Although they are neighboring countries, Gechen State and Xiangji State are not directly bordering. To get to Gechen Country from here, you need to cross a desert. The shape of this desert is long and narrow, and the distance between the two countries is already its thinnest part, requiring the shortest time. It is impossible to build roads in the desert, the dunes are very loose and ever-changing. Not to mention how to build a road on sand, even if there is one, it will be buried by sand and dust overnight. Therefore, what they have to face is a vast and vast desert, rather than simply walking along a certain drawn road. Fortunately, with the compass that always points to Xiangji Kingdom, they will not get lost.
Originally, there were regular caravan exchanges between the two countries, but unfortunately, there were still many days before the caravan departed. The four of them knew that there was no time to lose, so they set off with the help of the Mother of the Nation. The carriage in Xiangji Kingdom is also strange. It is said to be a horse, but it has the hump of a camel and thick feet. It is said to be a camel, but its face and mane belong to a horse no matter how you look at it. However, they are docile, easy to handle, and drought tolerant, so there is no need to complain about these points alone.
With the customs clearance document issued to them by the mother of the country, they arrived at Gechen Country in just one day. It would not be a good idea to set out at night. The desert would be freezing to death at night. Although it is hot during the day, it is protected by the carport, so the meat does not have to be cooked by the sun. In fact, as soon as it got dark, several people felt the temperature drop obviously, and their hands and feet began to get cold unconsciously.
A pitch-black city wall appeared in the distance, looking like the last layer of sharp-edged ink covering it under the rose-colored sky. The wall is so dark that I can't see the gaps between the bricks. Maybe they are too far away? The sun was clearly behind them, and its last rays should have illuminated the city wall, but it didn't. The black here is in sharp contrast to the white of Xiangji Country.
They entered the city walls easily. Although the guards were very surprised by their visit, they were also full of curiosity about these strangers. Perhaps it had been a long time since anyone like them had been here. However, as long as they met Zhang Zi from Xiangji Kingdom, they were polite and let him go without any difficulty. Bai Ya is still not used to it.
Qi Huan thought he was nosy: "Why, you still want the king to take you to live in the palace like over there?"
But there was a hint of temptation in his words. A guard who led them into the city immediately said that the Central Royal City has been closed today and Her Majesty the Queen has taken a rest. If you need to see me for something, it would be better to choose a date.
"Her Majesty the Queen?"
Jun Aoyan caught this title. The king of the Shen Kingdom is a woman?
"That's natural. Don't you know that?"
"Sorry, we don't know something." Qi Huan asked, "Could it be that the throne of your country is passed down from female to male?"
"That's not the case. Regardless of the eldest son or daughter, as long as he is the first born, he can inherit the throne. The next king should be a healthy little prince, but it's a pity..."
"pity?"
"Well, this is His Majesty's heart, so don't mention it. When you meet His Majesty later, please don't talk nonsense."
Bai Ya thought about it for a while and asked a question out of curiosity.
"How long has it been since the founding of Gechen State? Is Her Majesty the Queen today the first monarch? No offense, because the Xiangji State next door to you is like this."
"Ah, I understand what you mean, it doesn't matter. Her Majesty the Queen is not the first king. The first king was a man, but the old man was old, sick, and had only one daughter, so he abdicated before his death. The throne was given to her. In the first few years, there was a lot of criticism, saying that women are too weak and not suitable to be the king of a country, which has led to a feminine atmosphere in the whole country, which is not good. Today's king is still a woman, but I have not seen anything The tendency is to subjugate the country. I guess those people just feel that their own interests are threatened and they are just messing around."
"Are you sick?" Jun Aoyan blurted out, "No woman can beat those gossips. They only show their presence by bitching. I don't have any qualms. I am a good hand at making irresponsible remarks to others. , Are you shameless?"
Although this guard is a big brother, he doesn't mind. He followed up and said that he felt gender was irrelevant. Nowadays, the whole country is singing and dancing, and it is peaceful, thanks to the unique generosity and wisdom of women. When the first queen was on the throne, it was indeed difficult to control the court. It was not until now that the National Master took office that a lot of troubles were solved.
And that national master is the God of Songs, Kinnara.
"Master National Preceptor is so powerful."
Bai Ya's words were most likely meant to be teasing, but the guard just shook his head slightly and made no comment.
Regardless of the Xiangji Kingdom or the Gechen Kingdom, the folk customs can be regarded as simple. The guard brother took them to a busy area, recommended several places to eat and stay, and then went back. Along the way, they could hear many people singing and singing on the roadside. This may not be too strict, because there are no bowls, straw hats or other containers placed in front of the other party for begging. The performers and singers were even well-dressed and seemed to be standing here simply because of their hobbies. Everywhere they go, they hear different music. Because the music and singing range from weak to strong and then to weak again, the connection is very natural. Just like the smell emanating from the incense burners in the shrines of Xiangji Kingdom, Ge Shen Kingdom replaced it with singing and music.
Some of the instruments they knew, some they had never seen before. However, because it was getting late, they could not stay in front of each stall for too long. Compared with the soft mud and sand they walked through before, the ground in their home country was mostly made of stone slabs and gravel, which were neatly paved and firmly stepped on. Is it because the loose structure hinders the spread of vocal music? Liu Shenghan was just guessing, not sure.
Compared with Xiangji Kingdom, the buildings here are generally low. Perhaps the towering city walls blocked the wind and sand, preventing them from being easily submerged. In fact, at the edge of the city wall, the sand is no longer so dry.
Qi Huan chose a courtyard-style inn. There is a square yard here with good ventilation and lighting. The decoration of these guest rooms is simple and plain, probably because people in Jiutian Kingdom rarely travel long distances, and they are all residents of a "big country". This decoration saves costs and makes guests feel at home.
Although this is very different from their real home.
In Jiutian Kingdom, the money in their hometown is useless. Although silver is valuable, it is not the common currency of Jiutian Kingdom. They used another kind of ore, which was completely black and reflected a faint blue-green color under the light. Liu Shenghan believes that there is an element of azurite green in it. For their other currency in circulation was copper plates—or some other similar metal, but distinct from their own copper plates. Putting aside the difference in hardness, the pattern is completely different. In terms of craftsmanship, their copper plates are poured, rather than the casting method of their hometown. Because the copper plates here in Jiutian Kingdom are more brittle and can be easily smashed. Copper plates were more valuable than gravel because the metal they called copper was smelted from the latter. However, because the purity of the ore is not uniform, the value of the gravel is not only the size, but also the purity, which makes it troublesome to distinguish. All in all, compared to their knowledge, everything here seems relatively backward.
However, Liu Shenghan said that this method of casting in the mold from the beginning may be more cost-effective than hitting. If they could go back, it would be worth promoting. She has a small notebook, which includes various creatures and things unique to the Nine Heavens Kingdom. She may be preparing for the summary after returning.
Prices in Gechen State are slightly higher. For the same money, the food you can eat here is slightly worse. I don’t know if it’s the difference between the stores. Here, there are also many weird dishes from naming to cooking methods, which are slightly different from Xiangji Kingdom, but you can tell at a glance that both belong to the "weird cuisine" of Jiutian Kingdom.
All in all, it’s fine as long as you don’t have diarrhea. While the group was eating, they discussed their plans for tomorrow. The handyman heard their conversation, put down what he was doing, and came over curiously.
She is a half-grown girl, at an age when she is full of novelty about everything, and at an age when she is quite interested in messy gossip. She brought a plate of worthless fried beans to interrupt the conversation. I guess I dared to do this because it was getting too late and there were not many guests. If there were too many people and someone was lazy, the shopkeeper at the front desk would have scolded them.
"Are you strangers? Are you going to see His Majesty?"
"What does it have to do with you?"
Bai Ya was not polite, he was always so alert. Qi Huan poked him with his elbow and said there was no need to be so angry.
"That's a big deal! Our Majesty, the Queen, especially likes to eat our soft flower cakes. We send a batch to the palace every half month, and we will go tomorrow."
"Are you the boss's daughter?"
"no."
"What does that have to do with you?"
"Here, I, I work here, eat and live here, this is the same as my home, why doesn't it matter!"
They took the opportunity to glance at the shopkeeper at the front desk. He and the cashier were facing the day's accounts. The shopkeeper raised his head and rolled his eyes at her, shook his head helplessly, and continued to make calculations with the accountant. This girl has a smooth tongue.
"Huh, many people want to use our way into the palace to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen. What gifts did you bring when you went to see Her Majesty?"
"Gift?" Jun Aoyan hesitated, "I never heard of bringing a gift... We just asked her to stamp Guan Wen. We are not going to pay tribute, nor are we asking for anything from her, so..."
"How can you do this? How can you go to someone else's house with nothing?" The half-year-old girl put her hands on her hips, a little unhappy, "I tell you, Her Majesty the Queen doesn't like anything else, she only likes delicious food. , It’s fun. It doesn’t have to be expensive, just fresh. As long as it makes her happy, any request can be satisfied.”
How could the leader of one party be so superficial? Furthermore, even if His Majesty is really such a "easy-to-dispose" person, how can he manage the country smoothly? Is it possible that it all depends on the national teacher? In this way, wouldn't it be just like the puppet kingship of Xiangji Kingdom?
They thought about it, and the meal was almost done. They quickly sent the stinky girl away to take away the dishes, and they took the opportunity to sneak back to the guest room in the backyard with their luggage. The four people put down their luggage and crowded into a room to continue discussing tomorrow's affairs.
Liu Shenghan said: "Ask the shopkeeper tomorrow morning. Give him some money. If you can enter the palace with them, it will save you the trouble of submitting the documents for approval."
"This is a way." Jun Aoyan weighed the money bag, "I just don't know how much it will cost."
"Why are you messing around?" Bai Ya said, "Go with them, or go by ourselves, you have to show proof, how much trouble can it save? Hey, you have been tinkering for a long time, what are you doing?"
Bai Ya shouted at Qi Huan who was rummaging through his luggage. I saw him take out a small pottery bird and wipe it again and again. The bird is glazed and looks cute.
"Well, I was wondering if this thing could be used as a gift..."
"What did you bring here? Don't be embarrassed by being so mean."
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