The world of film and television begins from childhood

Sheng Wei immediately said, "Official business is more important, Lord Marquis, don't worry about us."

Zhou Chen didn't say anything more and led the cavalry away quickly.

Sheng Shulan stared in the direction Zhou Chen and the others left, lost in thought.

The number of rebels who sneaked into Youyang was not large. When Zhou Chen led the Dragon Guard Army to arrive, most of them had been frightened and fled in all directions. The remaining rebels were quickly wiped out by Zhou Chen's army.

After doing all this, Zhou Chen ordered his men to stay on the spot and wait for orders, and then he led his men into Youyang and went to the Sheng Mansion to pay a visit to the old lady.

When Zhou Chen arrived, everyone in the Sheng Mansion gathered together.

As soon as he entered the Sheng Mansion, Zhou Chen saw the old lady and immediately went forward to pay his respects.

"grandmother."

"Hey, Sanlang, you are so busy with military affairs, why do you come to see an old woman like me?"

The old lady walked forward with a happy face and held Zhou Chen. She was happy in her heart, but she still scolded him.

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "Since I passed by Youyang and learned that you were here, I must come to see you. Don't worry, I have already wiped out the bandits around Youyang. The remaining bandits will not cause any trouble and the government can handle it."

"That's good, that's good."

The old lady breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Hua'er told me before that there were many rebellions in the south, but I didn't believe it. If it weren't for Hua'er and Sanlang, I, an old lady, would have been in trouble."

"Grandma, don't say that. You are blessed with long-lasting fortunes. Even without us, you will surely have a smooth journey, safe and healthy." Zhou Chen said kindly.

Seeing the old lady talking to Zhou Chen, the people around them didn't dare to interrupt and waited quietly with smiles on their faces.

The old lady said a few words of concern and pulled Zhou Chen to sit down. Zhou Chen then took the initiative to greet Sheng Wei and his wife. Sheng Wei and his wife did not act arrogantly at all because of their seniority. Instead, they were very respectful and careful. After all, the gap in status between them was too big.

Let me ask you a question, who is older, Shulan or Hualan?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1141 The protagonist's halo, promotion

Zhou Chen had dinner at the Sheng Mansion and chatted with the old lady for a while, and then the magistrate of Youyang came to visit.

The old lady said, "Youyang is the ancestral home of the Sheng family. Your uncle and his family will continue to live in Youyang in the future. Please help them if you can."

Although the eldest branch of the Sheng family is very rich, money is not as good as power. If it were not for Sheng Hong's official status, it would be difficult for them to expand their business to such a large scale.

Of course, for Sheng Hong to be promoted so quickly and to be able to support a large family, it was naturally not enough to rely solely on his own abilities and salary. In the early stages, it was mostly with the subsidies and support from the first wife that Sheng Hong was able to rise to prominence more quickly.

To describe it in one sentence, it means supporting each other, prospering together and suffering together.

In the past, the second wife relied on the first wife, but now the first wife relies more on the second wife.

As the old lady of the second wife, Mrs. Sheng had shared hardships with the old lady of the first wife and had a very close relationship with the first wife, so if she could help the first wife, she would definitely be willing to help.

Of course Zhou Chen would have no objection. To him, it was just a matter of convenience.

His identity as Marquis Zhongjing was a dimensionality reduction blow to officials like the Youyang County Magistrate. This could be seen from the fact that when the other party learned that he was in Sheng Mansion, he came to pay a visit to him.

"Don't worry, Grandma. I will."

Sheng Wei brought the county magistrate to pay a visit to Zhou Chen. Zhou Chen was naturally at ease, while the county magistrate of Youyang was much more humble. This was the powerful Marquis Zhongjing, and the difference in their status was too great, so when they met, he was very polite and spoke to Zhou Chen carefully.

Sheng Wei standing aside looked proud. For businessmen like them, a county magistrate was a person who could not be offended.

But such a person was so restless and cautious in front of his nephew's husband that he naturally felt extremely vain.

You see, my Sheng family also has someone above me, and he is a marquis who is beyond your reach, a popular figure in front of the current emperor, and a nobleman in the court.

Although the Youyang County Magistrate is much older than Zhou Chen, he has no right to put on airs in front of Zhou Chen and tries his best to leave a good impression in front of Zhou Chen.

Although Zhou Chen might not necessarily be able to help him in his career, just being familiar with him might be of use in the future. Even if he is not, it would be something he could show off to his colleagues in the future.

Finally, Zhou Chen had dinner with the Youyang County Magistrate. In the evening, he prepared to bid farewell to the old lady, Sheng Wei and others.

Sheng Shulan suddenly came out, bowed to Zhou Chen, and expressed her gratitude solemnly.

"Lord Zhou, thank you for saving me yesterday. Thank you for saving our entire mansion."

Zhou Chen smiled slightly and said, "We are all family, there is no need to be so polite, Grandma, Uncle... I have military duties to attend to, so I won't stay for long, goodbye."

After saying this, he jumped on his horse and rode away quickly with his men. However, he still left some guards for the old lady and Minglan, who would escort them all the way back to Beijing.

Sheng Shulan stared blankly at the direction where Zhou Chen left, and she didn't come back to her senses for a long time. Her mind involuntarily emerged the scene of Zhou Chen saving her like a god descending from heaven, and the scene of her sitting on a horse, close to Zhou Chen.

Her reaction was noticed by several people, but no one said anything.

It is less than two months away from the Chinese New Year, and no order has been received from the court so far. It is also unknown whether the court will allow them to return to Beijing for the New Year if Emperor Zhaode is not captured.

After Zhou Chen's half-year of suppressing the rebellion, most of the uprisings in many parts of the south have been resolved. Although Emperor Zhaode has not yet been captured, the purpose of suppressing the rebellion has been achieved.

But whether the court will let them go back depends on the emperor's intentions.

In fact, Zhou Chen no longer had the idea of ​​searching for Emperor Zhaode with all his strength. He had been searching for this old guy for half a year but had not found any trace of Mao. Although he had heard from various rebel leaders that this guy was indeed still alive, he never showed up, as if he had lost his ambition to rebel. It was really difficult to catch him.

This also made him feel strange. He remembered that it was explained in the plot of "The Story of Minglan" that this thief Nong made quite a big noise, and even the capture of Rong Feiyan was framed on him.

Why after he came to the south to quell the rebellion, the momentum of the Nung bandits was not as great as imagined? Although he did kill a lot of rebels, to be honest, this level of rebels was not enough to pose any threat to the court. So after much thought, there was only one possibility, that is, the reports submitted by local officials were too exaggerated.

Just when Zhou Chen thought he might not be able to go home for the New Year, suddenly good news came to him, saying that Gu Tingye had found the regular army of the Nung bandits and a fierce battle had begun. In the end, Gu Tingye beheaded the leader of the Nung bandits, Emperor Zhaode, on the battlefield.

This result really shocked Zhou Chen. He led his army to search for Emperor Zhaode for so long but couldn't find him. However, Gu Tingye, after splitting his troops with him, actually found him by himself. Is this the treatment of the child of destiny?

Gu Tingye's luck was indeed good, but being able to capture the head of the Nong thief also demonstrated his ability. The great credit for suppressing the rebellion this time must go on him.

Zhou Chen naturally would not have the idea of ​​seeking credit for himself, because of his intervention, Gu Tingye's originally planned life trajectory had changed. But now that he had taken the head of Emperor Zhaode, it was definitely a great achievement for him. Even if the emperor did not have a good impression of him at first, he would definitely reward him handsomely for such a great achievement.

The victory report was sent to Bian Jing City via an express mail service over a distance of 800 miles, and they soon received a reply, in which the emperor ordered them to return to the capital immediately with the body and head of Emperor Zhaode.

Zhou Chen reunited the Dragon Guards and saw the excited Gu Tingye, and praised him from the bottom of his heart.

"Zhong Huai, it seems that I made the right choice to bring you with me this time. If it weren't for you, we might not be able to catch the leader of the Nong bandits."

Gu Tingye said very modestly: "Brother, what are you talking about? If you were not willing to take me with you, I would not have this opportunity. The credit should all go to you."

Zhou Chen punched him and said with a smile: "Boy, do you think I will take away your credit?"

Gu Tingye laughed, beheading the rebel leader was a great achievement, he would not be surprised even if the credit was taken away by his superior. But Zhou Chen was different, he knew that Zhou Chen was not such a person at all, that's why he could talk to Zhou Chen so easily.

"You killed the leader of the Nung bandits with your own hands. I have already written a memorial about this matter and sent it back. After returning to the capital, you can expect to be promoted."

Gu Tingye's face lit up with joy. He had already prepared to establish himself outside the Marquis' Mansion and had also made an engagement. Of course, he wanted to achieve success in his career, get promoted and make a fortune. At the very least, he did not want his future wife and two children to be looked down upon by others.

"Brother, I will always remember your kindness."

"Alright, stop playing tricks on me. I have to thank you. If you hadn't found the thief leader, I wouldn't have been able to return to Beijing so early, let alone spend the New Year with my family. So I owe you a favor."

Rather than continuing to suppress the rebellion outside, Zhou Chen certainly hopes to go home to be with his mother, wife and children during the New Year. What's more, he has no loyalty to the Song Dynasty at all. As long as the Song Dynasty does not fall and he can maintain his current status and identity and let his family live well, that is enough.

"Pack up the corpse of the Nong bandit leader and return to the capital."

He left the capital with 10,000 Dragon Guards, and when he returned, there were only more than 7,000 people left, so the casualties were not too great. As for the victory news that was reported, it was that 100,000 enemies were killed.

Of course, a lot of credit also went to the local government. Everyone had common interests and naturally protected each other.

We lost more than 2,000 men and killed 100,000 enemies. Just tell me whether this is a great achievement and a high efficiency, and whether it deserves a reward.

On the way back to Beijing, Zhou Chen heard something from Gu Tingye that surprised him very much.

Gu Tingye said that when he was chasing the rebels, he met a royal relative who was serving as a training envoy in Yuzhou, named Zhao Zongquan. At that time, Zhao Zongquan and his son were being hunted, so he rescued them, stayed with them for a few days, and escorted them to a safe place.

Zhou Chen was really shocked when he heard this. He thought that Gu Tingye's life trajectory had been changed by him and he would definitely not have a good relationship with Zhao Zongquan's Yuzhou people anymore.

But he never expected that Gu Tingye, who came out to quell the rebellion, would actually meet Zhao Zongquan. You know, Yuzhou where Zhao Zongquan was located is located in Jingxi Road, not far from Bianjing City. It was really God's will that Gu Tingye could meet him.

However, in Zhou Chen's opinion, this is also a good thing. If the plot does not change in the future and Zhao Zongquan really becomes the emperor, it will be a great thing for Gu Tingye.

Even if Zhao Zongquan could not become emperor, Gu Tingye would not suffer any loss.

Ten days before New Year's Day, Zhou Chen finally led his army back to Tokyo, and then immediately went to meet the emperor.

Before Zhou Chen and his companions returned, the court's rewards had already been decided. After Zhou Chen paid a visit to the emperor, he received the reward.

He was promoted to General of the Left Guard, Doctor of Silver and Green Guanglu, and granted the title of Supreme Guardian, and continued to be in charge of the Cavalry Department and held the post of Commander-in-Chief.

His official rank was promoted, but in fact it was just an honorary position. His greatest real power now is still the commander-in-chief of the cavalry. However, he now holds several positions. In terms of rank and status, he is second to none in the court. This is a big step forward.

There are positions, titles, honors, and real power.

Among the entire group of nobles, there are not many who can compare to Zhou Chen.

Although the initial decision to give Zhou Chen these rewards aroused opposition from many civil servants, the emperor was firm in his attitude. The civil servants objected several times but to no avail. Finally, seeing that most of the positions Zhou Chen held were honorary, they no longer insisted.

On the contrary, when it came to rewarding Gu Tingye, there was a heated discussion within the court.

Unlike Zhou Chen, Zhou Chen had made great contributions after all, opened up the territory for the Song Dynasty, and was a founding marquis with real power. Even if he was promoted, it was reasonable and legitimate. The civil servants' opposition was just a habitual challenge to the government.

But Gu Tingye was different. In Zhou Chen's victory report, Gu Tingye was listed as the chief contributor to the suppression of the rebellion. He also personally killed the leader of the Nung bandits. It would be unjustifiable not to reward him highly for such a contribution.

Finally, Gu Tingye was promoted to Imperial Guard Doctor and Commander of the Cavalry Division. In this process, Gu Tingye's future in-laws also played a certain role, otherwise it would have been difficult for Gu Tingye to be promoted to the fifth rank and wear a scarlet robe.

You have to know that Gu Tingye started working under Zhou Chen just a few months ago, and it has been more than half a year so far, and he was promoted several levels at once. Under normal circumstances, this would never happen.

It can only be said that his military achievements are still very impressive during the current period of the emperor's rule. In addition, he has the support of the Ningyuan Marquisate and the old Grand Tutor Yu, so he was promoted out of the ordinary.

This is also the benefit of having someone in the court and a strong backing. People like Sheng Hong had to wander around and work hard for more than ten years before they could wear a scarlet robe, but Gu Tingye wore a scarlet robe in just one year, which was considered a quick success in the eyes of ordinary people.

"Brother."

When Gu Tingye saw Zhou Chen again, he had changed into a red robe and had a happy look on his face. It was obvious that he also knew about his reward.

He bowed deeply to Zhou Chen.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Chen helped him up.

Gu Tingye said seriously, "If it weren't for my brother, I would still be a playboy who hangs out in brothels all day long. How could I have achieved what I have now? I deserve such a great favor."

Zhou Chen said, "No need to be like this. Now that we are officials in the same dynasty and both work in the Ma Jun Division, there is no need for such formalities. In the future, with you helping me with things, I can be lazy and save some trouble, haha."

Gu Tingye clasped his fists and said, "As long as you give me orders, I will obey you."

"Okay, let's not play this game between the two of us. I miss my wife and children and I'm eager to go home. I won't say any more to you. I'm leaving now."

"Brother, take care."

After Zhou Chen said goodbye to Gu Tingye, he rode back to the Mansion of Marquis Zhongjing.

As soon as he returned home, he saw Hualan coming to greet him. Zhou Chen gave her a reassuring smile. Hualan breathed a sigh of relief and then showed joy on her face.

"Officer."

"Miss."

Hua Lan said sensibly, "Mother has been waiting for you for a long time, let's go and greet you first."

"it is good."

Zhou Chen nodded, and then went with Hua Lan to the courtyard where his mother Zhou Xu lived.

"Saburo."

When Mrs. Zhou Xu saw Zhou Chen return safely, she burst into tears of joy, walked up to Zhou Chen, held him and looked at him non-stop.

Zhou Chen could especially understand his mother and wife's feelings, because it was not his first time to go to the battlefield. But no matter how brave and invincible he was, those who truly cared about him would always be worried. This was pure concern and love.

"Mom, I'm fine. Not only that, I've been promoted. Don't worry, mom."

Zhou Xu said: "It's a good thing to be promoted, but it's best if you're okay. You won't leave again when you come back, right?"

"Well, the rebellion has been almost quelled. The government doesn't need me to go there anymore. Besides, it will be New Year's Day soon and the court will have a holiday. In the next period of time, I will mostly stay at home with my mother and children."

"well."

Mrs. Zhou Xu was very happy. She called over her two sons who were waiting anxiously at the side, and Zhou Chen picked them up one in each hand.

I have a terrible toothache and I am so annoyed that I have to find a time to have my wisdom tooth removed. It is really painful. Has anyone had a tooth removed before? Does it hurt to have a wisdom tooth removed?

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1142 Shocked Zhou Chen, Parents

At night, the moon and stars are rare.

There was still light in the master bedroom of Chaoyun Pavilion. Zhou Chen hugged the exhausted Hua Lan, and they were affectionate to each other.

Hua Lan was very resilient today. This was the first time she had been separated from Zhou Chen for such a long time, so when they met again and were affectionate with each other again, she immediately burst out with amazing resilience.

"Sir, I heard from my grandmother that thanks to you, my great uncle and his family are safe. My uncle and his family also brought us many gifts to express their gratitude. My grandmother sent them to me, so I have no choice but to accept them."