Two days later, with the arrival of the official canonization document, Princess Guangping officially announced her arrival in the city - this event caused a stir in the smoky Yancheng. The red silk and satin hanging in the streets and alleys also added a touch of change to the city's unchanging gray-brown tone. Everyone was talking about it for a while, and the main topic was nothing more than the appearance of the princess, and who the princess would choose as her son-in-law.
Of course, the excitement didn't last long before it dissipated.
Because that is the high and mighty Princess.
She will not have any interaction with the people in the city, nor will she bring any changes to life.
Fengyang Villa on the northern outskirts of Jinxia was originally the emperor's palace when he visited Shenzhou, but now it is the residence of the princess.
Most people will never be able to set foot there in their lifetime.
And the princess's partner will not be chosen among ordinary people.
There are only a few young men of the right age in Yancheng who can be ranked high, and no matter who they choose, they have little to do with the lower class people.
Without a basis for discussion, the topic will naturally lose the vitality of communication.
Just when the people of Jinxia thought that the matter was over, another shocking news three days later caused a sensation in the whole city.
Magistrate Hu County of Gaoshan County murdered innocent people, and his evil deeds attracted evil spirits. Fortunately, the princess came forward to prevent the harm from further spreading. One of the alchemists named Xia Fan not only killed one evil spirit, but also protected the princess at a critical moment. He was promoted to three levels in a row and became one of the fastest-promoted alchemists in the Privy Council.
At the same time, due to the dereliction of duty by the Ministry of Justice, Yuan Zheng was transferred from Shenzhou and Xia Fan took over his post.
In addition, Wei Wushuang, Luo Youer and Wang Renzhi, who were involved in the case, were also promoted to the seventh rank.
Different from the arrival of the princess, whether the magistrate commits a crime or evil spirits attack people, these are things that happen around the people. As soon as the news arrived, it spread throughout the streets and alleys in an instant. Almost everyone was discussing this incredible case, and Xia Fan also became one of the focuses.
After all, in the eyes of the people, these black-robed alchemists rarely do any good things. Once they appear, it means something unknown, either losing money or encountering disaster. Unexpectedly, they sometimes do some practical things.
The reputation of the Privy Council House has improved a lot for a while.
Someone even dug up the news that Xia Fan used his own money to help poor residents in Gaoshan County.
This caused his reputation to skyrocket, and he went from being unknown to being well-known overnight.
A side effect was that so many matchmakers came to propose marriage that they almost blocked the door of the Privy Council House.
This was the news Wei Wushuang told him when he came to visit.
"I think you and junior sister should not go back yet. Now you are the top three choices among women in the city. If you don't want to get married too early, don't bring trouble to others."
It seems that the fellow villagers are still worried about this.
"Not your first choice?"
"Above you there are the eldest son of the Wang family and the talented scholar Zhou."
"What about you, did anyone say kiss?"
Wei Wushuang showed an expression of secret joy, "Brother Xia, this is a secret."
It seems that the friendship between fellow villagers is fragile in front of the girl.
Xia Fan also asked Ning Wanjun, since the Privy Council turned a blind eye to similar incidents, why it was willing to award rewards instead of completely suppressing opponents, and the other party's answer was that there was not only one voice in the Privy Council.
"Not to mention that there is a huge gap between the Privy Council offices from one place to another. Even within the Gyeonggi Prefecture, there are many opinions on evil spirits. Not to mention you and me, even the third-grade guards may not be able to understand the intentions above."
"Why is this happening?"
"It's probably because of the gap." Ning Wanjun said straightforwardly, "In the more than 20 years after the fall of Yongguo, the Privy Council had to bear nearly 30% casualties to control the rampant evil spirits in various places to an acceptable range. , its importance is self-evident. And no matter where you were at that time, there was no shortage of achievements and opportunities to rise to the top. Unlike now, there are not many ways for promotion in the Privy Council in some places, and the control above will also decrease. Naturally there will be disagreements along the way.”
That's why Shangyuan's performance is so contradictory. He now knows that this is an aging bureaucracy, not in terms of personnel replacement, but in terms of ideology.
In addition, the so-called rewards are essentially exchanges to cover up the origin of evil spirits - the Privy Council does not want people to discover that evil spirits can be artificially created.
But Xia Fan discovered that in a sense, there are no naturally occurring evil spirits in this world.
The grottoes in Gaoshan County have been secretly sealed. However, the characteristics of evil spirits determine that it does not require such complicated facilities to achieve similar effects.
As the saying goes, if there is a cause, there must be an effect. Whether it is ghosts or demons, they are all inseparable from human actions and activities.
To stop evil spirits, it is no longer something that can be achieved with a single spell or a wooden sword.
…
"Master Wuyue, this is today's ration." Shanhui knelt down and handed a piece of dry flour cake to the princess.
"Thank you." Wuyueyao took the dough, then raised his hand, placed it on Shanhui's long ears and rubbed it. The latter immediately closed his eyes and wagged his tail from side to side.
Although Wuyueyao cannot understand the connection between "rubbing ears" and "feeling comfortable", since the other person likes her, she will still satisfy him as much as possible.
After all, hiding in this narrow and dark warehouse, every comfort is precious.
"Is this the food you found for the princess?" Nagi Ao, the green-faced ghost standing next to May, frowned, "No matter how difficult the current situation is, the miko-sama cannot eat such shabby food!"
"It's simple. Why don't you go look for it?" Shan Hui rolled his eyes at Nai Qing, "Unless I saw off the obstructive horn on your head, I'd probably lose my life, let alone bringing food back. It’s outside.”
"Stupid dog, I only need one knife to kill you." Nai Qing said coldly.
"Only if you can catch up," Shan Hui laughed mockingly, "With your speed, we'll see in the next life."
"Stop arguing." Wuyueyao stopped the argument between the two. "In order to get here, we have sacrificed many people - and there are still more people dying in our hometown. Compared with the suffering they have suffered, I No matter how poorly you eat, what’s the point?”
After saying that, she put the pancake into her mouth little by little. The pancake was very dry and tasted a bit like sawdust. It also had a rancid smell. But even so, she didn't spit out a bit. This is the food Shanhui risked her life to find, and she cannot waste it.
After eating, Wuyueyao licked his dry lips, "We can't delay it any longer."
The princes rebelled and there was smoke everywhere in the country. In order to reconnect with the mainland country, they sent many ships, but in the end there was no news.
In desperation, she had no choice but to board the ship herself and cross the ocean. Unexpectedly, she encountered an evil spirit and the ship was destroyed before it docked. There were only ten survivors.
When I thought I had finally reached the other side, I didn't expect that it had become a strange place.
The original dynasty no longer existed, and the territory of Qi State where they were located had become extremely dangerous. Not only were enemies from the vassal states active, but the demon society was directly rounded up by the Privy Council. They have contacted the Prefectural Mufu and the Gyeonggi Prefecture, but the diplomatic documents they sent always came to nothing, and what they got in return was assassination from the enemy.
After more than two months, not only did they spend all their money, but six people died one after another.
Wuyueyao also felt that his physical condition was getting worse day by day. Hiding here and there caused everyone's nerves to be highly tense. Coupled with the lack of food and clothing, any further delay was tantamount to waiting for death.
What gave them a glimmer of hope was the news that the country's three princesses were here.
If he were the real leader of Qi State, he might remember that the two sides had previous contacts.