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Since their charge finally got on the carriage, the two maids also quickly got onto the palanquin . With the carriage driver's signal, the palanquin bearers lifted it up and began following behind the conspicuous carriage . The horse-drawn carriage proceeded at a moderate speed, not too fast and not too slow for a city, through the streets .

"Say, does the Imperial city have a law about the speed of a horse in the streets?" Shen Tianyu asked because she knew royalty tended to use four horses within a city and they were the only ones permitted to use horses within He City . Even then, they were not allowed to go above a certain speed limit as it would be a hazard to the pedestrians, whether the horse went crazy or not .

"Tian'er is smart . There is . I'm also allowed to use four horses but that's too inefficient since I'm not supposed to go above a certain speed anyways . The carriage and two horses are enough to show off . " Rong Jian responded as Shen Tianyu opened the window on her side and tied the silk drapes to the side so she could see the streets .

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On the sides of the street were various wooden stalls, some selling street food and others selling children's toys . There were also people that didn't have enough wealth to build a stall, instead hawking their wares as they walked around . There were mostly people in wool clothes, though the women had more variety in color, but there were occasional glimpses of people with high-quality robes . Those people didn't bother to stop at the stalls though . A slight smile surfaced on her face as Shen Tianyu looked at the people on the main street through the pearled curtain .

"Is that so? I didn't expect you to be the conservative type . " She responded without looking back .

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"That's not necessarily it . I just like to be efficient . Besides, I'm well aware that I'm in a precarious position, being an adopted son . If I show off too much, some of those people in the court would start saying I have ulterior motives or something along those lines . " Rong Jian told her as he leaned against the walls of the carriage, staring at her back .

Shen Tianyu made a noise of acknowledgment and the conversation ended there . The comforting silence, with a tinge of sweetness, kept up all the way until the palace with one person staring at another as she looked at the pa.s.sing streets .

"We've arrived at the palace gates, my prince . " The driver announced after a while of the rumbling yet surprisingly smooth carriage . Just like when they got on, Rong Jian got off first and stayed to help his girlfriend get down from the carriage . Shen Tianyu uttered a thanks before she looked around the front of the Imperial Palace of Rikui kingdom .

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"It's quite grand . " She commented before she turned to the wide opened gates where two open-aired palanquins were waiting . There was a red-painted roof with four slim pillars supporting it . Purple silk curtains hung down, serving as thin walls where one could make out a person or not but not enough to actually see the person's appearance .

"Of course, aren't all Imperial Palaces grand and gaudy?" Rong Jian said as he led her by the hand to one of the palanquins . She didn't flinch away nor tried to pull her hand away .

"Well, I suppose . Since that's the thing diplomats and foreign officials see first, it must be grand to showcase the kingdom's power to deter any non-beneficial ideas . " She stepped onto the palanquin which was set on the ground . The palanquin bearers were standing to one side, their bodies bowed, not looking up . Turning back, she almost slumped her shoulders in dejection at her dress's train . It actually wasn't that long, just enough to drag on the ground but it was still considered c.u.mbersome for someone that liked to dress light and short robes to maximize agility like her . There were at least five layers to the dress too, making one suffocate in the heat of summer . Luckily it was still winter and relatively cold so she wasn't feeling like she would get a heatstroke . Atop her head, in addition, was a gold headpiece in addition to many dangling hairpins that made various noises when she moved . It sounded close to an orchestra right next to her ear .

As she carefully pulled up her dress and adjusted her position in the one-person palanquin, she started complaining again . "Ugh . Everything's so heavy . I feel like my neck would either get fatter in order to support all this or break . Seriously, I better not have to wear these things again or I'm never marrying you, got it?"

"Yes, yes, I'll be sure to tell Ling popo(1) to not do this again so you'll never have to suffer like this another time . " Rong Jian soothed as he personally helped her while Ling popo, the old maid, and her right hand stood to the side . Since the Master was personally helping her, there was no need for them to step up and interrupt, they just needed to watch to make sure he did it right and to correct it later . Clothes worn by n.o.blewomen can be more complicated than one thinks . Though the young maid's neck was turning red from embarra.s.sment, Ling popo didn't seem to have any physical reaction to the complaints and promises of admonishment, as if they weren't talking about her and her handiwork . Then again, to survive this long in a w.a.n.gfu of a prince who despised women approaching him with ulterior motives, it is necessary to have a thick skin .

After Shen Tianyu was sitting comfortably in her palanquin, blocked from prying eyes by the layer of silk curtains, Rong Jian finally left to get on his own palanquin . This time, it was much simpler as his formal clothing didn't obstruct movement the way Shen Tianyu's did . It took only a moment for him to settle in . One of the palanquin bearers, most likely the head, announced that they were ready to set off and the bearers all got into their respective positions, lifting up the vehicle they were in charge of .

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