When Zhang Shou hurried from Zanghai Courtyard at the foot of the mountain to Maliu Mountain, he received an unexpected and reasonable news. Zhu Ying did as she said, and Zhu Yi did not stop her at all. She had already been
Along with the dull little monk Guantao, a monk Huifa from Wanghai Temple who was said to have had experience drilling holes in the ground, and Zhu Yi, the four of them went down together.
The abbot of Wanghai Temple, De'an, who was personally guarding an tunnel entrance, was an old monk in his fifties. When he saw Zhang Shou coming, he first meticulously relayed Zhu Yi's helpless message.
"The eldest lady said that when she was wandering around the market in Cangzhou, she heard rumors that Taizu's relics were hidden in the secret passage in Maliu Mountain, so she must go down and see for herself."
Zhang Shou was extremely speechless. Zhu Ying had never told him about this! Moreover, even if there were such rumors, it would be the same as saying that there are treasures buried in the mountains and rivers. It is most likely to deceive people by spreading rumors.
Or did he underestimate Zhu Ying's enthusiasm for Taizu's relics? But he didn't see the eldest lady thinking about the few stone tablet fragments he got from Lao Xianyu!
Looking at the dark tunnel entrance, he couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, but then, when he heard what the old monk De'an said, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wanghai Temple has already discovered the tunnels under Maliu Mountain and those places that are prone to collapse, so they ordered people to block them one by one. After all, there were pilgrims and children who went down there in the past and almost got lost, but in the end they finally got there.
It was Ping An who found the person. As for the map, although it is not very detailed, there are sketches. Huifa, who is the guide, is the person who went down to find the child."
Since De'an was fair and upright in the rumors, when he said these words at this time, his attitude was naturally extremely sincere, making it impossible to find any fault with him.
"Although there are many monks in Wanghai Temple, it doesn't matter even if we go down with a dozen or so, but the eldest lady insists on not wanting to go down, and the temple is also worried that there are too many people going down, in case any monk behaves inappropriately and causes her to misunderstand, so I
I didn’t send more people to follow. I also asked Dr. Zhang to relax. The young lady should just have a temporary idea, and she will come up when she finds it boring."
"Originally, the little brother next to the eldest lady suggested that she tie a rope to her arm before going in, so as to prevent getting lost as much as possible, but after learning that the total length of the tunnels in Maliu Mountain was several miles, she finally gave up the idea."
Hearing this, Zhang Shou thought that the word "boring" was indeed a very appropriate comment.
Tunnels are very interesting to watch in images, but very boring when you go there in person. He once visited a famous ruins on the Jizhong Plain, which could walk upright, but the real tunnels... you can tell by looking at the images.
, most of them cannot stand upright. What’s more, no matter how many vents there are, the air will still be turbid...
I really don’t know where the eldest lady got her interest!
In comparison, the tunnels in Zhangyuan in the capital are simply luxurious! It’s really just like in the movies and TV series. Both the secret rooms and the tunnels are all reinforced with blue bricks and giant trees. The underground height is not even high enough for people to walk upright.
, it can even allow three people to stack up to get the top...
However, although his reason told him that there was no need to go down to dig into the ground at this time, Zhu Ying should be safe and sound, and he would be unable to hold back and withdraw after a while. However, after thinking about it, he finally said to De'an, the abbot of Wanghai Temple: "Can you
Could you please ask someone to guide me? I have to go down and have a look. Whether she is acting up or doing something else, since I brought her out, I must bring her back safely."
Zhu Hong, who had just rushed to Zanghai lower court to inform Zhang Shou, was slightly relieved when he heard this.
He had always felt that since his eldest daughter met Zhang Shou, she had completely forgotten what it meant to be reserved as a daughter of a rich man, and fell in desperately without knowing how much sincerity she had given. Therefore, when the eldest young master found him in the first place,
After he went over and vaguely expressed the same concern, he kept his ears open and his eyes wide open.
Fortunately, Zhang Shou doesn't need his attention, because Zhang Shou is obviously more indifferent to fame and wealth than ordinary people, and there is never any sign of wholeheartedly planning his future. As for beauties throwing themselves into his arms... probably because people are very naive at all.
Don't hang out outside, others won't be able to seize this opportunity. What's more, Zhang Shou has an unusual attitude towards a rare and stunningly talented girl like Princess Yongping.
The only thing he needs to worry about is that Zhang Shou is just helplessly conniving Zhu Ying, but in fact he doesn't show much sincerity.
But at this moment, when he saw that Zhang Shou had brought a monk to serve as a guide, and after they entered the tunnel to lead the way, he immediately followed Ah Liu without hesitation. When he hurriedly caught up, he couldn't help but
I thought in my heart, maybe the eldest young master or he is all worrying in vain... Otherwise, with the temperament of the wife and madam at home, how could they let it go?
Although he really didn't want to be a groundhog burrowing in the ground, since he came down, Zhang Shou put aside the messy mood and concentrated on preparing to find someone. However, after bending down and walking along the tunnel for a while, he felt that his waist and
While my neck was feeling a little sore, I suddenly discovered a problem.
In order to save precious oxygen, the four people only lit one lamp. However, when they finally came down and their eyes gradually became familiar with the darkness, he felt that it was not as dark as he thought. Every not so far away, a light appeared.
There are air holes opened high up or on the side that shine out beams of light that are very conspicuous in the darkness. Although the air around is not fresh, at least it is not particularly stuffy.
As he moved forward while holding on to the earth wall, he soon discovered another problem, that is, the tunnel did not look like an ancient project that had been dug for thousands of years and then abandoned due to changing times.
Thinking about the manpower and productivity of the Qi State during the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period, although it was indeed considered wealthy among the six kingdoms, even if they were building large-scale construction on the only commanding heights in this endless plain, is the tunnel in front of them a bit exaggerated?
In the past, tunnels were either used for hiding and transporting troops, or were used to store grain, fodder, ordnance during war, or they were used as weapons to detonate city walls during sieges. This last possibility was only developed after the Song and Yuan Dynasties when gunpowder was used frequently.
.
This is not the Warring States version of tunnel warfare. There is no possibility of guerrilla warfare in this small Maliu Mountain. Why dig a large-scale maze? Once the enemy really hits the mountain, even if you hollow out the entire mountain, it will not be strategically
It’s already lost!
Thinking of this, Zhang Shou frowned slightly. But at this moment, he vaguely heard a sound not far away. He immediately clapped his hands to signal everyone to stop, and then turned around and patted Ah Liu on the shoulder.
The young man behind looked at him and pointed to his ears.
Seeing Ah Liu nodded in understanding, he immediately listened attentively, but Zhang Shou did not give up. He also listened attentively to the movement in front of him, and soon caught a faint sound again. However, the sound seemed to be far away.
Even if he concentrated, he couldn't distinguish whether it was talking or some other movement.
But soon, the young man with good hearing beside him made a judgment: "The sound seemed to be coming from the left side in front, and I heard the eldest lady's voice. It didn't sound like she was in any danger, but she seemed very happy.
?”
She's actually very happy? Well, the eldest lady's interests are really completely different from ordinary people.
Zhang Shou raised a question mark in his mind, and Ah Liu took the opportunity to whisper a few words to the guide monk in front. The next moment, the lean monk turned back and whispered: "If it is on the left in front, you should go to the fork in front.
Take the second intersection...but there are too many forks in the road. Although Wanghai Temple has drawn a map to explore the road, the map is not complete because it is impossible to confirm whether there is a secret passage."
Seemingly aware that the word "secret passage" can easily cause ambiguity, he quickly added: "If it is far away, we can only look forward slowly and not in a hurry. Brother Huifa is a very cautious person. Maybe he will give some advice on the way.
We left a mark."
Zhang Shou did not intend to put pressure on others casually, and immediately said without hesitation: "Okay, I will listen to you. Just lead the way with all your heart."
Zhu Hong, who was left behind, was also groping around for signs as he walked. He even thought about whether Zhu Ying would leave something with her, such as gold hairpins, silver coins, golden melon seeds, etc., to guide the way.
However, when he heard Ah Liu say that he was very happy after hearing Zhu Ying's voice, he was speechless.
In a place where even a grown man like him was a little scared when he walked, fearing that the soil above him would suddenly collapse, Zhu Ying was not only not afraid, but... very happy?
After turning around three or four forked roads, Zhu Hong, who was memorizing the road secretly because he often had twists and turns and was in the dark underground, had lost his direction and could only stagger and follow the person in front. This year has already happened.
At twenty, he was extremely tall, which he had always been proud of in the past, but now he found it extremely inconvenient.
And he looked at the three people in front of him. The monk Huiming who led the way was not tall. Zhang Shou, who was only seventeen years old, had not yet grown up. As for Ah Liu... the eccentric young man was half a head shorter than Zhang Shou.
, so the first three people only needed to bow their heads slightly to move forward in this tunnel, but he almost had to stoop his entire waist.
Fortunately, just when his waist and knees were sore, the voice in front of him suddenly became much clearer, and it was Zhu Ying's voice. Although the voice seemed to be some distance away, his heart was hanging.
Finally let it go.
"Of course I have to take this tablet back, otherwise I have been digging in the ground for so long in vain. Of course, I just listened to the rumors in the market as a story at first. Emperor Taizu rebuilt the tunnels in Maliu Mountain... but you don't think so.
Calculate how long this journey took? Even if the Qi State defended Maliu Mountain and dug tunnels in the mountain to defend against Yan and Zhao, wouldn't it be too long?"
"Of course, it's possible that this monument is not an ancient relic, but was placed here intentionally, and then someone deliberately spread the rumor to me. But so what? Even if I can't understand it, Ah Shou always understands it!"
In a huge underground hall deep underground, Zhu Ying pressed her hand on a simple stone tablet in the center with an unquestionable tone. But at this moment, she suddenly heard Zhu Yi's voice: "Someone is coming!"
Although she didn't know who was coming, Zhu Ying shut her mouth immediately, with a vigilant expression on her face, but then she heard a familiar voice: "Yingying, just come down and look for me.
Whatever you want, you can wait for me. If you kill it first and then report it to the ground, aren't you afraid that I will be hunted down by Brother Zhu when I go back?"
"Why did you come down here?" Zhu Ying suddenly felt indescribably happy, but when she saw Huiming, Zhang Shou, and Ah Liu appearing one by one, the last one was Zhu Hong, she just said angrily, "Zhu Hong, what are you doing?"
Are you making a fuss and forcing Ah Shou to come down to me?"
Zhu Hong only felt that he was more unjust than Dou E, so he could only smile bitterly and said: "It's Mr. Shou who is worried. He wants to come down to find someone."
Of course, he didn't bother to stop him, because he wished Zhang Shou could care more about his eldest lady...
Zhu Ying's face turned slightly red. However, under the dim light, this change in her demeanor was well concealed. She brushed a strand of hair beside her ears and then said slightly angrily: "Ah Shou
You should stay outside so that you can be taken care of, but you are like this, only thinking about others and not caring about yourself at all!"
Zhang Shou suddenly became speechless. Miss, do you have the right to say that to others? After thinking this, he just coughed, and then returned to the topic and said: "Okay, there are too many people in this tunnel, and there will be trouble if there is no air circulation.
, don’t stay here too long, you are in front of us, let’s go quickly.”
Zhu Ying then muttered in an embarrassed voice: "It's easy to go, but there is a tablet here. I saw that the writing on it was similar to the broken tablet that Old Xianyu gave you before, so I wanted to take it back. But Zhu Yi didn't.
It actually says it can’t be carried.”
"I can't carry it... How are we going to get this thing, which weighs at least hundreds of kilograms, out?" Zhu Yi simply didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
He simply threw the problem in front of Zhang Shou, and then gave Ah Liu a sideways glance. Let alone other people, no matter how powerful he was like Ah Liu, even if the old salted fish and the fat man hiding in the sea were exposed,
The monks were brought together. Who said they could carry this monument out?
Sure enough, the next moment, he only heard Ah Liu say: "I can't."
Zhang Shou visually measured the length, width and height of the stele, and then multiplied the density of ordinary rocks, and even if it was smaller, he knew that it would be impossible for all of them to add one piece together, so he simply took the lamp from Huiming's hand.
, he went to the stone tablet and took a photo up and down. When he saw that it was indeed a large number of letters that looked like a book from heaven, he looked at them carefully for a while, and then he was secretly surprised.
When they came in, they didn't find the heavy marks that should have been left on the stone tablets when they were brought in. This showed that the things had been here for some years. However, antiquities with certain ages did not mean they were genuine.
Those letters that don’t form words can’t fool anyone!
So, Zhang Shou simply said with finality: "If you can't move it out, we'll send someone back to make rubbings of the writing first, and then see if we can move the stone tablet. Anyway, such a big thing can't be moved, so let's go first