Because we weren't in a hurry, we strolled along the post road at a leisurely pace for over a month. When the autumn winds picked up, we finally saw the city gates of the capital.
The capital of the Great Liang Dynasty was Yanjing, a place with four distinct seasons. Yanjing was moved there later; it was originally located in Jinling in Jiangnan. After a large area of northern territory was recovered, the second emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong, moved the capital from Jinling to Yanjing.
Yanjing can be described as a newly built city. After Emperor Taizong of Liang decided to move the capital to Yanjing, he sent people to plan the city according to the terrain, including the imperial city, inner city, outer city, market towns, and even the sewer system.
Although this world has deviated from the original history since the Tang Dynasty, the early years of this world-famous city, which served as the capital of several dynasties, are still very fascinating.
The city gate guards wore uniform red clothes and carried swords at their waists. To enter the city, you needed to check your documents. Individuals carried a travel permit, but people like Zhang Zhaoci and his group had to go to the county government to get a certificate stating what unit they belonged to, how many people were in the group, and what they were going to do in the city. If they needed to stay in the city for a few days, they had to register with the city gate official.
The Marquis's residence had already sent someone to wait at the post station ten miles from the city. It was the Marquis's steward, a servant named Xu, the son of the old steward. He had been with the Marquis since he was very young, starting as a page and wielding considerable power in the Marquis's residence. When Zhang Zhaoci saw Steward Xu coming to pick them up, she said to Granny Lu that the Marquis was valuing her family more and more.
Steward Xu led his men to the city gate. He didn't know how he had spoken to the gatekeeper, but they let them pass directly. Steward Xu led the Xu family's entourage of more than ten large carts towards the direction of Marquis Yongning.
After entering the city gate, there was a bustling street. The people in the carriage leaned against the windows, looking out at the excitement through the small windows.
Granny Lu quickly drew the curtains and whispered, "What are you all doing? Get everything done quickly. It's just a main street in the capital. We can go out and stroll around properly when we have some free time. Don't do this now, or people will laugh at us."
Zhang Zhaoci quickly hugged Xu Bai, saying, "That's right, we'll all listen to Granny. I've been away from the capital for several years now, and I'm still not used to this sudden liveliness."
Granny Lu said, "Great families have their own rules. We lived quite comfortably in Hexi, but now that we're back here, we have to abide by the rules of the capital, lest people say we're from the countryside and don't know the rules."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Alright, Granny, from now on we'll listen to you, okay?"
Granny Lu said, "It's good to listen to me, but I'm afraid you'll just do whatever you want. The old lady likes you, but never mind, why should I worry about this? The old lady will always be there to support you."
Zhang Zhaoci said with a smile, "Look, look, Xiao Jiu, how much Grandma doesn't trust us, how little confidence she has in us."
Xu Zhi said, "Granny, don't worry, I promise to listen to you and follow the rules."
After driving along the main street for a while, the car turned into a somewhat secluded street.
Xu Bai sat in Zhang Zhaoci's lap, with a perfect view of the street scenery on both sides of the window.
The street was not very wide, with whitewashed walls on both sides. Looking over the walls, one could see some lush trees or houses with blue bricks and gray tiles. There was a tall gate far away, and next to the gate was a side gate for carriages and horses to enter and exit. The main gate of the Yongning Marquis's mansion was a large gate not far inside this street.
The side gate was already open, and Zhang Zhaoci's car went straight in through the side gate. After walking a short distance, they arrived at a hanging flower gate. After getting off the hanging flower gate, some old women from the mansion carried the group to the old lady's courtyard in a small blue silk sedan chair. Xu Di went directly to the front study of the Marquis of Yongning.
There was already a nanny of about the same age as the old nanny waiting at the gate of the old lady's courtyard. When she saw Zhang Zhaoci carrying Xu Bai down from the sedan chair, she quickly stepped forward with a smile and bowed, saying, "Third Madam, you've finally arrived. The old lady has been waiting since she woke up this morning. Oh my, is this our Seventh Young Master? He's really handsome."
Zhang Zhaoci stepped aside to accept the half-bow, and said with a smile, "Thank you for waiting, Granny Shen. It's been several years since we last met, but Granny Shen doesn't look any different."
Granny Shen stepped aside and led Zhang Zhaoci into the courtyard, saying, "I'm already this old, how can I not change?"
Granny Lu didn't come with Zhang Zhaoci. She sent Qingmiao and Zhang Zhaoci to the old lady's place while she took Qingsui to settle their luggage. The courtyard where the Xu family used to live had already been cleaned up, and the back courtyard where the Xu family used to live had also been emptied out. The courtyard where Xu Rao's family used to live was a three-courtyard house, but the two back courtyards had been used as storerooms by the mansion. This time, when Zhang Zhaoci brought Xu Di back, Ning Shi took the initiative to move the things stored in the two back courtyards out and cleaned up the two back courtyards. The explanation given to the people in the mansion was that the mansion had added a seventh young master, and the third master's courtyard was no longer big enough.
Zhang Zhaoci, carrying Xu Zhi and holding Xu Bai in her arms, entered the old lady's courtyard. There, she saw some servants standing by the courtyard wall with their hands at their sides. Although the Yongning Marquis's mansion was not as influential in the court as it had been a few years ago, the management of the servants in the mansion was still very strict. Masters were masters, and servants were servants. Zhang Zhaoci was considered a relatively lenient master in the mansion, but the rules that needed to be observed were still strictly followed.
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