The rain is pouring down, like a reckless child, wandering around the world and playing as much as possible without knowing the importance of it. The teahouse on the left side is a "victim".
Three or two earthen wooden houses and a broken thatched hut constitute a simple teahouse. At the fork in the road, it is the main resting place for travelers and merchants.
However, in this stormy weather, there were not many customers in the tea shop, and those who were there were just temporary rain shelters. But it didn't matter, the old emperor's crowd was enough to make up for the business loss caused by the rain.
And people like the old emperor attracted everyone's attention from the beginning. They were really the accompanying guards. They were too imposing and their eyes were too cold. In such a heavy rain, even though they were wearing hats and fur coats, they stood still.
Under the rain, there was no one to move. Based on the knowledge of the store owner, this kind of people are either noble or strong.
The store owner was very sure that the former was more likely. At this juncture, someone who dared to carry weapons so openly on the road would have no identity at all.
The news of the emperor's visit to Shenzhou has long been widely circulated among the people. At this critical moment, the officers at the prefecture and county levels did not dare to be careless. Even the Li Zheng of each township and village paid tribute to Luan Jia during his stay in Taikang Palace.
Focus on harmony and stability.
Even the owner of this simple teahouse has to thank Shengjia Nanxing. Since the emperor came to Shenzhou, the business of his teahouse has obviously improved, and the passenger flow has increased visibly. If it were not for the impact of the emperor's visit, where would Luoshan County be?
So many people traveling to and from Xinyang still take the land route.
There was no chance for the shop owner to be careful. After serving a bowl of tea, he was driven back to the tea room. Two guards guarded the door tightly, not allowing anyone to enter or exit, so as not to affect the old emperor's mood.
The old emperor's mood at this time could not be better. A sudden heavy rain interrupted the trip again. This was the third time in less than two days since entering Luoshan County.
It was as if the sky above his head was also preventing the old emperor from visiting the people, for fear that he would be angry if he saw it.
The thatched huts were shaking under the wash of rain. The accumulated water on the road outside was muddy and turbid. The dense raindrops hit the face with the wind, and it still hurt. In such an environment, everyone was filled with
Covered with a layer of water mist.
Even the old emperor himself had a piece of his clothes wet, and both the Hu De and the imperial doctor accompanying him were worried. As for the old emperor's current body and bones, he could barely withstand the torment of traveling for the past two days. How could he dare to get wet?
Rain, if something goes wrong, how can they afford it?
However, the old emperor was stubborn and stubborn. He refused to even enter the house and didn't know what he was insisting on. He just sat there waiting to leave. On a table, there was a bowl of tea, and there was something different from the tea soup on it.
The hot steam of rain and mist, the local Luoshan tea, smells pretty good, but it's just for show.
When the old emperor was traveling, he never needed to provide food or water anywhere, for fear that the source would be unknown. But since he entered a teahouse and borrowed someone else's place to take shelter from the rain, it was appropriate to order a bowl of tea.
On the side, Wang Qinruo was still waiting respectfully, and was telling the old emperor about the climate and environment of Luoshan, saying that there were heavy rains in summer and droughts and floods in autumn and winter. But what the old emperor cared about was only when the rain would stop and it would be easier to start his journey.
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At present, the old emperor has really regained some of his youthful demeanor. The more he works, the more energetic he becomes, and the more frustrated he becomes, the more courageous he becomes.
Around noon, the rainstorm finally came to an end. Without any delay, the old emperor greeted him and set off. When he walked out of the teahouse, rotten grass stalks were scattered on the wet mud floor, and they stuck to the soles of his shoes when he stepped on them.
There is a three-way intersection in front of us, one is the official road that we have been walking hard for more than a day, and the other is a grassy path.
Noticing the old emperor's eyes, Wang Qinruo immediately explained: "Go north along this road, leading to the county. There are many villages along the way. The main population and food output of Luoshan County are mostly concentrated in the north. The trails lead to the mountains, and there are some
In the village, there are some people living in the mountains, who are difficult to discipline.”
"Go south!" The old emperor said directly without any hesitation.
After hearing this, Wang Qinruo hurriedly admonished, saying: "Your Majesty, it is rainy in summer, the mountain roads are winding and difficult to travel, and there are flash floods, mud and rocks from time to time, and there are many dangers. Officials and officials are worth a lot of money, so please do not take risks!"
Li Jihe on the side listened, and his already serious face became more worried. Although he had only traveled for three days, as an escort general, his hair was almost turning white, and he was always under great pressure.
At this time, when he heard that the old emperor was not going to take the ordinary route, he immediately became anxious and persuaded him: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for talking too much, but let's go north!"
If the old emperor had listened to the advice, he would not have appeared here. He glanced at Li Jihe and saw that his neck was slightly shrinking. Then he looked at Wang Qinruo and said, "There are people who have lived here for a long time. Why do I even go there?"
Are you so scrupulous? Or is there something you don’t want me to see?"
"I don't dare!" Wang Qinruo said quickly.
"Let's go! Head south!"
The horses were brought in, and Hu De helped the old emperor get on the horse. The group quickly got ready and soon set off to go south along the trail. Wang Xuanzhen deliberately lagged behind, with a little helplessness on his calm face. The old emperor suddenly changed his route.
, his preparations in the direction of Luoshan County were in vain.
Wude Si was also well prepared for the old emperor's private visit. Of course, his main concern was the old emperor's safety. If something went wrong with the old emperor's safety, no one like them would be able to escape the problem.
"Secretary!" He stood at the entrance of the teahouse and just waved to the outside. Two people emerged from nowhere and ran to Wang Xuanzhen very quickly to pay their respects.
Wang Xuanzhen did not hesitate and pointed directly to the southern path and ordered: "Scatter your people to the south and visit all the mountain villages and countryside in the south. I don't care about other issues. If there is any trouble and you are shocked,
You don’t have to come to see me anymore!”
"Yes!" After hearing this, the two of them looked awe-inspiring, bowed again and took orders, hurried away, and soon disappeared from sight.
After taking a deep breath, Wang Xuanzhen looked at the spreading mountains and fields to the south, got on his horse, led several subordinates, and chased after the old emperor and his party.
After the group of uninvited guests had gone away, the shopkeeper came out. With his sharp eyes, he took a quick look at the small ingot of silver placed on the table. It was a standard one tael. This tea shop had never accepted any silver before.
A bowl of tea is worth it!
The other guests in the tea shop also started talking at this time. After all, in such a small place, the old emperor and his party are really out of place. Moreover, some people directly speculated whether it was the nobles from the capital who came to the countryside to find excitement.
coming
In fact, the old emperor's so-called private visit incognito was just a small battle, but he was still so surprised about the place. More than ten miles west of the tea shop, two battalions of the Forbidden Army were also visiting.
A temporary awning was put away by the woods, led by Murong Chengtai himself, and placed behind the holy driver as a guarantee. After receiving the news that the road ahead was changing, he also followed the order and set off.
In essence, a private visit in private is still a large number of people, accompanying the old emperor to have fun as he pleases, but it's just not so public.
Luoshan County is geographically distinct. It is close to the Dabie Mountains. There is a mountainous area to the south and a hilly area extending to the north. There is also a ridge sandwiched between the hills and the northern plain. The altitude is not high and intermittent, but it stretches over a large area.
Dozens of miles.
The old emperor visited this ridge area. He couldn't really go into the mountains.
We drove along the narrow path. The deeper we went, the more narrow, crowded and winding it became. Fortunately, the ups and downs were not too big. Above the ridges, from high to low, there were terraced fields. The further down, the more numerous they became.
many.
It was summer, and the wheat was already turning yellow. Because of the rain, the color looked a little darker. But looking at the wheat fields with only mature harvests, the old emperor's mood also improved a little. The golden wheat fields always seemed
It can bring people a sense of pleasure.
Walking along the ridge for several miles, we approached a hill. It was obvious that there was a village inhabited on the hill, and the smell of people could be observed from the bottom of the hill. Without hesitation, the old emperor led his people up the hill, preparing to enter the village.
The village is called Jiucun. It is said that the villagers in the village have nine surnames. Of course, there are actually ten surnames. The extra surname is the Shi family, the largest landowner in the village, and also serves as the chief of the village.
What the old emperor didn't expect was that he was stopped as soon as he arrived at the entrance of the village, which was made of rubble and formed into an archway. A young man led a few rough men in sackcloth to stop him.
Wang Qinruo negotiated, saying that the owner was out hunting and it was getting late and it was too late to return. He planned to stay in the village for the sake of convenience. Unfortunately, Wang Qinruo underestimated the cleverness of this mountain man. It rained for half a day, so what kind of hunting was he going to do?
Since Jiucun does not accept outsiders, he firmly refused.
After several negotiations, the other party was very strict and refused to let go. Even Wang Qinruo asked for money, but it was of no use. Wang Qinruo was so stubborn that he couldn't help but curse secretly. How could there be such unruly people in Luoshan County?
The emperor wanted to enter the village, but he was still stopped. If he was not good at literature, he would come to martial arts. Li Jihe led his people to press forward. Seeing that they were powerful and obviously not easy to mess with, he said harsh words and hid back in the village.
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Then everyone escorted the old emperor to the village. The hilltop was very flat and accommodated quite a lot of households. Looking around, you could see dozens of households. When they entered the village, the old emperor and his party felt embarrassed.
It happened, but no one was willing to receive it. It was too much, and they didn't even give a reply.
What was even more outrageous was yet to come. After not visiting a few families, accompanied by a burst of gongs and intensive shouting, a group of villagers poured out from all directions, each holding farm tools, wooden sticks, and even knives.
Force it up.
Li Jihe was so shocked that he almost called out the "escort". Fortunately, the other party's purpose was very clear. He just wanted to drive away these unkind foreigners, which would prevent the guards from killing him.
Therefore, under the so-called premise of not exposing his identity, the old emperor was driven out of Jiucun in disgrace.
When he walked out of the village, the old emperor's face was very interesting. He couldn't tell whether it was anger or something else. He looked back at this small village in Longgang, thoughtfully.
Calling Wang Qinruo to his side, the old emperor asked softly: "The folk customs here are so fierce, and the people here are so unkind? Do you usually treat guests like this?"
Your Majesty! Wang Qinruo shouted in his heart. Look at the aura of you and your entourage. Do you look like ordinary people?
"This place is so closed that we might have frightened the villagers!" Wang Qinruo said cautiously.
"Really?" The old emperor stared at Wang Qinruo with a little doubt in his tone.
Wang Qinruo couldn't stand the look in his eyes. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "I guess there may be another reason."