I

The war horses collected from the south are only a few hundred horses, and the height at the shoulder is less than 1.3 meters.

Most of them are mares, and selective breeding is also carried out here.

When everyone came to the lake, the horse breeder immediately stepped forward to serve them, and brought more than 20 docile mares who were not pregnant.

Zhao Han said: "Choose one horse each. If you don't know how to ride a horse, you can learn."

Fei Rulan and Fei Rumei each chose a shorter horse. The others followed suit, and they all chose the shortest horse. Only Concubine Tian Gui chose the vigorous horse.

Tian Xiuying saw that none of Zhao Han's concubines could ride horses, and the surrounding men who could ride horses were all male guards, so she immediately recommended herself and said, "Ministers, come and teach you nobles how to ride horses."

"Thank you." Fei Rulan replied with a smile.

Even the female officials who went out with Zhao Han also chose their own horses. They listened to Tian Xiuying's guidance and learned by themselves. Hunting activities instantly turned into driving school lectures.

Pan Qimei was already short, so she didn't bother to meddle, and led the maids to arrange the food. Just spread out the blanket on the grass by the lake, then take out the food box and dinner plate, and put a variety of snacks on it.

Liu Rushi's poems are full of chivalry, and he often recites gold and iron horses.

It's a pity that it was all on paper, and she climbed onto the horse carefully. Even with the guards helping to hold the reins, he still felt terrified, pulling the horse's mane tightly with both hands.

You Julian, the butcher's daughter, the imperial horse inspector, and a female official with big arms and round waists, is also riding a horse for the first time.

This heroine was happy and unafraid, she rolled over and climbed up. It might be because the weight was too heavy, the horse didn't dare to make a mistake, after a cry of mourning, it obediently obeyed You Julian's command.

"drive!"

It was the first time You Julian came into contact with war horses, she only watched Concubine Tian Gui operating it once, and then started galloping on the horse herself.

Li Xiangjun enviously said: "Sister You is really majestic!"

Li Xiangjun only had a test drive, and didn't join in the fun. He stood by and waited for orders, and occasionally went to Pan Qimei's place to help.

Brothers and sisters Zhu Cihong and Zhu Yuxi also rode horses and paced carefully.

"Brother, I'm really happy today," Auntie Zhu said with a smile, "It's been a long time since I came out to play. Although I had fun at the girls' school, it's not as comfortable as going out of the city."

Zhu Cihong said: "Your Majesty said that when I am sixteen years old, I can go to the official examination. If I have an errand, I can make money. When the time comes, I will move out and bring you here. Every ten-day holiday, I can go out of the city. Play, I will find you a good husband's family when the time comes."

Auntie Zhu blushed and said, "I'm not going to marry."

While the siblings were talking, Zhao Kuanghuan rode his pony and galloped across the grass, scaring his guards out of their wits.

Even Zhao Han didn't expect that the pony would be so fast when it really ran.

"Your Highness, slow down, don't fall!" The guard stepped forward to catch up.

Zhao Kuanghuan laughed and shouted: "I won't fall, I won't fall, riding a horse here is more fun than at home!"

Seeing this, Fei Rulan also quickly shouted: "Jun'er, come back quickly!"

"Here we come, we come." Zhao Kuanghuan slowed down his horse, and slowly rode back to his mother.

Fei Rulan ordered his son to get off the horse, then picked up the whip, and slapped his son's buttocks, and finally warned: "Children are not allowed to ride fast horses, wait until you grow up."

Zhao Kuanghuan was particularly aggrieved, pouted and said, "Oh."

It didn't hurt, Fei Rulan couldn't bear it, mainly because of being beaten in public, this kid felt very humiliated.

Zhao Kuanghuan rubbed his buttocks, got on the pony again, approached Zhu Cihuang and Zhu Yuxi slowly, and said like offering a treasure: "Brother Zhu, sister Zhu, how about I teach you how to ride a horse? I have learned it for a long time, and the teachers all praised me for riding a horse." good."

Zhu Cihong couldn't help laughing: "Okay, you teach us how to ride a horse."

Fei Rulan stared at it for a while, and found that her son was no longer galloping, and finally he was relieved to do his own thing.

Fei Rumei didn't seem to have much interest in riding a horse, so she ran to the lake and sat down cross-legged: "Seventh Sister, what do you want to eat today?"

Pan Qimei picked up a piece of crisp candy and said, "I just learned peanut crisp."

Fei Rumei took a bite and nodded repeatedly: "Delicious!"

"I asked the imperial chefs to taste it, and they all said it was delicious, so I dared to make it for you." Pan Qimei sat by the side and watched, as if watching others eat what she made was very satisfying.

Fei Rumei chewed the peanut crisp and sighed: "Oh, if Ah Fang is also in Nanjing, it would be nice to come out to play together today."

Zhao Zhenfang went to Hubei with her husband Zheng Sen. Zheng Chenggong, a dignified national surname, followed his father's wishes and became a civil servant in an orderly manner.

The elders of the Zheng family seem to have a deep hatred for Haiyang. All of them are pirates themselves, but they don't want their children and grandchildren to have anything to do with the ocean. All the children of the Zheng family follow the path of civil servants. If it really doesn't work, you can go to the army to serve as a soldier, but you definitely can't serve in the navy anyway.

Today, Zheng Sen is in Qianjiang Dangzhi 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.

"The grass is so soft, I really want to lie down and sleep." Fei Rumei said while touching the grass.

"Then lie down." Pan Qimei was actually lying on the grass, raising her legs and looking at the sky, completely ignoring her own image.

Fei Rumei looked around, smiled and lay down, next to Pan Qimei: "The sky is clear, the sun is not shining, today is the right day to go out. Oh, the sun is shining, and the wind is blowing." , I’m afraid I’m going to fall asleep when I’m lying down.”

Zhao Han galloped all the way north on a fine horse. He was busy with government affairs on weekdays, so he 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 the hill, Zhao Han took out his telescope and could see the scenery of Xuanwu Lake.

Tour boats and fishing boats are scattered on the lake, and residential houses and shops are lined up around the lake. Further out, 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 lakeside street, several vegetable farmers returned from the city. They carried the empty load of vegetables sold out, chatting and laughing all 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 the bamboo tube and paid for a few taels of newly brewed bad wine.

A child jumped up and down to the sauce shop by the lake. It was probably a housewife who was cooking and found that the sauce was gone. The child raised the soy sauce bottle, and the shop owner asked a few questions before using a bamboo stick to pour the soy sauce. Halfway through the beating, 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 along the lake. 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 on the way out of school, they hold books and recite along the way.

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 there was hope for a good harvest in that smile.

Gradually, smoke rises from fishing boats in the lake.

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 is a cook, he will take time to cast two nets before the rice is cooked.

The lake breeze 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 broke into stars.

"Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for dinner." Guard Captain Zhu Youdong reminded.

Zhao Han pointed into 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 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 had already sat down on the east bank of Qianhu. In addition to pastries, rice and dishes were also prepared. 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, they still waited for him to pick up the chopsticks before everyone dared to follow him.

While eating, Fei Rulan said, "If your husband wants to hunt, you can go in the afternoon. We sisters can just 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 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 surrounded by the outer city wall of Nanjing. It is very rare for a big city with a population of over one million to have wild boars overrun the mountains.

There is no way, Xiaoling is a restricted area of ​​the Ming Dynasty, people dare not come in, and the nearby wild animals have multiplied for three hundred years.

The troops who were stationed at Xiaoling Guard occasionally went to hunt some game. But there are not many troops left to guard the mausoleum. Many military households have become serfs and farmed in nearby military fields. Those hereditary generals of the Ming Dynasty even dared to use the troops guarding the mausoleum of Zhu Yuanzhang for personal use and tried every means to do so. Make money with empty pay!

After lunch, Zhao Han decided to give it a try. He picked up the flintlock and mounted his horse. He also asked with a smile: "Whoever wants to hunt, let's go together. There are many people and it will be lively."

"Your Majesty, I would like to go with you to add to 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, civilian 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."