The next day, Xia Fan received a notice from Ning Wanjun asking him to come to the villa.
It was said that the princess of Yama Kingdom had woken up and the cold had subsided, and the two sides planned to have a formal meeting.
It is understandable that Wuyue Yao probably wants to interrupt the Wang family's private salt channels as soon as possible.
The princess probably thought that being idle was considered idle, so it was better to learn more about the situation on the other side of the sea. Before the identity of the other party was determined, the more details, the better to determine the authenticity of everything the other party said.
Arriving at the main hall of the villa, the maid Qiuyue first led him to another side room.
There, Xia Fan discovered that besides the princess herself, there were three other men.
"I have met Your Highness," he said with a simple salute.
"You're here." Ning Wanjun nodded to him, "You have been recovering from your injuries before, so I haven't introduced you formally. These are the retainers who went south with me, and they are also the colleagues who will work with you in the future."
"Hello, I am Xu Sanzhong, who was once a guerrilla in the border army, and now serves as the commander of His Highness's bodyguards." The tallest man was the first to stand up and clasp his fists.
Xia Fan cupped his hands in return.
"My name is Li Duojin. I am responsible for His Highness's living expenses and other trivial matters. You can just call me Li Gong." The second person to speak was an old man about fifty years old. His voice was a little shrill, which is the most characteristic characteristic of his age. "Beard" was nowhere to be seen on his face. "Haha, young man, you don't have to guess. The old man did serve in the palace and served the empress for a period of time... I can say that I grew up watching your highness, the princess."
The last person was dressed more elaborately. He not only wore a brocade robe, but also had a jade pendant and sachet hanging around his waist. He also held a goose feather fan in his hand. "I, He Guicai, was originally a staff officer in the army, and I also know a little about officialdom. I would like to ask Mr. Xia for your advice in the future."
So...this is the princess's entire team
Xia Fan couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
With a general responsible for security, a father-in-law who manages money, and a military advisor to handle internal and external government affairs, it's no wonder that he is so valued by the princess. She really doesn't have anyone under her emotional control.
Of course, to be precise, this should be the entire team she can bring over.
For example, if a big boss of the Privy Council can interfere with the scholar examination, keeping him in his current position would be far more effective than bringing him to Jinxia City.
However, even so, it would be too bold to rely on these few people to seize power from the Prefectural Mufu. Without the support of the Privy Council, it might not even take ten years.
"I don't need to introduce this person, after all, I have mentioned it before." The princess said, "Xia Fan is responsible for the Privy Council Office, and I promise that he can intervene in any affairs he feels necessary to intervene. For example, this time the evil The Horse Messenger was introduced by him, so I hope he can participate to the end."
"Wei Chen understands." He Guicai said, stroking his fan and lowering his head.
"Now that the introductions are over, let's start the formal talks."
"Everyone, please come with me." Qiuyue bowed.
Xia Fan followed everyone into the living room, where Wuyue Yao was already waiting.
Compared to how she looked when they first met, she was much cleaner now. Not only her hair and face were clean, but her clothes had also been wiped carefully. The bright red and white color scheme, as well as the wide rimmed cuffs, were undoubtedly the look of a miko that he was familiar with.
Both parties are theoretically princesses, and the covenant documents are still being confirmed, so all etiquette is kept simple.
After a simple greeting, Ning Wanjun asked the question she wanted to know most.
"I heard that the news about the Evil Horse Kingdom was cut off because of the endless evil spirits emerging in the sea. But according to you, Dongsheng Kingdom was able to transport private salt back to the island. Do you know the inside story of this?"
Wuyue Yaoyao nodded and said, "In the past hundred years, our country has indeed continued to try to advance westward and even open up new waterways, but they all ended in failure. The only experience gained is that the power of evil spirits is weakening, especially in the past five years. It is possible for the coastal current to reach here. However, when the queen discovered this, Dongsheng Kingdom had already taken the lead and controlled the sea passage."
"How did you do it?"
"Using evil spirits." Wuyueyao replied, "According to legend, a hundred years or more ago, a family named An migrated from the mainland to our country. There were many alchemists among them, and they were familiar with the laws of life and death. They were later called Yin and Yang. Master. The person who is now regarded as the national master by Dongsheng Kingdom is a man who has settled down and practiced Dharma."
Xia Fan was shocked. This is how Onmyoji came to be
But when he thought about his original world, Yin Yang and Five Elements also originated from the inland, he suddenly felt relieved.
Probably the only difference is that the evil spirits in this world are not imaginary.
"Is there such a thing?" Ning Wanjun frowned and thought for a while, "Then aren't they descendants of Yongguo?"
"It may also be to avoid war." Xia Fan interjected, "If the ruins in Gaoshan County were built during the Yong Dynasty, then it would make sense that they had made achievements in this area."
"But evil spirits have no sanity. What can they do to ensure that they will not suffer backlash?"
"I don't know about this." Princess May shook her head slowly, "Dongsheng Kingdom spreads evil spirits into the water, especially on the side close to your country. They will actively attack passing ships, and the latter will not attack them at all. The power of resistance.”
This sounds like a big project, but Xia Fan used the geography to know that only two states of Qi State are close to the sea. Among them, Fuzhou in the north is isolated by mountains. There is only one county close to the sea, and the route will be much longer and blocked. Jinxia can effectively block the connection between the two parties.
As mentioned before, evil spirits on land are easy to deal with, but those on the sea are much more difficult. After all, as long as the ship sinks, no matter how powerful the alchemist's skills are, they will be useless.
Therefore, if you want to eradicate evil spirits and restart the route, you must start from the source.
Ning Wanjun probably realized this, so she changed the topic to a lighter topic, "Sooner or later they will be completely eradicated, I can guarantee this. By the way, I was very curious from the beginning, the language you have there and this They are so similar, are they also influenced by Yongguo?"
"You can say that." Yueyue nodded and said, "Many scriptures, knowledge, and technology in our country come from that dynasty, which is also proof of the covenant. In our country, there are three types of languages, and the two are the ancient languages that were originally used. , and aristocratic families and powerful families usually learn the third language, which is the language you speak now."
"But few people here know the special characters of Yongguo." Ning Wanjun said regretfully, "Now that you have read the document, can you tell me what is written on it? It will take some time to identify it. , just think about it beforehand."
"Of course." The other party nodded, "According to the document, our country will pay tribute of 10 million taels of silver to Yongchao every year in exchange for Yongchao's care and trade rights. There are also several additional agreements, such as..." She After a slight pause, he said, "Marriage or something like that."
Xia Fan suddenly became energetic.
Of course, not because of the marriage, but because of the word "tribute".
"Pay tribute?" Ning Wanjun showed a troubled expression, but she quickly returned to her original state, "Ahem, well... I think the two parties can exchange for a more ordinary covenant... "
"No, Your Highness, this is very good!" Xia Fan quickly interrupted, "Paying tribute is the highest form of alliance."