Jackie Chan's Son-in-Law

Chapter 79 Not as good as me
Normally, when outsiders enter the capital, the soldiers at the gates would at least check them, looking at their travel permits and identification documents. However, Chen Qing and his group were entering the capital with members of the imperial family, so their treatment was naturally different.

In fact, they passed through the city gates smoothly with almost no questioning, and entered the capital city under the respectful salute of the soldiers.

After entering the capital, everyone went their separate ways. Master Han was to report to the Ministry of Rites' guild hall, but it was already evening, so he could only report tomorrow.

Jieyuan Gong was going to report to the fellow townsmen's association in Yingtian.

As for the chubby boy, he will be staying at the Zong family mansion, where the mansion will arrange accommodations for him.

After entering the capital, everyone had their own destinations and had to part ways. The chubby boy tugged at Chen Qing's sleeve, pointed to the carriage carrying Mu Xianniang, and coughed, "I'm going to send someone to my elder in a while."

"There's nothing I can do for you today."

He looked at Chen Qing and said, "Wait until tomorrow. I'll come find you again tomorrow, and we can talk then."

Chen Qing said with a smile, "One of the reasons we came to the capital is to find our relatives. Uncle Gu has been in the capital for some time now, so you don't need to worry about accommodations, Your Highness."

"Well."

The chubby boy patted Chen Qing on the shoulder and said with a smile, "After you've settled in, remember to send someone to the Zong Mansion to let me know that you're looking for someone from the Zhou Prince's Mansion."

"The message will be delivered to me."

Chen Qing responded, and the chubby boy turned his head, waved to him, and then got into the carriage to send Mu Xianniang off.

Chen Qing watched the chubby boy leave. After a while, Mu Xianniang's carriage suddenly opened its curtain, and a woman wearing a veil peeked out from inside. She gave Chen Qing a deep look, then seemed to smile before retreating back into the carriage.

When Chen Qing heard her smile, he felt something was off. He rummaged around on his body for a while and finally pulled out the jade pendant with the character "Yang" engraved on it. He had a bad feeling about it.

"Could this 'Yang family' be some kind of proxy for them...?"

Thinking of this, Chen Qing quickly put the jade pendant into his sleeve, looked around, and returned to the Gu family's carriages.

Just as he was about to speak to Miss Gu, a burly man strode over. The man clasped his hands in a fist and smiled at Chen Qing, saying, "Young Master Chen, once we arrive in the capital, I, Shen, will not accompany you. After you have finished your business in the capital, I will invite you to a banquet."

Shen Long, commander of the Imperial Guard of Yingtian.

Because of the favors Chen Qing had done for him, this Commander Shen was not only polite to Chen Qing, but also took great care of him throughout the journey.

Part of the reason was, of course, his loyalty, but the more important reason was that he wanted to get the manuscript from Chen Qing in advance in the long term so that he could make some "extra money".

Chen Qing knew the ins and outs of this matter very well. He cupped his hands and smiled, "I will definitely trouble you, Lord Shen, when I have some free time."

"I wish Lord Shen all the best in his endeavors in the capital."

"Calling me 'sir' is too formal."

Commander Shen said with a smile, "I am the second son in my family. If Young Master Chen doesn't mind, you can call me Second Brother Shen from now on."

"it is good."

As the commander of the Yiluan Division, even if he wasn't in the Northern Garrison Command, he was still a powerful figure in the local area. Chen Qing was naturally happy to be on brotherhood with such a person. He smiled and said, "From now on, Second Brother, just call me Eldest Brother."

The two chatted and laughed for several minutes before Shen Qianhu reluctantly bid farewell to Chen Qing.

After Commander Shen left, Gu Pan watched his retreating figure and said to Chen Qing, "This Commander Shen is a decent person."

"That Zhang Jieyuan was very enthusiastic at first, but once he entered the capital, he left without saying a word."

Chen Qing said with a smile, "To put it bluntly, it's all about interests."

"If we can guarantee that he will pass the imperial examination this year, he will surely treat us with utmost respect."

Gu Pan seemed to be deep in thought, then looked at Chen Qing and said, "I have already sent someone to inform Father, but Father doesn't know when he will be able to find us."

"Let's take a walk around while it's still light."

Chen Qing smiled and nodded in agreement.

The streets and alleys of the capital were naturally much more lively than those of Deqing. Gu Pan walked ahead, with Chen Qing following behind her. After walking a few steps, they passed a small shop selling combs. Gu Pan picked up a comb, looked up at the shopkeeper, and asked him a question.

The shopkeeper, who was initially stunned by Gu Pan's appearance, couldn't help but frown and shake his head as he listened to her speak.

"I don't understand, I don't understand."

Seeing this, Chen Qing stepped forward and said with a smile, "She asked what kind of wood this is made of."

Chen Qing spoke Mandarin quite fluently, even with a slight Beijing accent. The shopkeeper quickly explained, "This is a peach wood comb, a peach wood comb."

Chen Qing asked the price for Miss Gu again, and then took out his money to buy it.

After the two left the stall, Gu Pan's gaze towards Chen Qing became somewhat strange. "Da Lang, how come you can speak the Beijing dialect?"

Huzhou is located in the south. Although the Huzhou dialect is not quite the same as the Deqing dialect, they both belong to the Wu dialect group and are essentially very similar.

However, people from the north may not be able to understand Wu dialect.

Chen Qing handed her the comb and said with a smile, "It's Mandarin, isn't it? Someone in my family is an official, so why don't you learn some of it?"

"And my mother is from the North."

Chen Qing said, "She doesn't speak our Huzhou dialect very well, but I learned a little bit of Northern dialect from her."

Gu Pan looked at Chen Qing with a suspicious gaze.

"Isn't Mandarin and Beijing dialect completely the same?"

Chen Qing touched his nose and did not reply immediately.

He certainly couldn't say that in his other world, he had lived in the capital for quite some time.

Just as Young Master Chen was pondering how to answer, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"My dear nephew, I long for your son."

Chen Qing and Gu Pan turned around at the same time and saw a middle-aged man in a black robe, looking tired, watching them quietly not far away. Although he had a smile on his face, there was a clear sense of anxiety in his eyes.

"Father!"

Holding the comb in her hand, Gu Pan immediately burst into tears and strode towards Master Gu.

Chen Qing also went to greet him, smiling and bowing respectfully: "Uncle."

Master Gu held his daughter's hand, gently patted the back of her hand, then looked up at Chen Qing and sighed softly, "I've troubled you all by having to come all the way to the capital."

"Let's go."

A forced smile appeared on Mr. Gu's face.

"I've rented a large courtyard in the capital. I'll take you there now."

Chen Qing joked, "With your wealth, Uncle, do you still need to rent a place?"

Mr. Gu shook his head slightly: "If we really wanted to buy such a big courtyard, I wonder how much it would cost."

"Land and housing prices in Beijing are extremely high."

"Let's go back first."

Master Gu held Gu Pan's hand with one hand and Chen Qing's hand with the other.

"Let me get you a meal first."

The two followed behind Master Gu, winding their way through the capital city, and finally arrived at the gate of a large mansion in the city center. Under Master Gu's guidance, they went inside.

The cities of this era are not quite the same as the concept of cities in another world. For example, the city center of the capital is actually in the northern part of the city, not in the true city center.

After all, the imperial palace and various government offices were all located in the northern part of the city.

In other words, although the house that Master Gu rented was not small, it was not actually located in the heart of the capital.

After entering the mansion, Mr. Gu first arranged accommodations for Miss Gu and asked Miss Gu and Xiaoyue to unpack and settle in.

He then pulled Chen Qing to sit down in the main hall.

He poured Chen Qing a glass of water and asked, "Will Deqing be alright?"

"Maybe."

Chen Qing replied calmly, "Your two nephews are not exactly well-behaved, but as long as things in the capital can be handled well, things in Deqing will be no big deal."

At this point, he looked at Master Gu and asked, "Uncle Gu, have you met the main person in the capital these past few months?"

Master Gu looked somber and shook his head with a bitter smile, saying, "I haven't even figured out where the Northern Garrison Command is yet."

Upon hearing this, Chen Qing smiled and said, "Then my uncle might not be as good as me."

"In a few days, I might be able to figure out the location of the Northern Garrison Command."

(End of this chapter)