Chang'an, Daxing Palace.
Daxing Palace was the old palace of the Sui Dynasty. Back then, Yuwen Kai, Great Sui's Minister of Works, had built it in just nine months on the orders of Emperor Wen of Sui Yang Jian.
Chang'an had also been called Daxing City, a name expressing the hope that the Sui Dynasty would flourish. Daxing Palace had therefore been named after Daxing City, and was the first imperial palace built after Great Sui's founding.
However, Daxing Palace stood on low ground, making it unbearably damp in summer and forcing the emperor to leave the palace to escape the heat.
This was also one of the main reasons Yang Guang later moved the capital to Luoyang.
Yang Guang had thought he would never return to this wretched place in his lifetime.
Yet unexpectedly, barely a dozen years after moving the capital, he now had no choice but to return.
Yang Guang wandered through Daxing Palace, surveying everything familiar around him, but there was no nostalgia or pleasure on his face. Instead, it was frighteningly dark.
Coming on a whim in one's leisure was what deserved to be called revisiting an old haunt.
This time, however, he had been forced to flee here.
It was a humiliation!
Chancellor Dugu Feng followed quietly behind Yang Guang with several officials, their expressions equally complicated.
The palace was silent. No one spoke.
After a long while, Yang Guang slowly stopped beside a corridor and suddenly asked, "Imperial Uncle, how much longer will the troops from the various border regions take to arrive?"
Dugu Feng stepped forward slightly and cupped his hands. "Your Majesty, the army standing by in the north should arrive in three to five days. The western border is somewhat farther away. General Li will need at least ten days