Amid widespread praise, the Left Prime Minister's Office soon announced the second rite: officials were to reduce the ornaments on their carriages and keep them as plain as possible. It also stipulated that the price of any replacement carriage would be tied to its owner's rank. Even a first-rank official's carriage for everyday travel could cost no more than five hundred taels. New carriages used for special occasions such as celebrations or sacrifices were exempt, but they could not be driven on ordinary days.
Fang Yun led by example, removing many ornaments from his luxury Dragon Horse carriage.
On the Saint Origin Continent, carriages often proclaimed their owners' exalted status more effectively than many other possessions. Thus, the carriages of certain wealthy men and high officials were extravagantly luxurious, adorned with all manner of precious materials, while practicality came second.
Although Fang Yun's luxury Dragon Horse carriage was expensive, most of its cost went into protection, such as sturdy timber and various mechanisms. He placed no particular emphasis on decoration.
Once the second rite was announced, public acclaim rose even higher. In truth, the people had long been sick of high officials parading through the streets in lavish carriages.
Some wealthy merchants and scholars without official posts felt the pressure and voluntarily announced that they would reduce their carriage ornaments, doing their best to avoid excessive luxury and waste while the country was in distress.
This second rite, too, came entirely from the "Lesser Rites" chapter of the Book of Rites, so many people began predicting Fang Yun's third rite.
The original passage in the Book of Rites behind these two rites read, "When the state is worn and impoverished, carriages are not elaborately carved, armor is not bound with ornamental cords, eating vessels are not engraved, gentlemen do not