Zhu Cihong was hindered by his identity and was inconvenient to come in to watch, so he had to send Li Qiwu to go.

He himself paced aimlessly around the school grounds, as long as he wanted to hear the conversation of the people. The daily chatter of the people, no matter what the content is, has a great attraction to Zhu Cihong.

He has lived in the palace since he was a child, and has the most contact with nurses, eunuchs and palace maids, followed by the imperial family and nobles. After he was six years old, Chongzhen chose Confucianism to give lectures in the palace, and he learned to read sentences and sages.

And ordinary people, it is impossible to see.

The word "people" is two characters in a book in his heart.

Although he learned the study of sages and the way of governing the country, compared to these people, he belongs to the intellectuals of the ancient and the modern, but he really doesn't know anything about the living conditions of the people at the bottom of the Ming Dynasty.

It wasn't until this national disaster that he was exiled and really discovered another world of the Ming Dynasty.

The terms poverty, hunger, lack of clothing, living in four walls, no cure, war, and killing finally popped out of the books and unfolded before his eyes.

And those who have learned since childhood the concept of loyalty and patriotism, and the concept of benevolence and benevolence of the monarch almost do not exist in the world.

Zhu Cihong tried to hear this from the mouths of the low-level soldiers and ordinary people, even if it was just a sentence, but he was disappointed.

Most of what people in the world say is whether they eat today, what they eat tomorrow, how to eat these in the future, what loyalty, what Confucius and Mencius, what wind and snow, maybe it can only appear in books.

Seventeen-year-old Zhu Cihong was wrapped in a cruel reality, and his thinking underwent major changes.

After more than half an hour, Li Qiwu came back panting, because there were many people, he did not pay homage, he drank a large bag of water, and said:

"Your Highness, the long-distance running selection has ended, among the tens of thousands of people who participated in the election, only 2,000 people completed the course, followed by the stone lock, only more than 200 people completed it, and the others were eliminated."

"Didn't you say there were still pluses?" Zhu Cihong asked.

"Almost no one has ever seen a bow and arrow firearm, and very few can add this score."

"Looking at it this way, it's really hard to find elite soldiers!" Zhu Cihong said slowly.

"Your Highness, don't worry, this is just Yutian, more than ten cities in Gyeonggi, if there are 400 people selected in each county, together, it is still considerable."

As he was talking, a pawn ran over, knelt down and handed Zhu Cihong an official document.

Zhu Cihong looked at it and said to Li Qiwu: "It seems that we have to take a few steps." "Li Banghua, the first assistant of the cabinet, has been informed of our itinerary and is ready to go out of the city tomorrow to meet the palace."

Li Qiwu didn't dare to slack off when he heard this, and hurriedly escorted the prince back to the army and rushed to Beijing.

On the same day, they stayed in Tongzhou, and the cabinet and the people of the palace also entered the city on the same day to hand over the tasks to the subordinate officials of the East Palace.

The prince's return to Beijing is a major event of the country, and the cabinet attaches great importance to it, and the prince's honor guard is fully prepared early and sent to Tongzhou together.

In the Ming Dynasty, the Son of Heaven, the prince, and the prince moved to drive, and the car driving order was called the halogen book. It is generally interpreted as a "guard of honor", but in fact the book covers much richer content than a guard of honor.

The word "halo" means "big shield". The "book" of the book is the meaning of the book, which is a classic book that puts the "car driving order" and the scale, quantity, and level of the security personnel, that is, the equipment, into words. The first is to ensure the safety of the emperor and his attachés, the second is to show authority, the third is to standardize the hierarchy of etiquette, the fourth is to show the comprehensive strength of the state, and the fifth is to show piety to the gods of nature and ancestors.

The crown prince's guard of honor is: one pair of Ling flags, two pairs of Qingdao Dao, one crossbow, one pair of Bai Zeqi, ten pairs of halberds, ten pairs of bows and arrows, and ten pairs of swords and shields...... Six pairs of fans, one spit pot, and one spittle.

On the second day, the huge prince's honor guard left Tongzhou and went to Beijing.

This ceremonial guard can be described as extremely extravagant, graceful and luxurious, and soon attracted onlookers from the people. Five thousand guards lined up on the left and right, and when they saw the people watching, they hurriedly stepped forward to block the prince's convoy from the people.

The two worlds of luxury and abject poverty suddenly contrasted sharply.

Zhu Cihong, the crown prince, sat on a ten-person dragon chariot, wearing a winged crown, wearing a red five-clawed dragon robe, decorated with nine jade under the crown, each inlaid with nine jade, the golden hairpin is on the top, the red tassel is on the side, and the two jades are placed on both sides.

The luxurious temperament is highlighted.

He heard the noise of people outside, and from time to time he opened the curtain and looked out.

Every time I see the people who are not covered by their clothes, and then look at the gorgeous clothes on their bodies, my heart is stirred and I am ashamed. I simply put the curtain down, sat down in the chariot, and closed my eyes to recuperate.

In the past, he must have taken it for granted, but now, his state of mind has long since changed.

He is not a true son, he is an ordinary person of flesh and blood like the people who are watching.

Walking until noon, we arrived at the east gate of the Beijing Division.

Chongzhen has not yet returned to Beijing, and all the welcome matters are handled by the cabinet.

Now that the treasury is full, and the officials are full and timely, it is natural to greet the prince according to the most complete etiquette. One is to show respect, and the other is not bad for money!

At this time, the civil and military officials were arranged on both sides of the city gate in the order of official positions, and King Ding and King Yong lived in the middle, waiting quietly.

A breeze blew, the yellow sand was raised, after a while, the dust gradually fell, and a team of people appeared in the east, and the huge regimental dragon flag was grinning in the wind, and it was impressive.

After another half an hour, the prince's guard of honor got closer and closer, more and more clear, the whining horn sounded at the gate of the capital division, and the soldiers on the outside had already moved, interspersed with the whole team, the war horses neighed, the flags were unfurled, and the formation of the car was opened.

Dingwang Zhu Cijiong looked at the welcoming team with shining eyes, looking excited.

The civil and military officials tidied up their clothes in their positions and stood firmly.

When the prince's guard of honor arrived in front of the procession, he stopped.

Zhu Cihong walked out of the dragon chariot, faced the welcoming team, glanced at the civil and military officials, and the emotion in his heart was even more tumbling like the water of the river and the sea.

At this time, led by King Ding, with all the cabinet members in front, civil and military officials, and left and right Yulin troops on the side, knelt down in unison, and shouted: "Knock on the prince!" ”

Zhu Cihong walked forward with a steady step, walked in front of King Ding, leaned over to help the two kings, and said, "Two younger brothers, quickly, get up and ......."

As soon as the four words came out, looking at the immature faces of the two, I almost choked up when I remembered the past of being captured together.

King Ding and King Yong were also red-eyed, and with the strength of the prince, they stood up.

Zhu Cihong stabilized his mind and said to the officials: "Flat!" ”

The officials shouted thanks, and their voices fell up.

King Ding, who was beside Zhu Cihong, looked at this spectacular scene with fiery eyes.

Subsequently, the crown prince and King Ding and King Yong returned to the palace, and the officials sent them to the palace gate, and after kowtowing, they dispersed in turn.

In the palace, the prince and the king of Ding, under the service of the personal eunuch, recounted the experience of the past two months with red eyes, sighed more than once, and after a short time, a little eunuch hurriedly ran and knelt on the ground.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Royal Highness King Ding, His Royal Highness King Yong, there is news from the cabinet that the emperor will return to Beijing in three days!"