*
Gao Zheqi offered a mere wisp of a smile, and the servant fell silent.
*
*
「Upper Monarch Hall.」
A servant added some incense and was about to withdraw. From behind the beaded curtain, a lazy voice drawled with a sneer, "What's this? Has that old thing 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, just have him wait." The voice was casual, laced with amusement.
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.
Huge, crisscrossing gullies scarred the landscape, as if the heavens had lashed the earth with a whip. Carriages and horses struggled over the uneven ruts. Occasionally, yellow sand would swirl up, startling the travelers and forcing them to shut their eyes.
