On the sixteenth day of the first month in the first year of Longhe, several clear days in succession had brought such balmy weather that spring seemed to fill the air. The snow on the roads had long since melted; only in shaded places beyond the reach of sunlight did white remnants still entice children to leave a few footprints.
At the hour of Chen that morning, five oxcarts emerged through the heavy gates of Chen Family Cove's ring-shaped fortified manor. Chen Caozhi's journey to Jiankang had begun. Accompanying him were Ran Sheng, Lai Zhen, Huang Xiaotong, and Xiao Chan, along with two oxcart drivers, one surnamed Tian and the other Song.
Chen Shang had traveled to Jiankang many times and knew the capital's sights and customs. He too accompanied Chen Caozhi this time, bringing a servant and a driver.
In the other two oxcarts sat Ding Youwei, Rain Swallow, A Xiu, Zongzhi, and Run'er. Ding Youwei had brought the two children to see their young uncle off and would also visit Ding Clan Villa to offer New Year's greetings to her uncle Ding Yi. Now that the Ding Clan and Chen Clan maintained close ties, she would no longer have to choose between her husband's family and her birth family as she had before.
This was Chen Caozhi's first long journey since his mother's death. On his two previous trips to Wu Commandery, his mother had brought Zongzhi and Run'er to see him off at Little Pine Grove, three li from the fortified manor, then stood beside the road watching her son disappear into the distance-
Time flowed on, and the years washed over everything, yet his mother's white-haired, kindly figure only grew clearer in Chen Caozhi's heart. He looked back, but Nine Luminaries Mountain blocked his view, preventing