Xia Fan was stunned, and what Li Zeng had said suddenly appeared in his mind.
"You don't think that the Privy Council House is specially used to deal with evildoers, do you?"
"Hahahahaha -" Wang Renzhi said with laughter, "Xia, do you know that you are already an eighth-grade official? In this world, are there more ordinary people or more officials? Which is more important, ordinary people or officials? Is it important? If anyone is in trouble, we have to save it. Are you busy enough?"
"But I have clearly met a Privy Council alchemist who took the initiative to eliminate evil spirits before..."
"Do you think they are all doing it for free?" Wang Renzhi spread his hands and asked, "Think about it, can ordinary people distinguish between evil spirits and their own imagination? Not setting a threshold will only make everyone After struggling for their lives, they found out in the end that what they needed to solve was a snake lying on the beam or a wild cat hiding at the foot of the bed! Not to mention that dozens of taels of silver are very expensive for a life? This at least allows them to ask the Privy Council Please think through your mind before getting help from the government, instead of treating your imagination as reality!"
"What if someone can't even afford these dozens of taels of silver?" Xia Fan frowned.
"Then just die. People die every day in this world, whether from illness, hunger, exhaustion, suffering, or poverty. It doesn't make any difference if one more person is killed by evil spirits. Let me tell you, what are you thinking - you Isn't the purpose of joining the Privy Council just for money and to be superior to others? If you really want to help those people, you can travel around the world and be what people call 'Xia Daochang'!"
"That's enough." Zhang Fuzi waved his hand to interrupt Wang Renzhi's sarcasm, turned to Xia Fan and said, "The duty of the Privy Council is to guard the world, not to be a tinker. If serious evil incidents occur in the local area, the Ministry will naturally send When the alchemists dispose of it, the necessary expenses will be collected from the local chief official. This is considered to be protecting the world. But we can't save everyone - although Wang Renzhi's words may not sound good, they are also true. The number of alchemists is limited after all. , we shouldn’t focus on small things like that.”
Just...a small thing? Xia Fan subconsciously asked, "What's the big deal?"
Such a rhetorical question already has the meaning of questioning.
Zhang Fuzi's tone became obviously unhappy. He stretched out his hand and arched his hand towards the north. "What else could it be? Of course it is to protect the Holy Lord and protect me. It is precisely because the world is peaceful that you are here. If war breaks out, you will be here." But they all have to shoulder a mission and serve Daqi."
"Hey, are we still going to the battlefield?" Wei Wushuang said in surprise.
"What else? You two don't know until you know it." Wang Renzhi sneered, "Alchemy can destroy evil spirits, and naturally it can also destroy people. If one side has alchemists but one side doesn't, the latter will be completely defeated. You see, Alchemists are so important and can even determine the rise and fall of a country, so the things you mentioned are naturally trivial matters not worth mentioning."
Zhang Fuzi continued what he said, "When you get to the top, you will naturally understand that alchemists play an irreplaceable role in intelligence, diplomatic relations, governance, strategy, etc. This is why this organization is called the Privy Council—it It is the center through which the Holy One controls the world, and it is also the guardian of the mysteries of the world. Unfortunately, with your current thoughts, I am afraid it will be difficult for you to make any further progress."
After saying that, he no longer went to see Xia Fan, as if he had lost the value of teaching, "If there are no other questions, I will take you to the Recording Department."
…
It was not until around four or five o'clock in the afternoon that everyone left the Privy Council Palace one after another.
Walking on the bustling street, Xia Fan still had not recovered from that conversation. After that, Master Zhang did not make things difficult for him, and he was not hindered in entering the Recording Department. However, looking at the room full of books, he still had difficulty concentrating.
"Brother Xia, are you okay?" Wei Wushuang patted his shoulder and asked with concern on his face.
"It's nothing... I was just too reckless." Xia Fan sighed. He found that he had made a basic mistake, which was to apply the past inherent concepts to the Privy Council.
Thinking from a rational point of view, Wang Renzhi was not wrong. There were 189 people who passed the Qingshan Town Scholarship Examination. Even if there were five examination rooms in one session, there were only a thousand people. In Shenzhou alone, there are three cities and sixteen counties, with a population of over one million. Such a huge disparity in quantity, coupled with the backward transportation environment, meant that it was impossible for the alchemists to deal with every evil incident.
The so-called screening line of dozens of taels of silver is actually just a cover - because the Privy Council does not require alchemists to respond to requests. Townships and counties that are relatively close to big cities may still be taken care of. It takes ten and a half days to deliver news to small villages and towns in remote places. There are probably only a handful of alchemists willing to make a trip for this purpose.
This is probably the reason why the Privy Council turns a blind eye to those who are not in the establishment and are sensitive to Qi.
But from a perceptual point of view, it was difficult for him to accept the Privy Council's taken-for-granted attitude.
"Hey, you two, wait!" Luo Youer's voice suddenly came from behind.
The two of them turned around and saw Luo Youer running over with Shangguan Cai in hand.
"Miss Luo, Miss Shangguan." Wei Wushuang said happily, "Do you also live in the courtyard to the east?"
"Yes, I live next door to her." Luo Youer nodded, "Although the house is a little dilapidated, senior sister said it's always right to save money and spend it."
The fellow countryman couldn't help but raise his lips, "Then we can go home together."
"I didn't expect you to come here." Xia Fan calmed down and said to Luo You'er.
"Why can't I come here? Laughing at my ranking is equivalent to laughing at yourself!" Luo You'er made a face, "But this time the examination is really strange. I haven't returned to Youzhou yet, and the appointment and dismissal order has been issued." It was delivered to Senior Brother. To be honest, I was quite uneasy at first when I was asked to come to Jinxia alone, but I feel more relieved when I see you here."
Wei Wushuang's eyes suddenly became weird when he looked at Xia Fan.
"But I remember when we met, you called him the Flower Picker." Shangguan Cai glanced at him suspiciously.
"That's a fact, and the main reason is that my senior sister believes in him." Luo Youer pouted, "Senior sister's judgment is always right. If she thinks there is no problem, then I think... this person should not be bad. Where to go."
"Your senior sister is..."
"The famous Luo Qingla in Youzhou."
Wei Wushuang's expression was indescribably complicated.
No...Brother Wei, you will listen to my explanation later. Xia Fan felt a little bitter.
"By the way, why didn't you defend yourself in the end?" Luo Youer changed the topic and asked Zhensheng, "Senior sister was angry for several days afterwards. She felt that you were disrupting the order of the examination and encouraging injustice by not standing up. The spread of the disease! At worst, it will destroy your own future, and at worst, it will shake the foundation of the country!" She paused for a moment, then added, "—These are her exact words."
Your senior sister is really... the light of righteousness. Xia Fan said with some embarrassment, "My purpose in joining the Privy Council was just to study alchemy. It didn't matter whether I went to Gyeonggi or Jinxia, so at that time -"
"Liar." The little girl interrupted his defense.
"What?"
"If you were just for this purpose, why did you argue with the Master just now?" Luo Youer said with a confident expression, "Whether other people can be saved has anything to do with your study of alchemy? Xia Fan, you really know Your own thoughts?”
Xia Fan was stunned.
My heart felt like thunder.