Tai Hao listened to Chu Hong's answer and muttered to himself: "It turns out that you are the son of Chu Jiubo." ”

Chu Hong suddenly cried and said, "Adult, everything the little one said is true, and the little one is really wronged!" Even if the little one is beheaded, he will say the same......"

Taihao asked the officials to remove the chains worn by Chu Hong, and asked the officials and the chief bookkeeper in the court to leave, so he walked to Chu Hong's side and said, "You stand up, and the official will see if you look like Chu Jiubo." ”

Chu Hong listened to Taihao's words, but he didn't know the meaning of Taihao's words. But a glimmer of hope suddenly struck him, and he wiped away his tears and stood up cautiously. Tai Hao looked up and down for a while, then shook his head and said, "You do have some similarities in appearance with Chu Jiubo. ”

Chu Hong asked in surprise, "My lord, what do you mean by this?" Do you know little grandpa? ”

Tai Hao nodded and said: "This official is also from Shizhu City, of course I know it, but when this official leaves there, you should not have been born yet." ”

Chu Hong said in surprise: "Could it be that you are the twelfth brother of Uncle Hua Xi's son?" ”

Taihao's heart moved, and he responded: "That's right, you've heard my name?" ”

Chu Hong shouted excitedly: "Great, I didn't expect me to be so close to Brother Twelve and see you here!" ”

Taihao was a little curious, and then asked, "Who have you heard about me?" ”

Chu Hong said slowly: "Brother Twelve, don't you know, you are a household name in Shizhu City." Since I was a child, I have often heard the people in Shizhu City mention you, saying that you are a big official in the imperial court, and you are deeply trusted by the emperor, which is the glory of our Shizhu City. It's an honor to finally have me meet you today. ”

Tai Hao smiled slightly and said, "I see, I didn't expect that I would have such a reputation in Shizhu City. Are they okay with my grandfather and aunt? ”

Chu Hong said: "Uncle Hua Xi and Aunt Yueying are very good, because they have cultivated such a talent as Brother Twelve!" Therefore, the people of the whole city respect Uncle Huaxi's family very much. The children of Shizhucheng also follow the example of the Twelfth Brother and study hard, hoping that one day they can also contribute to the country like the Twelfth Brother. ”

Taihao listened to Chu Hong's words, and his heart was full of emotion. He knew that although he was an official in the imperial court, it was the real glory to be respected and loved by the people.

"Chu Hong, Shizhu City is so far away from Wenchuan City, and there is trouble here, why did you come to Wenchuan City?" Taihao asked Chu Hong.

Chu Hong said: "Brother Twelve, don't look at my young age, it's been four years since I left Shizhu City, and I have always had a dream of exploring the rivers and lakes." So, I left Shizhu City four years ago, I have been to many places, and I only came to Wenchuan City some time ago, and the result is ...... He was taken to prison......"

After listening to Chu Hong's words, Tai Hao remembered that when he was a teenager, he dreamed of leaving Shizhu City all day long, but he did not run away alone like Chu Hong at that time, but chose the imperial examination. However, in retrospect, he chose this path very wisely.

"Oh, I see, it's too dangerous outside, I'll let you out, you can go back to Shizhu City." Taihao said.

Chu Hong said: "Brother Twelve, if you release me from prison, I will be very grateful to you." But...... I don't want to go back to Shizhu City right now. I haven't finished reading the great rivers and mountains of the Eastern Empire, and I won't go back. ”

Taihao said: "Why do you want to explore the rivers and lakes so much, do you know what the rivers and lakes are?" ”

Chu Hong replied: "Of course I know, all over the world, mountains, rivers and lakes, all over the world, where there are officials, people, merchants, and even beggars, are called rivers and lakes. ”

Tai Hao nodded with a smile and said: "You have to have the ability to go through the rivers and lakes, do you know martial arts?" ”

Chu Hong shook his head and said softly, "I won't ......"

Taihao asked: "If you don't know martial arts, how dare you break into the rivers and lakes?" ”

Chu Hong said: "Brother Twelve, what if you don't know martial arts?" I can't come to Wenchuan City from Shizhu City, I have experienced thousands of difficulties and obstacles, and martial arts are of little use to me. ”

Tai Hao said: "It depends on what the meaning of your adventures in the rivers and lakes is, whether you want to be a chivalrous man or a beggar." To be a chivalrous man, you have to roar when you see injustice, and when you should shoot, you must be able to do martial arts. To be a beggar is to be underfed, clothed, and wandering around begging for food. I want to know, how did you get here for four years? ”

Chu Hong was silent for a while, and then said, "Brother Twelve, to be honest with you, my life has been very difficult in the past four years, but I have learned a lot from it. I once worked as a small boss in a cottage, commanding more than 20 younger brothers to rob the property of past officials and businessmen, and finally almost lost my life. also once worked as a housekeeper in a wealthy family, serving the master. He also used to beg along the streets, and suffered the warmth and coldness of the world. These experiences have made me understand a truth, that is, to live in this world, there must always be some persistence and pursuit, and you can't be trapped in a small place and give up your dreams. ”

Tai Hao said: "You said it very well, since you have come this far, it's okay to break through, leaving Wenchuan City, where are you going next?" ”

Chu Hong said: "The world is big, where you go......"

Taihao said: "Are you really not afraid of meeting bandits on the road?" ”

Chu Hong said: "Since I have chosen the road of exploring the rivers and lakes, even if I climb it, I will finish it." ”

Tai Hao smiled and asked, "Have you ever thought about when you will return to Shizhu City?" ”

Chu Hong hesitated: "Have you ever thought about when to go back?" ”

Chu Hong raised his head and looked at Taihao, with a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Taihao was silent for a while, and then said, "I'll go back when the time is right, but not now." I have more things to do, more people to help. ”

Chu Hong nodded, he knew that Taihao was a responsible official and would not give up his mission easily.

"Then Brother Twelve, you have to be careful yourself, the officialdom is sinister, you must protect yourself." Chu Hong said.

Taihao smiled and patted Chu Hong's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, I'll pay attention." You also have to take good care of yourself, and if you have any difficulties, you can always come to me. ”

Chu Hong nodded gratefully, then bowed to Tai Hao and said, "Thank you, Brother Twelve." ”

Taihao waved his hand and said, "Okay, you can leave now." But remember, no matter where you are, you must be an upright and kind man, never do illegal things, and don't forget your original intention. ”

Chu Hong nodded solemnly, and then just turned around and prepared to leave the court. Taihao stopped him again, and took him to the city lord's mansion, and ordered the family to boil a large basin of hot water, so that Chu Hong could take a good bath, and prepared a table full of meals for him, so that Chu Hong could eat to his heart's content. He then gave him some taels of silver to wrap around, and gave him a horse, saying that he was giving him a ride. Chu Hong was overjoyed, hurriedly thanked him, and was grateful to this kind twelfth brother.

Taihao looked at the back of Chu Hong leaving, and his heart was full of emotion. He knew that this young fellow villager would encounter all kinds of difficulties and challenges on the road to the rivers and lakes, but he believed that Chu Hong had enough courage and wisdom to face all this.

That night, Taihao lay in bed tossing and turning and couldn't sleep, and he didn't fall asleep until dawn. But as soon as I fell asleep, I was called up by the housekeeper again. The housekeeper eagerly reported to Tai Hao: "My lord, the one named Chu Hong yesterday is back again, and now he is waiting outside the door, do you want to let him in?" ”

Taihao didn't think much about it, so he nodded and said, "Let him come in!" ”

Taihao didn't know why Chu Hong came back, he thought that Chu Hong didn't want to go to the rivers and lakes, and when he came back, he wanted to ask to stay by his side.

After the housekeeper brought Chu Hong to Tai Hao, Chu Hong said to Tai Hao: "Twelfth brother, I forgot to tell you something yesterday. When I first arrived in Wenchuan City, I lived in a cave in a mountain for one night, and I slept until midnight when I was woken up by a shouting, and I hurried to the grass outside the cave, and hid there to look, and found a group of strangely dressed men and women bowing to a man who looked like a leader, and shouting something. It seems that the words they speak are not in the language of the Eastern Empire, so I don't understand what they are saying. I thought they were an ordinary group of bandits, but when I saw them practicing together, they were no ordinary bandits. ”

Tai Hao asked, "What kind of martial arts are they practicing?" ”

Chu Hong said: "Those men are holding a knife in their hands, but I don't see what weapons those women are holding in their hands...... I thought this would help Brother Twelve, so I came back and told Brother Twelve about it. ”

Tai Hao said: "Chu Hong, thank you so much, you have made great contributions to the Eastern Empire. ”

After listening to Chu Hong's description, Tai Hao knew that the men and women he saw in Chu Hong must be the warriors of the Japanese Kingdom, and that mountain should be their hiding place. Therefore, Chu Hongneng told Taihao about this, which was a great achievement.

Tai Hao continued to ask, "Do you remember which mountain?" ”

Chu Hong shook his head and said, "The mountains near Wenchuan City look alike, because it's night, so I don't remember which mountain. ”

At this time, Chaozi came back with a group of junior brothers, and Taihao hurriedly stepped forward to inquire about their situation.

Tai Hao asked, "Senior brothers, have you found the residence of the warriors of the Japanese Kingdom in Wenchuan City?" ”

Chaozi shook his head and said, "For a whole day and a night, we almost turned over Wenchuan City, and we didn't find any trace of those Japanese warriors. ”

Tai Hao walked to Chu Hong's side and said to all the senior brothers: "Senior brothers, let me introduce to you, this is Chu Hong, a fellow villager of mine. Chu Hong, you tell me what you just told me, and then tell me these senior brothers. ”

Chu Hong told them what he had seen on the mountain that night, and told them which mountain it was, but he didn't remember it.

Tai Hao called the butler over and asked him, "Butler, how many mountains are there in and around Wenchuan City?" ”

The housekeeper replied: "Lord Hui, there are many peaks in and around Wenchuan City, no less than hundreds. ”

Taihao asked Chu Hong, "Chu Hong, do you remember anything unique about that mountain?" How long did it take you to get from that mountain, to get here? ”

Chu Hong thought carefully for a while and replied, "If you want to say something special, you can hear the sound of rushing water on that mountain. It took me about a day to hike from that mountain. ”