Surrounded by countless guards, the large army slowly moved up the mountain.
In the team, the accompanying generals rode on horseback every day, training to strengthen their muscles and bones, and all of them walked as fast as flying. The emperor also attached great importance to riding and shooting martial arts on weekdays. No matter how busy he was, he would definitely do a set of boxing exercises to stretch his muscles and bones, and made reservations for this.
To climb Mount Tai, I have never neglected to train my legs and feet since summer and autumn. Today’s climb is like walking on flat ground.
In comparison, the civil servants were much weaker, not to mention the concubines and princesses. Among the princes, the eldest brother and the prince could still keep up with their father's pace. The female family members behind them could not walk for less than half an hour, and they were separated from the emperor and his entourage by a large distance.
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Each person below the third elder brother was accompanied by seven or eight guards. The fifth elder brother and the sixth elder brother were completely carried up the mountain by them in bamboo sedans. As we walked further back, the mountain road became steeper and steeper, and my legs were filled with blood every step of the way.
As if their bodies were made of lead, the female family members were gradually unable to bear the physical strength, and Duan concubine and Bu Guiren had already decided to give up.
In fact, not only were many sentry posts arranged in advance along the way, but bamboo sedans were also arranged for the female family members to sit and be carried up the mountain. However, the Duan concubines felt that this was too tortuous and could not bear it, so they would rather give up halfway. But the children were very excited and sat there.
The sedan did not feel tired and refused to go back with them. After walking for half an hour, I met many civil servants on the roadside, either resting or struggling whether to give up. After all, the emperor was still leaving. They who were ministers could not be like A
The princesses all sit in sedan chairs.
As time went on, there were fewer and fewer people traveling together. When they were approaching Zhongtian Gate, Concubine Rong finally couldn't stand it any longer. Lan Qi persuaded her that her hard work would be in vain if she went down now. Since bamboo sedans had been arranged, every section of the road was covered by bamboo sedans.
It was not too much trouble for the person who took the shift to carry the sedan, so he persuaded her to come up in the sedan with the children. Afterwards, among the concubines, she was the only one still walking on foot, and several people in Huanchun around her were also walking.
None of them were gone. The only people following Lan Qi were the guards and the eunuchs with good legs.
When they arrived at the Zhongtian Gate, Lan Qi saw the emperor waiting there. In fact, when Xuan Ye saw Lan Qi's head popping out of his sight, he didn't dare to believe it. When she slowly walked up to him, he gasped and waved his hands to express his disapproval.
After bowing for a while, I really thought it was her, and said with great surprise: "They told me that many people have gone down the mountain. I thought you couldn't climb up, can you still walk? Why don't you take a sedan chair?"
Lan Qi took a breath, took the water from the guard and drank it. After regaining her energy, she smiled and said: "I just walked step by step, and I came up as I walked. Duanbi and the others have already gone down the mountain, and Sister Rong is behind with the children.
Let’s take a bamboo sedan together, it will probably take some time to arrive.”
While talking, Lan Qi saw the eldest brother and the prince sitting aside tiredly. When Xuan Ye saw it, he said: "I just want to wait and see if anyone else is following, Yinreng, Yinti and the others.
If you don't go up with me, if Brother Si and the others come, let the brothers go up in sedans, they won't be able to walk anymore, they are still children after all."
As Xuan Ye said, this section of the road is hard to climb, but it only reaches the Zhongtian Gate, and after that is the Eighteen Pans. The end of the Eighteen Pans is the Nantian Gate. Only after passing the Nantian Gate can you reach the Jade Emperor Summit, the top of Daishan Mountain.
This is the truly hard and arduous journey. The eldest brother and the prince have followed their father's footsteps to this point, which is the limit.
But the prince and the eldest brother were obviously not convinced, with stubborn expressions on their faces. Lan Qi didn't know if the father and son had said anything before her arrival. Although the two children looked reluctant, they didn't dare to ask their father for permission.
They continued to walk up.
"Can you still leave?" Xuan Ye asked Lan Qi, his tone was concerned, as if he was worried that she was working too hard, but the look of expectation in his eyes made her laugh.
In fact, Lan Qi was extremely tired, and her legs were getting heavier and heavier, but she could still walk if she was asked to do so, but she didn't know when she would be unable to move. And now looking at Xuan Ye's expectant eyes, she couldn't help it.
Yuan stopped and said with a smile: "I have sent you so far, how long have you been waiting for the emperor? So even if eighteen games pass in a while, I can't keep up with you. Please just go ahead."
I’ll just follow you slowly, my concubine.”
Xuan Ye was delighted, but said nothing. He nodded with deep meaning in his eyes, told the guards to prepare to leave again, and then walked over to talk to the prince's eldest brother.
Returning to Lan Qi, the guard presented a pair of dragon and phoenix ebony walking sticks. Ebony, also known as gloomy wood, is a rare treasure. Such a pair of sticks is priceless, and the dragon and phoenix are respectively carved lifelike. I don't know how much effort it took to get such a pair.
Lan Qi has followed the Empress Dowager in these years and has seen many so-called treasures in the world. She also knows what a dark wood is. When Xuan Ye picked up the phoenix staff and stuffed it into her hand, instead of rejecting Long Feng's taboo, he actually said: "Your Majesty
, Aren’t you afraid that such a good thing will be worn out along the way? I’m not willing to prop it up on the ground, so you can ask the guard to pick up a cane or branch, I’ll be able to use it more easily.”
Xuan Ye glared at her and said softly: "You are still so petty after leaving home. I am rich in the world, so why can't I use a pair of sticks? Hold them in your hands and use them. Is the stick more valuable, or your body? As long as you are safe,
Even if you use my hand as a cane?"
The last sentence was so heart-warming that Lan Qi couldn't help but smile. She had forgotten all about Longfeng's taboos and just waited to follow the emperor to slowly ascend to the eighteenth plate.
Walking in the "Slow Eighteen Plate", the distance between the two of them was only a dozen steps. Lan Qi knew that Xuan Ye deliberately slowed down and waited for her. She didn't want to rush to catch up. It was safest to walk slowly step by step.
, unknowingly, he had walked into the "Eighteen Plates of Slowness", and a guard caught up behind him, saying that Concubine Rong and several princes and princesses had arrived at Zhongtian Gate in their sedan chairs, and were going up the mountain with the prince's eldest brother.
Only then did Lan Qi think of the exquisitely carved and graceful phoenix on the cane. Her heart tightened and she hurried a few steps to catch up with the emperor. After catching up, she called out "Your Majesty". She didn't want to walk in a hurry and her feet felt weak.
He missed the step and fell straight down. Fortunately, the guards and eunuchs on his left and right followed him closely, and they were able to help him with their sharp eyesight and quick hands, so he didn't cause a big disaster.
At that time, Xuan Ye was stopping to give instructions to the prince and his party behind him. He saw this scene. Fortunately, Lan Qi was safe and sound. She still managed to smile and told the people around her that it was okay, but he was already angry and waited for Lan Qi to come again.
When he walked up to me, he yelled in a low voice: "Why are you so anxious? Walk slowly, do you hear me? I'll settle the score with you when I get down the mountain."
Lan Qi knew that the person felt sorry for her, so she didn't feel aggrieved, but she immediately raised her cane to show it to Xuan Ye and said seriously: "Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't do this."
Xuan Ye glanced disdainfully: "Why can't you do it?"
"This is a pair of dragon and phoenix..."
"Is it a peacock?" Xuan Ye suddenly interrupted Lan Qi's words, tapped Lan Qi's cane with his own dragon staff and said, "This is a peacock, why can't it be used? Just rest for a while, and then follow slowly.
Come up, I really can’t walk anymore, don’t be brave, I just want you all to be safe.”
"Peacock?" But Lan Qi looked at the wooden carving on the cane carefully and didn't hear what the emperor said at all. She only waited for Xuan Ye to angrily say to her, "If you look at it again, come down the mountain immediately. I asked you to use it.
What do you care about her?"
"But..." Lan Qi still wanted to explain, but when she saw Xuan Ye staring at her, she immediately shut up. The emperor frowned, angry and amused, turned around and walked up the stairs, ignoring her again.
"Your Majesty, let's go too." The guards at the side reminded her. Lan Qi smiled and nodded, and they continued to climb the stone steps together. The guards couldn't help but said, "Although your Majesty walks slowly, she has such a lot of physical strength."
It’s not easy. I thought that the queens and princesses would not be able to climb the mountain if they were traveling in chariots in the deep palace, so I arranged numerous sentries along the way to prepare the queens and princesses to ride in sedan chairs up the mountain.”
Lan Qi herself found it strange, so she thought about what she had been doing in the past few months, and then she remembered that from the end of spring to the beginning of summer, the Empress Dowager would not allow her to ride in a sedan chair, and the journey to and from Yonghe Palace and Cining Palace would be long every day.
She walked by foot, even in the hot summer. At that time, the Empress Dowager only said that she was not looking well and wanted to move around. I wonder if she was thinking about climbing mountains in the future. But in the past few months, she walked in the Forbidden City every day.
Traveling back and forth, I really walked a lot.
Thinking of this, Lan Qi felt warm in her heart and was grateful to the Empress Dowager for all her favoritism towards her.
She knew that the concubines and concubines who were behind them would not be willing to give in, let alone the dizzy and ill emperor. Who didn't want to be by the emperor's side, and who didn't want to accompany him to the top of Mount Tai, but they were more than willing and unable to do so.
Even Lan Qi herself didn't know which step she would stop walking. Now she just gritted her teeth and followed closely step by step. What supported her was the belief that she wanted to be with Xuan Ye.
As the mountain climbed higher and higher, the road became steeper and steeper. After passing through the "Eighteen Slow and Easy Courses", the last "Tight Eighteen Courses" were more dangerous. A guard followed and said that it was too dangerous to get up the sedan chair.
The eldest brother and the prince decided to climb up on foot, while the others retreated to a gentle place to wait for the emperor's order.
While talking, Lan Qi slowly caught up with Xuan Ye. She was already sitting on the stone steps unable to move. However, she heard that the emperor's breathing was getting heavier. She was instructing the guards to ensure that all the elder brothers and princesses
To ensure safety, you don’t have to force yourself if you can’t climb, and you don’t have to obey Princess Brother’s orders. As long as the guards feel it’s too dangerous, they will be sent back down the mountain immediately. If you don’t climb to the top, you must go down before dark.
"Can we still walk?" Lan Qi was panting and drinking water when she suddenly heard a voice behind her, but she didn't dare to look back and said stiffly, "When I saw the way I came, I didn't dare to move for fear of falling."
The mountain road was too steep, and the line of sight was almost vertical at first glance. No wonder Lan Qi was afraid. Xuan Ye asked her to stretch out her hand, held her firmly, then asked her to stand up and turn around, laughing at her: "It's natural to look up when climbing a mountain.
Why are you looking down? What are you afraid of? That is the road you have to walk step by step."
But Lan Qi lamented: "I came here all at once, leaving all the children behind. I'm such a tough girl. In order to win some reputation, I even ignored the children."
Xuan Ye smiled and said: "Everyone is surrounded by countless guards and eunuchs, and the locals select the ones who are the best at mountain climbing. Are they not more reliable than you?"
Lan Qi's face was already full of fatigue, and she said weakly: "Your Majesty, I really can't walk anymore."