The world of film and television begins from childhood

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 987: Layout, Marriage Proposal

"Have you heard about the Hat Monster case? What do you think of it? Is the Hat Monster really a demon?"

When Gu Qianfan heard Zhou Chen talking about the hat monster case, he took the opportunity to ask for his advice.

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "You already have a judgment in your mind, do you still need to ask me?"

Gu Qianfan said in a deep voice: "I don't believe in any hat monsters. They are just a trick. I have fought with the 'hat monster' before, and I am sure that someone is deliberately disguising it. I guess someone must want to use this hat monster to cause trouble."

"Then Deputy Envoy Gu, who do you think is trying to be mysterious?"

“I haven’t found out that yet.”

The mystery of the Hat Monster's appearance is that he was not in Tokyo at the beginning, but only appeared in Tokyo recently. Although he had fought with the Hat Monster before, he was unable to figure out what the other party was like. He could only be sure that someone was deliberately causing trouble.

"My Lord, I came to you today to ask your opinion on the Hat Monster case, and one more thing, what did you mean by what you said to me last time?"

"Which sentence?"

Gu Qianfan looked around unconsciously, and then whispered: "It's about Qi Mu, Qi Zhongcheng. Why did you tell me last time to be careful of Qi Mu? Do you know something?"

Zhou Chen chuckled and said, "It seems that you have noticed something recently, or found out something, and became suspicious of Qi Mu, but you are not sure, so you came to me to inquire about the situation, right?"

Gu Qianfan remained silent. Qi Mu’s recent behavior did make him very suspicious.

As the mainstay of the Qingliu faction, Qi Mu has already collected evidence of the crimes of Lei Jing and others. As long as Qi Mu takes it out, he will definitely be able to bring down many people.

But Qi Mu always made excuses and was unwilling to do so. Instead, he wanted to use Lei Jing. Moreover, he did not approve of some of Qi Mu's recent actions, which was very different from his impression of Qi Mu.

"My Lord, I owe you a favor. Please tell me."

Zhou Chen did not say anything. He tapped the table lightly with his fingers, his face serious and thoughtful.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "Deputy Envoy Gu, you and I hit it off right away. I trust your character. I know a lot about you, especially the connection between you and Qi Mu, which I also know."

Gu Qianfan was not surprised by this. He had already guessed it after Zhou Chen said that last time.

"I don't know how much Vice Envoy Gu trusts Qi Mu, but I know a little about Qi Mu. We were both Jinshi in the same batch. You should know something about me, right?"

Gu Qianfan nodded. Zhou Chen passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. He also took Mr. Ke as his teacher, hoping to integrate into the Qingliu lineage.

But unfortunately, Zhou Chen was eventually rejected by many officials of the Qingliu lineage, and finally had to give up and chose to join the army and go to the border.

Although the officials of the Qingliu lineage cannot represent the entire civil service group, they were indeed powerful and had great influence in the court back then.

Unlike now, the Hou party gradually became stronger, Ke Xianggong was demoted, the Qingliu lineage suffered a severe blow, and its power in the court became weaker and weaker.

"The one who excluded me from the Qingliu lineage was Qi Mu, and he was even the mastermind. I was still young at the time and felt resentful, but now I have figured it out. The reason why that happened was simply because everyone's positions and interests were different, which led to that result."

"But according to my investigation, Qi Mu is a man of deep thoughts. He deliberately tries to get close to you, but in fact, he just wants to use you. He knows your abilities and wants you to join the Imperial City Division, master the power of the Imperial City Division, and use it for his own benefit. I think you have already noticed this."

Gu Qianfan didn't answer, but his expression said it all.

"Did he want you to bring down Lei Jing before? But now he didn't do that, but instead tried to stop you from dealing with Lei Jing?"

"How did you know?"

Gu Qianfan was really confused. Only he and Qi Mu knew about this. How did Zhou Chen know about it?

Zhou Chen chuckled and said, "I am a bit petty. Qi Mu played a trick on me back then, and I kept it in mind. I have been thinking about finding a chance to get back at him, so I pay more attention to his affairs."

"Is there someone of yours around Qi Mu?" Gu Qianfan asked in surprise.

"maybe."

Zhou Chen did not give a direct answer, but used this ambiguous answer to let Gu Qianfan guess for himself.

Qi Mu naturally had no one like him around him, so he knew all this because of his ability of "foresight".

"Deputy Envoy Gu, you just need to know that I have no ill will towards you. On the contrary, I really think you are a good friend. We are a family of military commanders, unlike those scholars who have so many twists and turns in their hearts. When I say I treat you as a friend, I really treat you as a friend."

Gu Qianfan's expression moved slightly. He believed what Zhou Chen said, because compared to Qi Mu who plotted against him, Zhou Chen and him had no connection at all, and he did not have any value that Zhou Chen needed to use to win over.

Qi Mu is a civil servant and needs the power of the Imperial City Administration, but Zhou Chen is different. Zhou Chen is originally a noble marquis and now he is one of the two commanders of the imperial guards. He is in a high position and has great power, so there is no need for him to rely on the power of the Imperial City Administration.

Moreover, when they first met, he was just the commander of the Imperial City Bureau, but Zhou Chen saved his life and helped him a lot.

To take a step back, even if Zhou Chen really had some plan, at least at this stage, he couldn't sense any ill intentions.

After getting the answer he wanted, Gu Qianfan bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you, my Lord."

"Don't be so polite. I may need your help in the future."

Gu Qianfan replied solemnly: "In the future, as long as the Marquis needs me, I will do my best."

"Then I would like to thank Deputy Envoy Gu first." Zhou Chen smiled slightly.

It would also be a good thing for Zhou Chen if he could make Gu Qianfan give up on Qi Mu as soon as possible.

It can be seen from the TV series that Qi Mu is a villain, not to mention that there is already some hatred between them. He hopes that Qi Mu will fall as soon as possible.

He has already begun to make arrangements in the court. If no one comes down from the court, he will have no chance to fish in troubled waters.

In fact, compared to the hypocrite Qi Mu, it is the real villain like Xiao Qinyan who is easier to get along with.

However, the hat monster case that Gu Qianfan is investigating is unlikely to have any results in the end, because there is not just one person behind the hat monster case, but a force or even a coalition of several forces.

If Zhou Chen really wanted to investigate, he could find out a lot of things, but why would he bother?

The Hou Party is now very powerful. If we eliminate those hostile forces, wouldn’t it make the Hou Party even more powerful?

He knew that the current emperor would die early next year. If the rear party was allowed to dominate the court, it would be very detrimental to his future plans. He certainly would not sit idly by and watch the rear party dominate.

As the saying goes, there are no enemies in the court, only interests. If you want to do something, do something that is beneficial to you.

"Ugh!"

Zhou Chen sighed heavily. If it weren't for his side quest, why would he have to calculate so much? Being a free and easy marquis is actually a good choice.

At worst, I can give birth to a few more sons, train them to be talented, and let them expand the Loyalty and Bravery Marquis Mansion. Isn't this more comfortable than putting in all the effort myself?

It’s a pity that in order to complete the side quest, he can only start working hard from now on.

Nai Nai, if he can't take back the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, he will definitely turn the world upside down.

As soon as Zhou Chen returned home, he learned that his fourth uncle Meng Wei was here to visit.

"puff!"

Zhou Chen spat out a mouthful of water and looked at Meng Wei in disbelief: "Uncle, you are kidding me, right? What do you think of letting me marry Gao Hui from the Gao family?"

He never expected that Meng Wei came to him to propose marriage, and what he didn't expect was that the person he was proposing marriage to was actually Gao Hui, the daughter of Observer Gao.

How could he not know who Gao Hui was? She was the woman who almost married Ouyang Xu. Let alone the fact that this happened, even if it didn't happen, he would not agree to it.

"Xiao Chen, I am really thinking about you. The Gao family is quite powerful. If you can marry into the Gao family, it will only benefit you, not harm you."

Meng Wei patiently advised: "As for Gao Hui's previous engagement, it doesn't matter. It was cancelled not long after it was made. What's more, Ouyang Xu is dead. Gao Guancha said that as long as you are willing to make an engagement with his daughter, the Gao family and Concubine Xian will do their best to help you."

At their level, face is important, but power is more important. The Gao family’s strength should not be underestimated, so he came to persuade Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen glanced at Meng Wei indifferently. His uncle's words sounded nice, but how could he not know what Meng Wei was planning?

If he were to marry into the Gao family, not only would he benefit, but the Meng family would also benefit. Who would complain about expanding their own power?

Especially in this special period like now, the official's health is seriously problematic. This period is a time of turmoil, so naturally there is more to be concerned about.

"Uncle, stop talking. No matter what you say, I will never agree to this."

Zhou Chen refused without hesitation, leaving Meng Wei no room for persuasion.

"Why are you so stubborn, kid?"

"Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but I have made up my mind."

"You, well, well, you're old enough to have your own ideas. You can make it your own way."

Seeing Zhou Chen's firm attitude, Meng Wei sighed and stopped trying to persuade him. Although he was his uncle, Zhou Chen's current status and power were no less than his, and he really couldn't make decisions for Zhou Chen.

This incident made Zhou Chen quite unhappy, so he quietly left the mansion and went to Anyefang.

Zhao Pan'er was reading by lamplight at night when she suddenly heard footsteps and turned around with joy.

"You're here."

"Well, it's so late and you're still awake. What book are you reading?"

Zhao Pan'er put the book down and smiled sweetly: "Nothing, I just couldn't sleep, so I just read it to kill time."

Zhou Chen sat down and hugged Zhao Pan'er in his arms, saying affectionately: "I thought you couldn't sleep because you missed me so much."

"Then I said I couldn't sleep because you thought about me so much."

"Yes, you are right. I just missed you so much that I couldn't sleep, so I came to see you."

"You are just trying to trick me."

Zhao Pan'er was very depressed. Every time when facing Zhou Chen, she felt as if she had become stupider and could not win the argument with Zhou Chen at all. This was something she had never encountered before.

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "Pan'er, this feeling is really good. Holding you, I feel extremely at ease. Let me tell you something. I have asked someone to match our horoscopes. Do you know the result?"

Zhao Pan'er's expression straightened, and she couldn't wait to ask, "How is it?"

Zhou Chen scratched her nose and kissed her forehead lightly.

"A match made in heaven, a perfect match."

"real or fake?"

Zhou Chen pretended to be unhappy and said, "Why? Do you think I would lie to you? Or do you think we are not a match made in heaven?"

Zhao Pan'er immediately shook her head: "Of course not, I just feel that it's a little unreal. Lord, you, you really want to marry me as your legal wife? Will you regret it in the future?"

Zhou Chen smiled first, then answered solemnly.

"What I said will not change. You, Zhao Pan'er, are my legal wife and the eldest lady of the Marquis' Mansion. As for whether I will regret it, my answer is no. And I firmly believe that you will not make me regret it, right?"

Zhao Pan'er's eyes turned red, and then she nodded vigorously: "Yes, I, Zhao Pan'er, swear that if I become the Marquis's wife, I will never let the Marquis regret choosing me."

"That's it. I have confidence in you, and you should also have confidence in yourself. When the time comes, we will be able to work together as husband and wife and achieve great things."

"Ah."

Zhao Pan'er leaned in Zhou Chen's arms. At this moment, she was no longer afraid, but felt extremely at ease.

After a long time, Zhao Paner suddenly remembered something.

"My Lord, when I met Zhang Haohao yesterday, she told me that Yin Zhang might have encountered some troubles in the Jiaofang Bureau recently."

"Yin Zhang is in trouble. What trouble?"

"I heard from Zhang Haohao that there is a writer named Shen Ruzhuo in the Jiaofang Bureau who has been harassing Yin Zhang. If she hadn't suddenly appeared last time, I don't know how Shen Ruzhuo would have bullied Yin Zhang. Lord, I haven't asked you for anything, but I hope you can help Yin Zhang with her matter."

Zhou Chen raised his eyebrows: "Shen Ruzhuo? Okay, I got it. I'll have someone investigate tomorrow. If he really pesters Yin Zhang, I'll deal with him."

In the plot, Shen Ruzhuo had harassed Song Yinzhang and almost betrayed him later. Now he has changed the plot, but unexpectedly, Shen Ruzhuo still hasn't changed his ways.

"Thank you, my lord." Zhao Pan'er said gratefully.

Zhou Chen said, "Pan'er, there's no need to thank each other. Yin Zhang is your sister, so she's also my sister. This is what I should do. Moreover, I promised her a long time ago that I would help her get rid of her citizenship, but I just haven't had the time recently. Last time, because of our matter, she had some resistance in her heart, so it hasn't been resolved until now. I'll take this opportunity to help her get rid of her citizenship."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 988: Decertification, Revenge, Meeting Xiao Qinyan

"Can you really help Yin Zhang get rid of his citizenship? Wouldn't that be too much trouble?"

Zhao Paner asked with both anticipation and worry.

Song Yinzhang is her sister, Zhou Chen is her lover, and both of them are her closest and most beloved people, so she doesn't want to make things difficult for either of them.

Zhou Chen stroked her hair gently and said with a smile: "What's the trouble? I am a marquis after all. It's a simple matter to help someone get rid of his status in the Jiaofang Bureau. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"If people knew that I was the one who redeemed Yin Zhang, it might attract some criticism. Of course, I definitely don't care. I'm just afraid that you would mind."

When Zhao Pan'er heard that it was just because of this, she immediately gave Zhou Chen a coquettish look.

Of course she knew what Zhou Chen meant. Why would a man help a prostitute from the Jiaofangsi to get rid of her status?