"Master Imperial Master," Princess Zhaoning Xiao Wanjun nodded slightly and said in a pleasant voice, "I have some things here that I need your guidance and help on. I wonder if you are free today?"
As before, Princess Zhaoning still showed a polite and courteous attitude like a student in front of the Imperial Master, without any of the arrogance commonly seen in superiors.
She took no servant with her, and her carriage was parked hundreds of meters away.
She faced the cold morning wind and walked alone. The sun illuminated her face and cast long shadows behind her.
"Your Highness, please come in!" the Imperial Master said with a faint smile.
The furnishings in the Imperial Master's home are simple and plain, with no extra chairs. The two of them sat on the floor next to the window.
The imperial master's sitting posture was carefree and informal; the princess sat on her knees, with her back straight and her posture elegant.
"Master Imperial Master, since I saw the 'Fire Character' designed by Director Gu of the Exorcist Department in Longmen Academy yesterday, some ideas about the future development of the 'Shenji Camp' have popped up in my mind, and I want to ask Please give me your opinion.”
"What do you think, Your Highness?"
"I think maybe my previous concept was wrong," Princess Zhaoning lowered her head and said slowly, "When the 'Long Night' comes, the best way to deal with ghosts is not to gather talents. Form a special team. No matter how talented they are, it will be difficult for them to have the ability to compete head-on with the enhanced 'fierce god' level ghosts before the arrival of the 'Long Night'.
"In the previous generation's 'Shenji Camp', there used to be the famous 'Xiaoyao Swordsman' Su Wangshan and 'Jade Faced Yama' Fang Hongshu... Their dazzling intensity back then was no less than that of today's Jiange Su Xiao and Youzhou Zhao Yan. By bringing them together, they may be able to easily eliminate ghosts such as Zhu Yan, Yu Qi, and Wutong Shen. The results are indeed brilliant, but in the end it will be difficult to really help the people across the country. In the face of 'Qiongqi' When faced with such a terrifying monster, they can only sit back and wait to be killed.”
"Then what does Your Highness think we should do?"
"Let's give a simple example! For example, if a young man like Gu Xu is placed in the "Shenji Camp" as a pure combat unit, it would be a waste. Although he has great potential, But in the end it couldn't have a decisive effect on the battle situation.
"However, if he is asked to guard one side and lead a group of monks to fight together, he can rely on his own wisdom and use methods similar to the 'Fire Character' to arm the people around him, thus saving more lives. In addition, although the Bagua array chart he designed yesterday that can be used for calculations cannot directly replace the Ministry of Household Affairs, it has extremely important strategic significance during the long nights when human resources are scarce. It can at least help many remote people. The government and county allocate resources. Talents like him can obviously exert greater value besides fighting."
"But, Your Highness, Gu Xu can be regarded as a genius that has been rare in the Da Qi Dynasty for hundreds of years... Using him as an example, wouldn't it be a bit generalizing?"
"I have also thought about this problem," Princess Zhaoning frowned slightly, "but later I felt that this was more due to the imperial court's guiding role in the monks - the imperial court chose the eight-legged essay to recruit scholars, and the scholars put down the piano and chess. For calligraphy and painting, they all went to recite the "Collected Commentary on the Four Books"; the imperial court chose to hold an arena competition and allocate resources based on merit, so the monks started wielding swords and swords, obsessed with improving their cultivation realm and combat capabilities."
Having said this, she looked up at the Imperial Preceptor, her bright phoenix eyes glowing: "Master Imperial Preceptor, the inventions and creations of Senior Chiyangzi you mentioned yesterday left a very deep impression on me. Perhaps in In the eyes of others, transforming the Quyuanli or studying the talisman formations for calculating accounts are not things that respected monks should do - but, as a mortal without the talent for cultivation, these things make me feel It resonated strongly.”
As she spoke, she took out a few yellowed papers from her pocket.
On these papers, some imaginary drawings are drawn that are both imaginative and meticulous - such as a formation driven by true energy that can replace the roller for grain shelling or bran removal, such as a smelting device that can replace the water drain, and There are complex formations that can transport large quantities of food resources over long distances, and so on.
"These are all unrealistic fantasies I had in the past, which made the Imperial Master laugh," Princess Zhaoning smiled sheepishly, then she paused for a moment and said in a heavy tone, "It's just that I have been dealing with the imperial court recently. When I was working on government affairs, I learned that many places in our Daqi Dynasty lacked food resources. Due to the disasters caused by ghosts and monsters, many people were killed and injured, and the fields were uncultivated. The food taxes collected by the national treasury are also increasing year by year. Young. This makes me very worried about whether we have the ability to survive the long night smoothly. But as a mortal, I often feel powerless and hate myself for not being able to help more. "
The Imperial Master looked at her bright and beautiful face and remained silent for a long time. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether Princess Zhaoning's words were sincere or just words used to persuade him.
But no matter what, her words still caused ripples in the heart of the Imperial Master. He thought of Chi Yangzi who was meditating on the edge of the field, and of Gu Xu who was writing furiously in the "Siqi Hall" of Longmen Academy, and he couldn't help but sigh softly.
"If you need it, I will try my best to help you," after a while, the Imperial Master said, "But after all, I am just a lonely old man. If you want more help, you may need to go to the Exorcism Department Find Luo Sishou."
"Thank you, Master!" Princess Zhaoning's mouth turned up slightly. Her smile was like the first ray of light at dawn, instantly dispelling the gloom in the room.
At this moment, she suddenly remembered something important: "By the way, Master National Preceptor, I recently learned from some documents that although the members of the previous generation's 'Shenji Battalion' were killing The entire army was wiped out during the mission of the ferocious beast Qiongqi, but the one who really killed them was not Qiongqi, but the Ghost King of Mangshan... How much do you know about this?"
"'Mangshan Ghost King'?" Upon hearing the princess's words, the Imperial Master frowned.
Mang Mountain is located in the north of Luojing City and is also called "Bei Mang Mountain".
Because it is located on the dragon vein of the wilderness, backed by mountains and facing water, it hides the wind and gathers energy. It is an excellent geomantic treasure place for the mausoleum, so there is a saying "born in the south of the Yangtze River, buried in Beimang".
The imperial mausoleum of the previous dynasty, the Chu Dynasty, was located in Mang Mountain.
However, after the fall of the Chu Dynasty, the Mang Mountain area was filled with howling winds and evil spirits, and was completely shrouded in a gray fog that made it invisible.
In that heavy fog, a "fierce god" level ghost was born.
He wears a crown and a yellow robe, his face is blurred, and he has many ghost soldiers and generals under his command. He occupies the imperial mausoleum in Mang Mountain and becomes the king.
It is not a "Ghost King" in the true sense, and has not held a promotion ceremony, but it calls itself the "Ghost King".
Perhaps because of its fierce reputation and many evil deeds, people have accepted its self-proclaimed title over time.
Many people have been curious about whether it is related to the previous emperors, but so far they have not received a definite answer.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I don't know much about this... I'm not sure." The Imperial Master shook his head.
The "Shenji Camp" of the previous generation was established under the leadership of Lu Huan, the then chief minister of the cabinet, and had little to do with him. So naturally, he didn't quite understand the hidden meaning.
"It doesn't matter." Princess Zhaoning smiled lightly and quickly dropped the topic.
…………
In the next period of time, the two briefly chatted about recent court affairs.
About a quarter of an hour later, Princess Zhaoning said goodbye to the Imperial Master and left the simple brick house.
It's a sunny day.
The sun has climbed into the sky, and the air is bright and dazzling. Looking at it, I only feel that the sky and the earth are vast, my eyes are aching, and the dead branches of the forest are rustling in the cool breeze.
But Princess Zhaoning was not in a calm mood.
As she walked over the dead grass back to her carriage, many things were going through her mind.
The first thing that bothered her was the many prophecies that had been spread among the people recently - such as "there is the spirit of the emperor in the Northeast", "the barbarians gather in Longdouye, and when the sun rises, fire is the main thing", etc. wait.
Many people feel that these prophecies point to the Zhao family in Youzhou.
Princess Zhaoning also learned from some books that some monks who advocated metaphysics would use the mutual generation and restraint of the five elements to explain the change of dynasties.
For example, the Chu Dynasty belonged to Mu De, advocating cyan, and emphasizing benevolence and righteousness. Both the background color of the flag and the sacrificial attire were all cyan.
The Daqi Dynasty behind it belongs to Jinde, and its flag is also white and gold.
The reason why Qi was able to destroy Chu was because "jin defeated wood".
According to this theory, after this, it should be "fire defeating metal".
But Princess Zhaoning felt that there were many doubts in it.
On the one hand, her father, Emperor Tianxing, has always left her with the impression that he is very powerful and even invincible; on the other hand, the head of the Zhao family in Youzhou, Zhao Changying, Duke of Yan, was promoted to a "sage" level powerhouse. He has never broken through again, and his strength has always been the weakest among the five saints of Daqi.
She did not think that the Youzhou Zhao family had the ability to confront the Da Qi court head-on.
"Perhaps... this is a way for my father to take this opportunity to weaken the power of the powerful family?" She secretly guessed in her heart.
The second thing that bothered her was that among the servants in the palace, there were rumors such as "the queen is immoral and jealous" and "your majesty wants to depose the queen".
When she first heard these words, Princess Zhaoning felt that they were outrageous.
After all, Emperor Tianxing had lived in the palace for a long time, practicing in seclusion, and had not touched a woman for many years. Many women who entered the palace through drafts a few years ago are still in perfect condition, waiting in that dark and cramped courtyard for a long time, unhappy.
The queen herself has also not seen her husband for a long time.
In Princess Zhaoning's own opinion, if the "Queen's immorality" is to be discussed, then His Majesty the Emperor should first reflect on his own problems.
However, the princess quickly figured out that these rumors were probably spread deliberately by her father - just like he did not investigate the assassination case of the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen before, this was also a way for him to beat the Chen family in Xiangyang.
The third thing that worried her was what the other princes had done recently.
After the disaster in Qingzhou Mansion, Gu Xu became a rising star in Luo Jing City.
But few people remember that when Kongxuan Sanren held a ceremony to be promoted to "Ghost King" in Yishan, the eldest prince Xiao Shangyuan and his entourage, the royal family with sixth-level cultivation to worship Fancheng, were actually present.
According to her understanding, after they were rescued back to the capital by three saints who rushed to the scene, the eldest prince had been hiding in his mansion, keeping an extremely low profile, and was almost forgotten by the world.
No one knew what he was doing.
"Perhaps he is practicing in seclusion?" Princess Zhaoning made such a guess.
She knew that before going to Qingzhou Mansion, the eldest prince Xiao Shangyuan had already reached the peak of the fifth level. He was only one step away from knocking open the "Fengdu Gate" and promoted to the sixth level.
He was probably mentally stimulated during his narrow escape trip to Qingzhou, and took this opportunity to find an opportunity for promotion.
"If he can really break through to the sixth realm, then the 'Tai'a Sword' should be in his possession sooner or later, right?"
The other princes seemed to be indifferent to the eldest prince's recent experiences and were still living step by step on their original track.
The second prince Xiao Shangheng still stayed in his luxurious and luxurious mansion, enjoying singing and dancing, tasting delicious food and wine, and having fun with beauties all day long.
The third prince Xiao Shangli still stayed in the northwest frontier, following the border guard army of the Daqi Dynasty to fight against the northwest barbarians.
As for the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen... he was still in the backyard of the princess mansion, laughing and playing with tops with a few servants.
——The four princes seemed to have chosen to hibernate quietly in their own way, and faded out of the scope of people's exchanges and discussions.
Sometimes, Princess Zhaoning couldn't help but think about what she would choose to do if she were also a good competitor for the "Tai'a Sword".
"I think I will try to become a disciple of the Imperial Master, try to develop contacts in the 'Luoshui Conference', and then try my best to make a good relationship with that talented young man named Gu Xu..."
But she quickly put an end to these random thoughts.
Thinking about this impossible thing will only make you more miserable.
She sighed softly and boarded the carriage waiting for her beside a big tree.
"Go back home!" she ordered the coachman.
"Yes, Your Highness!" the coachman responded respectfully.
Then there was a "pop" and the sound of a riding whip.
The carriage drove forward in the sunshine, gray dust rising behind the wheels.
…………
at the same time.
Shen Qiu was also in Luo Jing's inn, busy dealing with his own personal affairs.
He wrote a letter to his father, the head of the Shen family, saying that he had found a very good home in the capital and would not return to Jinling for a long time.
"Have you found a wife?"
"There is actually a woman in Luojing City who likes you?"
These are the two sentences the head of the Shen family replied to him.
Shen Qiu also replied a few words to his father.
"It's not a woman, it's a man."
"It's not my wife, it's my boss."
Then the head of the Shen family ignored him for a whole day.
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