The world of film and television begins from childhood

Soon, the song ended. Song Yinzhang picked up the pipa and said to Zhou Chen happily, "My Lord, please judge it."

Zhou Chen stood up, looked at her deeply, said nothing, just walked in front of her and stretched out his hand.

Song Yinzhang didn't understand, but Zhao Paner reacted quickly.

"Yin Zhang, Pipa."

Song Yinzhang finally reacted and hurriedly held the pipa with both hands and handed it to Zhou Chen.

This Solitary Moon Pipa is her beloved one. She carries it with her wherever she goes. It is like her second life. Normally, she would not let anyone touch it. However, she handed it to Zhou Chen without hesitation, which shows that she has unconditional trust in Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen took the pipa from her and said softly, "I'll play it once, and you can listen."

Hearing Zhou Chen's words, the women present were very surprised. They didn't know that Zhou Chen would actually do such a thing.

Is this for teaching?

Although Song Yinzhang felt strange, she still obediently walked away and gave her seat to Zhou Chen. However, she did not leave and stood beside Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen took the pipa and plucked it a few times. After trying it, his expression became serious.

"clang……"

At first, Sun Sanniang and Yinping didn't react, but Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang's expressions changed.

As Zhou Chen played, Song Yinzhang's face kept changing, becoming paler and paler, and his eyes revealed an incredible light.

Even Zhao Pan'er was shocked. After spending some time together recently, she felt that she had gotten to know Zhou Chen quite well, but Zhou Chen's pipa skills really shocked her.

Wasn’t Zhou Chen born in a military marquis’s mansion?

Although Zhou Chen passed the imperial examination and was a talented composer of poetry, she had never expected that Zhou Chen could play the pipa, and play it so well.

She didn't know what it meant to be a man of both civil and military talents before, but at this moment, she knew that the man she liked was a man of both civil and military talents, and the best among them.

After the song, Zhou Chen put down the pipa.

"Do you feel it?"

Song Yinzhang turned pale and was at a loss.

"My Lord, I, I..."

Not to mention her, even Sun Sanniang and Yin Ping, who didn't understand music, could hear the difference. It was obviously the same piece of music, but Song Yinzhang played it beautifully, but Zhou Chen played it in a passionate and iron-clad voice. Even though they were women, they felt their blood boiling and wanted to roar out loudly.

Zhao Pan'er immediately stood up and comforted Song Yinzhang: "Yinzhang, you just got this ancient music not long ago, so your playing is slightly worse than that of the Marquis. Just practice more and it will be fine."

But Song Yinzhang was already an expert at playing the pipa. In comparison, he was not just slightly inferior to Zhou Chen. He was extremely inferior and could not be compared with Zhou Chen at all.

It was a huge blow to her that she was no match for Zhou Chen, a marquis who had never even seen him play the pipa, in the skill that she was best at.

"Sister Pan'er, you don't need to comfort me. I can tell how bad I am."

After saying that, she bowed deeply to Zhou Chen again.

"My Lord, I'm sorry. You gave me this ancient piece of music, but I played it like this. I really failed your expectations. I am so useless."

"Yin Zhang, don't think like that. This is not entirely your problem."

Zhao Pan'er hurriedly comforted Song Yinzhang, and then kept winking at Zhou Chen, trying to get Zhou Chen to comfort her.

Zhou Chen nodded at Zhao Pan'er, then said to Song Yinzhang: "This Liangzhou Dabian is a famous song from the frontier. It is very different from ordinary pipa music. This song talks about warriors drinking heartily at a banquet before going to war. This song should be passionate and exciting."

"And the way you played just now was too girlish, which ran counter to the artistic conception of the piece. If you play this piece with such a mentality, you naturally cannot express its artistic conception, so it sounds okay, but people who know the subject can hear the problem at once. If you want to play this Liangzhou Dabian at such a level, you are really insulting this ancient piece."

What he said was already very tactful, except for the last sentence which was a little harsh.

But even so, Song Yinzhang, who was weak in nature, had red eyes. She was not upset by what Zhou Chen said, but she felt that she was too bad and did not deserve the ancient music Zhou Chen gave her as a gift.

Zhao Pan'er quickly tried to smooth things over: "Then tell me, how should Yin Zhang change now?"

Zhou Chen said: "She can't understand the feelings of the soldiers before going to the battlefield, nor can she understand the joy of men drinking happily together, so the best way is to let her think about it herself. The war is about killing, not love. You can imagine how you would feel when your beloved man goes to the battlefield, and how you would feel when your man is killed by the enemy and you want to avenge your beloved man."

"If you can't relate to this, then think about your own experience. Why are others born noble, while you have to stay in the Jiaofangsi since childhood? Why are others always meeting good men and talented men, while you always meet liars? Vent out your resentment and anger, use your pipa as a sword, and stab out fiercely."

"If you can't appreciate the passionate and inspiring aura of war, then turn it into murderous intent and vent the depression in your heart..."

Because Song Yinzhang's experience was not like that in the plot, Zhou Chen didn't know how to make her understand. He could only explain it to her according to his own ideas. As for whether it would work, he was not sure.

But whether it can be successful or not is actually not very important. If Song Yinzhang can surpass all the others like in the original novel, it would be a good thing. If not, it is not a bad thing either.

In the plot, Song Yinzhang became arrogant and conceited because he became famous once, so it is not a bad thing if he cannot become famous.

…………

Zhou Chen followed Eunuch Cui straight to the Chuigong Hall. On the way, Zhou Chen asked Eunuch Cui in a low voice.

"Eunuch Cui, do you know why the emperor is so eager to summon me to the palace?"

Eunuch Cui kept walking and said quickly, "I'm sorry, Marquis Zhongyong, I really don't know about this matter, but besides the emperor, the saint is also here."

The saint is the queen. After hearing this, Zhou Chen frowned slightly. Could it be that old man Xiao Qinyan told the queen about their conspiracy?

However, he quickly rejected it. Xiao Qinyan was an old fox. The two of them only had a verbal agreement now. Moreover, Xiao Qinyan was an ambitious person. Although he was a member of the Queen's party, it was not necessarily true that he and the Queen were of the same mind.

Therefore, it was impossible for Xiao Qinyan to trust the Queen completely, and it was more like they were using each other.

"Thank you, Eunuch Cui."

Zhou Chen thanked him, and Eunuch Cui was also very polite. He wanted to make friends with Zhou Chen, a new noble in the court, and did not want to offend him.

They soon arrived at the Chuigong Hall. After reporting, Zhou Chen walked into the Chuigong Hall.

"I pay my respects to the governor, sage."

"Get up, Zhou Qing."

Zhou Chen slowly stood up, faced forward, and saw Emperor Zhao Heng and Queen Liu Wan.

This was the first time Zhou Chen formally met Queen Liu Wan. Liu Wan looked much younger than Zhao Heng, less than forty years old, with a beautiful face, graceful and elegant demeanor, with her head held high, giving people an extremely arrogant and contemptuous feeling.

This is a fictional history, so Empress Liu's name was Liu Wan, but the name was changed, the general situation did not change. After Emperor Zhao Heng passed away, this empress would rule the country from behind the curtain for more than ten years. She can be said to be the most famous empress in the history of the Song Dynasty.

There is a comment to evaluate her: She has the talent of Lu and Wu, but without their evil.

Of course, this is the evaluation of Empress Liu in the official history. However, judging from the plot of the TV series Meng Hualu that Zhou Chen watched, the character of Empress Liu Wan is really very different from that of Empress Liu in the official history.

Zhao Heng was very nice to Zhou Chen, and said in a kind tone: "Mr. Zhou, I asked you to come here today because I want you to do something."

Zhou Chen immediately replied: "Your Majesty, please give me your orders. I will do my best."

"Well, Zhou Qing must have heard about the hat monster that has been causing trouble in the capital recently, right?"

"Of course I have heard about it, but the matter of the hat monster is strange. It was originally only in other places, but I didn't expect that it would dare to come to the capital to do evil now. It is really a heinous crime."

Zhao Heng agreed and said, "You are right. Although I believe in Taoism, it does not mean that I am stupid. The incident of the hat monster must have been caused by someone deliberately."

Over the years, he has been vigorously promoting Taoism for his own sake, and this case of the hat monster was obviously deliberately fabricated by someone who took advantage of his belief in Taoism.

How could he not see through this scheme when he was the emperor for more than 20 years? So he never took it seriously.

But who would have thought that the case of the hat monster would even be brought to Tokyo? What's even more hateful is that such a long time has passed and the case has not been solved yet. This made him very dissatisfied.

"I ordered the Imperial City Bureau to investigate this matter, but nothing came of it, which made me very disappointed. Now this hat monster has been stirring up trouble again and again, which is really abominable, so I want you to investigate. The Imperial City Bureau will investigate in the open, and you will investigate in the dark. Do your best to investigate this matter."

Zhou Chen did not hesitate at all: "I will obey the emperor's order and will do my best to investigate the case of the hat monster."

"very good."

Zhao Heng nodded with satisfaction. He was very satisfied with Zhou Chen, the young nobleman, otherwise he would not have let Zhou Chen serve as the deputy commander of the imperial guards and cavalry, which was his personal guard.

At this time, Empress Liu Wan suddenly spoke up and said, "Your Majesty, I have long heard that Zhou Qing is a rare young hero in the world, a young general of our Song Dynasty. Seeing him today, I am sure he did not disappoint me. He is so full of energy and looks so heroic."

Although Zhou Chen didn't understand why Liu Wan suddenly praised him, he still bowed very respectfully: "Thank you for the praise, Saint. I am ashamed to accept it."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 993: Granted Marriage? True Love

Liu Wan looked dignified and looked at Zhou Chen below with satisfaction.

To be honest, compared to the butler Zhao Heng, who has an old face and a somewhat ethereal temperament due to his Taoist studies, this queen seems to look more majestic and dignified.

"Mr. Zhou, I heard that you haven't married yet, right?"

Before Zhou Chen could say anything, Zhao Heng suddenly reacted.

"Yes, Zhou Qing, you also have this year..."

Eunuch Cui quietly reminded him, "Twenty-six."

"Yes, Zhou Qing, you are already 26 years old this year. Because you went to the border battlefield and then because of mourning, you have not yet started a family. Zhou Qing, you have to hurry up."

"I thank you for your concern."

Zhou Chen had a bad feeling in his heart. He thought that Liu Wan would definitely not bring up the fact that she was not married for no reason, so he instinctively wanted to change the subject, but before he could say anything, Liu Wan spoke again.

"Mr. Zhou is a pillar of our dynasty, and marriage is not something that can be arranged casually. Your Majesty, my elder brother has a legitimate daughter who is only seventeen years old. She is virtuous and kind, and she is a perfect match for Mr. Zhou. How about..."

"Haha, is the Queen going to act as a matchmaker for Zhou Qing?"

Zhao Heng suddenly laughed, but his eyes changed, because Liu Wan had not discussed this with him before saying this.

If it were any other ministers, he wouldn't care and would satisfy Liu Wan as long as he could. But Zhou Chen was different. Now Zhou Chen was not only an important official of the court, but also a representative of the noble lineage. He was also very prestigious among the military officers.

Therefore, Zhou Chen’s marriage is no longer just Zhou Chen’s personal matter, but is mixed with many complex factors.

With his support, Queen Liu Wan's power has already expanded. If Liu Wan and Zhou Chen were to marry, her prestige and power would be even more astonishing.

Although Zhao Heng loved Liu Wan and was even willing to let her take power, it did not mean that he could tolerate Liu Wan controlling the government and doing whatever she wanted.

Liu Wan smiled gently at Zhao Heng and said, "Sir, a few days ago, Yu'er came to the palace to see me. I found that she was really good. And Zhou Qing is a young hero. He is a perfect match for Yu'er."

"Yu'er is a good kid."

Zhao Heng also praised him: "But Zhou Qing has to make his own decision. If Zhou Qing already has someone he likes, we can't just match them up randomly."

After saying that, he looked at Zhou Chen: "Mr. Zhou, what do you think of the Queen's proposal?"

Zhou Chen clearly felt that there was something wrong with the way Zhao Heng looked at him. He immediately understood what Zhao Heng meant and didn't want him to agree.

This was exactly what he wanted. He had never intended to agree to the Queen's request in the first place. Not to mention the main mission, his current relationship with Zhao Pan'er would not allow him to marry Liu Wan's niece.

Perhaps this would cause dissatisfaction among the Queen, but now even Zhao Heng has made his attitude clear, so it would be even less likely that he would agree.

"I thank the saint for his regard for me, but I already have a woman I love. Although we haven't married yet, I have sworn that I will marry her in this life."

When the queen heard Zhou Chen's refusal, a look of anger flashed across her face, but Zhao Heng was very interested.

"Zhou Qing already has a girl he likes? This is a little strange to me. What kind of girl can be favored by a young hero like Zhou Qing? Which noble family is she from?"

In his eyes, a wealthy family like Zhou Chen would definitely marry a lady of similar noble status.

But Zhou Chen's answer surprised him.

"Reporting to your Majesty, the woman I like is not a lady from a noble family, nor is she the daughter of an official. She is a commoner named Zhao Pan'er."

"A commoner girl?"

Everyone in the Chuigong Hall was shocked, and Zhao Heng even suspected that Zhou Chen was talking nonsense.

"Zhou Qing, tell me again, the woman you like is a commoner?"

Zhou Chen knew very well that Zhao Heng did not want him to marry Liu Wan's niece, but Liu Wan was the queen now after all, and would be the empress dowager who would rule the country from behind the scenes in the future.

If he wanted to send troops to the border and recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in the future, he would have to rely on Liu Wan's support, so he certainly didn't want to offend Liu Wan to death.

It is impossible for him to marry Liu Wan's niece, but he cannot offend her to death. The best choice is to tell the truth.

"Yes, the woman I like is a commoner. Not only that, she was once exiled to the Jiaofangsi because of her father's crime, but she was pardoned many years ago and became a good citizen. She used to run a teahouse in Qiantang. She came to Tokyo a few months ago and now runs a teahouse on Maxing Street in the capital."

"Have you ever worked in the Jiaofangsi? Or are you a merchant woman?"

If they were just shocked just now, now Zhao Heng and others were wondering if there was something wrong with their ears.

"Zhou Qing, do you know what you just said?"

The majestic and graceful Queen Liu Wan was also shocked. She directly suspected that Zhou Chen did not want to marry her own children, so he made up such an absurd reason.

Zhou Chen replied calmly, "Your Majesty, although Zhao Pan'er is only a merchant's wife and was once a slave, I have fallen deeply in love with her and am willing to love her and be together forever."

Zhao Heng and Liu Wan's expressions suddenly changed, because Zhou Chen's words made them involuntarily think of their past.

Although Liu Wan was not of low birth, she was forced to become a singer when she was young because her family fell into poverty. However, this lasted for a very short period of time, and she later married a silversmith.

But later Zhao Heng met Liu Wan and fell in love with her. He staged a "beauty in a golden house" and took her into the harem without caring about Liu Wan's past.