let them come."
"yes."
Zhou Chen raised his hand, and Yuan Cai next to him immediately handed the arrow to Zhou Chen.
Yuancai was one of the eighteen soldiers Zhou Chen brought back from the border. Because he was smart and intelligent, he was now the most capable servant around Zhou Chen.
The one with the beard just now is Cao Er. Like Yuan Cai, he was Zhou Chen's former personal soldier. Now he is the steward of the palace and the leader of the guard. He is born with supernatural power and is fierce and fierce.
There was a 'swish' sound, and it hit the bull's-eye again.
The archery target at a distance of dozens of steps was too simple for Zhou Chen.
Cao Er came over with three young people of about the same age. When the three saw Zhou Chen, they all saluted respectfully.
"Third brother."
Zhou Chen is now honored as Marquis Zhongjing. Although the three of them are Zhou Chen's younger brothers, they still respect Zhou Chen very much.
Zhou Chen looked back at the three of them and said: "You have been very leisurely recently, especially you, Zhou Ting, and the Western Suburbs Camp. Don't you need to train? I still think that the Long Guards are not worthy of you.
identity?"
Zhou Ting is Zhou Chen's half-brother and the fifth youngest brother in the family. It is because of Zhou Chen that he can hold the position of head of the Dragon Guard Army.
Hearing Zhou Chen's words, Zhou Ting was startled: "No, third brother, I, I just have some free time occasionally."
"Occasionally? Oh, Zhou Qing, Zhou Qi, you two are also very free?"
Zhou Qing is the son of Zhou Chen's third uncle, and Zhou Qi is the son of fifth uncle. One is twenty and the other is nineteen. Zhou Ting is about the same age as them, so they play together.
Although they were equals, these three people were very nervous and scared when they faced Zhou Chen.
"Third brother, have we done nothing wrong recently?"
Zhou Qing was the legitimate son of his third uncle. Relatively speaking, he was less afraid of Zhou Chen and asked cautiously.
"Didn't do anything wrong?"
Zhou Chen snorted lightly and asked, "Then why do you think I sent someone to call you here?"
Zhou Ting said with a sad face: "Third brother, I really haven't done anything bad recently. You know, I listen to you the most."
Zhou Chen is now the master of the Hou Mansion. Zhou Ting and his wife depend on Zhou Chen for their lives. They don't dare to offend Zhou Chen even if they give him a hundred courages.
"snort."
Zhou Chen snorted coldly and threw the bow in his hand to Zhou Ting, who caught it in a hurry.
"On the twenty-eighth of last month, what did you three do?"
"On the twenty-eighth of last month?"
Zhou Ting and the others thought carefully about it.
"On the twenty-eighth of last month, we went to Guangyuntai for a drink, and we seemed to have met..."
In vain, the three people in Zhou Ting all widened their eyes: "The fifth son of King Yong? Could it be?"
Zhou Chen snorted coldly: "It seems you are not too stupid. I remember that during the sacrifice, I once said that no one from my Zhou family is allowed to participate in the establishment of an heir, let alone have private contact with King Yong and King Yan.
, did you take my words as deaf ears?"
The three people in Zhou Ting shivered in fright and hurriedly argued: "Third brother, we can't really be blamed for what happened that day. It was Zhao Mao who came to us and insisted on inviting us to a drink. We can't refuse.
I can agree. Although we had a drink with Zhao Hao, we definitely didn’t say anything we shouldn’t have said. Third brother, you have to believe us.”
Zhou Chen said calmly: "So five days ago, you agreed to have wine with Zhao Hao and others again?"
"Third brother, I, we, we were wrong, and we know we were wrong."
The three people in Zhou Ting were terrified. They had all seen Zhou Chen's methods. During the clan meeting, a clan member made a big mistake, but Zhou Chen really dared to beat someone to death.
Although Zhou Chen is a bit more lenient than the previous Marquis Zhongjing, when it comes to ruthlessness, he is really no worse than the previous Marquis Zhongjing.
The three people in Zhou Ting are just teenagers, how could they not be afraid.
"If you really listen to what I say, you won't have a second contact with Zhao Hao. Don't think that I don't know what you think. Even your father knows that Conglong's skill is not that easy. You
After you pour it and have some wine, you will think you are very capable, right?"
"That's because you didn't say anything out of the ordinary. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been invited here today, but you would have been dragged here."
The battle between King Yong and King Yan is different from the ordinary battle for the right to inherit the heir. Neither of them is the son of an official family. Everyone knows that the official family has not yet thought about succession and has no plan to establish an heir. The two are already fighting.
Like water and fire.
The officials themselves are dissatisfied with these two people, so the most annoying thing is that there is an official colluding with King Yong and King Yan, openly or covertly. He thinks he is still alive, so you guys want to stand in advance and take me as an official seriously.
Is it in?
Therefore, in the plot, Sheng Changfeng and his few dandy sons said something that King Yan was more capable than King Yong and would be more likely to inherit the throne in the future, which immediately made the officials furious and directly detained Sheng Hong and other officials.
To be honest, Sheng Hong was just smart enough to say what Chunchen said at that time, otherwise his end would never be better.
It is precisely because of knowing this that Zhou Chen has always emphasized that no one in his house should have contact with King Yong and King Yan, but the three of Zhou Ting did not listen at all.
"Before his death, my father handed over the Zhou family and the Hou Mansion to me. Naturally, I have to take responsibility and prevent the Zhou family from being in trouble. Anyone who wants to destroy this stability will be punished."
"I won't hit you either. Aren't you very free? Very good. Have you seen the target? The three of you can leave if you hit the target a thousand times each. If you don't hit the target a thousand times, you will stay.
Here, when you hit a thousand times, when you leave."
"Third brother."
The three people in Zhou Ting were immediately shocked. Although the three of them were all from the Zhou clan of military commanders, they were not hard-working people. They were good at archery, but they were not proficient at all. Usually ten arrows could hit the bull's-eye, which is pretty good.
Well, if they hit the bullseye a thousand times, wouldn't that cost them their lives?
"Third brother, please spare us. We won't dare to do it again. We can't do it a thousand times."
"Yes, third brother, we admit our mistakes and accept the punishment, but can we change it to another one? It can also be done by changing the throwing pot."
"Third brother..."
Zhou Chen stopped looking at them and just told Cao Er: "Old Cao, send someone to keep an eye on them. They are not allowed to leave until they are finished. If anyone dares not to listen, we will beat them directly."
"Yes, Lord Marquis."
Cao Er immediately responded loudly, then waved his hand to call the guards, staring at Zhou Ting and the others. He didn't care who Zhou Ting and the others were, he only listened to Zhou Chen's orders.
"Third brother, third brother..."
No matter how the three people in Zhou Ting shouted, Zhou Chen left without looking back. The three of them still wanted to chase, but Cao Er and several guards stood in front of them.
"Young masters, please don't make it difficult for us to fulfill the Marquis's order."
Zhou Qing wanted to break in, but Zhou Ting held him back.
"Don't be stupid. They are ruthless people who came back from the border with Third Brother. They really dare to do something."
No one in the Hou Mansion does not know how powerful Cao Er and his gang are. They are all Zhou Chen's absolute confidants. They have helped Zhou Chen deal with many people and affairs in recent years, so almost no one in the Hou Mansion dares to mess with them.
Although Zhou Ting is Zhou Chen's younger brother, he is also considered the master in the Hou Mansion, but even so, he does not dare to do anything to Cao Er and others. His third brother has given orders, but these people will execute them without hesitation.
.
The day and night passed quickly. When Zhou Chen came back from work the next day, he saw many people coming to the main hall of the middle courtyard of the Hou Mansion.
"Third uncle, fifth uncle, aunt."
He didn't need to think about it to know why they came. He walked up to the top and sat down in a hurry. Hua Lan, who had been accompanying him, immediately whispered: "Uncle San and the others are here for Zhou Qing and the others. In the morning, Yuan
My wife also came to me to plead for mercy, but I pushed her away."
Zhou Chen nodded, turned to look at the third uncle and the fifth uncle. The first one who couldn't hold back her anger was the third aunt. She said eagerly: "Brother Chen, why did my brother Qing offend you? Why did you detain him?"
After a day, and let him hit the bullseye a thousand times, wouldn't this cost his life?"
The third uncle's face darkened and he yelled loudly: "I'm a woman, when is it your turn to speak? Step back, Sanlang, your aunt is just worried about Qing'er."
Although the third aunt was not happy, she did not dare to disobey her officials and sat down with a look of reluctance.
Zhou Chen took a sip of tea, faced the eyes of his third uncle and fifth uncle, and said calmly: "It's hard to say whether I want their lives, but if I don't do this, sooner or later, they will cause a big disaster.
I'm not afraid, but I don't know if the third uncle and the fifth uncle can bear it."
The third uncle Zhou Yejin and the fifth uncle Zhou Yeshi are now officials in Tokyo. The third uncle is in the Ministry of War and the fifth uncle is in the Ministry of Household Affairs. However, their grades are not high. One is sixth grade and the other is seventh grade. There is almost no potential for promotion.
.
After hearing Zhou Chen's words, the fifth uncle Zhou Yeshi asked in confusion: "Is Sanlang's words conciliatory?"
"My investigation revealed that Zhou Ting, Zhou Qing, and Zhou Qi had private contact with Zhao Mao, the fifth son of King Yong, twice. What do you think the officials would think if this matter came to their ears?"
"What?"
Both Zhou Yejin and Zhou Yeshi's expressions changed drastically, and they said eagerly: "Sanlang, are you serious?"
Zhou Chen said: "Do the third uncle and the fifth uncle think that I am that kind of mean brother? What's the benefit of punishing them? I want them to wake up and know what they can do and what they can't do. Don't let them do it because of their behavior."
If you make a mistake, your family and clan will suffer."
The third uncle didn't say anything, he stood up and shouted to the third aunt who was still looking bitter: "Let's go back."
"Qing'er still..."
"Shut up and let that beast reflect and reflect. It doesn't matter if he wants to die. Don't hurt others."
Being scolded by the third uncle, the third aunt did not dare to reply and hurriedly chased after him.
Fifth uncle Zhou Yeshi sighed, stood up and said to Zhou Chen: "Sanlang, this is Qi'er's fault. I don't have any objection to how you want to punish him."
Zhou Chen nodded and said: "Don't worry, Fifth Uncle, I won't really do anything to them. But after I send someone to send them back, I ask Fifth Uncle to pay close attention to what is the current situation in the court. Fifth Uncle
It should be clear."
"Don't worry, Saburo, I know what to do."
After Zhou Yeshi finished speaking, he turned around and left the Hou Mansion.
After everyone left, Hua Lan said, "Mother asked us to come over for dinner in the evening."
"Okay, I'll go back and change clothes when I go back."
A few days later, Sheng Changbai came to the Hou Mansion and sent Zhou Chen a letter from Gu Tingye.
After reading the letter, Zhou Chen said in surprise: "Zhong Huai is coming back, for the upcoming exam?"
Sheng Changbai nodded and replied: "Yes, eldest brother-in-law, Zhong Huai also passed the examination locally and said he would take the examination with me this time."
Zhou Chen said: "Speaking of which, Zhong Huai is a few years older than you, so he is quite young. Zecheng, are you sure about Yijia this time?"
"The treatment of first-class Jinshi and second-class and third-class Jinshi are completely different. Behind Zhong Huai is Ning Yuanhou. As long as you win, even if you are a third-class scholar, you will have a future in the future, whether you transfer from civil to military or from martial to civil. If you don't
If you win the top grade, you will suffer a loss when choosing a job."
If you can't get a good ranking in the top three examinations, plus the palace examination, your starting point will naturally be lower.
Although Sheng Changbai's academic performance is relatively good, he also knows that Sheng Changbai won the 13th place in the first grade in the plot, but who knows if an accident will happen.
Sheng Changbai's expression was very calm: "I haven't passed the exam, so no one can say for sure. I have decided to take part in this examination."
Zhou Chen expressed his admiration: "Very good, you have a very good attitude. A few days ago, your sister also asked me about the exam. I already know who the examiner is for this exam. I have prepared some for you."
The strategies and notes are my own summary and may not necessarily be helpful to you, but if you are interested, you can take them back later and take a look."
Sheng Changbai immediately stood up and saluted Zhou Chen: "Thank you, brother-in-law. I'm very interested."
He admired his eldest brother-in-law very much. He knew that although the eldest brother-in-law had never passed the provincial examination, he had passed the provincial examination and had performed in front of officials and civil and military officials.
The princes all praised Zhou Chen's knowledge, and the picture of the banquet at Jiying Hall still hangs in the official palace.
"Okay, I'll bring it to you after dinner later. By the way, I've been a little busy with official duties recently. If Zhong Huai comes back, I may not have time to pick him up. You can tell him then and wait for him.
When I returned to Tokyo, I invited him to have a drink."
"I will tell Zhong Huai."
Zhou Chen suddenly changed the subject: "There is one more thing, because I am responsible for the security and defense of the inner city. I heard from my subordinates that Chang Feng has been fooling around with a group of government officials recently. I can't say, but you can do it.
Brother, I still need more persuasion."
Sheng Changbai's face changed slightly. He naturally knew that his younger brother Sheng Changfeng had made friends with a group of officials' children, and often used the name of the Poetry Club to go around drinking and playing. He also tried to persuade him several times, but to no avail.
But it was different when Zhou Chen said it, indicating that Sheng Changfeng might have been a little arrogant recently, otherwise it would not have reached the ears of Zhou Chen, the commander of the cavalry and army.
"Don't worry, brother-in-law, I will warn him when I get back."