When Zhang Shou hurried to Maliu Mountain from Zanghai Lower Courtyard at the foot of the mountain, he received an unexpected but reasonable news. Zhu Ying did what she said, and Zhu Yi did not stop her at all. She had already taken the stupid little monk Guantao, and Huifa, a monk from Wanghai Temple who was said to have experience in digging holes, and Zhu Yi, a group of four people went down together.
De'an, the abbot of Wanghai Temple who was guarding the entrance of a tunnel, was an old monk in his fifties. When he saw Zhang Shou coming, he meticulously relayed Zhu Yi's helpless message.
"The eldest lady said that when she was wandering around Cangzhou, she heard a rumor that there were relics of the great ancestor hidden in the secret passage in Maliu Mountain, so she had to go down and take a look for herself."
Zhang Shou was speechless. Zhu Ying had never told him about this! Moreover, even if there were such rumors, it was just like saying that there were treasures buried in the mountains and rivers. It was mostly a lie. Or did he underestimate Zhu Ying's enthusiasm for Taizu's relics? But he didn't see the young lady think about the few fragments of the stele he got from Lao Xianyu!
Looking at the dark entrance to the tunnel, he couldn't help but wipe the sweat from his forehead, but then, when he heard what old monk De'an said, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"The tunnels under the Maliu Mountain and the places that are prone to collapse were discovered by Wanghai Temple long ago, and people were ordered to block them one by one. After all, there were pilgrims and children who went down there in the past and almost got lost, but they were eventually found safely. As for the map, although it is not very detailed, there are sketches. Huifa, who served as a guide, was the one who went down there to find the child."
Since De'an was fair and just in the rumors, when he said this at this time, his attitude was naturally extremely sincere, and no one could find any fault with him.
"Although there are plenty of monks in Wanghai Temple, it wouldn't matter if she went down with a dozen of them, but the young lady insisted on not going down. Besides, the temple was also worried that if too many people went down, one of the monks might behave inappropriately and cause her to misunderstand, so I didn't send more people to follow. Dr. Zhang, please be at ease, the young lady should just be on impulse, and she will come up when she finds it boring."
"Originally, the young man next to the young lady suggested that she tie a rope around her arm before going in, so as to avoid getting lost. However, after learning that the tunnel in Maliu Mountain is several miles long, he finally gave up the idea."
Hearing this, Zhang Shou thought that the word "boring" was indeed a very appropriate description.
Tunnels are fun to watch in video, but boring to go in person. He had visited a famous site on the Jizhong Plain, where people could walk upright. But in real tunnels... you can tell from the video that most of them cannot walk upright. Moreover, even if there are more ventilation holes, the air is still inevitably turbid...
I really don’t know where the interest comes from!
In comparison, the underground tunnels in Zhang Garden in the capital city were simply luxurious! Just like in movies and TV series, both the secret rooms and the underground tunnels were reinforced with blue bricks and huge wood. The underground height was high enough for people to walk upright, and even three people could reach the top by stacking up on top of each other...