Chapter 46
The afterglow of the setting sun gilts the castle walls in an orange-red color, and flags with wisteria windmills flutter in the wind. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. biquge。 infoA few white doves landed on the blue bricks of the castle's spire, looking unusually laid-back, unaware that at their feet, an important meeting was going on for the survival of a nation.
"Ahem...... Bringing everyone together today, the main thing is ...... Ahem...... Let's discuss the two candidates for the two auxiliary ministers who will assist the princess in the future. I have always had a great deal of trust in all of you, and it is clear from the fact that with our joint efforts, the future of the empire is very good. But there are unforeseen circumstances, I ...... Ahem...... This old bone is going to leave at some point. Looking back on my life, I can be regarded as having a complete life, and the only thing I can't rest assured about is Princess Xintong's heart. Ahem...... I hope...... cough cough cough ...... After I am gone, all of you will be able to assist her, the sole heir to the throne, and together we will build a peaceful and prosperous era that is stronger and more prosperous than we are now. ”
The man who said this was Mei Haishi, the king of the current Wisteria Windmill Country, who was fifty-six years old, but he looked like an old man in his seventies due to his illness. The emaciated body was wrapped in a wide imperial robe, the crown studded with gems on the head was crooked, and the pale face and lifeless pupils seemed to indicate that this life could die at any time.
The people who sat around the long table of the conference were all figures with heads and faces in the empire, Wenchen and military generals were on the left and right sides of Meihaishi, Wenchen had Du Tao, Miao Xizheng, Fan Juefeng, military generals Li Heibao, Wu Shou, Zhang Qixing, and then below was the chief of the city-state swordsman regiment, Bai Yinfeng, the seven-fingered sword saint recognized by the mainland at the moment, and the general president of the Zhongting Church, who was respected as Jiao Yin, who was known as the angel of the world.
"Your Majesty is talking about assisting the princess now, which is a little too early, and the doctors of the palace have already said that Your Majesty's condition is not incurable. Besides, there is President Jiao here, so don't worry. It was Du Tao who spoke with a soft and rich face, and his voice was as gentle as a wife who cared about her husband, even if a person with a hot temper listened to it, he couldn't bear to be angry or complain to him.
Jiao Yin, the president of the Zhongting Church sitting in the seat, was unusually quiet, she was an absolute beauty, both in terms of temperament and connotation, exuding a unique charm of feminine agility and elegance. The long wavy blond hair draped over the shoulders, the lead-gray silk scrooked dress, and the silver wisteria necklace hanging between the snow-white breasts shone with a sparkling halo. She is as sacred as the bodhisattva enshrined in the temple, as if even getting a little closer is a kind of defilement of her.
Mei Haishi said: "President Jiao's ability is obvious to all, maybe we all have the desire to live forever as human beings, but to be honest...... Ahem...... After a life like mine, the only thing left may be to enjoy yourself. When I was young, I was always thinking about this question, what are people living for? Ahem...... At that time, I felt that I was born into this world to become the king of a country, and then I really did it, and I had my own kingdom and the people who supported me. After I got all this, I gradually began to feel that life was boring, and I was much less indifferent to the honors and shames of the past. Therefore, I think that since people will gradually age from birth, there must be cause and effect, and going with the flow is the true meaning of life, and using the power of soul stones to bring the dead back to life is only to add to sadness. ”
"The country cannot be without a king for a day, how can Your Majesty say such casual words." The military general Li Heibao has a straightforward personality, and even his voice reveals a brave and strong momentum. He is the oldest of the three generals, and he is also a fierce general who has made countless contributions to the Wisteria Windmill Nation. In the golden period of his life, he led a squad of 100 knights to repel 10,000 elite soldiers of the enemy cavalry legion, and after that battle, some people called him General Panther.
At this time, Miao Xizheng, who had been staring at the desktop, suddenly raised his head and said righteously: "General Li and His Majesty have a deep affection, and we all know this. But then again, for an empire to thrive in the long run, it must develop capable successors. Even if President Jiao can continue His Majesty's life for a short time, there will be a day when he will be powerless, if it really reaches the point of no return, and there is no new leader in the country who is enough to preside over the situation, what will happen to the chaos in the world at that time? ”
"What Master Miao said is reasonable, but it is not overnight to cultivate an heir, and the princess is a daughter, it is inevitable that there will be patriarchal people in the country who will not obey the control, and many things need to be carefully considered." Fan Juefeng has a slender mustache, which hangs straight to his chin around the corners of his mouth, and his monocle gives him a more gentlemanly temperament, but his white temples outline the traces left by the hurried years.
Bai Yinfeng, Jiao Yin, Zhang Qixing, and Wu Shou did not express their opinions on this matter, and everyone quietly waited for the situation to develop.
Seeing that the atmosphere was quiet, Mei Haishi glanced at the servant standing by the door, and the servant immediately stepped forward, holding a stack of palm-sized square pieces of paper in one hand and eight pens in the other, and placed them on the table next to Mei Haishi.
Mei Haishi glanced at everyone present with his eyes and said, "Since everyone has their own opinions, let's elect the two auxiliary ministers by voting." Then he asked the servant to distribute the paper and pen to the hands of all the present.
Let's just say that the rule of voting is that the eight leading figures in the country here should write the names of each of the civil ministers and military generals on a piece of paper, and finally choose the one with the most votes as the best candidate for auxiliary minister. After this vote, Miao Xizheng had 2 votes, Du Tao had 1 vote, Fan Juefeng had 4 votes, Li Heibao had 4 votes, Zhang Qixing had 3 votes, and Wu Shou had 2 votes.
Mei Haishi nodded with satisfaction after reading the result, and said to everyone: "In this case, the auxiliary ministers will be Fan Juefeng and Li Heibao, and the rest of the people must work together to help the princess revitalize our country, so that this thousand-year-old hegemony can last forever." ”
Without exception, everyone stood up from their seats and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty! We will live up to the emperor's grace. ”
After the meeting, Fan Juefeng and Zhang Qixing walked out of the gorgeous palace side by side and walked into the spacious royal courtyard.
"Your appointment as an auxiliary minister is also a matter of public expectation, and with General Li in charge of the overall situation, I think the imperial capital will be more stable, and I can rest assured in the frontier." Zhang Qixing leaned the silver eagle-headed helmet on his waist, and his handsome side face flickered in the light and shadow of the setting sun.
Fan Juefeng immediately replied: "Don't say that, we can only play our roles when we are together, if anyone has different intentions, then the national generals will not be the ministers of the country, but it is not something that I and General Li can simply control." ”
"You're right, but I wouldn't be the best result for anyone other than you, including me, to be the Auxiliary Minister."
"You're wrong! In fact, it's the same for whoever is in charge, but those who are jealous behind the scenes have to change. ”
At this point, both of them laughed out loud at the same time.
In the middle of the line, I saw Zhang Qixing turn around suddenly, his short sea-blue hair trembled slightly in the wind, and the silver saber on his waist was pulled out at some point, drawing a silver light in the air, only to hear a ding! A small crossbow bolt as thin as a man's index finger was knocked to the ground, and it was coated in black poisonous juice. Looking at the back of the plants and flower beds around the courtyard, a group of black shadows appeared like ghosts, all dressed in black, and their heads were tightly wrapped, revealing only a pair of bloodshot eyes full of murderous intent.
Fan Juefeng's eyes showed a look of consternation, obviously he didn't expect to encounter such a thing in the courtyard of the Imperial Capital Castle. Zhang Qixing put the eagle's head helmet on his head, showed a murderous look, and said to him: "Don't leave my side, you must follow me before the guards arrive!" ”
The black-clad killers wore no shoes, only black cloth was wrapped around the soles of their feet, and they walked quietly. Their arms are all slender, not only congenital but also acquired, some of them are armed with short swords, some have a pair of daggers, and some use hand armor hooks, all of which slowly approach the two of them, gradually forming an encirclement trend.
Sou! Sou! Sou! Three poisoned arrows came like beams, Zhang Qixing blocked one with his sword, and the other two hit his armor and fell to the ground. The black-clothed killers pounced like wolves, and the shadows of swords and swords resounded in the courtyard.
Zhang Qixing focused his main energy on protecting Fan Juefeng, and the situation of being outnumbered made it difficult for him to show his skills. A silver sword was made by him, like a silver dragon coiled in the palm of his hand, and in the thin blades of the black-clothed killers, it could still come and go freely without chaos.
"Over there, quick!" The shouts of the palace guards came from the direction of the entrance to the courtyard, followed by members of the Imperial Capital Guards in battle armor and full armor.
Seeing this, the black-clothed killers were still in order and divided into two groups, one group continued to besiege Zhang Qixing and Fan Juefeng, and one group faced the imperial capital guards to kill. How can a lightly armed killer with a short weapon be an opponent of a heavily armed soldier? In less than a cup of tea, the black-clothed killers who went to stop the Imperial Capital Guards all died under the blades, and the black-clothed killers who surrounded Zhang Qixing knew that there was no possibility of survival, and they all bit through the poison in their mouths in advance and died.
"The subordinates are late, please punish the general!" All the members of the Imperial Capital Guards knelt on the ground in unison.
Zhang Qixing waved his hand to signal them to get up, and the light and shadow of the setting sun flickered in front of him, and he happened to see a figure standing in the shadow of the corridor on the third floor of the pavilion in the distance. Due to the light, the appearance of the person could not be seen, and it seemed that the other party also noticed Zhang Qixing's gaze, and disappeared into the darkness at the corner of the corridor as soon as he turned around.
Zhang Qixing turned his head and looked at the frightened Fan Juefeng and said, "It seems that you are right, some people do not recognize you as an auxiliary minister." ”
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