The two of them traveled through the Tang Dynasty to open a supermarket, and the little Sizi was sup

Chapter 120: Look at Suzaku Street!

Yu Shu's posture as steady as a charioteer in a Dunhuang mural, holding the reins, her feet on the bronze pedals on either side of the carriage shaft, her plain gauze dress rippling in the heat.

Four chestnut horses moved slowly forward to the sound of bells, the dragon heads of the carriage shafts swaying gently in rhythm, which reminded Xiao Ran of gilded ornaments in museums of later generations.

The moment the carriage started moving, the jade pendant at Li Lizhi's waist collided with the gilded fittings of the carriage, producing a clear and melodious sound.

The frequency of Yu Shu's wrist flicks when riding a horse was remarkably similar to the "Five Methods of Horse Riding" recorded in the Tang Liudian.

Xiao Ran hadn't really believed these materials before, but he never expected that the ancients were so particular.

The little princess, holding the electric fan in Xiao Ran's arms, giggled as she was jostled around by the sudden jolt. Cheng Yang, however, kept the princess steady against the armchair, showing that the royal family members were used to such jostling.

The Shu brocade carpet absorbed most of the vibrations, but the slight tremors of the wooden carriage still came through to my buttocks.

The friction between Xiao Ran's linen robe and the brocade cushions felt even cooler than the silk of later generations.

He noticed that Li Lizhi had placed a silk shawl under her elbow to prevent the coolness of the sandalwood armrest from directly touching her skin, a detail that left him speechless.

In Xiao Ran's mind, the ideal carriage had changed from a Rolls-Royce to a Lamborghini.

The ringing of the eight-bell bells and the crisp sound of horseshoes striking the stone slabs created a unique rhythm for the march.

Whenever the carriage turned, the rumbling sound of the wheels crushing the bricks would suddenly change, as if some ancient mechanical device was playing.

Xiao Ran suddenly realized that this voice was actually the 'voiceprint code' used by the citizens of Chang'an to identify the grade of a vehicle.

I used to think the carriage ride would be very bumpy, but now I realize how ignorant I was.

"Young master, how are you feeling?" Li Lizhi asked Xiao Ran with a smile.

"It's very comfortable. It's my first time riding in a carriage." Xiao Ran looked around, his biggest curiosity being how much he could sell this thing for when he got back!

Putting aside the historical artifacts, the craftsmanship and materials alone should justify the astronomical price.

Xiao Ran was also asking himself why he felt that private cars and horse-drawn carriages were equivalent.

Luckily I didn't say it out loud, otherwise it would be awkward now.

The Lizheng Hall is located inside the Taiji Palace. The Qianhua Gate is the south gate of the Lizheng Hall. After exiting the Qianhua Gate, one goes out of the Chengtian Gate, the main gate of the Taiji Palace, and then through the Zhuque Gate, the south gate of the imperial city. Zhuque Avenue is the central axis of Chang'an City, and the East Market is located on the east side of Zhuque Avenue.

During the Zhenguan era, the guards of Taiji Palace and the gates of the imperial city were mainly composed of elite troops from the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Palace. Among them, the Left and Right Gate Guards and the Left and Right Guards were directly responsible for guarding the palace gates.

The duties of these imperial guards were not only to defend against foreign enemies, but also to uphold court etiquette and the dignity of the emperor.

Officials were required to present a fish-shaped tally when entering or leaving the palace, but princesses were exempt from this requirement.

This difference is reflected in the Old Book of Tang: "When the princess's carriage came and went, it was not recorded in the gate register."

The princess's carriage was also a symbol of her status, and the soldiers all recognized it.

It's not at night or during special times, so nothing else is needed.

Xiao Ran also noticed that when Li Lizhi's carriage passed by, the Imperial Guards would pay their respects with a deep bow.

To be honest, it feels pretty good. This must be what it feels like to have power and privilege!

Xiao Ran rarely spoke, but instead focused on feeling things. Although he didn't say anything, he was filled with emotion.

“Young master, this is Zhuque Avenue,” Li Lizhi pointed.

As the carriage turned through the vermilion archway of the Vermilion Bird Gate, the suddenly open view caused Xiao Ran's pupils to contract abruptly.

He had initially thought that Zhuque Avenue was just a slightly wider stone-paved road, but at this moment he was so overwhelmed by its magnificent momentum that he was speechless. This central avenue running north to south was actually as wide as an eight-lane road in later times.

The bluish-gray basalt slabs have been polished by time to a faint sheen, and clear, flowing water runs in the drainage ditches on both sides. Every ten steps along the ditches, straight locust trees are planted, their leaves rustling in the wind.

What shocked him even more were the rows of ward walls on both sides of the street. The uniform rammed earth walls and vermilion gates outlined neat geometric lines in the sunlight, as if cutting the entire city of Chang'an into a precise chessboard.

"Is this wide enough for twenty carriages to travel side by side?" Xiao Ran subconsciously lowered his voice, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of the carriage.

Xiao Ran had visited the City That Never Sleeps several times, but modern technology could not recreate the true grandeur of the Tang Dynasty.

No matter how many colors of lights you use, you can't piece together such a vivid three-dimensional image.

When he saw several ornately decorated oxcarts calmly passing each other in the middle of the street, and the driver's cracking of the whip startled a few black birds perched on a locust tree, he suddenly realized that this was not a sand table model in a museum, but a real, breathing ancient capital.

Li Lizhi noticed the shock in his eyes and a proud smile appeared on her lips: "Zhuque Avenue is 150 paces wide, with the imperial road in the middle and sidewalks and drainage ditches on both sides. Even the morning dew has to flow into the Dragon Head Canal through the underground channel."

Xiao Ran followed her fingertip and discovered that the seemingly smooth road surface actually had a hidden secret—every few steps there were slightly concave patterns that not only prevented slipping but also guided the flow of water.

This advanced urban planning reminded him of the drainage system of ancient Rome, but he never expected that Chang'an during the Zhenguan era had already perfectly integrated practicality and aesthetics.

As the carriage passed a gate, he caught a glimpse of the three large characters "Chongrenfang" in clerical script inlaid on the stone plaque above the gate. Recalling the historical record that "the street was so crowded that it overwhelmed two markets," his heart began to race.

Xiao Ran couldn't describe in words the feeling of witnessing the Vermilion Bird Avenue across a thousand years.

Even Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang didn't quite understand why Xiao Ran was so agitated.

The little princess also looked at Xiao Ran, "Little Nangjun, are you doing well?"

Xiao Ran gently rubbed the little princess's head. "No, is Sizi hungry?"

"Hehe~ a little bit~"

“We just came out after having a meal, how come you’re hungry again, little girl?” Li Lizhi shook her head helplessly.

"I want some ice cream~"

"And there's also iced, brewed milk tea~"

"Young master, is there anything special about Chongrenfang?" Princess Yuzhang asked curiously.

"The book says, 'Chongrenfang Street is so bustling that it draws crowds from both markets, with noise and lights that never cease day and night.' I never thought I would actually see it."

Li Lizhi and Princess Yuzhang smiled.

Li Lizhi covered her mouth and chuckled: "My father often said that Chang'an should inspire awe in all those who come to pay tribute from all nations."

Her tone conveyed both the pride of being a princess and her love for Chang'an.

"Later generations no longer have a Chang'an like this. We can only glimpse the magnificence of Zhuque Avenue from historical records. A Tang Dynasty poet wrote, 'The palace gates open to the heavens, and the officials of all nations bow before the emperor.'"

"What a wonderful poem!" Li Lizhi could sense that this was a description of Chang'an City, and only Chang'an City could be described in such a way.

Xiao Ran took a deep breath, and the air, mixed with the scent of locust blossoms and earth, filled his nostrils.

He suddenly realized that he was standing at the most brilliant point of human civilization—this Zhuque Avenue was not only the central axis of Chang'an City, but also an epitome of the entire Tang Dynasty civilization.

While future generations marvel at the broken bricks and tiles in the museum, he can personally feel the shock. The dizziness brought about by this temporal and spatial displacement makes his eyes slightly warm.

(End of this chapter)