[*]
Gao Zheqi merely glanced at him with 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 master reclining lazily chuckled. "What now? Has that old thing Gao Zheqi arrived?"
The servant, slightly startled, quickly lowered his eyes. "A messenger just came to report that Mr. Gao is already on his way to the Imperial Palace."
"I am tired. If he arrives, tell him to wait." The voice was casual, tinged with a smile.
The servant quickly acknowledged the order and withdrew.
*
*
The wind grew stronger.
The Dayong Dynasty's territory was vast. The farther west one traveled, the more barren and desolate the landscape became.
The land was crisscrossed with massive ravines, as if the heavens had whipped the earth. Carriages and horses jostled over the uneven, pitted ground. Occasionally, gusts of yellow sand would startle the air, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
