Just after the court assembly ended, Bai Changqing left the palace in a hurry, his face cold, and got into his own carriage, lowering the curtain as he headed home. Today he was so irritated and distracted that he simply could not focus on paperwork, so he decided to go home and rest.
In the carriage, Bai Changqing clearly sensed that the usually bustling Junhou Street was much quieter than before. Lifting a corner of the carriage curtain, he could see that the restaurants and teahouses outside were already deserted, nothing like the prosperity of previous days.
After all, the upper section of Junhou Street was lined with restaurants and teahouses, most of which depended on the officials of the Temple Hall for business. Ordinary people would not spend much more money here for the sake of ostentation or elegance; only the officials, who felt everything must be superior, favored such indulgence.
