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With the current strength of Qing State, he felt that they would surely win the war against Northern Qi, but he was not very sure about dealing with Zhou Chen.

On the battlefield of national war, the competition is about manpower, logistics, intelligence, command, etc. However, to deal with a grandmaster, these are far from enough, and what is needed is the top combat power.

Emperor Qing has never fought with anyone since he was promoted to Grandmaster. Although he is very confident in himself, he is not even half sure of his chances when facing Zhou Chen, the unprecedented young Grandmaster.

He sent urgent orders to Ye Liuyun and Chen Pingping respectively. Chen Pingping did come back, but there was no news from Ye Liuyun at all.

Chen Pingping is back, but he is not a grandmaster after all. Even if he is wise, he will be useless when facing a battle between grandmasters.

Ye Liuyun was originally the trump card that Emperor Qing had kept to deal with Ku He and Si Gu Jian, but Emperor Qing, who had dominated the imperial power for many years, was angered by Zhou Chen's several "provocations" and felt that Zhou Chen was a very unstable factor, so he thought about whether he could get rid of Zhou Chen first.

If we can get rid of a grand master first, this process and experience may be of great help in killing Ku He and Si Gu Jian in the future.

His idea was good, but Ye Liuyun did not even respond when he received the order.

Because of the Ye family, Ye Liuyun was bound by Emperor Qing and had no control over his own affairs. So when Zhou Chen appeared, Ye Liuyun seemed to see his former self.

But Zhou Chen is very different from him, so he does not want to help Emperor Qing deal with Zhou Chen. He even hopes that Zhou Chen is alive. As long as Zhou Chen is alive, his, Ye Liuyun's value will be higher. Emperor Qing needs his power, so he dare not deal with the Ye family wantonly.

The three-way balance is the most balanced. He is sure that Emperor Qing dare not force him. Doesn't Emperor Qing fear that he will join forces with Zhou Chen?

Therefore, for Ye Liuyun, the benefits of Zhou Chen being alive are far greater than those of him being dead. In fact, to some extent, Zhou Chen's life and death are closely related to him.

If Zhou Chen lives well, he can live freely. If Zhou Chen dies, he will be controlled by Emperor Qing.

In this situation, even a fool would know what to choose.

As for the so-called loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, forget it, there is no such concept in the Grand Master’s dictionary.

Emperor Qing could naturally think of what Ye Liuyun could think of, so he was so angry at Ye Liuyun for not replying to his letter.

In the past two days, the impeachment of Ye Zhong by court officials due to Lin Gong's death has also given him a headache. In the past, he had to use the Ye family to control Ye Liuyun, and now he also has to use the Ye family to stabilize Ye Liuyun.

To Emperor Qing, the chess player, Zhou Chen has become the most uncontrollable chess piece on his chessboard, and this chess piece may devour its master at any time.

Ye Liuyun is unreliable, and Emperor Qing has no confidence in Chen Pingping alone. At this moment, he really hopes that Zhou Chen can be an official in the court, and he also hopes that the Zhou family can be as big as the Ye family. In that way, he can use the imperial power, and even use Lin Ruofu, to deal with the Zhou family.

But unfortunately, Zhou Chen does not serve as an official, and Zhou Xingniang's family, the only family related to Zhou Chen, is still in a hopeless situation. So now they can only keep their troops in place, continue to be patient, and deal with Northern Qi first.

In order to start the war, he called the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, Lin Ruofu, and Fan Xian over, and asked Chen Pingping to cooperate with him, and together they put on an Oscar-level performance, pushing the blame for Lin Gong's death onto Northern Qi and Si Gu Jian of Dongyi City.

Although Lin Ruofu felt aggrieved, facing Emperor Qing who had made up his mind, he could only hold back his tears and agree with Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping's inference, blaming Northern Qi for his son's death.

In the imperial study, only Emperor Qing and Chen Pingping were left.

"There are two parties who want to kill Lin Gong. Haven't you found out the origins of those who came later?"

The Inspection Institute, which was involved in the incident, knew the most about Lin Gong's murder. Many people don't know that Lin Gong was almost killed by two groups of people.

Chen Pingping replied, "Your Majesty, those men in black were all assassins. Not a single one was left alive. Our Inspection Bureau has conducted a thorough investigation. Without their identities, origins, or marks, we cannot determine which faction they belong to. But we can be sure that they want to kill Lin Gong, and their status in Kyoto is not low."

Emperor Qing was very dissatisfied with this answer: "I have been investigating for so long and have found nothing. Your Inspection Office is disappointing me more and more."

"Your Majesty forgive me."

Chen Pingping admitted his mistake honestly.

Emperor Qing saw this and said nothing more, "The real culprit behind Lin Gong can only be Si Gu Jian."

"I understand."

"Also, have someone keep a close eye on the Zhenguo Mansion."

Chen Pingping's eyelids drooped slightly, and he replied, "I understand."

He already knew about what happened in the Empress Dowager's bedroom a few days ago, as well as Crouching Tiger and Coiling Dragon escorted by Emperor Qing and Zhou Chen.

As a subject, he naturally would not expose Emperor Qing's shortcomings, but he was still amazed at Zhou Chen's behavior. There were very few people who could force His Majesty into being helpless.

As soon as Chen Pingping walked out of the palace, Shadow came over and told him a piece of news.

"Lin Ruofu went to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion."

Chen Pingping smiled slightly and said, "It is really ridiculous that the murderer is Si Gu Jian."

Shadow asked, "Then he went to see the Duke of Zhenguo. Could it be that he suspected the Duke of Zhenguo?"

Chen Pingping shook his head and said, "Lin Ruofu is not that stupid. If we talk about the person in Kyoto who is least likely to kill Lin Gong, the Duke of Zhenguo is definitely one of them. If that young man wanted to kill Lin Gong, he would probably do the same as Fan Xian and kill him in the street."

"It is said that young people who become famous will become arrogant, but we have all seen that young man. That kind of temperament is not something a young man can have. Among the five great masters, he is the youngest, but in my opinion, he is the grandmaster with the most extraordinary temperament among the five."

"You think so highly of him?"

"It is what it is."

"It seems to be true. At least in martial arts, he is truly gifted. The other four great masters may not be stronger than him."

Yingzi is a martial arts fanatic. In the field of martial arts, Zhou Chen was able to become a grandmaster relying solely on his own talent without any teaching. This is something that the other four grandmasters do not have, so he always felt that Zhou Chen must be the most talented one among the five grandmasters.

Chen Pingping looked far away. He knew that Emperor Qing wanted to deal with Zhou Chen, but fortunately he did not really make that decision. Ever since he met Zhou Chen, he felt that Zhou Chen was probably the most difficult one to deal with among the five masters.

After fighting Ku He, he fought with Si Gu Jian for three days and three nights without a clear winner. The great master in the palace could sense when Si Gu Jian was attacking, but he didn't notice Zhou Chen sneaking into the palace at all. All of this shows how powerful Zhou Chen is.

Zhou Chen might be unruly, but he is not someone who would actively stir up trouble. No matter from what angle he looks at it, he does not want to see Emperor Qing take action against Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen was very surprised to learn that Lin Ruofu was coming to visit, but he immediately knew why he came, so he met him in person.

"Duke Zhou."

"Xiang Lin."

After the maid served the tea set and poured the tea, Zhou Chen signaled her to leave. Zhou Chen and Prime Minister Lin were the only ones left in the side hall.

"Come to think of it, I've lived in Kyoto for twenty years, and today is the first time I've met Prime Minister Lin. I've heard a lot about Prime Minister Lin's deeds since I was a child."

Lin Ruofu said, "Duke Zhou, please forgive me for making fun of you. Compared to you, I am just a little older. When I was your age, I was still a nobody. Unlike Duke Zhou, you have become a great master who can stir up the world at the young age. This achievement is much better than mine."

Zhou Chen said calmly: "Prime Minister Lin is too modest. Whether it was then or now, Prime Minister Lin's demeanor is one of the best in Qing Country."

Lin Ruofu came here today for his own purpose, not to chat or flatter each other.

So he suddenly changed the subject and said, "Duke Zhou must have guessed why I came here without telling you, right?"

"Prime Minister Lin, this should be about the matter of your second son?"

"To be honest with Duke Zhou, I just came out of the palace and met His Majesty not long ago. His Majesty and Chen Pingping said that the one who killed my son was a Grand Master."

Lin Ruofu kept his eyes fixed on Zhou Chen, trying to tell from the changes in Zhou Chen's expression.

Zhou Chen's expression did not change at all, and he raised his hand to pour tea for Lin Ruofu.

"What does Minister Lin think?"

"There were two groups of people who assassinated my son that day, but one person killed my son and his guards. My son's guards were all above the seventh rank, and there were not many people in Kyoto who could kill them so quickly. According to Chen Pingping, my son and his men died very quickly, and it can be said that they had no power to fight back. Who else could it be if not a grandmaster?"

"So Minister Lin came to see me because he suspected me?"

Lin Ruofu did not deny it and said directly: "I have investigated. When my son died, the five great masters, Ku He, Si Gu Jian and Ye Liuyun were not in Kyoto. Only Duke Zhou and the mysterious great master in the palace were in Kyoto."

"So it does make sense for Minister Lin to doubt me."

Zhou Chen was not annoyed by being suspected, but said, "But I feel that Lin Xiang's suspicion of me is not that deep?"

"Yes, I did suspect Duke Zhou, but after careful consideration, I realized that our Lin family has no conflicts with the Duke, and the Duke is a man of Jiyue Qingfeng, so there is really no reason for him to kill my son."

"But Minister Lin is unwilling to accept this, so he wants to come to me for verification, right?"

"Yes."

Lin Ruofu did have doubts about Zhou Chen, but his suspicions were shallow. As he said, Zhou Chen had no conflicts with their family at all. Looking at what Zhou Chen had done since returning to Kyoto, he was not the kind of person who liked to fight for power.

A grandmaster who is not even cared about by the royal family or His Majesty, can't become someone else's thug, right?

"I am suspicious of the mysterious Grand Master in the palace. I wonder if Duke Zhou knows about the Grand Master in the palace?"

Zhou Chen pondered for a moment and said, "I do know a little about the Grandmaster in the palace, but I don't know if he was the one who did it. But one thing is for sure, the person who killed your son does have the combat power of a Grandmaster."

Lin Ruofu's eyes gleamed, and he immediately stood up and saluted Zhou Chen: "Thank you Zhou Guogongzhi, I owe you a favor. If you need me in the future, I will definitely not refuse."

Zhou Chen bowed and said, "Minister Lin, you don't have to be like this, and you don't have to feel like you owe me a favor. I'm just telling the truth. In today's Kyoto, it's not easy to stay standing."

"What the Duke said is very true." Lin Ruofu understood what Zhou Chen meant.

After Lin Ruofu left, Zhou Chen's eyes flickered. He guessed correctly. For Emperor Qing, the most urgent task now was to attack Northern Qi and weaken Northern Qi's national strength. It was not yet a life-and-death battle with him.

However, his choice was indeed correct. The national strength and army of Northern Qi were not as good as those of Qing. If a war really broke out, they would definitely not be able to defeat Qing.

Although Northern Qi was not established for a very long time, it inherited the foundation of the former powerful Wei State. It might be defeated, but it would be wishful thinking for Qing State to destroy Northern Qi in one fell swoop.

Because Emperor Qing attributed Lin Gong's death to Si Gu Jian and Northern Qi, the entire Qing Kingdom united and started a war against Northern Qi.

The previous memorials impeaching Chen Pingping and Kyoto garrison commander Ye Zhong were also suppressed by Emperor Qing, and Kyoto temporarily returned to peace.

Time flies, and a month has passed. The war between Qing and Northern Qi is coming to an end.

The national strength of Qing was originally stronger than that of Northern Qi. In addition, Emperor Qing had been planning for a long time. Once the war started, they were unstoppable and defeated Northern Qi. Northern Qi was defeated and one of its states was occupied.

After occupying a state, the Kingdom of Qing temporarily stopped its attack and turned to confront Northern Qi.

Northern Qi also did not want to continue fighting, so it wanted to seek peace with Qing and sent an envoy to Qing to negotiate with it.

Although the war had stopped, many people in the court were dissatisfied because Qing still had the strength to continue fighting. Many people wanted to continue fighting, and it would be best if they could destroy Qi in one fell swoop and unify the world.

However, Emperor Qing was very clear-headed. Although Qing was more powerful than Qi, it was nonsense to say that they could destroy Qi in one battle.

Apart from the army, the reason why Northern Qi could not be destroyed was the Grand Master Ku He.

As long as Grand Master Ku He is alive, it will be difficult for Northern Qi to collapse. This is also the biggest reason why Emperor Qing planned the Battle of Dadong Mountain in the original novel.

Only by destroying the Grand Master can he destroy Northern Qi and Dongyi City. Otherwise, Ku He and Si Gu Jian will support each other from afar, and Qing Kingdom will never be able to destroy Northern Qi and Dongyi City.

Because of the victory, the capital of Qing Kingdom was filled with joy and jubilation. Qing Kingdom was so powerful, and as its citizens, they naturally felt very proud.

Lin Gong’s death has long been forgotten, and now, apart from his relatives, there are not many people who still remember Lin Gong.

After testing Fan Xian, Lin Ruofu now regards Fan Xian as his successor and is prepared to use his own connections and support to help Fan Xian take the position.

After a while, the delegation from Dongyi City that participated in the negotiations arrived in Kyoto first. Not long after, the delegation from Northern Qi also arrived in Kyoto.

The Dongyi City delegation was led by Si Gu Jian's eldest disciple Yun Zhilan. After arriving in Kyoto, he specially came to Zhou Mansion to pay a visit to Zhou Chen and gave him gifts.

It is impolite not to reciprocate. Yun Zhilan gave a gift, and Zhou Chen did not act pretentiously and also returned the gift.

What Zhou Chen really cared about was the delegation from Northern Qi, and among the people from the Northern Qi delegation this time, the most famous was the literary giant, Zhuang Mohan.

Zhuang Mohan stayed here under the arrangement of the Honglu Temple. On the day he arrived, many people came to visit him.

On the second day, Zhou Chen specially sent a carriage to Zhuang Mohan's residence and asked He Qin to take Zhuang Mohan to his mansion.

After more than half a year, Zhou Chen met Zhuang Mohan again. Compared with the last time they met, Zhuang Mohan looked a little older.

"Mr. Zhuang."

"Master Zhou."

After Zhou Chen greeted Zhuang Mohan, a person suddenly jumped out from among Zhuang Mohan's entourage.

"Zhou Chen."

Looking at the girl in front of him who was dressed in men's clothes but still couldn't hide her beautiful face, Zhou Chen smiled from the bottom of his heart.

He walked forward, gently tapped the nose of the smiling girl, and said in a very gentle tone: "I guessed that you might come this time."

Zhan Pianpian tilted her head, her face full of joy. She didn't mind Zhou Chen's intimate behavior at all. Instead, she smiled even sweeter.

"I haven't seen you for a long time, and I missed you so much. The teacher said he would come to Nanqing, and I asked His Majesty for permission, and His Majesty agreed, so I came with him. I'm really happy to see that you are doing well."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but grab Zhou Chen's hand, his eyes filled with joy of having his wish fulfilled.

"I heard that you were conferred the title of Duke. It seems that the Emperor of Nanqing has good vision and knows that you are excellent."

Zhou Chen also held Zhan Pianpian's hand and said with a smile: "Sit down first, Mr. Zhuang is still here, don't let Mr. Zhuang laugh at you."

Zhan Pianpian finally came to her senses and looked at her teacher with a blushing face, looking embarrassed.

Zhuang Mohan smiled and waved his hands: "It doesn't matter, she didn't know how many times she had said it along the way. Seeing you like this, it's very good, very good."

Chapter 1452: Marriage Proposal, Visit the Inspection Institute

After not seeing each other for a long time, Zhou Chen and Zhuang Mohan were very happy to see each other again.

Especially Zhuang Mohan, he regarded Zhou Chen as his confidant. He had few confidants in his life, so he cared more about Zhou Chen, his friend regardless of age difference.

The two chatted for a long time, and Zhan Pianpian stayed aside, coming over to pour tea and water, and then secretly putting two snacks into her mouth. She stared at Zhou Chen with her big eyes, blinking, and occasionally let out a silly low laugh, and no one knew what she was happy about.

Seeing Zhuang Mohan hesitate to speak several times, Zhou Chen said, "Mr. Zhuang, there is no one else here. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly. There is no need for us to be so distant."