The world of film and television begins from childhood

"In front of the Duke, I have to be frank. Nothing can be hidden from your eyes."

The second prince complimented him, and then said politely: "The wine and food are ready, Duke Zhenguo, please come in."

"Your Highness, please."

Zhou Chen and the second prince walked into Yishiju together and went straight to the private room upstairs.

After sitting down, the second prince was very enthusiastic and kept saying nice things. He seemed respectful but not too humble.

"What happened before..."

"Your Highness, that matter has long passed, so let's not talk about it anymore."

"Yes, yes, look at my mouth, it's a thing that happened a long time ago, why are you still talking about it?"

The second prince laughed. He could see that Zhou Chen really didn’t take what happened that night to heart.

"The Duke has a noble character, which is admirable."

Zhou Chen said: "Your Highness is wrong. I am not a person of high moral character. On the contrary, I am a person who will take revenge for any slight. If someone does not offend me, I will not offend them. If someone offends me, I will repay them double."

"If someone doesn't offend me, I won't offend him. But if someone offends me, I will pay him back double. That's well said, well said."

The second prince repeated Zhou Chen's words and clapped his hands in praise.

"I heard that when the Duke was in Northern Qi, he was a close friend of the literary master Mr. Zhuang Mohan. In my opinion, the Duke's literary talent is no worse than Mr. Zhuang's."

"Mr. Zhuang and I are indeed close friends regardless of age difference, but compared to Mr. Zhuang, who is known for his literary achievements, I am still not as good as him."

Zhou Chen believed that his knowledge and talent were no worse than Zhuang Mohan's, but his passion and pursuit for literature were far inferior to Zhuang Mohan's.

The Second Prince was a talkative man, and his words were polite and pleasant, so the two of them chatted very smoothly at the dinner table, and their relationship became a little closer as they toasted each other.

The Second Prince was very satisfied with this result. Although Zhou Chen had never said a word in his favor, it made him feel at ease. He did not think that he had enough charm to make the Grand Master bow down to him.

The two were drinking and talking when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The person who came in was Xie Bian. He walked to the Second Prince and whispered a few words in his ear, which immediately changed the Second Prince's expression.

After listening to this, the second prince looked at Zhou Chen and said.

"Something happened in Kyoto recently. The Duke must have heard about it. My aunt's daughter, Princess Lin Wan'er, and Si Nanbo's illegitimate son Fan Xian were granted marriage by His Majesty. Fan Xian just arrived in Kyoto yesterday. Coincidentally, just now, he and Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe from the Fan Mansion also arrived at Yishiju. They are outside now."

As soon as he spoke, he was suddenly stunned.

Such a coincidence?

Zhou Chen asked him to come to Yishiju today, and Fan Xian also came to Yishiju. How could it be such a coincidence? Was it Zhou Chen's plan?

But he quickly rejected the idea in his heart. When he received the reply letter yesterday, Fan Xian had just arrived in Kyoto. No matter how powerful Zhou Chen was, he couldn't predict the future, right?

It must be a coincidence.

Chapter 1441: The dispute between Fan Xian and Guo Baokun, reminding Si Lili

"Fan Xian?"

Zhou Chen pretended to be surprised and said, "I have heard that Si Nanbo has an illegitimate son in his hometown, but I am a little surprised that His Majesty really trusts the Fan family. I have already taken control of the Ministry of Revenue, and now I am planning to let Fan Xian marry the princess and then take over the inner treasury. This means that both the national treasury and the inner treasury are going to be handed over to the Fan family."

"Haha, if you don't know, you would think Fan Xian is His Majesty's illegitimate son."

"Cough cough."

The second prince was shocked by what Zhou Chen said. His eyes widened and he was stunned for a long time before he spoke.

"The Duke is really a quick-witted person."

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "Don't be offended, Your Highness. I was just expressing my doubts."

The second prince said, "I understand, I understand. Actually, I also find it very incomprehensible. I can understand that Your Majesty values ​​the Fan family, but why would he value an illegitimate child so much? I have never heard of handing over the national treasury and the inner treasury to one family at the same time. I am afraid that it is not just me and the Duke who find it strange. I wonder how many people in the court are as puzzled as we are."

This is the truth. Except for a few people who know the truth, no one in the court can understand Emperor Qing's actions.

How can an illegitimate son who is not even qualified to enter the ancestral temple be qualified to marry a princess, or to control the financial power of the inner treasury?

To be honest, without knowing the truth, it is really ridiculous that such a thing could happen.

"Your Highness is very interested in this Fan Xian?"

"I am somewhat interested. After all, I am Wan'er's cousin and have watched her grow up. Of course I want to know what this Fan Xian is like."

The Second Prince pretended to be calm. Of course he was interested. He was so interested that he wanted to kill Fan Xian.

Zhou Chen found the second prince's performance very interesting.

In the royal family of Qing, except for the eldest prince, the rest are all talented actors, and each one is better than the other.

After a while, there was suddenly some noise outside, and Xie Bian, who was guarding outside, walked in again. This time, the second prince did not avoid Zhou Chen.

"Bi'an, Duke Zhou is not an outsider, just speak directly."

Xie Bian then spoke up and said, "Yes, Your Highness, something happened outside. Guo Baokun, the son of Minister of Rites Guo Youzhi, had a conflict with Fan Sizhe of the Fan family. They started fighting, and Fan Xian also got involved. He beat up Guo Baokun's guard. Judging from his true energy, his martial arts skills should be quite strong."

"Guo Baokun and Fan Xian got into a fight? If I remember correctly, Guo Baokun is the prince's man, right?"

The second prince became interested. Although he had been sending people to keep an eye on Fan Xian, he had never met him before and did not understand his temperament, so he was not prepared to act so quickly.

Unexpectedly, before he could react, the prince took action first and sent Guo Baokun to cause trouble for Fan Xian.

With a gleam in his eyes, he suddenly asked Zhou Chen, "Duke Zhou, are you interested in going out to see what's going on?"

Zhou Chen did not refuse, and nodded: "We have almost finished drinking, it would be nice to go out and see what's going on."

"please."

Zhou Chen and the second prince stood up together, walked out of the private room, and headed towards the corridor facing the street on the second floor.

At this time, there were two people standing in the corridor, namely Fan Ruoruo, and Teng Zijing who was following Fan Xian. They were looking at Fan Xian with concern as he was having a conflict with Guo Baokun below.

Suddenly they heard someone coming, their faces changed and they turned to look.

When the two saw the second prince, their faces suddenly changed and they became very nervous.

The second prince naturally saw them as well. He didn’t know Teng Zijing, but he knew Fan Ruoruo and smiled at her.

"Miss Fan."

"See His Highness the Second Prince."

Fan Ruoruo hurriedly saluted, and Teng Zijing also hurriedly lowered his head to salute.

Zhou Chen ignored them and walked straight to the front of the corridor. From his high vantage point, he saw Fan Xian, Guo Baokun and others arguing below.

The second prince didn't say anything to Fan Ruoruo. He walked to Zhou Chen's side and looked down with interest.

"The one arguing with Guo Baokun was Fan Xian."

Zhou Chen smiled slightly and said, "So he is Fan Xian."

Now the Second Prince was surprised: "Duke Zhou has met Fan Xian?"

"I have met him once. When I left Kyoto, I passed by the Fan Mansion in Danzhou and saw a young man sitting in front of the door. It was him. It turned out that he was Fan Xian."

"There's such a thing? That's such a coincidence."

The second prince was even more surprised. He knew that Zhou Chen had left Kyoto, but he did not expect that Zhou Chen would actually meet Fan Xian in Danzhou.

“It’s a bit of a coincidence.”

Listening to Zhou Chen and the Second Prince's conversation as if no one was around, Fan Ruoruo and Teng Zijing were shocked.

At first they were wondering why the Second Prince was so polite to Zhou Chen, but after hearing the Second Prince's title, they understood the reason.

Duke of Zhou!

In Kyoto, there is only one person who can be called Duke of Zhou and is respected by the Second Prince.

Grandmaster, Duke of Zhenguo, Zhou Chen!

Although not many people in Kyoto have seen Zhou Chen, this name is well-known to everyone. The tragedy a few months ago was the biggest case that happened in Kyoto in recent years. It was hard not to know about it.

Compared to the Second Prince, Zhou Chen, the Grand Master Duke, shocked them even more.

Teng Zijing was so scared at this point that he wanted to turn around and run away, but Fan Ruoruo was still there, and he couldn't possibly leave Fan Ruoruo alone. Fortunately, neither the Second Prince nor Zhou Chen took them seriously and just watched the excitement below.

After all, Fan Ruoruo was the daughter of a prominent family. After guessing Zhou Chen's identity, she did not hide, but instead saluted Zhou Chen gracefully.

"Fan Ruoruo from the Fan Mansion, I greet the Duke of Zhenguo."

Zhou Chen turned his head to look at her and said softly, "Miss Ruoruo, there is no need to be polite. I have heard of you as the most talented woman in Kyoto."

But that was all he said, nothing more.

The quarrel below did not last long. Suddenly, Prince Li Hongcheng of Jingwang appeared, interrupted the dispute between the two sides, and invited them to attend the poetry meeting he was hosting tomorrow.

"I heard that Prince Jing has a very good personal relationship with Your Highness?" Zhou Chen suddenly asked the second prince.

The second prince smiled and replied, "Hongcheng and I get along well and have a very good relationship. I wonder if Duke Zhou is interested in the poetry meeting? If so, let's go to Hongcheng's mansion tomorrow to see the talented men and women of our Qing Kingdom."

Zhou Chen chuckled and said, "I am just a rough man. I won't join in the fun of poetry gatherings like this one."

"Duke Zhou is too modest. With your knowledge, if you were to take the imperial examination, you would definitely be the top scorer."

"Your Highness, thank you for your compliment. It's almost time today. Thank you for your hospitality. I have something else to do at home, so I will go back first."

Zhou Chen asked to leave, and the second prince tried to keep him, but Zhou Chen insisted on leaving, so he could only see him off with regret.

Only after Zhou Chen and the Second Prince left did Fan Ruoruo and Teng Zijing relax, especially Teng Zijing, whose clothes on the back were soaked, he was so scared.

After solving the trouble, Fan Xian and Fan Sizhe went back upstairs. After going upstairs, they saw that Fan Ruoruo and Teng Zijing were not in a good state, and Fan Xian's heart suddenly tightened.

"Ruoruo, Teng Zijing, what happened to you?"

Fan Ruoruo said: "Brother, we just met the Second Prince and the Duke of Zhenguo."

Fan Xian was immediately amused: "Oh, what a coincidence, I just came out for a meal and met so many important people. However, I have heard of the Second Prince, but who is the Duke of Zhenguo?"

"Shh, shh!"

Teng Zijing rushed over and covered Fan Xian's mouth, and shouted excitedly: "Lower your voice, lower your voice."

Fan Xian pulled his hand away, made two "Puh" sounds, and said in dissatisfaction, "Why are you fighting? I didn't shout, why are you so nervous? Does the Duke of Zhenguo have some taboos? Is he even more powerful than the Second Prince?"

Teng Zijing said anxiously: "Of course the Duke of Zhenguo is more powerful than the Second Prince."

"Ah, the Duke is more powerful than the Prince?"

Fan Xian looked incredulous and turned his gaze to Fan Ruoruo and Fan Sizhe, brother and sister, only to see them nodding in unison.

"No way, the Duke is really more powerful than the prince?"

Fan Ruoruo explained: "Brother, other dukes may not necessarily be more powerful than the prince, but this Zhenguo duke is different, he is a grandmaster."

"Grandmaster?"

Fan Xian was surprised: "Is he the mysterious Grand Master from Qing Country among the Four Great Grand Masters? Or is he Ye Liuyun?"

He had heard of grandmasters from Wu Zhu and his master Fei Jie, and knew that they were people who stood at the pinnacle of martial arts. There were only four such grandmasters in the world, and there were two grandmasters in Qing Kingdom.

One is Ye Liuyun, and the other is a mysterious grandmaster who is hiding in the palace and whose identity is unknown.

Teng Zijing said: "Duke Zhenguo is not any of the four great masters. He is the fifth great master in the world and the youngest of the five great masters, just over twenty years old."

"A twenty-year-old grandmaster?"

Fan Xian's eyes widened in disbelief. He had been practicing martial arts since he was a child, and he was only at the seventh rank now. However, relying on his domineering true qi, he could compete with an eighth rank master.

How is it possible for a twenty-year-old to be a grandmaster?

Teng Zijing said, "It's impossible for others, but it's possible for the Duke of Zhenguo. The Duke of Zhenguo may be the person with the highest martial arts talent in the world, so he can become a grandmaster at the age of nineteen. That's why I asked you to keep your voice down just now. The grandmaster is not an ordinary person. He hasn't gone far yet, it would be bad if he heard it."

Fan Xian was shocked and said, "A nineteen-year-old Grandmaster, how terrifying, too terrifying. It's really true that comparing people is infuriating. People of similar age are already Grandmasters, but I haven't even reached the eighth rank yet."

Fan Ruoruo recalled Zhou Chen's words and said to Fan Xian, "Brother, the Duke of Zhenguo just said that he had seen you in Danzhou. Do you have any impression of you?"

"He has seen me? I have no impression."

"He said he saw you sitting at the gate of the Fan Mansion."

"See me sitting at the gate of Fan's house?"

Fan Xian was very confused. He had indeed been sitting at the gate of the Fan Mansion for many years, waiting for the red-armored knight, but he really had no impression of this Duke Zhenguo.

"If you have no impression, then you have no impression. Fan Xian, let me tell you, there are many people in Kyoto who you cannot offend, and the Duke of Zhenguo is definitely at the top of the list."