***
Gao Zheqi merely shot him a faint smile, and the official fell silent.
*
*
「Upper Monarch Hall.」
A servant added some incense and was about to withdraw. From behind the beaded curtain, a languidly lounging figure chuckled. "What's this? Has that old coot Gao Zheqi arrived?"
The servant, slightly startled, quickly lowered his eyes. "A messenger just reported that Mr. Gao is already on his way to the Imperial Palace."
"I am tired. If he arrives, tell him to wait," came the nonchalant, amused voice.
The servant quickly acknowledged the order and withdrew.
*
*
The wind picked up.
The Dayong Dynasty's territory was vast, and the farther west one traveled, the more barren and desolate it became.
Huge, crisscrossing ravines scarred the land, as if a god had lashed the earth with a whip. Carriages and horses struggled over the uneven, pitted ground. Occasionally, a gust of yellow sand would startle up, forcing people to squeeze their eyes shut.
