Luoyang City, the imperial capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The imperial palace was divided into the Southern Palace and the Northern Palace. The emperor held court and carried out his duties in the Southern Palace, whose main hall was the Deyang Hall. The Northern Palace was the imperial harem, where the emperor, empress, and consorts lived. To its east stood the separate Yong'an Palace, which had once been the Eastern Palace.
On Buli and Li Streets outside Yong'an Palace stood a grand mansion bearing the words "Shi Residence." Yet its owner was neither a member of the imperial family nor a high-ranking court official, but an ordinary Daoist named Shi Zimiao.
