*
Gao Zheqi merely glanced over with a slight smile, and the official fell silent.
*
*
「Upper Monarch Hall.」
A servant added some incense and was about to withdraw when the master lounging lazily behind the beaded curtain sneered, "So, has that old coot Gao Zheqi arrived?"
The servant was slightly startled and quickly lowered his gaze. "A messenger just reported that Mr. Gao is already on his way to the Imperial Palace."
"I am tired," came the careless, laughing reply. "If he arrives, just tell him to wait."
The servant quickly assented and withdrew.
*
*
The wind picked up.
The Dayong Dynasty's territory was vast; the farther west one traveled, the more barren and desolate it became.
Great ravines crisscrossed the land like giant scars, as if the heavens had lashed the earth with a whip. Carriages and horses bumped along the uneven, pitted ground, and occasional gusts of yellow sand swirled up, blinding travelers.
