The city gate was as crowded as usual, with pedestrians coming and going in an endless stream. However, when this group of second-generation officials galloped over on horseback, the people at the city gate scattered like birds and beasts, and even the guards at the gate quickly moved out of the way.
In feudal society, the best passport is the status of a rich and powerful person! This is an unshakable truth.
Zhu Ping'an rode his horse out of the city gate with the group of noble sons. The guards at the city gate bowed and nodded as they watched the horses go away. This was Zhu Ping'an's first time out of the imperial capital since he came to the capital to participate in the imperial examination.
I have long missed the fragrance of the soil and the lush green mountains.
Zhu Ping'an rode on horseback, looking at the lush green mountains in the distance, feeling the breeze that carried the fragrance of the earth, letting his horse run freely, and feeling in a very good mood.
We drove all the way out of the imperial capital, walked along the official road for a while and then turned into a small road. We followed the small road into a woodland. This woodland was well maintained, and many of the trees were over a hundred years old. The tree trunks that pierced the sky spread their branches in the air, blocking the wind and clouds, cutting off the sunlight, and casting a mottled pattern on the ground.
Beyond the woods is a low hillside, and behind the low hillside are rolling mountains and dense forests.
"Brother-in-law, this is Jinji Ridge. If you go under that stone over there and stomp your feet twice, you can hear a clanging sound, like a golden rooster crowing, so this place is called Jinji Ridge." After slowing down his horse, Fatty Zhou turned around and said to Zhu Pingan beside him.
"Yeah." Zhu Ping'an nodded and also slowed down the horse's speed.
Zhu Ping'an was very satisfied with the horse under him. Compared with that idiot Shamatte Dark Horse, this horse was a real horse. It was fast, smart and obedient. Its overall level was more than a hundred times better than Shamatte Dark Horse.
While Fatty Zhou and Zhu Ping'an were chatting, a group of second-generation officials in front slowly stopped their horses and gathered around an open space. One of them was proposing something, and everyone cheered and agreed.
Seeing this, Fatty Zhou was very curious and rushed over to the horse's belly, as if going late would be a huge loss.
Zhu Pingan rode slowly towards the crowd without rushing, because he could clearly read what the second-generation official said through his eyes, and he had no interest in joining in the fun.
Judging from the lip reading, the ostentatious second-generation official was suggesting a horse race, bypassing this hillside and taking another less-frequently used path to the gathering place for the spring outing, and then entering the hunting ground according to the ranking of the race. The first one to arrive can enter the hunting ground first, and the later ones can only enter the hunting ground in order.
When Zhu Ping'an drove the horse over, the horse racing proposal of the second-generation official had been passed unanimously by everyone. Fatty Zhou was also eager to try. He rubbed the horse's belly with his thighs, looking excited.
If you think about it, you can understand that horse racing is in line with the competitive mentality of young people, and the ranking is also related to the hunting order. For these noble children, the hunting harvest is related to the honor of their ancestors, and they have always valued this. If they get a lot of prey in this hunting, they will be envied by their peers, and will also be praised and respected by their elders, which will have an unignorable impact on their future military and local assignments.
Another point that cannot be ignored is that the spring outing and hunting places are not only attended by boys, but also by countless girls, including young ladies from dukes and marquises, beauties from civil servants, as well as some ladies from wealthy families and beautiful girls from ordinary families who come here because of the reputation of the show. It can be said that this spring outing is almost an ancient version of "If You Are the One".
Therefore, it is understandable that these second-generation officials have overflowing testosterone.
After the horse race proposal was agreed upon, everyone dismounted to rest, and then their followers went to the horse race route to clear the roadblocks and act as referees to prevent cheating.
After getting off the horse, Fatty Zhou lay on his horse head and talked for a long time. Zhu Ping'an also read the general idea through lip reading, saying that you have to show some strength. You spent more than two hundred taels of silver to buy a thousand-mile fine horse from the northwest. If you don't show strength this time, I will braise you when I go back. If you help me get a good ranking, I will buy you ten or eight water mares as a reward...
Coercion and inducement. Carrot and stick, haha, Fatty Zhou is very good at it. But the only question is, can the horse understand you
During the rest time, everyone fed the horses with grass and water. Fatty Zhou even gave his horse a massage. However, Zhu Ping'an was relatively casual. He led the horse under a tree and let it nibble on some grass and tender leaves.
After resting for about half an hour, everyone was in the best condition and the horsepower was sufficient, so everyone led the horses to the starting point one after another.
The starting point chosen by everyone is a gentle hillside that extends for about several hundred meters, and at the end of the several hundred meters is a small path. The end of this path is where the families for this spring outing gather.
Although there were many people, the hillside was big enough for everyone to run in a line, so the starting line was fair. As for the small road ahead that was only big enough for two or three horses, everyone would have to rely on their own abilities.
"Hahaha, Fatty Zhou, you fat pig dare to race horses? Why bother? Just be the last one to enter the park."
At the starting hill, a nobleman's son who was familiar with Fatty Zhou pointed at Fatty Zhou's lump of fat and laughed.
After this person laughed, many noble children around him also laughed at Fatty Zhou. Because of Fatty Zhou's fat body, Fatty Zhou had raced with them many times. Except for a few occasions, he basically ran at the back every time. There were even a few times when the horse under his crotch was so tired that it foamed at the mouth and rolled its eyes.
"Fuck you, you little monkey. Wait till you eat my dust." Fatty Zhou raised his head and cursed back. Then he stroked the horse under his crotch and boasted, "You know the horse under my crotch? The famous Ferghana horses in the northwest are no match for it."
"Come on, last time there was a horse you said was the descendant of Delum, but it still ranked last. What do you think? You refuse to admit defeat. Okay, how about raising the stakes? The loser of either of us will sponsor a female schoolmaster for a month to the winner." The second-generation nobleman who was familiar with Fatty Zhou laughed and challenged.
"Just add it, who's afraid of who?" Fat Zhou raised his head and accepted the challenge, his face full of confidence, and he was full of confidence in the horse he crotch had bought at a high price.
Compared to the eagerness of the crowd, Zhu Ping'an was much calmer, driving his horse among the crowd, with a completely nonchalant attitude, in stark contrast to the red-faced and thick-necked Fatty Zhou. (To be continued.)