The world of film and television begins from childhood

When Hualan saw that her mother had brought Aunt Kang with her again, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Every time her mother brought Aunt Kang with her, she would give out some favors.

She had said it two or three times, both explicitly and implicitly, but her mother had completely turned a deaf ear to her. On this New Year's Day, she actually brought Aunt Kang here again.

Even if she was reluctant in her heart, she could only greet him with a smile.

Although she was at home, Hualan was still dressed very elegantly. She wore a light green luxurious silk dress and had her hair tied in a bun. Even though she didn't wear any bright and colorful jewelry, she still looked very noble.

Live the Qi and nourish the body.

The reason why Hualan had such a big change was naturally because of her different status and environment. If she continued to stay in the Sheng Mansion, or married into a family of humble origins, even if she became the eldest lady, she would never be able to develop such a temperament and figure.

But it is different in the Marquis Zhongjing’s Mansion. As the lady of the Marquis’s Mansion, the husband is a powerful official in the court. When he goes out, he mostly receives compliments. Over time, the wife’s mentality and body shape will naturally change.

Wang Ruofu didn't feel anything. After all, she was her daughter, so she felt close to her no matter what.

But Aunt Kang was different. She looked at Hualan with eyes full of envy and jealousy. She felt that if Hualan could marry a promising marquis like Zhou Chen, she would definitely be more noble and outstanding than her niece.

"Hua'er, where are the Marquis and his stepson?" Wang Ruofu looked around and didn't see Zhou Chen and the children, so she asked.

Hua Lan replied: "Master took them to the martial arts arena to play."

"It's so cold, what if you catch a cold while playing outside?"

"It's okay, mother, the master will take good care of it."

Although she is a woman, she has been married to Zhou Chen for many years and she is very clear about her husband's abilities. He is better at taking care of children than she is as a mother, and he also knows medical skills. The children in the family are all in good health, which is basically all thanks to Zhou Chen.

After chatting for a while, Aunt Kang suddenly said with a smile: "I heard that our eldest brother-in-law was promoted again after the great victory in suppressing the rebellion a few years ago. He is really young and promising. It is cause for celebration. Looking at all our relatives, he is the best and most capable. Not only did he inherit the title, but he is also very capable and is deeply trusted by the government. His future is really bright."

At this point, she suddenly changed the subject: "Alas, unlike the one in our family, who has wasted so many years and is still only holding a position with no future, and can't even help his own son, alas."

Hualan listened to Aunt Kang with a smile on her face, but she just didn't respond and played dumb.

"Mom, I heard that this year's Lantern Festival will be very lively. My husband told me that he will take me to see it. Why don't you take your brothers and sisters to see it together?"

Wang Ruofu's eyes lit up: "I also know about the Lantern Festival. Is it really lively this year? Are there a lot of people? Forget it, I won't go. I can let Bai'er, Ru'er and others go to see the excitement."

"That's okay too."

Seeing that Wang Ruofu was chatting happily with Hualan and her daughter, Aunt Kang's expression changed slightly. How could she not see that her eldest niece was deliberately changing the subject? It was precisely because of this that she specially brought her sister Wang Ruofu to the Marquis' Mansion.

Aunt Kang said a few words from time to time, but every time she wanted to get to the point, Hualan would calmly change the subject. Only Wang Ruofu was completely unaware of this and continued to chat and laugh.

After a long time, there was still no sign that her mother and Aunt Kang were leaving, so Hualan could only arrange for someone to prepare more food and invite her mother and Aunt Kang to stay for dinner.

Wang Ruofu, who was enjoying the chat, only then realized the time. Of course, she would not refuse her daughter's invitation.

Aunt Kang came here with a purpose in mind, so naturally she would not refuse.

After Zhou Chen came back with the children, he was not surprised to see Wang Ruofu and Aunt Kang, because someone had already informed him when they came.

"Mother-in-law, aunt."

"Oh, the Marquis is back, please sit down, please sit down."

Wang Ruofu smiled particularly brightly. Why do you think she was willing to bring her own sister, Aunt Kang, to the Mansion of Marquis Zhongjing? Perhaps she didn't know Aunt Kang's plan, but she had her own plan, which was to deliberately show off in front of Aunt Kang.

See, the Sheng Mansion that you looked down upon in the past is now more prominent than the Kang Mansion. And there is my daughter, see, the eldest lady of the Marquis's Mansion, and my eldest son-in-law, the Marquis of Zhongjing, a first-class nobleman in the court.

And my son, a newly-minted Jinshi and an upright civil servant in the Hanlin Academy.

In comparison, her elder sister is inferior to her in every way. She used to be her elder sister's foil, but now, when her elder sister wants to come to the Marquis' Mansion, doesn't she ask her to bring her along?

Proud, she was very proud. Even when she asked Aunt Kang for some money every time, it was intentional. It was just money. Was face important?

No.

I, Madam Wang, live for my reputation.

But she was still a little naive. Although Aunt Kang was not particularly smart, she was considered a smart person compared to her rather silly sister.

Of course, she could see that Wang Ruofu was deliberately showing off in front of her, and she could also see that Wang Ruofu was pretending to be pretentious.

Although she was very unhappy, she did not show it at all. Instead, she cooperated with Wang Ruofu.

To her, face is nothing. Is money important? Is a future important?

No.

As long as you can achieve your goal, what does it matter if you lose face?

Zhou Chen's expression remained normal. Although he didn't have a good impression of Aunt Kang, he would not show it directly in front of so many people.

Although he couldn't figure out what Aunt Kang's purpose was in coming here today, there was no doubt that her purpose was definitely not pure. In short, she came to take advantage of him.

Sure enough, Aunt Kang started halfway through the meal.

"Marquis Zhou, I heard from people that in addition to you, there was another general who personally beheaded the rebel leader during the suppression of the rebellion years ago. He was the famous playboy in Bianjing City, the second son of the Gu family from the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion? I heard that he was able to wear a scarlet robe in no time because of this achievement. You know, it took my brother-in-law more than ten or twenty years to wear a scarlet robe, but he achieved this in less than a year. This is all thanks to you. Didn't the Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion express any appreciation?"

Hearing this, Wang Ruofu's expression froze obviously, and she felt very uncomfortable.

She was also speaking up for her husband: "Gu Erlang once attended a few days of classes at our Sheng Mansion Private School. His grades were not as good as Bai Er's, and his other aspects were just average. It was only because of you, Lord Hou, that he was taught, otherwise he would not have achieved his current results."

Zhou Chen said calmly, "Mother-in-law, that's because you don't know him. In fact, he is still very brave. He was indeed the one who killed the bandit leader. There is no doubt about that. The most I can do is to help him. He relies more on his own abilities. I can't say that I have any credit for that."

Although Gu Tingye did have some luck this time, luck is also part of strength.

Aunt Kang pretended to be disdainful: "He is just lucky, and you are definitely not as lucky as me. I heard that he is going to marry the granddaughter of Old Master Yu. The Ningyuan Marquis's Mansion has a good idea. Since their eldest son cannot enter the government, they started to fully support their second son. He was just a playboy, but he turned around and became an important official of the court."

At this point, she suddenly paused, then said to Zhou Chen with a smile on her face: "My Lord, I know that it was you who arranged for Gu Tingye to join the army, which gave him the opportunity to make meritorious deeds. My Lord, my Jin'er, your cousin, has also reached the age to join the government. Can you help him arrange a job for the sake of our relationship?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the other three people at the table changed their expressions, and Wang Ruofu became even more anxious.

"Sister, didn't you say that Jin'er wanted to take the imperial examination to become a civil servant? The Marquis is a military officer, so even if he is given a position, it can only be a military position. Jin'er is so innocent and weak, how can he bear it?"

She is not smart, but that doesn't mean she has no IQ at all. She can see it now. This is the real reason why Aunt Kang pulled her over.

Aunt Kang pretended to be pitiful and sighed, "I also want him to be a civil servant, but this child's academic performance is not as good as his cousin Changbai. He didn't pass the exam last time, and I'm not sure he can pass it next time. I can't let him keep taking exams like this, so I want him to do some work as soon as possible."

"But you know the situation of our man, sister. He really can't help at all. I have to think about Jin'er. The Marquis can even help a man like Gu's Erlang. Jin'er is the Marquis's cousin. I think the Marquis will definitely help with this, right?"

After saying that, she stared at Zhou Chen with her sharp eyes, waiting for his answer.

"this?"

Wang Ruofu looked embarrassed, she didn't know what to say. She was a little unhappy that he was not informed in advance of such a big thing, but seeing how pitiful her sister looked, she felt a little bit reluctant.

"My Lord, how about..."

"aunt."

Hua Lan interrupted Wang Ruofu and said with a smile: "Aunt, what my mother just said is right. I have also seen cousin Jin. He is fair-skinned and handsome, but he is a weak scholar after all. If he is arranged to join the army, I am afraid his body will not be able to endure it."

Aunt Kang said as a matter of course: "It's not all physical work in the army. There are also documents and the like. Hua'er, Jin'er is your cousin. The Marquis can even help the second son of the Gu family. Helping Jin'er, given the Marquis' current position of power, must be an easy task, right, Marquis?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 1144: Aunt Kang is angry and runs away, Wang Ruofu is terrified

The atmosphere in the restaurant became strange, but Aunt Kang didn't notice it at all. She smiled and looked at Zhou Chen expectantly.

Hualan glared at her mother in reproach, which made Wang Ruofu look aggrieved. She said that she had not expected this situation.

Just when the atmosphere was tense, Zhou Chen suddenly laughed.

"No problem. Auntie is my wife's biological aunt. We are so close. We are all family, and family members should naturally help each other."

"Yep."

The smile on Aunt Kang's face became even brighter. She had been planning to hold off for a while, but she didn't expect Zhou Chen to be so easy to talk to.

"We are a family. We are all a family. Today you help me, and tomorrow I help you. If we help each other and advance and retreat together, the family will become stronger."

Wang Ruofu also smiled: "You're right, we are all family."

Only Hualan looked at Zhou Chen with a strange look. She knew her husband best and knew that he had no good feelings towards her Aunt Kang, so he would not agree so readily.

But Zhou Chen agreed, which made her feel very strange. It was not in line with Zhou Chen's character.

Aunt Kang asked expectantly, "Then I wonder what position the Marquis is going to assign to Jin'er?"

Zhou Chen said: "That depends on what plans my aunt has for my cousin's future."

"What do you mean?" Aunt Kang didn't understand.

Hualan and Wang Ruofu were also confused and didn't understand what Zhou Chen meant.

Zhou Chen explained: "If my aunt still wants my cousin to take the imperial examination, then I can only arrange a position for him in the inner city, such as a clerk. It is just a position, but it does not count as an official position without a rank, and there is nothing to do. He can still have time to continue studying and taking the imperial examination. But if my aunt does not plan to let him continue taking the imperial examination, then it is simple. I will directly arrange him to join the army and train him for a few months. Once he has a good foundation, I will arrange a better military position for him."

"A clerk?"

Aunt Kang didn't know much about official affairs, but she knew what the position of a clerk was. It was not an official position at all. In the eyes of officials, it was the lowest position, only slightly higher than ordinary people.

She was proud and arrogant, and she had already asked Zhou Chen for help, so how could she allow her son to take a position like a clerk?

"My Lord, if Jin'er joins the army, will he be able to be promoted and wear a red robe quickly, just like the second son of the Gu family?"

Zhou Chen immediately laughed: "Aunt, are you joking with me?"

"Gu Tingye was able to get a rank when he joined the army because he was the legitimate son of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, and he had the mansion's favor. In addition, Ningyuan Marquis Gu made many efforts, and finally he was able to get a position of the seventh rank, which is the highest rank of favor."

"As for the fact that he was able to wear the scarlet robe so quickly, it was entirely because he really seized the opportunity and performed a great deed. The Nong thief was the biggest rebel leader in this dynasty, and he was able to cut off the thief's head. The emperor specially granted him the gift, so he could wear the scarlet robe. If he didn't have this merit, he would never have been able to be promoted to wear the scarlet robe in ten or eight years."

"Your aunt's family shouldn't be eligible for a title, right? Without a title, you can only start as a low-ranking soldier in the army. I won't let your cousin suffer for your aunt's sake, and once he gets used to it, I can arrange for him to be an officer with a rank. This is the greatest favor within my power."

Aunt Kang's face turned unhappy, but she still asked, "What rank is the officer with a rank?"

Zhou Chen said: "My cousin has no foundation at all. At the beginning, he can only be assigned a ninth-rank military position at best, etc..."

"Ninth grade? Isn't that the lowest grade?"

Before Zhou Chen could speak, Aunt Kang screamed in shock and her face became extremely ugly.

"My Lord, you are too partial. You arranged a seventh-rank position for Gu's Erlang, but only a ninth-rank position for your cousin? Gu's Erlang is just an outsider, but Jin'er is your cousin."

Hua Lan couldn't bear to watch it any longer, so she said, "Aunt, didn't the master make it very clear just now? Gu Erlang has a title of Yin, but cousin Jin doesn't. This is already a special consideration from the master, and it has nothing to do with anything else."

Aunt Kang just glanced at her and continued to say to Zhou Chen: "My Lord, I know that you are now the commander of the Ma Jun Division. You are the only one who has the final say in the Ma Jun Division. It's up to you to decide what position to assign to Jin'er."

"Aunt, you think too highly of me. I am the commander-in-chief of the cavalry, but that doesn't mean I have the final say. Any position with a rank in the army needs to be reported. If my words really counted, I would have arranged for my brothers to be in the positions long ago. But if you ask around, you will find that only one of my half-brothers is a general in the army."

"If I really had that much power and dared to arrange people like this, I wouldn't even need the government to say anything. The civil servants in the Privy Council would probably strip me of my official uniform."

"Aunt, you have to know that even if it is a ninth-rank position, there are countless people watching. I only gave him special care because we are relatives and a family, and my cousin has also received education."

"You should know that my wife's younger brother Changbai, who passed the imperial examination and ranked ninth, only obtained the eighth rank. My father-in-law also passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, but he started from the ninth rank in the bitter cold land."

Wang Ruofu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, sister, I think what the Marquis said is very right. Our Changbai is the ninth in the first class, but he is only an eighth rank. My husband is also a Jinshi, but he was also a ninth rank at the beginning, and he was in a bitter and cold place. You don't know how difficult it is there. Now the Marquis is willing to help Jin'er, and he can even be an official in Bianjing City. It's much better than what we had at the beginning."

Aunt Kang replied bluntly: "Everyone knows that in our dynasty, civil officials are superior to military officials. How can the rank of civil officials be the same as that of military officials?"

Zhou Chen's face darkened instantly, and he said in a cold voice: "It seems that Auntie doesn't think highly of us military officers. If so, why did Auntie come to see me?"

Hualan's face also looked unhappy, and Wang Ruofu was also unhappy, thinking that her sister's words were too harsh.

"elder sister……"

But Aunt Kang ignored her and explained to Zhou Chen: "My Lord, you misunderstood. I didn't mean that. I just think that the ninth-rank military position is too low. Jin'er has been pampered since he was a child. I'm afraid he can't stand the hardship in the army. Can you arrange a higher-rank civilian position for him?"

Zhou Chen showed sarcasm on his face: "Aunt, who is from the backyard, seems to still not understand the way of being an official in the previous dynasty. The ninth rank that aunt disdains is what others are fighting for. As far as I know, Uncle Kang has been an official for many years, but now he seems to be only a seventh rank, right?"

The last sentence was like a sharp knife piercing Aunt Kang's chest, making her face instantly become extremely ugly.

Although she said several times that her man was incompetent, no matter how incompetent he was, she said it herself and others said it, and said it in front of her, which was embarrassing for her. She felt that Zhou Chen was deliberately slapping her in the face.

But she had no way to refute it because what Zhou Chen said was the truth.

Many years ago, she was going to marry Sheng Hong, but she looked down on the Sheng family and finally chose the Kang family because the Kang family was really well off at that time and was far from comparable to the Sheng family.

But after she married into the Kang family, the family's mainstay was gone, and the Kang family became worse and worse and more decadent.

The current head of the Kang family is just a seventh-rank official with little real power. Looking around the city of Bianjing, he can't even get a rank. This is why she came to Zhou Chen for help. If Uncle Kang really has the ability to arrange a good place for Kang Jin, why would she ask others for help?

"My Lord, are you really unwilling to help?"

"When did I say I didn't want to? I've tried my best, but you don't like it, aunt. What can I do?"

After listening to Zhou Chen's words, Aunt Kang became even angrier. Her son came from a noble family, so how could he become a minor official of the ninth rank?

"The Marquis is so majestic. If this is all he is, it's hard to believe. I guess it's because my Kang family is in decline and the Marquis doesn't like it, so he's unwilling to help. In this case, even if I've said a lot today, we, the insignificant relatives of this Marquis's mansion, will never dare to visit again."

Wang Ruofu was immediately anxious when she heard this: "Sister, what are you talking about? The Marquis didn't mean that at all."

Aunt Kang sneered, "Sister, I am your biological sister. You are so close to me, but you are unwilling to help me. You even mock my humble family. It is so obvious that you look down on me. Can't you see it? Can't I see it?"

"aunt!"