Jinghong Tower

When they learned that the emperor had moved the capital, Fenzhou and Pingyang officially changed their flags.

Above the city gate, two large flags of Zhao and Ran were fluttering in the wind.

He Ran officially announced that from now on, Ran's army will support King Zhao as the leader.

Her army is named Ran Jun.

She promised Zhou Chi that there would be no more He Family Army in the world.

He Ran was not absolutely true to her word, but those were the last words she said to Zhou Chi. He Ran felt that it still had to count, so the army she reorganized should be called Ran Army.

After Zhou Jian was secretly sent to Pingyang, He Ran met with the Pingyang gentry of Fenzhou in the Pingyang government office.

He Ran asked people to send invitations to these families and spread the news that King Xiao Zhao had arrived in Pingyang.

The reason why the banner of King Xiao Zhao was raised was because He Ran was worried that these people would not come to see her.

Pingyang and Fenzhou have outstanding people and have produced many figures who have shone brightly in the long history.

Therefore, there are many famous families in these two places, and even Zhou Chi comes from Pingyang.

These aristocratic families are related by marriage to each other, and they are in the same spirit. Zhou Chi was almost killed from Zhoujiapu back then. It is conceivable that he became the common enemy of the aristocratic families in Pingyang and Fenzhou.

It was here that Zhou Chi went on a killing spree for the first time.

He walked out of Pingyang, out of Fenzhou, and towards a wider world with blood.

Therefore, the big and small families in these two places had a hard time after Zhou Chi became emperor.

But Zhou Chi didn't make things difficult for them, he just ignored them. Some of their descendants could occasionally pass the Jinshi examination, but they were still in the fifth rank and could not be reused.

But fortunately, their family background and heritage are still there, and their lives are still much better than those of ordinary people.

Later, the King of Jin took over Jinyang and the Cai family rose, and they gradually understood that compared to the King of Jin and the Cai family, Zhou Chi was simply too kind to them.

They could only thank guests behind closed doors and write books. Some regarded themselves as hermits, while others set up alchemy furnaces at home, indulged in alchemy, and emptied their wealth.

Of course, these are what they claim to the outside world. Is it true that they have wiped out all their wealth because of their cultivation of immortality?

He Ran didn't believe it.

So He Ran wanted to invite them all over, and she wanted to see them in person.

On the way to Pingyang, Bai Yan had already told Zhou Jian which famous people had come from Pingyang and Fenzhou, and which aristocratic families still exist today.

As a result, Zhou Jian became nervous again.

This is the second time he has come to Pingyang. The last time he went to Zhoujiabao to meet Wu Dongming. This time he must also be meeting someone, and he may be meeting the descendants of those famous families that Mr. Bai mentioned.

He said to Bai Yan: "Mr. Bai, what should I do when I see them? What should I say?"

Bai Yan said: "Your Majesty, you don't have to do anything, just smile and nod."

But even so, Zhou Jian was still nervous. He was worried that those people would doubt his identity, and he was worried that they would not believe that he was really the prince and grandson of Zhao.

The closer to Pingyang, the more nervous Zhou Jian became.

And when he saw He Ran, this tension reached its extreme.

After not seeing each other for several months, He Ran's eyes became sharper, as if she could see deep into his heart.

Even Bai Yan could feel this change in He Ran.

He knew that this was the killing intent!

Bai Yan recalled that when he first met the legendary Master He, he was actually a little surprised.

Because Head He Da is younger than he thought, with clear eyes and a sweet smile. At that time, the head of the family, He Da, first saw Bai Yan as a little girl.

But now He Ran, although she is still the age of a little girl, no one can treat her as a little girl anymore.

There was a bit more coldness in her expression, and she gave off a fierce aura just by moving her hands and feet.

Facing He Ran like this, not only Zhou Jian became nervous, but also Bai Yan couldn't help but become more respectful.

On the official day of the interview, only a few people from Fenzhou and Pingyang came. Those who received the invitation but did not come gave only three reasons: they were sick, their elders were sick, and they had to stay in seclusion (immortal cultivators). Those who make alchemy and live in seclusion can do so).

On the contrary, some scholars came from Lu'an and Qinzhou after hearing the news, which made He Ran quite satisfied.

Over the years, due to the Pingyang family, it has been difficult for scholars throughout Jin to pursue an official career.

Even the King of Jin was indifferent to local scholars.

Now we finally have a good opportunity, and some clever scholars are trying their best to seize this opportunity.

He Ran does not exclude people who have sharpened their heads and climbed up. As long as they do not violate the bottom line of being a human being, everyone has the right to be positive.

So after this meeting, she kept all the scholars.

Of course, this was superficial. Privately, she asked Xinggu to send people to investigate the origins and past experiences of these people.

Unexpectedly, this investigation actually found one.

This man's name was Deng Fang, a civil servant from Lu'an, a member of the Licheng clan. He had a wife, a concubine and two legitimate sons.

The problem lies with his concubine. This concubine was taken in after He Ran regained Pingyang. It is said that it was a Yangzhou thin horse given to him by a friend.

Other scholars came in groups, but only Deng Fang came to Licheng.

The future was uncertain, so none of these scholars brought their families with them, and Deng Fang nominally did not bring his family with him. However, Xinggu's people found out that Deng Fang's concubine was not at home. Deng Fang left Licheng, and his concubine left behind. He also left home and his whereabouts are unknown.

After He Ran received the secret report, he asked people to monitor Deng Fang's whereabouts.

In order to accommodate these scholars, He Ran specially prepared a five-entry mansion for them. This house originally belonged to the Cai family and was part of the Cai family's property. Now that it has been vacated, He Ran allowed these scholars to live here.

Within a few days, Deng Fang showed his flaws. Every other day, he would go to an inn in the city and stay there for half an hour each time.

Moreover, Deng Fang tried every means to get acquainted with Bai Yan. To this end, he had spent a lot of money to establish connections.

It's a pity that, let alone here, even in Qingcang Mountain, Bai Yan is a very special existence. Except for He Ran, no one can really imagine to see him.

He Ran heard the news and said with a smile: "Mr. Bai is living in seclusion, so he should have normal social interactions."

So suddenly one day, Bai Yan ran into trouble in an antique shop.

He fell in love with a teapot made by a famous artist from the previous dynasty and couldn't put it down. However, by accident, the teapot fell to the ground and broke into several pieces.

Boyan was stunned, and the waiter screamed: "Oh my god, there is only one teapot like this in the world!"

Bai Yan was embarrassed and heartbroken. While apologizing, he took out all the money he had and even took off the jade pendant that never left his body.

But all these combined cannot reach the value of this teapot.

Therefore, not only the waiters, but also the shopkeepers held Bai Yan's hand and insisted on sending him to see the official without losing any money.

Bai Yan blushed with embarrassment and wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.

At this moment, Deng Juren appeared to rescue the distressed people.