Chapter 265 Dinner

The next day, the Lantern Festival arrived.

"Hey, there are so many people!" Qianzhi shouted excitedly while lying on the window sill.

Just as the little girl said, the surrounding streets were crowded with people, almost extending from the city gate to the center of the city. Although the lights are put on at night, some small activities have already begun to warm up, such as lion dance and stilt performances.

Sure enough, no matter where they are, these two activities are all-purpose plug-ins. They can be used for both red and white matters, as well as high-level promotions. Coupled with the accompaniment of suona, there is a festive atmosphere instantly.

Vendors seized the opportunity to promote their products, including sweets, snacks, lanterns and colored paper. For most people, this is the last chance to fill their pockets before the Chinese New Year, so not only ordinary businessmen, but also many local residents took out their usual hoardings and joined in the sale.

"It feels like it's much more lively here than Jinxia." Qianzhi finally said with emotion.

Poof, Xia Fan felt like a knife had been stabbed in his heart.

"After all, this is the center of Daqi." Luo Qing walked aside and looked at the lively crowd, "Before I met Xia Fan, I never thought that one day I would go to an inconspicuous Yancheng."

The second knife also penetrated.

"I still... prefer Jinxia City." Fang Yanni said cautiously.

"Oh? Why?" Xia Fan asked happily.

"Because I will be nervous if there are many people." She lowered her head slightly, "It would be better if the place is more remote and desolate. It would be better if it is like the old forests in the deep mountains of Lingzhou."

Xia Fan couldn't help but clutch his chest.

"Okay, Jinxia is already very good." Qian Yan suddenly interrupted, "The feeling of that place to me is different from most towns... It actually has a bit of the appearance of Yong Dynasty when it was prosperous. Even if it is not as good as Shangyuan now, It will definitely become a famous city in the country.”

"Really?" Qian Zhiluo was a little surprised, "Master Qianyan rarely says good things about others."

"How dare you criticize others!" Fang Xiandao glared at his protector.

"Put aside the gossip, let's settle the business for tonight." Li greeted from behind everyone, "How will the itinerary be arranged for the Ten Thousand Lantern Banquet?"

Everyone then closed the windows and sat back in the middle of the room.

"Xia Fan, do you have any ideas?" Luo asked gently.

"This dinner will be held in the Palace Square, and the identities of everyone will be verified. If I predict correctly, I should be the only one who can go in." Xia Fan said while thinking about it, "The princess also said that everything The probability of danger during the lantern banquet is extremely low, so it’s better for you not to go out that day and just stay in the Wanjing Tower.”

"Qianzhi is as immovable as a mountain!" the little girl echoed.

"Perhaps we can use divination to explore the situation at night." Li suggested.

"Actually, I tried it last night." Fang Xiandao looked solemn, "Because I couldn't predict Xia Fan directly, I took Shangyuan City as the target of my spell."

"What's the result?" Xia Fan asked curiously.

"It's dark and unclear, making it difficult to make a judgment." He narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a long tone, "There are strong winds all around, and the clues of fate have been disrupted and reorganized, and they have lost their original meaning."

"Please speak human language."

"Well... what Junior Brother Fang means is that someone in Shangyuan City is interfering with divination techniques, and more than one person is doing this." Fang Yanni explained in a low voice, "Such a situation will make the conclusion drawn by the hexagram false. Forced interpretation will not achieve the desired effect.”

"Tsk, it turns out that this technique can be restrained." Xia Fan twitched the corner of his mouth. The other party's words reminded him of the electromagnetic warfare in a complex electromagnetic environment. "As long as the other party keeps interfering, then divination is useless." effect?"

"It's not as simple as you said!" Fang Xiandao became anxious. "First of all, the other party must be very knowledgeable in Kanshu divination to be able to reverse the sect. Secondly, doing so also requires a large amount of gems, soul jade and other rare items. , the cost of continuing to interfere with the previous month is enough to bankrupt someone!”

"Okay, okay, I understand." Xia Fan comforted him falsely, "But since there are so many sources of interference, it seems that the crown prince's enthronement ceremony will definitely not go through peacefully."

"After all, this matter is too hasty. I'm afraid many people are ready to take action." Luo whispered softly, "The order here has long been in name only."

"Perhaps we will all leave the capital when the other party ascends the throne." Xia Fan finally concluded, "Since everyone thinks there is no problem, let's proceed as planned. We will wait until formal talks with the Privy Council. What’s next?”

…

At four quarters in the afternoon, that is, around six o'clock, Xin Wu arrived at the foot of Wanjing Tower as promised.

"I wonder if Master Xia has had a good rest during this day and a half?" He greeted Xia Fan warmly as soon as he saw him, "Master Qian has already reserved a seat for you at the Ten Thousand Lantern Banquet."

"Not bad. I am also an alchemist after all, and traveling long distances is not a big deal." Xia Fan nodded, "Let's set off."

At this moment, the long street is full of people, and horses and vehicles are prohibited from passing. Even the alchemists can only walk to the palace area at this moment.

Arriving at the gate of the inner city, the imperial guards had already put down their horses at the main road. Above the towering palace wall, Xia Fan could see guards with crossbows patrolling back and forth.

"Please show me the letter." The guard stopped the two people and said.

"Here it is." Xin Wu skillfully took out a stack of paper and handed it to the guard. "He is a distinguished guest invited by the Privy Council. It doesn't matter whether he is checked or not."

"You are right, but this is our responsibility." After checking, the guard handed a nameplate to Xia Fan, then stepped aside and said, "Please come in."

"Just me?" Xia Fan said in surprise.

"I'm just an interrogator. I've completed my mission by sending you here." Xin Wu said calmly, "The next meeting is not an occasion that I can participate in. You have to go alone. Mr. Xia, that is something only you can do." If you are qualified to be on stage, I will be here waiting for your return.”

Xia Fan glanced at the nameplate and saw that his seat number was already marked on it.

"It's cold. You can sit in a teahouse and come back after the Ten Thousand Lantern Banquet is over." After he finished speaking, he walked into the deep palace gate.

Next comes a rigorous inspection. Not only weapons, but also talismans, poker papers and medicine bags are included in the storage. Obviously, those entering the palace are not allowed to bring anything except clothes, shoes and socks. Without the magic materials, the alchemist's combat effectiveness will undoubtedly be greatly limited. It's no wonder that the princess thinks that attending the Ten Thousand Lantern Banquet is not risky.

After passing through the courtyard wall, another scene suddenly appeared.

In the huge square, rows of round tables crisscrossed each other, forming a square grid. There are windproof candlesticks around each table. Hundreds of candlesticks put together create the illusion of a sea of ​​lights. This is not only a banquet for guests, but also a demonstration of the strength of Daqi's palace - being able to gather so many bronze candlesticks at the same time is a reflection of financial resources and means.

Under the guidance of the guards, he quickly arrived at the reserved seat.

"Xia Fan, long time no see."

The person who said hello was actually an old acquaintance from Qingshan Town, Fei Nian.

Beside him, two men and two women sat in turn.

"Let me introduce you." He stood up with a smile, "This lord is the Green Sword of the Privy Council, the "Yunshang layman" Bai Zhan. "

Bai Zhan nodded without saying a word.

"Beside Mr. Bai is the guard "She Ying" Yu Linglong. "

"Hey, you are Xia Fan, right? First time we met... Well, you are cuter than I thought." Yu Linglong giggled.

Fei Nian's hand moved to the other side, "This lady is also the Privy Council Green Sword, "Crossing the Embers of Fire" Weihuang. "

"I'm polite," the other party said, bowing her head slightly.

"The last one is the Yuyi envoy stationed in Gyeonggi Province -" Fei Nian paused, "Fuck sir." "