The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Anyone who has climbed a mountain knows that it’s fine when you’re going up, but when you’re going down, even your knees can’t bend.

On the way back, Min Xi asked with a smile: "Sir, are you going to climb Shaoshi Mountain tomorrow?"

Wanli yawned on Zhao Yu's back: "Climb. I'll climb after I wake up."

Zhao Yu looked at Min Xi helplessly. See, the emperor would never learn his lesson.

Min Xi smiled and gave him a reassuring look, saying that he would know tomorrow.

Sure enough, after a night, Wanli's legs were so sore that they felt like they were no longer his own. Not to mention climbing a mountain, he couldn't even go downstairs to eat.

This was a difficult situation for the imperial physician, who quickly examined Wanli. Of course, there was nothing wrong with him. The soreness in his legs was due to excessive exercise. Min Xi reminded the imperial physician to give Wanli a massage, which might help relieve the pain.

Wanli climbed Mount Taishi and stayed in bed for two days before going downstairs. He also heard from Teng Feng, who had just climbed Mount Shaoshi, that it was very dangerous and it would be better not to go.

Wanli looked at his sore and swollen legs and finally gave up the idea of ​​climbing Mount Shaoshi.

Min Xi and Yun Ji took advantage of the emperor's rest and went to climb Mount Shaoshi. This was the first time they had been on their own since the trip, and it felt so good not to have to be a babysitter, and they could spend some time alone.

Mount Shaoshi was indeed as steep as Teng Feng had described. Rows of book-like rocks hung diagonally on the cliff, just like scrolls of books. The plank road was carved out from among the rocks. It was only about a foot wide at the narrowest point, and was protected only by very simple wooden stakes nailed to the cliff wall. There was a deep abyss below, and once a person fell down, there would be no coming back.

But it must be said that this scenery is indeed worth seeing, much more spectacular than Mount Taishi. Min Xi felt that it would be a pity if he did not climb Mount Shaoshi when he came to Mount Song. But with such security measures, he really did not dare to take the emperor to take risks.

Finally, after discussing it, they decided not to tell Wanli how magnificent Mount Shaoshi was, but to tell him how dangerous it was.

Although Wanli did not climb the Wanzhang Cliff of Shaoshi Mountain, he still went to Shaoshi Mountain after his leg healed and visited places outside the Wanzhang Cliff route, which can be considered as climbing Shaoshi Mountain.

By the time they finished their trip to Songshan, it was already mid-November and the weather was already very cold. According to the original plan, their next trip was to return to the capital.

But Wanli heard that Luoyang was just over a hundred miles west of Songshan Mountain and could be reached in a day by car. He wanted to visit Luoyang. After all, it was the ancient capital of 13 dynasties. It would be a pity not to visit it. He might only have this one chance to go there in his life.

Everyone thought so, so they agreed to Wanli's proposal to go to Luoyang. But they couldn't stay there for a long time like they did in Shanshan and Kaifeng. They just went there to take a look and then left. If they stayed too long, it would be quite troublesome if they encountered snow on the way back.

Wanli did not raise any more objections.

They went west to Luoyang and felt the charm of the thirteen dynasties. Before they returned, Yun Ji made a suggestion: "I rode a horse to the Yellow River last night and saw that the river was not frozen yet. Why don't we take a boat down the river and then return to Beijing via the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal?"

Zhao Yu asked in confusion: "Why do we have to take the water route?"

Min Xi said: "We decided to go by water after discussing it together. It is already mid-November and if we go back, there is a high possibility of snow. Traveling in the snow is not only cold and dangerous, but also affects our speed."

"What about traveling by water? Won't we also encounter snowfall? The water surface may even freeze over," said Zhao Yu.

Min Xi shook his head: "No, I took a boat to Yingtianfu in the first month of the year to take the exam. The canal was not frozen because there were always ships traveling on the canal and the water surface would not freeze. The main reason for taking the water route is that it is faster and much more convenient than the land route. The only thing to worry about is whether the Yellow River will freeze."

Yun Ji said: "The weather has been good in recent days and the river has not frozen, but the water flow is much slower than when we crossed the river. I think the upper reaches have frozen, so we have to hurry up and leave before it freezes."

Wanli had only taken a ferry and had never traveled by water. When he heard this suggestion, he was also very tempted: "Let's try the water route. Is there a boat?"

Yun Ji said, "There are boats and boatmen. They all belong to our Yun Xiang."

It is no exaggeration to say that the Yun family's business is spread all over the Ming Dynasty. In addition to Kaifeng, they also have branches in Luoyang and Chang'an.

"What are you waiting for? Let's get ready!" Wanli said.

Min Xi and Yun Ji are both very proactive people. They get things done as soon as they say they will. It took them a whole day to move all the luggage from the car to the boat.

The carriage was left in Luoyang, and Yun Ji said that he would have someone send the carriage and horses back to the capital.

Wanli waved his hand and said, "What's the gift? I'm giving you this as a reward for your service as a guard!"

Min Xi smiled and said nothing. Only Zhao Yu was unhappy because his beloved horse was also going to stay.

Min Xi noticed Zhao Yu's expression and said, "Don't worry, we will arrange for someone to send it back to the capital in the spring, and Brother Zhao's beloved horse will be returned intact."

Zhao Yu couldn't help but smile when he heard this, and said with a fist: "Thank you very much, Mr. Min."

After the luggage was loaded onto the boat, everyone boarded the boat and set off from Luoyang, sailing down the Yellow River. At this time, the Yellow River was in its dry season, but fortunately, it had not yet stopped flowing, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome given the siltation at the bottom of the Yellow River.

However, Min Xi and Yun Ji also have a plan to deal with the interruption of the flow. If they really encounter a place where the water is too shallow to pass, they will hire trackers to pull them across. Trackers are the most common profession on both sides of the Yellow River.

They were very lucky and did not need any trackers. Although the river was shallow, it was always flowing, and in some places it was flowing very fast, which was a great benefit for the boats going downstream.

It only took two days to get from Luoyang to Xuzhou.

After arriving in Xuzhou, they hired someone to pull the boat from the Yellow River into the canal. At this point, they began to sail against the wind, after all, the northwest wind was blowing in this season, and they were heading north to return to Beijing.

It takes about five days to get from Xuzhou to the capital. It may take a little longer because of the headwind, but in any case, it is much faster than traveling by land.

Since getting on the boat, all the landlubbers from the north, except Yunji, have been seasick.

Zhao Yu and the two bodyguards were in better physical condition and it only took them one day to adapt. Wanli, the imperial physician and the young eunuch fainted severely. Soon after Wanli boarded the ship, he vomited all over the place. The imperial physician endured his discomfort, gave him acupuncture and let him sleep. It was not until they entered the canal that Wanli barely adapted and no longer wanted to vomit whenever he opened his mouth.

Min Xi and Yun Ji found it hard to understand. They thought that the boat was very stable as it was going downstream. After all, the water was shallow and there were not many waves. It was hard to shake much. But they forgot that they were used to being shaken in strong winds and waves, so they felt that the current situation was like walking on flat ground. But for those who had never been on a boat, it was really dizzying.

Min Xi was not too worried about them getting seasick. In fact, he was more worried that they would catch a cold. After all, the water temperature was close to zero degrees when they were on a boat in this season, which was very cold.

He used all the things that could keep Wanli warm. He used a palm mat as the bottom layer, and then covered it with thick felt, which was also used as a cover. The main purpose was to keep out moisture and keep warm.

I also pay attention to what I eat, and eat foods that dispel cold and warm the stomach.

On the last day of the trip, they encountered a heavy snowfall. The sky and earth were bleak, and the heavy snow was carried by the wind and flew in all directions. A layer of white snow soon accumulated on the shore, the bow of the boat, and the roof of the tent.

Everyone gathered in the cabin, sitting around a small red clay stove, drinking warm rice wine, which was quite an interesting experience.

Wanli was extremely happy: "Green ants newly brewed wine, a small red clay stove, the sky is about to snow in the evening, can I have a drink? Isn't this the artistic conception of the poem?"