Qianlong Dynasty, Hua City.
Water surrounded it on three sides, while ancient, towering city walls stretched for dozens of li, enclosing the prosperous Hua City within.
Hua City was wealthy, spanning tens of thousands of qing.
Its waterways and roads were open in every direction, its climate pleasant, making it a hub for merchants and trade.
Outside the city lay ten thousand mu of fertile farmland, winding rivers nourishing the green waters and verdant mountains.
Looking outward, lush grass spread like an ocean, surging with the wind.
Broad land routes extended in all directions, leading toward distant mountains dark as painted brows and connecting to endless mountain ranges.
A merchant caravan was traveling along the broad official road, facing the spring breeze and bathing in sunlight as it headed toward Hua City.
The caravan consisted of ten horse-drawn carriages, nine of which carried the goods being transported on this journey.
The goods were heavy, and the wheels rolled over the official road, leaving long tracks behind.
Besides the drivers on the carriages, there were more than a dozen sturdy cultivators with sabers at their waists, riding well-fed, powerful steeds as they guarded the caravan from all sides.
The passenger carriage in the center of the convoy was pulled by two pitch-black fine horses.
The carriage body was made of black nanmu wood, its beams and panels elaborately carved, its flowers and grasses all plated with gilt. It was rather luxurious.
The carriage windows and front curtain were covered by pale-blue gauze. Strands of sunlight filtered through the thin fabric and shone inside.
Any resident of Hua City who saw this convoy would certainly recognize it as the carriage procession of the Situ Family.
The Situ Family was a small Lineage in Hua City, but it could still be considered one