The next day, Xia Fan received a notice from Ning Wanjun asking him to come to the villa.

It is said that the princess of Evil Horse has woken up, and the cold has subsided, and the two parties plan to have a formal meeting.

It is understandable that May Yao probably wants to interrupt the Wang family's private salt channel as soon as possible.

And the princess probably thinks that being idle is also idle, it is better to know more about the situation on the other side of the sea, before the identity of the other party is determined, the more details the better it is to judge the truth of everything the other party says.

When he came to the main hall of the villa, the maid Qiu Yue first led him to another side room.

There, Xia Fan discovered that in addition to the princess herself, there were three other men.

"I've seen Your Highness. He bowed briefly.

"You're here. Ning Wanjun nodded to him, "You've been recuperating from your injuries before, so I haven't officially introduced you to you." These are the retainers who have gone south with me, and the comrades who will work with you in the future. ”

"Hello, in Xia Xu Sanzhong, he used to be a guerrilla in the border army, and now he is the commander of His Highness's guards. The tallest man was the first to stand up and hug his fists.

Xia Fan arched his hand to show his return salute.

"The old man's name is Li Duojin, and he is responsible for trivial matters such as His Royal Highness's living expenses, you can call me Li Gong. The second person to speak was an old man of about fifty years old, his voice was a little shrill and thin, and the most important feature of this age, "beard", was not visible on his face, "Hehe, young man, you don't have to guess, the old man did serve in the palace and served Niangniang for a while...... Her Royal Highness the Princess can be regarded as something I grew up watching. ”

The last person was dressed much more exquisitely, not only wearing a brocade robe, with a jade pendant and sachet hanging around his waist, but also holding a goose feather fan in his hand. "The contemptible He Guicai was originally a staff officer in the army, and he also knew a little about officialdom. In the future, I will ask Xia Gongzi for more advice. ”

So...... That's all the princess's team?

Xia Fan couldn't help but sigh a little.

A general in charge of security, a father-in-law who manages money, and a military advisor to handle internal and external affairs, it is no wonder that he is so valued by the princess. There is really no one under her hands.

Of course, to be precise, this should be all the team she can bring.

For example, the Privy Council boss who can meddle in the Shikao and let him stay in his current position is far more effective than bringing it to Jinxia City.

However, Rao is like this, it is too bold to rely on these few people to seize power from the hands of the state governor, if there is no response from the Privy Council, I am afraid that it may not take ten years.

"I don't need to introduce this one, after all, I have already mentioned it before. The princess spoke, "Xia Fan is in charge of the Privy Council, and I promise him to intervene in whatever matter he feels necessary." For example, this time the Evil Horse Messenger was led by him, so I hope he can participate in the end. ”

Wechen understood. He Guicai stroked his fan and bowed his head.

"Now that we're done, let's start the formal talks. ”

"Everyone, please come with me. Qiu Yue bowed.

Xia Fan followed everyone into the reception hall, where May Yao was already waiting.

Compared with the appearance when they met for the first time, she is much cleaner at this moment, not only her hair and face are clean, but her clothes have also been carefully wiped. The bright red and white color scheme, as well as the wide trimmed cuffs, were undoubtedly the shape of the shrine maiden he was familiar with.

Both sides are theoretically princesses, and the covenant document is still being confirmed, so all etiquette is handled simply.

After a brief greeting, Ning Wanjun asked the question she wanted to know the most.

"I heard that the news of the Evil Horse Kingdom was cut off because of the endless evil cults on the sea, but according to you, the Dongsheng Kingdom was able to transport illicit salt back to the island, I don't know if you know the inside story?"

May Yao nodded and said, "In the past hundred years, our country has indeed tried to move westward and even open up new shipping routes, but they all ended in failure. The only lesson learned is that the power of evil is waning, especially in the last five years, when coastal currents have been able to reach here. However, when the queen found out about this, Dongshengguo had already taken the lead and controlled the passage at sea. ”

"How?"

"Take advantage of evil. "Legend has it that a hundred years ago, or earlier, there was a family surnamed An who migrated from the mainland to our country, and many of them were monks and familiar with the law of life and death, and were later called Onmyoji. Now the person who is enshrined as the national teacher of Dongsheng Kingdom is a person who has settled down and cultivated the Fa. ”

Xia Fan was shocked, it turned out that this is how the Onmyoji came?

However, when he thought of the world where he came from, the Yin and Yang Five Elements also originated from the inland, he was immediately relieved.

Probably the only difference is that the evil of this world is not fiction.

"And this kind of thing?" Ning Wanjun frowned and pondered, "Then aren't they the descendants of Yongguo?"

"Or maybe it's to escape the war. Xia Fan interjected, "If the ruins in Gaoshan County were built during the Yong Dynasty, then it makes sense that they have made achievements in this area. ”

"But the evil ones don't have a sense to speak of, so what can they do to make sure they don't get backlashed?"

"I don't know. Princess May shook her head slowly, "The Eastern Ascension Kingdom scatters demons into the water, especially on the side close to your country, they will take the initiative to attack the passing ships, and the latter has no resistance at all. ”

This sounds like a big project, but Xia Fan used the geography of the evil supplement to know that there are only two states in Qiguo by the sea, of which Fuzhou in the north is isolated by mountains, and there is only one county near the sea, and the route will be much farther away, and blocking Jinxia can effectively block the connection between the two sides.

As mentioned earlier, the evil cults on land are easy to deal with, while those on the sea are much more difficult, after all, as long as the ship sinks, no matter how powerful the Fang Shi's skills are, there is no place to use them.

Therefore, if you want to eradicate the evil and restart the route, you have to start from the source.

Ning Wanjun probably realized this, so she changed the topic to a lighter one, "Sooner or later, they will be completely eradicated, I can guarantee that." By the way, I was curious from the beginning, is your language so similar here as here, is it also influenced by Yongguo?"

"So to speak. "Many of the scriptures, knowledge, and techniques of our country came from that dynasty, which is also a testament to the covenant. In our country, there are three languages, two of which are the ancient languages used in the past, and the family and the gate valve usually learn the third language, which is what you now speak. ”

"But few of us on our side know the special script of Yongguo. Ning Wanjun said with regret, "Since you have read the documents, can you tell me what is written on them? It will take a while to identify, so you should understand it in advance." ”

"Absolutely. The other party nodded, "According to the documents, our country pays 10 million taels of silver to the Yong Dynasty every year in exchange for the care of the Yong Dynasty and the right to trade." There were also a few additional agreements, such as ...... "she paused slightly," and the marriage. ”

Xia Fan suddenly perked up.

Of course, not because of marriage, but on the word "tribute".

"Tribute?" Ning Wanjun looked embarrassed, but quickly returned to normal, "Ahem, what about this...... I think we can change the two sides to a more ordinary covenant......"

"No, Your Highness, that's fine!" Xia Fan hurriedly interrupted, "Tribute is the highest form of alliance. ”