Chapter 23 Zhu Cihao appears out of thin air

It was still early and the sun was just halfway up from the east. A group of dozens of riders came to the outside of Yiwulu Mountain covered with dust.

The leader was wearing a brocade robe and a golden crown, with a handsome face and piercing eyes. He rides a white horse and hangs an ancient sword. Although his face looks tired and tired, he is not very old.

About sixteen or seventeen years old.

The knights all around are tall and majestic. There are only dozens of knights, but there is a hint of majesty lingering.

"Your Majesty, the disciple of Zhuangshi Zhao must be in Yiwulu Mountain."

Beside the young man, a clear middle-aged man looked at the mountains in front of him and said respectfully: "That Zhao Zhuangshi's footsteps are extraordinary, and even ordinary war horses can't reach them. The surveillance sent by Hong Chengchou lost Zhao Zhuangshi's position early. Traces. But based on some traces left along the way, I came to an inference."

When the young man heard this, he couldn't help but look at the rolling mountains and nodded slightly.

Although he is young, the look in his eyes is quite mature and steady.

Said: "However, although Yiwulu Mountain is not a famous mountain, it still stretches for hundreds of miles. To find a person in it, isn't it like looking for a needle in a haystack?"

But after thinking about it, his eyes lit up and he said: "Didn't Hong Chengchou say that Zhao Zhuangshi wanted to go back to the mountain to practice Taoism? There must be a Taoist temple in the mountain. Come on, spread out and search the mountain. There must be refugees in this mountain. People, some of them must know."

"Your Highness is wise!"

So dozens of riders dispersed into Yiwulu Mountain in an orderly manner.

The young man in brocade robes was the only one left beside the grove, and there were ten guards.

The man who spoke before said: "The sun is about to rise now, which is when Qiu Laohu looks back. The weather is too hot. Your Highness's daughter's son, why not find a shady place to rest first."

When the young man heard this, he couldn't help but laugh: "I know what you mean. Don't worry. Although this place is poisoned by Jian Nu, it is my Ming Dynasty after all. Besides, after Zhao Zhuangshi killed a lot, Jian Nu was already frightened. It’s too late to retreat now, so how dare you come here in such a big way?”

When the man heard this, he immediately shut up.

The young man added: "Just rest by the forest and wait for news."

After saying this, he turned over and dismounted, strolling leisurely in the courtyard, looking like a dragon and a tiger. He doesn't look like a coward with his fingers wet with spring water. Instead, he looks tall and handsome.

Just sitting on the ground under a tree.

I didn't realize that the dust on the ground had stained the brocade robe, but it was quite down-to-earth.

When the remaining ten people saw this, the one who spoke took two people with him. The remaining seven people scattered and hid themselves in the surroundings.

Leaning his back against the tree trunk, the young man in brocade robe suddenly sighed: "The Ming Dynasty has been weak for a long time. It was at a time when slavery was rampant and natural disasters were frequent. Everyone in the court was fighting for power and profit. They ignored all the people in the world. My father worked hard, but Gao Gao Sitting on the golden throne, it is inevitable that I will be deceived by the people below. I often lament that the current situation is difficult, for fear that I will not be able to turn the tide."

"Your Highness has great ambitions, and we will follow you to the death!"

The expressions of several people around him were calm, showing a sacred look. A great spirit of moral responsibility emerged spontaneously.

"I know you are loyal." The young man in brocade robes smiled and said, "But you and I are both mortals with limited strength and wisdom. This country is in such a state of decay, how difficult is it to restore the situation?"

Speaking of this, the young man in brocade robes suddenly showed a relaxed look: "It is rare that God will not give up and send down such warriors to defeat Jiannu in one battle. If Zhao Warrior can work together with me, why worry that the world cannot be settled?"

Several people around him looked at each other. Although they agreed in their hearts, they also wanted to compete for the top spot.

The man said: "Although Zhao Zhuangshi is brave, he is only one person after all. Your Highness has mountains and rivers in his heart, and Zhao Zhuangshi will be happy to help you."

"hope so."

...

Yesterday I rushed back to Qingyun Temple and chatted with Master for half the night. Many knots in my heart were resolved.

So Zhao Yu planned to go down the mountain today to give Hong Chengchou a positive answer.

To Zhao Yu himself, shining brightly on the family line and carrying on the family line had no appeal. Neither power nor beauty is as important in his heart as Qingyun Temple, nor as important as performing filial piety under the master's knees.

But after all, I have to give an explanation to my deceased parents.

The Zhao family cannot be cut off in his generation.

It's probably a duty.

Duty as a man, duty as a son of man.

Up early in the morning, Zhao Yu went into the mountains, drove for dozens of miles, and brought back a sika deer. I was in the kitchen, working on it for a while, and cooked a good meal.

When he saw the sun jumping out from behind Yiwu Lu Mountain, Zhao Yu was finally leaving.

Facing Master, I seemed to have a thousand words to say, but I didn't know what to say.

Old Taoist Qingyun smiled slightly: "Idiot."

Then he said: "Go."

Zhao Yu took a deep breath, knelt in front of the master, bowed three times, turned around and walked out of the Taoist temple door, but heard a shout in his ears.

Standing on the cliff and looking down, I saw a group of dozens of people climbing the mountain road towards the Taoist temple.

Zhao Yu was somewhat familiar with the leaders, they were from the village at the foot of the mountain.

Those behind are all unfamiliar faces.

Zhao Yu's eyesight was very sharp. When he took a closer look, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly.

Taoist Qingyun also heard the shouting and came out of the temple. At a glance, he couldn't help but said: "This is extraordinary."

Zhao Yu also saw it.

Those dozens of people were all tall and athletic. And his actions are very measured. Even on the hiking trails, some traces can be seen.

Zhao Yu had never seen a team of such quality even in Hong Chengchou's army.

Taoist Qingyun laughed and said, "The person looking for you is here."

Zhao Yu nodded lightly.

He didn't plan to go down the mountain directly, so he stood outside the gate with his master behind his back.

After a while, the group finally came closer.

The leaders shouted from a distance: "Taoist Priest Qingyun, Taoist Priest Zhao Yu, there are noble people here to look for you!"

The time to speak is right in front of you.

Zhao Yu looked directly past the people leading the way and landed on the young man in brocade robes.

With just one glance, Zhao Yu felt that there was something special about this boy. It's not his noble aura, nor his possible identity, nor his heroic appearance, it's just a vague feeling.

This man is extraordinary!

A hint of suspicion flashed in Zhao Yu's eyes.

Taoist Qingyun stepped forward, bowed his head, and said with a smile: "Where did this noble man come from to find himself in the mountains and fields? It really makes the Taoist feel uneasy."

I saw the young man in brocade robes step forward, bowed his hands, and bowed deeply: "Elder, you are polite. My surname is Zhu, and I have come from the capital just to find Zhao Yu, a strong man."

Taoist Qingyun sighed in his heart, and lifted up the young man in brocade robes with a flick of his sleeves. He didn't even dare to say anything, but said with a smile: "I don't know what the honor of a noble man comes to seek for an old Taoist scoundrel?"

The young man straightened up, his eyes were bright, and he showed an extraordinary heroic appearance, and said: "Zhao Zhuangshi has solved the crisis of the Ming Dynasty. If he doesn't come in person, it is not enough to express his feelings."

"Secondly, Zhao Zhuangshi's talents should be used to correct chaos and help the world."

Having said this, the young man looked at Zhao Yu who was standing aside, bowed deeply, and said with great sincerity: "The little king Zhu Cihao is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. I am looking for Zhuangshi Zhao today, and I sincerely ask Zhuangshi Zhao to come out, help those in need, and help the Ming Dynasty!"

"It's actually the prince in front of you!"

Taoist Qingyun showed a look of surprise in his eyes. Zhao Yu on the side was also surprised. No one expected that the Prince of Ming Dynasty had traveled thousands of miles to come in person.

Taoist Qingyun bowed his head and said, "The sincerity of the prince is known to both master and disciple."

Then he looked at Zhao Yu: "How you choose depends on yourself."

Since Zhao Yu decided to go down the mountain and fulfill his "obligation" to honor his family and carry on the family lineage, he would not refuse. What's more, the prince of Ming Dynasty came to invite him in person?

Face and money are all there.

There is no reason to refuse.

However, Zhao Yu planned to explain the matter clearly first, not to say that he was unforeseen.

He said: "His Royal Highness comes personally, I cannot refuse."

Zhu Cihao then said seriously: "Whatever Zhuangshi Zhao has to ask for, feel free to ask for it."

Zhao Yu then said: "Master Hong once said something to me, which made me feel something. My parents are both dead, and I am the only one. If I spend my life practicing Taoism in the mountains, it would be unfilial. Therefore, I came out of the mountains this time. In order to carry on the family line and prevent the Zhao family from being cut off from me. The two of them will shine on the lintel and make my parents’ spirits in heaven rest in peace.”

When Zhu Cihao heard this, he felt that Zhuangshi Zhao was indeed a straight man. The beauty and power mentioned seemed to be obligations, and they were completely ignored.

However, this Zhao Zhuangshi is indeed not an ordinary person. Extraordinary people do extraordinary things, and it's natural.

Then he said with a smile: "Zhao Zhuangshi helped the army to defeat the slaves, and he has done a great job. My father will definitely give me a heavy reward when I enter the capital this time. It is not a problem to shine on the lintel."

He added: "As for carrying on the family line - the Ming Dynasty is thousands of miles away, no matter what kind of beauty, as long as Zhao Zhuangshi likes it, Xiao Wang promises to arrange marriage for Zhao Zhuangshi!"

Zhao Yu nodded lightly: "In that case, I will obey His Highness's orders. However, His Highness must be informed that if one day I want to return to the mountain to practice Taoism, Your Highness must not be able to stop me."

Regardless of the conditions, Zhu Cihao just nodded in agreement as long as Zhao Yu agreed.

So he went down the mountain.

All the way southwest, heading towards the capital.

This journey lasted half a month. Along the way, Zhao Yu gained a deeper understanding of Zhu Cihao, a very special prince among his inspirations.

Zhu Cihao is only fifteen years old, but he has scriptures and history in his chest and armored soldiers in his belly.

The spirit is extraordinary.

Being courageous, decisive, and capable, treating others and acting according to the rules are all natural. People can't help but get close.

Such a person is also a prince. Zhao Yu seems that if he ascends the throne and becomes emperor, he must be the master of ZTE. It’s even hard to say what his achievements are.

At the same time, Zhao Yu also learned something about the prince.

Zhu Cihao has shown an extraordinary side since he was a child. On the one hand, he was very popular with the emperor and empress, and on the other hand, he gradually established his own team.

And find a balance point, not touching the emperor's cordon, but also strengthening one's own strength.

By now, the fifteen-year-old prince had hundreds of loyal followers. Among them, there are those who are good at military strategy, some who are good at planning, and some who are good at politics. They have all kinds of talents, almost everything, and they are extremely loyal to him!

From the behavior of the dozens of people accompanying him along the way, Zhao Yu could tell something.

So I was amazed in my heart - this prince is indeed an extraordinary person!

Seeing the arrival of the capital, the prince said to Zhao Yu: "Before, I kept a low profile and cultivated talents who can truly govern the country outside the eyes and ears of others. As a result, everyone in the world knows the prince, but they don't know what the prince is like."

Zhao Yu said: "Now His Royal Highness plans to step onto the stage?"

Zhu Cihao sighed: "I have to go to the front desk. If it's a few years later, I'm afraid there will be no cure."

Zhao Yu nodded silently and said: "If you become the emperor, you will definitely be a benefit to the world. I only need to meet my needs when I come here. For everything else, I will follow His Highness' orders."