Early the next morning, not long after Song Qingshu returned to his residence, someone came with a message that the Great Khan wished to see him.
His heart tightened. His impressions from their previous meetings had been far too vivid. Temujin's oppressive presence and overwhelming aura made him feel deeply threatened, and there were several other top-tier experts in the palace. Every time he went there, he felt somewhat uneasy.
But no matter how wary he was, he still had to go. This time, the guards did not lead him to the palace, but all the way to the outskirts of the city.
Song Qingshu even suspected that this might be some kind of trap, with an ambush waiting ahead. But before long, he was brought to an enormous tent. Only then did he remember that Mongols traditionally lived by following the water and grasslands, and were more accustomed to tents. It was only because the territory they had conquered in recent years was so vast, and the people under their rule so numerous, that they had built Han Chinese-style cities around Karakorum for administrative needs.
When he entered the royal tent, the others gradually arrived as well. Many were familiar faces he had seen during his previous visits to the palace. Temujin was speaking with a middle-aged man. Aside from a child-palm-sized patch of bangs at the center of his forehead, the man's head had been shaved clean, while two curled braids hung from either side of the back of his head.
Oh? Twin ponytails? Those gentlemen on the internet in his previous life had loved that hairstyle... Song Qingshu thought wickedly.
"Great Khan, rest assured. I will certainly find the Gaochang Maze." The middle-aged man patted his chest, looking full of vigor.
So this was Öchen? With a