Outside the Imperial City of the Capital.
Escorted by the Brocade Guard and the Yongwei Battalion, Emperor Chongzhen departed from the Imperial Palace. This was his first time seeing an ancient city with his own eyes. Everywhere he looked, he saw only desolation. It was dreadfully dilapidated. The vast Beijing City, the capital of the Great Ming Dynasty, actually had dirt roads... Forget concrete or asphalt; couldn't they at least have used red or blue bricks?
But it was all for naught! The yellow earth beneath his feet was mixed with lime. Ahead, eunuchs sprinkled water to settle the dust, which gradually compacted under the relentless passage of history. Such roads crisscrossed Beijing, and while they had once paved the way for prosperity, they now stood as a testament to a century of vicissitudes.
Chapter 20