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Finally, Ke Zheng left in a carriage and went to Leizhou to take up his post.

Zhou Chen knew that this might be a farewell for Ke Zheng forever. Although his rank was not low as an official in a local government, for a proud man like Ke Zheng, this demotion had drained away most of his energy and spirit, and he no longer had the ambition he once had.

Under such circumstances, how many more years can he, who is already old, hold on?

In a mansion in the capital, Qi Mu was staying with Cui Lin, the commander of the Palace Front Department.

"Zhongcheng, why can't we expose the matter of the Night Banquet of the Queen before Mr. Ke leaves the capital?"

Cui Lin was very puzzled by Qi Mu's behavior. In fact, after he got the Night Banquet Map that night, he quickly found Qi Mu and presented the Night Banquet Map to him, hoping that Qi Mu would use the Night Banquet Map to deal with the Queen.

As long as the queen can be overthrown, Xiao Qinyan and his gang of followers can be eliminated. Then the emperor can only rely on Ke Zheng and the Qingliu lineage, and it is only a matter of time before Ke Xianggong is re-employed.

But they didn't expect Qi Mu to be very enthusiastic at that time. Instead, he asked them to stay calm and wait for the opportunity.

He waited for several days, and now Ke Zheng had left, but Qi Mu still hadn't taken any action, which he really couldn't understand.

Qi Mu's face was serious: "Cui Lin, I know what you and Mr. Ke are thinking, but you also have to know that what Ke Zheng despises most is this kind of insidious method. If he knew that you used this method to deal with the Queen and Xiao Qinyan, do you think he would be angry to death?"

Cui Lin fell silent for a moment. Based on his understanding of Ke Zheng, if Ke Zheng knew that they used such dishonorable means, he would definitely detest it.

"So what should we do now? How do we use this painting of the night banquet?"

"We can't rush. We must be fully prepared. Dealing with Xiao Qinyan is not the most important thing. The most important thing is to let the emperor appoint a crown prince as soon as possible and let the crown prince govern the country. This Night Banquet Map must be used at the critical moment."

Qi Mu spoke with great righteousness, but in reality, he was just stalling for time. Ke Zheng's departure from Beijing was indeed a heavy blow to the Qingliu lineage.

But for him, it may not be a bad thing. Once Ke Zheng left, he would be the leader of the Qingliu lineage. So he was eager for Ke Zheng to leave. How could he possibly let him return to his post?

Now that Ke Zheng is gone, as long as he overthrows the empress and Xiao Qinyan, and then supports the prince to take the throne as regent, the prince will be young and can only rely on him. By then, he will be the second Ke Zheng. No, he will have more power and prestige than Ke Zheng.

Cui Lin has good fighting skills, but when it comes to using his brain, how could he be a match for Qi Mu? He was fooled by a few words and followed Qi Mu's lead.

"Have you decided on the candidate to expose the queen using the Night Banquet Picture?"

"Replying to the Prime Minister, this is a major event that benefits the country and the people. Many people are willing to risk their lives for it."

Qi Mu nodded in satisfaction. Using the Night Banquet Picture to expose the Queen had its pros and cons and was too risky. He valued his life very much and of course would not do it himself. This was also a way to leave himself a way out. Who knows what might happen.

A few days passed in a blink of an eye. In recent days, Tokyo is still not peaceful. Although the Imperial City Bureau has caught a criminal suspected to be a hat monster, there are still "hat monsters" causing trouble, making people in the capital panic and unable to live in peace.

Zhou Chen was originally spending a leisurely day outside when his subordinates brought him news that the government was urgently recruiting, so he immediately rode back to the imperial city at full speed.

Under the guidance of the eunuch, Zhou Chen went straight to the Chuigong Hall where the emperor was staying.

Zhou Chen was waiting outside the Chuigong Hall, and then he heard Zhao Heng inside the hall getting furious. After a while, he saw several people retreating from the Chuigong Hall.

"Hou Zhongyong!"

Two groups of people came out, one was Lei Jing and Gu Qianfan, the other was the deputy commander-in-chief of the Palace Front Department, Du Yuhou and Commander Cui.

The atmosphere between the two sides was cold, their noses were not noses and their eyes were not eyes, but when they saw Zhou Chen outside, they greeted him politely.

Zhou Chen replied, then followed the eunuch into the Chuigong Hall.

Both the Imperial City Division and the Palace Front Division had very bad attitudes. They glared at each other and then left one after another.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 999: Meeting in the Palace, Pan'er is surrounded by people

As soon as he walked into the Chuigong Hall, Zhou Chen felt that the atmosphere in the hall was not right. All the eunuchs and palace maids were trembling slightly and were very cautious.

The official Zhao Heng, who was sitting in front of the dragon table, was still angry and had dissatisfaction in his eyes. He calmed down a little when he saw Zhou Chen coming in.

"I pay my respects to the official."

"Zhou Qing, you are here."

Zhao Heng's face returned to normal and he rubbed his swollen head.

"Mr. Zhou, I asked you to come here because I want to ask you about the case of the hat monster. You have been secretly investigating for a while. Have you gained anything?"

Zhou Chen immediately replied: "Your Majesty, I did gain something."

Zhao Heng immediately perked up when he heard this, and urged, "Any results? Well, then tell me quickly, what did you find out?"

Zhou Chen spoke calmly.

"I have discovered that someone is deliberately stirring up trouble behind the Hat Monster case. The purpose is probably to disrupt the government, causing panic among the people and spreading rumors."

Zhao Heng's face was gloomy. He naturally knew all this a long time ago.

"Let's get to the point. Have you found out who is behind this? Or in other words, what force is it?"

After being the emperor for more than 20 years, if he doesn't even have this little vision, then all those years of being the emperor would have been in vain.

He just had guesses in his mind, but no evidence, and since the matter was of great importance, there was naturally no way to deal with it. What he wanted most now was evidence.

"Reporting to the emperor, I am not sure who it is and I am still investigating. But what is certain is that the mastermind behind this is a senior official in the court and his position is very high."

"A senior official in the court?"

Zhao Heng sneered. This result was still within his expectations, but the answer still could not satisfy him.

"Zhou Qing, do you know what Lei Jing and Wan He, who just left, said?"

Without waiting for Zhou Chen to speak, he said directly: "Wan He told me that the case of the hat demon might be instigated by the Imperial City Division, so the Imperial City Division has been unable to find the murderer; but Lei Jing said that the case of the hat demon is related to the Palace Front Division, because they caught one of the murderers, and finally he was taken away by the Palace Front Division, and then tortured to death. They said they did it on purpose to destroy the evidence."

"Mr. Zhou, tell me, who is more trustworthy between Lei Jing and Wan He?"

"?"

After hearing what Zhao Heng said, Zhou Chen was also confused. My goodness, are the Imperial City Division and the Palace Front Division fighting each other?

Although the status of the Palace Front Department is higher than that of the Imperial City Department, and Lei Jing is a coward, it does not mean that Lei Jing and the Imperial City Department are easy to bully. It would be strange if they did not turn hostile if you, the Palace Front Department, put such a big blame on them.

How should he answer this?

"The official family..."

"Zhou Qing, tell me the truth. I trust you more than the other two."

Zhou Chen simply treated Zhao Heng’s words as nonsense. If the emperor says he trusts you, then you really have to be careful.

"Your Majesty, I am not familiar with Lord Lei and Deputy Commander Wan, but I feel that this matter is of great importance. If there is no substantial evidence, it is not credible to rely on just words."

Zhao Heng didn't get an answer, but he wasn't angry. The Palace Front Department and the Imperial City Department were both important institutions directly under him. If he couldn't even trust these two institutions, it would be really shocking.

"You continue to investigate and make sure to find out who is behind the Hat Monster case. I will definitely remember your great achievement when the time comes."

The Imperial City Division and the Palace Front Division were blaming each other, but Zhou Chen did not shirk responsibility or blame others, so he naturally felt that Zhou Chen was more reliable than Lei Jing and Wan He.

"I accept the decree."

After saying this, Zhou Chen left Chuigong Hall.

The Palace Front Department and the Imperial City Department started to bite each other in front of Zhao Heng. This was something he had not expected. It could make Lei Jing, a fence-sitter and two-faced man, so anxious. It seemed that the people in the Palace Front Department were really ruthless and obviously wanted to kill Lei Jing and Gu Qianfan.

It's just that neither side has any evidence, so naturally it's impossible for them to really hurt each other. But after today, the Imperial City Division and the Palace Front Division are really going to be at loggerheads.

Just now it seemed that Zhao Heng was very angry, but he might not be as angry in his heart as he showed. The discord between the Palace Front Department and the Imperial City Department should make it easier to check and balance them.

However, the fact that the Dianqian Division took the initiative to start a group also illustrates a problem, that is, Qi Mu and other members of the Qingliu faction should be unable to sit still.

This is a good thing for him.

After walking out of the Chuigong Hall, Zhou Chen did not plan to leave the palace immediately, but instead prepared to go to the Ma Junsi.

As the deputy commander of the imperial guards and cavalry, Zhou Chen still has considerable power of movement within the palace. Even without the company of eunuchs, he can go to many places in the palace.

Seeing a group of people coming towards him, Zhou Chen frowned slightly, feeling surprised. How could he encounter such a thing?

Zhou Chen saw the other person, and the other person naturally saw Zhou Chen as well.

"Wait, it's you."

Gao Hui suddenly stopped and looked at Zhou Chen who was walking towards her with a look of astonishment. Because Zhou Chen had left such a deep impression on her that day, she recognized him at a glance when she saw him again.

"Why are you in the palace? Are you also an official in the court?"

Zhou Chen was speechless. After all, you are the wife of the Gao family. Your father is Gao Guancha, and your aunt is Gao Fei. Don’t you even understand such a simple truth?

Besides, how many people who could enter and leave the palace would not recognize him in his conspicuous purple robe?

The eunuch who led Gao Hui hurriedly explained, "This is the loyal and brave Marquis, Lord Zhou."

But who would have thought that after Gao Hui learned Zhou Chen's identity, she was even more shocked: "Are you the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery?"

Zhou Chen nodded and said, "I am Zhou Chen, Madam Gao, I have important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he left quickly, ignoring Gao Hui's anxious gaze.

"Hey."

Gao Hui wanted to call Zhou Chen to stop, but she remembered that this was the imperial palace. Even though her aunt was the emperor's virtuous concubine, she could not do whatever she wanted, so she could only let go of her hand unwillingly.

"He is actually the loyal and brave Marquis. He is so young?"

This was not the first time she had heard of Zhou Chen's name. Her father had thought of marrying her to Marquis Zhongyong before. However, at that time, she had never met Marquis Zhongyong and did not have the slightest favorable impression of him, so naturally she would not pay attention to Zhou Chen.

But now it’s different. She has always remembered clearly what happened that day, especially Zhou Chen, whom she will never forget.

When she was most desperate and fearful, Zhou Chen appeared and saved her like a hero in a story. Although it was only a brief contact, she could never forget it.

She thought it was just an accident and that she would never see him again, but she didn't expect that the person who saved her would be the famous Marquis Zhongyong.

"Go back and ask my dad."

Zhou Chen didn't know that Gao Hui had been keeping an eye on him. After returning to the office, he started slacking off again.

It feels good to fish for a while, and it feels good to fish all the time.

Ma Xing Street, a half-covered teahouse.

After a few days of rest, Banzhaimian reopened and business became extremely popular after Xiao Qinyan's birthday party.

After the news that Song Yinzhang received praise from Mr. Ke in his inscription spread, countless people from all over Tokyo came here just to catch a glimpse of Song Yinzhang and to hear how outstanding his pipa playing skills were that were praised by Mr. Ke.

The guests who came to the half-masked pavilion were not disappointed. Although few people saw Song Yinzhang, everyone heard the pipa music played by Song Yinzhang.

Song Yinzhang's pipa performance is already outstanding, and with the filter of Ke Zheng, it is even more admirable and convincing.

It is no exaggeration to say that Song Yinzhang really became famous overnight. Looking throughout Tokyo, her pipa was ranked among the best.

It is precisely because of Song Yinzhang's charm that the popularity of half-covered face has reached a new level, and Zhao Pan'er and others have been busy these days.

To do this, they had to recruit another assistant, and coincidentally, they met Ge Zhaodi who appeared in the plot.

It’s just that there is no conflict like in the plot. As a recruited worker, Ge Zhaodi’s relationship with Zhao Paner and others is naturally not that good.

After being popular for a few days, Banzhaimian slowly stabilized, but their business is much better than before, and there are a constant stream of customers every day.

But because many people came for Song Yinzhang, Song Yinzhang was very tired these days. In the end, it was Zhao Paner who gave her two days off so that she didn't collapse from exhaustion.

Because Song Yinzhang had been stripped of his citizenship, although he was very tired during this period, he did not complain like in the TV dramas. Instead, he felt extremely excited to be admired by so many people.

It was the excessive playing in the past few days that made her scalp numb and she almost didn't want to touch the pipa.

Song Yinzhang hadn't performed for two days in a row, so the business of Half-Mask was a little slower during these two days.

But Zhao Pan'er didn't care at all. She said that she could take her time to make money, but she must not tire Song Yinzhang out.

But today was a little strange. Although Song Yinzhang was not performing, there were more guests than before. What was even more strange was that many people who came in were looking at her vaguely, which made her a little confused.

Finally, she found that regular customers Yuan Tuntian and Mr. Zhuo Shi were also looking at her with strange eyes, which made her even more puzzled.

"Mr. Yuan, Mr. Zhuo Shi, why are you two acting so strange today?"

Yuan Tuntian laughed and said, "It's not us who are weird, it's you."

"Me?" Zhao Pan'er looked confused and asked quickly what was going on?

Mr. Zhuo Shi shook his head and said, "Recently, a piece of news has been circulating in Tokyo City, saying that our Song Dynasty's young general, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery, has fallen in love with a commoner girl and threatened to marry her in front of the emperor. So many people are curious about what is so special about this girl, so they all want to come and take a look."

Zhao Pan'er's face suddenly changed. Her affair with Zhou Chen had been spread out? And in front of the emperor?

At this moment, she was very flustered, because her first reaction was not happiness, but fear, fear that she would affect Zhou Chen.

Yuan Tuntian and the other two had no idea of ​​Zhao Paner's thoughts. Instead, they laughed and said, "Madam Zhao, you really hid it very well. We are so familiar with each other. You have this kind of relationship with the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery. Why don't you tell us earlier?"

Zhao Pan'er forced a smile, said a few words to the two of them, and then left.

Next, facing everyone's gazes, she always felt strange and uncomfortable, so she simply closed the teahouse in the afternoon.

"Pan'er, I think it's not a bad thing to let people know about your relationship with Lord Zhou. Why do you want to close the teahouse?"