Breakfast was simple—less soup and more filling fare. After Zhang Maoquan reported that the retinue from Shouci Palace was preparing to depart, Yun Zhao left Yaohua Palace with Feng Yun in tow.
The designated assembly hour had long since been announced, and everyone was gathering at the palace gates. Yun Zhao arrived a step ahead of the Empress Dowager. The three concubines and the rest of the retinue welcomed the Imperial Concubine, and then, under her lead, they welcomed the Empress Dowager. Afterward, they boarded their carriages in succession. The wheels rumbled over the stone-paved roads, gradually leaving the Imperial Palace further and further behind.
