The weather was sunny on September 27th, and the Emei Moon in the sky was exceptionally bright. A bonfire rose on the grass below, and two tents were set up on both sides of the bonfire. The tents were made of linen soaked in tung oil, which was waterproof and fire-resistant, but in the south
There is a lot of rain, so waterproofing is the first factor.
Zheng Qia and Fang Ling were watching the scenery by a stream, and others were talking by the campfire. Since Zhang Ning had pushed Zheng Qia away, he probably had something to say, and everyone was waiting for him to speak. Unexpectedly, Zhang Ning hit him just as he was about to speak.
He was sneezing, and there was a kind of insect repellent grass burning next to the fire, and the smoke was very thick.
He rubbed his nose and finally said: "Zhao Erhu, you are very admirable for following us for thousands of miles despite your kindness. But you also know that we are a rebel party in the eyes of the court."
Zhao Erhu said hurriedly: "On the way, I learned that after my benefactor became Emperor Jianwen, I would never dare to think that my benefactor was a rebel."
"The righteousness is the righteousness, the reality is the reality." Zhang Ning shook his head and said, "My father is the eldest grandson of Taizu, and the one appointed by Emperor Taizu Gao to inherit the throne. From the perspective of legal principles and patriarchal principles, he is orthodox.
Son of Heaven. But the reality is that after the 'Battle of Nanjing', my father was completely defeated on the battlefield, Yongle seized power by force, and after more than 20 years of stable rule, any righteousness has long been a fart."
No one spoke, even Chunmei didn't dare to say weird things about this kind of thing. Zhang Ning told the truth, but he was originally a prince and now he has become a gangster and criminal, so he should be resentful, but unexpectedly he calmly told the truth
To be honest, it's a bit special.
Zhang Ning looked at Zhao Erhu and said, "You followed me all the way, and I was thinking about this too. I know Erhu is loyal and brave, and is not afraid of death, but you have a family and a house in Xuzhou, how can you bear it if you implicate them?"
These Zhao Erhu couldn't help but lower their eyelids, not daring to look Zhang Ning in the face, and were speechless for a moment. Not long ago, members of Zhang Ning's own family were executed by the government. This kind of thing is really no joke.
Seeing this, Zhang Ning said politely: "So I have come up with two ways for you. First, no favor or righteousness should be eaten. The grudges between us and the current dynasty have little to do with you. If you are wise to protect yourself, you should go home.
Go, I'll give you travel expenses; I'm not afraid that you will report me when you go back, we are rebels to begin with. Secondly, if you sincerely follow me, you have to change your name and get a new identity. Even if you are framed in the future, the government will not be able to find out.
Here are your details...
Wasn't Altar Master Hou of Dasheng Village in Shimen County arrested? The members of his cult members must have been arrested to death. Just say that you are the subordinate of Altar Master Hou and escaped by chance. Isn't that true?
You have a reasonable identity? Only a few of us here know your real details. They are not outsiders. We have agreed to keep it a secret for you tonight. This matter will probably be no problem. Besides, we may not fall into the hands of the imperial government.
Here, if you know now that it will definitely fail, then why are you making a fuss?"
Zhao Erhu thought for a while and said: "What my benefactor said is very true. I am not afraid of death. It is better than being able to bully anyone at home and worrying about hurting my family. When my benefactor said this, I have a way, so I will listen to my benefactor."
If you are a male, it is very appropriate to change your name."
"Then the surname should be good. Isn't the Song Dynasty the only one in the Zhao family? If you pretend to be Song, just call him Song Hu. Anyway, the name Tiger is very common and there are countless people." Zhang Ning looked back and said, "From now on, we will call him Song."
Hu, tell Wang Xiangu soon."
Zhao Erhu clasped his fists and said, "Song Hu thanks his grace for the name."
"Don't call me benefactor from now on. Just follow Lao Xu and the others and call them boss. You will receive fifty taels of silver every year, a share of food and lodging, and rewards for doing things." Zhang Ning said, "But since you are a disciple of Hou Mao,
, I’m afraid that when we get there, people will ask questions, so we have to have the right tone.”
Seeing Song Hu nodding in agreement, Zhang Ning continued: "Let's just say that officers and soldiers suddenly rushed into Dasheng Village. You are not an important believer and are not in the village. You hid when you saw something was wrong. If anyone asks for details, you
It was said that the officers and soldiers first rounded up the congregants and took away the important ones. The rest were killed and their bodies were destroyed without any trace of the crime. Women and children were not spared."
"Ah?" Song Hu said in surprise without paying attention.
Zhang Ning said hurriedly: "The place we are going to is the territory of the anti-evil sect. The people there are all accomplices of Altar Master Hou. Altar Master Hou was arrested by the officers and soldiers, and everyone must be very angry. So we cannot say good things about the officers and soldiers.
Just say that they kill innocent people indiscriminately and do all kinds of evil, and they are bound to make no mistakes. Do you understand?"
"Yes, please remember." Song Hu changed his words at the right time. It was probably because Zhang Ning promised to give him fifty taels of silver a year that he would naturally become a subordinate to take money from others. Fifty-two years of salary is definitely a high salary.
, it is hard to say whether most families can save fifty taels of property in their lifetime. When Song Hu was a soldier, when he was not fighting, not only did he not have military pay, but his family also had to pay for clothing, armor, short weapons, travel expenses, etc.
Zhang Ning nodded and greeted loudly: "The meat porridge is cooked. Mr. Zheng, come over and have a taste."
"I've already smelled the fragrance. Haha." Zheng Qia responded, and then he and Wang Xiangu turned around and walked towards this side.
The girl who followed from Zhu Heng's house diligently took the dishes and chopsticks to the stream to wash up, and she behaved well all the way. I don't know if she is used to this wandering life, but now she can only rely on
Zhang Ning, so he always worked as much as possible to please him.
There is an iron pot on the bonfire, and what is cooked in it is everyone's dinner tonight. It is usually carried on a horse and hay is placed in it, and utensils such as bowls, chopsticks, spoons, etc. are placed in it to avoid damage.
The girl Xiao He scrambled to work, took a bowl and scooped out more than half of the bowl of porridge, scanned Zheng Qia and Zhang Ning with her eyes, then handed it to Zhang Ning with both hands, and said: "Master, be careful of scalding."
I saw a bowl full of sticky green goo. What was this? They brought pancakes and dried meat as dry food, and also picked some weeds and boiled them in water. They added some salt.
It's like this. It doesn't look good, but I think it has food, meat and vegetables, so it should be pretty nutritious.
Zhang Ning took the bowl and handed it to Zheng Qia: "Mr. Zheng eats first."
Zheng Qia hurriedly declined, and Zhang Ning stopped insisting. He picked up the chopsticks and stirred in the bowl, blowing the hot air. There were insects chirping around, tents, and bonfires, which made it feel like camping. If it weren't for the fact that he had so many things on his mind.
Well, this experience is quite fun.
Zhang Ning took a careful sip. It was a bit hot, so he held it in his hand to cool down. He said to Xiao He who was waiting for everyone: "In the large courtyard of Zhu Butang, there is no shortage of silk, silk, good food and good food. You
I see you can only eat mush when you come out with me, and you have to work. Where do you think it’s better to live?”
Xiaohe said without thinking: "It's better to follow my boss."
After hearing this, everyone laughed together for a while, and Zhang Ning said: "It's strange for people to live a good life, but they always have to live a hard life."
Wang Xiangu said softly: "That's not easy. No matter how nice the Zhu Butang family is, they don't treat Xiao He as a human being. The boss treats her well, and she's not stupid."
After hearing this, Zheng Qia stroked his beard with a half-smile and put the bowl on the ground, looking very calm. After a while, Zheng Qia finally said: "Last time the emperor (Jianwen) came down, I don't know why Mr. Ping An didn't go.
Meet?"
After hearing this, Zhang Ning's expression gradually became serious and he replied: "Something urgent happened, that is, Wu Yong wanted to go back to report, and I was delayed in handling the matter. Later, someone still got Wu Yong's secret report to the capital. It would have been early
Knowing this, I didn't bother to care about him, and it was business to rush to see my father."
Zheng Qia pondered for a moment, then slowed down his hand stroking his beard: "The prince was poisoned in the main altar that time. Some people suspected that Mrs. Yao conspired with Ping'an. There is no conclusion yet."
"Then Mr. Zheng thinks I'm really capable of doing something like that?" Zhang Ning said.
Zheng Qia glanced at Xiao He and shook his head: "I don't think so, but... I still want to remind you that this matter cannot be ignored and you must be prepared."
After hearing this, Zhang Ning put down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, Mr. Zheng."
Zheng Qia hurriedly supported him: "I don't want to lean towards any side, I just want to see the emperor's internal affairs be harmonious and reduce unnecessary internal fighting."
Zhang Ning was very respectful, without the airs of a prince, and said a few good words. He judged from the information he knew from all aspects that this Zheng Qia was a very important adviser to Jianwen, otherwise he would not have interfered with the Zhu family's family affairs.
.It is always good to win over this person.
Along the way, Zhang Ning found that Zheng Qia seemed to have a good impression of him, but he didn't know the exact reason. It stands to reason that he had arrested this Zheng Qia before, so he had some grudges. Unexpectedly, this person was pregnant. Maybe Wang Xiangu was in the middle.
Relationship? Wang Xiangu and Zheng Qia seem to have a very good relationship, and they call him Uncle Zheng when they speak.
Everyone had dinner, and several women helped Xiao He wash the pots and dishes. It was good to have women on the way. Zhang Ning and the other men didn't have to do any trivial matters. They just opened their mouths and stretched out their hands when the food came.
Two tents, men and women were separated and then crowded together. The road to Fengxia Mountain was full of barren mountains and wild mountains, so we could only make do with it. After arranging the order of taking turns to watch, everyone fell asleep. The night before, it was Wang Xiangu and Xu Wenjun.
Taking turns, the two men took turns in the second half of the night. "Zhang Ning and Mr. Zheng" said they would not do such a thing. Four men slept together. Zheng Qia and Lao Xu were okay. Song Hu's snoring was like thunder. Several times, Zhang Ning
When I woke up from my dream, I thought it was going to rain heavily due to the thunder.
Early the next morning, everyone got up, ate some dry food, filled water bottles, and continued on their way.
Most of the road to Fengxia Mountain is a rugged mountain road. Sometimes you can ride a Shu horse, but in some areas you have to walk at a very slow speed. Under normal circumstances, it takes five days to get there from the border of Changde Prefecture.
However, Zhang Ning and others had already spent more than three days on the road and were probably not far from their destination.
That uncle, Monk Yao, is very good at choosing places. There are advantages in choosing such a deep mountainous area. Now that the evil cult is in crisis, his place is relatively safe. Even if the officers and soldiers find clues, it will be very troublesome to come and suppress...
However, the disadvantages are also obvious. It is too difficult to go there.