The eldest son of the emperor, Wang-Yi stared out the window in his horse drawn carriage. The prince appeared to be a man in his early twenties; he had a tall lean build, long tied black hair, and deep brown eyes. He wore a blue silk robe with a white shirt underneath.
Outside, there was the lush green grass carpet, sky blue dome and golden sunlight smiling down upon his face. The mountains stood tall in the distance, with the river carefully threading itself in between them like sapphire silk.
"Sorry my prince, there are no pavement roads to Hu-Shang." A feminine voice came up behind him.
"No need to be so formal with me in private Lin-Lin." The prince replied.
Lin-Lin appeared to be a lady in her early twenties, she had a tall slender build, long silky black hair tied up in twin ponytail, her skin was pale as marble, with deep caramel eyes. She wore a green Chinese dress, with pink flower patterns sewn onto it.
"Are you sure you want to appear in this attire to your subjects?" Lin-Lin said.
"Yes. I want them to feel closer to me, not further away from me now." The prince replied.
"Good point my prince!"
"I already said, no need to be so formal to me in private." The prince grinned.
"Alright." Lin-Lin's lips pursed into a smile.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes, before Lin-Lin pointed out the window and exclaimed:
"Look! What's that metal cylinder there?"
The prince titled his head and stared for a moment, then replied:
"I believe that's an airplane. Or what remains of it at least."
"What are airplanes?" Lin-Lin looked to him with a puzzling look.
"Airplanes are these great flying vehicles that can be used to transport people across far distances."
"But isn't it made of metal? How can something so heavy fly?"
"I don't know the details either, but that old age technology just works."
"What other technology did the old ages have?" Lin-Lin eyes gleamed with interest.
"There was something called a cell phone. It was a device that allowed you to communicate with people thousands of kilometres away."
"How did it manage to do that? Does it make your voice super loud, so that it can be heard from thousands of kilometres away?"
"No. But I don't know how to explain it to you either."
"I think you just don't know." Lin-Lin pouted her cheeks.
The carriage came to an abrupt stop.
"En? Give me a moment." The prince leaned forward and peeked out the window.
Outside the window stood 2 men, 1 of them stepped forth and spoke:
"Welcome to our humble city my prince." He said with a high pitched voice as both of them kneeled.
"Who are you may I ask?" The prince asked politely.
"Your servant's name is Jin-Fu-Gui, I am the head governor of Hu-Shang. Your other servant here is called: Li-Xing. He is the vice governor of Hu-Shang."
"You may rise." The prince said.
"Thank you my prince!" They said in unison and rose to their feet.
Jin-Fu-Gui appeared to be in his mid-forties. He had a short round build, round head, a whisker like moustache. He wore a red silk cap, red silk shirt and red pants.
Li-Xing appeared to be in his mid-forties. He was as thin as walking stick, and stood about the same height as the prince. He wore a black silk shirt and black silk pants.
"There is still some distance between here and the city. How are you going to get to there?" The prince asked.
"Thank you for your consideration my prince. But no need to worry for us. We and our escorts will follow behind your caravan." Governor Jin gestured to his horses.
"Very well. Thank you for your hospitality." The prince gently smiled.
"It is nothing my prince. Rather it is our greatest honour to serve you." Governor Jin bowed, with governor Li following his example.
"You are too welcoming now. But let us get going now." The prince said, his word final.
***
Once past the ominous forest, the city of Hu-Shang entered into view. People on the outskirts of the city dressed no better than rags and their buildings seemingly on the verge of collapse. Up ahead the grey walls of Hu-Shang came into the view. The wall stood at 6 meters tall, and stretched on for several kilometres. Once the caravan passed through the city gates, the road became pavement, and decent looking buildings of multiple stories lined up the streets. A considerable crowd was standing on either side of the street, holding welcoming banners and throwing flowers. The caravan came to a stop upon reaching the central plaza of the city. The moment the prince stopped off his carriage; the entire crowd kneeled down.
"Rise my people." The prince said loud and clear. "I appreciate your enthusiastic welcome."
The prince scanned his surroundings, but spoke no further.
A moment later, the city governors caught up then quickly dismounted and kneeled.
"My prince, your resting place is prepared for you and your party." Governor Jin spoke with his head lowered.
"Very well, lead the way." The prince replied calmly.
"Yes my prince. Allow your humble servant to show you the way." Governor Jin got up then quickly hurried to the prince's side, with vice-governor Li tagging behind him.