Chapter 549

"Yes, everything is ready. All that's left is the consort."

Chu Xianglong lowered his voice so that only he and the Yuanjing Emperor could hear him.

The old emperor's usually expressionless face couldn't help but glow with joy. He took a deep breath and suppressed his laughter, nodding slowly.

"Very good, Duke Huai didn't disappoint me. Very good, very good!"

Chu Xianglong continued, "I have another request. I had an accident during my training and can't fight with all my strength. I hope Your Majesty can send someone to escort the consort to the north."

The aged Emperor scrutinized him with a sharp gaze as he questioned, "Did something go wrong in your practice at this time?"

Chu Xianglong quickly lowered his head and cupped his fists. He said fearfully, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty …"

He knew that the old emperor was suspicious by nature. If he didn't explain clearly, even if he was the King of Zhenbei's confidant, the old emperor would still be suspicious.

Thus, he explained how he plotted against Xu Qi'an's Vajra Divine Art, colluded with Duke Cao, and used the imperial examination cheating case to threaten the emperor.

"Bastard!"

The Yuanjing Emperor was furious and kicked Chu Xianglong away. He lowered his voice and shouted, "If I wasn't counting on you, I would have beheaded you right now."

Chu Xianglong lay on the ground and didn't get up.

The Yuanjing Emperor paced back and forth in the imperial study and said, "Sending the Imperial Guards to escort the consort would attract too much attention. The transportation of the rations is slow and it hasn't been prepared yet. If they travel with the rations, it will be late spring or early summer when they reach the north.

"All the parties in the imperial court have sent petitions to investigate the Three Thousand Mile Massacre … How about this, let the consort travel with the investigation team to the north. Not only will it fool people, but it will also be protected by experts. "

The Yuanjing Emperor shook his head. "It's still not appropriate. The consort is beautiful. Even with a spell to hide her aura, her appearance …"

Chu Xianglong's eyes brightened. "That's easy, Your Majesty. The consort has an artifact that can not only change her appearance but also her aura. She can turn into an ordinary woman."

The Yuanjing Emperor frowned. "Where did she get this artifact?"

Chu Xianglong said, "The consort said it was a gift from the imperial tutor. She has used it to sneak out of the residence several times."

The Yuanjing Emperor was silent for a moment. "Let's settle this for now. We will discuss the details later."

The Yuanjing Emperor was silent for a moment.

Xu Qi 'an walked to the Stargazing Tower. On his left was Zhong Li, on his right was Li Miaozhen, and behind him was a group of people: Heng Yuan, Chu Yuanzhen, Lina, Susu, and others.

Yang Qianhuan wasn't with the group. He had returned to the Imperial Astrology Department ahead of time. If he was with the group, things would be very difficult for him.

If he was in front of the group, the juniors in the Stargazing Tower would be able to see his face. If he was behind the group, the people on the street would be able to see his side profile.

Yang Qianhuan had observed Wei Yuan and the Supervisor for many years. He came to a conclusion that the big shots didn't travel. For example, the old Supervisor would only sit in a daze and drink wine.

Important people traveled in carriages, which also prevented the motley crowd from admiring their appearance.

Therefore, when he heard that Xu Qi 'an and the others were coming to the Celestial Commissioner, Yang Qianhuan flashed away.

"Master, can I get a body soon?" Susu was so excited that her face was red.

Li Miaozhen didn't answer, but her eyes were full of expectation. If she could reconstruct Susu's body, it would fulfill this maid's long-cherished wish.

Chu Yuanzhen and the others were purely interested in Song Qing's works.

The Celestial Commissioner, Song Qing, was known as the best alchemist under the Supervisor. His reputation had spread far and wide, and they had long been admiring him.

The reason why he was ranked under the Supervisor was that the Supervisor was suppressed by the first-grade warlock. In terms of fancy tricks and the development of alchemy, the Supervisor was probably not as good as Song Qing.

In the past, they weren't qualified to enter the Celestial Commissioner. Now that they had Xu Qi 'an to lead the way, they naturally wanted to visit and see Song Qing's alchemy and the Stargazing Tower.

As they approached the Stargazing Tower, a figure in a yellow dress suddenly appeared in the lobby on the first floor. It was Chu Caiwei, who had big eyes and an oval face. When she smiled sweetly, she came out to greet them.

Lina greeted them happily.

"I packed a table full of food at the Osmanthus Restaurant. I was just waiting for you." Chu Caiwei bounced up and down.

"Do you have my favorite pork trotters in soy sauce, Songhua duck, fish roe soup …" Lina bounced up and down happily.

"Yes, yes. Hey, didn't the bell ring come?"

"She was left in the mansion by her mother. She was crying her heart out."

"It's so pitiful. She didn't come, so all the food belongs to us. Hahaha."

"I think so too. Hehehe."

The two girls held hands, left the crowd, and swaggered away.

Xu Qi 'an opened his mouth and turned to the crowd, "I'm more familiar with the Celestial Commissioner. It's the same if I show you around."

He had asked Yang Qianhuan to come back and send a letter to Song Qing, telling him that he would bring his friends to visit the Celestial Commissioner.

As soon as they stepped into the hall, the smell of medicinal herbs assailed their nostrils. The white-robed doctors were busy with their heads lowered, either cutting herbs, boiling medicinal concoctions, or flipping through medical books …

At this moment, all the doctors stopped what they were doing, looked at the entrance of the hall, and called out loudly, "Prince Xu!"

No one was surprised by the respectful attitude of the ninth rank doctors. Previously, when Number One described the copper gong Xu Qi 'an in the fragment of the Book of the Earth, it was mentioned that this person was proficient in alchemy and had a good relationship with the Celestial Commissioner's Song Qing.

Moreover, although the warlocks were arrogant and had a vague attitude of being the successor of the Confucian school, ninth rank doctors were ninth rank doctors after all. The difference in ranks could not be made up for by differences in systems.

Xu Ningyan was a chess piece of the Supervisor. Perhaps he was not proficient in alchemy at all, and everything was a facade created by the Supervisor to make him reasonably close to the Celestial Commissioner and deceive the public … Chu Yuanzhen thought further.

Xu Qi 'an nodded slightly. "Thank you for your hard work, junior brothers. Please continue with your work."

After greeting them, he led Chu Yuanzhen and the others up the stairs, talking with fervor and assurance.

"The Celestial Commissioner has nine floors. The lobby on the first floor is the area where the ninth rank doctors are active, the second floor is the area where the eighth rank Qi-gazers are active, and so on. The ninth floor is also called the Eight Trigrams Platform, and it is the Supervisor's territory."

"I heard that the Supervisor seems to have sat on the Eight Trigrams Platform for many years," Li Miaozhen said.

I understand what you mean, but I also want to know, does the Supervisor not shit … Xu Qi 'an complained in his heart, but on the surface, he showed a respectful attitude.

"It is said that the Supervisor wants to concentrate on watching the human world."

Concentrate on watching the human world … Everyone was in awe, feeling that the image of the Supervisor had unknowingly become incomparably lofty.

His style suddenly became very high.

The Supervisor should be able to hear me flattering him … Xu Qi 'an thought.

As they continued to walk up, along the way, every warlock in white who met Xu Qi 'an would greet him respectfully, as if they were juniors meeting their teacher.

This made Chu Yuanzhen and the others gradually realize that something was wrong. If they just had a good relationship, why would they do this?

Moreover, the warlocks in white never greeted Zhong Li, but Zhong Li was the Supervisor's fifth disciple, so her status should be very high.

… Well, maybe she was haunted by bad luck, so others dared not touch her. Chu Yuanzhen secretly guessed.

I just thought that your excellency Xu had a good relationship with the warlocks of the Celestial Commissioner, but the respect shown by these warlocks can't be explained by a good relationship … No.6 Hengy Yuan was stunned.

This guy has a lot of prestige in the Celestial Commissioner? Li Miaozhen thought in surprise.

Wow, Xu Ningyan really didn't lie. He has such a high status in the Celestial Commissioner? But I heard that the sixth grade alchemists are the most arrogant group in the Celestial Commissioner. Will they give face to Xu Ningyan? Susu was both excited and worried.

"The alchemy room is on the seventh floor, which is also the base camp of the alchemists. They usually study alchemy, eat and live here," Xu Qi 'an said.

The quick-witted Susu asked in a sweet voice, "Didn't you say that the floor is determined by the grade? Alchemy is sixth grade, so it should be on the fourth floor."

"Theoretically, yes, but there is always a gap in reality. I think Sister Zhong can give you an answer to this question." Xu Qi 'an looked at Zhong Li, who was obediently following him without saying a word.

Zhong Li whispered, "I am the only fifth grade Celestial Commissioner, Brother Yang is the only fourth grade, and Second Brother is the third grade."

Under everyone's gaze, she spoke in a very low voice. She didn't dare to speak loudly.

She understood. High-grade warlocks were very rare. It was meaningless and unnecessary for one person to occupy a floor.

Hengy Yuan sighed, "It's really hard to advance in the warlock system."

Speaking of this, he and Chu Yuanzhen looked at Zhong Li together. This girl's tragic misfortune left a deep impression.

Zhong Li lowered her head sadly.

Susu asked in a very nervous tone, "Did Song Qing's human body refinement really succeed? Is, is he really willing to give it to me? "

Everyone immediately looked at Xu Qi 'an.

This … I'm so busy, where would I have time to pay attention to Song Qing's strange experiments? Xu Qi 'an said awkwardly, "I'm not sure."

Zhong Li whispered, "Brother Song did make a human body. It is said that the sixth grade disciples were all excited that day. The most surprising thing was that even the Supervisor didn't punish him.

"During that time, Brother Song was very proud. However, no one saw his finished product, except for the disciples who participated in the refinement. For Brother Song, this was a significant step in his alchemy career. He regarded it as a treasure and didn't let anyone see it.

"Even me, Brother Yang, Brother Song didn't let them see it. He said that good things should only be seen by like-minded friends. Ordinary people don't deserve to see his work. Of course, Senior Brother Yang disdains to look at him because in Senior Brother Yang's eyes, Junior Brother Song is an unbearably vulgar mortal. "

At that moment, everyone looked at Xu Qi 'an with distrust in their eyes.

In their eyes, Song Qing was the kind of paranoid person who was obsessed with alchemy. It was easy to imagine how much such a person valued his work.

He didn't even let his disciples see it, let alone an outsider like Xu Qi 'an. Although Xu Qi' an had a good relationship with the Celestial Commissioner. But no matter how good their relationship was, could it be better than that of fellow disciples?

The light in Susu's eyes dimmed.

Li Miaozhen gave her a comforting look and said telepathically, "We'll cross the bridge when we come to it. I will find a way to see Song Qing's work."

Susu nodded and replied telepathically, "Master is the most reliable."

As they talked, they walked into the alchemy room. In the spacious room, a group of alchemists were busy with their experiments. Everyone had a table with bottles and materials on it.

"Brother Song, your new gunpowder is not good enough. It explodes every time. I suspect that Sister Zhong is cursing us." Someone said.

"My new honey locust horn formula is also one step away. If I can't develop a better honey locust horn, then this formula is meaningless."

"My alchemy is one step away. If I fail again, I will lose more than a thousand taels of silver …"

At that moment, Song Qing looked up from his table and saw the people walking into the alchemy room.

He was stunned at first, then his expression slowly twisted and became ferocious. He shouted, "Sister Zhong is here!"

The entire alchemy room was silent for a moment, then chaos ensued.

"Put out the fire, put out the fire …"

"My furnace is ruined again … Oh my god."

"Quick, everyone stop, everyone stop. The alchemy room can't explode. This place is full of useless gunpowder …"

The faces of the alchemists were twisted as if they were fighting a war. They quickly handled the work at hand.

After a while, everything was calm.

"It didn't explode?"

"Is it really Fifth Senior Sister? Could it be an imposter?"

Amidst the cheers of the alchemists, Zhong Li lowered her head and silently walked away. Her back was lonely and pitiful.

Suddenly, her arm was grabbed by someone. Zhong Li turned around and saw Xu Qi'an's unhappy expression. She complained, "Where are you going? You can't go anywhere without me. Stay by my side. I'm here. It'll be fine. "

Zhong Li stared at him for a long time. Her eyes hidden in her hair seemed to brighten. She pecked her head hard and said obediently, "Okay."

On the other side, the alchemists packed up their things, interrupted the experiment, and then raised their chins to look at the crowd. Their eyes were full of judgment.

Li Miaozhen's heart sank. She felt that this trip to the Celestial Commissioner would probably be rejected. However, with Xu Qi'an and Zhong Li here, they could at least have a talk.

The warlock of the Celestial Commissioner was really arrogant … Just as everyone thought so, they heard Xu Qi'an frowning and saying in a bossy tone,

"Senior Brother Song, I heard that you made a human? My friend wants to see it. "

Idiot! Is this the tone of asking for help? Li Miaozhen cursed in her heart.

Susu stamped her feet quietly and frowned anxiously.

Suddenly, loud laughter echoed in the alchemy room. Song Qing opened his arms and greeted them with enthusiasm as if he had seen a long-lost brother.

"Prince Xu, you're finally here. You've been back in the capital for a few months and visited the Celestial Commissioner countless times. But you only know how to fool around with Senior Sister Zhong and completely forget the great alchemy cause."

The other alchemists surrounded him in surprise and shouted excitedly,

"Prince Xu, you're finally here."

"Many of the alchemy we've been developing recently are stuck at the bottleneck. Our brothers discussed day and night, but they have no clue. We're waiting for you."

"Prince Xu, please, can you spare more time to visit the Celestial Commissioner? Alchemy needs you."

"Prince Xu, has the next volume of the blue book been written? We've been waiting for half a year. "

The crowd surged, and Li Miaozhen was pushed back continuously. She had no choice but to give up her position.

"This …" Li Miaozhen was at a loss. She looked at the alchemists, and her arrogant expression disappeared. The faces of this group of people in white were brimming with happiness and excitement. They crowded around Xu Qi 'an and chattered non-stop.

From their eyes, it could be seen that Xu Qi'an's status seemed to be very high. Everyone respected him from the bottom of their hearts. Especially when it came to the blue book, they were very humble.

She didn't know if it was an illusion, but Li Miaozhen had the illusion that they were waiting for charity.

It was ridiculous, too ridiculous.