It turns out money is indeed useful; Qin Yao’s family passed the identity check smoothly and entered the city safely.

Exiting the long passageway, what first caught the eyes of the family of eight was a wide and straight road leading directly to a towering palace—the Ziwei Palace.

The only one somewhat familiar with the Capital City, Ah Wang, became the guide for his family. Pointing at the high palace that amazed the whole family, he explained:

"That is the tallest building in the city, the Ziwei Palace. It is where His Majesty meets with the civil and military officials to discuss state affairs. All major issues from around the world are submitted to the Emperor through this gate by the local governors."

"In the Capital City, there are 112 markets in total, along with the four major markets of east, west, south, and north. The Ziwei Palace and the Yang River in the center separate the residences of saints, princes, and eunuch officials dwelling within the river, and the residences of the officials and commoners of the court outside the river..."

The family of eight walked along, looking and listening, feeling that the city was vast beyond what the eye could see. When they looked up, there were basically three-story tall buildings everywhere, with elegantly carved eaves and intricate beams and columns, even the doors and windows were as exquisite as pieces of art.

Occasionally, there were several very prominent high-rise buildings connected by Immortal Bridges, linking one high-rise building to another, with people coming and going on top, dressed gracefully like celestial beings as if they were from the Heavenly Palace.

The buildings here and those in the Zijing Mansion are at two extremes. Two-story small buildings are rarely seen in the Zijing Mansion, and the house designs mostly carry a simple and grand ancient charm.

Yet, in the Capital City, three-story buildings are everywhere, especially on the main commercial streets. Tall buildings line both sides, decorated exquisitely, each one distinct, painted in vivid colors, truly presenting a sense of a hundred flowers blooming together.

The beauty of the world seems to be concentrated on this main street of the Capital City, needing no further trips to places like Jiangnan and the Northern Desert to experience the cultural features of various regions.

The Da Lang brothers and sisters walked on, dumbstruck, amidst the bustling crowd, feeling for the first time how precise the book description of ’the masses’ is.

Blending into the crowd of the Capital City, they only felt themselves to be a part of the masses, and so small that with just a slight delay, they might be swallowed by the crowd.

Only upon exiting the main avenue, heading towards the southeast market, did they occasionally see some small two-story and one-story courtyards, where the clothing of the passing commoners gradually shifted from dazzlingly vivid to simple and plain, letting the four siblings finally feel a bit of mundane reality here.

The entire city has the west occupied mostly by barbarians, serving as a congregation area for foreign visitors.

In the north is the true foot of the Emperor; the further north the markets are, the more expensive they become, the residences of the court officials and various princes and princesses.

The south is home to many merchants, the most prosperous area of the Capital City, filled with shops, restaurants, and eateries everywhere.

Adjacent to the South Market, East City is the residence for ordinary citizens. In the eyes of the nobles, those who live in the southeast market are not worthy of a proper glance.

The southeast market has a mix of people from every walk of life and all trades.

Yet, within this southeast area, there are tiers; those living in the southeastern corner are wealthy merchants, while those in the southern corner are the struggling lower class.

Residing in the east-facing market might be black officials, petty officials in the capital, or representatives of farming, commerce, and scholars, each occupying their own space, without disturbing each other in daily life.

Qin Feng’s house is in Yongtong Square, a peculiar location, right in the southeast, close to the East City Wall.

There’s a ’Tong Gate’ there, and although it’s far from the main city of the Capital, entering and exiting the city is very convenient.

The first time in Capital City, unfamiliar with the path, Qin Yao’s family of eight entered through the main gate, diligently traversing the entire Capital City, taking a full hour to arrive.

Actually, if they had used the small corner gate of Tong Gate, they could have entered Yongtong Square in less than a quarter of an hour.

Among the family of eight, Ah Wang is considered half a native of the Capital. Yet even Ah Wang had never been to such a remote market area.

He said, "Even fugitives avoiding capture wouldn’t hide in such a desolate place like Yongtong Square."

To be honest, the houses here do offer the best cost-performance ratio; one can buy a large courtyard with two sections at a relatively reasonable price, still as an independent, self-contained courtyard.

Qin Feng’s house is easy to find; ask anyone in Yongtong Square, and they can immediately point out the location of the ’Qin Mansion’.

The reason is simple: it’s because this is the only mansion with a pavilion among the flat houses in Yongtong Square.

The carriage stopped at the gate of this unique, two-section mansion with a pavilion. Seeing the surrounding area of broken walls and leaky tiles, Liu Ji raised a sincere question:

"Aren’t you afraid of being robbed, buying a house here?"

Ah Wang dismounted without expression, explaining, "Just make sure to keep the responsible petty officials well oiled."

In simpler terms, if the money’s in place, anything can be done.

In Qin Yao’s eyes, Yongtong Lane is indeed a bit remote, but it’s separated by several markets from the truly chaotic place where all trades and sects gather, making it a peaceful spot.

Plus, it leans against the east wall, so in case of any major events in the city, the city defense would be the first to respond and can prepare quickly.

Even if it’s a matter of fleeing, there’s Tong Gate to quickly exit the Capital, certainly the fastest escape route.

It’s apparent that Qin Feng chose this place with some consideration.

Under the expectant gaze of her family, Qin Yao took out the key and opened the green door of Qin Mansion, which had been closed for at least half a year.

The wooden hinge slowly turned, screeching a sound that made one’s teeth ache, and a peace-inducing wall was the first sight to greet them.

A gust of dust from long vacancy hit them, and Qin Yao fanned her hand, ready to step through the door. Liu Ji had already impatiently rushed in.

However, the much-anticipated mansion did not appear; this front yard wasn’t even bigger than his Liu Family Village’s front yard.

The two-section house had its door on the right side; entering from the door, there was a protective wall directly ahead, with small outbuildings on the left and right, used as reception and guard dwellings.

Only by going around the protective wall did they reach the main courtyard.

Facing the main courtyard was a main hall, with two rooms on either side. Passing through a corridor from the corner doors on both sides, the left was a storeroom, the right was a kitchen.

Continuing inside, they reached the second courtyard, which seemed much more spacious than the front yard, with five or six rooms and a small two-story pavilion, featuring a waterless rockery beneath.

It was clear that Qin Feng hadn’t lived here much. The furniture and beds seemed unused, barren without any fabric or plant decorations.

Si Niang immediately spotted the pavilion and ran in front of Qin Yao, excitedly asking, "Mother, can I stay in the pavilion?"

As Qin Yao was overseeing Ah Wang and Yin Le moving luggage, upon hearing this, she simply told everyone to stop what they were doing and gather in the front yard.

"It’s late, let’s allocate rooms and make something simple to eat, then rest. Any other arrangements can be made tomorrow," Qin Yao said.

No one had objections, waiting expectantly for her to assign rooms.

Liu Ji ignored his daughter’s wary eyes, wildly winking at Qin Yao, pavilion, pavilion, my dear wife, I want the pavilion!