The direction from Beijing to Tianjin is crowded with people, crowded, shoulder to shoulder, and very lively.
With the restlessness of the crowd in front, people waiting to see the whales in the back could not help but stand on their tiptoes, wanting to see further. Some children were even riding on the shoulders of their parents, which seemed
Very excited.
"Here it comes~ Here it comes, what a big fish. It is indeed the Kunpeng in the sea. It is a divine creature. No wonder it has many incredible magical effects."
"It's really big. It's as big as a house. I'm afraid it can eat dozens of people in one bite, right?"
"Tsk, tsk, hundreds of people are pulling this big whale, I'm afraid it weighs no less than 100,000 jins."
Various sounds came from the front, making people here in Dongzhimen who had not seen whales even more curious, feeling like a cat's claws scratching their hearts.
"Brother, have you seen a whale?"
"How big is this whale?"
"Friend, is this whale a fish?"
"Why haven't you come yet?"
The people at the back couldn't see it and were very curious, so they could only keep asking the people in front. In fact, most of the people in the front hadn't seen the whale yet.
Because this time the streets were really deserted, and almost all the old and young men who had nothing to do in the capital came out to join in the fun. At this time, the team transporting whales was still several miles away from Dongzhimen, so there were many people on this road.
Watch, a long dragon formed.
This person-to-person spread of news is much, much faster than the speed of whales.
"Heyyo~Heyyo~"
On the spacious cement road of the Beijing-Tianjin line, the team transporting whales shouted neat chants and moved forward very slowly. Hundreds of strong men dragging ropes were all sweating and looked very tired.
It was really not easy to transport this behemoth, which weighed more than 100,000 kilograms, from Tianjin to the capital. Fortunately, Zhu Houzhao was generous and the wages were very high. It was a bit tiring, but everyone worked very energetically.
Especially since I was about to arrive in Beijing, I saw that I would be able to complete the task soon and get my wages, so I walked faster, not to mention that at this time, the roads on both sides of the cement road were already filled with crowds of people watching, one after another.
The layers, from low to high, are like two long huge human walls, and even the big trees are full of people watching the fun.
"Haha, there are so many people, it's really lively now."
Zhu Hou, who was riding on a tall horse, looked at the crowds on both sides of the road. He couldn't help but raise his head slightly proudly. At this moment, he felt like a general returning in triumph, enjoying the sight of thousands of people.
of attention.
As for Liu Jin, he naturally hid in the carriage behind him. It was better to leave such a limelight to others. He didn't like to be in such limelight. Keeping a low profile and developing in a wretched way was the right way.
"Everyone, please work harder. When you arrive in the capital, your wages will be doubled."
Zhu Houzhao, who was in a great mood, was eager to return home. He wished he could transport this big whale to the palace now so that his father, the emperor and his mother could take a good look at it and taste the whale. Therefore, Zhu Houzhao also said loudly
Said the hundreds of people pulling the whale.
"Heyyo~Heyyo~"
The charm of money is naturally endless. This time Zhu Houzhao offered a high price of one tael of silver to these hundreds of people for transporting whales to Beijing.
Now that wages have doubled, it means that after the whale arrives in Beijing, everyone will receive at least two taels of silver. For people like them at the bottom, two taels of silver is tantamount to a huge sum of money and a windfall.
, it’s a windfall to be able to build a house, marry a wife and do big things.
So when these hundreds of people shouted chants, they all became more orderly and loud.
"This Zhu Houzhao~"
In the carriage behind, Liu Jin couldn't help but shake his head slightly when he heard Zhu Houzhao's words.
“What a big whale~”
"This whale is really too big~"
As the whale moved forward, people on both sides of the road who saw the whale couldn't help but widen their eyes, open their mouths, and marveled in admiration.
No matter who sees such a huge whale for the first time, he will be deeply shocked by its size, especially in this era of limited information.
The whale kept moving forward, and people on both sides of the road kept following behind. Soon, a torrent formed on the spacious cement road. Crowds of people moved toward the capital in a mighty way. They wanted to continue to follow.
Take a look and join in the fun.
Some bold and naughty children ran directly to the whale, wanting to see it more carefully, and even wanted to touch the whale. However, adults are naturally indispensable for such children who hinder their work.
He scolded and even hit the other person on the head.
This concrete road is extremely busy. It is the main link between Beijing and Tianjin. It has always been busy with traffic and people. But now, it is completely paralyzed and becomes extremely congested. Behind it, a large number of carriages, pedestrians, etc. have to go.
Stop and only move forward slowly.
"Why haven't you come yet?"
At Dongzhimen, Emperor Hongzhi waited and waited, but still didn't see the shadow of the whale, and asked impatiently.
"Listening to the sound in front, this whale must be moving fast."
Xiao Jing looked at a small yellow door behind him, and the other party immediately understood and ran to see how far away the whale was, while Xiao Jing waited patiently with Emperor Hongzhi.
Xiaohuangmen very considerately found a chair so that Emperor Hongzhi could sit down and wait.
The wait lasted for nearly half an hour. Gradually, a loud and uniform chant came, making the people in Dongzhimen extremely alarmed.
Some people in the trees were the first to see the big whale on the concrete road, and they kept exclaiming, making those who didn't see it become restless, constantly stepping on their feet or pushing forward, wanting to see the big whale.
.
"Master, here we come, here we come."
Xiao Huangmen hurriedly ran back to report the news to Emperor Hongzhi.
Soon, at a corner of the cement road ahead, accompanied by the sound of chants, a shirtless and sweaty strong man appeared, dragging the rope with great difficulty.
As the first strong man appeared, more similarly dressed men soon appeared, and then the entire road suddenly became congested. Hundreds of strong men lined up in several rows on the concrete road.
go ahead.
Everyone looked very strenuous and tired, as if they were dragging a big mountain behind them. This made the crowd at Dongzhimen even more excited and widened their eyes, for fear of missing this wonderful event.
moment.
The same was true for Emperor Hongzhi. He could no longer sit still at this time. When he stood up, his position was naturally very good. He could see it at a glance, and no one in front blocked his view.
"Heyyo~Heyyo~"
Accompanied by the sound of neat chants, a huge body vaguely appeared in the field of vision. This body was so huge that it was as huge as the hillsides on both sides of the cement road. When looking at it from a distance, it looked like...
It's like a small mountain moving.
"this……"
Emperor Hongzhi widened his eyes, even he was no longer calm.
Soon, the huge whale appeared completely in everyone's field of vision. Its body was so huge that it was like a house or a hill, almost blocking the entire spacious cement road.
There were hundreds of people in front of us struggling to pull the car, and there were also a large number of people on the side holding logs to continuously pave the road, forming a tight cycle and extremely busy.
"Is this a whale?"
"It really lives up to its name and is truly a divine thing."
Seeing such a huge whale, Emperor Hongzhi was also deeply shocked.
Although I have read a detailed introduction in the memorial, you can only understand the hugeness of the whale when you actually see it with your own eyes.
Next to this huge whale, the busy figures look like little ones, and it feels like a group of little people are busy.
It's not that people have become smaller, it's that the whales around us are too big. Compared with the whales, everything has become very small.
Even the horse Zhu Houzhao rides on the side looks very small, giving the impression that the horse is not big enough for the whale, let alone the people on the side.
"Kunpeng in the sea~"
Even Xiao Jing was dumbfounded at this time.
As for the melon-eating people watching the excitement at Dongzhimen who didn't know the truth, they were naturally amazed. There are various legends about whales, the biggest of which is naturally that this whale is huge and is the Kunpeng in the sea.
It is said that it is three thousand miles long, and it can reach ninety thousand miles at a rapid pace.
It is said to be miraculous, and it is said that the whales in the sea can cover the sky and the sun.
Now I have seen a whale. Although the legend is exaggerated, such a huge whale is enough to shock people.
"Heyyo~Heyyo~"
Hundreds of strong men pulled the whale and walked towards Dongzhimen step by step. The crowd of onlookers became more restless, and they were discussing with their acquaintances while watching.
Soon, the big whale came to the huge open space outside the Dongzhimen city gate and stopped here, because Zhu Houzhao found that the whale seemed to be too big, and there was no way to enter the capital directly through the city gate.
"Who built this city gate in the first place?"
"This city gate is also too small and too narrow."
Zhu Houzhao rode his horse to the city gate. He looked at the city gate and then at his big whale. He suddenly felt very unhappy. He finally transported the big whale from Tianjin to the capital.
Seeing that he was on the last step, the whale was unable to enter the city. He angrily said to Liu Jin behind him: "You bitch, hurry up and have this city wall demolished for me. These walls are really in the way."
"Master~ Master, this is the city wall of the capital."
When Liu Jin heard this, he was sweating profusely. Zhu Houzhao was really capable of doing anything. He even demolished the city wall just for the whale to enter the city. He didn't dare to do this, otherwise he would really lose his head.
Yes, so he reminded me weakly.
"What happened to the walls of the capital?"
"Didn't you see that there is no city wall at all in Tianjin New Town?"
"There's not much difference since there's no city wall."
Zhu Houzhao glared at Liu Jin and said very dissatisfied.
"Sir, you really can't do this. The capital is still the center of the Ming Dynasty. Without the city wall, wouldn't it be too dangerous? If bandits attack, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger."
Liu Jin shook his head helplessly and said.
"You piece of shit, you are really useless."
"This city wall cannot be demolished, so how can my brave whale general capitalize on it?"
"If you can't enter the city, how can I give it to my father as a gift?"
Zhu Houzhao got off his horse and kicked Liu Jindao hard.
"Son~"
Liu Jin was very aggrieved, and the blame was placed on herself. She was kicked by Zhu Houzhao but did not dare to move.
At this moment, someone hurriedly came over and said to Zhu Houzhao: "Your Highness, Your Majesty, please come over."
"Father is here?"
When Zhu Houzhao heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly followed him, and soon came to Emperor Hongzhi's side.
"Father...Dad~"
Zhu Houzhao was in a good mood when he saw Emperor Hongzhi, but when he saw him coming out in plain clothes, he quickly changed his words.
"You still know about coming back?"
When Emperor Hongzhi saw Zhu Houzhao's playful smile, he couldn't help but want to slap him, so he said with a sullen face.
"Dad~ I haven't been out for a few days~"
Zhu Houzhao curled his lips and said indifferently.
"If you don't sit down in the hall if you have a body of a thousand pieces of gold, has this Yang Tinghe taught you?"
Emperor Hongzhi glared at Zhu Houzhao and asked.
"...I just went out to hunt whales. It was nothing. I came back in one day. There was no danger at all."
Zhu Houzhao looked at the sky, then at his big whale, and said nonchalantly.
"Hmph~ I'll take good care of you when I get back."
Emperor Hongzhi snorted coldly, he was his son after all, and now he was in public, otherwise Zhu Houzhao would definitely be reprimanded severely.
"Dad, have you seen this whale? Is it big?"
Zhu Houzhao didn't take Emperor Hongzhi's threat seriously at all. He was just locked up for a few days and scolded. He had nothing to be afraid of, so he rolled his eyes and asked with a playful smile.
"Well, it's very big. What's wrong?"
Emperor Hongzhi sighed slightly in his heart. He was the son and had nothing to do. There was no way. Who asked him to be the only son? Other emperors were afraid that their sons would seize power. He hoped that Zhu Houzhao could grow up soon.
Don't let yourself worry.
"Dad, I personally hunted this whale. I killed it with one shot."
Zhu Houzhao showed off proudly, as if he had done something extremely remarkable. While talking, he looked at Emperor Hongzhi, as if he wanted to be praised by Emperor Hongzhi.
"The bravery of an ordinary man is nothing worth showing off."
Emperor Hongzhi naturally had an attitude of being nothing special.
"Dad, I heard that this whale has many miraculous effects, so I went out to sea to hunt whales and gave it to you and mother first."
Zhu Houzhao curled his lips, thought for a while and then said.
"As long as you have this intention, there is no need to take risks yourself. If your mother knew about it, she would definitely be worried again."
Emperor Hongzhi looked much better when he heard this. Although Zhu Houzhao was a little willful, he was indeed a filial son, and the relationship between father and son was still very good.
"Dad, let's tear down this city wall, otherwise this big whale won't be able to enter the city."
When Zhu Houzhao noticed that Emperor Hongzhi's face improved, he immediately climbed up the pole.
"Nonsense, how can this city wall be demolished?"
When Emperor Hongzhi heard this, he immediately straightened his face, and then thought for a moment and said: "It's good if you have this intention. I also saw this big whale, so let's just dismember it here. There are so many people coming to see it.