*
Gao Zheqi merely shot him a faint smile, and the official fell silent.
*
*
「Upper Monarch Hall.」
A servant added more incense and was about to withdraw when the master lounging lazily behind the beaded curtain chuckled. "What is it? Has that old coot Gao Zheqi arrived?"
The servant, slightly startled, quickly lowered his gaze. "A messenger just reported that Mr. Gao is already on his way to the Imperial Palace."
"I am tired. If he arrives, just have him wait." The voice was casual, tinged with a smile.
The servant quickly acknowledged the order and withdrew.
*
*
The wind picked up again.
The Dayong Dynasty's territory was vast. The farther west one traveled, the more barren and desolate it became.
Huge, crisscrossing ravines scarred the land, as if the heavens had lashed the earth with a whip. Carriages and horses bumped along the uneven pits, and sudden gusts of yellow sand would rise up, blinding travelers.
