The world of film and television begins from childhood

Without any war, Zhou Chen was happy to have free time. He spent most of his time practicing the Pure Yang Technique. He would also practice martial arts with his troops. His life was pretty easy and comfortable.

He is a person who has experienced peace and war, so he knows better the value of peace. Just like in modern society, if it were not for peace, how could he live so comfortably.

The only difference from later generations is that the peace in the Song Dynasty is somewhat false, a false prosperity.

Strangely enough, before he obtained the system, he always had various fantasies in the real world, such as traveling back to ancient times to become an emperor, holding power in the world when awake, sleeping on the lap of a beauty when drunk, and having three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines and so on.

But this time when he really traveled to the fictional Song Dynasty, he did not have such thoughts.

He had also thought about the reasons. One reason was that although he had never been an emperor, he had traveled through more than a dozen worlds and had enjoyed too much. His desires had been released and satisfied to a large extent in each world. Having lived for hundreds of years and had countless experiences, he was no longer the person he was before he traveled through time.

Of course, it may also be because there is no pressure. After all, he has traveled through time as the heir to a marquis. If he had traveled through time as a prince, there would be no doubt that he would compete for the supreme throne.

The saying "Don't meddle in other people's business" is sometimes quite reasonable.

"General, your letter is from Tokyo."

The guard outside the door knocked gently on Zhou Chen's bedroom door, and after receiving Zhou Chen's response, he quickly explained the reason.

Zhou Chen in the bedroom recovered from his cross-legged meditation state.

"come in."

He took the letter from his personal guard Qin Yi and recognized it at a glance. It was sent by his old father in Tokyo, which made him frown slightly.

In the past two years, Lord Zhou has sent him many letters. The contents of each letter are different, but there is a common reason every time, which is to urge him to return to Beijing as soon as possible to get engaged and married.

Originally, this kind of thing should not be something that old Marquis Zhou should worry about, but his first wife, Zhou Chen's mother, had passed away, and Zhou Chen was his only son. Moreover, he was injured on the battlefield in his early years and his health was not very good, so he had to urge Zhou Chen, wanting to see his son get married and let the Loyalty and Bravery Marquis's Mansion be passed on.

For this purpose, when he sent the letter, he also sent Zhou Chen several portraits. The portraits were of some ladies from prominent families in Tokyo City, for Zhou Chen to choose from.

But there were only a few portraits, so how could Zhou Chen choose? There were no photos these days, so the portraits could not be accurate. Who knew how big the difference was between the real person and the portrait.

In addition, even though he is now guarding the border, he cannot leave whenever he wants, so he has not returned to Tokyo City once in the few years since he came to the border.

But this time it was different. After reading the letter in his hand, Zhou Chen's expression became extremely serious.

"Can't hold on any longer? It's time to go back to Tokyo."

The content of the letter was extremely important to Zhou Chen. His current father, Lord Zhou, the Loyal and Brave Marquis, was already terminally ill and would not live long, so he was asked to return to Tokyo as soon as possible to see him for the last time.

He inherited everything from this world, but it is not certain that he has a deep father-son relationship with Lord Zhou.

But he is his current father after all, and the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery is a first-class noble family in Tokyo. As the only heir, if the old marquis is really dying and he is not around, who knows what kind of trouble will arise.

He had no reason to go back before, but now he has a reason, and Lord Zhou has also asked the current emperor for permission. Now he only needs to complete the necessary procedures, hand over his position, etc., and he can leave the border and return to Bianjing City.

"Qin Yi, pack up. We will be returning to Beijing in a few days."

Although he had to hand over his position, he naturally had to take his personal guards with him. These people were all promoted by him, and in the future they would be able to enter his mansion and become his trusted guards.

More than ten days later, Zhou Chen had handed over everything, and then left the northwest border with dozens of personal guards and headed straight for the Song Dynasty's capital, Tokyo.

With light equipment and all the necessary documents, Zhou Chen and his party rode at full speed and arrived in Tokyo in just six days.

Looking at the towering city walls and the people coming and going, Zhou Chen's face was calm. However, the guards who came to Beijing with him, except for the three servants who had joined the army with him, all the others showed shocked expressions.

“Is this Tokyo City?”

As Zhou Chen's personal guards, most of them were visiting Tokyo for the first time. Even if they had just seen the city wall of Tokyo, they were shocked. An indescribable emotion surged in their hearts, and they looked ahead with excitement.

Although Qin Yi, as the captain of the personal guard, was also in Tokyo for the first time, he quickly recovered, guarded Zhou Chen on the left, and asked softly.

"General, shall we go into the city now?"

Zhou Chen was also looking at the huge characters on the city wall. He had a broad vision. Although the Tokyo City was also majestic, it was not enough to shock him.

But he knew that in today's era and period, Tokyo could definitely be said to be one of the most prosperous cities in the world, and even the word "one of" could be removed.

Because Dongjing is the capital of the current Song Dynasty, the center of economy, culture, politics and military, it is a center that the entire Song Dynasty people and even various ethnic minorities yearn for.

"Enter the city!"

Zhou Chen shouted loudly, then waved his whip and led his men towards the city gate.

Tokyo, also known as Bianjing, was the capital of the Song Dynasty. Its status did not change until the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty and the establishment of the Southern Song Dynasty.

This place was Bianzhou in the Tang Dynasty, Eastern Capital in the Later Liang Dynasty, Tokyo in the Later Jin Dynasty, and also the capitals of the Later Han and Later Zhou Dynasties. After the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty, it also became the capital, but after several renovations and reconstructions based on the old city, its scale far exceeded that of previous generations.

Tokyo is divided into the outer city, inner city, and imperial city.

The outer city wall is more than fifty miles long and has eleven city gates, three on the south, two on the east and west, and four on the north. Because four canals run through it, there are nine water gates. There is a moat outside the city, called the Hulong River, which is more than ten feet wide and willows are planted along the river.

The inner city is located in the central part of Tokyo City, slightly to the northwest. The city wall has a circumference of more than 20 miles and has ten city gates.

The Imperial City, also known as the Palace City, has a circumference of five miles and six gates.

The entire Tokyo has three city walls, four canals, thirty-three bridges, four imperial roads, and more than forty palaces.

Zhou Chen and his companions entered from one of the west gates and headed straight for the inner city, where the Mansion of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery was located.

Once they were in the city, they naturally couldn't ride faster, so their speed couldn't be increased, but their speed was not slow either, and they soon arrived at the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

Originally, as a border general, Zhou Chen should have gone to meet the emperor after returning to Beijing. However, because the old Marquis Zhou was seriously ill, the emperor granted amnesty and allowed Zhou Chen to return to the Marquis' Mansion first.

"Young Marquis? Young Marquis, you are finally back."

When the concierge opened the door and saw Zhou Chen, he was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes and he shouted, "The young marquis is back."

As the only legitimate son of Marquis Zhongyong, Zhou Chen is indeed qualified to be called the Young Marquis. After all, he is the only prince.

Zhou Chen didn't say anything extra. He asked the doorman to arrange his personal guards and then walked into the mansion.

After a while, a middle-aged man dressed as a butler came over.

"Brother Chen, you are finally back. The Marquis has been waiting for you."

This man is the steward of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's Mansion. He has served in the mansion for more than 30 years. He has been working in the mansion since the first generation of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, Zhou Chen's grandfather. He is also the confidant of the current Marquis Zhou.

Zhou Chen quickened his pace and asked, "Uncle Yan, how is my father's health now?"

Zhou Yan hesitated and replied cautiously, "The Marquis's health is not optimistic, but he may recover after seeing you, Brother Chen."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen knew that the situation of his father, the Marquis, was not good. Although he had never seen him since he traveled through time, he was his current father after all. Although there was not much father-son affection between them, he still respected the old Marquis very much.

So he quickened his pace again, walked through the gate, and came to the old marquis's bedroom in the main courtyard.

Before entering the house, Zhou Chen could already smell the strong smell of medicinal herbs. After entering the house, the smell was even more pungent, but Zhou Chen didn't care. His eyes instantly fell on the figure lying on the bed inside.

"father."

Zhou Chen walked to the bed and called softly.

Now he could see the condition of old Marquis Zhou more clearly. He was skinny and not very old, but his face was as pale as paper and his breathing was heavy.

As an experienced doctor, Zhou Chen could tell at a glance that his father, the marquis, was terminally ill and would soon die.

This is the body's limit and can no longer be cured by medicine.

Zhou Chen called out several times in succession, and Zhou Xian, who was in a coma, finally opened his cloudy eyes. But when he saw Zhou Chen beside the bed, his eyes suddenly became bright.

"Chen'er, you're back."

"I'm back, dad, why did you become so serious."

In the memories he had obtained, although his father was injured, he was still strong enough and would not have reached this level. After all, he had only been gone for five years.

"Cough cough."

Zhou Xian coughed a few times and asked Zhou Chen to help him up and lean against the head of the bed.

"I've gotten older, and the hidden wounds from the past have recurred. Over time, I've become what I am now. Don't be sad. I, your father, have lived for more than fifty years, which is enough."

When he was young, Zhou Xian was also a brave and fierce general. He participated in many wars. Unfortunately, the emperor at that time was the chariot god of Gaoliang River, so he lost more than he won. Later, he also participated in the war of the Alliance of Chanyuan. It was during that time that he was seriously injured and retired from the army.

Therefore, Zhou Xian's life was not glorious. Although he had military power, he met two extremely powerful emperors and had no place to display his military power.

During the Song Dynasty, there were many generals and military officers who suffered the same fate as Zhou Xian. They were all frustrated and therefore were suppressed by the civil officials and could not raise their heads.

Zhou Chen was Zhou Xian's only son, who was born when he was in his thirties. Therefore, he doted on Zhou Chen a lot. In addition, his first wife died early, so he doted on his only son even more.

Fortunately, Zhou Chen did not become a playboy. Instead, he was extremely outstanding among the nobles, which made him proud.

He felt relieved and happy that Zhou Chen passed the imperial examination, but he was even more proud that Zhou Chen was called the 'Young General of the Song Dynasty' by the current official, because Zhou Chen accomplished what he had always wanted to accomplish in his youth and won a great victory.

It is precisely because of this that Zhou Chen has become a prominent figure among the nobles of the Song Dynasty. Even though he is still young, he has been regarded by many as the future military general of the Song Dynasty.

"father……"

"Don't be sad. I can still hold on for a while. During this time, I will give you everything. My family is the second-class duke of the Song Dynasty. The title of 'Loyal and Brave Marquis' was conferred by Taizu himself. It is hereditary. You have done a better job than your father. I will be relieved to hand over the Marquisate to you. I will also have the face to go down and meet your grandfather."

"Dad, don't say such discouraging words. Let's go find the imperial physician. There must be a way to cure your illness."

Although he knew that Zhou Xian was almost dead, Zhou Chen couldn't really say it out loud. From just a few words, he could feel Zhou Xian's love and expectations for him.

"It's useless. The government has already sent the imperial physician. I have let it go, so you don't have to bother with it anymore. At this time, I am already satisfied that you can stay by my side."

Zhou Xian knew his own body clearly and he also knew that he didn't have much time left. He had been holding on just to wait for Zhou Chen to come back, and now his wish had finally come true.

"The only thing that worries me right now is your marriage. Two years ago, I found several famous ladies for you, but you were too stubborn. Now they are all married, especially Yun'er from your uncle's family. It's such a pity."

Zhou Chen didn't know what to say. Even at the last moment of his life, this old father was still thinking about his marriage. He was really worried.

As for the cousin from his uncle's family that Zhou Xian mentioned, it made Zhou Chen even more helpless. She was the daughter of his uncle, a close relative, so could he just marry her casually?

"Dad, I'm only twenty-three this year. There's no rush."

But Zhou Xian sighed. Twenty-three was not in a hurry yet. He didn't know what to say to this son.

"Ugh!"

In the next few days, except for going to the palace to pay a visit to the emperor Zhao Heng, Zhou Chen stayed at home to accompany Zhou Xian.

Zhou Xian didn't hold on for long after all. On the twelfth day after Zhou Chen came back, he closed his eyes forever. Before he died, he still held Zhou Chen's hands tightly.

Marquis Zhongyong was one of the few hereditary nobles in the Song Dynasty. Even in Tokyo City, he had considerable reputation. Especially after Zhou Chen became famous, he received countless attention.

The death of Zhou Xian, Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, caused quite a stir in Tokyo. Countless officials and dignitaries came to attend, and even the emperor sent eunuchs to express his condolences.

In ancient times, when parents died, children had to observe mourning, and the imperial court also had regulations that prohibited them from holding office during the mourning period. So apart from the hereditary title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, Zhou Chen no longer held any other official position.

There are many things that cannot be done during the three years of mourning.

For example, you can't talk about marriage, you can't attend weddings, you can't wear bright clothes, etc. In short, there are a lot of rules, more than the rules in the low-level martial arts world like Langya Bang.

However, Zhou Chen has lived for hundreds of years. Apart from his other abilities, his patience is definitely above average, and this matter is not difficult for him at all.

With the death of the old marquis Zhou Xian, Zhou Chen began to observe a three-year mourning period, and the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery's Mansion began to slowly fade out of the sight of the powerful in Tokyo.

During the mourning period, Zhou Chen basically did not leave the mansion. He practiced martial arts every day and occasionally went to the Zhou family's ancestral hall to burn incense and clean.

Unlike modern society, large families in ancient feudal society would have ancestral halls in their rented houses, because people at that time had a very strong sense of clan identity, which even surpassed loyalty to the emperor and patriotism at one point.

The Song Dynasty was relatively good. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the power of the aristocratic families was even greater, so powerful that they could reverse the situation in the world.

For example, the establishment of the Sui and Tang dynasties could not have been achieved without the support of aristocratic families.

Although the situation got better after the Song Dynasty, it was mainly due to the suppression by Emperor Taizu and the rise of the civil service group. However, this does not mean that the aristocratic families were really weakened, because after all, the officials' families can also be regarded as a kind of aristocratic families.

Strictly speaking, a hereditary marquisate like the Zhou family is an aristocratic family, but the Zhou family has few members and is not that powerful.

In comparison, the Meng family, to which Zhou Chen's mother belonged, was truly one of the most powerful families in the Song Dynasty.

Time flies, and more than two years have passed.

Zhou Chen has been in mourning for more than two years, and it will be over in about half a year. In fact, he is not impatient with the mourning period. On the contrary, he feels it is very good because no one will disturb him during this period. He can practice martial arts and study at home peacefully and quietly, which is more fulfilling than the years at the border.

A martial arts arena.

Zhou Chen looked at the guards and servants who were training seriously, and suddenly asked Qin Yi beside him: "Qin Yi, you have been trapped in the Marquis' Mansion for more than two years since you returned to Tokyo with me. Do you feel resentful?"

When Qin Yi heard this, he immediately bent down and replied with fear and trepidation: "It is our honor to be with the Marquis. How could we still have resentment?"

He meant what he said, for before, he was just a small commander on the border, and the other guards were similar, all common people from various places.

But more than two years ago, after they followed Zhou Chen to Tokyo, they settled down in the Mansion of Marquis Zhongyong. Not only that, Zhou Chen also asked them to return to their hometown to bring their relatives to Tokyo, and paid for their settlement.

Nowadays, most of the guards have brought their relatives to Tokyo. Although they all live in outer cities, being able to stay in Tokyo is already a great blessing for them. Isn't this much better than tying their heads to their belts at the border?

So not only did they not have any complaints towards Zhou Chen, they were filled with deep gratitude.

"Given the current situation in the court, Qin Yi, I have decided to open a school in the mansion and invite a highly respected teacher to teach. Please inform families with children of school age to send their children to the school in the mansion. If they are successful in their studies, I will recommend them to take the imperial examination in the future."

When Qin Yi heard this, his eyes widened immediately, and then he knelt down on the ground with excitement on his face.

"Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir."

In today's world, the status of scholars is very high, but it is not easy to read and read good books. Books, teachers, and connections are all indispensable.