There are only a few hundred war horses collected from the south and raised around Qianhu Lake, and the height at the shoulder is less than 1.3 meters.
There are mostly mares, and selective breeding is also done here.
When everyone arrived at the lake, the horse breeder immediately came forward to serve them and brought over twenty docile mares that were not pregnant.
Zhao Han said: "Each of you choose one. If you don't know how to ride a horse, you can learn to ride one."
Sisters Fei Rulan and Fei Rumei each chose a shorter horse. Others followed the same example and chose the shortest horse to ride. Only Concubine Tian chose the strong horse.
When Tian Xiuying saw that none of Zhao Han's concubines could ride a horse, and the men around her who could ride were all male guards, she immediately recommended herself and said, "Come and teach the nobles how to ride a horse."
"Thank you." Fei Rulan replied with a smile.
Even the female officers who followed Zhao Han out each chose their own horses. They listened to Tian Xiuying's guidance and learned by themselves, and the hunting activities instantly turned into driving lessons.
Pan Qimei was short, so she didn't mess around. She took the palace maid to arrange the food. She spread the blanket on the grass by the lake, then took out the food box and dinner plate, and placed a variety of snacks on them.
Liu Rushi's poems are full of chivalry, and he often chants about the war and the iron horse.
Unfortunately, it was all just talk on paper, so she climbed onto the horse's back carefully. Even though there were guards helping to hold the reins, she still felt frightened and held on to the horse's mane with both hands.
The daughter of a butcher, the royal horse supervisor, Yu Julian, a tall and round female official, also rode a horse for the first time.
However, this female hero was not afraid, and immediately turned over and climbed up. Perhaps because the weight was too heavy, the horse did not dare to make a mistake. After letting out a mournful cry, it obediently obeyed Yu Julian's command.
"drive!"
It was the first time You Julian came into contact with a war horse. He simply watched Concubine Tian operate it before riding the horse and running wildly.
Li Xiangjun said with envy: "Sister You is so majestic!"
Li Xiangjun only did a test drive and did not join in the fun. He stayed nearby waiting for orders, and occasionally ran to Pan Qimei to help.
Brother and sister Zhu Cihong and Zhu Yusuo also rode horses and paced carefully.
"Brother, I'm so happy today," Zhu Aao said with a smile, "I haven't been out to play for a long time. I said I had fun in the girls' school, but after all I am not as comfortable as going out of the city."
Zhu Cihong said: "Your Majesty said that after I turn sixteen, I can take the civil service examination. I can make money by doing errands. Then I will move out and bring you with me. I can go out of the city every ten days during the holidays.
Come on, I'll find you a good in-law when the time comes."
Zhu Aelao blushed and said, "I don't want to get married."
While the brother and sister were talking, Zhao Kuanghuan rode his pony and galloped wildly on the grass, frightening his guards out of their wits.
Even Zhao Han didn't expect that this pony could run so fast.
"Your Highness, slow down, don't fall!" The guard stepped forward to catch up.
Zhao Kuanghuan smiled and shouted: "You won't fall, you won't fall. Riding horses here is more fun than at home!"
When Fei Rulan saw this, she quickly shouted: "Zhang'er, come back quickly!"
"Coming, coming." Zhao Kuanghuan slowed down his horse and rode back to his mother slowly.
Fei Rulan ordered his son to dismount, then picked up the riding crop, whipped his son's buttocks, and finally warned: "Children are not allowed to ride fast horses. We will wait until you grow up."
Zhao Kuanghuan felt particularly aggrieved and pursed his lips and said, "Oh."
The beating didn't hurt, so Fei Rulan couldn't bear it. The main reason was that he felt very humiliated by being beaten in public.
Zhao Kuanghuan rubbed his buttocks, got back on the pony, and slowly approached Zhu Cihong and Zhu Aina, as if offering a treasure, and said: "Brother Zhu, sister Zhu, how about I teach you how to ride a horse? I have been learning for a long time, and the teacher praised me for riding well." good."
Zhu Cixi couldn't help laughing: "Okay, you teach us how to ride horses."
Fei Rulan stared at it for a while and found that her son no longer galloped, and finally relaxed and did her own thing.
Fei Rumei didn't seem to have much interest in horseback riding. She ran to the lake and sat down cross-legged: "Qimei, is there anything delicious to eat today?"
Pan Qimei picked up a piece of crispy candy and said, "I just learned the peanut crispy candy."
Fei Rumei took a bite and nodded repeatedly: "It's delicious!"
"I asked the imperial chefs to taste it, and they all said it was delicious, so I dared to cook it for you to eat." Pan Qimei sat aside and watched, as if she was satisfied to see others eating the food she made.
Fei Rumei chewed the peanut cake and sighed: "Oh, it would be great if A Fang is also in Nanjing and we can go out to play together today."
Zhao Zhenfang followed her husband Zheng Sen to Hubei. Zheng Chenggong, a dignified national surnamed father, still followed his father's wishes and became a civil servant.
The elders of the Zheng family seem to hate the ocean deeply. They are all pirates themselves, but they don't want their children and grandchildren to have anything to do with the ocean. All the Zheng family's children are taking the civil service path. If that doesn't work, they can join the army as soldiers, but they can never become the navy. .
Today, Zheng Sen is the magistrate of Qianjiang County.
Zhao Zhenfang wrote a letter two months ago saying that she was pregnant in early spring and asked her brother to give her a name in advance.
"This grass is so soft, I really want to lie down and sleep." Fei Rumei said while touching the grass.
"Then lie down." Pan Qimei actually lay down on the grass, crossed her legs and looked at the sky, completely ignoring her own image.
Fei Rumei looked around and then lay down with a smile, next to Pan Qimei: "The sky is clear and the sun is not shining. I chose the right day to go out today. Oops, the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. , I’m afraid I’ll fall asleep just lying down.”
Zhao Han galloped all the way north on his horse. He was busy with government affairs on weekdays and rarely came out to relax.
This Indian Mawari horse born on Jeju Island was named "Zhui Dian" by Zhao Han. According to legend, this was the name of Qin Shihuang's royal horse.
Standing on a hill, Zhao Han took out his telescope and could see the scenery of Xuanwu Lake.
Pleasure boats and fishing boats are scattered on the lake, and residential houses and shops are lined up around the lake. Further outside, there are rape fields after harvest, as well as large and small vegetable beds. All the vegetables grown here are supplied to the people in the city.
Near noon, smoke rose from many houses and was blown away by the lake breeze.
Pulling the telescope closer to the street by the lake, several vegetable farmers returned from the city. They were carrying empty loads of vegetables after selling them, chatting and laughing along the way, pointing towards the painted boat in the lake from time to time.
A vegetable farmer walked toward Xiaoling. There were many newly dug wine cellars at the foot of the mountain, and they used lake water to make wine on the other side of the front lake.
The vegetable farmer stopped under the wine trick, walked back and forth, and finally took out his bamboo tube and paid for a few taels of newly brewed bad wine.
A child jumped up and ran to the sauce shop by the lake. It was probably a housewife who found out that the soy sauce was gone when she was cooking. The child raised the soy sauce bottle, and the shop owner asked a few questions and then picked it up with a bamboo stick. He was making soy sauce. Halfway through, he turned back to talk to the shop, as if he was quarreling with his husband.
There were also some children around ten years old, carrying schoolbags and coming together to cover themselves. There was a primary school by Xuanwu Lake, and they were all students returning home from school.
The plan to cancel free lunches has been advanced. In several provinces in the south, free lunches are only retained in impoverished mountainous areas.
Most of the students were laughing and playing, chasing each other and running wildly.
There are also those who love learning and recite books along the way on the way out of school.
Suddenly, students, whether they were laughing and playing or walking and memorizing books, all moved out of the way, and many children still covered their mouths and noses.
But it was the farmers who came to the city to collect dung, pushing the dung carts, with joyful smiles on their faces, and in that smile there was hope for a good harvest.
Gradually, the smoke from fishing boats in the lake also rose.
They set up a small stove on the boat and cooked simple and convenient food. Most of the time they made do with a bowl of noodles. If there was a cook, they would take time to cast two nets before the rice was cooked.
The lake wind blew ripples, and the sun shone down on the lake. The fishing net was spread very round, and when the net was covered, the waves suddenly scattered into stars.
"Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for dinner." Guard Captain Zhu Youdong reminded.
Zhao Han pointed to the distance, turned around and said with a smile: "This is much more interesting than hunting. I will never tire of watching it. It's a pity that Zhang Zeduan is not there."
Zhu Youdong was born in the Ming Dynasty clan, so he naturally understood what he heard and asked: "Your Majesty, do you want to find a painter?"
"How can you find a painter by yourself? The world is stable and prosperous, and painters will appear." Zhao Hanle turned his horse's head, whipped his whip and shouted, "Drive!"
Zhu Youdong scratched his head and couldn't help but look down the mountain a few times.
Everyone sat down on the east bank of Qianhu. In addition to pastries, they also prepared rice and dishes. They were just waiting for Zhao Han to come over and use their chopsticks.
Zhao Han jumped off the horse, walked over and said, "Let's have dinner."
Even so, everyone had to wait for him to pick up the chopsticks before everyone dared to follow him.
During the meal, Fei Rulan said: "If your husband wants to hunt, you can go in the afternoon, and we sisters can play by the lake."
Zhao Han smiled and said: "This early summer is not the hunting season. It's just a way to relax."
Fei Rulan said: "I have inquired about it and found that there are a lot of prey around here. There are especially many wild boars. Even the observatory on the top of the mountain is often attacked by wild boars."
The entire Purple Mountain is enclosed by the outer city wall of Nanjing. It is very rare for a big city with a population of one million to have wild boars overrun the mountain.
There is no other way. Xiaoling Mausoleum is a restricted area of the Ming Dynasty, and ordinary people dare not come in. The wild animals nearby have multiplied for three hundred years.
The troops stationed at Xiaoling Guard occasionally went to hunt some game. However, there were not many troops left guarding the mausoleum. Many military households became serfs and were assigned to cultivate the nearby military fields. The hereditary generals of the Ming Dynasty even gave them to Zhu Yuanzhang.
The troops guarding the mausoleum dare to use it for personal use, and they dare to find ways to make money from their empty pay!
After lunch, Zhao Han decided to give it a try. He picked up the flintlock gun and mounted his horse. He also asked with a smile: "Who wants to hunt? Let's go together. There are many people and it will be lively."
"Your Majesty, I would like to accompany you to help the fun!" You Julian said, patting her chest.
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to go!" said another female official who was a missionary.
Concubine Tian thought it was an opportunity to gain the emperor's appreciation, so she said, "Your Majesty, common girls have hunted before."
"Then let's all go together." Zhao Han said.
Concubine Tian chose a strong horse. She bent down to tie her skirt, stepped on the stirrups and climbed up. Her light body seemed to be dancing.
Zhao Han praised: "What a skill! Give her a horse bow."
