From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 166

The next morning, Zhou Yuan dressed neatly, holding the seal and documents, ready to go out to take up his post.

Zhao Jianjia carefully arranged Zhou Yuan's clothes and hair, like a little wife sending her husband to war, with worry and pride on her face.

Zhou Yuan held her little hand and smiled: "Okay, it's just going to take up the post, not going on a blind date, there's no need to be so meticulous."

"Try to go out as little as possible during this period. I estimate that the owner of the village will send someone over soon. By then, you will have someone to protect you and you can go out."

Zhao Jianjia nodded and said: "I know, Zhang Fei has already told me that we need to purchase items, and they can do it."

As soon as the voice fell, Mingrui shouted outside the door: "Son-in-law, a girl is here!"

Zhou Yuan was slightly stunned, strode out and took a look, and immediately laughed: "Xiaoying!"

"Brother!"

Xiaoying threw herself into Zhou Yuan's arms, hanging on him like a little raccoon, with her legs wrapped around his waist.

She was very light, not heavy at all. Zhou Yuan hugged her and turned around, then laughed and said, "Did Master Zhuang send you to protect us?"

"Yeah!"

Xiaoying nodded heavily and said, "Sister Zhuang said that we need to send someone to protect my brother, so I volunteered! There are also two aunts!"

Zhou Yuan looked at the carriage at the door and saw two middle-aged strong women jumped down. They were about 40 years old, both of them were very strong, with big shoulders and waists. They looked like they were not easy to mess with.

"Greetings, sir!"

The two were very professional and saluted immediately.

Zhou Yuan hurriedly said, "You two sisters, don't be polite. From now on, the house will be handed over to you."

One of them smiled and said, "Master Zhou, we came to the Zhou Mansion as servants. We are proficient in cooking and knowledge of daily life. We are also good at fighting and identifying poisons and drugs. We can ensure the safety of your house."

"So please call us by our names. I am Madam Kang and she is Madam Gui."

Zhou Yuan's expression became serious and he said solemnly, "In this case, thank you two madams."

Xiaoying giggled and said, "Brother, Sister Zhuang also sent a plaque, saying that it was sent by His Majesty."

Zhou Yuan frowned and saw that the two madams had already lifted the plaque down from the carriage.

It was a very simple plaque with only two words - Zhou Mansion.

Zhou Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "It seems that I am going to open a mansion! I will not be a son-in-law in the future!"

He looked at Jianjia and said, "Do you want to hang it up?"

Zhao Jianjia blushed and smiled slightly, saying, "I don't care whether I am a son-in-law or not. You are already such a status, how can you still be a son-in-law."

"Besides, this is an imperial decree, how can we disobey it."

She said softly, "Mingrui, tell someone to hang up this plaque. Our Zhou Mansion should also have a plaque."

Zhou Yuan pinched Xiaoying's face and said, "Now my brother has to go to the North City Military Department to take up his post, so I won't accompany you. You came here early in the morning. Have you had breakfast?"

Xiaoying's eyes lit up and she quickly said, "No, no! Absolutely not!"

Then she looked at Zhou Yuan eagerly, holding his sleeve with her little hand.

Zhou Yuan laughed and said, "Ziyuan, take Xiaoying to eat and give her some snow cakes."

"Great!"

Xiaoying jumped up excitedly.

...

The staff and offices of the Five City Bingmasi are actually located in a special Bingmasi alley, and the North City Bingmasi is no exception.

The conditions here are not really good. Even though it is in the inner city, it is also on the edge. The alleys are narrow and the houses are dense. There are many people living there, but it is crowded.

When he arrived at the North City Bingmasi, Zhou Yuan went straight to the main building, which is the service building. There were soldiers watching him all the way, pointing and talking at Zhou Yuan.

"Look, look at this official uniform, it looks like the new commander-in-chief!"

"Of course, there has been news for a long time, there is a new commander-in-chief, he is a southerner, and it is said that he is also a scholar."

"He looks very young, just in his twenties!"

"Not yet twenty years old, according to gossip, he is only 18 years old, he made meritorious service in Lin'an Prefecture, and was promoted as an exception."

"Well, I really don't know what the higher-ups are thinking, sending a southerner to be the commander, and he is also a scholar."

"It's better to let me do it, anyway, it's all flattery, who can't do it!"

Their voices were loud, Zhou Yuan listened to them all, and couldn't help laughing secretly.

When he came to the downstairs of the office building, he heard a huge noise inside.

When he walked in, he saw 20 to 30 people gathered in the room, and there were seven or eight people sitting at a big table, actually gambling.

Pai Gow, dice, and a lot of silver and money were all there, and everyone was having a blast.

So much so that when Zhou Yuan came in, no one noticed him at all.

"Make way, don't block the way!"

A man ran in in a hurry., pushed Zhou Yuan away and shouted: "Lord Cao, the silver has been exchanged!"

"Hurry up and bring it here!"

A white fat man sat in the main seat and immediately pushed out the silver he had just exchanged, shouting: "I'm betting all the three hundred taels!"

"Is there anyone following? If you can't follow, fold your cards!"

Everyone sighed and said: "I can't follow, I can't follow!"

"Lord Cao must have got a deck of cards, we dare not follow!"

A cold voice suddenly came in the noise: "I'll follow 10,000 taels!"

The field was suddenly silent, and countless people turned around and looked at Zhou Yuan's unfamiliar face.

After they recognized the official uniform, their faces became embarrassed.

Zhou Yuan strode to the table, threw out ten silver bills, slapped them heavily on the table, and said coldly: "10,000 taels! Will you follow!"

The people around him gradually retreated, and the people at the table also stood up, with sweat on their foreheads.

Only the white and fat Cao Ning was slightly stunned, then laughed and said: "Who did I think it was? It turned out to be the new commander-in-chief. What? You want to gamble too?"

Zhou Yuan said lightly: "You still know that I am the commander-in-chief? According to the laws of Dajin, if you gamble on duty, the gambling money will be confiscated, the silver will be fined ten times, and thirty strokes will be made!"

Cao Ning couldn't help laughing and said: "It turns out that a great master has come and wants to be the boss here. Do you think I agree?"

Everyone around couldn't help laughing.

"Cao Ning?"

Zhou Yuan asked softly.

Cao Ning opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his face suddenly turned red, and he said angrily: "Fuck... I'm the one who drafted the horse!"

Zhou Yuan was immediately amused. This name is good and easy to call.

He smiled faintly, "I am the chief officer, do I need your approval as the adjutant? Cao Ning, can I understand that you are defying the authority of His Majesty's seal?"

"Don't flatter me!"

Cao Ning snorted coldly, "I won't fall for your tricks. You want to be a great master, but you've come to the wrong place."

"I have been in the North City Army for ten years. No matter how powerful you are, you have to behave yourself."

"Otherwise, I will ask you to leave in two months!"

Zhou Yuan did not answer directly, but squinted at the other party's cards and smiled, "Ten thousand taels, do you dare to follow?"

Cao Ning said, "What if I follow! What if I don't follow! What if I gather people to gamble! Do you really want to settle accounts? Southerner, think about who you are and how dare you pretend in front of me!"

"In the past ten years, Seven commanders came to the North City Army, some of them were tough, but they were still driven away by me!"

"You are the eighth one, tell me when you want to leave!"

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes and said, "Very good! The gambling money was confiscated. There was about 500 taels of silver on the table, which was confiscated."

"In addition, the fine was tripled, that is, 1,500 taels. You are the deputy commander, the crime is aggravated, and the fine is 3,000 taels."

"30 strokes of the cane, the crime is aggravated, and the fine is 60 strokes of the cane."

Speaking of this, Zhou Yuan said coldly: "In addition, you contradicted the commander, according to the law of Dajin, you will be slapped 20 times."

Cao Ning stood up immediately and glared, "Did I give you face! Come on! Catch this bastard pretending to be the commander! Beat him up!"

"Yes!"

The people around him shouted loudly, looking loyal.

Zhou Yuan smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Dayong! Come in and do the work!"

"I'm here!"

With a roar, a two-meter-tall strong man rushed in like an iron tower, wearing armor and holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji. The momentum almost scared these weaklings to death.

Zhou Yuan said, "Catch that fat white guy!"

"Yes!"

Guan Dayong swung his Fang Tian Hua Ji and knocked seven or eight people to the ground, and the others were even more scared.

This is not a human, this is clearly a beast!

No one could stop Guan Dayong. After only ten breaths, Cao Ning was grabbed by Guan Dayong's collar.

"You dare to touch me! You want to die!"

Cao Ning immediately shouted beast.

"I don't understand, I just listen to the adults!"

Guan Dayong smiled honestly, picked up Cao Ning directly, and threw him directly in front of Zhou Yuan like a chicken.

The fall nearly killed Cao Ning, who immediately fell to the ground screaming in pain.