The Capital City was too vast for a little disturbance in a corner of West City to reach Skywater Bridge quickly.
The new residence was as peaceful as ever. Fan Qinghe, who had not gone out all day, sat alone in the garden's Viewing Tower, reclining on the broad Chess Couch and gazing blankly toward the Northwest.
The Viewing Tower rose above the enclosing walls, its terrace facing the Southern Fragrant River. At night, an endless glow of lights spread before it. Both Jade Resonance Tower, towering like a crane among chickens, and the imposing palace walls at the edge of the view were visible. Painted pleasure boats and little skiffs occasionally drifted beneath the terrace. One could take in all the splendor of the mortal world without stepping outside.
As Fan Qinghe admired this sumptuous beauty that only an age of peace could offer, she also remembered Dongming Mountain, where she had been born and raised.
Dongming Mountain lay in the middle of the vast Northwest. It was not as impossibly remote as the Yechi Tribe, but it was still much farther away than Langxuan City. There were no towering cities there, and even towns were rare-only one mountain village after another. Though medicinal herbs grew in abundance, herbs could not fill stomachs, and life was bitter.
Herb farmers braved the dangers of the wilderness, venturing deep into ancient forests to dig up ginseng and spirit mushrooms, only to exchange them for a few sacks of grain from smugglers like the Hongshan Gang. They even had to thank those traders for risking the journey to bring food. Otherwise, their countless tribespeople could only starve to death while sitting on a mountain of treasure.
As queen of the Dongming Tribe, Fan Qinghe saw how comfortably the people under the Empress's