[*]
Gao Zheqi merely offered a faint 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 scoffed, "What's this? Has that old coot Gao Zheqi arrived?"
The servant, slightly startled, quickly lowered his gaze. "A messenger just came to report that Mr. Gao is on his way to the Imperial Palace."
"I am tired. If he arrives, tell him to wait." The voice was nonchalant, laced with amusement.
The servant quickly assented and withdrew.
*
*
The wind grew stronger.
The Dayong Dynasty's territory was vast. The farther west one traveled, the more barren and desolate it became.
Huge ravines crisscrossed the land like gashes from a whip. As their horses and carriages passed over the uneven, pitted ground, sudden gusts of yellow sand would swirl up, forcing them to shut their eyes.
