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Chapter 1438 Redeem yourself and capture Sang Wen

Duke of Zhenguo!
This is not a simple title of Duke. Generally speaking, even if one is conferred the title of Duke, the title of Duke of Guardian of the Country will not be considered.

Because the title of Duke of Zhenguo is, in most cases, reserved for royal relatives, or only for those with great military merits who find it difficult to confer another title.

You should know that even Qin Ye, the current number one military figure in Qing Kingdom, could not be granted the title of Duke of Zhenguo.

But Emperor Qing did not follow the usual path. Zhou Chen should have inherited the title of Earl of Anyuan, but he conferred Zhou Chen the title of Duke of Zhenguo, a title of great significance.

This is because Emperor Qing's imperial power is too strong, so he was able to overcome public opposition and confer the title of Duke Zhenguo. If it were an emperor who was not strong enough, it would not have been possible.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, they think that Emperor Qing’s reward is too high, but when they think of Zhou Chen’s identity as a grandmaster, they will feel relieved. Could it be that the only five grandmasters in the world are not as good as the title of a duke?
Zhou Chen didn't care much about the title of Duke of Zhenguo. I have even been an emperor, so why would I care about your title of Duke of Zhenguo?
But no matter what, after being granted the title of Duke, the status of the Zhou family in Kyoto immediately rose.

There was just one thing that made Zhou Chen quite unhappy. He felt that Emperor Qing was too petty. He only conferred the title of Duke Zhenguo on him, and did not say that he would be awarded a bigger and better Duke's Mansion. At the very least, he should have been given a few imperial farms outside the city or something like that.

As a result, although he got an honorary title, he received no rewards such as real estate, gold or silver. It was not economical at all.

I guess he spent all the money on researching arrows and "bulletproof vests".

Zhou Chen didn't care about gold and silver, mainly because the financial situation of the Zhou Mansion was not very good. Before, he suddenly took those old soldiers into the mansion. There were dozens of old soldiers, with their families, totaling more than 200 people.

Such a large population was indeed a huge financial pressure for the previously impoverished Zhou family.

After all, Zhou Chen’s rise has only been short, and cannot be immediately converted into ready-made profits. It will take some time for the transition to happen slowly.

Zhou Chen still has tens of thousands of taels of gold in his system, but he has not thought of taking it all out. Gold is hard currency, and he also has to consider his future world travel.

After Emperor Qing's reward came down, the Zhou Mansion, the Duke of Zhenguo, suddenly became the focus of Kyoto again. The number of visiting cards they received was no less than before, but Zhou Chen naturally could not manage them personally, so he handed them all over to Tong Quan to handle.

During this period of time, perhaps because he had met so many important people, Tong Quan grew very fast and was already showing signs of becoming the top steward of the Zhou Mansion.

The fact that Zhou Chen was a grandmaster had been a hot topic in Kyoto for a long time, but because Zhou Chen had always been very low-key, the popularity gradually subsided over time.

Now, apart from the top leaders of those major forces who are still keeping an eye on Zhou Chen and want to win him over, other people have rarely paid attention to Zhou Chen. After all, the Grand Master is too far away from them.

Moreover, this is the capital of Qing Kingdom. Warriors are not the mainstream after all. The pursuit of power is above all else, and the ups and downs of officialdom are the eternal topics of Kyoto.

Zuixianju!
Zhou Chen comes here about ten days a month and has long been a regular customer. Every time he comes, Si Lili accompanies him. Besides him, there is also Sang Wen.

Because of him, Sang Wen has recently become a popular geisha in Zuixianju, but no one dares to take advantage of her because she is labeled as "Zhou Chen".

Zhou Chen was enjoying Si Lili's service and listening to Sang Wen's playing, and suddenly asked Si Lili.

"If you, Zuixianju, want to redeem yourself, what should you do?"

"Redemption?"

Si Lili was stunned. She was certainly not stupid enough to think that Zhou Chen wanted to redeem her. She was a spy of Northern Qi and had the responsibilities of a spy. Even if Zhou Chen wanted to redeem her, she would not agree. What's more, Zhou Chen knew her identity, so it was impossible for him to make such a decision.

In just a moment, she understood and glanced at Sang Wen who was sitting there playing the piano.

"My Lord, do you want to redeem Sang Wen?"

"Ah."

Although she had already guessed the answer, Si Lili still felt sad when she saw Zhou Chen nod.

More than a month passed, and she had a strong liking for Zhou Chen, this unique man. He was outstanding in all aspects and respected the brothel girls. Zhou Chen's temperament and behavior really fascinated her.

Having experienced hardships and setbacks since childhood, she was very sensitive. After spending a long time together, she found that Zhou Chen was really different from all the men she had met before.

Serving Zhou Chen, she did not feel aggrieved or uncomfortable. Instead, she felt very relaxed. Zhou Chen gave her the feeling that they were equal.

She also understood why someone like Haitang Duoduo, who was devoted to the pursuit of martial arts, would look at Zhou Chen differently.

She really didn't understand why someone like Zhou Chen would fall for Sang Wen. If he was attracted by Sang Wen's beauty, he would not have waited so long for her to make a move. Besides, she didn't think she was less good-looking than Sang Wen, so Zhou Chen must be attracted to more than just Sang Wen's beauty.

Because of this, she couldn't understand it even more. It couldn't be because Sang Wen played the pipa so well, right?
It’s not that Zuixianju is without some pipa players similar to Sang Wen, but Zhou Chen doesn’t seem to be interested in them.

"If it were someone else, they wouldn't just need money to redeem themselves, but if it were you, I believe the owner of Zuixianju would agree."

In today's Kyoto, how many people dare to offend Zhou Chen?
Zhou Chen nodded, and after Sang Wen finished playing, he called her over.

"Sang Wen, do you want to leave Zuixianju?"

"leave?"

Sang Wen was confused by Zhou Chen's sudden question, and then she thought of the reason.

"Sir, do you want to redeem me?"

"Correct."

Sang Wen's face flushed immediately, with excitement, anxiety, and expectation...

There is no girl in the brothel who doesn't want to escape from this vortex, but not everyone has the ability and opportunity to do so.

Sang Wen naturally wanted to leave the brothel, but she also understood that it was almost impossible to do so on her own. Even though she had been saving money, it was still a drop in the bucket.

But if Zhou Chen is willing to redeem her, that would be different.

Although most of the brothel girls who were redeemed did not have a good outcome, she still held out a glimmer of hope because she was a prostitute and because the one who was going to redeem her was Zhou Chen.

"If your Excellency wishes, I will."

Si Lili felt even worse as she looked at Sang Wen, whose face was full of expectation and longing. Of course, she wanted to leave, but when she thought of her brother who was still in Northern Qi, she had no choice.

Zhou Chen said: "Okay, go find the manager and tell him that I want to redeem you. You can follow me later. I will send you the silver you need."

Sang Wen hurriedly said: "Sir, I also have some silver..."

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "I redeemed you, how can I use your money? Don't worry, I'm not that poor."

When the owner of Zuixianju learned that Zhou Chen wanted to redeem Sang Wen, he was surprised but relieved at the same time.

Sang Wen is just a prostitute. Although he is very outstanding, he is not irreplaceable. If Zhou Chen wants to redeem Si Lili, he may still hesitate, but if it is just Sang Wen, there is no need to hesitate and he will agree directly.

If it were someone else, the owner of Zuixianju might have charged a huge sum of money, but since Zhou Chen was the one making the move, they didn't dare to ask for an exorbitant price.

In less than an hour, the matter was settled, and Sang Wen's indenture contract was in Zhou Chen's hands.

Zhou Chen burned the indenture contract in front of Sang Wen.

Looking at the indenture contract that was burned to ashes, Sang Wen and Si Lili were stunned, especially Sang Wen, who was shaking with excitement.

"grown ups."

Zhou Chen just asked softly: "Even if there is no indenture, will you betray me?"

"will not."

Sang Wen gave an affirmative answer and watched Zhou Chen burn the indenture contract nonchalantly. At this moment, she was even more devoted to him.

Si Lili congratulated Sang Wen with a complicated expression. Which woman wouldn't like a man like this?

When Sang Wen and Zhou Chen left Zuixianju, they were looked at with envy by countless girls in Zuixianju. It was already a great fortune to be redeemed, and to be redeemed by a big shot like Zhou Chen was something they dared not even dream of for these brothel girls.

"Is this all you have?"

When Sang Wen left, he only took a small package besides his pipa.

"Nothing else is important to me. Only these silver and jewelry are earned by me. I have to take them away."

Zhou Chen said: "That's right, from now on we have to get rid of this kind of place, and everything will start over. Let's go."

Seeing Sang Wen and Zhou Chen getting into the carriage together, He Qin, who was in charge of driving the carriage, was stunned. The young master had come to Zuixianju many times, but this was the first time he took a girl away.

Inside the carriage, Zhou Chen asked Sang Wen, "What do you want to do in the future?"

Sang Wen's eyes flashed with confusion: "What to do? Of course, I will serve you, my lord. I will do whatever you ask me to do."

Zhou Chen smiled and comforted him, "Don't be so reserved. I rescued you from Zuixianju, not to put you from one cage into another."

Sang Wen raised his head and looked at Zhou Chen with puzzled eyes, very puzzled.

She knew that Zhou Chen was different from other men, but since Zhou Chen redeemed her, she thought that Zhou Chen wanted to take her home and raise her. However, she did not resist. Being Zhou Chen's woman was countless times better for her than being manipulated by everyone in a brothel. She didn't even dare to think about becoming Zhou Chen's concubine.

Zhou Chen could naturally understand the thoughts of a brothel girl like Sang Wen. Facing Sang Wen's puzzled gaze, he spoke slowly.

"I don't deny that I redeemed you because I like you and want you. I like you, so I won't allow you to be with other men. But as my woman, I won't restrict your freedom. If there is anything you want to do or anything you like to do, I will support you."

Sang Wen stared at Zhou Chen in a daze. The first half of the words made her feel shy but also happy, because Zhou Chen wanted her because he liked her.

What does the second half of the sentence mean, not restricting her freedom?
"My Lord, I don't understand what you mean?"

Zhou Chen also understood the reason. Women in feudal society were more like appendages of men. They had no room for their own choices and no such thoughts.

"You like pipa very much, don't you? I can help you open a girls' school and teach girls skills. I can also let you work as a teacher in the Jiaofangsi. This way, you don't have to stay in the mansion all day and you can have your own things to do."

Sang Wen was stunned by Zhou Chen's words. How could a brothel girl like her be a teacher?
"My lord, I can't do it. I can't do it."

"How can you know it won't work if you haven't tried it? Of course, this is just a choice I give you. If you really don't want to go, you don't have to go. Anyway, I can support you. If you still want to do something, things like managing the accounts in the mansion can also be left to you."

Zhou Chen was well aware of the loneliness and sadness of women living in large mansions, so he wanted to find something for Sang Wen to do. Having something to do could distract her and make her feel better.

"You don't have to rush, think about it slowly."

Ever since Zhou Chen was crowned and given the title of Duke of Zhenguo, most people in the mansion have changed their way of addressing him to Master Zhou Chen.

This was a very normal thing in feudal society. The head of a family would be called "Master". Although Zhou Chen was young and not married yet, he was indeed the head of the family, so it was okay to call him "Master".

However, people close to him often call him "Young Master" to make him seem more intimate.

After traveling to this world for many years, Zhou Chen has always slept alone, but today is different from the past.

Zhou Chen really didn't give any hint, but Sang Wen still came to Zhou Chen's bedroom.

"Duke, I'll wait for you to rest."

Zhou Chen looked at Sang Wen who was unbuckling his belt. Her face was red. Being in a brothel, even a prostitute knew about the things between men and women, but she just had no experience.

"are you ready?"

"It is my honor to serve the Duke. I hope the Duke will show mercy."

The shy tone aroused Zhou Chen's emotions. He picked up Sang Wen and put him on the bed.

"Be my woman. I can't guarantee anything else, but no one will dare to bully you."

"I believe in the Duke."

The curtain beside the bed was lowered, and Zhou Chen began his first heart-to-heart interaction since coming to this world...

Sang Wen, who was experiencing sex for the first time, was naturally no match for Zhou Chen. When Zhou Chen got up, she was still sleeping soundly.

Zhou Chen got up but did not wake her up. He just asked a few maids to wait and serve Sang Wen after she woke up.

The fact that Sang Wen was taken into the palace was soon known to the forces that were eyeing Zhou Chen.

There was naturally no impact in taking in a brothel girl, but many people were surprised that Zhou Chen went to see Si Lili every day, but he did not redeem Si Lili. Instead, he redeemed a prostitute and brought her back to the Duke's Mansion.

With Sang Wen, Zhou Chen no longer had to live the ascetic life of a monk alone. He would fall asleep with Sang Wen every day and play the pipa with Sang Wen during the day, which made Sang Wen extremely satisfied and excited.

Such days were better than the life she had imagined. As for status, she had never expected anything like that.

Sang Wen also made a decision about the choice Zhou Chen gave her before. Maybe because of her previous experience in the brothel, she didn't want to show up in public again, so she finally chose to study accounting.

Zhou Chen naturally agreed, so in the following days, in addition to serving Zhou Chen, Sang Wen also learned how to manage accounts from the accountant with an extremely serious attitude.