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"It's so steep, walk slowly, don't fall."
Feiying Peak is the highest peak among the mountains in the Western Garden. Emperors of previous dynasties often came here to climb the mountain, so two stone stairways, one for the upper and one for the lower, which can accommodate three people walking side by side, were built on the mountain. There are courtyards at the foot of both mountain roads. There is a pavilion every fifty meters or so along the mountain road, and there is a mountain garden every hundred meters where people can enjoy the scenery, eat and relieve themselves.
Arriving at the foot of the mountain, everyone dismounted and the palace maids waiting there led the horses to the stables one by one.
At noon, the mountain breeze was cool. Emperor Xingwu looked up and took the lead to walk towards the stone steps.
Qingyang had been at his father's side the entire time. He said, "Father, you all just head up the mountain. My third brother and I will take our time so we don't delay you and the other ministers from reaching the summit."
His daughter was too young, and his third son too weak. Emperor Xingwu really didn't want the siblings to slow down the group's climb. Looking at the young men, he said, "Qin Bing, your mission today is to take good care of your younger siblings. You can't abandon them and climb the mountain alone. Otherwise, if they fall or sprain something, I'll punish you by making you climb these stone steps every day."
Qin Bingdu rolled up his sleeves and prepared to rush up the mountain. Upon hearing this, he looked reluctant and said, "My third brother is already grown up, and Zhang Su is with him. The two of them are more than capable of taking care of my sister. Why do they need my help?"
He despised his younger siblings as a burden that hindered his ascent. Qingyang, unwilling to hear his complaints, said, "Father, let Second Brother come with you. Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll walk too slowly and annoy Second Brother. If he gets angry, it'll ruin our leisurely ascent."
Qin Bing felt that his sister was very sensible.
Qin Hong was about to suggest that he take care of his sister, but Emperor Xingwu said, "Alright, then you three can walk slowly, we'll go up first."
Qin Hong could only look at his third brother and sister with regret. To be honest, he would rather fall behind than follow his father.
Emperor Xingwu took care of his youngest son and daughter, as well as young men like Qin Hong. He let this group of young men in their twenties go first, and he and his ministers talked while walking.
The mountain road paved with stone steps meandered up the mountain, and the distance between the three groups of people gradually widened.
After climbing more than seventy steps, Qin Ren began to pant and complain, holding his stomach and asking to sit for a while.
Qingyang also felt tired, but she thought that climbing slowly was also a kind of rest. Since she could still hold on, her third brother was simply lazy again.
"Ignore him and let's continue." Qingyang said to Zhang Su, who was two steps behind her.
Zhang Su was a brave companion who dared to abandon the Third Prince and run away during the martial arts class. Moreover, there was a little princess in front who needed his protection more, so he must follow the little princess instead of being lazy with the Third Prince.
Seeing that the two were really unwilling to rest, Qin Ren propped up his knees and looked around at the overgrown forest. He was afraid that some poisonous insects or snakes would run out and bite him. After shivering twice, Qin Ren had to chase after them.
Arriving at the first pavilion, Qin Ren leaned against the long beauty and shook his finger at the two people standing outside to rest: "You go ahead, I'll go back the same way later. I really can't climb anymore."
Qingyang reached out to Zhang Su.
There were two palace servants serving in the pavilion. Zhang Su went to get a bowl of water and handed it to the little princess with red cheeks.
After drinking the water, Qingyang threatened only once: "I don't care if you slack off normally, but if you can't even climb the mountain I can, it means you've really ruined your health from being lazy. So, for your sake, I will persuade father to replace your rest days for the next two months with martial arts training until you are strong and healthy."
Laziness does not mean weakness. Qingyang does not want a brother who has practiced martial arts for many years but is ultimately powerless. He is not a person who is born weak and sickly.
After the threat, Qingyang continued to move Zhang Su upwards.
Qin Ren sighed painfully, got up and continued to chase!
After walking and stopping several times, when they arrived at the third pavilion, which was 150 meters high, Qingyang saw that in addition to the palace servants, there were four people sitting in the pavilion. They were Duke Chengguo Lu Guangzu, Left Prime Minister Yan Xizheng, Minister of Personnel Yang Zhimin and Minister of Rites Xie Xunwen. Among them, Xie Xunwen, who was only in his fifties, was a talented but neglected old minister of the previous dynasty who was promoted after Emperor Xingwu ascended the throne.
"Greetings, Your Highnesses."
The four of them, who had rested for a while and whose breathing had stabilized, walked out of the pavilion at the same time and saluted the Qingyang brothers and sisters.
The little princess panted and told the four of them to stop greeting each other. Qin Ren landed seven or eight steps away from his sister and Zhang Su. When he looked up, his eyes were blurred by sweat and he couldn't see clearly who was in front of him.
Qingyang was too tired, so she skipped the formalities and went straight into the pavilion. She sat on the side that had just been vacant to rest on the beauty's side. The little princess, who had secretly decided not to let anyone see her ugly appearance, was only nine years old after all. She had forgotten all that by now. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off her face, not caring what others thought.
Qingyang didn't dislike Zhang Su when he was sweating while practicing martial arts. If Zhang Su dared to dislike the way he sweated, Qingyang would not choose him as her husband.
As for the four ministers...
Qingyang tilted his head to look.
Grandfather Lu Guangzu smiled lovingly: "Princess, you are really amazing. You can climb such a high mountain at the age of nine. The four of us are ashamed of ourselves."
Yang Zhimin, a scholarly person, said: "The Emperor often praises the princess for her intelligence, but I never expected her to be so determined. I truly admire her."
Xie Xunwen, his soles aching, said, "When I saw the princess outside Xijing Gate, I thought her climbing a mountain was child's play. I didn't expect her to surpass me and the others so soon. This shows that the princess is truly a goddess sent from heaven. I shouldn't have judged her with the same eyes as an ordinary woman."
Although Yan Xizheng thought that the little princess's perseverance was commendable, he didn't need to praise her to such an extent: "..."
The Left Prime Minister, who often glared at her, neither spoke nor looked at her. The little princess, breathing more steadily, asked directly, "Prime Minister Yan, do you disagree with the three Dukes praising me?"
Yan Xizheng: "...No, I also admire the princess's perseverance."
Qingyang smiled and asked the four of them to sit down before saying, "Actually, I'm not as boastful as you guys make me out to be. I've heard that children from poor families would follow their parents to the fields to do farm work when they were only four or five years old. The wind and sun are a hundred times harder than climbing a mountain. If I complain about climbing a mountain to enjoy the scenery, what difference would that make me say, 'Why don't you eat meat porridge?'"
Lu Guangzu and Yang Zhimin, who had seen the farm children working in the fields with their own eyes, looked at each other and agreed with what the little princess said.
Xie Xunwen was even more surprised that the little princess had such insight.
Yan Xizheng glanced at the third prince who was leaning against the pavilion pillar and breathing heavily, and took a deep look at the hem of the little princess's skirt.
After resting for about a quarter of an hour, Qingyang was ready to set off and invited the four people to join him.
Yan Xizheng took the lead in responding.
He wanted to see whether the little princess had really climbed up all by herself or had asked Zhang Su for help. However, in the last fifty feet to the top of the mountain, the little princess not only did not let Zhang Su support her, but actually walked faster and faster. When Emperor Xingwu and others in the pavilion on the top of the mountain came into view, the little princess ran excitedly.
Emperor Xingwu didn't even look at Yan Xizheng and the others. Seeing his little princess coming up so quickly, he smiled and walked out of the pavilion to greet them. He then lifted up his rosy-cheeked daughter and spun her around high: "Excellent! My daughter is only nine years old, and she has come up here before the illustrious Duke Lu!"
The little princess was extremely tired. She closed her eyes after her father lifted her up. When her father stopped and held her steady, Qingyang opened her eyes and saw the Yellow River on the north side of the mountain. It was like a yellow dragon coming through the mountains in the distance, with its water surging endlessly.
It was the first time for the little princess to stand at such a high place and see such a magnificent view of mountains and rivers. She even forgot to blink.
Emperor Xingwu saw his daughter was fascinated, so he carried her to the edge of the cliff and pointed at the Yellow River. He said, "This thin line on the map is actually this wide, and this is not even the widest part of the Yellow River."
Qingyang nodded.
Emperor Xingwu pointed to the other side of the Yellow River and said, "To the north is Jinzhou. To the west of Jinzhou, with the north-flowing Yellow River as the boundary, is Liangzhou."
Qingyang remembered the map hanging in the imperial study, and remembered that the Yellow River did make several turns between Liangzhou and Jinzhou. However, the big province and river that were clearly visible on the map now looked too far away. She could not even see the big bend of the Yellow River next to Jinzhou.
"Father, when will you take us to Liangzhou? I also want to visit Jinzhou, Jizhou, Liaozhou, Qingzhou, and the southern regions of Yangzhou, Fuzhou, Ganzhou, Jiaozhou, Jingzhou, Qianzhou, Yunzhou, and Yizhou."
At this time, Yan Xizheng, Lu Guangzu and other civil and military ministers were standing behind the imperial daughter. On the contrary, Qin Hong, Qin Bing, Qin Ren, Zhang Heng and other young men respected their elders and formed a sparse half circle behind them.
As the little princess skillfully reported the area outside the capital of Da Qi, some officials praised her intelligence and good memory with smiles and eyes, while some officials lowered their eyes, not knowing what they were thinking about.
Emperor Xingwu was filled with lofty sentiments after hearing his daughter's words. After a moment's thought, he said, "Okay, when I go on my tour of the country, I'll take Lin'er with me!"
.
The father and daughter stayed together on the top of the mountain for a while. When they went down the mountain, Qingyang still let her father and others walk in front, while she and Zhang Su took her third brother and walked slowly behind.
Qingyang was very tired when she was walking up, but she gritted her teeth and persevered. Now when she was walking down, Qingyang found that her legs were shaking, and she could no longer hold on by willpower.
The third brother, who was walking in front, complained about his shaking legs. Without Qingyang asking, she looked at Zhang Su, who was walking in front of her right, and asked, "Are your legs shaking?"
Zhang Su shook his head and asked with concern, "How do you feel, Your Highness?"
Qingyang stood still and said with a bitter face: "I'm shaking and still feeling uncomfortable. Carry me on your back."
Zhang Su immediately squatted in front of the little princess.
Qingyang lay on his back with shaking legs.
Zhang Su hugged the little princess's knees on both sides and stood steadily.
Qingyang looked down from his left shoulder, feeling a little flustered: "It's so steep, walk slowly, don't fall."
Zhang Su: "Yes, Princess, you can take a nap if you are tired. I promise to stand firmly on every step before moving forward."
Qingyang was not sleepy at all. He tilted his head and looked at the forest on one side.
The sunlight above is hot, Zhang Su's broad and hard back is warm, the wind blowing in the face is cool, and the third brother's nagging complaints are breathtaking.
After an unknown amount of time, Qingyang heard his father's voice: "What happened to Lin'er?"
"Your Majesty, the princess is asleep."
"Give it to me."
After his body changed places, Qingyang drowsily opened his eyes, looked at his father's face, and asked, "Where are you taking me, father?"
Emperor Xingwu said lovingly, "It's in the adjacent courtyard. You can sleep inside while your father entertains the ministers outside."
The little princess blinked her eyes and became more alert: "I don't want to sleep, I want to have a feast too."
【Author’s words】
[Three-color cat head][Three-color cat head][Three-color cat head]
100 little red envelopes, see you tomorrow~
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