"Oh, not too far. An hour or two, depending on how fast you sail." Unless Ming was remembering horribly wrong, but she didn't think so. Another advantage of staying in one place for centuries upon centuries. One because very familiar with it!

They would leave from the canal that ran beside the palace, out to the sea and then hug the coast to the river mouth before sailing up it. It was...more private that way, rather than taking the canals through the city to meet with the river itself.

And the walk down to the canal was a quick and pleasant one.