Great Tang: I Became Li Chengqian and Fell into the Water from the Start

Chang’an’s broad avenues stretched straight and level, branching off into narrow lanes and extending without end. Green oxen plodded along on slack reins, while white horses pranced and whinnied, drawing splendid carriages laden with treasures and scented with perfume. Their wheels rolled over blue-green stone, and the wind swept along the long streets as their rumble filled the air. Curtains stirred faintly, figures appeared and vanished, and fragrant dust drifted through the thoroughfares.

Jade carriages towered beneath stately canopies, surrounded by guards as they swept straight past the mansions of the powerful. Princes, nobles, and ministers raced by on spirited steeds, golden whips flashing; their proud horses galloped, and their carriage canopies stretched one after another as they hurried to the noble houses. The streets teemed with carriages and horses, displaying the splendor of the great clans; across the markets, canopies faced one another, revealing all the bustling grandeur of Chang’an.