Meeting the Dowager Empress
The Imperial Palace was more solemn than Bai Li An expected. In spite of the sumptuous scenery, the Imperial Palace commanded respect. The rules were many here, the first of which the interdiction to use a carriage or a palanquin to anyone other than the direct descendants of the Imperial Family. Whether old or young, everyone had to climb the three hundred steps to get to the entrance of the Imperial Palace. While walking around the palace, each step could not be bigger than the length of a forearm, thus rendering the process difficult and time-consuming. For women who rarely stepped out of the inner courtyard, the task was especially tiring, leaving their faces red and their breath short.