A scrawny horse, an old carriage, and three to five brown-clad followers slowly traveled west along the official road where the snow had not yet melted.
"Sir, in fifty more miles, we will reach the capital,"
said a dark-skinned man, carrying a two-segmented pointed steel spear, who spoke in a low voice beside the carriage.
A calm and powerful middle-aged man's voice came from inside the carriage, "No need to rush, to travel slowly is fine."
The dark-skinned man replied softly, "We can't afford not to hurry. Today is already the fifth day of the new year. If you enter the city one day earlier, you can start making preparations for your cabinet appointment one day sooner. By the Shangyuan Festival, the annual promotions and transfers in the court should be settled."
