The day after Nioh's funeral, December 26, the day of the Dragon Court Conference, was a cloudy day, and the cold and snow had not yet fallen, but the air in the royal capital already felt icy. Dazai-sama Zhuo Xuan, who is in charge of ceremonies, will preside over the meeting in place of the late Minister of State, Xia Lao, and according to custom, the meeting will officially begin in the time of the wind, and the venue will still be in the traditional Seven Sons Hall.

Located on the left side of the Great Hall, the Hall of the Seven Sons is three arrows long and two arrows wide, and has been the venue for the Kingdom's highest decision-making meeting for more than 800 years. Upon entering, you can see a hovering dragon relief carving on the front wall, eight stone pillars surrounded by golden dragons* supporting the entire hall, in the center of the hall is an oval black teak table, and teak chairs wrapped in rhinoceros leather. This is the most solemn place in the entire kingdom, and it is here that the policy of the kingdom that has lasted for thousands of years was born. It's also one of the most mysterious places, and there are so few people who can walk into this hall.

Yu Jian never imagined that as a member of the Dragon Monarch's guards, he would one day be invited into this sacred hall. On the eve of the funeral of the former king, the last day of Xia Lao's life, the old minister issued a cabinet order to him, and he will attend the next dragon court meeting as the chief escort of the dragon monarch. He could not refuse the head of the cabinet, albeit bewildered. Right now, it's only a few days before the day of the dragon's face, and at this juncture, there are only hidden secrets behind all the unreasonable arrangements. Later, he heard that the chief imperial physician An Qing had also been invited by the Seven Sons Hall.

Anqing has been "suspended" for a while, but Xia Lao has not had time to make a final decision. Anqing's presence made Yu Jian feel an indescribable unease. Whether it is a blessing or a curse, he can only face it hard, he has the dragon mark given by the first king in his hand, and those who see this sword, such as seeing the first king, even in the sacred Seven Sons Hall, are just as effective.

He followed behind the five cabinet members, and even walked behind Anqing, at the end of the queue, looking ahead. There are nearly a hundred guards outside the Seven Sons Hall, but none of them are members of his escort regiment, since the general returned to the palace, the escort regiment has suddenly lost many functions automatically, and it has been taken over by Kou Hai's military guards, and since yesterday, except for Yan Ji, he has not seen any other swordsman brothers, and he doesn't know what they are all busy with. The participants took their seats at the solemn teak table, the first seat was Dazai Zhuoxuan, followed by the great general Long Chengtian, Sihu Weisi, Dianzheng Zheng Kuan, the national craftsman Qiu De, and the chief imperial physician An Qing, who was at the end.

After the prayer ceremony for the spirit dragon and the silence for the former king, the attendees also paid a silent tribute to Xia Lao, recalling the lives of the deceased and thanking them for their merits, which took almost an hour. It was the first time that Dazai-sama had presided over the Ryuting Council, and he acted strictly in accordance with the Code, and every procedure was perfect, so much so that the meeting had not really reached the point of view in the near future. However, the attendees showed enough patience and decided to take a short break after lunch on the day, and the meeting would continue before the sword hour.

At the suggestion of the great general, lunch was also held in the Seven Sons Hall in order to save time. The ladies of the palace spread the tablecloth directly on the teak table, and the imperial chefs served a seven-course feast -- the day of kneeling was over, and the cabinet members did not need to continue to treat their stomachs at the table -- the first course was thinly sliced tender beef, supplemented by tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and other nine kinds of vegetable seasonings, which had an excellent appetizing effect and was the favorite of the king; Stewed vulture meat with chopped green onions and 18 other spices, this dish is a must-have on the menu of all the lunch lunches of the Dragon Court Conference; the third course is a mutton pith soup mixed with a variety of fish pieces, the fish is absolutely fresh to ensure the flavor of the soup; the fourth course is a mashed potato venison made of shelled iron beetles and deer tongue and potatoes, the meat is very delicious inside the hard shell of the iron beetles; the fifth course is the best tasting fish in the Immaculate Sea, overlord salmon; the sixth course is a mixture of wild boar, manticore, lizard, The stag's oversized patties of four animal meats are difficult to gather, with the ferocious manticores only being hunted on the other side of the Swamp and the Inchiramo Mountains, and the seventh course is a dragon's tail soup made with the meat of the Flying Snake, which, like the lizard, lives mainly in the deep lands. The sake used in the main meal is the bitter vine recommended by Dazai, and it is said that this sake is made by Gaizawa, the son of gray scales, and it is slightly bitter in the mouth, but then sweet and mellow, and the aftertaste is endless. Kuteng was immediately loved by the attendees of the meeting, and the general was full of praise.

Yu Jian was not willing to eat, and the seven dishes were only tasted in a polite manner, and in normal times, the bitter vine would make him very interested, but the only thing he was looking forward to at the moment was that the meeting would immediately get to the point. The ministers had a lot of chat, sometimes lamenting the untimely death of the first king, sometimes chatting about the old Xia Lao's old days, and sometimes discussing the upcoming day of Longyan, but no one discussed the ongoing nomadic tide. Yu Jian noticed that Qiu De, a national craftsman, was similar to him, and he was not very interested in small talk during the banquet, and his appetite was not very good. It was secretly rumored that the former king had planned to appoint two regents to assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in ascending the throne, one of whom was a general and the other was Qiu De. This is true, the first king himself told him about it. However, now Qiu De is in the whirlpool of resignation, and the whole king thinks so.

A sumptuous and delicious lunch lasted for more than an hour, enough for all the attendees to eat and drink. Lunch was over before the arrival of the tree hour, and the ladies removed the tablecloth as quickly as they could, and replaced it with tea, fruits and vegetables. Zheng Zheng Kuan proposed that the adjournment be abolished, and the meeting should continue immediately, and the sooner the meeting ended, the sooner the country could come out of the chaos of being ownerless. The proposal was unanimously adopted. So under the chairmanship of Takuken Dazai, the afternoon meeting began early.

"My lords, the country now needs to elect a new Dragon Monarch, but before that, according to the arrangement of Xia Lao before his death, we will ask the Chief Imperial Physician to give a brief explanation of the diagnosis and treatment of the first king's illness and the use of medicine. Zhuo Xuan smiled and nodded to An Qing.

Yu Jian sneered in his heart. The Imperial Physician was just a puppet. Maybe he is really good at medicine, but since the day he entered the palace, he has not played any role in alleviating the condition of the former king, and he has only seen his condition worsen day by day. It wasn't until the crown prince began to investigate him that the first king's condition was temporarily controlled. Today's meeting is probably just a puppet show.

An Qing uneasily stood up from the wide, comfortable teak chair wrapped in rhinoceros skin, bowed his head, and began his speech. Thanks to the promotion and trust of Elder Xia and the adults, the subordinates were able to receive such an honor, attend the highest meeting as an observer, and obtain the qualification to speak. The subordinates were deeply guilty of failing to restore the health of the former king and stay away from the disease, and asked the lord to investigate and deal with it impartially, and the ministers were willing to accept the punishment. ”

Zheng Kuan waved his hand, and his particularly loud voice only let out a low sigh: "The first king had that strange disease, and before you, there were many imperial doctors who were helpless. Everyone knows very well that if it weren't for your dedication to healing, the first king would probably ...... Alas, what are your sins? The first king has always praised you for your loyalty and diligence, and you need not blame yourself. Go on. ”

Anqing saluted again and said, "The subordinates hate themselves for being shallow in their knowledge and for not being able to find out the cause of the former king. According to the diagnosis and treatment records of the previous imperial doctors, the pulse of the first king was very stable, and there was no warning of serious illness. In fact, since the subordinate took over the imperial infirmary, the condition of the first king does not seem to be too serious, at least it is not an incurable disease, but after exhausting all kinds of medicines, it just can't be cured. Thirteen months ago, it was the last time the eldest princess went back to the royal capital to visit the first king, at that time, green fires were lit in various places, and many provinces had a bumper harvest of farmland, which was a great joy for the country, and the first king also praised the eldest princess for bringing good news to the people of the dragon god, so the ministers remembered it very well. Since then, the rate of deterioration of the first king's condition has been getting faster and faster. So he studied the formula day and night, but the medicine he used only slightly delayed the worsening of the symptoms. ”

At this point, he paused, as if considering the words. "In the last two recipes, Xia Chen found a strange problem. Ladies and gentlemen, the drugs used in the treatment of the subordinates are very complex, and the dosage control is very strict, and it is not enough to do more, not only is it not conducive to treatment, but may aggravate the condition. Therefore, the dosage of the subordinates is also extremely cautious, all the medicines are prepared by hand, and the subordinates can guarantee their lives, and the amount of medicines has been well controlled. However, there were several problems that should not have happened with the medicine that the subordinates finally made, and the subordinates really couldn't understand how such a situation could happen...... Unable to protect the dragon body of the first king, the subordinates were restless day and night, and felt deeply guilty...... Lord Dianzheng, please punish the subordinate for the crime of dereliction of duty, the subordinate has no complaints!"

Sure enough, it's a puppet show. If there was a problem with the drug, it should have been submitted to the cabinet a long time ago, so why didn't it speak up until today?

For a long time, no one in the Seven Sons Hall spoke, only the sound of nervous breathing could be heard, and it seemed that they were all digesting the sound of An Qing's words.

Zhuo Xuan held the teacup tightly with one hand, tapped his index finger on the tabletop, and his tone was slow and heavy: "What does the Imperial Doctor mean is that the potion you prepared has been tampered with?"

The subordinates were terrified! The subordinates did not have any real evidence. ”

Qiu De suddenly slapped the round table and let out an angry shout: "Anqing, you are so bold! you dare to link the illness of the first king with the eldest princess, what do you want to imply?"

Anqing was shocked, fell down from the teak chair, knelt on the ground, knelt on all fours, and his sharp voice was full of fear and horror: "The dragon god is above! The first king is above! Lords, subordinates...... The subordinates lost their words for a while, the eldest princess is loyal to her father and loves her father, and the subordinates have no other intentions!"

Zhuo Xuan hurriedly played a round game: "Lord Qiu is too worried, Anqing is just a momentary lack of consideration in his words, and we all know his loyalty." The eldest princess loves the first king deeply, how could she ...... It's impossible. Lord Anqing, get up, sit down, sit down. ”

Qiu De continued to ask: "Why didn't you report this matter to Xia Lao earlier?"

"Your Excellency, your subordinates have no evidence...... Therefore......"

"You don't have any evidence now, why can you report it in the Seven Sons Hall? There was an accident with the potion, and it is very likely that there was a mistake in your preparation. ”

"Your Excellency, the subordinate is indeed guilty of dereliction of duty. But the subordinates vouched for their lives, and there were no mistakes in the process of configuration......"

"So if something goes wrong, you have to give your life. Qiu De's voice was cold.

When An Qing heard this, sweat was raining, and Zhuo Xuan raised his hand to him and motioned for him to remain silent. "Lord Qiu, Anqing is one of the most skilled medical people in my country, you should have no objections, right?"

"Superb medical skills do not mean that you do not make mistakes, and it does not mean that you do not harbor evil intentions. Qiu De's eyes were sharp, and he glared at An Qing.

"During Anqing's service to the first king, he rarely went home, and even the opportunity to have a meal with his family was only a handful, which was something that the entire dragon knew. There is no doubt about his loyalty and medical skills. Master Zheng will carefully examine this matter when he looks back, and the truth will always come out. The Hall of the Seven Sons fell silent again, Zhuo Xuan looked around, smiled reluctantly, and said, "After Elder Xia died, the responsibility of presiding over the Dragon Court Conference fell on me. Therefore, yesterday Mr. Zheng told me that there will be important matters to inform you of at the meeting, so I would like to invite Mr. Zheng to start now. ”

Zhuo Xuan looked at Zheng Kuan, Zheng Kuan nodded, took a big sip of tea, swallowed it in his throat, and the palace maid on the side immediately stepped forward to fill it, and then retreated.

"Ladies and gentlemen, since the theft of the Soul Tower of the Nine Turns Town, I have tried my best to follow up the clues, and with the blessing of the Dragon God, I have already captured a suspect. From this person, I followed the vine and found a bizarre thing. His eyes swept over the table, and finally landed on Yu Jian, who was sitting last. "Lord Yu, I want to know, did you reach the top of the storm three months ago?"

Yu Jian bumped into Dian Zheng's gaze and nodded in acknowledgement. His stepping into the Great Wilderness was originally within Yuan Dawei's plan, and the relevant personnel in the cabinet naturally knew about it. This matter was suddenly mentioned, and there must be an article.

"So, Lord Yu, can you explain to all of you why you entered the territory of the barbarians?"

Such a conversation is simply orchestrated. He stood up and saluted the cabinet members. "Ladies and gentlemen, more than three months ago, the First King sent me to the Top of the Storm to collect an ice mushroom that is unique to the region. ”

"What's the use of this ice mushroom?"

They were all acting, pretending not to know. "The first king received the advice of Yuan Dawei, the governor of Baihua Province, that the ice mushroom would be very effective in his condition. ”

"Since Yuan Dawei is involved, we can implement it when we turn back. Zheng Kuan turned his head to look at An Qing: "Imperial Doctor, do you know about this?"

An Qing shook his head and said, "The subordinate knows that the Lord Guard is ordered to leave the dragon, but he doesn't know what he is going to do. ”

"In your opinion, is the ice mushroom effective against the strange disease of the previous king?"

"This ice mushroom is a legendary existence, and the ministers have only heard about its miraculous medicinal effects, and they can't judge what the real effect is. ”

"The chief imperial physician doesn't know about collecting ice mushrooms, Lord Guard, who does the first king want to refine the new medicine?" Zheng Kuan narrowed his eyes, and the light flashed in his eyes.

"The duty of the subordinates is to collect ice mushrooms and not to seek explanations. "It's a clever arrangement, a genteel trick.

"So did you collect ice mushrooms at the top of the storm?"

"Nope. ”

"So, you ended up empty-handed back at the dragon?"

"Yes. ”

"What did you do at the top of the storm besides looking for ice mushrooms?"

"My mission is to find ice mushrooms. ”

Zheng Kuan cracked his mouth and laughed, his beard was like an open brush, as if he had just heard a very funny joke. He suddenly raised his voice: "My Excellency, as I said earlier, we caught a suspect who happened to be at the top of the storm when Lord Yu was looking for the ice mushroom, and coincidentally, this suspect was a barbarian from the Great Wasteland. More coincidentally, he is also a servant of Aghaza, the first warrior of the Great Wilderness. His eyes were fixed on Yu Jian, but his mouth was still smiling. "The most coincidental thing is that the suspect claimed that he saw Lord Yu and Agaza meet with his own eyes, and the suspect also said that Agaza had dismissed all his servants at that time, so he did not know the specific details. Therefore, I would like to ask Mr. Yu, is what this suspect said true? If so, what is the relationship between Agaza and you, and why do you want to meet?"

Yu Jian's pupils constricted. Agaza's words are half-truthful, and Agasha did not hold back anyone, but it is a fact that he met with Agaza, a secret that only the former king and his swordsman brothers know.

"There are no impermeable walls in the court. He remembered what his teacher had said. That's right, it is.