cold clothes

The carriage moved slowly forward, arriving at the imperial city after half an hour. It stayed in the imperial city for a long time. Leng Yi was still confused, so Wang Yuqing explained to her that there were many people entering the palace, and the imperial guards had to carefully check and allow them to pass.

There are many rules for entering the palace, so it's not surprising.

"Can't the Wang family's carriages and horses go first?" The Wang family has a much higher status than other families, don't they have any special privileges?

Wang Yuqing was startled by Leng Yi's words and hurriedly whispered, "Ningbi, how could you say such treasonous things so casually? This is right under the emperor's nose!"

Leng Yi exclaimed "Oh!" in realization. In the era of unified imperial power, everyone below the emperor was a commoner, and all people, regardless of their social class, were subjects of the emperor.

Leng Yi glanced away guiltily… She had been in this world for several years, but her mindset still hadn’t changed. She still held onto the stereotypes instilled by the literary works she had been exposed to in her previous life. It really… scared Yu Qing… Speaking of which, Yu Qing just now acted like a stressed calico cat, so cute.

After waiting for a long time, the Imperial Guards checked their identities, and the carriage finally entered the East Gate of the Imperial City. After traveling for a while, the carriage stopped again, and Wang Yuqing told Leng Yi that they had arrived at the Imperial Palace and could get off the carriage. They would have to walk the rest of the way.

Leng Yi followed Wang Yuqing off the carriage. The first thing she saw was a row of neatly parked carriages. People getting off the carriages formed a stream of people, all dressed in fine clothes and elegant attire.

What a spacious "parking lot," probably twenty zhang wide and fifty zhang long; there were many elegantly dressed people, any one of whom could easily crush an ordinary person with their power.

This was Leng Yi's first time truly visiting the palace. Under the bright sunshine, standing amidst layers of vermilion palace walls, she felt like a pilgrim, while the intriguing palaces in the distance silently watched her.

Leng Yi unconsciously held her breath and remained silent. She noticed that no one around her was talking to each other. Wang Yuqing only gave her a look that signaled her to be silent before keeping her eyes straight ahead, her face solemn, maintaining a dignified posture and pace.

This was part of court etiquette, which Wang Yuqing had taught her, and Leng Yi immediately followed suit.

After passing through numerous palace gates and walking for about five miles, one finally arrives at the Imperial Garden. Even in early spring, the garden is a riot of color, with at least three different varieties of flowers visible at a glance. The Imperial Garden was expanded upon from the foundations of the previous dynasty by two additions—Yanfu Palace and Genyue. The newly built gardens are even more magnificent and opulent, encompassing rare and exotic flowers and plants, celestial rocks and clear ponds, Confucian calligraphy, Buddhist temples, and Taoist concepts of Yin and Yang—a truly grand spectacle.

The lantern festival is held in this fairyland, with lanterns lined up on both sides of the sightseeing road, looking like a winding colorful dragon from afar.

Leng Yi felt like Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden for the first time, so amazed by the surrounding scenery that she was speechless, only able to say how magnificent it was, truly worthy of being a royal garden.

Once inside the Imperial Garden, the people around her were no longer as tense as before and began to chat with each other. Wang Yuqing naturally became the focus of everyone's attention. The men might not dare to strike up a conversation, but all the women came to greet Wang Yuqing.

Leng Yi had foreseen this scene and wisely distanced herself from Wang Yuqing, going to a corner by herself.

Sigh, she shouldn't have come to a place like this. She won't have a seat at the Lantern Festival banquet, and she'll have to spend time alone with the Third Prince and Wang Yuqing at the Lantern Festival. She's completely out of place in the palace.

To put it optimistically, consider it an opportunity to broaden one's horizons; later, she can boast to others that she was once a visitor to the palace.

Since she was already there, she figured she had to see everything she could. With that thought in mind, Leng Yi lifted her skirt and wandered around looking at things. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar figure. How familiar? So familiar that just one glance made her tremble. She instinctively hid herself, afraid that the other person would also discover her.