The next morning, the group set off after an early meal, and by midday, they had arrived.
The provincial capital wasn't very far from Shaxi County; even a slow carriage could get there in just an hour if it sped up.
The founder of the Empire was from Shengping County, and thus the provincial capital housed the imperial ancestral mansion.
After the current Emperor ascended the throne, the Ministry of Works had renovated and expanded it significantly, making it very imposing.
The founding Emperor didn't like to burden the people or drain the treasury, so he established a rule: the imperial family only needed to travel south every five years to pay homage to their ancestors, rather than doing so annually.
At first, the Empress Dowager resided there when she returned, but later, she settled in Shaxi County after leaving the palace with Xuanyuan Que.
