Taihang is the second of the eight Taihang mountains, just forty miles northwest of Hanoi County. Zhu Cihong took the personal guards, quickly stepped up, and arrived at the entrance of this gate in only half a day. As the north went to Taihang, the path gradually narrowed, and finally it was only three steps wide, just enough for one person and one horse.

Zhu Cihong rode a horse with sore thighs, and just jumped off the horse to take a walk. The guards were still divided into front and back, wrapping him in the middle.

The mountains on both sides are steep, and they really live up to the name of natural danger.

"Your Highness, if a cannon is erected here, who will be able to come up!" Min Ziruo said excitedly.

Zhu Cihong smiled and did not speak. As long as the country is strong, this dangerous terrain will only become a traffic obstacle, and there is no meaning in existing. He just said: "Have you forgotten the rules of micro-service?" ”

The crown prince travels in micro-clothes, and if he doesn't fight the honor guard, he is afraid of his identity being exposed. In case it is detected by someone with a heart, no matter how high Min Ziruo's kung fu is, he will not be able to defeat a row of fire guns hidden in the shadows. This kind of white Arowana will naturally be disliked by conservative people, but whenever there is an opportunity, Zhu Cihong must be advised, persuaded and educated. However, Zhu Cihong, who pursues efficiency, has a hard time accepting to follow the large army slowly, unless there is a four-wheeled carriage to work.

It's just that the roads in Henan are all dirt roads, and the bumps are unbearable, and no matter how good the shock absorption effect of the four-wheeled carriage is, it can't withstand such dirt road bumps. Even if the carriage is of good quality, the people who sit in it are tortured. What's more, the carriage could not pass through such a dangerous place only three steps wide, so it had to take a detour, which took more time.

"Young master, it's too far ahead." Min Ziruo finally has a long memory, and he is not wrong.

Approaching the pass, the speed of business travel in front of it also slowed down. Although the tax card has been abolished in the area under the direct control of the East Palace, the inspection department is still stationed at the important passes to prevent the smuggling of strategic materials into the enemy-occupied areas. Among them grain, iron, sulfur, saltpeter. Even leather, medicinal materials, the amount of geometry, the number of pieces, where it comes from and where it will go must be clearly stated, and there are county road introduction certificates to clear customs.

Fortunately, the trade routes are not busy in the troubled times, and there are no large quantities of goods from here. The patrol soldiers in the level are also mostly fictional stories. With a sweep of his eyes, he pinched it and let it go. If Min Zi was afraid that these people would collide with the prince, or do something inconspicuous such as blackmail and blackmail, he sent someone to stare at it, and if necessary, he had to show his waist card.

As the personal guard of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, everyone carries several waist tags. Every time I go to a prefecture or county, it has become a common practice to ask for the waist card of the local inspection department and the police station. Because if you really want to take out the waist card of the Ministry of War, the Criminal Department, the Jinyi Guard or the East Factory, the people below may not be able to recognize it, and it will be a tragedy if you are treated as a liar.

OK. Although the inspectors in the closed door were not enthusiastic about their work, they did not do anything short-sighted such as smashing and blackmailing. This made Min Ziruo feel quite relieved, he didn't mind cleaning up some garbage on the road, but it would be a great sin to displease His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Zhu Cihong walked slowly on the official road, but he had the feeling of traveling in a natural scenic area. Looking at the coexistence of green shoots and residual snow in the mountains, a scene of winter and spring communication, and budding plants and trees, Zhu Cihong was relaxed and happy. I also want to build a big garden in Beijing after calming down the world in the future. Dig the artificial lake in Xiyuan bigger and build a large painting boat, so as to put into the work of reforming the Ming Dynasty in a beautiful environment.

Climbed to the front of the gate, Zhu Cihong stood with his waist crossed, and saw that above the gate of this ancient pass was a wordless stone plaque, and there was no three words "Taihang Pass". He looked at the various notices posted on the sign in front of the gate. The one with the largest font is the notice of the tax cut. The four guards of the inspection listlessly inspected the luggage of the passing business travelers, and could not see that north of Taihang Mountain was the tripartite battlefield of the Ming, Qing and Chuang.

Min Ziruo had already stepped forward and showed the waist card of the Huaiqing Mansion Inspection Division.

The inspectors saw the waist card, and saw that there were more than 20 people in this group, all riding high-headed horses. Among them, there is a young man who is not idle. At the moment, I didn't even dare to check the luggage, and I was released on the side.

Zhu Cihong naturally will not have a good face for this kind of dereliction of duty, but people's hearts need time to change, maybe one generation, maybe two or three generations, and when the water is clear, there are no fish, and the superior also needs to be properly tolerated.

After the Taihang Pass, the road is not necessarily open.

Zhu Cihong and his entourage walked two miles, only to see a tea shop, which was placed on a flat boulder. A few pedestrians in coarse cloth clothes sat among them, drinking tea and smoking, chatting and resting.

"Take a break." Zhu Cihong said.

The Taihang is forty or fifty miles long, all of which are mountain roads, and if you ride a horse, it is easy to hurt the horsepower, so most people are leading the horse on foot. Zhu Cihong has not grown up to the peak of physical fitness, and he is already a little tired halfway through.

Min Ziruo hurriedly stepped forward, glanced at the tea shop, and said to the owner of the tea shop: "Uncle, borrow your stove for use." With that, he tore off the money bag from his waist, took out a piece of silver, and handed it over.

The old man bowed again and again, went to the back hillside and picked up another bundle of firewood, put it on the ground, and said, "The official is at his own convenience." ”

The few pedestrians who drank tea and rested saw it, and in line with the principle of avoiding the official for three miles, they took three or two puffs of cigarettes, some found two iron coins, and some gave a copper plate, and got up and hurried.

Among the guards, there is naturally boiling water, laying mats, some people brushing horses, some people feeding grass, and the tea shop has been surrounded by breathing, leaving no dead ends.

Zhu Cihong sat on a bamboo chair covered with cushions, but it was very comfortable. He glanced at the old man who was at a loss in a corner, and said with a smile: "This old man, I disturbed your business, and I don't want to go." Please come and sit down. ”

The old man stepped forward with his body slumped forward, not daring to sit.

"If the big official asks you to sit, you will sit." Min Ziruo said behind his father-in-law.

The old man carefully sat down with half of his buttocks, and he didn't know what rank this official was in. But looking at his age, he must be a person who has descended from the stars in the sky, and he is a high school champion at a young age. As soon as he thought of this, the old man became even more restrained, rubbing his thighs with both hands, not knowing what to say.

"Who else is in my husband's family?" Zhu Cihong asked.

"If you go back to the official, there will be no one at home." The old man replied in an official dialect with a strong Zezhou accent.

"Can you survive by opening this tea shop?"

The deep furrow on the old man's face couldn't help but stretch out, and said: "This tea shop can't make any money, but the capital and land are given by the village. There is also relief food every month, and you will not die of hunger. ”

Zhu Cihong nodded and said, "Your village is sympathetic to the elderly. Not bad. ”

"Hehe," the old man laughed, "I'm on the hukou, and I'm really going to starve to death, and the county will come to ask." ”

Zhu Cihong said with a smile: "It's good that the county officials can do it so carefully. ”

The old man said a few words, seeing that this official was not difficult to speak from above, he also let go of his courage, and talked about the days when Daming came back, although he was not happy, but he could also hear a little lucky. Zhu Cihong is used to seeing fakes, if this old man came up and happily sang praises of virtue, he would suspect that it was a drama deliberately arranged by the local county magistrate. Listening to it now, it seems to be the heartfelt words of ordinary people, so even if there is some resentment, it is very gratifying.

"In this troubled world, it's good to survive." Zhu Cihong sighed.

"Who's to say it isn't." The old man sighed and said, "Old man, I have lived sixty-eight years old, and I have also lived a good life in Wanli. Alas, it is blessed to be able to wait for death in peace now. ”

Zhu Cihong was about to comfort him and say something like the future would be better, when he saw Shi Shiran walking under the mountain with a white-haired and white-bearded old Taoist.

That person is really a crane-haired childish face, his face is red and moist, and he smiles before he speaks, which makes people feel like a spring breeze. He didn't see the official detour like other people, but greeted him, bowed down to Zhu Cihong, spit out thick words, and said: "Amitayus longevity, poor and polite." ”

Zhu Cihong got up and saluted back, and said, "The old immortal is invited." ”

Min Ziruo wanted to block in front of the prince, but who knew that the old Taoist walked in the wind, and his body had already moved slightly, and he sat on the bamboo chair by himself, and said to the old man: "Uncle, can you have a bowl of hot water?" (To be continued......)

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