Surrounded by countless guards, the large army slowly moved towards the mountain.

In the team, the accompanying military generals immediately get off the horse every day and bumper the bumps, practice a body of vigorous muscles and bones, all of them walk like flying, and the emperor also attaches great importance to riding and shooting martial arts on weekdays, no matter how busy he will definitely play a set of boxing activities muscles and bones, and because of this trip is scheduled to climb Mount Tai, since the summer and autumn has not been abandoned to exercise the legs and feet of kung fu, today's mountaineering is also like walking on the ground.

In contrast, the civil officials are much weaker, not to mention the concubines and princesses, the eldest brother and the crown prince among the princes can still keep up with their father's pace, and the female dependents behind them can not walk for half an hour, and they will open a big section with the emperor and his party.

Each person below the third elder brother has seven or eight guards to accompany them, and the fifth elder brother and the sixth elder brother were completely carried up the mountain by them in a bamboo sedan chair, and when they went back, the mountain road became steeper and steeper, and every step of the leg was filled with lead, and the female dependents gradually could not support their physical strength, and the concubines and Bu Guiren had decided to give up.

In fact, not only did many sentry posts be arranged in advance along the way, but also bamboo sedan chairs were arranged along the way for the female dependents to sit and be carried up the mountain, but the concubines felt that this was too tossy and unbearable, so they would rather give up halfway. But the children were very excited, and they didn't feel tired in the sedan chair, and refused to go back with them, and after walking for another half an hour, they met many civil officials on the side of the road, or resting or struggling whether to give up, after all, the emperor was still walking, and those of them who were ministers could not sit in a sedan chair like the princesses.

The further back, the fewer and fewer people in the same company, when it came to Zhongtianmen, Concubine Rong finally couldn't stand it, Lan Qi persuaded her to go down at this time in vain, since the bamboo sedan chair was arranged, there were shifts of people carrying the sedan chair on each section of the road, and it was not too toss-up, so she persuaded her to take the sedan chair with the children. After that, among the concubines, she was the only one who was still walking on foot, and there were no people around Huanchun, and only the guards and eunuchs with good legs and feet followed Lan Qi.

When she arrived at Zhongtianmen, Lan Qi saw the emperor waiting there, in fact, when Xuan Ye saw Lan Qi's head popping out of sight at first glance, he didn't dare to believe it, and when she slowly walked to her, he gasped and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't have time to salute, so he really felt that it was her, and said in surprise: "They told me that many people have come down the mountain, and I think you can't climb up, can you still walk?" Why not take a sedan chair? ”

Lan Qi took a breath, took the water from the guard's hand and drank it, and then smiled after relieving his spirits: "It's just walking step by step, walking and walking up." The concubines have already gone down the mountain, and Sister Rong is behind, sitting in a bamboo sedan chair with the children, and it will probably take some time to arrive. ”

As he spoke, Lan Qi saw that the eldest brother and the crown prince were both tired and sitting on the side, Xuan Ye saw it and said: "I just want to wait and see, see if there is anyone following behind, Yinren and Yinren They don't go up with me, if the fourth elder brother and they come, let the brothers go up in a sedan chair, they can't walk, after all, they are still children." ”

As Xuan Ye said, this section of the road climbed up hard, but only to the Zhongtianmen, after which is the eighteen plates, the end of the eighteen plates is the Nantianmen, and only after the Nantianmen can you reach the top of the Jade Emperor at the top of Daishan, this is the really hard and difficult road, the eldest brother and the prince follow their father's steps to get here, it is the limit.

But the prince and the eldest brother were obviously not convinced, there was a stubborn look on their faces, Lan Qi didn't know if the father and son had said anything before her arrival, although the two children were full of reluctance, they didn't dare to ask their father to let them continue to follow.

"Can you still go?" Xuan Ye asked Lan Qi, her tone was concerned, as if she was worried that she was working too hard, but the look of anticipation in her eyes made people laugh in their hearts.

In fact, Lan Qi was extremely tired, her legs were getting heavier and heavier, but she could walk if she wanted her to go, but she didn't know when she would not be able to take a step, and now looking at Xuan Ye's expectant eyes, she was even more reluctant to stop, and said with a smile: "The concubine has sent you so many ways, how long has the emperor been waiting?" So even if you pass eighteen plates for a while, the concubines can't keep up with your pace, please just go ahead, and the concubines will keep up slowly. ”

Xuan Ye was delighted, but he didn't speak, nodded with deep meaning in his eyes, instructed the guards to prepare to leave again, and walked over to talk to the eldest brother of the crown prince.

Back in front of Lan Qi, the guards presented a pair of dragon and phoenix ebony canes, ebony is also known as gloomy wood, it is a rare treasure, such a pair of canes are priceless, and the dragon and phoenix are carved separately lifelike, I don't know how much effort it takes to get such a pair.

Lan Qi has followed the Empress Dowager all these years to see the so-called treasures in this world, and she also knows what gloomy wood is, and when Xuan Ye picked up the phoenix staff and stuffed it in her hand, she didn't push away the dragon and phoenix first, but said: "Your Majesty, are you not afraid that such a good thing will be worn out all the way?" The concubine is reluctant to prop it on the ground, you ask the guard to pick up a rattan or branch, and the concubine can use it more easily. ”

Xuan Ye glared at her, and said softly: "I am still so childish when I go out, I am rich in the world, can't I use a pair of canes?" Take it in your hand and use it well, is the cane valuable, or is your body valuable? As long as you are safe, even if you hold my hand as a cane? ”

The latter sentence was heartwarming, Lan Qi couldn't help but smile, she forgot all about the avoidance of the dragon and phoenix, and just waited to follow the emperor to slowly board the eighteen plates.

Walking in the "Slow Eighteen Plates", the two only opened a distance of more than a dozen steps, Lan Qi knew that Xuan Ye deliberately slowed down her steps and waited for her, she didn't want to rush to chase her, and walked slowly step by step The safest, unconsciously, she had entered the "Unhurried Eighteen Plates", and a guard caught up behind, saying that Concubine Rong Niangniang and several elder princesses had a sedan chair to Zhongtianmen, and they wanted to go up the mountain with the eldest brother of the prince.

Lan Qi then remembered the exquisite and graceful and noble phoenix carving on the cane, her heart tightened, and she hurriedly took a few steps to keep up with the emperor, and only after catching up did she shout "Emperor", she didn't want to go in a hurry, her feet were soft, she stepped on the empty steps, and her body fell straight down, but fortunately, the left and right guards and eunuchs have been following closely, and they were quickly supported by them, so that there was no big disaster.

At that time, Xuan Ye was stopping to order the prince and his party behind him, and when he saw this scene, fortunately Lan Qi was safe and sound, and she still forced a smile and told the people around her that it was okay, but he was already annoyed, and when Lan Qi came to him again, he scolded in a low voice: "What are you in a hurry, do you hear if you go slowly?" I'll settle accounts with you when I go down the mountain. ”

Lan Qi knew that people felt sorry for him, and he would not feel wronged, but he immediately raised his cane to show Xuan Ye, and said seriously: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid the concubine can't do it." ”

Xuan Ye glanced at it disdainfully: "Why can't you do it?" ”

"It's a pair of dragons and phoenixes......"

"It's a peacock, right?" Xuan Ye suddenly interrupted Lan Qi's words, knocked Lan Qi's cane with his dragon staff and said, "This is a peacock, what makes it impossible to do it?" You can rest for a while, and then slowly catch up, if you can't walk, don't be reckless, I ask you all to be safe. ”

"Peacock?" But Lan Qi carefully looked at the wood carving on the cane, and didn't hear what the emperor said at all, just waiting for Xuan Ye to snort and say to her, "If you look at it again, you will go down the mountain immediately, what I let you use, what do you care about her?" ”

"But ......" Lan Qi still wanted to explain, seeing Xuan Ye glaring at him, he immediately shut up, the emperor frowned, angry and funny, turned around and walked up the stairs, ignoring her again.

"Mother, let's go too." The guards on the side came to remind, Lan Qi nodded with a smile, and continued to climb the stone steps together, the guards couldn't help but say, "Although Niangniang walks slowly, it is not easy to have such physical strength, thinking that the princesses of Niangniang are walking in the deep palace and must not climb up the mountain, so the adults have arranged countless sentry posts along the way, ready to take a sedan chair for the ladies to go up the mountain." ”

Lan Qi herself also felt strange, so she thought about what she had been doing in the past few months, only to remember that from the end of spring and early summer, the Empress Dowager did not let her sit in a sedan chair, and the road back and forth between Yonghe Palace and Cining Palace every day was walked with her feet, and the same was true in the scorching summer.

Thinking of this, Lan Qi's heart warmed, and she was grateful to the Empress Dowager for everything she was partial to.

She knew that Concubine Rong and Concubine Rong must be unwilling to do so, not to mention the dizzy and sick imperial concubine, who didn't want to accompany the emperor, who didn't want to accompany him to the top of Mount Tai, but they had more than enough heart and strength, even Lan Qi herself, she didn't know which step she couldn't walk again, and now she just gritted her teeth and followed closely step by step, and what supported her was the belief that she wanted to be with Xuan Ye.

The mountain climbs higher and higher, the road becomes steeper and steeper, and after walking through the "unhurried eighteen plates", the last "tight eighteen plates" is more dangerous, and there are guards behind to say that it is too dangerous for the sedan chair to come up, the eldest brother and the prince decided to climb up on foot, and the rest of the people retreated to a gentle place to wait for the emperor's order.

At this moment of speaking, Lan Qi slowly caught up with Xuan Ye, who was already sitting on the stone steps and couldn't move, but listening to the emperor's breathing gradually became heavier, he was instructing the guards to ensure the safety of the princesses, not to climb without reluctance, let alone obey the orders of the princesses, as long as the guards felt that it was too dangerous, they would be sent down the mountain immediately, if they did not reach the top, they must go down the mountain before dark.

"Can you still go?" Lan Qi was gasping for breath and drinking water, and suddenly heard the voice behind her, but she didn't dare to look back, and said stiffly, "Seeing the way she came, the concubine didn't dare to move, for fear of falling." ”

The mountain road is too steep, and at first glance it is almost a vertical line of sight, and it is no wonder that Lan Qi is afraid, Xuan Ye asked her to stretch out her hand, and after holding her firmly, she was asked to stand up and turn around, laughing at her: "Climbing the mountain naturally looks up, what are you doing looking down?" What are you afraid of, that's the way you have walked step by step. ”

Lan Qi sighed: "The concubine followed me and left the children behind, the concubine is really choked, and the children don't care about it in order to fight for breath." ”

Xuan Ye said with a smile: "Everyone has countless guards and eunuchs around them, and the local people have selected the ones who are the best at climbing mountains, are they not more reliable than you?" ”

Lan Qi was already tired, and said weakly: "Your Majesty, I really can't walk." ”

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