The world of film and television begins from childhood

"Ugh."

Zhuang Mohan sighed heavily.

"You are so smart, you must have guessed that I came to the capital of Qing Kingdom with the delegation this time not to participate in the negotiations. I came here for my own selfish reasons."

Zhou Chen said: "Mr. Zhuang, there is no need to be like this. Everyone has selfish motives. Just tell me. As long as I can help, I will definitely help."

He knew that Zhuang Mohan came to Kyoto to save his younger brother Sean, so he was willing to be the knife of the eldest princess Li Yunrui.

Zhuang Mohan was silent for a while, then asked again: "Have you heard of Sean?"

"I've heard that the former head of intelligence in Northern Qi was as famous as Chen Pingping. He was captured by Chen Pingping 20 years ago and imprisoned in the deepest dungeon of the Inspection Institute. It seems that Chen Pingping's legs were crippled because of him."

Sean was also a well-known ninth-grade master back then. He was indeed a match for Chen Pingping. Unfortunately, he was defeated by Chen Pingping in the end and was captured alive by Chen Pingping. However, he also crippled Chen Pingping's legs. It can only be said that he was one step behind.

"He is my biological brother."

Zhuang Mohan told Zhou Chen about his relationship with Sean. Zhou Chen didn't show any surprise or strange expression, but felt confused instead.

"You knew already?"

Zhou Chen shook his head and said, "I don't know, but I don't find it strange. Xiao En is regarded as a big devil by the Qing people, but to Northern Qi, he is a strong man and respected. I don't think it's surprising that such a person is Mr. Zhuang's younger brother."

"So, Mr. Zhuang came to Kyoto this time just for Sean?"

"Yes."

Zhuang Mohan said: "Naturally, there will be officials to discuss the peace talks. The biggest purpose of my coming to Kyoto is for Sean. I know that you have a high status in Kyoto, so I came to you to ask you to help me meet Sean. Perhaps, this may be the last time."

The tone of his voice sounded somewhat pleading. As a man whom all scholars in the world looked up to as their teacher, the only thing in the world that could make him travel thousands of miles, even at the cost of his own reputation, was probably family affection.

Zhou Chen did not hesitate at all and replied directly: "No problem, I have met Chen Pingping and we have some friendship. He should give me this favor."

Zhuang Mohan stood up and bowed to Zhou Chen very solemnly.

"Thank you."

Zhou Chen hurriedly helped him up, feeling uncomfortable in his heart.

"Mr. Zhuang, you don't have to be like this. Although you and I have known each other for a short time, we are close friends. I may have many friends, but I don't have many close friends. There is no need for us to be like this."

Zhan Pianpian also hurried over and helped his teacher sit down.

"Teacher, Zhou Chen said he would help, and he will definitely help. He never breaks his promise. I trust him the most."

Zhuang Mohan nodded. He naturally believed in Zhou Chen, but he felt that his request was a bit excessive and might cause trouble for Zhou Chen, so he felt guilty.

"I brought many precious and rare books with me this time. If you don't mind, please accept them."

Zhou Chen immediately agreed: "Okay, I will definitely study it carefully."

"I will go talk to Chen Pingping today. If nothing goes wrong, I can take you to the Inspection Institute tomorrow."

I added in my mind that even if something unexpected happens, I can still take you to the Inspection Institute tomorrow, but one is to go politely and the other is to force your way in.

After getting Zhou Chen's definite reply, Zhuang Mohan had lunch at Zhou Chen's place before leaving Zhou's house. However, Zhan Pianpian, who came with him, stayed.

With only herself and Zhou Chen left, Zhan Pianpian felt much more at ease. She sat in front of him, leaning on the table, supporting her chin, and looking at Zhou Chen with a smile on her face.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Have I changed?"

"No, it's just that I haven't seen you for a long time, and I missed you so much. You didn't even bother to go to the capital to see me."

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "Actually, if you don't come with Mr. Zhuang this time, I will go to Shangjing City to see you in a while."

"Really?" Zhan Pianpian asked happily.

"Of course, not only will I go to see you, I will also go to your emperor and queen mother to ask them to marry you to me."

"ah?"

The sudden proposal of marriage made Zhan Pianpian lose her composure instantly. Her face flushed, and she covered her face with both hands, saying coquettishly: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Zhou Chen said seriously, "I'm not talking nonsense. I'm serious. I'm going to go to your Qi State to propose marriage. After all, I'm already past the age of coming of age and have reached the age of getting married. There are no elders in my family, so I can only go and propose marriage in person."

Zhan Pianpian didn't even dare to look at Zhou Chen: "Well, then, then don't say it in front of me, it's so, so embarrassing."

But she was very excited in her heart. Although she had already chosen Zhou Chen a long time ago, and both the emperor and the empress dowager approved of her choice, Zhou Chen had never mentioned it after all. It was just their own thought.

So Zhou Chen expressed his feelings in front of her. While he was excited, he was also naturally very shy. After all, she was only a girl in her teens.

Zhou Chen smiled slightly, pulled her hand away from her face and held it gently in his hand.

"Pian Pian, I am very serious. I have thought it through very clearly. If I, Zhou Chen, want to marry, that person must be you. I have chosen you."

The shy Zhan Pianpian blushed and stared at Zhou Chen in a daze, and suddenly she was not so shy anymore.

"Me too."

The voice was very soft, but Zhou Chen heard it clearly, so his smile became even brighter. He held Zhan Pianpian's hand, with his ten fingers together, as if they were one person.

"With your words, I feel relieved. I promise you that you will be my wife, and no one can stop you."

"Ah."

Zhan Pianpian felt very sweet in her heart. A girl's feelings are always poetic. She felt that meeting Zhou Chen was the best thing in her life, more beautiful than the most moving poem in the world.

Looking at the happy Zhan Pianpian, Zhou Chen was also very happy and just accompanied her quietly.

After a long while, he spoke again: "Pianpian, there is something I want to tell you first."

Zhan Pianpian tilted his head and asked, "What's the matter?"

Zhou Chen knew that it was not a good time to talk about Sang Wen's affairs at this moment, but Zhan Pianpian had already come to the mansion, so it was naturally impossible to hide Sang Wen's affairs from her anymore.

"There is a person in my house. Her name is Sang Wen. She has been with me for several months. She..."

Listening to Zhou Chen carefully, Zhan Pianpian nodded: "Oh."

Seeing Zhan Pianpian's small reaction, Zhou Chen was surprised: "That's it, nothing else?"

Zhan Pianpian's face was puzzled: "What else?"

"It's Sang Wen. I brought her back home without telling you about my relationship with her. Do you have anything to say about this?"

"What are you talking about? Any problem?"

Zhan Pianpian still looked confused, but after looking at Zhou Chen's expression, she suddenly reacted.

"Oh, I understand. Don't worry. From what you said, Miss Sang Wen is very pitiful. I will definitely get along well with her and treat her well in the future."

"what?"

Zhou Chen was even more surprised: "You don't mind?"

"I don't mind. Why should I mind? Didn't you say that Miss Sang Wen is a good girl and easy to get along with? I think we can definitely get along."

Looking at Zhan Pianpian's expression, Zhou Chen suddenly realized that he was overthinking.

In this feudal society, having three wives and four concubines was very normal. He had just said that he wanted to marry Zhan Pianpian. Although they had not yet gotten married, Zhan Pianpian already wanted him and had put herself in the position of his wife.

She is a princess, but not a willful princess. Instead, she is a cute and naive princess without so many complicated thoughts.

In other words, she felt that Sang Wen would not have any influence on her, so she had no opinion about Sang Wen, but instead felt that they could get along well.

In a word, Zhan Pianpian didn't think that the fact that he had another woman was something she couldn't stand. Instead, she thought it was normal and not worth making a fuss about. What she cared more about was whether she could get along well with Sang Wen.

This "evil" feudal society is actually beautiful in some aspects.

Zhou Chen held her hand tightly and said, "I'll take you to meet Sang Wen, okay?"

"Okay."

Zhan Pianpian responded crisply. She also wanted to see if Sang Wen, whom Zhou Chen brought back home, was really that good. She liked Zhou Chen and wanted to do good for him. As long as Zhou Chen felt it was good, she had no objection.

In the backyard, Zhou Chen brought Zhan Pianpian to meet Sang Wen.

Compared to Zhan Pianpian, who was graceful and elegant, Sang Wen was much more nervous. He seemed very cautious and kept a low profile, for fear of displeasing Zhan Pianpian.

After all, their backgrounds were very different. One was a princess of a country, and the other was just a prostitute in a brothel.

But contrary to her expectations, Zhan Pianpian was completely different from what she had imagined. Although he looked a little pretentious, he was very easy to get along with and spoke very nicely. After just a while, she relaxed and had a very good chat with Zhan Pianpian.

Seeing this harmonious scene, Zhou Chen also breathed a sigh of relief. He was very clear that once there were too many women, there would eventually be conflicts. It had nothing to do with love or not. The way women get along and the relationship between them were much more complicated than those between men.

But fortunately, Zhan Pianpian and Sang Wen get along very well.

Zhou Chen also found it funny. To put it nicely, this silly girl Zhan Pianpian does have the demeanor of a mistress of the house, with a broad mind and a magnanimous character; to put it bluntly, she is just a silly girl, and sometimes she is really cute in her silly way.

However, Zhou Chen liked her simplicity, her frankness and cuteness, and he liked being with her. This was why he thought of her without hesitation when deciding to marry her.

You can see and feel whether a girl likes you or not. She can tell at a glance whether she is pretending or not.

At night, Zhou Chen accompanied Zhan Pianpian to watch the moon, just like when they were in Beijing last year. This made Zhan Pianpian very happy, and she insisted on dragging Zhou Chen to drink. After a glass of wine, her little face turned red, which was very cute.

Although Zhan Pianpian stayed in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, Zhou Chen naturally would not do anything to her. He arranged her in another courtyard and had maids serve her.

This is a feudal society. Since he wants to marry Zhan Pianpian as his wife, he naturally has to respect her. In addition, because of Zhan Pianpian's status, he will not touch Zhan Pianpian before they get married. The best should be saved for the most beautiful day.

After receiving the letter from Zhou Chen, Chen Pingping immediately went to the palace to meet Emperor Qing.

Emperor Qing finished reading Zhou Chen's letter and threw it aside.

"Zhou Chen has a very good relationship with Zhuang Mohan, and he actually pleaded for Zhuang Mohan."

"Your Majesty, according to our previous intelligence, when the Duke of Zhenguo was in the capital of Northern Qi, he lived in Zhuang Mohan's mansion. It seems that these two people are close friends regardless of age difference and have a very good relationship. Otherwise, the Duke of Zhenguo would not have come to me to ask for help for Zhuang Mohan."

Chen Pingping paid attention to Emperor Qing's expression. It was obvious that Emperor Qing was not very happy when he mentioned Zhou Chen.

"Xiao En is Zhuang Mohan's biological brother. It is understandable that he wants to save Xiao En. In Kyoto, he only has a good relationship with the Duke of Zhenguo. Asking the Duke of Zhenguo for help is his only choice."

Emperor Qing asked: "So what do you think, should he be allowed to see him?"

Chen Pingping groaned and said, "I will listen to your majesty's decision."

Emperor Qing chuckled, "If I don't agree, will Zhou Chen force his way into the Inspection Institute? After all, he is so bold that he can do anything."

Chen Pingping lowered his head and did not respond, but he could hear how much resentment Emperor Qing had towards Zhou Chen. But what Emperor Qing said was also right, there was no telling whether Zhou Chen would really do that.

There was silence in the imperial study for a long time before Emperor Qing spoke again.

"Just agree to his request. Sean will be released anyway. But you have to keep a close eye on him. I must know Sean's secret."

The reason why Sean was trapped for twenty years without being killed was because of the secret about the temple that Sean was hiding.

If the Grand Master is the person that Emperor Qing wants to get rid of the most, then the temple is the greatest pursuit of Emperor Qing's life. If he finds the temple and masters its secrets, perhaps he can gain the ability of immortality like Wu Zhu. At that time, the world will belong to him.

That’s right, the biggest reason why he wanted to find the temple was Wuzhu. Over the past decades, Wuzhu’s appearance has remained unchanged, which made him extremely envious and eager.

The life span of a grandmaster is much longer than that of an ordinary person, but for him, it is still far from enough. He wants to achieve true immortality, and only the temple can help him achieve it.

This is also the biggest reason why he imprisoned Sean and planned with Chen Pingping for many years.

"The minister obeys the order."

Emperor Qing's promise also made Chen Pingping feel relieved. Everyone said that he was the King of the Dark Night and was cold-blooded and ruthless, but he had a good impression of Zhou Chen, who was a grandmaster. If possible, he did not want to be an enemy of Zhou Chen.

Now that Emperor Qing has allowed it, he doesn't have to conflict with Zhou Chen. This is the best outcome for him.

The next day, when Fan Xian came to the Inspection Institute to find Wang Qinian, he was surprised to find that the atmosphere in the Institute was very strange. Many people had serious expressions and many of them kept looking towards the door of the Institute.

Fan Xian found Wang Qinian and asked curiously, "Why do I feel like the atmosphere in the Inspection Institute is not right today? Did something happen?"

Wang Qinian explained in a low voice: "The Duke of Zhenguo is coming to visit the Inspection Institute today, and Dean Chen is preparing to welcome him. Although the Duke of Zhenguo is very famous in Kyoto, not many people have actually met him face to face, so everyone is very curious about what this young grandmaster looks like and what magical powers he has."

Zhou Chen might have a bad reputation in the eyes of many people, but to the martial artists in Qing Kingdom, Grandmaster Zhou Chen is a legendary figure, deified. Many martial artists want to see this legendary grandmaster.

Fan Xian was very surprised when he heard this: "The Duke of Zhenguo is coming? Is the Duke of Zhenguo still friends with Dean Chen?"

Wang Qinian recalled the scene when Zhou Chen came to the Inspection Institute last year, and said, "The Dean and the Duke of Zhenguo are actually quite close. Actually, I was the one who led them back then..."

He was just about to brag to Fan Xian about how he had brought Zhou Chen to the Inspection Institute when suddenly there was a commotion at the entrance of the Institute and Chen Pingping had already arrived with his men to greet them at the door.

"The Duke of Zhenguo is here."

At the gate of the Inspection Institute, a luxurious carriage slowly stopped and Zhou Chen got off the carriage. With him came a man covered in a black cloak. This attire was almost like a shadow, making it impossible to see his true face.

Although the people from the Inspection Institute were somewhat curious, most of their attention was still on Zhou Chen.

Shadow pushed Chen Pingping forward and said, "Duke Zhenguo."

Zhou Chen replied, "President Chen, it's been a long time since we last met. Last time you said you wanted to host a banquet for me, I didn't respond. So today I'm coming to your house in person."

Chen Pingping smiled and apologized: "It is indeed my fault. After today, I will definitely invite the Duke of Zhenguo to Chen Garden for a gathering. I hope the Duke of Zhenguo will do me the honor then."

"must."

"Duke Zhenguo, please."