Compared with the ghostly jungle that trapped them for many days, the mountains and fields on the way from Liu Shenghan's hut to the capital of Xiangji Kingdom passed by in a blink of an eye. It felt like they hadn't trekked for too long, and the outline of the city wall had already appeared in their field of vision. This sign of human habitation made the three people somewhat excited. For them, the last time they were in a prosperous city-state seemed like a lifetime ago. Although I encountered a village soon after landing, I have spent most of my time under Liu Shenghan's roof recently. But no matter whether it's a settlement where monsters and humans live together, or a shelter built by one person, it can't give people the real feeling of civilization like the capital of a country. What happened here?
Perhaps because of its smaller scale, this country is not as heavily guarded as its hometown, and the checks at the city gate are much more relaxed. They were worried about whether it would be difficult for outsiders to enter the capital, but the person on duty only exchanged a few words with Liu Shenghan before waving the group through. Once they stepped into the city gate, the bustling crowds of people flowed through them like a warm wave, with unfamiliar accents and the friendly and inexplicable atmosphere of the city. Jun Aoyan was used to marching and fighting, and Bai Ya was also a wandering master. He was also calm and his high-spirited mood was not obvious. Qi Huan obviously became more energetic. He stretched his neck and looked around until he reached the entrance of the palace.
"I have something to report to the king." Liu Shenghan said softly to the guard at the door, his tone was polite but still cold, "We have a portrait of the leader of the Incense God. If you want to enshrine it, please pass it on. "
The palace is cold and the emperor is majestic. This is the stereotype of the capital of the three people who first came here. Here, it seems that the king is not as hard to find as a grand master in his hometown. However, the barriers between people are the same everywhere. Those who rely on their status are often not the real high-ranking people in the temple. Instead, it is the people at the next level who are keen on pretending to be powerful and seize any opportunity to show off. Own.
"It's really unbearable. People like you make my eyes get calloused." The guard leading the way was named Matsukawa Yang. He read out his name dryly like a benefactor, and then vomited disdain. "Everyone wants to have a relationship with Lord Xiang Shen. If they only rely on His Majesty's kindness and kindness and hope that His Majesty can recommend you, I advise you to give up the idea as soon as possible. There are thousands of people in the Xiangyin Sect, and there is no shortage of cats, dogs, fish, and fish. Shrimp, you'd better come up with something special, so that we can have more fun after dinner."
Words like this kept coming out one after another along the way. Even though the journey was short, it was enough to make several people tense up. It was because of their patience, but also because they were worried that their companions would not be able to endure it. Fortunately, everyone knew the general outline, and the palace courtyard was not that big. It didn't take long for Matsukawa Yang to send them to the entrance of the main hall, and the four of them quickly left him behind and entered the hall.
Even the guards at the door and other guards along the hall had cold faces, which made people angry. After this experience, the three newcomers were somewhat wary, fearing that the king would also be arrogant. Liu Shenghan gave them a comforting smile.
Sure enough, as soon as he stood in the main hall, the king on the throne took the initiative to speak, his voice was calm, less serious and oppressive, with the characteristic generosity of a superior.
"Mrs. Liu, I haven't seen you for a while, but I'm glad you are safe. How many times have I met you since we first went back to the festival?"
Liu Shenghan bowed calmly.
"I'm sorry that I'm stupid and can't recall it at the moment."
"If you think about it, you can report it to me at any time."
"Thank you for your kindness. I am here today to make an introduction to these friends."
"I heard something."
The king of Xiangji Kingdom turned his eyes. His middle-aged face has a unique vicissitudes of life, but it is not old. In their hometown, almost all men and women have long hair. But in Xiangji Kingdom, this man who was no more than sixty years old had short hair and a thick and short beard. The stubble, like his hair, had a few strands of gray, adding a hint of depth to his calm tone.
Bai Ya and the others were somewhat surprised when they heard what he said.
"The coast of the Jiutian Kingdom is not the territory of our Xiangji Kingdom. You came across the sea from the north, and it took a lot of hard work to reach this place all the way. Not to mention that you also experienced a hard battle in the territory under the jurisdiction of the Poseidon."
"you……"
"Don't be impatient." He said again, and Bai Ya keenly felt that the other person's eyes lingered on him for a while, "This place is under the protection of Lord Xiang God, and it is the territory of our Xiang Ji Kingdom. You and Poseidon The grievances and grievances of believers cannot affect the attitude of Xiangji State towards you. How this country treats you depends on how you treat your own country."
He stopped talking and motioned silently for them to speak. At some point, Liu Shenghan retreated slightly and stood at the back of the four people, obviously asking them to speak for themselves. Neither Bai Ya nor Jun Aoyan was suitable for speaking softly. Qi Huan swallowed dryly and took a step forward holding the box containing the scroll.
"Well, uh...well. We have come all the way, and we are only sincere to Xiangji Kingdom and to you. Unfortunately, we encountered a shipwreck and lost all our belongings. Wan Wang hopes to express his sincerity with a small gift of a scroll."
His palms were a little sweaty, but fortunately the wooden box wasn't fastened tightly and the lid opened obediently, facing him. Amidst the faint fragrance of wood and ink, he thought to himself, if he saw the emperor of his country, let alone the box that could not be directed at him, he would have been taken away for inspection the moment he entered the palace. As Liu Shenghan said, there were indeed two scrolls in the box. Qi Huan kept her instructions in mind, took out the outer scroll and handed it to a palace attendant, watching the other party present it to the monarch.
The monarch unfolded it and scanned it for a moment, then placed it on the case. With his sharp eyes, Qi Huan vaguely noticed that the human figure above seemed to lack some sense of sanctity, and was instead somewhat similar to the "common man" in the temple.
"I heard that when you entered the palace, I reported that the gift I wanted to give you seemed not to be this painting."
Not this painting?
Not the incense statue?
Qi Huan was startled and glanced at Liu Shenghan subconsciously. The latter remained calm and showed no emotion, such as sending the wrong painting or taking the wrong painting. Instead, Qi Huan caught a hint of smile at the corner of her mouth, which was fleeting.
Did you see it wrong?
"Don't worry. I already know your thoughts. Since you are the guests brought by Madam Liu, why don't you tell me the reason why you came all the way from the northern continent, so that you can gain more in our Xiangji Kingdom? convenient."
Before Qi Huan could recover, Bai Ya took the initiative to answer the question.
"We are not here for the pleasure of dogs and horses, nor for money and treasures. We are here for people."
"People?" The monarch looked slightly sideways, "Who is that person?"
"Years ago, there were several teams that set off from the north and entered the South... Jiutian Kingdom. Then, there was no news. There were our blood relatives in the team. Our purpose of this trip was to find them and bring them home. Never thought that, The shipwreck destroyed our helpers and supplies. Since we landed on the land of Jiutian Kingdom, we have roughly understood that the power of a few people here is only a drop in the bucket. For the... gods of Jiutian Kingdom, if not, it is the deceptive Yaksha under Poseidon. Liu, we are naturally willing to treat each other with respect and sincerity...Xiangji Country is a place of truth, right?"
Faced with the impolite temptation in the last sentence, his friends were all sweating. This person can speak well and say nice things, but he often has ulterior motives and has to come up with such tit-for-tat lines. The monarch's expression didn't change much. Instead, he nodded slightly. It couldn't be called approval, at least it didn't condemn him.
"Of course. I have said that our attitude completely depends on you. If you use troops, we will naturally fight with swords; if you treat them with courtesy, we will also treat you as a virtuous corporal."
"Sure, I like people like you who speak the truth. Let me speak first - it's not that I look down on the territory of Xiangji Kingdom, nor am I questioning your ability as the king of a country. It's just that we don't know anything about Jiutian Kingdom, let alone I don’t know where my loved ones have gone many years ago. Let alone us, you can’t find a needle in a haystack on your own. Therefore, we want to gain God’s approval and use the power of the gods to walk this way so that we can reunite with our family as soon as possible.”
The middle-aged man nodded, reached out to touch his stubble, and paused for a moment.
"Well... I appreciate your love for your family - and your courage." Then, he changed the topic, "But, if you want to talk about gods, getting recognition and help is not a trivial matter that can be decided in a single thought. "
The monarch described it plainly, but somehow, Bai Ya smelled some meaningful traces in it.
Jun Aoyan frowned and asked from the side: "Then what do you mean..."
"This matter needs long-term consideration. Now that I have entered the palace, I will stay here for one night. I will spend some time with the cabinet ministers and discuss it for a while, and then I will give you an accurate answer. Come, take some distinguished guests to rest. Bar!"
His voice became louder and echoed in the empty hall for a long time. A maid, two guards, and the one named Matsukawa Yang from before came over to lead the way. Without letting the four of them say anything else, they were forcibly invited to leave without any explanation. Speaking of this, several people were not sure, and they didn't know what the monarch meant.
They could not estimate the size of the entire imperial city. However, it was a long way from the main hall to the guest room prepared for them, and several people needed to sit in an open carriage. Matsukawa Yang drove the chariot, and the maids and guards followed on horseback. Along the way, they saw few people, which showed that the palace was still a little deserted. Although these roads are well built and look great, they are relatively narrow. They are about as wide as the roads in Yue Bai Zhi Xinyue Palace. Anyway, it makes people not think of the imperial city.
"Tsk, you're lucky." Matsukawa Yang glanced back, "Otherwise, I would have kicked you out. They even held a cabinet meeting... It's really strange."
Qi Huan smacked his lips and said, "Hey, be respectful. No matter what, we are also honored guests of the monarch."
"Hey. Don't put me in the same category as those who serve food to others, you know?"
Aren't you still a bitch? Qi Huan didn't say this, for fear that he would get off the horse and take the others away, leaving them here. This Matsukawa Yang, probably has a status similar to that of the head of internal affairs, right? He couldn't be sure.
"Hey, Lao Yang. Did you know that your job and position are called eunuchs in our place?"
"Huh?" Matsukawa Yang turned his head slightly, "What does that mean?"
No one else expected that the dignified Xiangji Kingdom had no eunuchs, and even the people in the palace didn't know about it. Others looked at them curiously, waiting for an explanation. Now Qi Huan felt a little embarrassed. Looking at Bai Ya and the others, they didn't want to start a fight. He scratched his head stiffly, looking for words.
"Just... that's the eunuch, the eunuch among the eunuchs."
"Salted people? Isn't it salty?" asked a teenage maid.
"...It's okay, just praise him."
"That's it." A guard brother thought thoughtfully, "The names you have there are quite strange. I think His Majesty likes a few of you quite a lot. If you stay, maybe for Mrs. Liu's sake, you will also You can be a eunuch."
"No, no, no, no, no, no..." Qi Huan muttered, "I still want to get a wife."
"Can't eunuchs get married? Is it because the official is too big?" The little maid blinked, "Your place is really strict. It's better for us in Xiangji country. No one gossips about anyone who wants to fall in love."
Looking back, I saw that the expression management of the other people was on the verge of collapse, and even Liu Shenghan couldn't help laughing. He felt that he had suffered a dumb loss. He was dissatisfied, but there was nothing he could do about it. This is so infuriating.
"Okay, here we are."
Matsukawa Yang reined in his horse, parked the car in a wide area, and jumped off the horse.
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