Heaven's Formula

"But Jinxia hasn't had a prime minister in charge for a long time, and I haven't seen evil spirits wreaking havoc in the city. With all due respect, Your Highness, you shouldn't let a Bai Ren be responsible for dealing with evil spirits, right?"

"It turns out that the Gyeonggi Prefecture also knows that Xia Fan is only named Bairen." Ning Wanjun immediately changed his words, "There is no need for a fourth-rank alchemist to attend the enthronement ceremony of His Royal Highness, right? Besides, this matter should not be handled by the Ministry of Rites Why? Why did you come to run errands?"

Xin Wu paused slightly, "Oh? Your Highness also knows what happened in the palace?"

"Why, I can't know?" the princess frowned.

"No, you are the third princess after all, so it's normal to have the ability to inquire about changes in the palace." Xin Wu immediately lowered his head, "You are right, the Ministry of Rites should indeed be responsible for the enthronement ceremony of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but what should he do specifically? If you want to invite anyone to participate, it has nothing to do with the Privy Council. The grand ceremony that the above hoped that Lord Xia can participate is purely an internal matter of the Privy Council, and... I don’t think he is only a fourth-rank hundred-blade after he has been to Gyeonggi. .”

"What do you mean?"

Xin Wu cupped his hands, "As far as I know, those who can receive this invitation are all core members of the Privy Council. Sending invitations to places other than Shangyuan is itself an extremely rare thing. The last alchemist who received this honor , it was more than 20 years ago—but now, he is already a feather."

Hagoromo...

Ning Wanjun and Xia Fan couldn't help but looked at each other, that was the highest official title in the Privy Council.An alchemist who can be promoted to the first rank must not only have extraordinary abilities, but also have made great contributions to the Privy Council.The nature and significance of this grand ceremony, is it so important?

"What are the benefits of being a core member?"

As soon as Xia Fan said these words, he felt the princess cast a sharp gaze.

"For an alchemist, there is no better prospect than this. Not only can the materials for performing spells be taken at will, but it is also easier to get guidance and communication from other high-level alchemists. There are also various types of spell knowledge other than Daqi , the many studies recorded by the Privy Council will be open to you.” Speaking of this, Xin Wu’s tone was full of envy, “Besides, this is just a benefit from before. The resources obtained will be unimaginable!"

Xia Fan's heart skipped a beat.

Is it a secret record...

Could this be a good opportunity to get news about Qingjian?

He did not forget the agreement with Li.

"What kind of trick is the grand ceremony you mentioned?" The princess said impatiently, "Since it has nothing to do with the crown prince's enthronement, why do you still use this name?"

"I can't answer your question—how do you call it a decision from above? As for its specific content, in fact, only the real participants know." Xin Wu said with a little regret, "I am only responsible for delivering the news, far from The inside information can only be grasped by the qualifications to contact the core members."

"How many days will this matter take? You won't let me stay in Shangyuan City forever?" Xia Fan said in a relaxed tone on purpose.

"How come, the core members are equal to each other, and there is no one who rules over the other. The green sword, feather clothes, blood, identity... These are all things that are just for outsiders to see." Xin Wu showed a strange look Smiling, as if laughing at these titles, "My lord, if you have obtained their approval through the grand ceremony, you will naturally be ranked at the highest rank in the Privy Council. At that time, where you want to go and what you want to do is yours." free."

How could the Gyeonggi government implement such a loose system? "Then when everyone thinks differently, wouldn't it be... slightly confusing?"

This is already the most euphemistic way Xia Fan can think of.

"That's not something I can figure out, but..." Xin Wu paused, "Those adults seem to be working hard for the same goal, at most they are just different in methods. If you can join in, I think you will also be infected by their aspirations."

Chapter 259 The Opportunity of Exploration

"Xia Fan!" After the envoy left, Ning Wanjun leaned forward and stepped on the edge of the chair, her upper body almost touching in front of him, "You won't forget what you promised!?"

At this distance, he could clearly see himself in the other person's pupils, as well as the row of slender eyelashes.

"Your Highness, it's too close."

Xia Fan coughed twice and reminded in a low voice.If he wants to distance himself, he can only push the opponent with both hands, but this angle can easily touch the opponent's chest, so he can only keep still.

"Calm down, I haven't thought about going to Gyeonggi to work."

"But you didn't refuse him!"

"I have my concerns, but you should be able to guess it too, right?"

Hearing this, Ning Wanjun had a rather complicated look in her eyes. After a while, she straightened up and put her feet down, "You don't want the Privy Council to be aware of my intentions so early?"

"It's our intention." Xia Fan emphasized emphatically, "Now is the most critical time. Every day of delay will make Jinxia stronger. Don't you feel the changes in the city?"

This "we" made Ning Wanjun's expression soften a lot.Facing Xia Fan's question, she couldn't give any negative answer. Even a commoner in the streets and alleys could feel Jinxia's transformation, let alone her sitting in Fengyang Villa overlooking the whole situation.

The weapons of the machine building bureau, the food that determines the logistics, the ever-expanding army, the increasingly abundant supplies in the warehouse... no matter what it is, it shows a vigorous and upward momentum.What Jinxia City lacks most at present is a period of stable development time.

"You... are right. But even if they reject the Privy Council, what can they do with this place? It's impossible to immediately think that I have objections based on this, and gather the alchemists under my hand to attack Jinxia City, right?" Ning Wan Jun Lue was dissatisfied, "The problem in Leizhou has not been resolved yet."

"This is exactly what I'm worried about." Xia Fan sighed, "Do you think that the timing of the family's problems is too coincidental?"

"Coincidentally?" Ning Wanjun calmed down and thought for a moment, "According to the Fang family, it should be that the higher-ups intend to take back the power of the various families to recruit people who are sensitive, but this power is a reward granted to them by the Emperor Taizu. Obviously, the Privy Council It doesn't stand up logically."

"The truth doesn't make sense, and the only thing that can convince the other party is force. However, the alchemists of the general government are basically guarding the capital, and any transfer will fall into the eyes of others—at least the Privy Council itself is a special agency directly responsible to the emperor. The emperor is in control."

Ning Wanjun's heart skipped a beat, "If you want to mobilize alchemists in a legitimate way, the invasion of the high country is an excellent opportunity. Alchemists are responsible for eradicating evil spirits in peacetime, but they are the most elite army in wartime..."

When she said this, she suddenly shuddered, "Could it be that besides Zuo'an, there is also the Privy Council that is connected with Gao Guo? The purpose of this plan is to allow the General Mansion to gather Qiguo's alchemist power to deal with the six Great family?"

"I can't say for sure, but the fact is that after the fall of Leizhou, the head of the Fang family can no longer predict the situation of the rest of the family—except that the Privy Council is interfering, I can't think of any other explanation."

Ning Wanjun clenched her fists, "Why did they do such a thing? Even if the power of the family can be disintegrated through this move, the invasion of the Gao Kingdom and those fleeing refugees are real!"

"Unless you ask the planner in person, no one will be able to answer this question." Xia Fan said in a deep voice, "The only thing we can know is that a large number of alchemists in the Privy Council are currently unsupervised. , this is a wandering army, and it is far more difficult to deal with than the Shenzhou garrison."

The princess fell silent.

"I don't know what the Privy Council is planning, but I always feel that their purpose is not as simple as the aristocratic family." Xia Fan continued, "The news of the crown prince's enthronement is also very strange, and the news of the palace is blocked. To ascertain the intentions of both parties during this period, perhaps going to Gyeonggi is the most effective way."

There is also information about Master Li, maybe he can get something.

"Hmm..." Ning Wanjun hesitated, but she actually agreed with the other party's judgment in her heart.The degree of danger of this trip is not high, even lower than her trip to Gyeonggi.As long as Xia Fan does not publicly declare that he is a listener, the Privy Council will not embarrass a young alchemist with great potential.

What she was really worried about was what to do if Xia Fan was really moved by the Privy Council's conditions.

However, the third princess soon realized that this violated her principle of being suspicious and not using people.

"You don't plan to go alone, do you?"

"Of course, if someone is behind you, it's good to have someone to take care of you if something goes wrong." Xia Fan thought for a while, "Li must follow, she won't agree to stay in Jinxia alone. Luo Qingqing is very suitable for going to Beijing, but she His popularity is not low, and it will be very troublesome if he is recognized by others. The remaining choices are nothing more than disciples of the Fang family and the living dead."

Seeing that he was seriously considering the issue of withdrawing, Ning Wanjun felt relieved, "I will lend you a team of [-] people to help find out the situation in the suburbs. If there is a problem, which road to leave Gyeonggi, which side of the forest? It's more suitable for hiding, you can at least know it."

"This is a good idea." Xia Fan said happily.

"Also, you don't have to worry about your appearance. Do you still remember when I came here to look like Shangguancai? That's Eunuch Li's unique skill." Ning Wanjun shrugged, "If anyone is afraid of being recognized, you can Prepare a set of human face masks in advance. But it can only change the facial features, and there is no way to hide the characteristics of the demon."

"Really? Then I will trouble you."

"But I have one condition." The princess crossed her arms and said, "You must write more letters to Jinxia City and report the situation there."

"Oh? I'm just trying to see how far the message can be transmitted by the audio device." Xia Fan thought for a while, "If the size of the antenna is sufficient, maybe there is no need to write a letter."

"Wait, do you want to say, I can talk to you here?"

"With a clean electromagnetic background, these messages can even spread across the continent." He laughed, "If I don't encounter any accidents, how about calling every day to report the progress of the investigation?"

Ning Wanjun was at a loss for words, and after a while, she turned around and snorted, "Isn't this what you should do? In short, don't be too careless when facing the Privy Council, they are the most difficult group of people in Qiguo to deal with after all. .”

"Don't worry, I know." Xia Fan nodded.

Today's Jinxia City is gradually on the right track, and even if he temporarily leaves the bureau, various projects will continue to advance.

As long as the Privy Council would not miss Jinxia City, that would be the greatest meaning of his trip.

In addition, he also wanted to find out what kind of drama the grand ceremony planned by the Gyeonggi Government was, and whether it had something to do with their choice to attack the family at this moment.

Being invited by high-level officials to see what happened in person may be just the right opportunity.

Chapter 2 The Highly Expected One

Now that the general direction has been finalized, the next step is to make preparations.

After receiving a positive reply, the envoy said that it would be okay to wait a few days, after all, this is a long journey, and it is normal to hand over the affairs at hand.

Xia Fan asked Li, Luo Qingqing, Fang Xiandao and others one after another. Considering that there are still certain risks in this trip, it is still based on personal wishes.The fox demon didn't hesitate at all. When he learned that he might have access to the most secret clues of the Privy Council, he even stood up his fluffy tail, looking full of energy.

Luo Qingqing also readily agreed. After all, if she hadn't come to Jinxia, ​​she would have been fighting alone in Shangyuan City now.As for Xia Fan's advice not to take any risky actions until the situation is clarified, she also agreed.

Fang Xiandao seemed very reluctant, thinking that the Privy Council had pushed the Fang family to this point, and he didn't want to deal with these people at all.It was Qian Yan who changed his mind in the end—the living dead thought that the current situation was indeed weird, and the worst situation was that he knew nothing about the intentions of the organizers. acceptable.

And Qianzhi also followed up to make up the knife, saying that the young master was just being lazy and troublesome, and he often blamed the old lady of the Fang family outside.

In the end, after some arguments, Fang Xiandao suffered a crushing defeat in the face of Qianyan and Qianzhi's joint attack.Therefore, the Fang family provided the most manpower. Apart from Kai Fang Xiandao and Fang Yanni, Qian Zhi and Qian Yan would also accompany them.

Five days later, the group officially set off and took a carriage to Shangyuan City.

……

"Lord Xia, you have quite a few companions." Along the way, Xin Wu was by Xia Fan's side, and the two rode at the front of the team, followed by three carriages. "Looking at their ages, they should all be passers of this year's examination, right?"

"On the contrary." Xia Fan replied in a deliberately casual tone, "Those alchemists who have passed the examination seriously think that I have only climbed up to Her Royal Highness, so I was promoted so quickly, and they all looked at me with a smile on my face. Contempt, it’s just that I dare not speak out because of my status. I don’t bother to pay attention to them, so I found a group of people who have never taken the exam, and it’s much easier to use than alchemists.”

If it is a regular alchemist, the Privy Council will definitely leave a record, and it is much more difficult to forge one's identity.If it was a casual cultivator, the other party would have no way to check even if they wanted to.

"It turns out that there is... such a thing." The messenger paused for a moment before continuing, "But this is also human nature, Lord Xia, you don't need to worry about it. If it were me in the past, I would probably feel unwilling. "

"You before?"

"Yes." Xin Wu lowered his head slightly and said, "The reason why I wanted to become an alchemist was very simple, it was for the official position and privileges. Whether it was evil spirits or others, they were just stepping stones for me to climb. Such me There is definitely envy and resentment when you see someone rise to a high position without any effort."

"It wasn't until the lord gave me a hand that he let me get out of this muddy quagmire. He made me understand the unique responsibility and mission of alchemists. For this innate power, we should wait more Make the most of it."

"Who is that lord?" Xia Fan asked curiously.

"It's the current second prince, His Highness Ning Qianshi." Xin Wu smiled, "It's a pity that he is not in Shangyuan City now, otherwise he will definitely have a good chat with you. I have a feeling that you are exactly what he needs Humanoid. Although I think so, maybe the ability is limited after all.”

Xia Fan secretly twitched the corners of his mouth, but that was inevitable.

"His Highness Ning...how did you change your initial thoughts?"

"He let me see something, something that transcends power and money, and you will definitely see it later." The messenger said in a candid tone, "Master Xia, please be sure to become a core member of the Privy Council. .”

Xia Fan was slightly taken aback, "Why?"

"Anyone who can be invited by the core is the most outstanding talent in the mansion. Only you can support a strong Privy Council and protect the world from the dangerous situation in the future." Xin Wu's eyes are full of trust Affection.

That being the case, why do you still allow such evil deeds as the magistrate of Gaoshan County for more than ten years?

However, Xia Fan did not say this reply.

He knew that the other party couldn't give him an answer.

……

As the crowd moved all the way to the northwest, the temperature gradually dropped.

When the convoy drove into the border of Gyeonggi a week later, Xia Fan found that his breath could already let out bursts of white gas.

"The winters in previous years were even colder, but this year is already considered good." Seeing his actions, Xin Wu took the initiative to say, "But there is no shortage of anything in Shangyuan City, even in the snowy first month, there are still clothing stores. The door is open, but the price will be a little higher than usual. If you want to add clothes, you can go there and have a look.”

"Have you lived in Shangyuan for a long time?"

"It's been about ten years. I'm a candidate for the last two classes, and my hometown is Qingshui Town. You must have never heard of it." Xin Wu replied, "It also belongs to the boundary of Gyeonggi, and people there want to move there in their dreams. Shangyuan City."

As he spoke, he suddenly pointed forward, "Look, Lord Xia, that's the capital of Shangyuan."

The first thing that caught Xia Fan's eyes was the tall and straight city wall—but compared to Jinxia City, this wall was obviously much towering, and looked like a mountain rising from the ground from a distance.

And there are still more than ten miles away from the city wall, and dense houses and markets have appeared on both sides of the road. When the land is filled, the remaining residential areas extend to the outskirts.To judge whether a city is prosperous, it can be judged by the outward expansion of the residential area.

Obviously, Shangyuan City is far superior to Jinxia City in terms of population.

"As expected of being the capital of Daqi, it really lives up to its reputation." Xia Fan pretended to be surprised, "I'm afraid there are tens of thousands of people in this city, right?"

"If you count the surrounding residents, there is this number." Xin Mu stretched out five fingers.

Half a million, let's be honest...that's an absolutely staggering amount. "Compared to the capitals of other kingdoms?"

"Even among the Six Kingdoms, Shangyuan is a veritable metropolis, second only to Xu's Yongding City in scale." Xin Wu said proudly, "Of course this is normal, after all, Yongding was the metropolis of Yongguo a hundred years ago. "

When approaching the outer city gate, several roads gradually converged into a main road, and there were obviously many more carriages around. The vehicles entering the city alone formed a line nearly hundreds of meters long.

"Recently, the investigation in the city has been stricter. As you know, it is related to His Royal Highness." Xin Wu whispered, "Alchemists have certain privileges in the city. You can go anywhere, but don't go near the palace alone. Now is a special period. , the Privy Council does not want to conflict with the royal family."

Xia Fan nodded to show his understanding.

Then Xin Wu led the convoy to another small gate, and after identifying himself to the guards, he took the shortcut and entered the city directly.

Chapter 261 The Lantern Festival

The Privy Council's affairs are quite neat, and they have already reserved a whole floor in Wanjing Tower for Xia Fan to stay.

There are eight wing rooms, four servant rooms, as well as the uppermost terrace and attic, and the number of rooms even exceeds Xia Fan's actual needs.

"This is one of the best hotels in Shangyuan City. The people who come and go are rich merchants and distinguished guests. I don't think it will insult your identity." Xin Wu helped drag the luggage into the room, and then handed him a stack of name tags. One is gold-rimmed on a black background, with seven silver stars debossed in the center. "This card represents that you are a distinguished guest invited by the Privy Council, and you can freely enter and exit the city gate. As long as you bring it, no matter whether it is a guard or an officer, they will not make things difficult for you."

"You are quite thoughtful."

"Your Excellency, you are joking. The Privy Council invites all kinds of guests from all over the world and even overseas. How to receive them has formed a routine." Xin Wu apologized a little, "Originally, you are considered the most special category, and you should be appointed by the two. His Royal Highness personally received you, but he has not returned yet, so he can only receive you according to the highest standard of practice."

"Can it be better than this?" Xia Fan sighed, "It should cost a lot of money to rent such a floor."

"How can your coming be measured by money?" Xin Wu shook his head again and again, "In my opinion, this is already condescending you."

What is a profession?That's professionalism.