《Rebirth: Degenerate Slave Abuses Tyrant》


 Chapter 1

    Cold. The world has frozen over with the constant snowfall in thest few days. Between the heavens and the earth, everything has turned white.<span>


    Chenghuang Temple, abandoned for many years, lied forgotten by the world on the western outskirts of the Capital. The sky stayed gloomy even after the snow on this night, with no moon or stars in sight. A little snowdrift has formed below the steps of the temple''s main hall. Packed solid, the snow haspletely covered the person who''d been discarded there this morning.<span>


    The cry of several jackdaws broke the silence in the dead of night.<span>


    A gust of wind whistled past and snowfall that had ceased momentarily started anew.<span>


    A lone spirit stood silently next to the snowdrift, beneath which rested his former shell. Hisst breath ended when the wind started a little while ago, and all the pain he experienced seemed to vanish in a moment.<span>


    The demons of legend(1) who would escort him to the underworld never came. The spirit couldn''t leave his body, not even by a half step. Some unknown force was confining him to this ce.<span>


    The snow kept stuttering and falling, and it seemed that this winter has already gone on too long.<span>


    Seven dayster.<span>


    The raucous sound of hooves approached from afar. The lost soul shifted from the noise and saw a group of Yulin Royal Guards(2) at the source.<span>


    "Search the area!" A young general dressed in all ck dismounted and motioned to the rest of the group with his hand, his face a mask of cold elegance.<span>


    The guards dispersed, searching around the area. Finally, easily overlooked and hidden at the base of the steps, they discovered the corpse.<span>


    "Dig." The general issues a singlemand.<span>


    And thus the lost soul, having watched over his body for thest seven days, finally came face to face with the sight of his own remains.<span>


    Despite the fact that all the guards were decorated soldiers, and all have seen their fair share of death and carnage, they still couldn''t help but retch at the look of this one.<span>


    But the lost soul didn''t care about the way he looked. He hadn''t cared when he was alive and minded even less now that he''s dead.<span>


    The carcass in the snow didn''t smell of rot, thanks to the snowstorms in thest few days. It was blue and purple all over. Naked, just skin and bones, with big and small scarsyered on top of one another scattered all over. It seemed impossible to find a single piece of unmarred skin on the body. Of the two eyes, one was just an empty socket while the other was wide open, staring blindly ahead. Its nipples were gone, reced with a dark scar as if someone had seared it with a hot iron brand repeated, while the other was just a bloody hole, cut off by a de. A piece of intestine dangled out of its lower half, in itself a mess of rotting meat and stuck through by a length of wood stained brown with blood. The two thighs had rotted away, leaving only stark white bones that, on a closer look, were broken all over.<span>


    The spirit felt a little proud of himself all of a sudden. Even in this state, he was able to brave the snow from sunrise to sunset before uttering hisst breath.<span>


    One of the men approached the body, wrapped in a ck fox fur cape.<span>


    "My lord!" The young general stepped forward too, a bit of warmth finallying through in his otherwise indifferent voice, revealing a shred of anxiety.<span>


    The man in the cape stood tall with a handsome face. Aloof, he held a natural sense of extravagant majesty that couldn''t conceal his exhaustion. His eyes lingered on the corpse, unrelenting.<span>


    "My lord," The young general reached out and pulled at him, "You''ve seen what you came to see, let''s just go." The sound of a plea.<span>


    The man didn''t move, instead, he stooped down and moves to touch the gnarled hand of the corpse. The bones were all broken, and the only thing holding the wrist together was a thinyer of skin. On it, there were scars of a manacle that had been affixed for many years. The fingernails were all gone. An iron stud had been pushed through the left thumb, all the way through to the palm. The man shifted his gaze to the corpse''s feet. They''d been hobbled years ago, the bones fractured. Only four toes remained out of the ten, deformed and strange, with the nails pulled out as well.<span>


    The spirit didn''t understand the reason for the concern that the man showed to this rotting carcass. He didn''t understand how this man could touch it with such a careful hand, almost cautious, as if for fear of hurting it somehow.<span>


    "Luo Wei," The man murmured quietly.<span>


    The spirit burst into a peal ofughter, pity that no living being could hear theughter of the dead. This was his name while he was still alive, one that no one had used for him for many years. They only called him whore, ve, pig, bitch, for so long that he''d almost forgotten that he was a person and that he had a name.<span>


    "Long Xuan..." The spirit felt this was some kind of God-given joke, "it''s a wonder you still remember this name!" Heughed to the point of tears, but spirits no longer had any tears to shed.<span>


    "My lord!" The general crouched down too. He still hasn''t spared the corpse a single nce. His worried eyes were only trained on the man in front of him.<span>


    "Luo Wei," The man called out softly as he put his hand over the corpse''s open right eye, wanting to somehow help it close and bring his soul to rest. But no matter how hard he tried, the eye remained open, staring ahead.<span>


    A st of wind swirled over the fallen snow and swept over the group. The storm started once more.<span>


    The spirit felt himself drifting with the wind. The power that had kept him bound to the body dissipated, and he seemed to finally be free. He resolved to let the wind carry him to wherever it may blow. He was a sinner, a criminal, there''s no ce of eternal rest for him, and thus he must wander as a lost soul.<span>


    "Your Imperial Majesty!" The blizzard squalled, dimming everyone''s vision with a haze of snow. The general grew more troubled, "If Your Imperial Majesty pities him, I''ll send an order for him to be buried."<span>


    "Zi Zhou(3), he''s dead." Said Emperor Long Xuan, the head of the Empire of Zhou(3)(4), to his most valued Grand General, Ning Fei.<span>


    "Your Majesty!" The general was determined to pull the emperor back up.<span>


    Just then, a young man in white rushed through the guards without paying them any mind. He barreled through the retinue on his horse, stopping right in front of the remains.<span>


    "Grand Prince Yu(5)," The young general moved to hold the interloper back but found himself pushed aside.<span>


    "How could you have done this to him?!" After a single look at the corpse, Grand Prince Yu, Long Xiang couldn''t hold back anymore. He screamed at his older brother, "How could you?! Are you satisfied?!"<span>


    "I don''t know(6)," The emperor answered, "I don''t know."


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Demons of Legend - Original text says "Ox-Head and Horse-Face", which are the first two demons you meet after dying. They act as guides (or sometimes captors) for spirits to the under world.


    2. Yulin Royal Guards - Yu Lin literally means a forest of feathers. They''re a specific group of Royal Guards, of which there are many in the Imperial Pce. This note is to distinguish them from other Royal Guards in the future.


    3. Zhou - The Zhou in Zi Zhou''s name and the Empire/Kingdom of Zhou are two different words.


    3.a Zi Zhou - Historically, Chinese names have several parts. "Ming" refers to the name that a person is given right after birth; "Zi" refers to the name that a person is given aftering of age. In an official context and when addressed by elders, one would use Ming, and in a personal context between people of simr standing (especially to be polite and to show deference), one would use Zi. In this case, Ning is the young general''s Surname, Fei is his Ming, and Zi Zhou is his Zi.


    4. The emperor''s full title as tranted is: Ping Zhang Emperor of Grand Zhou. Ping Zhang is the emperor''s regnal title, roughly tranted to "Derer of Peace". His name is Long Xuan.


    5. Grand Prince Yu - Yu is a title style, meaning affluence or wealth. His title is Grand Prince, named Long Xiang.


    6. I - The pronoun the emperor uses is "Zhen", which is a royal pronoun, much like the royal "we" in English.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    This novel is at the same time easier and harder to trante than the other one. The sentences are a lot shorter and repetitive in English, but easier to read in Chinese. There''s a lot of titles and royal ranks, etc, etc. Grand Prince is not a real title that is used in China, the actual title is just Prince, or King (not ruling), but I''m trying to use this title to distinguish him from the actual sons of the emperor... of which there are many.<span>


    I will try to put as many footnotes in as possible, where possible, some shortcuts have been taken in tranting people''s names in order to make it easier to read. I can trante the actual name meanings if people are interested, let me know in thements.<span>


    Luo Wei had a fucked up life before, and there''s a few fucked up parts of this novel we''re going to have to get through, but there''s a lot more BL based than the other one, which is why I wanted to get start on it. Please heed the trigger warnings. Chinese Historical BL also has a penchant for young characters. I wonder if this is because the authors are often not much older than highschool or college students or if this is just a staple in historical fiction.<span>


    Again, as with the other novel, I''m new to trantion and have parts where I''m not sure. I''m trying to get thenguage to sound natural in English as much as I can, and may take a little liberty here or there in order to get the feeling across.<span>

 Chapter 2

    Luo Wei opened his eyes again and found himself hurting all over. Strange. How could a dead man still feel pain? Just as he pondered the question, a hand reached down and met his forehead. He nced up to see the owner of the hand and startled in surprise. It was his father''s hand. His father who passed away years ago.<span>


    "Are you finally awake?" A handsome young man with tanned skin stuck his head out to peered at him, looking impatient, "Serves you right!" <span>


    It was his second eldest brother. Luo Wei started trembled like a leaf. His brother had been killed due to his impudence. How could he still be alive?<span>


    "Is it hurting bad?" Noticing his son''s bizarre behavior, Luo Zhi Qiu turned to summon the doctor who was waiting aside.<span>


    The white-haired doctor shifted closer to take Luo Wei''s Pulse, his face a picture of concentration.<span>


    "I," Luo Wei was doing his best not to not break down, his voice shook, "Where am I?"<span>


    "You''re at home, where else!" Luo Ze couldn''t hide his anger when it came to his younger brother. He couldn''t even pretend to be happy as he spoke.<span>


    Luo Wei scanned his surroundings. He remembered this room. This was his old room back at home. Every corner of it was filled with such luxury and opulence, revealing just how shallow and worldly he used to be.<span>


    "What are you scheming?" Luo Ze asked rather unkindly.<span>


    "But I died." Luo Wei said, more to himself than anyone else.<span>


    "You died?" Luo Ze became even angrier, "Then what the hell are we supposed to be? Ghosts?"<span>


    Luo Wei''s vision went dark again.<span>


    "What''s happening to him?" Luo Ze questioned the doctor, finally nervous as he watched his little brother pass out again.<span>


    The doctor sighed, "Senior Chancellor," He addressed Luo Zi Qiu instead, "The young master has suffered internal injuries, it won''t be an easy recovery."<span>


    This time around, it took Luo Wei two days to open his eyes again. When he did, the ones watching over him at his bedside were his two little attendants, Xiao Xiao and Qi Zi. Luo Wei remembered that they had been killed as well. Watching them, he realized that he was never kind to them. Or rather, as the son of the Senior Chancellor, Luo Wei had never been kind to anyone.<span>


    "What happened to me?" Luo Wei asked.<span>


    Xiao Xiao repied, "You were injured, sir."<span>


    Luo Wei lifted his hands and looked them over, both were perfect and unscathed, "but where am I?" He asked once more.<span>


    Qi Zi answered this time, "Young master, you''re at home."<span>


    Neither dared to utter an extra word in front of Luo Wei. He was notoriously easy to anger, and one wrong phrase could earn them a beating. They both feared him.<span>


    Luo Wei remained dumbfounded for a moment. Then, all of a sudden he asked, "What year is it?"<span>


    Xiao Xiao and Qi Zi nced at each other. Xiao Xiao replied, "Young Master, it''s the fifth year of Qing Yuan(1)."<span>


    The fifth year of Qing Yuan... the fifth year of Qing Yuan. Luo Wei moved too abruptly as he tried to get up, and the pain at the deep in his chest forced him to settle back into the bed. He was thirteen during the fifth year of Qing Yuan, still the third son of the Senior Chancellor, and a member of the Luo family. It would still be seven years before his entire family would be wiped out. "Fifth year of Qing Yuan?" Luo Wei''s voice wavered.<span>


    "That''s right, sir." Qi Zi couldn''t begin to guess at what was wrong with their young master.<span>


    Luo Wei stared ahead nkly without saying anything.<span>


    The two little attendants waited, but no word came from their young master. "Sir?" Finally, Xiao Xiao couldn''t help but call out to him.<span>


    Luo Wei covered his face with both of his hands, but he wasn''t able to stop the tears from seeping through the cracks of his fingers.<span>


    "Young Master?" Qi Zi, who was usually so calm and collected, couldn''t help but feel uneasy at this sight. Their young master never cried, what''s going on?<span>


    Luo Wei''s tears fell silently. He had thought that everything had already met its final end, but he couldn''t fathom that the heavens would give him another chance. Is this an opportunity to rectify all of his past mistakes?<span>


    "Young Master, are you in a lot of pain?" Qi Zi asked again, worried.<span>


    Luo Wei wiped the tears off his face and smiled at his two attendants, "I''m fine. Would you please go fetch me something to eat?"<span>


    Xiao Xiao and Qi Zi were stunned, when did their young master ever smile at them like this?<span>


    "Please," Luo Wei said gently, with a touch of remorse.<span>


    The two young attendants both rushed out at once. How strange their young master seemed, ever since he woke up. It was as if he''s be a whole different person.


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Qing Yuan Era - Dates in historical China has two parts, a year number and an era title, usually linked to the emperor ascending the throne. It''s currently year 5 in the Qing Yuan era. There''s a historical Qing Yuan era, however, this story does not appear to have any real historical grounding and though the format is being used, the name Qing Yuan is not referring to any specific point in time.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    This chapter is short and sweet, setting up the family. In Chinese, Luo Wei''s father''s title, Senior Chancellor, is rendered as "the left chancellor". I did some research recently and found that this is the senior position to the other "right chancellor". I think it makes sense to refer to them by seniority as not to confuse with positional words. I wonder if they stand on the left and right of the emperor during court assembly.<span>

 Chapter 3

    Luo Wei forced himself to sit up. His shoulders were in agony, but the pain was nothing to him, who had endured ten years of torture from others. Luo Wei remembered how when he was thirteen, he was sought out for revenge by the two sons of the Feng Wu(1) Grand General. The two gave him a rough beating. As he tried to escape, the younger of the two, Zhao Jun Yi, shot an arrow through his left shoulder as well. He doesn''t me the Zhao brothers, it was his own fault for tormenting others. It was he, Luo Wei, who harassed the brother inw of the elder Zhao brother on the street. The only reason it happened was because he liked the look of that poor schr''s fianc¨¦e. At thirteen, he''d already learned to rob innocent women off the streets.<span>


    Luo Wei shook his head, self deprecating. Why was he such a miscreant in his past life? Was it purely because he was born into a powerful family? His father was the Senior Chancellor, his eldest brother was the general inmand at Yun Guan(2), second eldest the general of the capital city. His mother was the daughter of a well known military family, all his uncles on his mother''s side were generals themselves. Andstly but not least, his aunt on his father''s side was the current empress, Luo Zhi Yi. Everyone said that half the power of the Great Zhou Empirey in the Luo family.<span>


    And it was because of this power that his family had been destroyed seven years after. His aunt was removed from the throne, apparently ending her own life in the Cold Pce(3). His father had been stripped of titles, and died on the road to exile in Ling Nan. His eldest brother died in battle, bones trampled to mud by the mounted soldiers of Northern Yan(4). His second eldest brother faced death breaking into the pce to save their father, and used himself in exchange for his crimes by being sent to battle in Northern Yan. Unfortunately, he was poisoned to death in his own tent by someone in the pce while on his way to the battle. Afterwards came the old emperor''s thunderous rage. The eldest prince, born of his aunt, was deposed of his position as the crown prince. He was then confined to the Imperial Mausoleum in Xia Chuan along with his mother''s other sons, third prince Long Hang, sixth prince Long Hao. And thus the Luo family''s properties were confiscated and the lineage exterminated.<span>


    "You have to protect your two nephews!" This was his mother''sst wish. Luo Wei didn''t want to keep digging through his memories, but the recollections rushed forth like water through a broken dam, unable to be stopped. It wasn''t until the veryst moment that his mother told him that he, Luo Wei, was not officially of the Luo family. His mother was Luo Zhi Qiu''s third sister, Luo Zhi Jin, the one who passed away while still in full bloom, at age sixteen. His difficult birth had caused her death. No one knew who his birth father was, and those in the family only knew that their young mistress was kidnapped for three months when she was fifteen. The pregnancy was discovered not long after she returned, and even on her deathbed she would not name the man who forced this upon her. Luo Wei found out then, at the moment of his false mother''s death, that he was a bastard whose origins no one had known.<span>


    When the new Crown Prince, Long Xuan, saved him, it was because everyone knew Luo Wei loved him, that Luo Wei was Long Xuan''s dog. And at that time, Luo Wei thought that no matter what, Long Xuan still had some feelings for him, and that his betrayal of his entire family was not in vain. But he didn''t know that Long Xuan saved him only to keep him alive, so that he could live a fate worse than death.<span>


    A yearter, Wu Xing Emperor died due to sickness, and the Crown Prince Long Xuan seeded him, his was named the Ping Zhang Emperor. It was at this time that Luo Wei, who''d been imprisoned with his two nephews for an entire year, finally saw Long Xuan again. He was initially full of hope, but didn''t imagine that Long Xuan would immediately use him of betraying his family and ancestors, ordering all those present to list out his crimes. He was imprisoned in the pce that very day. For a total of three months, the guards in the pce all got their chance to have a piece of the previous young master of the Luo family. Luo Wei wanted to die, but Long Xuan held the lives of his two nephews in his hands, so Luo Wei could only endure the humiliation. Three monthster, without a single piece of unmarred skin on his body and his lower half wasted to the point that he couldn''t walk any longer, Luo Wei was gifted to the army as a sex ve for the soldiers to let their steam out on. Two years past that, Long Xuan held a memorial for the Luo family, and as the one who betrayed his ancestors, Luo Wei was paraded nude on the streets upon a wooden horse for three days. Further after he was given to a brothel, suffering for another eight years. Luo Wei originally thought he''d be able to trade his shame for the lives of his two nephews, but it never urred to him that towards the end of his life, he''d hear that his nephews had died four years before in a fire at the old Luo family ruins. It was then that he realized his life was just a joke, without a single shred of meaning. At the very end, he was discarded by the brothel at the temple ruins, died in the snowy wilderness, his corpse exposed to the elements for seven days. This was his final ending.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b><b>


    </b>


    <b></b>1. Feng Wu - A title, much like a regnal name for the Emperor, words were appended onto titles to signify the greatness of the receiver.


    2. Yun Guan - A border fort between Great Zhou and Northern Yan.


    3. Cold Pce - One of the many pces in the Forbidden Pce. It''s reserved for concubines that have fallen out of favor with the Emperor, to live isted and often without servants or appropriate amounts of rations.


    4. Northern Yan - A state during the Sixteen Kingdoms era of China, however, as before, the author isn''t big on making things historically urate. This Northern Yan is purely fiction.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Wow that was a lot. I wonder if I should put content warnings at the beginnings of chapters or if this is par for course in Chinese BL trantions. I haven''t read a lot of tranted ones, but out of all the ones I read in Chinese, this one was probably the most sadistic to the protagonist.<span>


    Also some fat-shaming in the next few chapters because Luo Wei was a pudgy little guy when he was a shithead. I''m not sure if the author meant it to be read that way, but knowing how people who are overweight are portrayed in society, it wouldn''t surprise me. I hope those who are reading won''t take it to heart, and will tread around it lightly.<span>

 Chapter 4

    Luo Wei has noints about those ten years of suffering. A miscreant like him deserved it, everyone in the world had the right to humiliate him, the only exception was Long Xuan. Luo Wei held no feelings for anyone in the world, but he was true to Long Xuan. For Long Xuan, Luo Wei helped to cause strain on the Emperor and the Empress'' rtionship, he let Long Xuan plot with the Crown Prince of Northern Yan, leading to his eldest brother not even having a body to be buried, and he helped pull off the great plot for the Luo family''s downfall. Back then, he only had ce in his heart for the second prince, Long Xuan. Everything he did was for him. Long Xuan wanted to be Emperor, so he helped him be Emperor by getting rid of every obstacle in his path, even if they were Luo Wei''s own family.<span>


    For all the awful things he did, all he got in exchange was a single sentence: Since you like men, why don''t you service them from now on?<span>


    "Young Master?" Xiao Xiao had been standing by his bed for a while now, but all he saw was Luo Wei sitting there staring nkly into space, with no reaction at all. The bowl of congee was nearly cold by this point, so he couldn''t resist drumming up his courage and opened his mouth to address Luo Wei.<span>


    Xiao Xiao''s voice brought him out of his reveries. Luo Wei plodded through the congee, still silent. He caused the deaths of everyone in this estate and had no face to look at them again. His heart still moved at the thought of Long Xuan, in thest life it was an infatuation that held everything else in disregard, but in this life, all that''s left was hatred. Since the heavens gave him another chance to start over, then his only goal in this new life was to protect his family. A sinner like him didn''t deserve to get anything else, but his family, these people who treated him like one of their own despite knowing that he was a bastard, they deserved a lifetime of happiness and safety.<span>


    Someone pushed open the door again. The Senior Chancellor''s wife, Bo Hua, walked in.<span>


    "Mother," Luo Wei called, his voice suddenly dry.<span>


    "I heard you were awake, does it still hurt?" Bo Hua asked him, expressionless.<span>


    "It''s all good," Luo Wei replied. His mother was always like this to him. He used to purposefully make her angry for fun, because he thought she only loved his brothers and was cold to him, but he won''t do it now. He didn''t have the privilege to receive love from a honorable woman like her.<span>


    "Your father and your second brother has gone to court," Bo Wei spoke in a cold tone as she regarded him. She had raised this child by her own hand, but she could never feel a closeness to him. Even now, as a thirteen year old, the Senior Chancellor''s wife couldn''t understand why Luo Zhi Jin was determined to have him all those years ago.<span>


    "I see," Luo Wei avoided her gaze, answering quietly.<span>


    "The doctor wille to see you soon," Bo Hua thought that he was going to give her trouble, but didn''t anticipate that he''d actually be well-behaved today. For a moment, she didn''t know what to say, so she left it at that and walked out.<span>


    Luo Wei had drifted between sleep and unconsciousness for about a half month, and then recuperated in bed for another.<span>


    Luo Zi Qiu and Luo Ze came to see him very little, and only sat for a bit before leaving each time. They had nothing inmon or to say to Luo Wei. Bo Hua came infrequently as well, and Luo Ze''s wife, Xu Yue Miao, never came by at all. Luo Wei didn''t mind it at all. Xu Yue Miao came from a poor family. Luo Ze had once been injured in battle, and she, a hunter''s daughter, had rescued him. The two fell in love and married. This was a happy story, but Luo Wei didn''t think so in his past life. He looked down on his sister inw''s hunter background, and only had mean things to say about her at home, never giving her the time of day. The fact that she didn''te to visit was only natural.<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTE:</b>


    No footnotes!!! I think we''ve gotten enough background previously for this chapter to not have any footnotes, but let''s see what happens once we get into talking about the pce and all that. Going to be doing another chapter tonight I think!!<span>

 Chapter 5

    During Luo Wei''s recovery, Long Xuan had ordered someone toe visit him, bringing more than a few gifts, and a few words, saying that he despised Feng Wu General''s entire family. To this, Luo Wei only smiled.<span>


    Long Xuan did this too in the past life, and for these words Luo Wei, his loyal dog, hade out biting. He''d sunk his teeth into the Zhao brothers, who''d injured him, and eventually lead to their exile from the capital. Feng Wu General, Zhao He Nian, had been good friends with the Senior Chancellor for many years, but because of this they''d cut ties with each other. Originally the leading asset behind the Crown Prince, the general became a loyal supporter of the second prince, Long Xuan. The second prince was only fifteen at this point, but he''d already started plotting for his future.<span>


    In front of Luo Wei, an eunuch(1) stood respectfully with his hands at his sides. He''s one of Long Xuan''s close servants, Fu Yun, who''d be the Overseer of all Eunuchs in the Back Pce(2) once Long Xuan ascended to the throne. And it was this one, along with a few other experienced eunuchs, that taught him how to submit under others. At that time, no matter how he''d wail and cry for help, Overseer Fu never gave him even a chance to breathe. He only drugged him, administered cleansing for his bowels, and insertedrger andrger phalluses into him.<span>


    "I know," Luo Wei wanted to throw up, but forced himself to keep it down as he spoke dryly to Fu Yun, "Be sure to thank His Highness for me when you get back."<span>


    "Yes, this servant understands," Fu Yun answered hurriedly.<span>


    "This is a reward for you," Luo Wei took a few silver coins and handed it to Fu Yun.<span>


    Fu Yun paused, this was the first time that the young master Luo had given him a reward.<span>


    Luo Wei put on a smile, "Thank you for going through all the trouble," He said to the eunuch. The experiences of his past life made him understand that even small characters like this couldn''t bear to be offended.<span>


    "This servant thanks the young master," Fu Yun epted the reward with a grin, and didn''t notice the ruthlessness that crossed Luo Wei''s eyes momentarily.<span>


    After Fu Yun departed, Qi Zi asked Luo Wei, "Young Master, where should I put the gifts?"<span>


    Luo Wei lifted his gaze at the gifts from Long Xuan. They were all novel and exquisite ythings, and Luo Wei had indeed loved things like these in his past life. "Put them in the storeroom," Luo Wei ordered Qi Zi, he didn''t pay attention to the gifts any more than that.<span>


    Qi Zi felt an extrayer of suspicion and shock. Previously, his master had treasured anything that came from the second prince, and wouldn''t let anyone else touch it. Yet today, he didn''t even bother giving it a second nce before ordering them to be put in storage.<span>


    "In the future, if the second prince sends someone else," Luo Wei said to Qi Zi after some thought, "Tell them that I''m not feeling well and am resting, don''t bring them to see me. Give them a reward and tell them to go."<span>


    "Understood," Qi Zi replied. He wished that his master could be as far from the second prince as possible. The Luo family supported the Crown Prince, after all, and were enemies with the second prince, son of the Noble Consort(3) Liu. As Qi Zi left for the storeroom, he took another look at Luo Wei as the young master read in the gallery under the sunshine. Could it be that his master had visited death''s door and turned over a new leaf?<span>


    Luo Wei''s recuperation took a month, and the doctor finally said that he could stop taking medicine.<span>


    At dawn a monthter, Luo Wei was still dreaming when he was pushed awake by Xiao Xiao.<span>


    "What''s going on?" Without losing his temper, Luo Wei asked sleepily.<span>


    Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, he''d been prepared to get a good thrashing, "Young Master, you need to get ready quick. The Senior Chancellor has sent down an order, you''re being called to the pce."<span>


    When she heard that the Emperor had called Luo Wei to the pce, Bo hua, who''d not visited in many days, came to see Luo Wei, "You mustn''t talk nonsense when you enter the pce," She made a point to remind him.<span>


    "Yes, I understand," Luo Wei could only be respectful to her.<span>


    Bo Hua stared at Luo Wei, a little dazed. He used to be pudgy with all the chub piled on his face, but since the injury, he''d gotten thin. Very thin.<span>


    "What''s the matter, mother?" Luo Wei asked her.<span>


    "No-Nothing," Bo Hua replied but didn''t turn her gaze from him. She finally figured it out. Luo Wei actually looked a lot like his mother, Luo Zhi Jin.<span>


    "Then I''ll be on my way," Luo Wei respectfully excused himself. He didn''t bother to dwell on the reasons behind her stare, knowing that she would never do him harm.


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Eunuchs - Eunuchs were the preferred type of guard / servant for the concubines of the Back Pce due to castration. They fill a variety of roles, as such, servant and eunuch will be used interchangeably for pacing.


    2. Back Pce - The Imperial Harem. The transliteration "Back Pce" is used here because "harem" often denotes purely a ce where the concubines live, whereas the Back Pce (ie. behind the official pce where the emperor holds court) is for concubines as well as some of their younger sons. It''s also harder to denote a difference between different parts of the harem / pce without naming them specifically.


    3. Noble Consort - The Noble Consort belongs to a rank of concubines referred to as "Madames", and are second in importance in the harem to the Empress.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    One with a little bit of roughness. We will see Long Xuan as a teenager in the next chapter, are you excited?! I''m still not 100% on some of the trantions such as the "back pce", maybe I will make changes if it bothers me enough but right now it feels easier than trying to work around the mental challenges of the word "harem".<span>

 Chapter 6

    After holding court, Emperor Xing Wu was conversing with the Senior Chancellor as he stepped into Jin Chun Garden(1) along with the Crown Prince Long Yu, second prince Long Xuan, and a bevy of militarymanders. He walked briskly, and everyone following him knew that when the Emperor was not happy, he always walked briskly. Because of this, Emperor Xing Wu and the Senior Chancellor Luo Zhi Qiu were the only one speaking, everyone else remainedpletely silent. As Emperor Xing Wu stopped suddenly without warning, many of the ministers following closely bumped into one another.<span>


    "Zhi Jin?" Everyone present heard Emperor Xing Wu uttering these words and so they turned to follow the Emperor''s gaze.<span>


    A youth in white brocade stood beside a peach tree. It''s March, the time that peach trees were in full blossom. The spring sunshine was vibrant, the air moved with a soft breeze, and the peach blossom petals fell like rain. The sunshine fell upon the youth through the cracks of the tree''s foliage. As the youth looked up at the flowers around him, he didn''t notice at all the ministers and the emperor standing nearby across a small stream. Neither did he notice the picture he made in this fantasy of peach blossoms, turning into a wondrous painting in other people''s eyes.<span>


    "Zhi Jin?" Emperor Xing Wu became absorbed, he would never forget this face, not in this lifetime. Muttering this name, he walked towards the youth.<span>


    Those who have met the third daughter, Luo Zhi Jin, of the Luo family, have all had a moment of loss like this. No one thought that there''d be a day where they would be able to see this once-famed beauty again.<span>


    "Zhi Jin!" Emperor Xing Wu shouted, no longer caring about his dignity as the Emperor. Like a young man who''d seen someone he loved, he quickened his steps and ran across the little jade bridge.<span>


    Luo Wei, who had been waiting near the peach tree to see the Emperor''s entourage, heard the cry from Emperor Xing Wu and turned around. He was shocked at the bewildered joy in the Emperor''s face as he ran towards him. In Luo Wei''s memory, the Emperor had always been a serious person, what''s going on with him today? In a startled daze, he''d actually forgotten to kneel.<span>


    "Zhi Jin?" And in Luo Wei''s momentary daze, Emperor Xing Wu had reached him, staring at him with a heated gaze. Please don''t let this be a dream, Emperor Xing Wu prayed to all the gods and spirits. Luo Zhi Jin, who had never once visited him even in dreams, had somehow appeared right in front of his eyes. This reality, this could not possibly just be a dream.<span>


    "Your Imperial Majesty." Luo Wei came to his senses and quickly kneeled down to show obeisance to the Emperor and his ministers, "Luo Wei greets Your Majesty."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu''s smile froze, "Who... Who did you say you were?" He pulled back a few steps, almost as if he couldn''t keep himself up.<span>


    "I''m your humble subject, Luo Wei," Luo Wei was also wondering why Emperor Xing Wu had lost hisposure.<span>


    This person was Luo Wei? Those in attendance were all thinking the same thing, even the father and brother of Luo Wei. The Luo Wei in their memory was always an arrogant and domineering fat idiot. How could the slim youth before them with a face like a painting be Luo Wei? Luo Zhi Qiu and Luo Ze only knew that Luo Wei had gotten thin, but hadn''t really taken a good look at him. Both of them were absolutely dumbfounded.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu looked up at the blue washed sky with a sense of loss. He remembered that the woman he knew, without peer, had passed years ago. The beauty of yesteryear had already be white bones beneath the yellow soil. Everyone knew that he, Emperor Xing Wu, had lost his love thirteen years ago, how could he himself have forgotten?<span>


    Luo Wei had never seen his birth mother, so he had no idea that he inherited his appearance from her.<span>


    "You may rise, Wei Er(2)," Emperor Xing Wu had used the shortest time possible to readjust his confused feelings, and lent a hand to help Luo Wei up from his kneeling position, "So it''s Wei Er. I have mistaken you for someone else. You look so much like your aunt." Emperor Xing Wu''s gaze stayed on Luo Wei''s visage, he''s not Luo Zhi Jin, but being able to remind him of Luo Zhi Jin was a very good thing.<span>


    Luo Wei smiled bitterly. He''s Luo Zhi Jin''s son. It''s not surprising that he happens to look like his mother. Luo Wei remembered that back then, when the Noble Consort Liu had already be Empress Dowager, she pointed at his emaciated body and med him for misfortune. In his ten years career as a male whore, he received countless humiliation and torture, injured all over his body, only his face was left unmarred. That was, until the first of January in his veryst year, when Emperor Ping Chang personally came to see him at the brothel. Long Xuan at the time had seen him locked in an iron cage under the watchful eyes of a crowd, pressed under a dog. Long Xuan had be furious all of a suddenly and dug out one of Luo Wei''s eyes with his bare hands. That was when his face was finally destroyed.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Jin Chun Garden - While uncertain if this garden is historical, the Jin in its name is the same Jin in Luo Zhi Jin''s name, so perhaps the garden was named after her.


    2. Wei Er - A very familiar and familial way of referring to Luo Wei. See the previous footnote on "Er".<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    I forgot that even though Long Xuan is in this chapter, they don''t really interact. I will update another chapter tonight, and let''s see how Luo Wei acts around his old enemy / lover. : )<span>

 Chapter 7

    The servants of the pce had set a feast at a pagoda in Jin Chun Garden. After the Emperor and the rest of the ministers found their seats, a team of musicians and performers began ying.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu let Luo Wei sit beside Luo Ze, and asked Luo Wei, "Wei Er, are you feeling better?"<span>


    Luo Wei stood and answered quickly, "Your humble servant has recovered."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu kept the line of questions, "How did you and the Zhao brothers get into a conflict?"<span>


    Luo Wei lowered his head and answered, "It was I who did something wrong, it has nothing to do with the Zhao brothers."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu replied, "It has nothing to do with them? You were injured pretty badly."<span>


    Luo Wei lifted his head and answered the Emperor honestly, "Zhao Ge Ge(1) mishandled himself for a moment, I made a grave mistake. I deserved a lesson. I''m thankful that the Zhao brothers didn''t turn me into the courthouse and let them deal with me."<span>


    Both the father and the son from the Luo and Zhao family let out a relieved breath. They had already settled the exnation in private, but didn''t think that the Emperor would ask Luo Wei personally today, They were worried that this insensible child woulde up with some nonsense, but he had grown up unexpectedly.<span>


    There was a smile on Emperor Xing Wu''s face. "It seemed that the two Zhao brothers have done something of merit. They managed to help a little despot like you understand reason. I must reward them. Not only I, but your father should also thank them."<span>


    Luo Wei looked a little guilty as he whispered, "Your humble servant understands his misgivings."<span>


    The two Zhao brothers also spoke up at this point, "We''re undeserving of this reward."<span>


    "I said I was going to reward you both and that''s what I intend to do," Emperor Xing Wu waved them off, smiling, "I never thought a beating could result in a Luo Wei like this, I''m very happy!"<span>


    Luo Wei threw a look at the Zhao brothers, smiling at both of them apologetically. He knows that they''re not people with small hearts. If he sincerely admitted his mistakes, the two of them would be d to forgive him.<span>


    "You may be seated," Emperor Xing Wu''s mood was much improved. His face that has always been serious now held a genuine smile.<span>


    And thus at this little feast, both the monarch and his entourage enjoyed everything to their hearts'' content.<span>


    Luo Wei obeyed all protocol and decorum during the festivities. He only spared a nce at the second prince, sitting next to the Crown Prince, but no more than that. Long Xuan was taller than the Crown Prince, Long Yu, and was very different from Long Yu''s gentle disposition. Long Xuan held a self assured arrogance. For the Luo Wei in the past life, he was like dazzling sunshine, but for Luo Wei reborn, he was a source of nightmares.<span>


    Long Xuan has been watching Luo Wei. That fat pug who always followed close behind him has disappeared from the world. The Luo Wei before his eyes was shockingly beautiful, elegant in conversation, and no longer held only him in his eyes. He only spared him an indifferent nce. During the entire banquet, he only spared him a single nce. The unfamiliarity made Long Xuan''s heart feel rather empty. He had clearly implied that he wanted the Zhao brothers to take the me, and thus allow himself to get closer to the Zhao family. He didn''t expect that Luo Wei would admit his own wrongdoings. Did he not understand the hint? Long Xuan''s heart filled with frustration, but he couldn''t let any of it show.<span>


    After the banquet, Emperor Xing Qu summoned the Senior Chancellor for a private conversation.<span>


    Luo Wei followed behind Luo Ze on their way out of the pce.<span>


    "Wei Er," Feng Wu General? Zhao He Nian stopped him.<span>


    "Uncle Zhao(2)," Luo Wei took a look at the father and brothers Zhao, and lowered his head in apologetic shame.<span>


    "Looks like I really beat some sense into you," The younger of the two Zhao brothers, Zhao Jun Yi saw Luo Wei''s behavior and sneered. His hatred towards Luo Wei had be like vengeance, and had nothing good to say to him.<span>


    "I''m so sorry," Luo Wei apologized in earnest, "It was all my fault. I was tempted by a bad idea. I didn''t do anything to her, I..."<span>


    Zhao Jun Yi cut him off, "If you had besmirched Xiao Lian''s innocence, do you really think you''d only get a beating?!"<span>


    "I''m so sorry," Luo Wei kept his head down and continued apologizing. The version of him now had gotten used to acting beneath others, and survived from belittling himself. A single admittance to his wrongs was a familiar and easy road to take.<span>


    "Enough already," Luo Ze couldn''t take it anymore. His little brother had already belittled himself, and yet Zhao Jun Yi still looked like he wasn''t satisfied and wouldn''t forgive him. This stoked Luo Ze''s anger, "Zhao Jun Yi(3), you''ve already cussed him out, and beaten him down, Xiao Wei almost died, what else do you want?"<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Ge Ge - Ge Ge means big brother in Chinese, but can be used with non-family to refer to an person who is older than the speaker.


    2. Uncle - Simrly to the point above, "uncle" and "aunt" can also be used to address a person who is not family so long as they''re of an older generation.


    3. Zhao Jun Yi - Original trantion said "Zhao Er" which is referring to the second of the Zhao brothers. Er meaning Second, and Er meaning Son/younger person are different words, but are homophones. Since we are already using Er as a way of older people referring to Luo Wei, some simr words will be edited out to lessen confusion.


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    I''ve been promising Long Xuan to you for thest couple of chapters, but forgot how short the chapters were and where the chapters end. So this and the next chapter<span>

 Chapter 8

    "Big Brother(1)," Luo Wei tugged on Luo Ze''s hand, hoping to stop him from saying anything more.<span>


    But Zhao Jun Yi was already going at Luo Ze again, "The reason your little brother is so senseless is because you''ve all been spoiling him!"<span>


    Luo Ze red, "He''s the youngest of my family. So what if we spoil him, is that against thew?"<span>


    "Big brother," Luo Wei stopped Luo Ze before he could say anything else. Luo Ze and Zhao Jun Yi were actually very close friends, but maybe because they were so close, they don''t pay attention to their tone when speaking to each other. The two of them always ended up arguing whenever they met. In his past life Luo Wei always thought they were enemies, but when Luo Ze had been killed by poisoning, it was this Zhao Jun Yi who flouted imperial orders and through determination, guarded Luo Ze''s coffin for thousands of miles so that he could beid to rest in Luo family''s home town. It was also him who, after Emperor Ping Chang had Luo Ze''s two sons assassinated, openly cursed out Long Xuan in front of the entire court. In the end, even after being exiled and stripped of his title, he wasn''t in the least ashamed of what he did. It wasn''t until then that Luo Wei understood what the meaning of friendship was.<span>


    "Then spoil him," Luo Jun Yi saw that Luo Ze had been stopped by Luo Wei, and became even more vocal, "Keep spoiling him. See how this kid turns out in the future!"<span>


    Luo Wei turned towards the three Zhao family members present and bowed, saying, "I won''t dare make the same mistake in the future, if I do it again, the two Zhao brothers are wee to take my life."<span>


    Even though no lone liked how belligerant Luo Wei used to be, they couldn''t just ept this courteous version of Luo Wei in a single day. The father and sons of the Zhao family all stood stupefied.<span>


    "Wei Er, it''s good that you''vee to think this way," Zhao He Nian was happy for his friend, Luo Zhi Qiu. Luo Zhi Qiu had broken his heart with worry over this ignorant young son of his, but now it seemed Luo Wei hade to his senses, Luo Zhi Qiu can finally rest easy from now on.<span>


    "Luo Wei," Someone called out behind them.<span>


    Luo Wei turned to look, only to realize that it was Long Xuaning his way, followed by a group of his servants.<span>


    "Are you feeling better now?" Long Xuan stood in front of Luo Wei, still asking with an attitude of a man addressing his subordinate.<span>


    "Yes," Luo Wei hung a polite smile on his face. If he could, he''d be happy to destroy himself to kill Long Xuan right now, but he knew he couldn''t do this. Long Xuan was a prince. If Luo Wei did this, his entire family would be dead too.<span>


    There was no smile on Long Xuan''s face. Of course, being as astute as he was, he can see that Luo Wei''s smile was false. "Thene to the study(2) tomorrow," Luo Xuan''s pride wouldn''t allow him to try and appease Luo Wei, so he spoke coldly.<span>


    Luo Wei was a studypanion(3) for Long Xuan. He used to think this was a great glory, but now he only wanted out of it. "Yes." Luo Wei affirmed while thinking that he needed toe up with a way to resign this damned position as a studypanion.<span>


    Long Xuan hesitated for a moment before reaching out, and patted Luo Wei''s head. This was the biggest gesture offort he could allow himself to make.<span>


    Luo Wei felt a wave of chill run through him, but could only endure it.<span>


    "Looks like the second prince is pretty good to you," After Long Xuan left, Zhao Jun Yi taunted Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei only smiled, "I''m only a studypanion. Whether the second prince wishes to be good to someone or not has nothing to do with me."<span>


    Luo Ze suddenly felt as if he should burn some incense and send a prayer to Buddha. Never in his life did he think he would hear Luo Wei say something that indicated he''d cut ties with Long Xuan, until today.<span>


    Zhao Jun Yi''s face finally broke into a smile. He patted Luo Wei''s shoulder vigorously, "This is more like it!"<span>


    Luo Ze quickly pushed Zhao Jun Yi off, "Don''t you know his shoulder''s injured?" He shouted at Zhao Jun Yi.<span>


    These two bad-good friends started quarreling on the spot.<span>


    The older Zhao Brother, Zhao Jun Bo reached out and pulled his arm around Luo Wei''s shoulder, "Xiao Wei, I wish you could have been like this earlier(4)." He said to Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei looked at Zhao Jun Bo with a grateful smile. With just this one little familiar tone in the way he said "Xiao Wei", Luo Wei knew that this older brother who was three years senior to even his own, had forgiven him.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Big Brother - Original text said "er ge" or second oldest brother. While it''smon in Chinese, sounds clunky in English. The trantion has been altered to make reading easier.


    2. The Study - The trantion is "shu fang" or house of books, which can also sometimes trante to a school room of some kind. This study is likely one that is either private andrge enough for a few noble children to study along with the second prince, or one set up like a schoolhouse for the noble children to study with the second prince.


    3. Study Companion - Literally a "read along". Apanion for the prince to study with and befriend. Nobles often mor for their children to be chosen because it elevates the family''s connection to royalty.


    4. ...like this earlier - The original text says "I wish you could have said this earlier", which makes it seem as if Zhao Jun Bo is talking about the fact that Luo Wei is injured. The phrase is more in reference to the fact that Luo Wei''s tone with regards to Long Xuan has changed, and since both the Luo''s and the Zhao''s are in league with the Crown Prince and not the Second Prince, Zhao Jun Bo is relieved at Luo Wei''s sudden distance to Long Xuan.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Finally!! Face to face!! I wonder if the author had meant for that little pat on the head to seem as if Long Xuan is treating Luo Wei like a dog, but it feels likely. Reading this a second time, I realized that Long Xuan holds himself to a much higher standard, and though this self-imposed pressure might be something that softens my view of him, he''s still a pretty awful person.<span>


    <span>

 Chapter 9

    In the Hall of Eternal Light(1).<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu and Luo Zhi Qiu were the only two people in this grand room of the pce.<span>


    "Why does Luo Wei look so much like Luo Zhi Jin?" Emperor Xing Wu only asked this one question to Luo Zhi Wiu, "You know how much of a crime it is to deceive the emperor?"<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu kneeled on the ground. Seeing Luo Wei today, he knew that the emperor would ask him this question.<span>


    "If you tell me now, I''ll absolve you," Emperor Xing Wu said, "Don''t start telling me some nonsense about how nephews tend to look like their aunts. You can cover it up like that to whomever you please, but don''t think you can use that on me!"<span>


    Luo Zi Qiu smiled, a little bitter inside. Everyone says that monarchs are heartless, but why was this one so passionately infatuated?<span>


    "Tell me!" Emperor Xing Wu suddenly raised his voice.<span>


    "Your Imperial Majesty," Luo Zhi Qiu knows he couldn''t hide it anymore, so he came clean, "Luo Wei is Zhi Jin''s son."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu mmed his fist onto the desk, "Luo Zhi Qiu! How dare you lie to me all these years!"<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu kowtowed and repeatedly admitted his fault(2).<span>


    "How did Zhi Jin die?" Emperor Xing Wu tampered down his raged and asked.<span>


    "A month(3) after Luo Wei was born, Zhi Jinmitted suicide by swallowing gold(4)." Faced with the emperor''s rage, Luo Zhi Qiu was not nervous and spoke steadily.<span>


    However, Emperor Xing Wu nched, his voice shaking as he said, "Zhi Jin died by suicide?"<span>


    "Yes."<span>


    "Why?!" Emperor Xing Wu stood up all of a sudden.<span>


    "I don''t know. That month, Zhi Jin only told me to take care of Wei Er, she said nothing else to me," It''s been thirteen years, and to Luo Zhi Jin''s decision to take her own life, Luo Zhi Qiu can finally act as if he''de to terms with it on the outside.<span>


    "Then who''s Wei Er''s father?" The emperor asked again.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu replied, "Zhi Jin only said that his name, "Wei", was something his father gave him. If fate allows, the father and the son can be reunited, but Zhi Jin said that she''d rather not have this daye to pass."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu stumbled back onto the throne. After being silent for a good while, he finally addressed Luo Zhi Qiu, "You''ve always been good to Wei Er. You know the truth, don''t you?"<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu quickly prostrated himself in front of Emperor Xing Wu, saying, "As your humble servant, I''ve always thought of Wei Er as my own son, this will never change."<span>


    "You may excuse yourself," After another difficult silence, Emperor Xing Wu had nothing else to say, only asking Luo Zhi Qiu to see himself out.<span>


    All that''s left in the hall was Emperor Xing Wu. In this Hall of Eternal Light, the majority of the time was upied by Emperor Xing Wu alone. He rose, and with light steps walked into a tiny hidden room. This is a forbidden ce in the Hall of Eternal Light, other than the emperor, no one else knew of its existence.<span>


    On the wall of this room was a painting, the woman in the painting was an unrivaled beauty, smiling like a flower in bloom.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu faltered and sat down on the day bed opposite the painting. He looked at the woman in the painting, dumbfounded, "Zhi Jin," He murmured her name to himself, eyes slowly bing overwhelmed with tears.<span>


    <i>"Your Majesty, if we had a child, what would you name them?"</i><span>


    <i>"You''re saying that you''re going to stay in the pce with me?"</i><span>


    <i>"No, I''m saying ''if''."</i><span>


    <i>"If? Then let''s name them ''Han''(5), I want him to know how cold of a woman his mother was to his father."</i><span>


    <i>"Han? This name is a little too cold."</i><span>


    <i>"Then let''s call him ''Wei''(6), as in the only thing I love in the world."</i><span>


    <i>"Wei? That sounds good."</i><span>


    <i>"Zhi Jin, why don''t you stay here, aren''t you happy to be beside me?"</i><span>


    <i>"I''m already promised to another, I can''t break this promise. Your Majesty can''t either. I don''t want my big sister to be sad."</i><span>


    <i>"What does this have to do with Zhi Yi?"</i><span>


    <i>"Big sister likes Your Majesty, so you have to be good to her."</i><span>


    <i>"Zhi Jin!"</i><span>


    <i>"Your Majesty, I''ve already been away from home for three months now, I should head back."</i><span>


    <i>"Zhi Jin, you have to trust me, I''m going to make sure you stay by my side, I''ll never let you go."</i><span>


    <i>"Your Majesty... Just make sure you remember me, that''ll be good enough for me."</i><span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Hall of Eternal Light - The different structures in the pce are named Halls, and this one seems to be fictional. Due to the fact that wikipedia trantes the names of these halls specifically in their articles about pces of historical China, this trantion will follow the same standard.


    2. Admitting fault & Kowtow - The original text says that Luo Zhi Qiu said he knows he should die. It sounds severe in English, but in Chinese it''s a way of admitting fault to someone superior to oneself. Kowtowing is the same as prostrating, ie. kneeling with face down, though kowtow involves knocking one''s head against the ground as well.


    3. A month - The original text says "one month", though it can be tranted to the "first month" as well, ie. January. Due to the way the second sentence is formed, this trantion will use "a month" instead, though it could be January as well.


    4. Swallowing Gold - Suicide by ingesting gold is amon reference in Chinese literature. Realistically the idea is that small amounts of gold is heavy enough to puncture intestines and the digestive system, though certain Chinese literature refers to gold''s poisonous qualities. The idea here is a ritual suicide in which she put something very valuable in herself, which caused her ultimate death.


    5. Han - Cold / Freezing in Chinese.


    6. Wei - The Wei that the emperor uses is a different writing than that of Luo Wei. Here, Wei means "only", as in the following sentence, the "only" one (I) love in the world.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b><b>


    </b>


    <b></b><span>


    MAN! You guys are leavingments left and right. I''d love to answer but I don''t want to spoil and don''t want to leave too manyments and replies.<span>


    Since you guys wanted to know though (no spoilers), but Long Xuan is a rival. There are a total of 3 people going after Luo Wei in this novel. Ultimately though, Luo Wei and Happiness is my ship, though that is not canon in the end. This novel is titled Degenerate ve Abuses Tyrant, but it''s also a novel in which the Author Abuses the Readers. It''s not going to be a wholesome happy ending! Readers beware!<span>

 Chapter 10

    The conversation from another time yed on in Emperor Xing Wu''s ears as he sobbed. If he knew that theirst parting was til death, he would have never let Luo Zhi Jin out of the pce.<span>


    Luo Zhi Jin was known as Greater Zhou''s most beautiful woman and was promised to Marquis Zhen Guo(1)''s young son in marriage. Because of this, no one from the Empress Dowager to his beloved ministers agreed to Emperor Xing Wu''s idea to enthrone Luo Zhi Jin as Empress. At the same time, Marquis Zhen Guo has acted as regent for many years and dominated the entire court, and he the emperor, had only received the throne from the hands of his elder brother. Marquis Zhen Guo who had just discarded one emperor wouldn''t mind discarding another. Besides, he was the emperor of an entire nation, the reputation of being someone who robbed others of their wives was not something Emperor Xing Wu could take at the time. After giving consideration to this, and giving consideration to that, all he got in the end was the news that Luo Zhi Jin had fallen ill and died.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu had questioned Luo Wei''s heredity, but the Luo family had deliberately misreported Luo Wei''s birth month for a whole three months. Along with the fact that Luo Wei had always been chubby, no one could see any resemnce to Luo Zhi Jin. And in terms of Luo Wei''s name, the "Wei" in his name was not the same as the one that Emperor Xing Wu had suggested, so the emperor wrote off the fact that they sounded the same as a coincidence.<span>


    After Luo Zhi Jin died, Emperor Xing Wu enthroned Luo Zhi Yi as his empress, and a yearter executed Marquis Zhen Guo''s entire family, thus creating a Greater Zhou Empire that was entirely his. The only thing was that he never fell in love with another woman.<span>


    "You actually gave birth to me son," Emperor Xing Wu said to the person in the painting, "You actually gave up your life instead of burdening me! Zhi Jin, Zhi Jin... you''re such a fool. You only had to wait for me for another year, you only had to wait for me for one more year and I could have had this entire world in my hands! Zhi Jin, you''re so cruel, leaving me alone in this world, leaving me by myself."<span>


    Some truths only invite sadness. This truth that had not been revealed to Luo Wei in the past life was now breaking Emperor Xing Wu''s heart once more. While he was with this youngdy of the Luo family, she never said "love" to him, and neither did she appear to like him especially. So all this time, he always thought that the love she gave him was so much less than the love he gave her, but he couldn''t imagine that thirteen years ago, she used the most destructive way to tell him that yes, she loved him.<span>


    Starting at the portrait before his eyes, Emperor Xing Wu thought that he was the lonely. He''s the emperor, he owned the wide world, but in reality he was the only one who understood that all he owned was this painted portrait.<span>


    "Your Imperial Majesty," A voice announced from the outer room, "The Crowned Prince and the Second Prince beg for your audience."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu strode to the throne in the front hall, looking at the two sons in front of him, "What is it?"<span>


    After Long Yu and Long Xuan knelt their salutes, Long Yu said, "Father, your humble son hase to say goodbye, as I will depart from the capital tomorrow."<span>


    "Safe journey," Emperor Xing Wu''s tone remained cold as he spoke, "This is a training opportunity for you. The power in this throne will eventuallye to rely on you to upkeep, so you should see for yourself how the people of Greater Zhou live their lives."<span>


    "Your humble son shall carefully obey father''s teachings," Long Yu said as he knelt once more.<span>


    "You may rise," Emperor Xing Wu said, "Inter days when you''re sitting on my throne, no matter how badly you may want to experience the lives of the people, you will not be able to get a chance."<span>


    "Father, you will live for a hundred years yet," Long Yu added quickly.<span>


    "Your father is also just a man," Emperor Xing Wu''s face bore a little smile, "There''ll always be a day when I won''t be here."<span>


    Long Yu and Long Xuan both rushed to kneel on the ground. They dare not ept this sort of talk.<span>


    "Rise," The smile on Emperor Xing Wu''s face disappeared in an instant. He looked at Long Yu. Long Yu''s appearance was also more like his empress mother Luo Zhi Yi, but he held no shadow of Luo Zhi Jin. They were clearly borne of the same mother, but Zhi Yi and Zhi Jin didn''t look at all alike. This was also something Emperor Xing Wu deemed regrettable.<span>


    Long Xuan stood behind Long Yu, with a different sort of feeling. They were clearly both sons of the emperor, but he couldn''t even stand shoulder to shoulder with his older brother. One of them could only be trapped in this ptial city, and the other could travel and see the world. How could Long Xuan be satisfied with this?<span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Marquis Zhen Guo - His name literally means the Marquis who Holds down the Country, as in holding down the fort. Not sure if this is meant to be named this way, but the title of "Zhen Guo" seems to actually have existed in history.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    I found a mistake in my trantions, though it only happened in two chapters (and I''ve since changed them). For some reason I always read the Empress'' name as Luo Ru Yi, but I should have known that it was Zhi Yi because the middle character of three siblings in the same generation tend to be the same. Luo Zhi Qiu is Luo Wei''s father, Zhi Jin is his mother, and Zhi Yi is his aunt.<span>

 Chapter 11

    <span>


    After Luo Wei arrived home, he paid respects to his mother Bo Hua, then returned to his own part of the estate and stayed in the study for the rest of the day.<span>


    In his past life Luo Wei didn''t pay attention to his studies, he was an uneducated rich yboy. However, he''d managed to learn the four arts(1) after he''d be a male prostitute, and even developed a beautiful calligraphic hand. It''s a little funny, but not so much after you think about it. Male prostitutes use their bodies to satisfy customers, but they also need other skills to ingratiate themselves to the customers. At that time, Luo Wei especially needed these skills because he had to keep himself alive, he tried harder to ingratiate himself to his customers, hoping it would make them happy from time to time and thus make himself suffer less. Other people studied hard for merit and fortune, but he studied for survival. The motivations were different, and since his was more pressing, he put more effort into it and pushed himself harder.<span>


    "Young Master," Xiao Xiao entered the study. He wasn''t that scared of Luo Wei anymore. After Luo Wei woke up from his injury, he''d never raised his voice at him, "Would you like to take your meal now?" Xiao Xiao stood in front of the desk, asking Luo Wei, and nced at the book that Luo Wei was reading in passing. Surprisingly, it was a copy of "Theory of World Governance"(1).<span>


    Luo Wei put the book down and turned to look out the window. The sky was dark already. "Sure," He said to Xiao Xiao, "I''ll eat."<span>


    Xiao Xiao ran out and came back with Qi Zi not long after, the two of them carrying two containers. The two of them filled the table with food in no time.<span>


    The eldest brother of the Luo family was always away, and to this day has not started a family. Luo Zhi Qiu and Luo Ze were both often busy with governmental matters, neither came home at a strict time. And Luo Wei was hated by everyone, so in the Luo home it was often that the second daughter-inw, Xu Yue Miao, who ate with the matriarch, Bo Hua. All the other people ate by themselves.<span>


    Luo Wei looked at the table full of food, and said to Xiao Xiao and Qi Zi, "Next time don''t bring so much, I can''t finish it all by myself."<span>


    "Understood," Xiao Xiao and Qi Zi shared a nce. The questions were building up inside, more and more, but it''s not something they could easily ask, so they could only agree.<span>


    "Are my dad and older brother home?" Luo Wei asked as he ate.<span>


    Qi Zi answered, "The second young master came back a little earlier, lord chancellor only just arrived at home."<span>


    "Have you both eaten?" Luo Wei only picked some vegetables to eat. Meat and fish were his favorites before, but in the past life, he''d been forced to slice off and grill a piece of his own flesh, then eat it piece by piece. After that, even the sight of meat makes him want to throw up.<span>


    Xiao Xaio replied, "Yes sir."<span>


    Luo Wei didn''t know what else to say, so he kept his head down and ate.<span>


    However, Xiao Xiao spoke up beside him, "Young master, is the steamed fish not good today?" In the past little while, Luo Wei had not touched a single bit of meat, and Xiao Xiao just couldn''t wrap his mind around it. Do people have a change of appetite after recovering from an illness too?<span>


    "I don''t want to eat meat right now," Luo Wei has already finished. He set his bowl and chopsticks down as he spoke to Xiao Xiao, "Tell the kitchen not to make any for the time being. When I want to eat it again, I''ll tell them."<span>


    Xiao Xiao nodded.<span>


    Luo Wei finished dinner and walked a few times around the yard in ce of taking a stroll. He estimated when his older brother Luo Ze would finish dinner, and only after did he head to Luo Ze''s part of the house to find him.<span>


    Luo Ze had finished dinner and was having some fruits. He startled when he saw Luo Wei. Luo Wei had never set foot in his part of the house before, not that he was scared, it was because he didn''t want to.<span>


    "Big brother," Luo Wei address Luo Ze, then as he saw Xu Yue Miao who looked as if she didn''t know wehter to stay or to go, he addressed her too, "Sister-inw."<span>


    Xu Yue Miao was stunned, staring at Luo Wei who was barely recognizable standing in front of her, and waspletely at a loss. Luo Wei had never address her in polite terms, not even on the day she was married into the house.<span>


    Luo Wei pretended not to notice how much at a loss she was, and said to Luo Ze, "Are you free right now, big brother? Could you go somewhere with me?"<span>


    Luo Ze answered, "You want to go out of the house?"<span>


    "No," Luo Wei replied, "I want to show you something."<span>


    Luo Ze didn''t know what tricks Luo Wei was up to. His heart filled with suspicion. But since Luo Wei hade looking for him especially, Luo Ze nevertheless followed Luo Wei out.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. The Four Arts - Refers to the four arts that a person could be trained in to be viewed as someone who is aplished and knowledgeable. They include knowing how to y the Gu Qin / Qin, how to y the game of Go / Wei Qi, how to write beautifully, and how to draw / paint.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b><b>


    </b>


    <b></b><span>


    Double upload for tonight as the plot THICKENS. Thank you all for the support! I will try to keep uploading every night, and will let you know if there''s a change in schedule.<span>

 Chapter 12

    "Big brother, do you have a really good archer in yourmand?" Luo Wei asked as they walked.<span>


    "Yeah," Luo Ze replied, then suddenly seemed as if he thought of something and stopped as he said, "You need really good archer? Are you nning on causing trouble again?"<span>


    "No," Luo Weiughed, "Can you ask them to wait under the north wall of our estate? I have a feeling that in a little while a pigeon is going to leave our estate, let them know to shoot it down."<span>


    Luo Ze''s brows furrowed, "What are you really up to?"<span>


    "I''m going to have you watch a great y in a little bit," Luo Wei''s smile was very mysterious, "You can rx, big brother, I''m not going to cause trouble, even if I did it wouldn''t be in our own home."<span>


    Luo Ze said, "You know I don''t have time to y around with you."<span>


    Luo Wei pulled on one of Luo Wei''s hands and swung it back and forth like a spoiled kid ying cute, "Big brother, just listen to me this once."<span>


    The hair on the back of Luo Ze''s neck stood up. Luo Wei had never been close to him, never mind acting cute and spoiled like this.<span>


    It was alreadyte night. Luo Ze had been hiding behind this door with Luo Wei for a while now, and finally lost his patience. He asked Luo Wei, "What did you actually want me to see?"<span>


    "They''reing," Luo Wei said to Luo Ze as he pointed at a door opposite them.<span>


    Luo Ze nced over, but found it was only one of Luo family''s old servants, Luo Zhi Qiu''s attendant, Luo Zhong.<span>


    "He''s feeding the pigeons he''s raised," Luo Wei whispered to Luo Ze.<span>


    Luo Ze followed the whisper, "Everyone in the estate knows, you brought me here to see this?"<span>


    Luo Wei didn''t say anything and only watched every move the old servant made not too far away. Luo Ze didn''t know what to do, and so he could only crouch by the door with Luo Wei and watch. He''s already regretting that he didn''t tough through this kid''s tactics, and now he''s out here with him.<span>


    Luo Zhong''s motions were familiar as he fed the pigeons. Standing beside the cage, he waited for a moment, then brought one of them out. Doing something to it with his hands, he let it go. And after a moment, a pigeon flew back from outside and stopped on the age, cooing twice. Luo Zhong stepped up and caught the pigeon with his hands, reaching for the bird''s left leg.<span>


    "Uncle Zhong," Right at this moment, Luo Wei walked behind Luo Zhong and called out for him.<span>


    Luo Zhong startled, his entire body froze.<span>


    Luo Wei raised his hand and grabbed the pigeon from Luo Zhong. The older man finally came around, looking like he saw a ghost as he stared at the two young masters of the chancellor''s estate. "Uncle Zhong, it''ste, why are you still feeding pigeons?" Luo Wei kept his attitude polite as he asked Luo Zhong, but handed the pigeon in his hands to Luo Ze.<span>


    On the bird''s leg, Luo Ze found a tiny bamboo tube.<span>


    "Young master Ze," Luo Zhong shouted, wanting to rush forward.<span>


    "Don''t move," Luo Wei raised his hand and stopped Luo Zhong, saying, "It''s already gone this far, what else can you still do about it?"<span>


    Luo Zho''s face was grey as ash. He didn''t even manage to do anything before two of Luo Wei''s guards appeared out of the dark and held him back by both arms. Even his mouth had been stuffed so he couldn''t speak.<span>


    From the little bamboo tube, Luo Ze pulled out a tiny rolled up piece of paper. He opened it and read with the help of the moonlight.<span>


    The little slip said, "Luo Wei is acting abnormally, find the reason as soon as possible. What is Chancellor Luo''s n for the Yu Zhou mining case, send word quickly."<span>


    Luo Ze''s expression changed, raising his head as he threw a savage stare at Luo Zhong. This man had served Luo Zhi Qiu since he was young, he was one of the old servants who had watched Luo Ze grow up, how could he be a spy in the Luo estate?<span>


    "General," At this time, the archer waiting outside the estate arrived with a pigeon in his hand, the one who had just left the estate.<span>


    "Big brother," Luo Wei said, "Let''s go see dad, and lock down the gates. No one can leave the estate tonight."<span>


    Luo Ze had no objections. He sent down the order and followed Luo Wei to see Luo Zhi Qiu together.<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    The plot thickenssss...<span>

 Chapter 13

    Luo Zhi Qiu looked at the two slips of paper that Luo Ze handed him. His expression didn''t change dramatically, only looking down with a sense of surprise at Luo Zhong who knelt before him. How could it be him? Luo Zhi Qiu asked himself. Luo Zhong grew up with him, had always followed him and always observed proper protocol. In the many years they spent together, he never made mistakes. How could a man like this betray him?<span>


    "Three male guests arrived in the estate the day beforest, from their ent it''s possible they''re from Yu Zhou." That was the message Luo Zhong sent tonight.<span>


    "Why did you do this?" Luo Zhi Qiu asked Luo Zhong.<span>


    Luo Zhong didn''t say a word. No matter what Luo Zhi Qiu asked him, he only kept his head down and stayed quiet.<span>


    Luo Wei stared at Luo Zhong coldly. He had thought this man was a deathly loyal member of the Luo estate too. But on the day when the Luo family''s property were being confiscated, he saw Luo Zhong leading the soldiers with his own eyes, directing them to search through all of the secret rooms in the estate. This man had turned spy for Long Xuan ten years ago, an a pair of eyes for Long Xuan in the Luo estate. Having been reborn, how could he, Luo Wei, let this pair of eyes keep existing?<span>


    "Father," Luo Ze grew angrier as he thought, he couldn''t find a single reason where they had wrong the man kneeling before them. How dare he betray the master of his house?! "This guy''s got a stubborn mouth, you cant get anywhere asking him questions."<span>


    Luo Wei pulled out a list of names and said to Luo Zhi Qiu, "Father, you can start by apprehending all the people on this list."<span>


    "What is this?" Luo Zhi Qiu''s eyes were raced as they scanned through the list of names.<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "They''re all people who''d been living on our sry while helping others under the table."<span>


    Luo Ze''s heart seized with terror. Are there other spies in the estate other than Luo Zhong?<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu sent down the order for the captures and didn''t ask any questions. Luo Zhi Qiu knew that if Luo Wei could catch Luo Zhong in the act, he''s obviously knowledgeable about the spies in their house. With the way things are now, listening to Luo Wei wouldn''t be the worst he could do.<span>


    "Uncle Zhong," Luo Wei turned to the kneeling man, "Those little slips of paper you''ve been sending the Junior Chancellor(1) didn''t say a lot of good things about me."<span>


    At this point, Luo Zhong lifted his head to stare at Luo Wei. He always thought Luo Wei was an idiot. How could he not think that Luo Wei might have been faking it all along?<span>


    "Uncle Zhong," Luo Wei was smiling. The belligerence he usually showed was gone now, but somehow seemed more devious, "Don''t look at me like that. Did you think I was really just ying a dog for the Second Prince, trying to make him happy? To tell the truth, it wasn''t easy finding all of you. I spent a lot of time and energy, and wasted a lot of years on this."<span>


    The Luo Wei from the past life never actually had brains like this. This was all for Long Xuan to clearly understand just how much of a stupid pig he was, that all of his devious schemes have been discovered by Luo Wei, his once-captive prisoner. Luo Wei remembered clearly how rich Luo Zhong had be in the past life, how he stood in front of Luo Wei with the posture of a master, telling Luo Wei everything about his glorious achievements back in the chancellor''s estate.<span>


    A total of eleven spies had been seized and brought to the main hall.<span>


    "Uncle Zhong, why don''t you check and see if all your friends are here?" Luo Wei said to Luo Zhong.<span>


    Luo Zhong took a look then closed his eyes. He knew that Long Xuan and Junior Chancellor Liu Shuang Shi''s(2) many years of hard work was gone. Eleven people, not missing a single one, and every one had been right on the money.<span>


    From the look on Luo Zhong''s face, Luo Zhi Qiu knew that Luo Wei had caught all the right people.<span>


    The people in the hall were all shouting they were innocent. They hadn''t been caught in the act like Luo Zhong and naturally wanted to put up ast-ditch struggle against the usations.<span>


    "Father," Luo Wei said to Luo Zhi Qiu, "In matters like these, even if we kill the wrong ones, we can''t let them go."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu said, "Then tell me, how did you discover them?"<span>


    Of course Luo Wei was able to give him the details, none of them stopped themselves from gloating in front of Luo Wei before. As he recounted everything in tireless detail, the people in the hall stopped iming their innocence. All the things they did behind people''s backs had been recounted as if the third young master had witness them with his own eyes.<span>


    "Why did they all do this?!" This time Luo Ze, who was always an honest and straightforward man, couldn''t help but raise his voice at Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei didn''t take it to heart as he spoke to Luo Ze, "There''s no need to get angry, big brother. They don''t want to be servants all their lives. Someone gave them a chance to get above their station and live out the rest of their lives in wealth, it''s only natural they''d never let it go."<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Junior Chancellor - As with Senior Chancellor, Junior Chancellor is the "right chancellor" in the original text. Though through research it''s been exined as the more junior position between the two chancellors.


    2. Liu Shuang Shi - As a background and reminder, Liu Shuang Shi is the uncle of Long Xuan, and brother of the Noble Consort who is second to the Empress.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Luo Wei is getting his revenge!! It only starts here, and pity that Long Xuan doesn''t know why Luo Wei''s doing this since he doesn''t know anything that''s happened in the past life. I have some mixed feelings about Luo Wei getting revenge on someone who doesn''t understand what they did, but the main thing I keep reminding myself is that Luo Wei is doing this for his family!!<span>

 Chapter 14

    Luo Zhong suddenly opened his eyes and red at Luo Wei. He was right, that was the reason he sold out his own master, but he didn''t think that Luo Wei would put it so frankly in front of everyone.<span>


    Luo Wei stared back at Luo Zhong, "In truth, Uncle Zhong, you''ve been all wrong about this. You''re someone who sold out his own master for gain. Do you think the one you''re selling us out to would believe that you wouldn''t sell him out in the future too? You''re not trustworthy anymore, how can you still expect to get rich?" To be honest, Long Xuan didn''t mistreat Luo Zhong in the past life, and Luo Zhong got all the riches and wealth he wanted, but Luo Wei just wanted to make sure the past didn''t repeat itself in this life.<span>


    Luo Zhong''s eyes didn''t leave Luo Wei. In Luo Wei''s beautiful eyes, he couldn''t find any turbulent emotions, only a stillness and rity. When did Luo Wei ever have this eyes before?<span>


    Luo Wei asked him, "Uncle Zhong, are you not nning on begging for mercy?"<span>


    Luo Zhong suddenly burst intoughter. In this family, the eldest son Luo Qi and the second son Luo Ze had called him uncle since they were young, only this third son Luo Wei had never called him that. Now that he is calling Luo Zhong "uncle", it was only filled with a sense of mocking, "I never thought that the youngest master of the house would be the best at putting on a show!" Luo Zhong said to Luo Wei through gritted teeth.<span>


    "If I didn''t pretend to be crazy and really sell how stupid I was," Luo Wei said, "How could I stay by your true master''s side for this long?"<span>


    "Were you really trying to just improve your station in life?" Luo Zhi Qiu opened his mouth and asked Luo Zhong. Being betrayed by someone he trusted the most wasn''t a good feeling and he wanted to understand.<span>


    But Luo Zhong replied, "There''s no sense in saying anything else, your humble servant only asks for a quick death."<span>


    Luo Wei spoke up, "Father, Uncle Zhong actually has another home outside of the estate, with a good wife and a charming son. His desire for improving his station is really for the two of them."<span>


    "You!" Luo Zhong had already nned to die, so he wasn''t worried, but he didn''t think that aside from all this, Luo Wei somehow also knew about his secret family outside of the estate. What''s he going to do to them?<span>


    "Rx," Luo Wei said, "Our family has always been very good to people. As long as you listen to my father, nothing wille to your wife and son."<span>


    Luo Zhong responded, "I''ve already sold out once, why would I sell out again?"<span>


    Luo Wei followed, "Are you afraid that your true master would kill your wife and child if he found out about this? That is a big problem. I can''t kill people, but I can make someone wish they were dead. Uncle Zhong, maybe you should take the gamble and see if it''s worse to offend your master, or if it''s worse to make me mad."<span>


    Luo Ze didn''t really understand what Luo Wei wanted Luo Zhong to do, but Luo Zhi Qiu caught on quickly. If Luo Zhong sent out some false information, this mining case in Yu Zhou that''s been rotting on his desk--the one that''s the biggest embezzling case in the Xing Wu era, linking five regions in the east and south--might finally get turned around. With this in mind, Luo Zhi Qiu addressed Luo Zhong, "Do you know how dire of a crime it is for an bondservant(1) to betray their master? And you actually have a son. By rights your son should be bound to the Luo estate as well, should he not? Luo Zhong, there''s some things you really should think through right now."<span>


    This single sentence broke all of Luo Zhong''s hopes. He had nowhere to run, truly unable to beg for either death or life.<span>


    Luo Wei spoke up from the side, "Father, looks like we ought to bring Uncle Zhong''s wife and son into the estate first. They''re still our servants after all, if they live outside for too long, they might forget the reason they belong to us."<span>


    "Lord chancellor!" Luo Zhong knocked his head against the ground hard in a kowtow. It was hard enough to break skin and bleed. He was resigned to his life born as an servant belonging to a noble family, but his only son, would also be a servant as well? Then what were all these years spent teaching his son to read for?<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu breathed a long sigh, addressing Luo Zhong, "As long as you do as Imand, as chancellor, I shall protect your son."<span>


    Luo Zhong prostrated himself and knocked his head on the ground again.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Bondservant - A person bound in service. The original text often uses "servant" and "ve" interchangeably, but in this case, this is closer to a servant who either through lineage or some reason became bound to serve the family. Though household servants in this sense are not much more than a ve on paper, in terms of status, they are closer to hired domestic help and sometimes are given wages or an allowance. This also exins why Luo Zhong has the surname "Luo", as he belongs to the family. <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Took me a long time to find a word for the kind of servant that Luo Zhong is. With the context I''ve had from reading other things, it reminded me of serfs who were taken into a noble family to act as servants in feudal times. Though both serfs and ves are sort of the same kind of thing during feudal times, in Chinese there''s a clear distinction of status even between the words used.<span>


    Isn''t Luo Wei badass in this chapter??? So cold!! But it also makes sense because he knows this guy''s betrayed his family and caused their property to be seized and family to be destroyed. Still, our poor little Wei Er is getting pretty devious!<span>

 Chapter 15

    After the spies have been taken away, only the Luo father and sons were left in the hall.<span>


    Luo Ze asked Luo Wei with an expression as if he''d been dreaming, "Xiao Wei, have you been pretending all these years?"<span>


    Luo Wei only smiled but didn''t respond.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu asked, "Why did you decide to stop the pretense?"<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "After being beaten up, I thought life was impossible to predict. If I hadn''t pushed through this time, then all the things I managed to get out of the second prince thus far would have been wasted. So I thought the things that need to be done should be done as soon as possible."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu said, "Then why didn''t you say anything after you woke up?"<span>


    Luo Wei smiled, "I wanted to say something, but either father wasn''t home or my big brother wasn''t home. I couldn''t find a proper chance."<span>


    Luo Ze didn''t understand, "Why do both father and I need to be home for you to say something?"<span>


    Luo Wei responded, "Father wouldn''t following me to see Luo Zhong feeding the pigeon, big brother, you wouldn''t be able to make these big decisions if you were the only one home."<span>


    Luo Ze asked, "Why did I have to go with you? With something like this, you could have caught Luo Zhong yourself."<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "My reputation isn''t great. If it was just me catching Luo Zhong in the act, he could have just said I was doing it on purpose to frame him. I was afraid father and big brother wouldn''t believe me at the time."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu harrumphed coldly, "Then you robbing an innocent woman from her husband on the streets was also a ruse?"<span>


    "That was only because of a whim. At the time, the second prince''s servants were with me," Luo Wei was totally making it up now, "I only wanted them to see how ridiculous I could be. The more ridiculous I am, the less the second prince would be careful around me"<span>


    Luo Ze listened beside them until his head felt like it was going to explode. He was a general and was used to being straightforward, "Xiao Wei, what kind of nonsense is in that brain of yours?"<span>


    Luo Wei only smiled at his second eldest brother. He didn''t expect Luo Ze to understand the nuances of politics. In the past life, the senior chancellor''s failure was that he raised two generals who only knew of war and nothing of politics, and a bastard who betrayed his entire family. He didn''t manage to raise a son who could face the court and do battle with them.<span>


    And now, Luo Zhi Qiu had no idea what''s in store for Luo Wei''s future anymore. He had thought originally that as the Senior Chancellor, he''d be able to protect this child for his entire life, but now Emperor Xing Wu knew that Luo Wei was his and Luo Zhi Jin''s son, how will he treat Luo Wei? Everyone said that the mind of a divine monarch was hard to calcte, and Luo Zhi Qiu was afraid to think on this question any deeper than he had. He now looked at Luo Wei with an additional sense of unease. If Luo Wei could pretend to be an idiot around Long Xuan for so many years and part with him at the drop of a hat. The amount of scheming within this mere thirteen year old, it was almost fearsome, not to mention he was the son of the emperor. This Luo Wei, a member of the royalty who''d already started to sway the undercurrents at court, will not be someone who would sit idly by.<span>


    Luo Wei had no idea of Luo Zhi Qiu''s inner thoughts at the moment, so he said to Luo Zhi Qiu, "Father, could you please think of a way for me to get out of being a studypanion to the prince?"<span>


    "I know," Luo Zhi Qiu answered, "Even if you hadn''t said anything, I wouldn''t have let you stay beside the second prince. But Wei Er, have you learned anything at the study in all these years?"<span>


    Luo Wei said, "I learned some things. The tutors in the study are all famed schrs, I''ve reaped more than a little benefit from their teachings."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu stood and addressed Luo Wei, "Let''s go talk in the study," Then to Luo Ze, he said, "Go see to your mother andfort her, let her know what happened in the estate tonight, don''t let her worry too much."<span>


    If it weren''t for the fact that Luo Wei looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over right now, Luo Ze would really want to give his little brother a thrashing. How could he have deceived his big brother so badly? Doesn''t this sort of little brother deserve to be beaten up a little? Luo Ze ruffled Luo Wei''s hair as hard as he could. He didn''t pay any mind to the grimaces from Luo Wei and instead went to see to their mother.<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Sorry guys! Was busy over the weekend!! And originally wanted to trante a few chapters so I could release them slowly over a week but I got caught up in work. I was wondering if any of you had any preferences to lots of releases over the course of a week, or should I do as many as I can at one time and release them all at the same time? If not, I might just keep going at one chapter per day as much as I can, and will let you guys know if I am nning on taking breaks!<span>

 Chapter 16

    Luo Zhi Qiu spent the entire night questioning Luo Wei''s knowledge. He wanted to reacquaint himself with this son he''d raised for thest thirteen years. It might not be toote if he started now, Luo Zhi Qiu thought. After testing him, Luo Zhi Qiu was pleasantly surprised to find that Luo Wei could write in regr script(1) in a neat but not inelegant hand. When Luo Wei yed the <i>qin</i>(2), the sound of the music was actually pleasing to the ear. The sleeping lotus he''d sketched with a few strokes of the brush was both urate in shape and spirit. In terms ofposing writing, he was still a little weak, but of the legendary and famous poems of poets who came before, he could recite without missing a word.<span>


    "Father, I''m not stupid." Luo Wei made sure to emphasize to Luo Zhi Qiu.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu looked at Luo Wei. He wasn''t just not stupid, he clearly had the makings of a top schr!<span>


    At dawn, Bo Hua came to the study to find the father and son duo who''d been up all night.<span>


    "Mother," At the sight of Bo Hua, Luo Wei courteously paid his respects.<span>


    Bo Hua acknowledged Luo Wei with a nod. The expression with which she looked at Luo Wei had softened a great deal. Looks like Luo Ze spared no efforts in saying good things about Luo Wei to herst night. "You should go eat," She said to Luo Wei, "You''ve been sitting with your father for an entire night, you must be tired."<span>


    "I''m alright," Luo Wei responded hurriedly.<span>


    "Go and eat something," Luo Zhi Qiu gave permission for Luo Wei to leave for breakfast.<span>


    Bo Hua watched Luo Wei disappearing down the hall as she spoke to Luo Zhi Qiu, "I almost couldn''t believe what Ze Er said to mest night."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu said, "Isn''t it nice that Wei Er''s so courteous to you now?"<span>


    Bo Hua answered, "I''m so used to seeing him do whatever he pleases that I''m not sure if I can get used to this."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu didn''t say anything else. He knows why his wife was so biased against Luo Wei. Though she never showed it, Bo Hua always thought that Luo Wei was a bastard who had a questionable background. Luo Zhi Qiu couldn''t tell Bo Hua the truth, but he could only hope that with the intelligence Luo Wei is beginning to show, the boy could use it to fix his rtionship with Bo Hua.<span>


    Luo Wei ate his breakfast at home. Despite not wanting to, he still had to continue his life as the prince''s studypanion and go to the study.<span>


    When Luo Wei appeared at the door of the study, the noise that had been permeating the room suddenly dropped to a silence. Everyone''s eyes were on Luo Wei.<span>


    "Your Highness," Luo Wei gave no attention to the eyes on him, only paying his respects to Long Xuan after entering the room.<span>


    "You came," Long Xuan''s expression was lukewarm. At this point, he still didn''t know what had happened in the Luo estate the night before.<span>


    Luo Wei nced at his usual seat on Long Xuan''s left hand side. It was currently upied by a youth in light blue clothing who was staring him up and down. Luo Wei knows him. He''s Xie Yu, the future Senior Chancellor of Greater Zhou, a noble chancellor whose virtues everyone extolled. Luo Wei watched Xie Yu regarding him, so he smiled and brought his hands together to make a gesture in greeting.<span>


    A this point in time, Xie Yu was still only a son of an official historian of the fourth rank(3), and the lowest in terms of background between everyone who attended this study. If it wasn''t for his outstanding literary talents, he wouldn''t have even made it into this study. Xie Yu saw the gesture from Luo Wei, surprised, and quickly got up to return the gesture of respect.<span>


    Luo Wei walked to a seat near the window and sat down. This was the furthest seat from Long Xuan. Going by the rule of this study, those who sat closest to Long Xuan were the ones who had the most clout, so no one wanted to or even ever sat here. In the past life, Luo Wei had flown into a fit of rage after he returned and saw that Xie Yu had sat in his seat. He immediately backhanded the unwitting Xie Yu a few times until he bled. In the days after, Xie Yu was the number one target for Luo Wei''s bullying in the study.<span>


    It was only when the Luo family had been destroyed that Luo Wei heard from Long Xuan in person, that he''d purposefully arranged for Xie Yu to sit in his seat. He knew that the conceited Luo Wei wouldn''t ept Xie Yu and would find any reason to humiliate him. Afterward, Long Xuan wouldfort Xie Yu, telling him that the Luo family had a lot of power, that even he, a prince borne from a consort, wouldn''t dare anger Luo Wei and only give concession. Xie Yu had originally admired the virtuous Senior Chancellor Luo Zhi Qiu whose reputation at the time had been noble. Yet, after being humiliated a few times, he turned enemy with the Luo family, and joined forces with Long Xuan, bing one of Long Xuan''s mostpetent strategists. The Luo Wei in this life wouldn''t make this mistake again, no matter what.<span>


    Long Xuan''s gaze shot over to him like daggers, but Luo Wei busied himself by opening his book and starting his readings.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Regr Script - A form of Chinese script style that is the mostmon in modern writings and publications, used in print especially. It''s regr and easy to read and roughly equates to writing in very neat print in English. The observation made by his father is to say that his writing was neat, but also notcking stylistically in what looked beautiful as script.


    2. Qin - Seven string instrument of the zither family. In modern text it''s often referred to as Gu Qin, which means ancient qin, but seeing as how this is a period piece, it is just referred to as the qin.


    3. Official Historian of the Fourth Rank - The job that Xie Yu''s father has is probably as a bureaucrat who works in the historical records department of the government. At the time he would be counted as an official as well, but not as powerful as the ministers and officials who were involved in politics. The Fourth Rank is in reference to the Nine-Rank system discussed in earlier footnotes.


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b><b>


    </b>


    <b></b><span>


    Another update to make up for the fact that I missed some over the weekend. ;)<span>

 Chapter 17

    The tutor for the qin walked in, headdress high and sleeves wide, with a few long strands of hair hanging loose across his chest like a celestial being(1). Gao Cheng Feng, a world-famed tutor whose skill with the qin was second to none. Luo Wei had never paid attention to people of this caliber in his past life. As he saw his esteemed tutor today, Luo Wei''s emotions were out of sorts, realizing yet again how stupid he''d been.<span>


    Gao Cheng Feng looked over his students. His gaze froze as he saw Luo Wei sitting at the very back, surprised that Luo Wei actually picked that particr seat. On the day of the feast in Jin Chun Garden, Gao Cheng Feng had been there to y music. Luo Wei had given him quite a shock. It wasn''t only because of the change in his appearance, but Luo Wei''s manners had be cultured and elegant overnight, watchful of his every action. He''d be apletely different person.<span>


    Gao Cheng Feng taught for half of the time in ss, then asked each of his students toe up to the front and y for everyone.<span>


    Luo Wei knew that if this had been before, he''d definitely be the first one to go up so that he could curry favor with Long Xuan who loved the qin. The music he''d y would often be difficult to listen to and leave people wanting to run from the room, but he himself would be unaware. This also a hrious scene that all the other students were waiting to watch every time they came to the study.<span>


    Gao Cheng Feng called a few students to the stage and listened, finding each unsatisfactory. Luo Wei didn''t jump at the chance to show his ipetence today, but ironically, Gao Cheng Feng kept thinking about Luo Wei for some unknown reason, so he called him up, "Luo Wei, it''s your turn."<span>


    The atmosphere in the study suddenly changed. Other than Xie Yu who had no idea about the situation at hand, everyone was waiting for Luo Wei to embarrass himself.<span>


    Luo Wei sat down at the qin stand and lowered his gaze to his hands. Once upon a time he''d been ripped of all his fingernails and still yed perfectly through the pain. At the very least, maybe his skills with the qin might not draw embarrassment from his tutor again.<span>


    His fingers glided over the strings lightly, and the sound of the music followed. The soft rain of Jiang Nan, the cold moonlight of the Gobi desert, the murmur of passing streams, the lofty heights of mountains, the whispers between lovers, the homesick thoughts of soldiers, the joy of those returning home, the loneliness of strangers at the ends of the earth, flowers in the wind and snow under the moon, all the facets of life seemed to linger between those fingers plucking at those strings.<span>


    The sound of the qin intoxicated all those present, including Emperor Xing Wu who had arrived at the study at some point.<span>


    "No wonder he''s Zhi Jin''s son," Emperor Xing Wu thought to himself. Luo Zhi Jin had once been a master of song and dance, a single song on the qin could touch the entire world. It seemed natural that her son should also be as talented.<span>


    Luo Wei''s song ended. As the echoes still lingered, Emperor Xing Wu walked into the study, pping his apuse.<span>


    "Your Imperial Majesty," Everyone knelt in unison and paid their respects.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu didn''t look at Long Xuan. He only stepped forward to help Luo Wei up, smiling as he spoke, "Looks like the masterful tutor has produced a masterful student!"<span>


    Gao Cheng Feng was still dazed as he knelt. He was always embarrassed for having a student like Luo Wei, but he didn''t expect that a person like this would suddenly be able to y a song like that. Could it be that he''d been putting up a front all this time, and was only showing his true skill when he knew that the emperor would be present?<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu hade especially to see Luo Wei. After the revtion that Luo Wei was his biological son yesterday, all of his thoughts and worries have since been about Luo Wei. How he wished he could send down an imperial decree immediately to restore Luo Wei''s status as a prince, and bring him into the pce so the emperor could raise him himself. But after calming down, Emperor Xing Wu knew that if he restored Luo Wei''s status, it''d only cast the boy into a unbelievably awkward situation. He and Luo Zhi Jin were never husband and wife after all. Luo Wei wouldn''t be a chancellor''s son. Even if he were made a prince, he''d only be a bastard, not to mention that Luo Zhi Jin''s reputation would be ruined for having a son out of wedlock. After considering all the possibilities, Emperor Xing Wu decided that before being able to think of a better n, it was still best for Luo Wei to remain a son of the chancellor.<span>


    "Your Imperial Majesty," Luo Wei was however suspicious of all the kindness that Emperor Xing Wu showed towards him. What is the emperor doing?<span>


    "Let me see you," Emperor Xing Wu patted Luo Wei''s head.<span>


    This show of affection felt like a nail in Long Xuan''s eye. Not a single one of the princes has managed to draw a motion like this from their royal father. Luo Wei was the first.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    Title - The original title was "ying a song on the qin that moves people''s hearts", but the part it refers to in the text was Luo Zhi Jin being able to move people with her song. Thus the title was shortened.


    1. Celestial Being - In Taoist tradition, a celestial being could be one of the minor gods from heaven, or a mortal who has through spiritual cultivate be immortal. Their presence is said to differ from that of a normal person, being more dignified, beautiful, and above everything.


    <span>

 Chapter 18

    "Your humble servant didn''t y very well, I''ve embarrassed myself in front of Your Imperial Majesty," Luo Wei put on a face of innocence.<span>


    "I thought it was very good," Emperor Xing Wu doted, then asked Gao Cheng Feng, "What does Minister Gao think?"<span>


    Gao Cheng Feng quickly answered, "If Young Master Luo takes a few more days off, he will most definitely surpass his teacher."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu said, "You''re right about that, but Luo Wei''s tutge with you will end today. He does not need to be a studypanion any longer."<span>


    Hearing this, Luo Wei thought that his father must have found an excuse for him so that the emperor could release him from his role as a studypanion.<span>


    But he was wrong, this was Emperor Xing Wu''s own decision. At the very thought of Luo Wei''s appearance--one so much like Luo Zhi Jin--Emperor Xing Wu''s own joy at it was mixed with worry. There were quite a few people in the pce who knew about his past with Luo Zhi Jin. If he could guess that Luo Wei was Luo Zhi Jin''s son, then Emperor Xing Wu knew that the women that the Empress Dowager has trained all these years in the Back Pce could also guess the same. With Luo Wei in the study, there was no way to protect him from those who seek to harm him.<span>


    Long Xuan spoke up at this point, "Does father wish for Chancellor Luo to find a tutor just for Luo Wei? The tutors whoe to the imperial study are the very best in the world, there''s no reason for Luo Wei to leave."<span>


    Not expecting this, Luo Wei shot a look at Long Xuan. Did he want to use Luo Wei so much that he''s actually arguing with Emperor Xing Wu?<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu also dealt a look to his second son, "Are you afraid that Chancellor Luo would hinder his own son''s studies?"<span>


    Long Xuan looked at Luo Wei. Luo Wei had always wanted to stick close to him and he didn''t believe that Luo Wei wanted to leave the imperial study, but faced with the apathy in Luo Wei''s eyes, Long Xuan felt as if someone was sticking a needle in his heart.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu address Luo Wei, "You can follow me from now on. You''re the Senior Chancellor''s son, both of your brothers are employed in the military, at least one of you from the Luo family ought to be employed in politics."<span>


    The emperor''s words sent waves through the hearts of everyone present. A single sentence from Emperor Xing Wu and Luo Wei has be the emperor''s disciple. From the emperor''s tone, Luo Wei might even inherit the position of Senior Chancellor in the future.<span>


    "Your humble servant thanks Your Imperial Majesty for his kindness," After a moment''s pause, Luo Wei quickly sunk to his knees to dere gratitude.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu felt a wave of sadness as he heard Luo Wei address himself as a ''humble servant''. They were father and son, but can only address each other in polite terms of emperor and servant. Xing Wu quickly helped Luo Wei up again, "You''ve only just recovered, there''s no need to pay these empty courtesies. Come with me."<span>


    "Master," Luo Wei paid his obeisance to Gao Cheng Feng, "I humbly excuse myself."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu was very satisfied at Luo Wei following proper protocol. He heard tell of Luo Wei''s arrogance, but it seems that those were mere rumors.<span>


    Long Xuan watched as Emperor Xing Wu held Luo Wei''s hand and walked out of the imperial study, unsure of how exactly to feel. Luo Wei has changed into someone different, and he''d seen the gentle side of his royal father. The routine he''d once been so familiar with has suddenly been altered.<span>


    Long Xuan couldn''t help but admit that he had been captivated by Luo Wei''s music. If Luo Wei had let him hear this earlier, Long Xuan believed that he''d definitely be better to Luo Wei. Now it seemed that he had absolutely no grasp of what Luo Wei was thinking--no. A thought popped into Long Xuan''s head and scared him: maybe he never had any grasp on what Luo Wei was thinking.<span>


    Gao Cheng Feng watched Long Xuan. He thought that with Luo Wei gone, the happiest person in the study would be Long Xuan. In the past, even he had been annoyed at the sight of Luo Wei bothering Long Xuan, not to mention how Long Xuan felt at the center of Luo Wei''s attention. However, at this very moment, Long Xuan''s face darkened without a single shred of joy. This was a mystery that simply could not be solved by Gao Cheng Feng.<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Things are heating up even more!!! Though it''s going to be a while yet before we meet the other half of the main couple. : ) You guys are going to have to bear with Long Xuan for a little while longer.<span>

 Chapter 19

    After the imperial study, all Xie Yu wanted to do was to go home. He understands his own position very well. Compared to these sons of royalty and the entitled nobility, he really doesn''t even enter their vision.<span>


    "Young Master Xie," Luo Wei had been waiting on a path that must be taken when one exited the imperial study to head out of the pce. As he saw Xie Yuing by, he quickly smiled and approached him.<span>


    "Young Master Luo?" Xie Yu startled and stopped, watching Luo Weie towards him in strides, "What are you doing here?"<span>


    "Oh," Luo Wei smiled, "His Imperial Majesty gave me early leave to go home and prepare so I can apany him tomorrow. I was waiting here for you, Young Master Xie."<span>


    Xie Yu was even more curious now, "Waiting for me?" He''d already discovered today that Luo Wei was favored by the emperor, so why was a person like this waiting especially for him?<span>


    "The rivers and mountains stretch for tens of thousands of leagues, only for a single song with you," Luo Wei recited, "Brilliant purples and red blossoms, with bygone days, is beauty but for an instant?"<span>


    The respectful caution with which Xie Yu spoke disappeared in an instant. His entire person became excited, "How does the young master know of my old work?"<span>


    Luo Wei smiled. In his past life, Senior Chancellor Xie Yu''s early work, "A Verse of Mountains and Rivers", was very popr for a time. The only thing was that right now, no one has heard of it yet. Luo Wei remembered that in the past life, his father had recited this verse at home once. It may have been when Xie Yu''s father was trying to plot an escape n for Xie Yu, and showed this verse to Luo Zhi Qiu, who immediately expressed admiration for Xie Yu''s literary skills. Pity that in thest life, because of all the evil Luo Weimitted, these two people who had deep respect for one another became enemies.<span>


    "Xie Xiong(1), my father often recites ''A Verse of Mountains and Rivers'' at home," Luo Wei spoke to Xie Yu with a smile.<span>


    "Really?" As expected, Xie Yu became even more excited.<span>


    "Good wine needs no bush(2)," Luo Wei replied, "Do you really think no one knows this masterpiece of yours?"<span>


    Xie Yu grinned. As this handsome youth put away his self-imposed timidness and caution, his natural elegance was amazing to behold.<span>


    "I wonder if you''veposed a song for this verse?" Luo Wei asked.<span>


    Xie Yu shook his head, "I''ve tried, but I''ve never been satisfied with it."<span>


    Luo Wei followed, "I''m not very good, but I''veposed some music. I wonder if you''d be interested toe by and give it a listen?" In the past life, Xie Yu hadposed music for this verse himself. It passed from mouth to mouth, and was popr throughout the nation. Luo Wei knew that stealing it like this was shameless, but this time around, he wanted to befriend Xie Yu no matter what the price.<span>


    Xie Yu was naturally interested. Luo Wei''s reputation was extremely bad, but the Luo Wei he''d seen with his own eyes and the bully he''d heard of in gossip were as different as heaven and earth. Xie Yu was someone who only believed in his own eyes, so he followed Luo Wei back to the Luo estate without further ado.<span>


    The two rode back together, and made great conversation along the way. After the two of them settled in Luo Wei''s own study, Luo Wei yed the entire grand and magnificent pieceposed for "A Verse of Mountains and Rivers" without pause. Xie Yu was shocked into silence for a good while, but when he gathered himself again, he immediately followed with raucous apuse. This song was somehow the one he''d been imagining all this time, but was never able to put it down in notes.<span>


    "Xie Xiong, do you have anyments and critiques?" Luo Wei had purposefully changed a few notes of it just now.<span>


    Xie Yu began a discussion in earnest with Luo Wei. The two of them seemed to have forgotten everything else in the world as they yed music and adjusted the song. Luo Wei was doing his best to befriend Xie Yu, but Xie Yu viewed Luo Wei as a friend who truly understood him. Even though his family was also officially of the court, but there was noparison to Luo Wei''s family. He couldn''t have imagined that Luo Wei would treat him with respect and see him as an older brother. The more important thing was, Luo Wei hadposed music for his verse just for him, and it had been almost the same as the one he''d been envisioning. He could see that this was a kind gesture from someone who couldmunicate with Xie Yu.<span>


    "Xie Xiong, you must hold the whole world in your thoughts," Luo Wei said to Xie Yu as he yed the music that''d just been adjusted by the two of them, "I can see it just through this verse. Achieving prosperity and peace for themon people, that''s my wish as well."<span>


    People always said it was hard to find a friend who really understands you. At this point, Xie Yu''s only regret was that he''d met Luo Wei toote. Xie Yu was only sixteen and Luo Wei was thirteen, but the two of them actually managed to start a discussion regarding how to achieve peace and prosperity for the nation. The two became more interested in the topic the more they discussed.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Xiong - Simr to Ge Ge, but a more respectful way of referring to an older male friend.


    2. Good wine needs no bush - A saying to convey the idea that as long as something is good, there''s no need to market it, it''ll naturally catch on.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Xie Yu is really cool! I get the sense that even when he was working for Long Xuan in the past life, his ultimate goal was to better the country, and was just a really smart guy. : ) d that Luo Wei has him on his side this time!!<span>

 Chapter 20

    At around dinner time, Qi Zi came and told Luo Wei that the Senior Chancellor has returned.<span>


    Luo Wei immediately said to Xie Yu, "Xie Xiong, since father''s home, why don''t I take you to meet him?"<span>


    Xie Yu didn''t make any gestures to decline, he''d been admiring the Senior Chancellor Luo Zhi Qiu for quite some time, and today seemed like a good chance to meet him.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu didn''t think that Luo Wei would bring a ssmate from the imperial study to see him. However, after being told that this excellent and refined youth was Xie Yu, the one he''d mentioned many times at home, he was delighted and began conversing with Xie Yu.<span>


    Luo Wei sat beside them. He knew that these two people appreciated each other very much, so he wasn''t at all afraid that they wouldn''t findmon topics. When he felt the time was right, Luo Wei brought out the real reason he''d invited Xie Yu back to the estate, "Father, Xie Da Ge(1) wants to learn how to bring peace and prosperity to the nation,pared to going to the imperial study, maybe it''s better for him to learn from you."<span>


    Xie Yu looked at Luo Wei, and seeing the smile on his face, Xie Yu suddenly realized what Luo Wei meant. He quickly knelt, "I''m not very talented, but I''d love to take you on as my master."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu looked at Xie Yu, then looked at Luo Wei. The suddenness of asking him to take on a student without being prepared was a little difficult for him.<span>


    "Father," Luo Wei stood and spoke to Luo Zhi Qiu, "You''ve always said that Xie Da Ge has potential to be developed, and I know you hate to waste potential, how could you let potential like this go? He''s already brought himself to your doorstep."<span>


    Luo Wei was half joking and half serious with what he said, but the two listening, Luo Zhi Qiu and Xie Yu, neither thought it was awkward, and both began to chuckle.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu looked Xie Yu over again. He''s got a graceful bearing and was an excellent youth. Extraordinary in his literary talents, as well as being poised and dignified. This sort of youth was the kind that he had always liked. Luo Zhi Qiu wasn''t the type to put up false pretenses for the sake of convention. The topic of conversation had already developed to this point and he didn''t think Xie Yu was that bad either. Xie Yu also wanted to be his disciple. All they needed was the approval of Xie Yu''s family. Taking on a disciple like this was a blessing too.<span>


    Luo Wei saw his father nod, and quickly said that there''s no time like the present. He didn''t ask Luo Zhi Qiu''s meaning right then and there and ordered someone to go immediately and invite Xie Yu''s father, Xie Wang Bei toe by.<span>


    Not long after, the official historian of the fourth rank, Xie Wang Bei arrived, fearful and nervous. He had thought his son was in trouble, but after hearing that Luo Zhi Qiu was going to take on Xie Yu as a disciple, Master Xie became entirely dumbfounded. It felt as if a pie fell out of the sky and right into hisp.<span>


    The Luo Estate prepared a feast for the ceremony of taking on a student, and thus the Senior Chancellor Luo Zhi Qiu has taken on a disciple.<span>


    Xie Yu raised his ss in thanks to Luo Wei, but Luo Wei pretended not to understand, "Why are you thanking me? My father''s the one who took you on. But after this, Xie Da Ge has to promise to make sure not to work too hard, if you''re getting too far ahead, I''m going to have some tough time at home."<span>


    Xie Yuughed, but he was honestly grateful to Luo Wei. Luo Wei was no gentleman, but Xie Yu wasn''t one either. Those who are too noble and honest can''t deal with government and politics, so the gratitude from Xie Yu to Luo Wei wasn''t only because Luo Wei was a good friend and confidante, it was also mixed with a good deal of Xie Yu''s own consideration for his future.<span>


    Xie Yu had studied at the imperial study for a little more than a month, and Long Xuan had tried to ingratiate himself to Xie Yu. Unfortunately, Xie Yu was someone who had strong feelings about propriety and orthodoxy. He believed that there''s an order of hierarchy from elders to their youngers, and there was also a difference between an legitimate heir and the son of a concubine. The efforts to get close to him from Long Xuan rmed Xie Yu. The future noble chancellor in the making very astutely discovered the ambitions the second prince held for the empire and the throne. This made the days at the imperial study torturous for Xie Yu. He didn''t want to cast his loyalty with Long Xuan, but as a son of a fourth ranking historical official, how could he refuse a prince? He couldn''t just go to the emperor and tell him that Long Xuan was harboring thoughts of disobedience to the rule of session. Not to mention that he couldn''t even meet the emperor if he wanted to, and even if he had, would the emperor trust him if he told? In the dangerous deep waters and fiery mes, Luo Wei appeared, gave him a chance to be the Senior Chancellor''s disciple. He had not only escaped the imperial study but also Long Xuan, and his master could also give him a splendid future. To consider Luo Wei a important and key figure in his life wouldn''t be too far off the mark.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Da Ge - Another term simr to Xiong, and Ge Ge, more formal and sometimes used to refer to that person to another person in speech.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Sorry I''ve been slowing down! I''ve gotten sick this weekend and haven''t been able to sit myself upright. Hopefully it doesn''t develop into anything like a flu, fingers crossed. BUT HOW EXCITING!! Xie Yu has be an important chess piece in Luo Wei''s grand game against Long Xuan!! : )<span>

 Chapter 21

    Luo Wei doesn''t mind being a stepping stone for Xie Yu at all. It''s not that he couldn''t see Xie Yu''s intentions in their interactions, but he knew that one day, Xie Yu will be one of the most powerful minds in the struggle between the crown prince loyalists and Long Xuan, the second prince.<span>


    They each put away the secret intentions deep in their hearts. Luo Wei and Xie Yu both knew they could be friends because it was a mutually beneficial rtionship, and besides, the most important thing hurdle was that they could also have good conversations. So between these two people with crafty minds and thefortable and jovial atmosphere of the feast, they weren''t short ofughter and engaging dialogue.<span>


    Luo Wei has be the disciple of the emperor, apanying him everywhere. Xie Yu has be the student of the Senior Chancellor, following close and always by his side. In one day, the imperial study had lost two people. So on the following day when the Junior Chancellor Liu Shuang Shi came to see Long Xuan, he spotted the shattered tea set on the floor of Long Xuan''s study right away.<span>


    "Your Imperial Highness," The first thing Liu Shuang Shi needed to do was to calm Long Xuan''s emotions, "The fact that Xie Yu got taken in by Luo Wei first wasn''t something that anyone could have expected."<span>


    "It''s all Luo Wei," Long Xuan said, "He was the one who brought Xie Yu back to the estate yesterday."<span>


    "It''s true that Xie Yu has great literary aptitude," Liu Shuang Shi stated, "But it does Your Imperial Highness no harm to lose someone like him." Liu Shuang Shi knew that Long Xuan''s rage stemmed from the fact that Xie Yu had be Liu Zhi Qiu''s student.<span>


    But Long Xuan mmed his hand down on his desk again. Xie Yu was someone he''d wanted to make use of himself. For thest month and a half, Xie Yu has put up pretenses with him like a snake, his ploys were difficult to grasp. All this made Long Xuan more and more interested in Xie Yu. How could he let someone who had the ability able to run circles around someone like him go? Who knew that Luo Wei would step out in front? All he did was open his hand and Xie Yu just grasped it, taking on Luo Zhi Qiu as his master without a second thought. Why did he do it? Long Xuan knew the reason, though. He was only the second prince, and one birthed from a consort. In Xie Yu''s eyes he was less than Long Yu, a proper son from the royal lineage, the real crowned prince of the Greater Zhou empire.<span>


    "Your Imperial Highness," Liu Shuang Shi poured another cup of tea for Long Xuan, "Xie Yu is not worth your anger."<span>


    "Funny," Long Xuan suddenly startedughing, an overjoyedughter.<span>


    "Your Imperial Highness?" Liu Shuang Shi didn''t understand why Long Xuan wasughing.<span>


    "That Xie Yu," Long Xuan said, "He''d never even met Long Yu but he threw himself into Long Yu''s circle headfirst, isn''t that funny?"<span>


    "And this just goes to show that Xie Yu is someone who clings to tradition and outdated ideas," Liu Shuang Shi understood what infuriated Long Xuan. Even though they were both princes, one of them could gain talented people''s loyalty and was destined to sit on the throne without any extra effort, but the other one? The other one was well studied in both matters of literature and state as well as martial prowess, without daring to have a single moment of cking off. The other one was also ambitious, had the ability to be emperor, but still lived under the shadows of the one who came before and had to endure slights and arrogance from others. It''s not fair, but then again, what about this world was ever fair?<span>


    "Why did my imperial father suddenly favor Luo Wei?" After calming his emotions, Long Xuan asked, "Did Luo Zhi Qiu do something?"<span>


    "Has your mother consort not told you anything?" Liu Shuang Shi felt that the consort Liu would have more rity than him on this question.<span>


    "What would my mother consort know?" Long Xuan asked.<span>


    "It''s because Luo Wei looks a lot like his aunt." Liu Shuang Shi responded.<span>


    "Like the empress?" Long Xuan didn''t think Luo Wei looked much like the empress.<span>


    "No, the third daughter of the Luo family, Luo Zhi Jin," Liu Shuang Shi rified, "The emperor was once very enamored with this third daughter of the Luo family, but s, beauty is fleeting, she passed before her time."<span>


    "Luo Zhi Jin?" This wasn''t something that Long Xuan knew the details of, but he remembered one thing, "Wasn''t she engaged to Zhen Guo Marquis'' youngest son?"<span>


    Liu Shuang Shi replied, "Your Imperial Highness, the various matters of the past is only clear to those who were involved."<span>


    "So?"<span>


    "Perhaps the emperor is nostalgic."<span>


    "Nostalgic?" Long Xuan addressed Liu Shuang Shi, "Are you joking, uncle? Do you think my father a nostalgic person?"<span>

 Chapter 22

    Liu Shuang Shi wanted to tell Long Xuan how madly in love and infatuated Emperor Xing Wu was with the Luo girl, but he didn''t say anything in the end. Xing Wu was someone who didn''t smile or joke around these days, his mood was thunderous and changed with the wind, not a man for sentimentality. How could he make Long Xuan believe that his father who has only been cold to him, was once honestly in love with someone?<span>


    Long Xuan only said a joke that wasn''t really a joke to Liu Shuang Shi, "Maybe Luo Wei did something to father all by himself. He followed me for six years and I had no idea that he''d been pretending all along."<span>


    Liu Shuang Shi told hm, "A few people were put to death at the Luo estate two nights ago, something about stealing from their masters. Last night I ordered someone to go take a look at the corpses, they were all people I nted."<span>


    "Was Luo Zhong among the dead?" Long Xuan asked.<span>


    "No," Liu Shuang Shi answered.<span>


    "Then it''s not a big loss, our most important piece is still at y," Long Xuan said, "Tell him toy low and watch what he says for the next little while."<span>


    "Understood." Liu Shuang Shi agreed, then said, "Luo Zhong did send word that between the senior chancellor and his disciples, words passed about how the Yu Zhou mining case has spread far wider than he''d expected. Your Imperial Highness, I believe Luo Zhi Qiu might have realized the difficulty of the situation and is thinking of backing off."<span>


    "We still have to be cautious," Long Xuan has never truly believed anyone, he said to Liu Shuang Shi, "Uncle, you must take care not to let the mes spread too far lest you burn yourself."<span>


    "Understood," Liu Shuang Shi replied, but he was about seventy percent sure that Luo Zhi Qiu was going to fold. Under his ndestine machinations, Yu Zhou''s mining case was already a pond of muddy water that you can''t get to the bottom of. If Luo Zhi Qiu was suspicious enough to keep the investigation going, he might just uncover his own name in the search. The senior chancellor had some students who were governing in Yu Zhou, how could he be certain that the people under him wouldn''t be greedy enough to be bought?<span>


    Long Xuan continued his questions, "Where is Long Yu right now?"<span>


    Liu Shuang Shi responded, "Not too far yet."<span>


    "Who''s guarding him?"<span>


    Liu Shuang Shi shook his head, "A few guards from the East Pce, and five bodyguards. The people I sent said they''ve never seen them before."<span>


    "Did Luo Zhi Qiu send them or was it my father?" Long Xuan asked.<span>


    "They should be sent by the Senior Chancellor," Liu Shuang Shi answered, "They have habits of the underworld(1)."<span>


    Long Xuan sneered, "Luo Zhi Qiu''s got dealings with the underworld?"<span>


    Liu Shuang Shi said, "This is only my guess. If His Imperial Majesty were to send someone, they wouldn''t be out in in sight, they''d be protecting him from the shadows."<span>


    "You''re not wrong," Long Xuan said coldly, "He''s the crown prince after all, they would spare no expense to keep him safe."<span>


    Liu Shuang Shi knew that the anger was rising in Long Xuan again, so he waited a moment before speaking up, "Your Imperial Highness, what are you going to do regarding this business with Luo Wei?"<span>


    Long Xuan paused, "What business with Luo Wei?"<span>


    "He''s been with Your Imperial Highness for many years, can we afford to let someone like him live?" Liu Shuang Shi whispered to Long Xuan.<span>


    As if shocked, Long Xuan''s eyes widened, "He''s by my father''s side now. You''d be betting your life against his if you do anything to him now!"<span>


    "Your Imperial Highness," Liu Shuang Shi didn''t fully expect Long Xuan''s reaction. If they really wanted to get rid of a mere kid like Luo Wei without dirtying their own hands, it wouldn''t be difficult to arrange, "If we can''t keep Luo Wei around, then we should get rid of him now."<span>


    "Don''t touch him," Long Xuan''s face carried a darkness that didn''t match his age, "Now is not the time. He''s been favored by the emperor, my imperial father wouldn''t let anyone hurt him. Uncle, you can''t take that chance."<span>


    "What if he knew something?" Liu Shuang Shi asked.<span>


    "How smart do you think Luo Wei is?" Long Xuan said to his uncle, his own flesh and blood, "Don''t worry, uncle. Even if he''s been hanging around me for a few years, he still knows nothing of my ns."<span>


    Liu Shuang Shi didn''t bring it up again.<span>


    Get rid of Luo Wei? Long Xuan gazed out of the window at the fullness of spring. He was suddenly reminded of that day beneath the peach tree, of Luo Wei standing under the flowers, d in white brocade. The thought made his heart hurt.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. The underworld - The original text says "Jiang Hu", which is a familiar term for those who read martial arts novels. It literally means rivers andkes, but does not refer to a specific location. Rather, it''s a turn of phrase to refer to those people who are on the fringes of society, not often caught up in matters of government. The tone Liu Shuang Shi sounded derogatory, so the word has been tranted as "the underworld" temporarily to make reference to the fact that often, these people participate in violence and banditry.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Wow!! Views exploded recently! Maybe this is all from Novel Updates. : ) I''m not good with working these update websites, but I''m d that this one is easy enough to use! Thanks for everyone''sments and well wishes. I''m getting better, but might take a few days to fully recover.<span>


    That little tidbit at the end about his heart hurting made my heart hurt, lol!<span>

 Chapter 23

    Luo Wei stood beside the emperor during today''s morning audience(1). After the audience, he followed the emperor back to the Hall of Eternal Light. Emperor Xing Wu has already ordered people to set up a desk to the left of his for Luo Wei. So Luo Wei read under the sight of the emperor while the emperor leaned over his own desk as he approved the bills proposed by the ministers. The two of them kept quiet, one older and one younger, but neither felt awkward or lonely in the silence.<span>


    From time to time a minister would enter for s private audience with the emperor, but Xing Wu did not ask Luo Wei to excuse himself, instead letting Luo Wei listen along with him. From what the ministers spoke of, Luo Wei could tell that most were about the mining case in Yu Zhou. This big case in the Xing Wu era was uncovered immediately in the Ping Zhang era, which wasn''t out of anyone''s expectations. After all, Liu Shuang Shi was at the head of this embezzlement scheme. Long Xuan wanted to be emperor, and for that he needed to buy people off, he needed to train his own army, and all of that required a substantial amount of money. Yu Zhou''s ore had long since be second prince Long Xuan''s private ore mine. The bronze, iron mined from these ores were used to make weapons and equipment, some had been taken under the table, and all of this build a strong financial foundation for Long Xuan''s ambitions to take over the empire.<span>


    Luo Wei''s eyes were on the book in front of him but he was calcting in his head. Would his father be able to discover the culprit of the case this time around? If he wanted to take Long Xuan down, he''d have to take out the biggest supporter standing behind Long Xuan, and that would be the Junior Chancellor Liu Shuang Shi. Ever since Long Xuan crawled out of Consort Liu''s belly, the Liu family has been scheming to get him on the throne. And now that they''ve been at it for sixteen years, the tree has already taken root. Between all the interconnected parts, how could one uproot the tree without hurting themselves?<span>


    Luo Wei was thinking about this when imperial physician, Doctor Sun came to see Emperor Xing Wu. He was rying the fact that Noble Consort Liu''s pregnancy turned riskyst night, but she''d taken her medicine now and both the mother and the baby are safe. Emperor Xing Wu said nothing to Doctor Sun and only hummed in reply. Doctor Sun paid his obeisance and excused himself.<span>


    This caught Luo Wei''s attention. Consort Liu was in the seventh month of her pregnancy right now, but Luo Wei knew that this child would never be born. In the past life, Consort Liu suffered a miscarriage. She hid it from the emperor for three days, then after a visit from Luo Wei''s aunt, the Empress, the news that she''d miscarried suddenly broke in the pce. Last time around under Long Xuan''s instruction, Luo Wei had purposefully said in front of a crowd "maybe the empress gave Consort Liu something bad to eat? I just learned today that safflower can cause women to miscarry". After that, the Empress Dowager found safflower in the Hall of the Empress, and this was what started the bad blood between the emperor and the empress.<span>


    "Wei Er," Emperor Xing Wu saw that Luo Wei had stopped writing and was deep in thought, so he asked, "What are you thinking about?"<span>


    Luo Wei quickly brought a smile on his face, addressing the emperor, "I''m thinking about the mining case in Yu Zhou. My father''s stressed to death about it."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu said, "You know about this?"<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "My father''s been forgetting his meals and teately, so I asked him but he wouldn''t tell me. So I kept bothering him about it until he said that all the people in Yu Zhou should just drop dead."<span>


    "Oh? What else did your father say?"<span>


    "He didn''t say much else, but my big brother said," At this, Luo Wei seemed to have remembered something and quickly closed his mouth.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu asked, "Why did you stop? What did your second eldest brother say?"<span>


    Luo Wei shook his head, "Father told me not to talk nonsense, he even yelled at my big brother for it."<span>


    "Let me hear it," The emperor was interested, "I won''t yell at anyone."<span>


    Luo Wei nced at Emperor Xing Wu.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu smiled gently, "What, you don''t believe me?"<span>


    Luo Wei quickly shook his head again, "My second eldest brother said that we need to properly investigate the Yu Zhou mining case. The bronze and iron from the mines there are materials that could be made into weapons, and if they got stolen by someone, that someone must," Luo Wei purposefully paused as if he was trying to recall something, "must have some vicious intentions, and for those intentions, one could be put to death."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu nodded once, "And what did your father say?"<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "Father ordered me out of the study after that, but I heard him yelling at my brother saying that he''s making some highly inmmatory statements, and if he wanted to bring even more chaos to the nation or something."<span>


    "Then what do you think?" Emperor Xing Wu asked Luo Wei.<span>


    "Me?" Luo Wei thought about it for a long time before he said anything, "If it was me, I''d go to Yu Zhou and take a look with my own eyes. If that doesn''t do the trick, I''d find a miner there and ask them myself. I don''t think this case is so difficult that there''s no way to solve it."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu smiled and gave Luo Wei a little poke, "Get busy with your readings, I''m going to test you on itter."<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Morning audience - Emperors delegate the governance of the country and various parts of it to the ministers, but they need to report their findings back to him. Taking audience is a court gathering where the emperor hears the requests and reports for the different regions and departments, and offers solutions or approves/denies suggestions. The morning audience is one that happens in the morning, sometimes the emperor will stay much longer at audience.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Hey everyone!! Thanks so much for all thements. I try to get back to all of you to say that I appreciate them, but wattpad is making it hard sometimes to track downments in my notifications. : ) So I wanted to thank you all again here and to apologize if I don''t reply to some of yourments!!<span>

 Chapter 24

    Luo Wei kept his head down and read. He said those things intentionally to Emperor Xing Wu. After all, Emperor Xing Wu had a world of wealth and didn''t care much about money. However, Luo Wei doesn''t believe that Emperor Xing Wu could just sitfortably and let his ministers battle it out when he knew that someone was scheming to rob him of his throne. It doesn''t matter if what Luo Wei said was true or not. If it was about the empire, Emperor Xing Wu would definitely investigate it to the very end.


    They sat together until noon. Luo Wei ate lunch with the emperor. Xing Wu had ordered someone to find out from the Luo estate what Luo Wei liked to eat. He knew that the boy wasn''t interested in meattely, so this lunch was mostly vegetarian.


    After lunch, Emperor Xing Wu had a habit of taking a short rest. Luo Wei took the chance and asked the emperor, "Your Imperial Majesty, may I go see the empress?"


    Emperor Xing Wu gave him leave.


    Luo Wei then arrived at the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix(1).


    Luo Zhi Yi didn''t have a bias against her nephew like Bo Hua did, she rather liked him. Though she was still startled when he showed up all of a sudden. Like others, she also thought that it was Luo Zhi Jin--her younger sister-e back to life. She recovered quickly enough and pulled him closer to ask how he was doing.


    Luo Wei had more than enough ability to y cute and make people happy now. A few words here and there and he was already able to draw smiles out of the empress. On the inside, however, he was sighed heavily for Luo Zhi Yi. This aunt of his was generous and open as a person, and still retained some of her innocence even though she''d been deep in the pce for years. A woman like this couldn''t survive in the depths of the Back Pces if she fell out of favor with the emperor. Luo Zhi Yi''s days had be arduous when she became estranged from the emperor in the past life. It was only then that she had thought of plotting for herself, ast ditch attempt atpetition, but she didn''t have the skills. So her final end was to see her family be destroyed, her title as empress be taken away, and eventuallymit suicide in the Cold Pce.


    After he was done charming Luo Zhi Yi and making her happy, Luo Wei bid her goodbye and excused himself.


    A few steps out of the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, Luo Wei addressed the one who saw him off quietly. This man was the head eunuch of the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, Shang Xi, "Mister(2), do you know a ce where we could have a few private words with each other?"


    Shang Shi lead Luo Wei to a quiet, secluded spot.


    Without saying anything, Luo Wei took the jade ornament hanging from his belt and handed it to Shang Xi.


    "Young Master?" Shang Xi startled, and hurriedly got on his knees, "This humble servant is not worthy."


    Luo Wei bent down and helped Shang Xi up. He didn''t question this elder eunuch''s loyalty. In the past life, when the empress had died by her own hand, everyone had pretended that nothing had happened. This eunuch was the only person who found his own way to the Cold Pce, and observed proper rites by poisoning himself so he could follow his mistress to her death. He certainly didn''t do it out of desperation, considering he''d already been dispatched to the Hall of Eternal Light two years before. The empress'' death made no direct impact on his position.


    "Young Master, what are you doing this for?" Shang Xi asked Luo Wei quietly.


    "Do you not like this piece of jade?" Luo Wei asked back.


    Shang Xi answered quickly, "This humble servant doesn''t dare, but I can''t ept a reward if I haven''t done anything to deserve it."


    "I was in the Hall of Eternal Light just now and heard Doctor Sun reporting to the emperor. He said that Consort Liu was having issues with her pregnancy," Luo Wei kept his voice low as he spoke to Shang Xi, "For the next few days, I want you to keep a close eye on Consort Liu''s residence at the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty(3)."


    Shang Xi asked, "Is Consort Liu going to do something to Her Imperial Majesty?"


    Luo Wei responded, "We can''t be too careful. From the imperial physician''s tone, he''s scared that this pregnancy will end in a miscarriage. Don''t let her use this as an excuse to start trouble. I''ll be in the pce for the next few days. If anything happens, find a way to get news to me as soon as you can."


    "Young Master..." Shang Xi was a little confused. Could he trust this young master from the Luo family?


    Luo Wei smiled lightly, "Her Imperial Majesty is my own aunt, how could I harm my own people?"


    It was because of this sentence that Shang Xi agreed to the order.


    "Take it, you deserve it," Luo Wei tucked the jade ornament into Shang Xi''s arms, "Just remember, don''t let Her Imperial Majesty know about this."


    "Yes, this humble servant understands." Shang Xi took the jade in his hands. He could tell from touch that this was an expensive piece, Luo Wei had given him a valuable gift.


    Luo Wei turned to leave, and Shang Xi pretended nothing had happened as he returned to the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix.


    For the next few days, Luo Wei slept over in the Hall of Eternal Light. This gave him better insight into Emperor Xing Wu''s daily life. Everyday, he received morning audience, then madements on the imperial missives or discussed national matters with ministers in the Hall of Eternal Light. Eating, sleeping, all of it was done in the hall, and sometimes he went to the Imperial Garden for a walk. None of the concubines from the Back Pce ever came to the Hall of Eternal Light, and the emperor didn''t go to the Back Pce either. He was the emperor of a nation, but somehow seemed to live a life of abstinence.


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Hall of the Gracious Phoenix - Original text says Hall of the Appearance / Bearing of the Phoenix. This trantion will be used in the interest of conserving words, and to pull in the connotation of gracefulness in the word used in the original text.


    2. Mister - Luo Wei addressed Shang Xi as "gong gong" in the original text. This can be tranted as "grandpa" in English, and is to show deference and respect to the eunuch since they''re so influential in the pce. However, "gong gong" is used no matter the age of the eunuch in question, and grandpa in English sounds insulting, as if Luo Wei is making fun of Shang Xi''s age. "Mister" will be used when addressing eunuchs in a respectful way.


    3. Hall of the Blossoming Beauty - Again, name trantions are dicey. The choice was made early on that these halls will have tranted names as opposed to romanized names because in a lot of academic texts, trantions are used for the real halls and pces of the Forbidden City. The original text says "e" which could mean maiden/beautiful woman, and "ying" which could mean heroic in modern Chinese, but in literary texts it often refers to the petals of flowers.


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTE:</b>


    Late update since I got very involved with work today! Thanks so much for reading along and your support! : ) Luo Zhi Yi is too nice!!! I''m d that Luo Wei had someone who liked him no matter what, hehe. Sorry for the slow burn torture but we''re still... 15 chapters away from the ML...!! I hope you all hang on until then because of the intrigue and drama. ;) I promise to keep updating fast!

 Chapter 25

    Five dayster at noon, Shang Xi asked a little eunuch to go and find Luo Wei. Luo Wei again asked the emperor for permission to go see the empress, and Xing Wu gave him leave. Luo Wei chatted with Luo Zhi Yi at the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix for a little while before saying goodbye, and followed Shang Xi to the secluded spot they spoke atst time.


    "Consort Liu lost her child?" Luo Wei asked Shang Xi.


    Shang Xi nodded quickly, "It was just as you predicted."


    Luo Wei said, "Continue keeping an eye on her, let''s see what Consort Liu does next."


    Shang Xi continued, "Consort Liu is actually keeping this from the emperor, if His Imperial Majesty knew, he would never forgive her."


    Luo Wei replied, "Let''s not be hasty, Mister Shang. A very entertaining y is about to unfold, let''s keep watching."


    "Understood," At this point, Shang Xi was happy to follow any orders from Luo Wei.


    "Keep this," Before he left, Luo Wei gave Shang Xi another five pieces of silver.


    After getting back to the Hall of Eternal Light, Luo Wei didn''t see anyoneing to report Consort Liu''s miscarriage to Emperor Xing Wu. He sneered on the inside. For a mother to not be grieving for her lost child but instead to be scheming on how to use the miscarriage to hurt others, could the people living in the emperor''s harem still be considered human? In actuality, they were all monsters driven mad by one word, "power".


    As Emperor Xing Wu was busymenting and reviewing missives with his head down, Luo Wei pretended to yawn and stretch.


    "Tired?" It didn''t escape the emperor''s notice.


    "Your Imperial Majesty," Luo Wei smiled, "The fish balls in clear soup was really good today."


    Xing Wu smiled as well, "Yeah, you finished the entire bowl yourself. Wei Er, do you want to go back to being chubby?"


    Luo Wei stuck his tongue out, "I feel kind of bloated now."


    Emperor Xing Wu put his pen down, "Should we take a walk?"


    "Okay," Luo Wei perked up.


    Emperor Xing Wu sighed and shook his head, "I think someone here wants to go y outside."


    Luo Wei frowned quickly, "Does Your Imperial Majesty not want toe with me?"


    "I''lle," Emperor Xing Wu stood and watched Luo Wei with humor in his eyes. This kid knew proper decorum and protocol, his literary aptitude was superb, he was certainly very intelligent, but in the end he was still a kid.


    Luo Wei thought for a bit, then addressed the emperor again, "Your Imperial Majesty, the moon is pretty and bright tonight, can we not takenterns with us?"


    "Sounds good," Emperor Xing Wu agreed without thinking about it. He agreed with most of Luo Wei''s requests. Seeing Luo Wei''s happy smile also made him happy, especially when this kid was so easy to please.


    The emperor held Luo Wei''s hand and walked around in the Imperial Garden without a goal in mind. As they walked further and further, they came to the Imperial Garden''s Tian Chi Lake.


    While Luo Wei looked around curiously, he asked Emperor Xing Wu, "Your Imperial Majesty, this water is so clear!"


    Emperor Xing Wu responded, "Do you think so? You know, in the hottest times of summer, thiske would be filled with lotus flowers."


    "It must be so pretty."


    "Yeah," Emperor Xing Wu ruffled Luo Wei''s hair, "I''ll take you to see them once summeres around."


    "Okay!" Luo Wei smiled as he nodded, then pointed to a bamboo forest off the side of the walkway, "Your Imperial Majesty, there''s a real bamboo forest here!"


    "Do you want to take a walk in there?" Emperor Xing Wu followed Luo Wei''s interest as readily as a river flowed.


    "Yeah!" This time it was Luo Wei''s turn to pull Emperor Xing Wu along by the hand.


    In the past life when Long Xuan seeded and became emperor, he ordered someone to dig up a fetal skeleton from the bamboo forest near Tian Chike. He had invited an eminent monk to perform the proper Buddhist rites on the remains, then interred the skeleton into the Imperial Tombs. Luo Wei understood very clearly what had happened. After Consort Liu had miscarried and before the remains of the fetus could rot, she ordered her closest servant to bury it in this rarely visited bamboo forest. All to conceal the scent of the rotting flesh so that no one would be suspicious. Consort Liu knew that this was very risky, but she couldn''t be sure that in the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty that there wouldn''t be spies from any other parts of the pce. So her only choice was to risk it. Besides, a fetus that''d just been miscarried and one that''d been dead for a few days would look very different. On the day that Consort Liu would try to trap the empress, her older brother, Junior Chancellor Liu Shuang Shi, would find a way to smuggle a fetus that had just died into the pce. Thus, there was no reason to keep this little princess who hadn''t even seen the light of day.


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    YIKES!!! Consort Liu... wtf!!! Man, talk about heartless. :(

 Chapter 26

    As expected, as they stepped into the deeper parts of the bamboo forest, the guards following behind Luo Wei and Emperor Xing Wu shouted, "There''s someone there!"


    Luo Wei could also see a wavering figure in front of them, hidden between the bamboos.


    As thenterns lit up, an old servant was pressed to the ground by two guards carrying sabers.


    "Your Imperial Majesty," Zhao Fu, the head eunuch of the Hall of Eternal Light, was also apanying them. He only took one look at this old servant before telling Emperor Xing Wu, "This is an old, close servant of Her Imperial Highness, Consort Liu."


    At this, the old servant shook like a leaf in the wind, and almost fainted.


    "What''s in that basket?" Luo Wei pointed at the basket beside the old servant, "Is she out here digging up bamboo shoots for food?"


    Emperor Xing Wu pointed.


    A guard approached to check the basket. As he opened the package wrapped in ck silk within the basket, the contents startled him enough to make him take a few steps back.


    Under the light of thenterns, everyone present saw what was inside the package that the guard had opened. Unbelievably, it was the remains of a fetus.


    Luo Wei shouted, then quickly covered his mouth with his hands, ncing towards the emperor with a fearful expression.


    "Don''t be scared," Emperor Xing Wu knew that Luo Wei had been frightened and pulled the kid into his arms, giving orders to the guards behind him, "You two, escort Young Master Luo back to the Hall of Eternal Light."


    "Y-Your Imperial Majesty?" Luo Wei''s tone hadpletely changed.


    "Don''t be scared, nothing happened," The emperor''s face was dark, but he stillforted Luo Wei with a gentle voice, "Wei Er, you go back first and wait for me, okay? Be good."


    Luo Wei was escorted away by the guards.


    It was only after this that Emperor Xing Wu put his hands behind his back and looked down at the old servant,ying face down on the ground.


    Zhao Fu shouted a question at her, "What are you trying to do?"


    The old servant couldn''t answer. A guard had already stuffed her mouth with cloth, fearing that she''d kill herself by biting off her own tongue.


    "Take her back with us," Emperor Xing Wu said, then added after a moment of thought, "No one is to speak about this with anyone else."


    "This humble servant shall obey this imperial decree," Zhao Fu epted themand.


    Luo Wei didn''t see Emperor Xing Wu for the rest of the night. He knows that the emperor must be in the prisonplex of the Hall of Eternal Light, interrogating that old servant himself. If Luo Wei didn''t guess wrong, this old servant would return to the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty and tell Consort Liu that everything had been taken care of. If questioned about why it took all night, the old servant would find an excuse and say that she heard someone outside the bamboo forest, so she hid for the night beforeing back. Emperor Xing Wu would want to see how Consort Liu would y the rest of it out. This was a very patient emperor, so he wouldn''t burst into a furious rage at the scene, but instead was ready to see the ugliest sides of what went on in the deep pce y out in front of him again.


    When the morning came, Emperor Xing Wu arrived at the room Luo Wei stayed in. He sat at Luo Wei''s bedside and asked, "I heard you couldn''t sleepst night?"


    Luo Wei made a face like he wanted to ask but was afraid to.


    Emperor Xing Wu sighed deeply and spoke in gentle tones, "Wei Er, just pretend you didn''t see anything that happenedst night."


    Luo Wei quickly nodded.


    "Wei Er," Emperor Xing Wu held Luo Wei in his arms, "It had nothing to do with you. To be honest, anything that happens in the Back Pce has nothing to do with you, so from now on, just stay by my side and don''t worry about anything that happens in the Back Pce, understand?"


    Luo Wei answered, cutely, "Your humble servant understands. From now on, I won''t go anywhere else in the pce aside from the Hall of Eternal Light."


    "Are you frightened?" The emperor tightened his arms around Luo Wei, "Wei Er... I''ll show you all of it."


    "Show me all of what?" Luo Wei asked.


    Emperor Xing Wu answered, "I''ll show you all the ugly things that people stoop down to in this world."


    Luo Wei shook his head hard.


    But the emperor said, "Wei Er, your father protected you too well, but you''ll have to grow up someday."


    Last night, Emperor Xing Wu almost died from anger while interrogating that old servant from the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty. He was disappointed, but it wasn''t out of his expectations. He''d seen all the plotting under and over the table in these years as emperor. It was only when the most vicious side of humanity showed itself to him again that he understood something, he couldn''t protect the son he''d had with Luo Zhi Jin forever. Luo Zhi Qiu couldn''t either. Luo Wei must have the ability to protect himself. Luo Zhi Jin had hoped that the father and son would never meet, of course she had, because this Back Pce was a killing field where blood ran like rivers. Why would she ever want her son to sink himself into a ce like this, never having a chance to be spared of this life? "But Zhi Jin," In his heart, Emperor Xing Wu said to his deceased lover, "Wei Er needs to grow up someday. He doesn''t know how treacherous people could be. How else would you want him to exist in this world? Did you think that the Senior Chancellor''s estate was outside of all this strife?"

 Chapter 27

    Today, Shang Xi brought a basket of seasonal fruits to the Hall of Eternal Light for Luo Wei, a reward from Luo Zhi Yi, the empress.


    "How is Her Imperial Majesty?" Luo Wei half sat and half lounged in a rocking chair, under the circr window in his bedroom.


    "Her Imperial Majesty is doing well," Shang Xi answered, then stepped a little closer to Luo Wei, speaking quietly, "Young Master, should we let Her Imperial Majesty know about this?"


    "Don''t you do anything," Luo Wei was gazing out the window, also quiet in his voice, "Just sit by and watch."


    Shang Xi''s expression carried a sense of anxiety, "But Her Imperial Majesty is nning to go see Consort Liu at the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty."


    Luo Wei smiled lightly, "Don''t worry. Auntie isn''t a good actress, if we told her everything, there''d be no show for us to watch."


    "Young Master?"


    "Don''t worry," Luo Wei reached for a green olive, ying with it in his hands, "Don''t they say that the weaker a woman is, the greater the man''s desire to protect her? It''s going to be fine."


    "Yes, this humble servant understands," Shang Xi guessed that Luo Wei had already nned everything out.


    "You may excuse yourself, and thank Her Imperial Majesty for me," Luo Wei watched the storm clouds gathering at the edges of the sky, saying, "Looks like it''s going to rain."


    Everything happened likest time.


    Three dayster, the empress went to the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty to visit the overseer of the Back Pce, Consort Liu. It was on this day, close to midnight, that the head eunuch of the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty came to the Hall of Eternal Light to make a report. Consort Liu had miscarried. Emperor Xing Wu went to the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty immediately, only returning after daybreak, face dark as a stormy sea. After that, gossip spread from the pce that the empress had gone to see Consort Liu and gifted her a herbal broth that was supposed to be good for protecting the pregnancy. The gossip went that Consort Liu had lost her child on that very night after she drank the herbal broth.


    "Your Imperial Majesty!" Luo Wei looked like he wanted to defend the empress against this injustice.


    "Don''t worry," But Emperor Xing Wu was calm,forting Luo Wei, "I know what''s going on. You just watch."


    The empress wanted to see the emperor, but the emperor would not see her. Luo Zhi Qiu wanted to request an audience with the emperor, but the emperor also declined. This time, the rumors about the empress poisoning Consort Liu to cause her miscarriage became even more rampant.


    Two dayster, the empress dowager arrived at the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix and ordered an immediate search, discovering a forbidden item in the pce, saffron(1).


    When Emperor Xing Wu and Luo Wei arrived at the Hall of Longevity, where the empress dowager resided, almost all of the consorts and concubines from the Back Pce were present.


    The empress dowager looked enraged as she sat on the central throne. Consort Liu, who''d just lost her child, sat at the empress dowager''s lower right while Long Xuan stood beside her. But the empress was on her knees, bowing down at the empress dowager''s feet as she sobbed.


    Luo Wei made a move as if he wanted to go and help her up, but Emperor Xing Wu stopped him.


    As the empress dowager saw Luo Wei, her express grew even worse, "Your Imperial Majesty, why did you bring him here?" She pointed at Luo Wei, asking the emperor.


    "Your humble servant bows for Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Dowager," Luo Wei paid his respects to the empress dowager.


    She didn''t even look at him and only made a noise of disapproval.


    Awkwardly looking around, Luo Wei didn''t know whether to kneel or stand.


    "Luo Wei," Emperor Xing Wu spoke up, "Come stand behind me."


    At this, Long Xuan felt that something was slightly off.


    "What is all this?" Emperor Xing Wu sat at the empress dowager''s left as he asked.


    The empress dowager answered, "Consort Liu miscarried all of a sudden, should I not investigate and see what happened?"


    Emperor Xing Wu replied, "Then has my imperial mother found anything?"


    The empress dowager spoke, "Why don''t you ask your empress, ask her why she had saffron in her pce!?"


    "Imperial mother," The kneeling empress cried as she spoke, "I don''t know."


    The empress dowager pressed, "You''re saying you don''t know about something that was found in your own part of the pce? Do you think that I''ve be a fool in my old age, that I''m just trying to stir up nonsense?!"


    "Imperial mother!" The empress was startled and frightened at the same time, crying so hard that she couldn''t even speak.


    At this point, Consort Liu spoke up, her voice weak and feeble, "Imperial mother, this has nothing to do with my older sister, I''m sure of it. Please, don''t me her."


    The empress dowager looked at Consort Liu, her eyes full of pity and protectiveness, "Are you really such a fool? She''s just taking advantage of your kindness!"


    "Imperial mother," Consort Liu knelt down as well, "Please, don''t let your anger affect your health, your humble daughter is sure that her older sister didn''t do this. She wouldn''t hurt me like this, imperial mother!" Consort Liu shed tears as she spoke, like a pear blossom drenched in the rain, drawing on the sympathies of everyone who could see her.


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Saffron - Eating excessive amounts of saffron during pregnancy can cause contractions, and thus is harmful to pregnancies. Though the name is simr, saffron and safflower are two different things, though sometimes safflower is used as a cheap alternative of saffron. Earlier in the trantion, Luo Wei (in the past life) spread rumors about safflowers, and it''s uncertain if he was just stupid back then or if the author meant the same thing.


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    D-D-DOUBLE UPDATES TODAY!!! I have a busy weekending up and might not be update everyday this weekend, so I thought it would be nice to do a double update today! : ) Sorry it''s on such a cliffhanger, but trust in the emperor to see through it all~

 Chapter 28

    "Xuan Er, are you not going to help your consort mother(1) up?" The empress dowager looked like she wanted to help Consort Liu up herself, but instead she spoke to Long Xuan, who was still standing, "How can you let her kneel in her condition!"


    "Imperial mother," But Consort Liu wouldn''t stand, pleading with the empress dowager, "Please have mercy on my elder sister, the empress, if not, I''d rather die here kneeling!"


    "You little fool!" The empress dowager''s pity for Consort Liu showed on her face, "Why can''t you see through this?!"


    Consort Liu wept, "The empress and I have always been close like sisters, I don''t believe she would hurt me. Imperial Mother, it''s my own bad luck, it was me who hurt this little prince! Imperial Mother, this has nothing to do with my older sister!"


    The best actor in the world could probably only match the level of Consort Liu. The prince had clearly been a princess, she clearly wanted nothing more than to watch the empress die, but begged for mercy on her as if they were sisters. Luo Wei threw a look at the empress, who aside from crying, did more crying. She was obviously being wronged but she couldn''t even say a single word in her defense. How could an empress like this do battle and win against Consort Liu? At this, Luo Wei couldn''t stop a sneer from reaching his lips, this was truly a great y.


    As Long Xuan watched the momentary sneer on Luo Wei''s face, he suddenly realized what was happening. If his father really didn''t believe the empress, then why did he bring Luo Wei with him? Did he want to teach Luo Wei a lesson? No, that wasn''t it, "Consort mother, don''t..." Long Xuan wanted to stop his birth mother from acting out the rest of this y, but he only let out a part of a sentence before stopping himself. If he showed himself, then that meant he knew the truth behind all of it. Long Xuan subconsciously nced towards the sitting emperor, but only managed to see his father''s frigid expression.


    "Xuan Er is begging for you to get up too," But the empress dowager only cared about Consort Liu, and was focused on her getting up.


    Emperor Xing Wu never thought that Consort Liu, Liu Qing Ge, was a woman as devious as this. And he had actually shared a bed with the woman, raised children with her. Emperor Xing Wu felt as if he''d been blind all this time, as if he''d been cheated. That feeling made him wish he could kick this woman to death and stop her pretenses.


    But he wouldn''t. Luo Wei could feel the rage from Emperor Xing Wu, but even he knows that Xing Wu wouldn''t do anything to Consort Liu today. The skill of a good emperor was to find an opposing bnce. That''s why the pce had Luo Zhi Yi as empress, but the head of the Back Pce was Consort Liu. In court, there was the Senior Chancellor, the Junior Chancellor, and Grand Marshall. There were loyal ministers and treacherous ministers. There were good people and also bad people. Every single force of power needed to reach a kind of equilibrium, and it was this equilibrium that kept the emperor''s throne steady. If the Liu family lost power, who would reign in the powers of the Luo family? Luo Wei stood behind the emperor and watched. The emperor thought he didn''t know the ugliness in the world, but he''d already seen through it all.


    "Wei Er," After watching this scene y out for a while, Emperor Xing Wu finally opened his mouth and spoke to Luo Wei behind him, "Go help your aunt up."


    "Understood," Luo Wei quickly stepped down and dragged the empress up by the hand without minding whether she wanted to stand or not.


    "Your Imperial Majesty!" The empress dowager was angry beyond belief, asking the emperor in an usatory tone, "What are you doing?!"


    Emperor Xing Wu replied, "This has nothing to do with the empress."


    "What did you say?!" The empress dowager nearly jumped out of her seat.


    "I ordered the empress to keep those flowers," Emperor Xing Wu said, expressionless, "Even that herbal concoction was something I ordered the empress to deliver to Consort Liu. Does my Imperial Mother suspect that I''ve harmed my own child?"


    Silence.


    For a moment, the empress dowager didn''t know how she should react.


    Consort Liu''s face suddenly paled, her expression turned to one of terror.


    The empress watched Emperor Xing Wu with tearful eyes, her face full of gratitude. The emperor told a lie for her.


    The consorts all stood with their heads down, none of them dared to even speak a single word.


    Long Xuan subconsciously held his fists tight, but also kept his head down, silent.


    Emperor Xing Wu addressed Luo Wei, "Wei Er, take your aunt back to the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix."


    Luo Wei paid his respects to the empress dowager, frozen on her seat, and half forced the immobile empress out of the hall.


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b><b>


    </b>


    <b></b>


    1. Consort Mother - There''s a distinction between mothers in the Back Pce. The Empress is (empress dowager was) mother to the nation, and thus the Imperial Mother to all. In the original text there is a distinction between the terms of address for the empress and the mother of Long Xuan, who is just a consort. This is another way to differentiate them, and to remind the consort of her position as someone who is below the empress, and not the official wife of the emperor. Since the emperor mentions itter on in the next chapter, the distinction was made in the trantion.


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Sorry for being away for so long!! It was the long weekend and I went away with family without inte :((( got pulled into a lot of activities too so I had no time. When I came back there was a bunch of work drama, and ended up not having the time or energy to trante. The normal schedule will resume, and I hope that I can add in a few extra updates in the next few days. Thanks for being so patient!

 Chapter 29

    "Saffron is banned in the Back Pce, why would you gift this to the empress?" The empress dowager asked as she regained herposure.<span>


    "Imperial Mother must know that it can help in preserving beauty," was all Emperor Xing Wu said in response.<span>


    The empress dowager spoke up again, "This is a pce rule, you broke it just because it ''preserves beauty''?"<span>


    The emperor looked at the empress dowager, "Imperial Mother, the empress is the mistress of the Back Pce. We''re you obeying the rules when you treated her like that? She''s my empress and the mother of the nation. Are you making an attempt to embarrass me?"<span>


    The empress dowager finally couldn''t sit still anymore, she stood and sneered at the emperor, "So now I can''t even control my own daughter-inw!"<span>


    "If the empress did anything wrong, I will hold her ountable myself, it has nothing to do with Imperial Mother." The emperor sneered right back at her.<span>


    "Uou!" The empress dowagers face flushed red, she pointed at Emperor Xing Wu, unable to speak.<span>


    "And all of you!" Emperor Xing Wu cast his gaze over the consorts in the grand hall, "You all stood while the empress kneeled. What kind rules are you obeying?!"<span>


    This put the fear in all the consorts in the hall, and every one of them fell to their knees.<span>


    "Get out of my sight and go back to your own ces!" Emepror Xing Wu shouted with anger, "All of you can kneel for a night as punishment!"<span>


    The consorts were shaking like leaves now, each shuffling out on their knees. Even though Emperor Xing Wu was seldom gentle with them, he never got this angry at them either.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu then looked at Consort Liu, still prostrated on the ground. His expression softened a little, "You''re not in good health right now, go rest for now. It makes me d to know that you have a deep sisterly bond with the empress."<span>


    "Y-Your consort humbly obeys yourmand," Consort Liu''s voice shook, "Your consort humbly thanks Your Imperial Majesty." At this point, she was no longer able to figure out Emperor Xing Wu''s actions today. Was it because he trusted the empress deeply, or was it because he knew how she''d been trying to plot against the empress? Her heart was full of fear and suspicion, but she wouldn''t dare show it in front of the emperor.<span>


    "Long Xuan," Emperor Xing Wu addressed him, "After you help your mother back to her hall, go to the empress'' hall and kneel there! One of them is your Imperial Mother, the other is your Consort Mother, can you not distinguish between them? If you''re trying to observe filial piety(1), can''t you at least figure out who you''re supposed to direct it at?"<span>


    Long Xuan knelt as he spoke, "Your son understands his wrongdoings."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu thought Long Xuan''s little outburst earlier. He spected that perhaps maybe Long Xuan also knew the truth behind the matter, and with that thought he kicked Long Xuan over on the ground, "Get out of my sight!"<span>


    "Your Imperial Majesty!" The empress dowager shouted, "Are you doing this so you can make me watch?!"<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu turned to look at his own birth mother, "I''m the master of this empire, and Imperial Mother," He sneered, "I won''t forget that your surname is Rei Mu(2)."<span>


    Rei Mu, a n with hundred years'' history, yet they''ve been wiped out along with Marquis Zhen Guo. The only person left of this n was this empress dowager at the Hall of Longevity. The empress dowager bit her lips hard, almost enough to draw blood. This was her, Rei Mu Wan''s birth son. She thought of everything to make him emperor, but now this was all she was getting in return.<span>


    "Imperial Mother, you should rest," Emperor Xing Wu finished with this, and turned to leave.<span>


    "Why are you keeping Luo Wei with you?" But the empress dowager opened her mouth again and asked suddenly.<span>


    "Wei Er is intelligent with great potential, someone who can be shaped into something great," Emperor Xing Wu answered, "I''m hoping that he''ll be there to support the Crown Prince when the timees."<span>


    "Can''t the people in the imperial study tutor him? Can''t his father tutor him? Why does he need stay in the Hall of Eternal Light and burden Your Imperial Majesty so?" The empress dowager smiled coldly, "I feel like I recognize his face when I saw him just now."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu''s face was without emotion, "We Er is one of the Luo family''s sons, and my nephew through the empress, is it wrong for me to want to tutor him myself?"<span>


    "You have no intention of getting close to your own princes, your own flesh and blood," The empress said, sternly, "But you somehow want to go and y uncle with Luo Wei? Is the Luo family not powerful enough yet? How much more favor are you nning to give them?!"<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu chuckled grimly, "What great advice, Imperial Mother. I know not to let the Luo family be the Rei Mu n of yesteryear. You can rest assured that this won''t happen."<span>


    The empress dowager watched as the emperor left. She wanted to cry but couldn''t manage to do it, only managing to let out a greatugh. This was retribution! This was retribution for all the endless people she''d hurt in the Back Pce over the years!<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Filial piety - The deference and respect that a person owes to their parents as a child. The original text doesn''t seem to rify what the emperor meant by distinguishing between the Imperial Mother and the Consort Mother. It may be because at some point, Long Xuan misspoke, and called his mother "imperial mother" by ident. Or it may be that as a prince of the pce, he should always show more respect, love, and deference to the empress, since she is the rightful mother of the nation.


    2. Rei Mu - Apound surname. In China, some surnames are made up of two characters instead of one. These are rare, and more often than not originate from non-Han Chinese. This trantion chooses to separate each proper name by itself, which may cause some confusion with ites topound surnames. To make clear, Rei Mu Wan, the empress dowager''s surname is Rei Mu, her name is Wan.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    THIS CHAPTER FELT SO GOOD!!!! Even though the emperor didn''t go straight up against the consort, he showed the empress dowager what''s what!! : ) Thank y''all for all the support again. It makes me really happy to read all of yourments, and I''m going to do my best to keep up the speed of the trantion!<span>

 Chapter 30

    The night''s rain came suddenly. At dusk, the light from the sun still cast beautiful colors over the sky, but a heavy rain fell as soon as the sun set.<span>


    Long Xuan was still straight-backed as he kneeled in the courtyard of the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, being drenched by the rain without anything to shield him.<span>


    He didn''t know how much time had passed, but the rain overhead stopped suddenly. Long Xuan raised his head and was startled when he saw Luo Wei standing beside him, holding an umbre.<span>


    Luo Wei had just eaten dinner inside the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix. The crown prince, Long Yu, wasn''t in the capital city, so Emperor Xing Wu summoned the third prince, Long Xing, and the sixth prince, Long Hao, to apany the empress. Luo Wei was also the nephew to the empress, and in this little family gathering inside the grand hall they interacted with a sense of peace and happiness.<span>


    "You don''t have to do this," Long Xuan told Luo Wei, who held the umbre over him.<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "Your Imperial Highness is being exposed to the rain, how could I sitfortably with a roof over my head?"<span>


    Long Xuan said, "You''re no longer my studypanion, there''s no need for you to pretend anymore."<span>


    Luo Wei sighed, "Spring weather is still rather chilly and rains are frequent, is Your Imperial Highness not cold? Your Imperial Highness might see me as a mere pig or a dog, but I still have heart enough to help shield Your Imperial Highness a little from the rain. But I also know that if I had suffered like this in the past, Your Imperial Highness would have no heart to treat me the same way," As he spoke, Luo Wei draped a thick coat over Long Xuan''s shoulders. It was still warm.<span>


    Long Xuan watched Luo Wei. The light of thenterns was dim, in the heavy downpour and in this little space under the bamboo umbre, Luo Wei''s face was blurry and indistinct, hidden by a stray shadow. Long Xuan only realized then that Luo Wei stood upwind from him, and was really guarding him from the cold wind. He suspected that this person was only pretending, but Long Xuan''s heart still warmed. He was truly cold. Both his body and his heart were frozen. It was a good thing that this person was here now, at the very least he was no longerpletely alone.<span>


    "Your Imperial Highness must forgive me," Luo Wei said, "His Imperial Majesty forbade me to kneel."<span>


    Long Xuan responded, "You did nothing wrong, why would you kneel?"<span>


    Luo Wei didn''t want toe at first. But he couldn''t just let a prince kneel in the rain while he enjoyed a feast inside, warm and protected, conversing andughing. So Luo Wei requested leave from the emperor toe outside and hold an umbre for Long Xuan. When he saw Long Xuan as he stood on the steps, there was a moment when he felt that Long Xuan was truly lonely. All by himself, kneeling back straight in the downpour. Emperor Xing Wu was not good to him. But in the next moment, Luo Wei felt his heart go cold and harden. Why was he feeling sorry for someone who wronged him? The winner takes the crown, and the loser bears the me. On the day he was crowned, did a winner like Long Xuan ever take pity on a loser like him?<span>


    One kneeling, one standing, the two of them couldn''t find anything else to say to each other.<span>


    It stayed this way untilte into the night, the head eunuch of the Hall of Eternal Light, Zhao Fu, finally came to deliver word from the emperor: Long Xuan has been allowed to go.<span>


    "The ground is slippery," Luo Wei saw Long Xuan off, "Be careful, Your Imperial Highness."<span>


    Long Xuan''s knees were swollen from the punishment. Fu Lai held him up as he walked off without looking back.<span>


    "Young Master, you should hurry back to the Hall of Eternal Light for some rest," Zhao Fu put on a smile for Luo Wei, "His Imperial Majesty has already ordered me to prepare some hot water. The Young Master can have a warm bath and get a good night''s rest."<span>


    Luo Wei turned his head, looking towards the Hall of the a Gracious Phoenix.<span>


    "His Imperial Majesty has decided to take his rest here tonight with Her Imperial Majesty," Zhao Fu quickly added.<span>


    Luo Wei nodded with a smile.<span>


    "Please," Zhao Fu turned to lead them off.<span>


    "Mister, thank you for going through such trouble for me," Luo Wei thanked him.<span>


    Zhao Fu''s smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. Luo Wei had always been polite with him, to a point that was almost shocking to him. But Zhao Fu didn''t think that Luo Wei was just putting on false pretenses. The young master was always well-mannered to just the right amount, making even an eunuch like him feel a sense of dignified respect. As the head eunuch of the Hall of Eternal Light there was no shortage of people trying to get on his good side, but how many of those people truly and honestly respected him like this?


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S</b><b>NOTES</b>:


    A double update for tonight. ;)<span>

 Chapter 31

    As they walked, Luo Wei asked Zhao Fu, "Mister Zhao, was it Mister Fu who came for the second prince just now?"


    <span>


    Zhao Fu answered, "Yes, that was Fu Lai."<span>


    Luo Wei responded, "He shares a part of his name with you, ''fu''(1), did the two of you start your service in the pce together?"<span>


    "To answer the young master," Zhao Fu said, "I''ve always served His Imperial Majesty, Fu Lai''s been in the pce longer than I have."<span>


    "Oh, sorry," Luo Wei said quickly, "My mistake."<span>


    In the past life, Long Xuan became emperor and Fu Lai finally rose to the top. Zhao Fu had been killed by Fu Lai''s own hand. The two of them were from the same home town, they''d been castrated together and came to the capital at the same time. The only thing was, Fu Lai entered the pce first, but Zhao Fu had gone to the estate of King Wu. Luo Wei didn''t know how the two became enemies, but the fact that he knew they hated each other was enough. If Zhao Fu knew that there was a possibility for Long Xuan to be emperor, then Luo Wei trusted that Zhao Fu would definitely not want to see that realitye to pass.<span>


    It was obvious that Zhao Fu didn''t want to talk about Fu Lai. The eunuch changed the topic through some easy jokes andughter.<span>


    As they arrived at the Hall of Eternal Light, Zhao Fu himself helped Luo Wei change and get bathed.<span>


    Luo Wei addressed Zhao Fu, "Mister Zhao, please don''t think I''m being too direct in saying this, but as people, it''s best to not make too many enemies."<span>


    Zhao Fu asked, "What does the Young Master mean by this?"<span>


    Luo Wei answered, "Mister, I''ve been a studypanion to the second prince for years and years. I''ve heard more than my share ofints about you from Fu Lai."<span>


    "That impudent ve, he..." Zhao Fu''s first instinct was to curse, but quickly stopped himself because of Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei smiled, "Mister Zhao, the second prince is full of ambition. We don''t know what''s to be of Fu Lai in the future. When the master ascends, so too does his servant. It''s best to be as cautious as you can."<span>


    Zhao Fu''s eye twitched as he understood the meaning behind those words. As someone able to be the head eunuch of the Hall of Eternal Light, he was no fool, "The Young Master is right," He attended to Luo Wei quickly and neatly, and kept his voice low, "This humble servant is d to receive your advice." Zhao Fu knew the truth behind Consort Liu''s act too, he knows exactly what Luo Wei meant. If a servant like Fu Lai followed his master''s sess, then Zhao Fu would be doomed to failure.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu spent the entire night at the empress''s hall, then on the second night, he took his rest at Consort Liu''s hall. No one in the pce dared to talk about Consort Liu''s miscarriage from that point forward.<span>


    Shang Xi came to see Luo Wei again, having cast his faith wholeheartedly in this young master.<span>


    "Keep serving the empress well," Luo Wei instructed Shang Xi, "My aunt needs to keep up whatever daily routines she''d been following before all this happened."<span>


    "What about Consort Liu?"<span>


    "If shees to visit at the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, treat her normally, but make sure you tell Her Imperial Majesty to not mention the matter of the miscarriage. Also, Consort Liu is still the mistress of the Back Pce, so you need to tell the empress that she doesn''t need to inquire about the matters in the Back Pce too much."<span>


    "Yes, understood."<span>


    Luo Wei motioned for Shang Xi toe closer, "Did you find out more about the packet of safflower that the empress dowager found?"<span>


    Shang Xi answered, "I looked into it, but a lot of people came by the main hall that day, it''s difficult to narrow it down."<span>


    "Do you know who all these people are?"<span>


    "Yes, I do."<span>


    "Then take care of all of them."<span>


    Shang Xi shuddered. In this context, he knew that ''take care of'' meant ''kill'', "Young Master, there are more than twenty of them."<span>


    Luo Wei was indifferent, "Then you can say that some things went missing from the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix. Mister Shang, I don''t need to teach you how things are done around here, do I?"<span>


    Shang Xi answered in a hurry, "This humble servant knows how. Things really have gone missing in the Hall."<span>


    "I''ll let Mister Zhao Fu know," Luo Wei said, "The two of you can discuss who to rece these people with, we can''t have something like this happen again."<span>


    "Yes," Shang Xi quickly agreed.<span>


    "You can go," Luo Wei pulled out a bag of coins for Shang Xi, his face warm and smiling once more.<span>


    Shang Xi excused himself, but took ast nce at Luo Wei as he walked away. Luo Wei was already deep in his book again. No matter how hard Shang Xi looked, Luo Wei seemed like an unassuming youth who was unaffected by worldly struggles and had no interest in the affairs of the court, but Shang Xi now knows, this young master''s heart was ruthless.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Fu - Eunuchs are given names in the pce that are different from their birth names, sometimes with their original surnames, sometimes not. Like siblings, eunuchs of the same generation or the same group are named in simr ways. The "fu" in Zhao Fu and Fu Lai''s name means good fortune, or lucky.<span>

 Chapter 32

    Emperor Xing Wu had been thinking about how to talk to Luo Wei about why he didn''t use Consort Liu of her wrongdoings. He didn''t expect Luo Wei to not only avoid this subject, and instead bring up a request to go to Yu Zhou.<span>


    "You? Going to Yu Zhou?" Emperor Xing Wu had already sent undercover agents to Yu Zhou, he couldn''t think of what Luo Wei could do out there.<span>


    Luo Wei responded, "I''ve read all these books but Your Imperial Majesty must know that all these things I''ve learned will just be words if I don''t put them into practice. Going to Yu Zhou will also help take some of the worry off of Your Imperial Majesty''s mind. I don''t want to deal with the financial side of it, I only want to see if it''s really as my brother said, that people are really embezzling the bronze and iron ore."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu replied, "This is something I will deal with myself."<span>


    Luo Wei added, "Then Your Imperial Majesty can use me as a pair of eyes on the ground. I only want to go see and tell you everything I witnessed when Ie back." Luo Wei looked like he wanted to say more but stopped himself as he finished that sentence, staring at the emperor anxiously. <span>


    Emperor Xing Wu pulled Luo Wei closer to him, "Do you have something else you want to say?"<span>


    Luo Wei looked down, "I saw something I wasn''t supposed to see, maybe it''s best if I leave the pce for a little while."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu sighed to himself, it seems what happened really did scare the kid, "How about you stay home for a few days?"<span>


    Luo Wei responded, "But father is going to ask what happened."<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu pulled Luo Wei into his arms, "Wei Er, it''s very unstable in Yu Zhou right now. I''ll be worried if you went."<span>


    Luo Wei quickly added, "I just want to go see, wouldn''t it be okay if I just watched and didn''t do anything?"<span>


    It''s said that the strongest women can be worn down by persistent men, so Luo Wei persisted in his pestering and wearing down of Emperor Xing Wu. Finally, the emperor promised that he''d think about it.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu summoned Luo Zhi Qiu into the pce. This was something that must be discussed between the two of them.<span>


    At first, the idea scared Luo Zhi Qiu. What can a thirteen year old kid do in Yu Zhou? But then he reminded himself of all the things Luo Wei had aplished within the recent days. It was clear that he shouldn''t be thinking of Luo Wei as a mere kid anymore.<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu spoke, "Wei Er knows a great deal of things, but I would like to see how he deals with real life problems, what he can really do."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu thought about it deeply before speaking, "Then let him go and see."<span>


    So on that night, after Emperor Xing Wu and Luo Wei had dinner, he gave Luo Wei the news, "Wei Er, I''ve discussed it with your father. I will give you permission to go to Yu Zhou."<span>


    Luo Wei was happily surprised, and quickly stood, "I won''t let Your Imperial Majesty down."<span>


    "You may all enter," Emperor Xing Wu said to someone outside.<span>


    Five men entered the hall, dressed in ck tactical clothing, and knelt in front of the emperor in a neat line.<span>


    "Wei Er," Emperor Xing Wu said to Luo Wei, "These are five of the Knights of the Dragon(1) who serve me. From today, they are to serve and protect you."<span>


    "Your humble servants greet the Young Master," The five knights lowered their head to greet Luo Wei in unison.<span>


    The Knights of the Dragon were the secret unit of guards who protected the emperor. They were all sworn to defend the emperor to the death, and thus were only loyal to the emperor himself. Historically, they were the most trusted, best trained, and thest line of defense for the emperors of Greater Zhou. Due to the uniqueness of this unit, no emperor had kept many of them around. There were only thirty in the unit who protect Emperor Xing Wu. Luo Wei didn''t expect that the emperor would gift him with five of them straight off the bat. It was obvious that the emperor was very generous to him, but this generous act made Luo Wei suspicious. Why would an emperor be this good to someone who merely served him?<span>


    "Wei Er?" Emperor Xing Wu saw Luo Wei standing stock still and thought it was a little funny, so he spoke up.<span>


    It was only then that Luo Wei managed to react, kneeling, "Your humble servant has done nothing to deserve your generosity, how could I dare to trouble the Knights of the Dragon with keeping me safe?"<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu answered simply, "I''ll worry if I don''t send them with you."<span>


    Luo Wei wondered, perhaps the five of them were being sent to keep an eye on him? But if it was just to watch him, normal guards would do, why would the emperor send Knights of the Dragon?<span>


    Emperor Xing Wu pointed at the kneeling knights, from left to right, counting them off for Luo Wei, "Ten, Eleven, all the way to Fourteen."<span>


    Historically, Knights of the Dragon all shared a surname with the reigning emperor(2), but they had no name, only a number. Luo Wei was familiar with the tradition. He carefully inspected the five of them. They were all on the younger side of adulthood, and fairly good looking. A necessary criteria as emissaries of the imperial family. During the three months he''d spent in the pce in his past life, Luo Wei had been taken by force by the pce guards many times, but he couldn''t remember many of their faces. At this moment, he couldn''t tell if any of the five present were people who''d abused his body in the past.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Knights of the Dragon - In the original text, it is literally "Dragon Knight", but the longer version of the trantion was used for two reasons: first to add vor because it''s a historical novel; second to denote that this is not a fantasy designation, but rather they are knights who serve the dragon, i.e. the emperor.


    2. Emperor''s Surname - The surname of the emperor in this novel is appropriately "Long", which means Dragon. The names of the knights are rendered as numbers. A choice was made to user numbers in trantion instead of Pin Yin for their names because a part of their identity is their anonymity, which would be lost if they were given names instead of numbers.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTE:</b>


    Another double update! Some difficult to trante ideas in this one, especially the crossover between the Knights of the Dragon and dragon as in the emperor''s surname. I''m not sure if there''s a better word for knights so that it doesn''t have such an medieval fantasy feel, but I couldn''t find a good alternative... : ) In any case, the plot thickens yet again.<span>

 Chapter 33

    Luo Wei didn''t want these five secret guards with him, but he can''t go against an imperialmand. The only thing he could do now was to keep them, and so he took the five of them home with him.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu didn''t react to the five guards sent to follow Luo Wei. He already knew that the emperor would send the Dragon''s Secret Guard to protect Luo Wei, but Bo Hua and Luo Ze weren''t as calm as he was. Looks like the favor that the emperor was bestowing on Luo Wei was far exceeding the mother and son''s expectations.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu only asked Luo Wei, "Are you going to bring along anyone else from the estate?"<span>


    Luo Wei answered, "I''ll just take Qi Zi with me."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu nodded. Qi Zi knew some martial arts, and he''d also been attending to Luo Wei for a while now, this wasn''t a bad choice. "Which route are you going to be taking to Yu Zhou?" He followed up with another question at Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei responded, "I''m going to go visit the Qi Lin Mountain Vi(1) first."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu and Luo Ze were both surprised.<span>


    In the world of those who practiced martial arts, the most powerful group was Ming Jian Vi(2). Qi Lin Vi wasn''t exactly weak byparison, but they were often sidelined as an evil and immoral sect.<span>


    For many years, the story that had been ying out in Greater Zhou''s martial arts world was the struggle between Ming Jian and Qi Lin. The stories all ended the same way, though: Good conquers evil, Ming Jian was a righteous cause that was given much support by others, while Qi Lin was an unrighteous group that could find no one to support them.<span>


    "Why are you going there?" Luo Ze furrowed his brows when Qi Lin Vi was mentioned.<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "Ming Jian Vi has already cast their lot in with the second prince, who else could I go to if not Qi Lin?"<span>


    "What did you say?!" Luo Zhi Qiu mmed his hand into the desk.<span>


    Luo Wei could only bring a bitter smile to his face as he watched his usually calm father lose hisposure. Ming Jian Vi''s sixth young master, Ning Fei, wouldter be a grand general under Emperor Ping Zhang''s rule, and would bemended by Long Xuan as a star general of Greater Zhou, one in a hundred years. And this Ning Fei would also be the one who led the soldiers as they came to confiscate the property of the senior chancellor''s estate.<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu folded his hands behind his back as he paced with heavy steps. Suddenly stopping, he asked, "Is this information credible?"<span>


    Luo Wei nodded, "Extremely credible."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu said, "Then why did you only bring it up today?"<span>


    Luo Wei blinked, "I forgot."<span>


    "You forgot?" Luo Zhi Qiu ground his teeth from anger, but he couldn''t bring himself to lose his temper.<span>


    Luo Wei nced at his second eldest brother, Luo Ze, who was still a little dazed from the information, as he addressed Luo Zhi Qiu, "Father, the way that the second prince and the Junior Chancellor is going about this is understandable. They need help from the outside."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu replied, "Ming Jian Vi is a paragon of virtue in the world of righteous martial artists, how could they have agreed to this treacherous plot?"<span>


    Luo Wei answered, "That''s not hard to understand either. It''s only logical they''d follow the second prince. If they help the second prince now, they''ll bemended for their outstanding service to the throne in the future. Between the two sides, Ming Jian Vi is just trying to get a bigger piece of the pie and seek out a better future for themselves. If I''m not wrong, by my estimate, Ming Jian Vi''s sixth young master, Ning Fei, otherwise known as Ning Zi Zhou will participate in this year''s imperial military examinationse spring. He''ll take top ce, and his name will be spread far and wide."<span>


    Luo Ze jumped up with unstrained rage, "If that kid dares to show his face, I''ll kill him!"<span>


    Luo Weiughed out loud, "Big brother, you''re an proper imperial general, why would you waste your time with someone from the martial arts world? Since he''s from that world, we''ll just get someone from that world to deal with him."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu understood, "So you want to use Qi Lin Vi to deal with Ming Jian Vi? Qi Lin aren''t known for being moral and righteous people."<span>


    Luo Wei asked in response, "Father, how clean do you think the people in Ming Jian Vi are? How many shady deals do you think the Junior Chancellor pulled off using them, how much dirty money do you think they received in return? Qi Lin Vi might be ''unrighteous'' but how bad do you think they could get? They''re only tools, we should focus on who''s using them instead."<span>


    Luo Zi Qiu sat back down, "How do you know Qi Lin Vi is going to do what you want them to?"<span>


    Luo Wei shrugged, "They might not be in it for merit or wealth, but they won''t say no if they knew that they could crush Ming Jian Vi underfoot. This has been Qi Lin Vi''s Luo(3) family''s goal for generations."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu kept the crease between his brows, "And what are you going to give them?"<span>


    Luo Wei tugged at the wick of the candle next to him, the me flickering uncertainly as he let out four words, "Yi Zhou''s salt mines."<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Qi Lin Mountain Vi - The characters used for "qi lin" are the same for the mythical animal in Chinese folklore, often tranted into "unicorn". The mountain vi is this group''s base.


    2. Ming Jian Mountain Vi - The name can be tranted into "famous sword".


    3. Qi Lin''s Luo family - The Luo family from the Qi Lin vi uses a different character for the "luo" in their name, and has a different tone. Not to be mistaken with the same Luo as Luo Wei.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Do y''all remember Zi Zhou from chapter 1??? : ) He''s ba~aaack.<span>


    Also thanks so much forments guys!! Some of them are really informative since I don''t end up reading a lot of English trantions of Chinese novels. I made a revision in the previous chapter due to some of thesements, and will be nudging things around as I find better ways of expressing them! : ) <span>

 Chapter 34

    Luo Zhi Qiu''s nce flicked up at Luo Wei, "Salt is controlled by the imperial government, how couldmoners be allowed to take part in the business?"<span>


    Luo Wei replied, "But someone has to transport the salt. Yi Zhou magistrate''s salt movers are all from the Ming Jian vi, who knows how much money they''re getting from this. There was no way for you to change things before even if you wanted to, father, since Yi Zhou''s magistrate was full of the Junior Chancellor''s disciples, but now the prefect in Yi Zhou is Chen Yu, and he was father''s disciple."<span>


    "Chen Yu has been assigned as prefect in Yi Zhou?" This is the first time Luo Zhi Qiu has heard about this.<span>


    "The imperial edict for his transfer will be sent out from the capital tomorrow at dawn," Luo Wei told him, "The emperor dictated it to me as I took notes."<span>


    "Why would His Imperial Majesty do this?"<span>


    "Two days ago, I made ament that the dried fish served at lunch was a little too salty, one thing lead to another and we somehow ended up talking about the salt mines at Yi Zhou. So I mentioned to His Imperial Majesty that the tenure of Heng Zhou''s prefect, Chen Yu, has just ended, and his hometown was Yi Zhou."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiuughed, but the sound of theughter was mirthless, "The Junior Chancellor has been managing the salt trade in Yi Zhou for years, Chen Yu might not live for long if he was transferred."<span>


    Luo Wei responded, "There''s another reason for going to Qi Lin Vi, I''m going to ask them to protect Chen Yu. Qi Lin''s Shadow Guard''s reputation is only second to the Dragon''s Secret Guard. Father, you could also give Chen Yu a hand in court. Yi Zhou is a pond of muddled water at the moment, if father brought it up and made somements about it, I don''t think the Junior Chancellor would risk doing anything to Chen Yu immediately."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu asked, "Do you think we could use Chen Yu?"<span>


    Luo Wei answered, "Chen Yu came out of the Chen family in Yi Zhou, but unfortunately he was only the son of a concubine and not a proper wife. So the Chen family hasn''t been epting of him. It''s true that the Chen family are allied with the Junior Chancellor, but if Chen Yu wants his glory in his home town, his only option is to be a good disciple for you, father. Chen Yu''s children''s inws are the overseers of the soldiers stationed in Yi Zhou. He''s not rted to the Junior Chancellor by blood, and can''t get into that clique in Yi Zhou. For someone as intelligent as he is, I don''t think father will have to tell him what to do."<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu agreed, "It''s time for a change in Yi Zhou, if only we knew how much Chen Yu could aplish there."<span>


    The candle me flickered and reflected in Luo Wei''s eyes. His face held a smile, but his eyes were cold as ice. Of course it''s time for a change in Yi Zhou. Yi Zhou''s salt production is a third of the entire salt production of Greater Zhou, and it was a key stream of revenue for Long Xuan. If they didn''t cut this stream off, then Long Xuan will really be a dragon.<span>


    Luo Ze was listening to them the whole way through, but he didn''t understand much. His father and his little brother seemed to have discussed many things in just a few exchanges, but most of it was a haze to him.<span>


    "When are you nning to leave?" Luo Zhi Qiu asked Luo Wei.<span>


    "Tonight," Luo Wei said, "Could I trouble father to send some other people to take Xiao Xiao to Ping Nan?"<span>


    "Ping Nan?" Luo Zhi Qiu asked, "Is it to the stone exhibition there?"<span>


    Luo Wei smiled, "Tomorrow, His Imperial Majesty will also tell people that I''ve gone to the exhibition. I used to go every year."<span>


    "I understand," Luo Zhi Qiu stood.<span>


    Luo Ze and Luo Wei quickly followed and stood as well.<span>


    "I''ll leave you to it," Luo Zhi Qiu pped Luo Wei''s shoulder, "We''ll do things your way, but you have to remember to be careful, don''t let anyone know."<span>


    "Yes, I understand," Luo Wei promised.<span>


    "Wait," Luo Zhi Qiu said as he walked behind a screen in the study. After a brief moment, he reappeared with a wooden box in hand for Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei took the box and opened it. There was aughing Buddha sculpture inside, rendered in white jade.<span>


    "This is something that Qi Lin Vi gifted me," Luo Zhi Qiu exined, "Take it with you so you can prove who you are to them."<span>


    Luo Ze asked, "Dad, when did they give you this?"<span>


    Luo Zhi Qiu answered, "Qi Lin Vi has been trying to get connections within the court for a while now, is it so strange that they''d give me a little gift like this?"<span>


    Luo Wei wasn''t surprised. In the past life, the soldiers had found more than a few treasures like these when they came to confiscate their property. He held the wooden box to his chest and turned to Luo Ze, "Big brother, can you see me out of the city?"<span>


    Luo Ze said, "But the city''s gates are closed by now."<span>


    Luo Wei pulled out a special token of passage given to him by the emperor, "His Imperial Majesty has allowed me to pass through the gates at night. Let''s go through the north gate where your soldiers are stationed, I don''t want anyone to know that someone left from the capital tonight."<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    : ) the only update for today!! ns are afoot<span>

 Chapter 35

    Luo Zhi Qiu didn''t see Luo Wei out of the city. He sat back down at the desk to look over the work he still hadn''t finished. It wasn''t just about the work, there were some feelings that were difficult to exin, and he didn''t want Luo Wei to see it in him. This kid''s thoughts wereplex and full that even a drop of water wouldn''t slip by unnoticed. It was almost terrifying. If he knew that he was royalty one day, would he be satisfied just to act as a minister in the imperial court''s employment? Luo Zhi Qiu became more and more afraid as he thought about it, until he stopped thinking about it entirely out of fear.<span>


    Luo Ze went with Luo Wei all the way to the north gate.<span>


    "Big brother, whatever''s happening at home is up to you now, take care," Luo Wei said by way of farewell.<span>


    "Xiao Wei," Luo Ze also couldn''t stop from repeating himself, telling Luo Wei to be as careful as he can on the road, "The outside world is not the same as being at home, you have to watch out for anything."<span>


    But something else urred to Luo Wei at the moment. He pulled a portrait from his sleeve and handed it to Luo Ze, whispering into his brother''s ear, "Big brother, the person depicted in this portrait is Ning Fei. In case Qi Lin Vi fails, on the days around the examination, tell the guards at the four gates of the city to watch out for him. If hees to the city for the exam, you must keep him from attending."<span>


    Luo Ze asked, "You want me to kill him?"<span>


    Luo Wei answered, "There''s no need for that. You can arrange for a couple of soldiers to start a fight with him on the street. Attacking imperial soldiers out in the open is enough of an offense to keep him out of the martial exams forever."<span>


    Luo Ze nodded. He''s a straightforward and honest person. He couldn''t have thought of a n like this even if he wanted to, but he could feel how devious his kid brother was. "Xiao Wei," Luo Ze couldn''t help but ask, "Do you know this guy?"<span>


    "Never met him," Luo Wei answered.<span>


    "Then why do you hate him so much?" Luo Ze asked.<span>


    Luo Wei smiled, "Big brother, he''s someone who will oppose our family, so I have to deal with him."<span>


    Luo Ze thought about it a bit, but the reason was sound enough, "You''re right."<span>


    Luo Wei could tell that Luo Ze wasn''t happy, and his heart thrummed in his chest, "Big brother, do you think what I''m doing is dishonest? Not something a gentleman would do?"<span>


    Luo Ze regarded his little brother, and responded gently, "Of course not, I know you''re doing this for the crown prince."<span>


    Luo Wei leaned closer to Luo Ze, and whispered into his ear again, "I''m doing this for our family."<span>


    A shiver ran through Luo Ze''s body.<span>


    Luo Wei kept going, "If something happened to the crown prince, what''s going to happen to the Luo family? Big brother, there''s only ever been one throne."<span>


    "Xiao Wei?" As he listened, Luo Ze wanted to cover Luo Wei''s mouth by reflex.<span>


    "Okay, I''m leaving now," Luo Wei grinned as he stepped back, "Big brother should go home and spend more time with my sister-inw, I want to hear some good news when you get back!"<span>


    "You little asshole!" Luo Ze didn''t know if he ought tough or be shocked, and in the end could only toss a curse at Luo Wei, "Get there fast ande back soon, don''t make us worry too much."


    <span>


    Luo Wei said everything he had to say and didn''t dally any longer. He, along with the five Secret Guards and Qi Zi, kicked their horses and started their journey northward.<span>


    Luo Ze returned home. His wife, Xu Yue Miao had been waiting up for him.<span>


    "Did Xiao Wei head out already?" Xu Yue Miao asked.<span>


    "No yet," Luo Ze didn''t ask her for help, and took off his coat on his own, "He''s going to that stone exhibition tomorrow or something."<span>


    His wife nodded, "Looks like he still likes to y, mother''ll be furious when she finds out."<span>


    Luo Ze changed the subject and asked about his three year old son, "Is You Er asleep?"<span>


    "Yeah," Xu Yue Miao poured a cup of water for Luo Ze, handing it to him, "He''s tuckered himself out, making trouble all day."<span>


    "Yue Miao?"<span>


    "Hmm?"<span>


    Luo Ze, "Actually, Xiao wei..."<span>


    "What about Xiao Wei?"<span>


    Luo Ze didn''t know how to finish the sentence. He surmised that perhaps Luo Wei didn''t hate Xu Yue Miao as much as he pretended to. If he hated her as much as he''d said in the past, then perhaps hisdy wife would''ve already been dead. "Yue Miao," Luo Ze said to his wife, "I''m telling you, our little brother is the most formidable person in our whole family."<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Back with another one! : ) Luo Wei''s interactions with his older brother is really cute, hehe...<span>

 Chapter 36

    The master of the current generation at Qi Lin Vi was named Luo Ting Chao. He had a bevy of wives and concubines, and has produced five sons.<span>


    In the early morning, as Luo Ting Chao exited one of his beautiful concubines'' bedrooms, he had an indescribable feeling of happiness. It wasn''t because of the pleasures from the night before, but he felt as if something good was going to happen today.<span>


    Misty and overcast, a light rain drizzled from the sky. Luo Ting Chao has always hated the rain, but even he had to admit that there was a special kind of enjoyment in the sight of the vi''s trees and flowers on a day like this.<span>


    "Master," The steward of the vi hurried towards him, holding a wooden box in his hand.<span>


    "What is it?" Luo Ting Chao asked.<span>


    "A young man has arrived at the vi. He said that he wanted to see the master," The steward reported.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao''s expression changed as he looked into the wooden box, his eyes falling on theughing Buddha sculpture nestled inside, "Where is he right now?"<span>


    "Outside the vi."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao immediately headed for the main gates, ordering his steward as he walked, "Quick, go open up the gates."<span>


    He made use of his qing gong(1) the entire way to the gates. From afar, he could see seven people standing at the main entrance. One of them was a small youth in blue robes, currently appreciating the begonias near the gates.<span>


    "Young master," Qi Zi alerted Luo Wei as he saw someoneing out of the vi.<span>


    Luo Wei turned to see who it was.<span>


    Inside, Luo Ting Chao sighed in admiration as he saw Luo Wei. This youth was not yet fully grown but he was already more beautiful than the flowers blooming beside him. Luo Ting Chao had no qualms in bedding women or men, his blood ran hot at the sheer thought of Luo Wei''s beauty, but he quickly reminded himself that he couldn''t mess around with this one and gathered his thoughts.<span>


    "Master Luo?" Luo Wei waited until the man was in front of him before he opened with the question.<span>


    "Luo Ting Chao, at your service," He bowed towards Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei returned the gesture, "Luo Wei, pleased to meet you."<span>


    Years ago, Luo Ting Chao had the intention of getting on Luo Zhi Qiu''s good side, so he gathered a considerable amount of information about the Luo estate. He knew immediately as he heard the youth''s name that this was the third son of the Senior Chancellor. However, Luo Ting Chao had always heard that the third young master of the Luo family was on the heavy side, and that his appearance was very average. Luo Ting Chao didn''t expect to see that Luo Wei was a person of unparalleled beauty in the flesh. In recent days, he''d also heard news from the capital that Luo Wei had be the disciple of the emperor himself, and was especially favored. As someone who was such a favorite of the emperor, and a son of the Senior Chancellor, there was no way that Luo Ting Chao would dare treat Luo Wei as a child.<span>


    Luo Wei saw that the servants of the vi were about to open the main gates and waved his hand, "Master Luo, I don''t want too many people to know that I''ve been here, so let''s keep the formalities at a minimum."<span>


    "Of course, please, this way," Luo Ting Chao quickly waved them off, leading Luo Wei''s group into Qi Lin Vi himself.<span>


    Situated in the Yun Cui valley, Qi Lin Mountain Vi held an air of grandiosity, all of the buildings were magnificent in their construction. Ancient trees formed forests nearby with plenty of rare and unique flora nted within sight. Somehow, though, even under all this majesty, this ce lurked a certain sense of gloom.<span>


    "Master Luo, this ce is a paradise," Luo Weiplimented Luo Ting Chao, hiding his unease.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao replied with some modestments.<span>


    Luo Wei looked around the hall, it was made to view the flowers blooming in the gardens, "Is it convenient to talk here?" He asked Luo Ting Chao.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao responded, "The young master can rest easy, whatever passes here will only be heard by the two of us."<span>


    Luo Wei said nothing and only smiled.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao quickly added, "If the young master is worried about my Shadow Guards, they''ve been told to stay away."<span>


    Ten, one of the Secret Guard, arrived at this moment and addressed Luo Wei, "Young master, this ce is secure."<span>


    "Good," Luo Wei said.<span>


    Ten excused himself.<span>


    Earlier, Luo Ting Chao saw the six people in Luo Wei''s retinue. Other than that little attendant, the other five were all highly skilled in martial arts. And now as he watched Ten walking away, he could tell that this person''s qing gong was unrivaled in its technique.<span>


    Luo Wei exined, "The five of them are the Dragon''s Secret Guard, sworn to serve the emperor."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao''s view of Luo Wei shifted even higher. To receive such protection from the Dragon''s Secret Guard meant that he was someone highly favored by the emperor. Luo Ting Chao was sure that Luo Wei made hisstment just to stress this point.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Qing gong - A technique in martial arts to increase agility and general lightness. In the world of martial arts novels, the technique is often exaggerated to mythic proportions. Skilled users can scale sheer walls, skip across water, and almost levitate.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    I took a look at my trantion from yesterday after I postedst night and found SOOOOO many mistakes. Looks like I have to make sure I''m in top form when I trante because I often edit as I do it. Lots of work stress and personal life got in the way and by the time I got home I was too tired to do a good job. :) Thank you all for being kind and reading through, I will do my best too to make sure the trantion is as good as I can make it!!<span>


    Luo Ting Chao is really.... gross... lol, I''m trying to not gross you guys out too much by keeping the trantion PG-13 right now but please make sure you heed the mature tag on this novel!!<span>

 Chapter 37

    "My time here is limited, so I''ll be brief," After pressing the tea to his lips just to be polite, Luo Wei startedying out his cards for Luo Ting Chao.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao responded, "The young master can feel free to speak, I will listen eagerly."<span>


    Luo Weiid it out, "My father fully understood what Master Luo meant by gifting us that jade buddha. Regrettably, the timing just wasn''t right back then, so my father made no move on his side. But now, my father has some use for Master Luo, but he wonders if Master Luo is still ready and willing?"<span>


    "I''m willing to do whatever the Senior Chancellormands," Luo Ting Chao quickly replied, "What does he need me to do? My only fear is that I''m strong in will but weak in power, after all, I''m just amon man trying to make his way in the world."<span>


    Luo Wei exined, "My father wants Qi Lin Vi to swear allegiance to him and listen to no one''smand but his, is this beyond Master Luo''s powers?"<span>


    Luo Ting Chao''s face froze in apprehension.<span>


    Luo Wei chuckled lightly, "The Senior Chancellor''s estate is willing to give you something in return, our aid in your destruction of Ming Jian Vi."<span>


    "What?!" This offer is almost too tempting for Luo Ting Chao to ept right away. The destruction of Ming Jian Vi? How many generations of Qi Lin''s Luo family has dreamed of this? How can the blood debt of so many generations be realized and repaid in a single day?<span>


    Luo Wei went on, "Ming Jian Vi''s been on the imperial court''s payroll for some time now. I expect that without our aid, Master Luo might not be able to realize this long-cherished wish in this lifetime."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao was weighing his options as quickly as he could while listening.<span>


    Luo Wei opened his right hand for Luo Ting Chao to see. In that pale, long-fingered hand, was a single dark grey pill.<span>


    "Young master, this is...?" Luo Ting Chao didn''t understand.<span>


    "This is from within the pce," Luo Wei said, "Master Luo will be under its poison once it''s taken. I will send someone to provide Master Luo with the antidote every three months henceforth."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao didn''t make a single move.<span>


    Luo Wei wasn''t in a rush, "Master Luo, think about it, I''m not going to force your hand."<span>


    After a mere moment, Luo Ting Chao took the pill from Luo Wei''s hand and swallowed it directly. If would be an honor for a man like him to be made use of by the Senior Chancellor. This was a chance of a lifetime. Even though the officials of the court were often untrustworthy, if he let this go, there''ll never be another chance like it.<span>


    "Give your finger a prick and take a look," Luo Wei said, smiling.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao made a cut on his left middle finger, the blood oozing was already ck with poison.<span>


    Luo Wei took a look, then said, "Master Luo, you mustn''t me me for this. It''s just that we haven''t built a deep enough rtionship yet, in terms of bestowing trust, forgive us for not being able to do that just yet."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao smiled, "I understand. No matter, this saves me the trouble of proving my loyalty."<span>


    "Heng Zhou''s prefect, Chen Yu, is currently on route to Yi Zhou to ept his position as the prefect there," Luo Wei said to Luo Ting Chao, "I''m hoping Master Luo would send some skilled people to ensure Master Chen''s safety. Yi Zhou''s salt has always been transported by Ming Jian Vi, I''m afraid that from now on, we will have to trouble Master Luo''s Qi Lin Vi for that."<span>


    Transporting salt. Luo Ting Chao knew that the poison he took was worth it. A great big piece of pie was about to fall from the sky, it''s going to start raining money on Qi Lin Vi. "Understood, I''ll go make the arrangements right now."<span>


    "My father will exin this business with Qi Lin Vi to Master Chen. All you have to do is make sure your people get there."<span>


    "Certainly."<span>


    "Also, has Master Luo heard that Ming Jian Vi''s sixth son, Ning Fei, is going to attend the imperial military examination?" Luo Wei asked.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao answered, "Ning Fei''s got some skill, he''s the best of the bunch from that vi master''s sons."<span>


    "Think of a way to kill him," Luo Wei casually ordered Ning Fei to death. Even though his tone was light, there was no inkling of a joke in it.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao replied, "Understood."<span>


    Luo Wei regarded the man in front of him, then asked, "What kind of people does Master Luo intend to send to Heng Zhou?"<span>


    Luo Ting Chao didn''t even think before answering, "My Qi Lin Shadow Guards, naturally."<span>


    "Good," Luo Wei said, "Since I''ve said all I had to say, it''s time for me to excuse myself."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao quickly rose from his seat, "Does the young master not wish to stay at the vi for a few more days?"<span>


    Luo Wei answered, "There are still some matters for me to take care of. If something elsees up, I''ll have someone send word to you."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao had no idea what matters Luo Wei had to attend to, and didn''t dare to dy him any longer. Seeing that Luo Wei was already heading out, Luo Ting Chao quickly took a few steps forward to see him out of the vi.


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    OUR WEI WEI IS SO BADASS!!!!! <span>

 Chapter 38

    "Brother Ting Chao!" Luo Wei hadn''t even managed to leave the courtyard when he heard someone yelling from outside.<span>


    Luo Wei stopped and looked at Luo Ting Chao.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao was just about to order whoever it was to stop when a powerfully built, rather rough looking man, burst through the doors.<span>


    The five Secret Guards appeared quickly, and huddled around Luo Wei.<span>


    This man took one look at Luo Wei and grinned lewdly at Luo Ting Chao, "I was wondering why I couldn''t find you all morning, looks like you were..."<span>


    "Stop!" Luo Ting Chao shouted, "Brother Qian, please, head home for now, I''ve still got business to attend to."<span>


    "I''ve also got business to attend to, with you!" Said the big guy with the surname Qian, "Who the hell did you give me yesterday?"<span>


    At this moment, a couple of the vi''s servants actually dragged a naked man in front of the gathering.<span>


    "Absolutely useless," the big guy shouted, "He passed out like five or six timesst night, and tried to force me out of him in the end. Listen, Ting Chao, your Shadow Guards are getting worse and worse! I''m fucking pissed off!"<span>


    The big guy didn''t even look at Luo Ting Chao''s expression. He kept cursing as loud as he could, getting more and more obscene as he cursed.<span>


    Luo Wei looked at the man on the ground. His long hair hung in a mess over his face, obscuring his features. The man was curled in on himself, bruised blue and ck all over, mapped with all kinds of wounds and marks. Luo Wei only needed a single nce to know what kind of torture this shadow guard had to endurest night.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao observed Luo Wei''s expression. Seeing that he was rather neutral about this whole thing, Luo Ting Chao slowly let down his guard and addressed the big guy, "If this one''s not good enough, I''ll give you another er."<span>


    Qi Lin Vi''s shadow guards was, with the exception of the Dragon''s Secret Guard, the best guards in the world. Many people mor to buy them at high price, but they were also the most worthless group of people in the world. They didn''t have any personal thoughts, no freedom, no emotions, and were only objects for the people who owned them. Everything was up to their owners. If those who bought them wanted them to live, then they will live, and those who owned them wanted them to die, then they will die. These guards have been trained at Qi Lin Vi since childhood, and those who finally rise to the rank of Shadow Guards were the few who managed to struggled through hell and high water.<span>


    The big guy said to Luo Ting Chao, "This is the level of your Shadow Guards? Useless! He''s so loose I can fit a hand inside him! I brought over three buddies and they fit no problem. Brother, how many people have yed with him? Did you think you were gonna pawn this piece of shit off on me?"<span>


    Luo Ting Chao made a noise of displeasure.<span>


    The shadow guard on the ground actually tried to get onto his knees at this point, but sadly he was too severely injured, and couldn''t manage to get himself up.<span>


    "Take him to the torture chamber," Luo Ting Chaomanded.<span>


    A shudder of fear ran through the shadow guard as soon as he heard the words "torture chamber".<span>


    Several of the vi''s servants stepped up, one of whom took a fistful of the shadow guard''s hair and started to drag him out by it.<span>


    Wei Lan would have preferred to die by the vi master''s friend''s handst night. His body was already failing, how could he have endured the torments of tens of men in one night? Before, he could have used his internal energy(1) to ease the pain, but now his insides burst with agony whenever he so much as tried, and he was afraid to use it anymore. If he couldn''t make one of his owner''s guests happy, then his only option was to die. However, he wasmanded to die in the torture chamber, to suffer the kind of death that one prayed to be free of but was impossible to achieve. This sort of death where he still had to endure anguish for days on end was one that he could not ept. He should have ended himselfst night, at least then he wouldn''t have suffered such humiliation before death, and could die by a quick hand. Even though he had wanted to, he wouldn''t dared to. After all, Shadow Guards didn''t have the privilege of making any choices for themselves.<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1. Internal energy / force: An internal energy / power cultivated by martial artists through practice of their internal martial arts (often gotten through meditation and cultivation of mental energies). Realistically, probably simr to a person''s constitution, but in wuxia fiction it can help a martial artist sustain power behind their attacks, give them strength, shield themselves from being wounded, or even heal wounds.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    say it with me, THIS MAN IS AWFUL!!! <span>

 Chapter 39

    Luo Wei wanted to leave. This man reminded him of his previous life, and it made him want to escape.<span>


    In his desperation, Wei Lan saw Luo Wei. He didn''t know who this person was, or even what he looked like, only reaching out to Luo Wei in his overwhelming terror and said weakly to the person who was about to pass him by, "Help me."<span>


    Luo Wei stopped. In his past life, he said these exact words to many, many people, but no one had answered his plea. Now that this man directed these words to him, Luo Wei''s emotions were seized with an indescribable feeling.<span>


    "Young Master," Luo Ting Chao was a little frazzled now. Luo Wei was a son of an upper ss family, he might''ve been grossed out from just looking at these Qi Ling Shadow Guards.<span>


    "Master Luo, do you have no use for this man anymore?" Luo Wei asked him.<span>


    "I''m putting this cheap whore to death," Luo Ting Chao said. As he finished, he, along with everyone else was shocked to see Luo Wei taking off his own coat and pulling it over the body of this shadow guard to hide his naked, battered body.<span>


    "Then I''ll take him," Luo Wei said, then cast a look at Qi Zi, "Carry him to our carriage."<span>


    Qi Zi stepped forward, but the vi''s servant still refused to let go of Wei Lan''s hair.<span>


    "Let him go!" Luo Ting Chaomanded, hurriedly.<span>


    Qi Zi gathered Wei Lan in his arms, and went ahead to take him back to the carriage.<span>


    "What the hell is this?" The big guy was tactless, but even he could see that Luo Wei seemed to be Luo Ting Chao''s master.<span>


    "Master Luo," Luo Wei said as he walked, "As I said before, I don''t want too many people to know that I''ve been here."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao made a gesture at the big guy behind him, telling him to wait, then hurried after Luo Wei, "I understand your meaning."<span>


    "Hisst name is Qian, and he''s rather tall and fat," Luo Wei said, "He fits the description of that pirate, Qian Duo Yong, does he not?" This person had used him in his past life, Luo Wei wouldn''t forget that.<span>


    "This man is Qian Duo Yong," Luo Ting Chao responded, and added an extra degree of wariness towards Luo Wei. Qian Duo Yong''s name was famed in the martial arts world, but it''s rare to meet someone who''d actually seen his face. The fact that Luo Wei could pick him out meant that this little highborn kid knew a thing or two about the martial arts world.<span>


    "Master Luo, from now on, be careful of who you make friends with. You must consider the fact that we need to keep up our appearances," Luo Wei said, "Since Qi Lin Vi is aplished enough to train these Shadow Guards, then it wouldn''t be much of a problem for you to train Greater Zhou''s armies, would it?"<span>


    "Young master?" Luo Ting Chao felt as if another slice of pie was waving its descent to him.<span>


    "Master Luo, you know both of my brothers are generals in the army with a sizable number of soldiers under them, if you were interested, it wouldn''t be that big of a problem for us to arrange this job for you," Luo Wei exined on his way to his carriage, "Qi Lin''s Shadow Guards are very fearsome, that''s true, but the methods of training here are a little too cruel, and the bad reputation Qi Lin''s stacked up over the years is hard to dismantle in one day. Master Luo should consider carefully if it''s worth it to keep up this trade of Shadow Guards or help out your country."<span>


    "Yes, I know what must be done," Luo Ting Chao replied. Who didn''t want to be the first in martial artists, and take the throne as the leader of the martial arts world? If Qi Lin Vi managed to establish a rtionship with Greater Zhou''s military, yet another world of opportunities would open up to them. If that meant he couldn''t keep his shadow guards, then he''ll just not keep his shadow guards.<span>


    Luo Wei emphasized, "I''m not telling you to kill all of them, either. Master Luo, you have to find a good ce for them to live out the rest of their lives. If that''s not something you can do, I''m more than happy to take on the task, but you can not kill them."<span>


    "Understood," Luo Ting Chao agreed.<span>


    As their group arrived at the gates, Luo Wei suddenly turned to Luo Ting Chao and spoke softly, "I almost forgot. I heard that Master Luo''s mother would be celebrating her birthday in a few days time. I was in such a rush to get on the road that I left no time to prepare a proper present for your honored mother. I only have a small gift, in that wooden box, I hope that Master Luo would humbly ept it."<span>


    Luo Ting Chao again made noises of humbleness and gratitude.<span>


    "We''ll see each other again," Luo Wei chuckled as he mounted his horse, "Master Luo is a smart people, and I love smart people."


    <span>


    Luo Ting Chao waited until he couldn''t see Luo Wei''s retinue any more before returning to his vi.<span>


    "Brother Ting Chao," Qian Duo Yong was still waiting where he''d left him. He was full of curiosity for that beautiful youth who''d just left, it felt like a little kitten w tickling at his heartstrings.<span>


    Luo Ting Chao grinned at his friend, "Let''s talk inside."<span>


    Qian Duo Yong turned to head in but within a few steps he felt the pressure of an attack at his back. Unable to even react, he could only take the palm strike at the center of his back.<span>


    Looking at Qian Duo Yong''s corpse, dead from shattered arteries from his own hand, Luo Ting Chao murmured quietly, "Brother, don''t me me for being too cruel, I''m heading to higher ces and you happened to displease the young master. There was no way for you to keep living."<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Desperate times call for desperate measures. I''m d that Luo Ting Chao at least knows which ass to kiss to keep himself safe xD<span>

 Chapter 40

    It''d been three days before Wei Lan stirred from unconsciousness.<span>


    "Young master, he''s awake," Qi Zi had been guarding him left and right. As soon as the attendant saw Wei Lan opening his eyes, he called for someone to find the young master.<span>


    Wei Lanid there stiffly. He didn''t seem to be in pain anymore. He was on a bed and the room around him looked like a log cabin. Simple, but very clean and tidy.<span>


    Luo Wei arrived at the bedside, reaching out immediately to feel Wei Lan''s forehead.<span>


    The move surprised Wei Lan and he wanted to pull back, but he remembered that this youth was his savior and wouldn''t hurt him, so he stayed still.<span>


    "The fever''s gone," Luo Wei pulled his hand away and smiled to Wei Lan, "I had someone make you soup, they''ll bring it over for youter."<span>


    "A-Are you," Wei Lan''s voice was hoarse as he spoke, "this ve''s owner?"<span>


    "Owner?" Luo Wei smiled, "You cane with me, but I''m not some owner. They all call me young master for my position in my family. If you want to, you can call me that as well."<span>


    "Young master," Qi Zi brought some water.<span>


    "Drink a little water first," Luo Wei said to Wei Lan.<span>


    Wei Lan wanted to sit up, but even the slightest movement brought a wave of pain over his body, making him unable to move.<span>


    "Stay down," Luo Wei had already pressed the edge of the bowl to Wei Lan''s mouth, "Here, drink."<span>


    Slowly, Wei Lan managed to take some water as Luo Wei fed him.<span>


    From beside the bed, Qi Zi asked Wei Lan, "Are you still in pain?"<span>


    Wei Lan looked at Luo Wei.<span>


    "This is Qi Zi, he''s an attendant of mine," Luo Wei exined, "His personality is awful but his mouth is worse, you can just ignore him if you feel like it."<span>


    Qi Zi rolled his eyes.<span>


    Luo Wei fed Wei Lan patiently, a little mouthful of water at a time. As he did, he asked Qi Zi to go out and check on the soup. When Qi Zi was fully out of earshot, he addressed Wei Lan, "I''ve helped clean you up, but you''re pretty torn up back there. I''ve given you some stitches, so you''re only allowed soup for the next little while."<span>


    "Young master, you did this?" Wei Lan wouldn''t dare imagine Luo Wei sorting out whatever they''d put into his body. The toys, the fluids, all of it was utterly disgusting!<span>


    Luo Wei himself didn''t mind. In thest ten years of his past life, he''d had to do things like this nearly every day. Heforted Wei Lan and smiled, "Ten and the rest of the secret guards transferred some of their internal energy into you. They said there were antidotes back in the pce for the poison in your body, and said not to worry about it."<span>


    "In... in the pce?" Wei Lan felt as if he was in a dream of some kind.<span>


    "Oh, I''m Luo Wei. The third son of the Senior Chancellor''s estate. Qi Zi is an attendant of the Luo family. Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, they''re all secret guards of the emperor," Luo Wei gave Wei Lan introductions for everyone in their group.<span>


    Wei Lan seemed to be very shaken. He didn''t think that this youth would be from the nobility.<span>


    "So... what''s your name?" Luo Wei asked Wei Lan.<span>


    Wei Lan responded honestly, "This ve is numbered twenty-nine." Qi Lin''s Shadow Guards had no names, only a number.<span>


    Luo Wei asked, "I''m asking for a name. You must''ve had a name before you became a shadow guard?"<span>


    Wei Lan hesitated for a while before answering, "Before I turned six, this ve was called Wei Lan."<span>


    Luo Wei asked, "Which n''?"<span>


    Wei Lan answered, "This ve is illiterate, and doesn''t know."<span>


    "You''re not some ve," Luo Wei corrected, "You can refer to yourself by ''I'' or ''me'' from now on."<span>


    How would he dare to? Wei Lan quickly said, "This ve doesn''t dare."<span>


    Luo Wei said, "You''re going to have to listen to me on this, be good!"<span>


    Qi Lin''s Shadow Guards has always been extremely obedient. Wei Lan would of course obey whatever Luo Wei asked of him, it''s only that these orders from this person made Wei Lan feel as if he was human again.<span>


    Luo Wei, however, was lost in his own thought. He walked over to the table and wrote the character n'' for Luo Wei to see, saying, "Wei Lan, you can use this character for n''. Wind and mountains makes n'', it means mist in the valleys, do you like it?"<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    Wow it was hard to get the title down for this one. It was very simple in Chinese, exining that the character Luo Wei wrote was made up of "mountain" and "wind" stacked vertically, but that didn''t make sense in and of itself in English. In the part where he actually says it, I added an extra bit of meaning behind the word. It doesn''t exist in the original text, but it felt nice, especially since this would be referred to far far far in the future.<span>


    Also, I''ve been thinking of setting a site up myself for these trantion updates. I read some posts on NU that wattpad has a tendency to take stuff down randomly. Would you guys be interested? I''d still update here, but will just run two parallel updates, perhaps. : ) Let me know~<span>

 Chapter 41

    Wei Lan doesn''t know how to read, and didn''t know why Luo Wei had given it to him, only believing automatically that everything Luo Wei did was a blessing for him, "I shall obey the young master." Even though referring to himself as ''I'' felt awkward, but Wei Lan did finally say it.<span>


    Luo Wei then wrote Wei Lan''s surname on the page, saying to him, "Wei Lan, look, this is your name." After a moment of thought, he wrote down his own name next to it, "This is ''Luo Wei'', it''s my name. When you''re feeling better, I can teach you how to read, okay?"<span>


    Wei Lan made an effort to remember the four characters written on the paper, nodding to Luo Wei, but suddenly felt listless, "Young master, my health is failing and I''m not useful any longer, would you still keep me?"<span>


    "I''ll find a way to cure you," Luo Wei patted Wei Lan''s shoulder through the nket, "I know you lived a hard life before this, I promise you won''t have to live that way anymore."<span>


    Wei Lan didn''t know what he could still offer Luo Wei. His martial arts were failing and his body was unclean. There wasn''t a single use for him, so why would he stay alive? He would rather that Luo Wei offered him death, so long as the death was painless.<span>


    "Wei Lan," Luo Wei leaned down, watching Wei Lan''s listless eyes, "Your life is mine from now on. I want you to live, is that clear?"<span>


    It took a while, but Wei Lan answered, "Yes."<span>


    Luo Wei fixed up Wei Lan''s messy hair, looking at those deep eyes. That day, when he cleaned Wei Lan up in the carriage, Luo Wei had already discovered how handsome he was. Wei Lan''s eyes and brows were pretty, structured by a high bridged nose. His lips were not especially full, but the shape was beautiful. The years of martial arts training kept his body well-built and solid, tempting onlookers even through the patches of scars and marks. Luo Wei sighed. A shadow guard with looks like this wasn''t a good thing, it was only going to bring him more suffering.<span>


    Qi Zi came back with the soup, "Young master," He said to Luo Wei, "I''ll feed him."<span>


    "His name is Wei Lan," Luo Wei stuffed another pillow under Wei Lan''s neck, propping him up a little higher as he instructed Qi Zi, "He''s older than you, so call him big brother if you need to."<span>


    Qi Zi quickly changed his speech, "Big brother Wei, let me feed you some soup." Qi Zi wasn''t knowledgeable on the goings on of the martial arts world, and had no idea of what Qi Lin Shadow Guards were. Wei Lan''s injuries in the carriage that day was so severe that Qi Zi didn''t know where to even start. Luo Wei had surprised him again with his medical skills. Qi Zi sympathized with Wei Lan, after all, how someone make a man endure such terrifying humiliation?<span>


    Wei Lan was at least cooperative as he ate. After he finished the soup, Twelve came in with a bowl of herbal remedy. After letting it cool for a bit, Qi Zi fed it spoon by spoon to Wei LAn.<span>


    "You should sleep some more," Luo Wei watched as Wei Lan finished drinking the medicine, "We have to get back on the road tomorrow."<span>


    A sense offort took Wei Lan by surprise. The young master wasn''t going to leave him. That fact helped him fall fast into sleep.<span>


    Ten saw Luo Weiing out of the wood cabin, and stepped forward, "Does the young master wish to rest?"<span>


    They were staying at a hunter''s lodge in the forest. The three wooden cabins were built right next to each other, offering rest to hunters who worked for the imperial pce. Luo Wei did not arrange for them to stay at any inns the entire way here, preferring to camp out in the wild in order to avoid Long Xuan''s eyes and ears.<span>


    "It''ste, all of you should get some rest," Luo Wei addressed Ten.<span>


    The Secret Guards all had good impressions of Luo Wei. It was true that this young noble received much of the emperor''s favor, but he did not posture, instead existing amicably with everyone on the road. Often he''d make little jokes or bicker a little with Qi Zi, bringing someughter and humor to this group of secret guards who''d long been used to the serious emperor. These days were truly joyful. Ten and the rest of the secret guards said nothing about Luo Wei keeping Wei Lan around, and even offered some of their internal energy for Wei Lan during critical moments. Inside, though, the Dragon''s Secret Guards looked down on Wei Lan. They didn''t understand why a person like this would still keep himself alive, but their assignment was only to keep Luo Wei safe, and none of them would interfere with Luo Wei''s own decisions.<span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTE:</b>


    Hi all~ sorry for the break... Lots of things happened. For people who have chatted with me privately, you know I do a lot of trantion on my phone during work breaks. Unfortunately some guy stole my phone a few days ago while I was just standing on the side of the road waiting for a call. :/ thest few days have been spent trying to get money for a new phone, cancelling everything that was connected to it, and dealing with bank info that was attached as well.<span>


    I''m hoping once everything settles that I could sit down and start that website I talked about in thest update. : ) Maybe I will do a few more extra chapters to release on it as well on top of what I''m doing on Wattpad. thank you all for your patience.<span>

 Chapter 42

    Ten suggested to Luo Wei, "Young master, it might make our journey slower if that shadow guard was to be brought along."<span>


    Luo Wei shook his head, "If we don''t bring him with us, then he won''t be able to stay alive."<span>


    Ten shook his head and sighed.<span>


    "His name is Wei Lan," Luo Wei said, "Ten, you guys shouldn''t look down on him so much. Everyone leads different lives in this world, Wei Lan didn''t do anything wrong."<span>


    "Young master."<span>


    "Ten, not a single one of the Qi Lin Shadow Guards willingly wants to be a shadow guard. They''re all kids from poor families, or orphans begging on the streets. They''ve all been bought or taken by force by Qi Lin Vi."<span>


    Ten was silent for a moment, then put his hand and fist together in a polite gesture, "The young master is right, we didn''t think about this."<span>


    Luo Wei instructed, "You guys shouldn''t keep giving him attitude, be nicer to him, don''t let him feel embarrassed. Let''s not bring up Wei Lan''s past again, pretend we''ve forgotten it."<span>


    Ten answered, looking serious, "I understand."<span>


    In the cabin, Wei Lan''s tears escaped his eyes. The shadow guards didn''t sleep very deeply, any noise or movement could wake them. The uneasy sleep he''d drifted into just now was interrupted as soon as Luo Wei started talking with Ten.<span>


    This feeling was very curious. Wei Lan''s mother had taken him begging on the streets when he was just a baby. When he turned four, his mother had died of exposure and starvation, he had no power to bury her, and was only able to watch as the soldiers patrolling the streets tossed her corpse into a river outside the city walls. At six, he''d been kidnapped by Qi Lin Vi and taken to train for five years, and then acted as a shadow guard at the vi for nine. In his twenty years, Wei Lan had never been shown kindness by anyone except his mother. No one cared if he lived or died, and he''d never seen himself as a person either. The most unnecessary trait for a beggar on the street was dignity. After he was taken by Qi Lin, he''d be an object, more worthless than a dog, and dignity was even less necessary then. He didn''t think that Luo Wei would be afraid to embarrass him, and tell the emperor''s Dragon Guards to be nicer to him. This person actually cared about Wei Lan''s pride as a person. How strange it was that years after his mother''s death, Wei Lan finally felt the sensation of being cared about by someone else. It felt so foreign, as if it was something that lingered from a past life.<span>


    Someone opened the door and slipped in. Wei Lan quickly turned his head. His movements were slow due to injury, not even having the chance to wipe his face of the tears before someone pressed a warm hand to his cheek.<span>


    Luo Wei sat at his bedside, gently dabbing at the tears on his face, "What''s wrong?" He asked Wei Lan, "Does it hurt?"<span>


    "No," Wei Lan''s voice was a little thick with emotion.<span>


    "It''s alright," Luo Wei said quietly, "No one is unlucky forever. Wei Lan, just forget everything that happened before, okay?"<span>


    Wei Lan answered, "Okay. I''ll forget it all."<span>


    "Qi Zi went to sleep already," Luo Wei''s voice became even quieter, almost whispering as he spoke to Wei Lan, "Are you still pent up down there?"<span>


    Wei Lan startled. He didn''t believe that Luo Wei would still be interested in his body after all this.<span>


    "It''s not that," Luo Wei quickly exined, "You''ve got a blood clot down there, if you don''t get it out, you might lose use of it."<span>


    Wei Lan''s face was flushed red, "If I lose use of it, then I''ll lose use of it."<span>


    "What are you going to use if you need to pee?" Luo Wei''s hand was already reaching under the covers.<span>


    "Young master?!" If Wei Lan could move, he''d fall out of bed right now.<span>


    "I''m not doing this out of ill intentions," Luo Wei said quietly, "We can''t use a sound right now because of your injuries. I''ve tried to massage it out of you thest couple of days, but you were unconscious and unable to relieve yourself. It''s going to hurt a little, Wei Lan, but I want you to make an effort and try."<span>


    "I''m too filthy," Despite the pain, Wei Lan managed to grab onto Luo Wei''s hand, "I''ll dirty your hand."<span>


    "Those people who hurt you are the real filthy ones," Luo Wei said, "Or do you I''m the same as they are?"<span>


    Wei Lan answered quickly, "You''re not the same."<span>


    "Then let go," Luo Wei flexed his hand.<span>


    "Young master!" Wei Lan''s face looked red enough to explode.<span>


    "It''ll be fine," With a soft voice, Luo Weiforted Wei Lan.<span>

 Chapter 43

    When Luo Wei''s hand touched Wei Lan at that ce, Wei Lan made a noise and his entire body shook.<span>


    "Don''t be scared, it''s me, Wei Lan, it''s me," Luo Wei continued tofort this man who wanted to drop dead at this very moment. He knows it was embarrassing for Wei Lan, but if he didn''t do this, Wei Lan would really be ruined. "Wei Lan, just rx a little, you won''t be able to relieve it like this, rx."<span>


    Wei Lan forced himself to rx as much as he could. Luo Wei was very skilled at it, and normal men would havee in a second, but Wei Lan couldn''t manage it through the pain, instead sweating all over from the sensation. He bit his lip hard, not daring to make any noises, breaking the skin of his lip so that it bled.<span>


    Luo Wei was also a little nervous now, and quickened his hand. Wei Lan''s face looked worse and worse. Half an hourter, Luo Wei''s wrist was stiff and tired, but Wei Lan still didn''t manage it.<span>


    "Young, young master," Wei Lan shook as he spoke, "It''s... it''s fine to leave it."<span>


    Luo Wei wanted to give up too, but he watched Wei Lan''s pained face and the blood on his lips. It felt as if he was looking through a portal at himself in the past.<span>


    Wei Lan let out a sigh and caught his breath as Luo Wei stopped, "Young master, I''m sorry."<span>


    Luo Wei reached behind Wei Lan''s head and pulled out the towel that covered his pillow. He folded it in his hands and raised it to Wei Lan''s mouth, "Bite this."<span>


    Wei Lan obeyed and bit the towel.<span>


    Luo Wei turned quickly to blow out the candle on the table then returned to bed.<span>


    In the darkness, Wei Lan only felt something soft taking him inside. The shock did away with his reluctance and he struggled hard.<span>


    "Don''t move," Luo Wei''s muffled voice came from the dark, he held Wei Lan down with a hand, "Listen to me."<span>


    Wei Lan couldn''t listen. He kept struggling, but was fearful as he found that the more he struggled, the deeper he pushed into Luo Wei''s mouth. Desire overtook him slowly, and logic abandoned him just as quickly.<span>


    Luo Wei came by the idea rather naturally. Psychologically speaking, he thought he was the dirty one, filthier than the cheapest whore in the world, so Luo Wei didn''t exactly care about himself.<span>


    Wei Lan groaned, but the sound carried a certain pleasure. Sex had always been something mixed with pain and humiliation for him, but tonight, unexpectedly, he was able to find some pleasure in it too. Even the pain that hasn''t gone away sparked the desire in him. Wei Lan started to move himself in Luo Wei''s mouth, reaching down with his hand subconsciously to hold Luo Wei''s head. Luo Wei put a little more effort into it, and quickened his pace while reaching down to press a hand against Wei Lan''s chest.<span>


    "Ah!" Wei Lan swallowed a moan. If it weren''t for the towel between his teeth, he would have shouted.<span>


    A sputter of something hot shot into Luo Wei''s throat an indeterminate amount of timeter. Luo Wei was relieved to taste blood, it meant that this was finally working.<span>


    Wei Lan''s mind was empty for a moment. He felt tired, but good at the same time. It was only when Luo Wei got off the bed and lit the candle that he realized what had happened. Incredulously, Wei Lan watched Luo Wei wash his mouth out with some water. Wei Lan immediately rolled out of bed onto his knees, kneeling in front of Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei quickly helped him up, showing him the bowl of water in his hand, "Look, the clot''s out."<span>


    Wei Lan looked down at the water as his body trembled, "Young... Young master, you..."<span>


    "Shh!" Luo Wei held a hand to Wei Lan''s mouth, "Wei Lan, you''re going to have to be really loyal to me from now on, okay? Don''t tell anyone about this, it''s our secret, hmm?" He grinned at Wei Lan.<span>


    In the candlelight, Luo Wei''s smiling face had an elegance that would drive men insensible. Wei Lan nodded, dumbly. He will be loyal to Luo Wei, not because he''s a shadow guard, not because Luo Wei saved his life, but because it felt as if he''d been born just for Luo Wei.<span>


    The next day, Luo Wei''s retinue went back on the road.<span>


    Luo Wei knew that there was no way the Dragon''s Secret Guard didn''t hear what went onst night, so he addressed them casually, "Wei Lan finally got rid of that blood clot."<span>


    The secret guards all nodded, but didn''t say much else.<span>


    In the carriage, Wei Lan hid his face in the crook of his elbow, feeling as if his cheeks were burning.<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    W o w... : ) Wei Lan''s in real deep right away. I was really nervous about tranting thest two chapters because... not sure how they''ll be received. Thanks everyone for thements and continuing to support this trantion <3 I got my phone problems sorted out, finally, and am going to look into registering that website now!<span>

 Chapter 44

    Yu Zhou.<span>


    It''s been five days since Luo Wei''s group arrived. Every day, Luo Wei spent his time taking a leisurely stroll through the streets with the secret guards, leaving Qi Zi to take care of Wei Lan at the inn.<span>


    Today was the sixth day since they''d been here. Luo Wei, Ten, and Eleven sat at a tea house by the side of the street.<span>


    They''ve been drinking, eating, and ying everyday. Ten and the guards had no problems with it themselves, naturally, but they worried for Luo Wei. If he kept this up, how was their young master going to report back to the emperor? The guards couldn''t hide anything from the emperor. Would they actually have to tell Emperor Xing Wu that Luo Wei had just spent his time ying?<span>


    At the secret guards'' daily struggle of wanting to say something but stopping themselves at thest moment, Luo Wei could only smile. He knew what they were thinking, and was grateful that they worried about him. This meant that they were hoping that he''d seed. There were some things that Luo Wei just couldn''t straight out tell them, though. Yu Zhou''s waters ran deep, but for Luo Wei, it only took a single nce to see the grains of sand that settled in its depths.<span>


    The area where the north and south parts of Yu Zhou converged was rich in ore. Historically, themoners who served here were very well off. The junior chancellor, Liu Shuang Shi had managed this area for years, making it one of thergest sources of wealth for Long Xuan''s faction. Zheng Jing Feng, the one who eventually ascended as Emperor Ping Chang''s minister of revenue was still in Yu Zhou at this time. He currently served as the adviser at Yu Zhou''s magistrate. The very reason that this Yu Zhou case had ended without being solved in Luo Wei''s past life was because the senior chancellor''s faction had, at the every end, not been able to see that this little adviser was the real master of Yu Zhou.<span>


    "Ten," From the upper floor of the teahouse, Luo Wei pointed down at a group of Yu Zhou Magistrate''s runners, "How many times have you seen this group of people?"<span>


    Ten replied, "We''ve seen them everyday, twice at day on this street."<span>


    Eleven added, "Same people, carrying the same sedan. Who are they escorting back and forth? No official has an address registered here."<span>


    Luo Weiid it out, "The man in the sedan is named Zheng Jing Feng. A failed schr who''d tried for the imperial exams for ten years. He''s an adviser at Yu Zhou''s magistrate now."<span>


    "An adviser?" Ten asked, "Why would a simple adviser need a team of runners escorting him everyday?"<span>


    "This proves that he''d not just an adviser," Luo Wei watched as the little dark blue sedan was carried further and further, his lips holding a smile with some unknown meaning. He''d dyed telling the secret guard about Zheng Jing Feng for a few days, mainly so that Emperor Xing Wu wouldn''t question why he''d known about Zheng Jing Feng right from the start. If he''d known everything from the start and still put up pretenses to bring people to Yu Zhou, Emperor Xing Wu would think that Luo Wei''s tactics are too devious. He''d think Luo Wei had yed dumb to gain more favor, and maybe that suspicion would even carry over to his father, Luo Zhi Qiu.<span>


    At this point, Ten and Eleven seemed to have understood why Luo Wei had brought them here everyday.<span>


    "You''re going to go to his house tonight," Luo Wei instructed Ten, "Take a look around, best to see if he''s got some ount books or the likes hidden away somewhere."<span>


    "Understood," Ten and Eleven epted the orders. This sort of business was easy for secret guards like them, maybe even too easy.<span>


    "But don''t scare him off or set off any rms," Luo Wei poured more tea for the two of them, "It''s still early, let''s sit for a little while longer."<span>


    When you know the answer to a riddle that no one in the world can solve, you''d feel as if this wasn''t a difficult riddle at all. Luo Wei looked content and self satisfied as he sat at this exquisitely designed tea house and watched the bustle of the market. The voice of a songstress below apanied by an ensemble of strings and woodwinds drifted past them. No one would know that behind Luo Wei''s pleasant expression, he was imagining what this street would look like on the day that the emperor raged as this Yu Zhou case was uncovered.<span>


    Half an hourter, at the magistrate, Zheng Jing Feng received a secret message from the capital.<span>


    "Luo Wei might already be in Yu Zhou, be cautious."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng hurried into the study of Yu Zhou''s magistrate. A momentter, the entire force of the magistrate was mobilized, searching every hotel and inn in the city for a youth from the capital.<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTE:</b>


    Double update today!<span>

 Chapter 45

    Fourteen arrived at the tea house in roughly the time that it took for the tea to cool. He addressed Luo Wei, "Young master, everyone in the city is looking for a young noble from the capital, they''re going around with a portrait of you."<span>


    "We''re not from the capital, remember?" Luo Wei didn''t seem bothered.<span>


    The three guards present all apuded Luo Wei''s foresight in their minds. They''d checked in as merchants from Xi Nan, Shang Xing at the inn. Yu Zhou''s magistrate would never find them if they were looking for a young noble from the capital.<span>


    The other source of Luo Wei''s certainty was that the inn they were staying in happened to be backed by Qi Lin Vi. That outwardly honest but internally clever owner wasn''t about to sell them out like this.<span>


    Not too long after, Thirteen also arrived with news, "Young master, they''re not asking about nobles from the capital anymore, they''re just using the portrait to search now."<span>


    Luo Wei offered Thirteen a seat for some tea. Zheng Jing Feng was a smart man, it''s natural that he''d suspect Luo Wei might falsify some information.<span>


    "Young master," Ten said, "Are we just going to sit here like this?"<span>


    Luo Wei still looked deep in thought as he watched the market streets outside, but hismand was clear, "Ten, tonight, you''re going to capture Zheng Jing Feng for me."<span>


    "Understood," The secret guards responded in unison.<span>


    "There must be some highly skilled martial artists guarding him, you have to be careful," Luo Wei knew that Ming Jian Vi would send someone to Zheng Jing Feng.<span>


    "Then perhaps it''d be better to do it on the road," Fourteen suggested, "What does the young master think?"<span>


    Luo Wei thought for a moment, "If we did it that way, do you think we''d still be able to leave?"<span>


    Eleven added, "The roads are numerous around this area, the little inroads and alleys are especially deep and denselyid. It wouldn''t be hard to catch someone."<span>


    "Then do what you guys think is best," Luo Wei trusted the skills of these secret guards, so he delegated.<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng had been nervous the entire day. He''s heard Luo Wei''s name many times. He was the senior chancellor''szy son and the only skill he had was driving his family to ruin. However, recently, news had arrived that Luo Wei had be the emperor''s disciple, serving at his Imperial Majesty''s side. Luo Wei had even taken up residence in the Hall of Eternal Light, and has be deeply favored by the emperor. Luo Wei had also broken it off with the second prince, and ceased their interactions. Zheng Jing Feng''s instinct on the matter was that Luo Wei wasn''t a simple person. If this new Luo Wei who''d gotten the emperor''s favor was the real Luo Wei, then the Luo Wei before could only be something he put up as a pretense in order to gain the second prince''s trust. If a thirteen year old could do something like this, he must be devilishly clever. Heaven knows how much of the second prince''s business he''d been privy to, and besides that, how much of it was rted to his, Zheng Jing Feng''s business?<span>


    Just before dusk, a servant of the Zheng family arrived to report that the Zheng family home had caught fire.<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng became even more anxious, but it was his home that''d caught fire, he''d have to go and see if the elderly and the children were safe no matter what. So Zheng Jing Feng could only rush out of Yu Zhou''s magistrate and hurry towards home.<span>


    "Faster," Zheng Jing Feng was worried, and kept asking the porters carrying his sedan to move faster.<span>


    The porters also wanted to go faster but the roads were busy with people while the walkway itself wasn''t terribly wide. How much faster could they go in these conditions?<span>


    As they moved along, a five or six year old boy suddenly started crying in the crowd, followed by a woman screaming. It seemed as if there was a thief in their midst. So the rubberneckers rubbernecked, and those who helped as thief catchers tried to catch the thief. Thus, the already busy street became even more chaotic.<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng was just about to get out of the sedan so he could survey the situation when he felt the whole vehicle tilt to one side, as if someone had run into it. He opened his mouth to ask what was going on, but the curtains on the front of the sedan was pulled open from the outside, and a stranger appeared before Zheng Jing Feng.<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTES:</b>


    : ) watch out for a couple of updates today hehehe<span>

 Chapter 46

    "Who the hell are you?" Zheng Jing Feng startled and asked in a hurry, but his sight went dark all of a sudden as he passed out.<span>


    Ten pulled Zheng Jing Feng off the sedan and swung the man over his shoulders, then went proudly on his way.<span>


    "Somebody died!" Behind him came the terrified shouts of passers by.<span>


    Four porters and an entire team of runners from the magistrate wereying on the ground. All of them suffering from a cut at their neck. There wasn''t much blood, but their airways were all broken.<span>


    The martial artists sent by Ming Jian wanted were hiding in the shadows, wanting to help, but they were stopped by Eleven and the rest of the secret guards. Besides, there were too many people on the streets, they had no way of reaching Ten.<span>


    The pedestrians were all running for their lives at this point. No one could tell who were the good guys and who were the bad guys anymore.<span>


    "Young master," By this point, Luo Wei had already settled into a private home supplied by the owner of the inn. As he heard the owner of the inn calling him, Luo Wei moved his sight from the bird cage in front of him, and turned his gaze to the man instead.<span>


    "Master Sun," Luo Wei nodded at the owner of the inn as he smiled.<span>


    Master Sun stood politely. This little noble was the master of Qin Lin Vi''s honored guest, he dared not show him any disrespect.<span>


    "This bird is very pretty," Luo Wei turned back to look at theughingthrush(1) in the cage.<span>


    Master Sun replied, "So long as young master likes it."<span>


    Luo Wei shook his head, "It''s no more than a caged bird, I don''t like it." Luo Wei opened the cage door, but theughingthrush hesitated, too afraid to leave its cage, "Look," Luo Wei reached in and grabbed the bird, "It''s too scared to even fly."<span>


    Master Sun watched as Luo Wei flung theughingthrush to the ground. The little bird died instantly.<span>


    "Tomorrow, you''ll help me kill an entire family," Luo Wei kicked the dead bird into grasses nearby, and quietly exined his n to Master Sun, "Is killing difficult for you?"<span>


    Master Sun quickly replied, "I shall do everything the young mastermands me to do."<span>


    "Find some people, then," Luo Wei instructed, "Have them wear the uniform of the runners of the Yu Zhou magistrate, but ask them to cover the uniform with some casual clothes."<span>


    "Understood," Master Sun replied.<span>


    "Have them ughter everyone at this location and burn the whole ce down," Luo Wei handed Master Sun a piece of paper with an address. Master Sun wanted to take it from Luo Wei''s hand, but Luo Wei didn''t let go, "Have you memorized this address?"<span>


    "I have," Master Sun replied.<span>


    Luo Wei pulled it back and rolled the piece of paper into a little ball, holding it at the center of his fist, "Then go and make preparations," Hemanded.<span>


    Master Sun turned to leave immediately. A barking dog never bites, and those who don''t bark often have the worst bites. It was true of dogs and people. This was something Master Sun learned from experience in his many years in the martial arts world. But, Master Sun thought of the little noble behind him. How was the chancellor of Greater Zhou raising his sons? How did he manage to raise such a "creature"? Or was it that the nobles of the court were even more devious, even more cold-hearted than the people from the martial arts world? Did Luo Wei not view human lives as human lives?<span>


    Luo Wei stood in front of the empty bird cage. He wasn''t about to harbor any sympathies for Zheng Jing Feng. Wasn''t it true that this man would do anything for his master, Long Xuan, and would harbor no sympathies for Luo Wei either? Sometimes, life is just a choice. Choosing between this master or another master, this friend or another friend, this enemy or another enemy. These were nothing more than just choices.<span>


    "Young master," Wei Lan walked up behind Luo Wei.<span>


    "Why are you up?" Luo Wei watched Wei Lan with care, "Is the pain better now?"<span>


    Wei Lan answered, "Yes, it''s better now."<span>


    "Ten said yesterday that you should keep resting in bed," Luo Wei walked down the hall, reaching to hold Wei Lan up by the shoulder by way of convenience.<span>


    Wei Lan let Luo Wei hold him up as he walked, "It''s fine as long as I don''t use my internal energy. Young master, I''m fine."<span>


    "Are you so willing to give up on all the martial arts you''ve learned over the years?" Luo Wei replied quickly, "Rx, we''ve already found medicine for you."<span>


    Wei Lan was silent.<span>


    "I''m not looking for cures so that you can serve me through your martial arts," Luo Wei exined, "As long as there''s hope, we shouldn''t give up. Lan, what do you want to do in the future?"<span>


    Luo Wei calling him "Lan" startled him.<span>


    "Well? What do you want to do in the future?" Luo Wei seemed to not have noticed, and asked again.<span>


    "Wei Lan will follow the young master," Wei Lan chewed on his lip, "If the young master would have me."<span>


    "Good," Luo Wei helped Wei Lan down the hall and sat him down, "Like I said before, your life is mine now."<span>


    <span>


    <b>FOOTNOTES:</b>


    1.ughingthrush - A kind of songbird referred to as "hua mei" in Chinese, or the melodicughingthrush. Its Chinese name, meaning "painted brow",es from the white coloring of its feathers near the eyes. Its song is melodic and is a popr cagebird in China.<span>

 Chapter 47

    It was a long time before Zheng Jing Feng''s eyes limated to the dim light before his eyes.<span>


    "Are you awake?" Luo Wei asked as he saw the man''s eyes open. He was seated in an armchair in front of Zheng Jing Feng.<span>


    He''s been captured. Zheng Jing Feng understood his situation in an instant, but he didn''t recognize the youth in front of him. Wait. A youth. Zheng Jing Feng only took a moment longer to realize that this must be Luo Wei.<span>


    "My name is Luo Wei," Luo Wei exined, "I think Mister Zheng must be aware of who I am."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng feigned ignorance, "Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?!"<span>


    Luo Weiughed, "There so many people from the magistrate trying to find me during the day, would Mister Zheng not know who I am?"<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng responded, "I''m only a lowly adviser in the Yu Zhou magistrate. I have no power and no influence, perhaps you''ve kidnapped the wrong person?"<span>


    Luo Wei ignored the question, "Mister Zheng, if I were you, I''d be worrying about what my master is going to do with me once he found that I was captured."<span>


    "I don''t understand what you''re saying!" A wave of panic hit Zheng Jing Feng, but he kept up the show.<span>


    "Mister Zheng, I know how your master operates," Luo Wei didn''t get angry, instead he smiled, "He appreciates talent, but he would never keep the people who could endanger his position alive."<span>


    "Let me say this again," Zheng Jing Feng shouted, "You have the wrong man! Do you people not have any respect for thew?! Do you know what kind of crime this is?!"<span>


    Luo Wei threw a look at Ten, standing aside, "Take him to see what respect his master has for thew."<span>


    In the top room of the inn, Zheng Jing Feng''s expression went wild as he watched his own home swallowed in an inferno. He could hear the sound of intermittent screams, but could not distinguish who it came from. But he knew that right now, all of his family was in that fire.<span>


    "How ruthless," Luo Wei stood beside Zheng Jing Feng. He was watching the fire too, but his face was emotionless, "They''re even killing the people who''reing to put out the fire."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng struggled, but he was tied up with rope, and his mouth had been gagged. How could a schr like him hope to escape?<span>


    "Perhaps I could help save some of your family, if you''re willing to work with me," Luo Wei said, suddenly.<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng shook his head. This might have been his master, but it was more likely that the whole thing had been put into motion by Luo Wei. A self written and self directed y, only to force Zheng Jing Feng''s hand so that he''d betray his own master.<span>


    "Looks like the imperial soldiers are arriving," Luo Wei turned Zheng Jing Feng''s attention back to the scene.<span>


    It was true. A group of imperial soldiers were running to the scene, but they weren''t trying to put out the fire. Instead, they were stopping all those who were trying to put it out.<span>


    "Maybe it''s best that it burns to the ground," Luo Wei said, "This way even if Mister Zheng was willing to tell me anything, I''ve got no evidence, and won''t be able to do anything against him."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng stilled at this moment. His eyes were trained on Luo Wei, as if he wanted to say something.<span>


    Luo Wei looked at Qi Zi, who stepped up to remove the gag in Zheng Jing Feng''s mouth.<span>


    "Go help them," Zheng Jing Feng said as soon as he was able to.<span>


    "And what do I get for helping them?" Luo Wei asked.<span>


    "Go help them first," Zheng Jing Feng was determined.<span>


    "Hmm, I feel like there''s no need to keep you here anymore," Luo Wei said.<span>


    Hatred poured out of Zheng Jing Feng''s eyes, "You''ll regret it," He spit out every word at Luo Wei.<span>


    Luo Wei didn''t say anything else, only making a motion at Ten with his hand.<span>


    Like ghosts, the secret guards disappeared from the room.<span>


    Luo Wei still stood in front of the window with Zheng Jing Feng, "Mister Zheng, how does it feel to be the master of Yu Zhou? What''s it feel like when those officials all bow to your every whim?"<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng gritted his teeth and said nothing.<span>


    "Oh, perhaps I should have asked this instead," Luo Wei posed his question again, "How does it feel to be a pawn in this grand game?"<span>


    <span>


    <b>TRANSLATOR''S NOTE:</b>


    Wei Er really graduated top of the ss in this scheming lesson. : );; I wonder how you all feel considering how ruthless he is. Maybe it will be worse in the future when it''s not just character A or character B but someone with some development. Hohoho... Thank you all for reading again. ;) Love you guys~<span>

 Chapter 48

    Zheng Jing Feng''s emotions were at war on the inside, he didn''t know what to say to Luo Wei.<span>


    Not long after, the wall of the Zheng estate''s courtyard cracked and crumbled, the inferno began to spread to the neighboring houses.<span>


    "Young master," Ten returned with a swaddled baby in his arms.<span>


    "Is this someone from your family?" Luo Wei held the baby in his arms, "It''s a wonder he can still sleep during such a catastrophe."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng''s tears almost betrayed him, but he could only keep his eyes on Ten.<span>


    Ten exined, "Apologies, when we arrived, he was the only one left, someone hid him near the well."<span>


    Luo Wei asked, "No other survivors?"<span>


    "None," Ten answered.<span>


    If his back wasn''t pressed against the wall right now, Zheng Jing Feng''s would have copsed.<span>


    Luo Wei watched him with a cold gaze. He knew very well that Zheng Jing Feng had been a dutiful son, a loyal husband, a doting father, and a good older brother in the past life. Overall, he was someone who cared very much for his family, and that was one of his strengths, but it was also his weakness. "Who is he to you?" Luo Wei asked Zheng Jing Feng, who had almost lost his senses.<span>


    "My son," Zheng Jing Feng spat out the two words.<span>


    "Young master," Eleven and the rest returned at this point, bringing a dead body with them, shaking their head at Luo Wei.<span>


    "Why did you bring a dead body back?" Luo Wei''s brows creased in a frown.<span>


    Thirteen crouched down and pulled back the clothing on the body, revealing the uniform of the Yu Zhou magistrate underneath.<span>


    "Doesn''t look like they''re wasting any time," Luo Wei only took a look before turning his gaze, speaking to Zheng Jing Feng, "Perhaps our good prefect got spooked? Or maybe he had made ns with your master to do this from the very beginning."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng knew the rules by which Long Xuan operated: those who made mistakes must die. Maybe they really couldn''t wait any longer to see if he was still with them? Maybe they had no trust in his loyalty? Maybe this really was Long Xuan cleaning up his mess, and not something Luo Wei had nned?<span>


    Luo Wei closed the window and addressed Zheng Jing Feng, "Only dead men tell no tales, your master believes nothing else."<span>


    Sounds seeped in from beyond the window, of structures falling, of people''s helpless cries. Thick smoke rolled overhead, and this entire street was drowning in a sea of mes.<span>


    Luo Wei held the sleeping baby with care, "Mister Zheng, his life and death rests on your decision."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng feared that Luo Wei would hurt his son, he was the only branch left of their family tree, "Can you ensure that no harm wille to me or my son?"<span>


    "I''ll do my best," Luo Wei answered, "There are no sure things in this world."<span>


    "I don''t have any evidence left," Zheng Jing Feng said.<span>


    Luo Wei smiled, "Clever animals always have multiple ways out of their burrows. Mister Zheng, you''re smart and careful, how could you have only left everything in just one ce?"<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng replied, "And what if I wasn''t that smart?"<span>


    Luo Wei took a few steps closer to Zheng Jing Feng, his smile appeared even more gentle and soft, "Don''t gamble lives with me, Mister Zheng, if you really proved to help to me, then I wouldn''t mind giving your master a hand in shutting you up."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng responded coldly, "So the young master doesn''t want to get to the bottom of this case anymore?"<span>


    "I would love to," Luo Wei said, "But I''ve never liked forcing matters at hand. If you can''t help me, I''ll find someone who can. If I''m aware of your existence, Mister Zheng, it''s only natural I''d be aware of others, no?"<span>


    "But there something the young master doesn''t know, I''m protected."<span>


    "Oh, the guards from Ming Jian Vi? They''re all dead."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng had no way out. Luo Wei knew everything, giving him no other options. He wanted a life of fortune and happiness for himself and his family, but everyone in his family aside from this baby still in swaddling clothes was dead. Without life, does fortune still matter? Right now, what he wanted was not fortune anymore, he wanted only to live.<span>

 Chapter 49

    "Loosen his ropes," It was after seeing Zheng Jing Feng gopletely soft that Luo Wei instructed Qi Zi. After Qi Zi loosened the bones, Luo Wei handed the baby over to Zheng Jing Feng, "You raised him very well, he''s very cute, all round and chubby like that."<span>


    Zheng Jing Feng held his child almost mechanically. He had no idea what was in store for him and his child anymore.<span>


    Yu Zhou''s prefect, Yang Zhu, was slowly going insane. He was already in the hot seat when Zheng Jing Feng disappeared, and since an imperial agent who was investigating the case was here watching him, he was too afraid to send someone to search for Zheng Jing Feng. Now that the Zheng estate caught fire, Yang Zhu couldn''t sit still anymore, so he took some people himself to go and try to put out the mes. Too bad that the Zheng estate was situated wheremoners lived, and the streets were deep and narrow. Several neighboring roads were all filled with people watching the fire, stopping Yang Zhu''s group in their tracks.<span>


    Mister Sun saw that the light went out in the room on top of the inn, and quickly called a signal.<span>


    The killers he hired along with the soldiers blocking the streets disappeared in an instant, leaving the scene empty.<span>


    Those who lived near by didn''t know what had happened, but knew that their own properties were in danger. The mes were about to destroy the entire street, so without worrying too much about the strangers who disappeared, they all banded together to fight the fire.<span>


    The mes burned for an entire night.<span>


    It wasn''t until the early morning on the next day that the fire was put out. The entire street had been burned to a crisp.<span>


    Yang Zhu stood, dumbstruck at the unrecognizable street. Those who lost everything in the fire were allying themselves down in front of him, begging and sobbing as they plead their loss, but all he could think about was who targeted Zheng Jing Feng. Zheng Jing Feng''s influence was well-hidden, who would know that he was at the head of all of this? The senior chancellor''s third son, Luo Wei, might have already arrived in Yu Zhou, so was it him? That was impossible. Even if he had been a studypanion for the second prince, there was no way he''d know. Then what happened? Was there a spy in their midst? Who was it?<span>


    The corpses of the Zheng family pulled out of the wreckage one by one.<span>


    Yang Zhu braced himself against his own disgust and stepped up to identify them. He wanted to know whether Zheng Jing Feng was among the dead. If he wasn''t, things might still be okay, that meant that this business in Yu Zhou was still salvageable. The corpses were all burnt up, it was hard to even distinguish the men from the women, all of their faces were obscured. Yang Zhu tried for a long time, but wasn''t able to tell who was who.<span>


    The tragic destruction of the entire Zheng family became the cause of widespread gossip in Yu Zhou.<span>


    The head of the Zheng family was only an adviser to the prefect. Where or how could he have left such a grudge to call for the destruction of his entire family? Or maybe it was due to robbers? But he was only an adviser. Even though it was an estate, the street wasmon enough, how could he have stashed away enough riches to warrant robbery? Everyone had put their imaginations to use, churning up version after version of spection and gossip, confusing the whole matter to anyone who would listen.<span>


    Yang Zhu gathered his co-conspirators to discuss the matter, but had nothing to show for it. No one knew where the problem came from.<span>


    The whole thing ended up catching the eye of the imperial agent sent to investigate the case, Song Ping. He ordered for the Zheng estate to be cordoned off from the public and sealed up Zheng Jing Feng''s office so that they could be further investigated.<span>


    "I think we ought to inform Chancellor Liu as soon as we can," Yang Zhu said to his co-conspirators in the end. He was a disciple of Liu Shuang Shi. Thinking of the rage that his teacher would react to the news with, Yang Zhu felt a chill go down the back of his neck.<span>


    "What about the second prince?"<span>


    "If Chancellor Liu is aware, then the second prince will be aware," Yang Zhu then thought of the reaction from Long Xuan, and guessed that this seat as prefect won''t be his for much longer.<span>


    Troubled clouds are rolling over Yu Zhou''s officials, and everyone was wary of how precarious their positions were.<span>


    From beginning to end, none of them managed to meet Luo Wei face to face, and most didn''t even know if Luo Wei had evene to Yu Zhou for sure.<span>

 Chapter 50

    Zheng Jing Feng gave up his personal copy of the ount book.


    Luo Wei instructed Ten alone to leave with the evidence first and give the copy of the ount book to Emperor Xing Wu.


    ¡°Are you not going to look at it, young master?¡± Eleven asked.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°I¡¯m not. You shouldn¡¯t either, Ten. Let¡¯s make sure that the emperor is the only one who reads it.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Ten had no more qualms with any of Luo Wei¡¯s decisions.


    Luo Wei thenmanded Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen to apany Zheng Jing Feng to the capital. He himself will take Zheng Jing Feng¡¯s son and travel back to the capital via another route with Fourteen, Qi Zi, and Wei Lan.


    Zheng Jing Feng didn¡¯t want to be separated from his young son, but he knew that Luo Wei wanted to keep the boy so he could use the baby as leverage. With that, Zheng Jing Feng could do nothing else but ept the arrangements.


    The group separated into three and left Yu Zhou on the afternoon after the destruction of the Zheng family.


    When Long Xuan and the junior chancellor, Liu Shang Shi, received news of what happened in Yu Zhou and what happened to Zheng Jing Feng, Ten had already handed off the ount book to Emperor Xing Wu back in the pce.


    On the third night after Ten returned, Eleven ¡®s group arrived with Zheng Jing Feng in tow.


    Luo Wei¡¯s group took a little while longer, and arrived five dayster at the capital.


    At this point, the case of the mines in Yu Zhou, the one that has dragged on for thest two years, has finallye to an official end with Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s own decree. In his rage, Emperor Xing Wu tore the missive on his desk in two and tossed them in the faces of the senior and the junior chancellors, then immediately sent down an imperial edict, spelling out the punishment of all the officials currently seated in Yu Zhou. There were no less than five hundred names when the list came down, announcing those charged with crimes. The worst of the bunch were to be executed and their families exterminated, but even the lightest ones were to suffer confiscation of all family properly and the exile of all those in their lineage. Yu Zhou¡¯s officials, big and small, were all taken care of. Not even one managed to escape.


    Even though Emperor Xing Wu put the Yu Zhou officials to death, but he didn¡¯t touch the junior chancellor, Liu Shuang Shi, and behaved as if normal to his second son, Long Xuan.


    When Luo Wei arrived in the capital, he headed straight for the pce to see the emperor without even heading home.


    Ten, who¡¯d returned first, had already described everything that happened on the road to the emperor. It was only when Emperor Xing Wu saw Luo Wei in person that the anger in him subsided somewhat. ¡°You did very well, it wasn¡¯t easy,¡± his imperial majesty reached out to help Luo Wei up from kneeling himself. Upon noticing that Luo Wei gotten even thinner from the rough travel, Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s love for his son was stoked back to life again.


    ¡°Your humble servant is d to take on some of Your Imperial Majesty¡¯s worries,¡± Luo Wei said respectfully. His eyes were lowered and didn¡¯t see the look of utter devotion and love written in on the emperor¡¯s face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have any questions for me?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked.


    Luo Wei shook his head, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty has already taken care of all the culprits who were too greedy to respect thew, I have nothing else to ask of Your Imperial Majesty.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu spoke, ¡°And I guess you don¡¯t want to ask about what happened to that man you had Ten bring back?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu kept his eyes on Luo Wei and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already put him to death.¡±


    Seeing as how Long Xuan and the junior chancellor were both safe, Luo Wei had already guessed that Zheng Jing Feng must have been put to death. To maintain an equilibrium of power, the emperor chose topromise once again. Even though he knew, Luo Wei¡¯s expression stiffened as the emperorid it out for him, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty is wise.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu then said, ¡°He¡¯s got a young son too. Tell me, how do you think I should deal with him?¡±


    Luo Wei paused in thought for a moment, and responded, ¡°He¡¯s only a little baby, would Your Imperial Majesty allow him a mercy and let him live?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu asked, ¡°Are you going to raise him?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°I would, dly.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu waved Luo Wei closer, so that the youth stood before him. He looked into Luo Wei¡¯s eyes, ¡°Wei Er, have you not thought of what would happen when this boy grows up? When he finds out that you were the one who killed his family? Do you think he would appreciate you for raising him instead of avenging his family?¡±<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    Hi hi! We¡¯re back and rolling! : ) Thanks everyone for sticking with this story through thick and thin. I¡¯m not 100% sure how to update all the previous chapter links on Novel Updates, but at the very least we¡¯ve got the new updates running now.


    <3 Love you guys, and I look forward to sharing more of this novel with you!

 Chapter 51

    Hearing Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s question, Luo Wei put up pretenses of confusion and asked, ¡°But who would tell him?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu shook his head. Luo Wei was gifted, no doubt, but it looks like he still had moments of innocence, ¡°Wei Er, the Zheng family have allies. Can you be sure that none of them escaped this time?¡±


    Luo Wei seemed to be struck quiet with the thought, ¡°Then¡­ Your Imperial Majesty is saying that we can¡¯t keep this child?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu pped a hand over Luo Wei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Leave him to me.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°I¡¯ve promised Zheng Jing Feng that I¡¯d keep his son alive.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Emperor Xing Wu feltforted by Luo Wei¡¯s concern. He might have thought that Luo Wei was maybe a little too cold-hearted if the youth didn¡¯t even care about the life of a little baby like this.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty!¡± Luo Wei fixed Emperor Xing Wu with an imploring look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of him,¡± The emperor answered, ¡°I won¡¯t force you to break a promise, but I won¡¯t let this boy be a threat to you.¡±


    Luo Wei left the Hall of Eternal Light. He did care about the fate of the child, but it wasn¡¯t as dearly as he made it seem in front of the emperor. This time around, other than family, there weren¡¯t many others that Luo Wei could honestly care about. A few steps out of the hall, Luo Wei chanced upon Long Xuan and the junior chancellor.


    ¡°The third young master has returned,¡± Junior Chancellor Liu Shuang Shi greeted Luo Wei with a smile.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness, Chancellor,¡± At the sight of the two of them, Luo Wei quickly bowed to pay his respects.


    Long Xuan didn¡¯t look very happy but the junior chancellor seemed just as usual. This man was sly as a fox, Luo Wei didn¡¯t dare let his guard down even for a second around him.


    ¡°Did the young master juste back from the stone exhibit?¡± Liu Shuang Shi asked.


    Luo Wei answered despondently, ¡°I wish you hadn¡¯t brought it up, Chancellor Liu. His Imperial Majesty was just giving me a harsh talking to about how I spent too many days having fun in Ping Nan. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll dare to go back.¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi regarded Luo Wei. Even now, he couldn¡¯t be sure if Luo Wei had something to do with what happened in Yu Zhou. His spy in the Luo Estate, Luo Zhong, had sent word that Luo Wei did indeed go to Ping Nan for the show, but Liu Shuang Shi could feel that something was wrong.


    Long Xuan opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Did you get anything good this time?¡±


    Luo Wei answered him, ¡°I got my hands on a few rocks, but none of them were high-grade.¡±


    In the years past, whenever Luo Wei got his hands on something precious, he¡¯d always gift it to Long Xuan, but this time Long Xuan was without. Luo Wei made some more useless small talk with him and the junior chancellor, then excused himself. As he watched Luo Wei walk off without looking back, Long Xuan¡¯s expression became even worse. They were really strangers now.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Liu Shuang Shi whispered aside, ¡°This Luo Wei character should be treated with caution, the less you interact with him the better. I worry that he¡¯s going to be a threat to you.¡±


    ¡°Do you still think he has something to do with what happened in Yu Zhou?¡± Long Xuan asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to say.¡± Liu Shuang Shi replied, ¡°I don¡¯t believe he¡¯s capable of it, but I also feel like he¡¯s cast his shadow over the matter.¡±


    Long Xuan nodded, ¡°He was my studypanion, that much is true, but he doesn¡¯t know anything.¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi advised, ¡°Still, Your Imperial Highness would do well to avoid contact with him.¡±


    Long Xuan headed towards the Hall of Eternal Light. He felt a suffocating pressure every time he entered these halls, but he couldn¡¯t act any less of an obedient son within them. He didn¡¯t now exactly how much Emperor Xing Wu really knew about Yu Zhou. That day, when the emperor was bursting with rage, Long Xuan had truly been afraid that the emperor would point a finger at him and say to the imperial soldiers, ¡°Take him outside, and execute him.¡±<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    Thanks for everyone who¡¯s visited the new site andmented as well! And much love to the anon who bought me a coffee. : ) I¡¯ve been working on and off trying to make this page a little easier to navigate and better. WordPress¡¯ email subscriber system seems to work pretty well, but the plugin I installed feels a little more manageable.


    Even though thest couple of days have been very hectic (retyping a few chapters + retranting a chapter + getting the site up + got rejected by adsense), I¡¯m very d to have my readers here with me. I really hope to turn you all into fellow die hard fans of this novel!! : D

 Chapter 52

    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Liu Shuang Shi tugged at Long Xuan¡¯s sleeve gently, reminding him to calm down as each of his steps grew quicker than thest.


    Long Xuang slowed his steps. His imperial father was a man with a temper like fire. If he knew that Long Xuan was a part of what happened in Yu Zhou, there was no way that he¡¯d let him go. His current state of rtive safety was on his mind constantly these days. Was he still safe because the emperor had not yet linked him to it?


    Liu Shuang Shi was thinking about Yu Zhou as well, but his thoughts were different from Long Xuan. The list of recements for the officials in Yu Zhou had been announced, basically all people chosen by Luo Zhi Qiu. He¡¯s spent a lot of energy managing Yu Zhou thesest few years, but he didn¡¯t think that it would fall in a single night due to the rage of the emperor. Yu Zhou has be a piece of prime meat in Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s hands. Liu Shuang Shi didn¡¯t want to take it lying down, but he couldn¡¯t think of anything else to do at this time. This wasn¡¯t something that Luo Zhi Qiu won, it was gifted to him by the emperor, and Liu Shuang Shi had no way of sticking his hand back in there.


    Luo Wei returned homete. It¡¯s already been a while since dinnertime, but Luo Zhi Qiu hadn¡¯te back yet. In fact, it was the second young master, Luo Ze, who somehow got home earlier than Luo Wei.


    ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Ze saw Luo Wei arriving, and gave him a little punch in the shoulder, ¡°Not too shabby!¡±


    Luo Wei only smiled back, he didn¡¯t want to bring up what happened in Yu Zhou again.


    ¡°Right,¡± Luo Ze told Luo Wei, ¡°That Ning Fei guy you told me about, he¡¯s under my capture right now.¡±


    On the way back, Luo Wei had already gotten news from the Qi Lin vi. They informed him that they¡¯d tried to assassinate Ning Fei on the way, but only managed to injure him before he escaped. Back at the pce, Luo Wei had taken a look at the list of names on the spring examinations. His mind was only set at rest when he saw that Ning Fei, Ning Zi Zhou was not among them. The fact that he had fallen into Luo Ze¡¯s hands was unexpected, but weed.


    Luo Ze kept going, ¡°This kid¡¯s pretty injured, but he still wanted to get into the city. A couple of guys under mymand captured him and I¡¯ve locked him in a hidden room of the estate ever since.¡±


    Luo Wei quickly asked, ¡°Does anyone else know about him?¡±


    Luo Ze answered, ¡°A bunch of people saw when we caught him, but I¡¯d already told them that he was an escaped ve from our estate, so no one¡¯s given me any trouble about it.¡±


    ¡°Does father know?¡±


    ¡°He knows. He said so long as it¡¯s something you told me to do, then I should just do it,¡± Luo Ze replied, ¡°Xiao Wei, do you want to go see him now?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°There¡¯s no hurry. Big brother, why don¡¯t youe with me to see mother? I got my sister-inw and my nephew some little trinkets on the trip too. After we go pay respects to mother, I¡¯lle over.¡±


    Luo Ze agreed enthusiastically. Luo Wei¡¯s change made him overjoyed. A good conscientious little brother is a hell of a lot better than a little brother who always made him sick with worry. He even wrote a few letters to Luo Qi, their big brother stationed at Yun Guan. Since the person he described in the letters was so different from Luo Wei, the response from Luo Qi was that he¡¯ll believe it when he sees it. Luo Ze looked at Luo Wei walking beside him, and thought to himself that even if their elder brother came back, he¡¯d never recognize that this was their little brother even if they ran headfirst into each other in the streets.


    Luo Wei was busy nning on what to do with Ning Fei now that he had him. He didn¡¯t manage to kill him the first time, but since there¡¯s no way of escape this time, he could try to kill him again. And yet, Luo Wei thought about Ning Fei in his previous life, how he became the youngest Grand General in Greater Zhou. He battled and won against thousands, his martial prowess had impressed neighboring nations. Would Luo Wei really have to kill a man like this?


    ¡°Come on,¡± Luo Ze hurried him to keep walking, ¡°Thinking about something else again?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Luo Wei quickened his steps. Ning Fei. Luo Wei repeated the name to himself. In the past life, Long Xuan didn¡¯t show an interest in men and had a harem of three thousand in the Back Pce. However, Ning Fei had been intimate with Long Xuan. Perhaps it was just a way of tying down his Grand General to Long Xuan, but Ning Fei had been in love. Luo Wei hesitated between putting Ning Fei to death or letting him live. Is it possible to find a way to stop Ning Fei from falling in love with Long Xuan this time? What could he do to ingratiate himself to a man of such promise?<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long! It¡¯s been a very difficult week for me in terms of work, but I have some time on the weekend and will make some more updates. : )

 Chapter 53

    Bo Hua¡¯s expression remained rather neutral when she saw Luo Wei. Other than Luo Zhi Qiu, Luo Ze, and Qi Zi, everyone in the estate thought that Luo Wei had gone to the Rare Stones Exhibit in Ping Nan. Luo Wei looked as if he couldn¡¯t detect the coldness from his mother, and very dutifully paid respects to her, asked her if she was well, acting the perfect child with the perfect manners in front of her.


    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Bo Hua asked Luo Wei.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Luo Wei answered.


    ¡°You should head back and eat,¡± Bo Hua quickly responded.


    This was her cue for Luo Wei to exit.


    ¡°Mother!¡± Luo Ze called out. He just didn¡¯t get it. The youngest child was the most beloved in every other family, but why was his mother so cold to Luo Wei?


    ¡°Your son shall take his leave,¡± As if he didn¡¯t realize her intention, Luo Wei smiled. This time around, he was intent on being the perfect son to his mother and didn¡¯t expect to receive any love or care in return. He didn¡¯t deserve it after what he did.


    ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Ze followed him out, ¡°I¡¯ll stay and chat with mother a little, go back and get some rest first, you cane by my ce tomorrow.¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Sounds good. Big brother, say something good about me in front of mother, looks like she¡¯s mad at me again.¡±


    ¡°I know, I will.¡± Seeing that Luo Wei didn¡¯t seem particrly bothered, Luo Ze finally calmed down.


    Wei Lan was stillying on the bed in order to rest and heal. His body didn¡¯t hurt anymore, but he just couldn¡¯t find the energy to move. Qi Zi had gotten this room ready for him. It wasn¡¯t big, but it was very tidy, with a desk, chair, wardrobe, bookcase¡­ All of the trappings of a room that a real person should have.


    By the time that Luo Wei arrived, Wei Lan had almost fallen asleep, but upon hearing the familiar footsteps, his eyes opened in an instant, ¡°Young master.¡±


    ¡°Did I wake you?¡± Luo Wei sat on the edge of the bed, smiling as he asked Wei Lan.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asleep yet,¡± Wei Lan answered, then quickly checked Luo Wei up and down as per usual. This had be a habit of histely, checking to make sure that Luo Wei was whole and unhurt whenever he came back.


    ¡°Are you that worried about me?¡± Luo Wei chuckled, ¡°Lan, I¡¯ve been around the streets. I don¡¯t know any martial arts like you do, but I¡¯ve got other skills up my sleeves!¡±


    Wei Lan asked before he caught himself, ¡°Like what?¡±


    Luo Wei winked, ¡°I can take a beating.¡±


    Wei Lan paused, then burst outughing.


    Luo Wei added, ¡°I¡¯m being honest! You don¡¯t know this but two whole generals beat me up once, and I had to be in bed for days! But now look at me, fit as a fiddle, absolutely fine.¡±


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Wei Lan¡¯s smile disappeared. Did this really happen to his young master?


    ¡°It¡¯s all in the past,¡± Luo Wei told him, ¡°I¡¯d been harassing women on the streets.¡±


    Wei Lan stated firmly, ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Qi Zi came in with some tea, and Xiao Xiao was following behind with a box of dim sum(1). Qi Zi tossed a non-too-kind look at Luo Wei, ¡°Wei Lan, did you think our young master here was an innocentmb? He¡¯s done his fair share of bad stuff before.¡±


    Xiao Xiao tried not to smile, but couldn¡¯t hold it in.


    Luo Wei argued back at Qi Zi, ¡°Who hasn¡¯t had wild days in their youth?!¡±


    Qi Zi rolled his eyes at Luo Wei, ¡°Of course, of course¡­ You know, after getting pummeled that time, our young master learned to behave.¡±


    Luo Wei ignored Qi Zi and turned to Wei Lan instead, ¡°Lan, did you want to go to sleep right now or should we keep learning letters tonight?¡±


    Naturally, Wei Lan wanted Luo Wei to teach him how to read and write. Wei Lan was personable, but having lived the life of a shadow guard for so many years, he wasn¡¯t the most talkative, and wasn¡¯t able tomunicate with people normally. Without Ten and the rest of the guards here, and aside from Luo Wei, Qi Zi was the only one he knew in this entire estate. Wei Lan hadn¡¯t even said a single word to anyone the whole day.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Title ¨C The original title in the text was ¡°predestined to have a shallow rtionship between mother and son¡±. The idea is built on the fact that people who have rtionships are predestined to do so because of fate and karma. Those who have a good rtionship are said to have a ¡°deep fate¡± and those who do not have a ¡°shallow fate¡±.<ol><li>dim sum ¨C A style of food that¡¯s bite-sized portions. Not necessarily always dessert even though the word is also used for dessert. The word is not always referring to actual dim-sum served in restaurants, rather, anything that is outside of meal-style food.</li></ol>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>I forgot to mention this in thest notes section, but I want to thank novelupdates so much because their admins / help desk is so nice. I was stressing about having to remember the published dates in order to fix the links on the site, but couldn¡¯t find a ce where I could do it. I emailed them and got a response super fast, and the person who helped me did it all for me!! I don¡¯t know if anyone whoes to read is from the site, but I really am so grateful to them for exposing this trantion to more people, and for being such a helpful site in general! ^^

 Chapter 54

    Qi Zi brought over a littlep desk and set it onto the bed. Xiao Xiao secured a candle onto the surface, then put the ink, brushes, and paper all into their right ce. The two excused themselves after that.


    Luo Wei wrote two character onto the paper, instructing Wei Lan, ¡°Lan, this is my father¡¯s name. Zhi Qiu.¡±


    Wei Lan carefully copied it.


    ¡°This stroke needs to be like this,¡± Luo Wei held Wei Lan¡¯s hand and guided him through it.


    Wei Lan kept his head down and focused on practicing the forms. After going through two full pages of copy work, he looked up to Luo Wei, wanting to ask if he was doing okay but found Luo Wei had already nodded off.


    ¡°Young master?¡± Wei Lan nudged him.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Luo Wei half opened his eyes. He¡¯d been running around all day, and had already been tired before this started.


    ¡°You should go and get some rest,¡± Wei Lan suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just sleep here,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t want to get up again. It was already theter half of the night, almost daybreak. If he went back to his room now, set his sheets and cleaned up, he wouldn¡¯t even be able to get a blink in before daytime.


    Wei Lan carefully moved thep desk to the ground. When he turned around, Luo Wei was already close to falling asleep again.


    ¡°Lan,¡± Luo Wei rolled over, ¡°You should get some rest too.¡±


    Wei Lanid himself back down. He still didn¡¯t quite understand Luo Wei or why Luo Wei would be so kind to him, and not want to toss him aside. And yet, Wei Lan liked how Luo Wei treated him, calling him ¡°Lan¡±, making jokes with him. He didn¡¯t have to endure hunger, humiliation anymore. He could live like a real person. Even though he didn¡¯t know how long this body wouldst him, but Wei Lan has started to harbor a hope that he might live longer, just a little longer, so he could stay by Luo Wei¡¯s side a little more.


    Qi Zi came rouse Luo Wei as the sun rose.


    Luo Wei rubbed his eyes, looked at Wei Lan who was still sleeping beside him, and quietly got up.


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be an Imperial Physicianing to see Wei Lan,¡± Luo Wei told Qi Zi after they¡¯d left the room, ¡°Be mindful.¡±


    Qi Zi answered, ¡°Understood, young master. Is Wei Lan going to fully heal? He¡¯s always so tired.¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± Luo Wei was certain, ¡°Ten and the guards suggested this physician. He told me that Doctor Lin would know what to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep an eye on it,¡± Qi Zi felt a little happier after hearing Luo Wei assure him, ¡°When Wei Lan¡¯s better, I¡¯ll ask him to teach me some martial arts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Wei Lan smiled back.


    Luo Wei left the estate before Luo Zhi Qiu. He needed to go to the Hall of Eternal Light first, then apany the emperor for the morning audience.


    It was noon before the morning audience came to a close.


    After returning to the Hall of Eternal Light, Luo Wei began reciting all that had passed during the discussions in the morning. His memory was quite good, but still, he made some mistakes on purpose so that Emperor Xing Wu could satisfy himself by acting like a teacher. Luo Wei, on his end, could enjoy being a good student.


    Emperor Xing Wuid out guidance for Luo Wei carefully, but found that Luo Wei was a little distracted at the end, so he asked, ¡°Got something on your mind?¡±


    Luo Wei nodded first, then quickly shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it looks to me like you¡¯ve got something on your mind,¡± Emperor Xing Wu found Luo Wei¡¯s reaction amusing, ¡°Let¡¯s hear it.¡±


    Luo Wei relented, ¡°I¡¯ve met a friend, and want to give him a hand in some matters, but I don¡¯t know how to help him.¡±


    ¡°A friend?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked, ¡°What kind of friend?¡±


    Luo Wei answered by way of asking, ¡°Does Your Imperial Majesty know of the Ming Jian Vi?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu responded, ¡°Of course.¡±


    Luo Wei continued, ¡°This friend of mine is named Ning Fei. He¡¯s the sixth son of the master of Ming Jian Vi, Ning Shu Ying. But his mother was only a dancer(1) at the vi, so his father has yet to give her an official status even now. Ning Fei¡¯s life at the vi isn¡¯t easy, so I want to give him a hand somehow.¡±<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. dancer ¨C The original text in the novel says ¡°wu ji¡±, which can be loosely tranted to dancer prostitute, though this is the same sort of wording used to refer to some entertainers such as geisha in Japan. The fact is that in the setting of this novel, entertainers are viewed as a lower status due to what they do, the selling of their skills is simr to selling their body, with the added fact that some do also sell their bodies, which makes their status suspect.

 Chapter 55

    Emperor Xing Wu knew very well that this kind of problem was verymon in big, established families. The official wife and heir were the center of the family, concubines and their sons were only subordinates, but the mother of Ning Fei did not even have a status, that meant that the two of them were no better than servants. ¡°How do you want to help him?¡± The emperor asked Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°I want to bring his mother, his little sister and brother out of the vi. I could find a way of giving them afortable life on the outside. Only¡­¡± Luo Wei stopped himself.


    Emperor Xing Wu asked, ¡°Only you don¡¯t know how to take them out of the vi?¡±


    Luo Wei nodded quickly, ¡°Exactly. Your Imperial Majesty, this is a matter within the Ming Jian Vi¡¯s family, it¡¯s a little hard for me to get my hands in there.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu then asked, ¡°This Ning Fei you speak of, is he a good friend of yours?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Luo Wei lowered his eyes and smiled, looking embarrassed, ¡°He¡¯s just an average friend.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu asked, ¡°Then why do you want to help him?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°I just can¡¯t stand the way he¡¯s being forced to live right now. His own father, his half brothers and sisters, not a single one of them can look at him with a straight eye. Ning Fei is a good person, how could they treat him like a servant? Especially his father. He¡¯s Ning Fei¡¯s dad, how could he not im his son as his own?!¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t make anything up in regards to Ning Fei¡¯s situation. Ming Jian Vi¡¯s sixth young master, Ning Fei, was really the son of a dancer. If it wasn¡¯t for Long Xuan, he might have lived an ignominious life. Luo Wei guessed that this might be one of the core reasons that Ning Fei fell in love with Long Xuan in the past life.


    The emperor, however, was feeling hurt by Luo Wei¡¯s words. Was he not a father who also failed to im his own son? ¡°Wei Er,¡± Emperor Xing Wu pulled Luo Wei closer to him, ¡°I¡¯m shocked that I hadn¡¯t noticed this before¡­ how much you¡¯re willing to defend others against injustice!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Your friend¡¯s problem isn¡¯t going to be an issue for me,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said the words that Luo Wei had been waiting to hear.


    Luo Wei perked up in a second, asking, ¡°What could Your Imperial Majesty do?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu answered him, ¡°I could send down an edict and strike his mother¡¯s previous employment from the records. You could then go and take her out of the vi, Ming Jian had no right in that case to stop you.¡±


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°It¡¯s that easy?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu smiled, ¡°It¡¯s that easy.¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s face bloomed with a smile, and quickly knelt to thank the emperor for his generosity.


    Emperor Xing Wu helped him up and chuckled, ¡°I can¡¯t believe a kid like you was wracking yourself with worry about this. Even your father could help you with this. What, were you too afraid to ask him?¡±


    Luo Wei stuck his tongue out, ¡°He¡¯d lecture me about how I¡¯m getting into other people¡¯s business!¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu smiled as he shook his head. He knew that Luo Zhi Qiu had been extremely kind to Luo Wei, ¡°And you were so sure that I wouldn¡¯t lecture you about it?¡± He tapped Luo Wei¡¯s nose with a finger.


    Luo Wei blushed, and looked back at the emperor with a shy smile.


    Emperor Xing Wu was a man of his word, and as Luo Wei willed, sent down an edict.


    Not long after, Zhao Fu was invited to meet Luo Wei in his bedroom at the Hall of Eternal Light, ¡°Young master?¡± He waited on Luo Wei for a while, watching as the youth looked out at the little garden on the other side of the moon window, thinking with his hands folded behind him. It didn¡¯t seem as if he was going to talk, so the eunuch called out to him quietly.


    Luo Wei finally turned, ¡°Mister Zhao,¡± He addressed the eunuch.


    ¡°Young master, do you have any instructions for your humble servant?¡± Even though Luo Wei addressed him, it didn¡¯t seem as if he had anything else to say, so Zhao Fu instead put the question to him instead.


    What Zhao Fu didn¡¯t know was that in this brief moment, Luo Wei¡¯s mind had already turned thousands of times. Zhao Fu was Long Xuan¡¯s confidant. If Luo Wei had made sure that Long Xuan knew of this edict from the emperor, he¡¯d think that Ning Fei had betrayed him. ording to his usual habits, Ning Fei¡¯s mother and siblings would have no way of getting to the capital safely. With his family¡¯s death on Long Xuan¡¯s hands, there wouldn¡¯t be a shred of a chance that Ning Fei would fall in love with Long Xuan in this lifetime. That way, he¡¯d be perfectly willing to be a weapon under Luo Wei¡¯s control. Luo Wei wanted to do this, but did Ning Fei¡¯s family deserve to die? Luo Wei hesitated.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    TRIPLE UPDATE TODAY!!! Since these chapters are rtively short, I thought I might get through them. : ) Sorry for keeping you guys waiting, and hope this makes up for it!

 Chapter 56

    ¡°If the young master needs something, just me know,¡± Zhao Fu couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He knew Luo Wei had something difficult to ask him, so he asked directly, ¡°Your humble servant will do his utmost to aplish whatever it is the young master wishes.¡±


    The corner of Luo Wei¡¯s lips curled upwards into a smile, then pulled out an emerald green thumb ring, passing it to the eunuch, ¡°I was just thinking something over. Mister, I got this on the way back to the capital and wanted to gift it to you, but I didn¡¯t know if you¡¯d like it or not.¡±


    Zhao Fu¡¯s face broke into a bright smile, ¡°Young master! How could I¡­ oh!¡± He received the gift with both hands, ¡°Whatever the young master likes, your humble servant shall love.¡± Zhao Fu loved jade and emerald pieces. This thumb ring from Luo Wei was a piece of high ss warm jade, it wasn¡¯t cheap, and Zhao Fu thanked Luo Wei over and over again.


    Luo Wei made some more small talk with Zhao Fu, but in the end decided not to reveal what he wished to do with Ning Fei¡¯s family. That baby he¡¯d taken from the Zheng family had only entered the pcest night, but Luo Wei heard from Zhao Fu¡¯s gossip that the child had already been ordered by imperial edict to be castrated. Luo Wei couldn¡¯t stop himself from feeling bad about it, and didn¡¯t know if this was what affected him and caused him to show mercy for Ning Fei¡¯s family.


    Zhao Fu was all smiles when he left.


    Since the emperor was still having his noon break, Luo Wei took the chance and went to the camp of the capital¡¯s general to seek out his older brother, Luo Ze. He wanted to ask his brother to send some good men to Ming Jian Vi, and make sure Ning Fei¡¯s family got to the capital safe.


    Luo Ze didn¡¯t understand Luo Wei¡¯s logic, ¡°Why are we helping him now?¡±


    Luo Wei asked a question instead, ¡°Big brother, what¡¯s your impression of him?¡±


    Luo Ze thought about it a bit, then said, ¡°Stubborn as a mule, but he¡¯s got balls.¡±


    Luo Wei then smiled, ¡°Big brother, I wanted to try and see if we could tame this stubborn mule.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Luo Ze waved a hand, ¡°We¡¯ll do as you say. I¡¯ll send people right away.¡±


    If he didn¡¯t want to kill them, then he had to make sure he¡¯s doing due diligence to protect them. Luo Wei reasoned with himself that this was him doing everything in his power to keep them alive. If Long Xuan still managed to find out about this, and those three members of Ning Fei¡¯s family were killed, it wouldn¡¯t be Luo Wei¡¯s fault anymore.


    ¡°When are you nning to see Ning Fei?¡± Luo Ze asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until his family gets here.¡± Luo Wei was looking around Luo Ze¡¯s camp with great interest.


    ¡°Interested?¡± Luo Ze saw him looking around, and asked.


    ¡°So this is what a military camp looks like,¡± Luo Wei smiled, hiding the pain he felt inside with what looked to be childish wonder.


    The Zhao brothers arrived at this moment, leading a squad of mounted soldiers into camp with them. The second Zhao brother, Zhao Jun Yi, only stopped his horse when he came within a feet of Luo Wei.


    Luo Ze quickly shielded Luo Wei behind him and shouted at Zhao Jun Yi, ¡°Are you crazy?!¡±


    Zhao Jun Yi dismounted and shoved Luo Ze aside so he could speak with Luo Wei, ¡°Xiao Wei, your older brother¡¯s nagging like an old hen again. Maybe you should train with meter, we¡¯ll get you big and strong.¡±


    Luo Ze was snickering beside them, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t Xiao Wei ask me to train him and instead ask you?¡±


    Zhao Jun Yi tossed back a grin, ¡°Why don¡¯t we ask Xiao Wei to choose for himself, let¡¯s see who he¡¯d rather train with.¡±


    Luo Wei assessed the situation, then jogged to the elder Zhao brother instead, leaving both Luo Ze and Zhao Jun Yi behind, ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with Big brother Zhao instead.¡±


    Zhao Jun Boughed heartily, resting a friendly hand on Luo Wei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Look, Xiao Wei¡¯s got good taste!¡±


    Luo Ze and Zhao Jun Yi were dumbstruck for a moment, then both shook their fists at Luo Wei, ¡°You little sneak, what about us two?¡±


    Zhao Jun Bo gave Luo Wei a look and raised his eyebrows, ¡°Xiao Wei, did you hear that? It¡¯s suddenly ¡®us two¡¯ now.¡±


    Luo Wei grinned and was just about to speak when he heard the sound of hooves from outside the camp¡¯s gates. He turned quickly to see who it was, and discovered the junior chancellor¡¯s eldest son, Liu Wu Sheng, looking back at him with his own soldiers following close behind.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Took another break because of work!! But here¡¯s a nice friendly chapter for Luo Wei, his brother, and his brother¡¯s friends! : )


    I updated the site with a contents page for all of the tranted chapters for this novel! You can ess it by clicking on the ¡°R:DSAT¡± link on the top bar. This will make it easier for you guys to jump through chapters, and since it¡¯ll update automatically, it¡¯ll be easy on me as well!


    I¡¯m going to try something new this week by scheduling a few releases. I¡¯ve tranted a couple more chapters for release throughout the week, which will mean you guys will get a few more updates during the week too. I don¡¯t know if you guys prefer this or to have the updatese in chunks, but I think it will help the pacing of the story, and keep your interests up! Let me know if you prefer releases throughout the week, or just 3~4 chapters on the weekend!


    And for everyone who¡¯s donated to Ko-Fi, thank you so much! This helps me keep a tab on costs for running the website! Because of the content of the novel, I¡¯m unable to advertise and I don¡¯t want there to be NSFW pop-ups all over this site either. <3 Thank you guys so much for the support! ??

 Chapter 57

    Luo Ze¡¯s expression changed as soon as he saw Liu Wu Sheng.


    ¡°What the hell is this guy doing here?¡± Zhao Jun Yi whispered to Luo Ze.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Luo Ze answered.


    Liu Jun Bo had always been a steady, serious person. He took a step forward and stood next to Luo Wei, addressing his younger brother and Luo Ze, ¡°The two of you need to keep your temper and be cautious. Don¡¯t forge that Xiao Wei¡¯s here with us.¡±


    Luo Wei watched Liu Wu Sheng. Here stood the key figure in his eldest brother, Luo Qi¡¯s death. What Luo Wei didn¡¯t remember, however, was Liu Wu Sheng ever showing up at the general of the capital¡¯s camp to cause trouble.


    Liu Wu Sheng didn¡¯t dismount at the gate to the camp, instead, he watched the four people standing near it.


    ¡°What¡­¡± Luo Ze was about to open his mouth.


    Luo Wei gave Luo Ze a tug from behind, ¡°He¡¯s waiting for someone.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re supposed to just let him wait here, blocking the gate?¡± Luo Ze asked.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re all in service to the emperor,¡± Luo Wei suggested, ¡°Why not ask him to wait inside the camp?¡±


    Zhao Jun Yi was agitated, ¡°He¡¯s the junior chancellor¡¯s kid! How could we invite him into the general¡¯s camp? If word got out, we¡¯d beughed out of the city.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine, what¡¯s he going to do? Cause a revolt?¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°It¡¯s not as if this camp belongs to the Luo family. Let¡¯s just invite him in.¡±


    Luo Ze was still unsure, ¡°Will it really be fine?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled lightly as he held eyes with his older brother, ¡°With the three of you here, why would we be scared of one little Liu Wu Sheng?¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s face looked defensive as soon as he saw Luo Ze and Zhao Jun Yiing towards him.


    ¡°Does the young master Liu have business at the general¡¯s camp?¡± Luo Ze asked him.


    Liu Wu Sheng answered, ¡°Of course I have business here.¡±


    Luo Ze turned and motioned his hand in an invitation, ¡°Then let¡¯s talk inside the camp instead of outside of it.¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng didn¡¯t think that Luo Ze would invite him inside, and for a moment, he was struck silent.


    Zhao Jun Yi watched Liu Wu Sheng, finding it a little funny, ¡°What? Is the young master Liu afraid of us scheming against him? Are you scared ofing in now that you¡¯re at the doorstep of the camp?¡±


    Provoked by Zhao Jun Yi¡¯s words, Liu Wu Sheng actually dismounted and brought his people into the camp as if to prove a point.


    ¡°Please,¡± As general of the camp, Luo Ze lead Liu Wu Sheng into the grand tent at the center of it.


    ¡°Are you noting?¡± Zhao Jun Bo asked Luo Wei, who still stood where he was.


    ¡°I want to see who he¡¯s waiting for,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°Big brother Zhao, you should go keep an eye on my brother and yours, don¡¯t let the three of them get into a fight.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, then,¡± This was Luo Ze¡¯s camp after all. Zhao Jun Bo wasn¡¯t worried about leaving Luo Wei by himself. He gave Luo Wei a little p on the shoulder before heading off to the tent too.


    Luo Wei waited for about half an hour before he saw two covered sedans arriving at the gate, both with the insignia of the imperial court.


    ¡°Send word to the general,¡± Luo Wei said to the soldier behind him, ¡°Tell him that Gu Jun from the ministry of justice(1) is here.¡±


    Gu Jun, the minister of justice, descended from his sedan, followed by the capital¡¯s prefect, Yi Jiang Yun Si(2) close behind him.


    ¡°Minister, prefect, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?¡± Luo Wei stepped forward and greeted them both, but his eyes were caught on amonly dressed woman in the midst of runners from the magistrate.


    ¡°So the third young master from the Luo family is here as well,¡± Gu Jun was a little taken aback at the sight of Luo Wei.


    ¡°Why did you bring a woman into camp?¡± Luo Ze had just arrived at the gates and became enraged the moment heid eyes on the woman. He didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he knew he didn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Luo Wei held Luo Ze back, ¡°Let¡¯s invite our two honored guests inside first.¡±


    At this moment, the sound of yet another horse arrived. Long Xuan and his group of attendants appeared in front of Luo Wei¡¯s eyes.


    Luo Wei observed the wild game draped across the back of Long Xuan¡¯s horse, and smiled, ¡°Did Your Imperial Highness just return from the hunt?¡±


    Everyone present knelt to pay their respects to the second prince.


    ¡°General Luo, looks like you¡¯re pretty busy here today,¡± Long Xuan gave leave for all to stand, then addressed Luo Ze.


    Luo Ze answered, ¡°Your humble general wasn¡¯t expecting it to be this busy either.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Gu Jun spoke up too, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d like to watch the proceedings too.¡±


    Long Xuan looked at Luo Ze.


    Luo Wei tugged Luo Ze from behind again.


    ¡°It¡¯d be an honor, Your Imperial Highness.¡± Luo Ze invited Long Xuan into the camp.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. ministry of justice ¨C Original text said the ministry of punishment / torture, but they handle investigations as well.


    2. Yi Jiang Yun Si ¨C Uncertain of the original text, but believed to be apound name in Chinese. The prefect might be from a non-Han ethnicity in China.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Thanks for all the input, everyone! : ) I think I¡¯m going to trante on the weekend and schedule for the rest of the week like I¡¯m doing this week. That¡¯ll leave some time for me to do other things on the weekdays.

 Chapter 58

    The so-called grand tent in themandant¡¯s camp was only a tent in name. The actual structure was a magnificent hall, with a front hall for public business, and a back hall for private business.


    By right of imperial royalty, Long Xuan naturally sat at the head seat. Luo Ze, as the camp¡¯s general, sat at his right hand side.


    Luo Wei sat near Zhao Jun Yi. Minister Gu was Junior Chancellor Liu¡¯s family through marriage, so it was natural that he was on the Junior Chancellor¡¯s side. But the capital¡¯s prefect, Jiang Yun Si, was allied with the Senior Chancellor, why did the two of theme together today? Luo Wei nced at Long Xuan at the head of the hall. There was no way he¡¯d juste back from a hunting trip and just happened to pass by either. The second prince had just lost Yu Zhou, perhaps he was trying to get back at the Luo family through Luo Wei¡¯s second eldest brother?


    Seeing as how everyone had taken a seat, Minister Gu addressed Luo Ze, ¡°General, I¡¯ve called upon you here with Prefect Jiang because of a particr case.¡±


    Luo Ze asked, ¡°Does it have to do with that woman you¡¯ve brought along?¡±


    ¡°Bring her in,¡± Minister Gu ordered his guards.


    That in clothed woman was brought into the hall.


    ¡°Madam Wang-Ning(1),¡± Minister Gu spoke gently to the woman kneeling on the ground, ¡°This is the General of the Capital¡¯s camp,¡± He pointed at Luo Ze, ¡°And this is the esteemed grand general of the capital. You can tell him about the injustices you¡¯ve suffered.¡±


    Madam Wang-Ning looked at Luo Ze, then quickly lowered her head down on the ground, knocking her forehead against the ground as she spoke. Her voice was overly quiet, though, and those who were present couldn¡¯t hear her clearly.


    ¡°Speak up,¡± Zhao Jun Yi said, ¡°No one can hear what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°Our Imperial Highness, the Second Prince of Greater Zhou is here too,¡± Minister Gu brought Long Xuan up as well to bolster her courage, ¡°If you have anything to say, justy it out inly.¡±


    ¡°Your humble servant is surnamed Wang, married to the Ning family, Ie from Qing Zhou,¡± The woman still kneeled, her voice was still only barely audible.


    The woman told her story in sentences that started and stopped and didn¡¯t follow one another. Luo Wei had to make an effort to understand what she was saying. Apparently she and her husband came into the capital in hopes of finding a ce to live with their rtive¡¯s help. Unfortunately, the rtive they were looking for had long since moved from the capital, and the husband and wife pair were nning on heading back. It was then that the husband somehow angered a few of the soldiers from this camp, and she had watched a few of them haul her husband off in their anger.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that soldiers from the capital¡¯s encampment, my encampment, hauled your husband away?¡± Luo Ze asked incredulously. He¡¯d never heard of this happened, how could it be?


    ¡°Soldiers cannot leave the camp without express orders,¡± The elder of the Zhao brothers asked, ¡°Where did the two of you run into them?¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng interjected, ¡°Why don¡¯t the two of you let her speak?¡±


    Madam Wang-Ning pulled out a story about soldiers being soldiers and trying to harassmon women on the streets. It sounded like something from a y.


    Luo Ze was a little uncertain now. Did his soldiers really sneak out of camp like this to make trouble? ¡°Who were the soldiers, do you know them?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know their names.¡±


    ¡°What did they look like?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t recall clearly.¡±


    ¡°General,¡± Minister Gu made a suggestion, ¡°Looks like the only way we¡¯re going to get to the bottom of this is to have her take a look around the camp.¡±


    Zhao Jun Yi quickly responded, ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what their names are or what they look like, what¡¯s she going to find even if we let her wander around camp?¡±


    Long Xuan spoke up at this point, ¡°Minister Gu¡¯s meaning is to have her take a look around for her husband, correct?¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Minister Gu nodded.


    Madam Wang-Ning turned on the waterworks and cried as she begged, ¡°I only hope that my husband is safe and sound, please, sirs, grant me this one wish!¡±


    ¡°So you intend to search my camp?¡± Luo Ze asked, wary. Since when did anyone dare to search through a military camp like this?


    ¡°This camp holds many military secrets,¡± Minister Gu said, ¡°Outsiders are not normally allowed, but General Luo, this whole thing happened because you were not strict enough with your soldiers. Madam Wang-Ning isn¡¯t from here, and getting to the capital wasn¡¯t easy, I hope you¡¯ll consider giving her a pass.¡±


    Suddenly, Long Xuan asked the silent Prefect Jiang, ¡°What does the prefect think?¡±


    Jiang Yun Si sped his hands together in a gesture of respect, ¡°Since Your Imperial Highness is here, then I¡¯ll leave it up to Your Imperial Highness to decide, your humble servant has no other qualms.¡±


    ¡°You said you were from Qing Zhou?¡± Luo Wei spoke up just now too, watching the woman on the ground with a kind, gentle smile.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Madam Wang-Ning ¨C Wmen often took on either their family¡¯s or their husbands¡¯st names in historical China, often referred to on tombstones / in public as surname-¡°shi¡±. As an example, Madam Wang-Ning¡¯s maiden name was Wang, and probably has a name, but in the original text, she¡¯s only referred to as Wang-Ning shi.

 Chapter 59

    A missing husband, a wish to see him alive, do a favor for a woman from a distant locale. Luo Wei couldn¡¯t have imagined seeing the day where Long Xuan decided to use such base tactics. Qing Zhou was Ming Jian Vi¡¯s home, and this woman was Madam Wang-Ning. Looks like Long Xuan had been spending a lot of energy for this Ning Fei. It seems Luo Wei¡¯s plot to have Luo Ze capture him had caught Long Xuan¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Yes, I am.¡± Madam Wang-Ning looked up at Luo Wei as she heard him speak. The smile on his face dazzled her for a brief moment.


    ¡°Qing Zhou is a beautiful ce,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°What does the Wang family do for a living?¡±


    Minister Gu coughed.


    Madam Wang-Ning caught on quick and gathered herself, ¡°My husband and I farm thend for a living.¡±


    ¡°Whereabouts in Qing Zhou?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°Yu Yang.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Yu Yang,¡± Luo Wei pped his hands together, ¡°I seem to recall that there¡¯s a Taoist temple there that¡¯s quite famous. It¡¯s called Zhen Jun Temple, have you been there before?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Madam Wang-Ning nodded.


    ¡°Madam Wang-Ning, think before you answer the young master¡¯s questions,¡± Minister Gu said, ¡°We¡¯ll have no nonsense here.¡±


    ¡°When did you ever go to Yu Yang?¡± Long Xuan asked Luo Wei, ¡°I don¡¯t remember you ever going there before.¡±


    ¡°I went to find exotic stones,¡± Luo Wei said to Long Xuan, ¡°When did Your Imperial Highness start paying attention to myings and goings?¡±


    ¡°Answer him,¡± Zhao Jun Yi asked of the woman, ¡°Have you been there or not?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps Madam Wang doesn¡¯t remember,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°That temple only allows male visitors. It¡¯s a rarity, and the temple is famous for it.¡±


    Madam Wang-Ning quickly added, ¡°I wasn¡¯t clear just now. My husband visits often, I¡¯ve only ever waited for him outside the temple.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re really dedicated to him,¡± Zhao Jun Bo paid her apliment, but it was hard to tell if he meant it or not.


    Madam Wang-Ning was about to break out in tears again, but Luo Wei addressed her, ¡°Madam Wang, even if you¡¯ve been away from Yu Yang for some time, how could you forget that Yu Yang is an area renowned for its Buddhist practices? Why would there be a Taoist temple there?¡±


    Madam Wang-Ning¡¯s entire body went ck at that. She looked at Minister Gu, helpless.


    Luo Wei turned his gaze to Gu Jun too, ¡°Minister Gu, this woman¡¯s full of lies, could you not tell? If the soldiers from the camp were after her looks, why would they take her husband and not her? What could they possibly do with a man? Were they after her or money?¡±


    Luo Ze mmed his hand into his desk in rage, shouting at the woman, ¡°Tell us who you are!¡±


    Madam Wang-Ning was frightened into silence, her eyes fixed only on Gu Jun.


    ¡°Rather strange, isn¡¯t it? A woman who ims to farm for a living without an ounce of muscle,¡± Luo Wei turned his eyes on Long Xuan.


    Long Xuan¡¯s face was ice cold, ¡°Take her away for interrogations!¡±


    Gu Jun was just about to give the orders, but Luo Wei spoke up again, ¡°The capital¡¯smandant camp is rife with imperial military secrets. The fact that she wove such aplex lie to get inside belies her treacherous intent. Shouldn¡¯t this case be investigated under the purview of more than just the Ministry of Justice?¡±


    Long Xuan replied, ¡°So you¡¯re saying she ought to be tried under the Three Ministries(1)?¡±


    ¡°Why would amon woman want to get inside a military camp?¡± Luo Wei questioned, ¡°She might not even be a citizen of Greater Zhou.¡±


    ¡°Minister!¡± Madam Wang-Ning looked at Gu Jun, her face were full of tears again, real ones, this time.


    ¡°Madam Wang-Ning,¡± Luo Wei stared her down, ¡°Do you really think Minister Gu would protect you now?¡±


    ¡°Luo Wei,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°Are you trying to cast suspicions on Minister Gu?¡±


    ¡°Minister Gu is an important member of our imperial court,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare cast suspicions on him.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you trying to call him into question?¡±


    ¡°Was I trying to call him into question? If Minister Gu has done nothing wrong, then what does he care about what I say?¡±


    This was the first time that Luo Wei and Long Xuan had been true opponents in a contest of words. Those present all had their own feelings about it. Luo Ze¡¯s group were obviously happy, Liu Wu Sheng was annoyed, Gu Jun worried over it, and Jiang Yun Si did his best to hide his surprise.


    ¡°Take her away!¡± Luo Zemanded his guards.


    At this moment, Madam Wang-Ning did the unexpected and didn¡¯t wait to be caught by the two soldiers approaching her. She took aim at a column in the hall and rushed towards it, mming her head on the stone with deadly consequence.


    Liu Wu Sheng stood suddenly, but under Long Xuan¡¯s signal, sat back down again.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. Three Ministries ¨C Original text is ¡°San Si Gong Shen¡±, which can be tranted to ¡°judgement by the three ministries/ministers¡±. This form of judgement is often reserved for heinous crimes such as treason, murder, and other crimes with a death sentence.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Hey guys!! Thanks for keeping up with the reading. Work has been murdertely, and I didn¡¯t get a chance to write a note at the end of thest chapter. I made a mistake a couple of chapters ago, mixing up thest character for the prefect¡¯s title with the first character of his name. All fixed now.


    I also want to thank the two anonymous readers who bought me coffees! : ) Thank you both for keeping this going!

 Chapter 60

    With the death of Madam Wang-Ning, Minister Gu breathed a small sigh of relief.


    ¡°We should still investigate this,¡± It seems that Long Xuan was determined to keep up the charade, ¡°Let¡¯s see if this woman had any help.¡±


    Gu Jun stood, ¡°Your humble servant shall investigate this carefully.¡±


    Zhao Jun Yi spoke, ¡°And what are we going to do about the fact that the lot of you brought outsiders into the camp? Are we supposed to just let it go?¡±


    ¡°I shall seek proper punishment from the emperor for my actions,¡± Gu Jun replied, ¡°I made a mistake in not investigating this woman fully, I hope General Luo will forgive my ipetence.¡±


    Luo Ze didn¡¯t know whether to sink his teeth into Gu Jun or not. This man had been allied with Liu Shuang Shi for years, and had given the Luo family their fair share of problems. Was this his chance to get rid of Gu Jun? Luo Ze looked at Luo Wei subconsciously.


    Luo Wei shook his head.


    Luo Ze swallowed the words brimming in his throat and said nothing more.


    Zhao Jun Yi asked Liu Wu Sheng, ¡°And what did youe here for? The minister and the prefect came to investigate this case, were you here to investigate the case too?¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng answered, ¡°I came here to protect the minister and the prefect. Who knows what goes on here on the daily?¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Zhao Jun Yi pointed at Liu Wu Sheng, ¡°Are you trying to say that imperial soldiers at themandant¡¯s camp would hurt ministers of the imperial court? Do you know how to talk like a human being?¡±


    ¡°Big brother Zhao,¡± Luo Wei spoke up, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Long Xuan stood, looking as if he was ready to leave, ¡°Minister Gu, I suggest you go and seek forgiveness from my father.¡±


    ¡°Is Your Imperial Highness leaving?¡± Luo Wei followed suit with everyone and stood as well.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all shown me quite an interesting y today.¡± Long Xuan¡¯s words were meant for everyone, but his eyes were locked on Luo Wei alone.


    ¡°A shame that this woman dirtied Your Imperial Highness¡¯ sight,¡± Luo Wei put on a false politeness, ¡°Pity that she ruined the day. What a curious string of coincidences, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Long Xuan passed by Madam Wang-Ning¡¯s corpse, casting his eyes down at the lifeless body, ¡°If only this woman had been content with living a farmer¡¯s life, she wouldn¡¯t have met her end like this.¡±


    Luo Wei chuckled, ¡°There will always be people who are not content with their lot in life. Far be it from me to guess what she was after, but I doubt it was more than wealth and fortune. I wonder if this woman understood before her death, that certain things can¡¯t be forced, especially when it doesn¡¯t belong to you. Your Imperial Highness should revel in your sess in the hunt, don¡¯t let a woman like this bring you down.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± The corner of Long Xuan¡¯s mouth tugged upward, ¡°Certain things can¡¯t be forced. You¡¯re right about that.¡± After that, Long Xuan took Liu Wu Sheng with him and left without a backward nce.


    ¡°What are we going to do about her corpse?¡± Zhao Jun Bo asked Luo Ze.


    Zhao Jun Yi shrugged, ¡°Throw it out back and let the dogs have at it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s bury her,¡± Luo Wei suggested instead, ¡°She¡¯s paid the debt with her life, let her rest peacefully.¡±


    Gu Jun had nothing else to say, and excused himself as well.


    ¡°I¡¯lle see the senior chancellor tonight,¡± Jiang Yun Si left that as hisst word, and excused himself after Gu Jun.


    A few soldiers arrived to take Madam Wang-Ning¡¯s body out of the hall, to be buried in the back hills.


    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Zhao Jun Yi was still a little frazzled, ¡°Didn¡¯t we let them off too easy?¡±


    ¡°What else do you still want to do?¡± Luo Ze asked.


    ¡°Prosecute the shit out of Gu Jun!¡± Zhao Jun Yi said, ¡°We shouldn¡¯t just let that old asshole off like that!¡±


    ¡°Madam Wang-Ning is already dead,¡± Luo Wei said, seated, ¡°The most we can get Minister Gu on is that he¡¯s failed to investigate her. Big brother didn¡¯t lose anything valuable in this exchange, and it¡¯s likely that Minister Gu wouldn¡¯t miss whatever money the emperor is going to dock from his sry for this misstep.¡±


    Zhao Jun Yi groaned with anger, ¡°Why is this so frustrating?!¡±


    ¡°Anyway, you guys should be careful in the next little while,¡± Zhao Jun Bo warned both Luo Ze and Luo Wei, ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s this simple.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, righteous men have nothing to fear in the shadows,¡± Luo Ze answered, ¡°Even if they searched the camp today, I wouldn¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ste,¡± Luo Wei got up, ¡°I should head back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you out,¡± Luo Ze quickly got up.


    Zhao Jun Yi was about to get up to follow, but his older brother stopped him.


    ¡°They were here for Ning Fei,¡± On the way out of camp, Luo Wei expressed his thoughts to Luo Ze.


    ¡°Amon martial artist, why is he so important to the second prince?¡± Luo Ze asked.


    ¡°Who knows,¡± Luo Wei kept his head down and watched the road underfoot as he walked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this Ning Fei thing sorted as soon as we can.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be sorted once his family reaches the capital. Big brother, I¡¯m counting on you for that.¡± At this moment, Luo Wei felt that he was right in deciding to let Ning Fei live. He wanted to see if Ning Fei would fall for Long Xuan the same way as he did in the past life, even if he didn¡¯t owe the second prince a single thing.

 Chapter 61

    Tonight, the junior chancellor¡¯s estate was putting on a birthday party for the mistress of the house. Guests overflowed the rooms, even the second prince was in attendance with special leave from the emperor, so he could pay respect to his aunt on her birthday.


    Liu Shuang Shi had set a feast in the front hall for his guests and acquaintances. Inside the interior rooms, he set another feast for his family. In the span of a short hour, the junior chancellor¡¯s estate was abuzz withughter and the sound of joyous conversation. On the stage, a pair of entertainers yed the beauty and the gentlemen, off the stage, guests enjoyed ample food and drink. There wasn¡¯t a sour face in the house.


    It was an utterly different story inside the junior chancellor¡¯s study.


    ¡°How did you evene up with this sort of n?¡± Liu Shuang Shi shouted at Gu Jun. He only just heard about what Long Xuan did during the day. Liu Shuang Shi couldn¡¯t say anything straightforward to Long Xuan, so he let out steam on his children¡¯s inw instead.


    ¡°This has nothing to do with Minister Gu,¡± Long Xuan was seated at the head of the desk, ¡°I underestimated the situation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that Luo Wei!¡± Liu Wu Sheng muttered angrily beside them, ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for him, we would¡¯ve been able to search the camp! Luo Ze¡¯s not smart enough to get out of this by himself!¡±


    ¡°This was Luo Wei¡¯s doing?¡± Liu Shuang Shi looked to Long Xuan for confirmation.


    ¡°It was him,¡± Long Xuan answered, ¡°If I knew he was going to be there today, I wouldn¡¯t have asked Minister Gu to take the risk.¡±


    ¡°Whether Ning Fei is under their palms or not is one thing,¡± Liu Shuang Shi exined, ¡°If Luo Wei said anything in front of the emperor, this won¡¯t go over so easily.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve already buried her,¡± Long Xuan¡¯s expression was ineffectual, ¡°I don¡¯t think Luo Wei is going to press this matter.¡±


    ¡°Are they just going to let it go?¡± Liu Wu Sheng couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°Luo Ze and those two meatheads from the Zhao family are just going to listen to Luo Wei?¡±


    Long Xuan tossed a look at Liu Wu Sheng, ¡°If they didn¡¯t listen to him, do you think you would¡¯ve gotten out of there without a single scratch, cousin?¡±


    That look from Long Xuan made Liu Wu Sheng lower his head. He wasn¡¯t scared of fighting with Luo Ze or the Zhao brothers, but he didn¡¯t think that his heart would be set to rage by someone like Luo Wei. He couldn¡¯t even let any of his anger out. They were only words, why did they hurt so much?


    ¡°Just to make sure we cover ourselves, I bid Minister Gu to plead forgiveness from My Imperial Father tomorrow,¡± Long Xuan had already done his math by the time he spoke to Gu Jun, ¡°Even if my father were to give you punishment, it wouldn¡¯t be that severe. Minister Gu, you can rest easy.¡±


    Gu Jun quickly kissed up to Long Xuan, ¡°Your humble servant would happily die in the service of Your Imperial Highness.¡±


    ¡°Cousin, go with Minister Gu and attend the feast,¡± Long Xuan said to Liu Wu Sheng as a way of giving them leave.


    Liu Wu Sheng had wanted to ask Long Xuan exactly how powerful this Ning Fei was. He wanted to ask Long Xuan why he¡¯d put such importance on a single man, and waste such tactics and resources to barge into themandant¡¯s camp for him. However Liu Wu Sheng had always been wary of what he said in front of the second prince. Hearing that Long Xuan wanted him to leave, he didn¡¯t dare ask his questions and simply left with Gu Jun to join the party.


    ¡°Uncle,¡± Long Xuan waited until only he and Liu Shuang Shi were left in the study before speaking, ¡°I really thought that the Luo family produced someone who¡¯d be on my side. Looks like I was terribly wrong. Luo Wei lectured me today about being content with my lot in life, isn¡¯t that funny?¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi watched Long Xuan simmering in a rare air of mncholy. A sneaking sense of shock overcame home. Since when was Luo Wei able to affect Long Xuan¡¯s mood so much? ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Liu Shuang Shiforted him, ¡°The most important pieces in y for the Luo family are the eldest and the middle brothers. Luo Qi and Luo Ze both hold a considerable amount of military power, especially Luo Qi, with thirty thousand soldiers stationed at Yun Guan. As far as Luo Wei is concerned, Your Imperial Highness would only need to put some distance between the two of you, he bears no significant threat to your position.¡±


    ¡°Has the Senior Chancellor sent along his gifts today?¡± Long Xuan suddenly asked.


    ¡°The gift from the Senior Chancellor¡¯s estate came three days ago,¡± Liu Shuang Shi answered, ¡°Call him what you will, Luo Zhi Qiu never missteps in matters of decorum and etiquette.¡±


    ¡°And how are you going to respond to Ming Jian Vi?¡±


    ¡°Ning Fei is only a unloved, unmissed,mon child. Ning Shu Ying wouldn¡¯t care much, Your Imperial Highness need not worry.¡±


    Long Xuan shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s these unloved, unmissed people that are easy to control. Those who are favored by others only see my kindness as a matter of course, what use is that to me?¡±


    ¡°Chancellor,¡± The voice of a young attendant came from beyond the doors.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Liu Shuang Shi asked.


    ¡°An urgent letter from Yi Zhou.¡±


    Long Xuan and Liu Shuang Shi stared at each other, speechless. Did something happen in Yi Zhou too?<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Yi zhou¡­. yu zhou¡­ I had to go back to check that I didn¡¯t mix these two up in previous chapters. Yi Zhou was the ce where Luo Wei promised salt ores to the Qi Lin Vi, and Yu Zhou was the copper mines. I kind of wish that English had some different characters to denote sounds, because the two of them look very different in Chinese, but when sounding it out, even I get confused!! @[email protected]

 Chapter 62

    The blood on Yu Zhou¡¯s soil had hardly dried when Yi Zhou¡¯s salt mines caused another wave in Greater Zhou¡¯s court.


    The junior chancellor, Liu Shuang Shi, had thought that the new prefect in Yi Zhou wasn¡¯t going to cause him any trouble. It was true that the Chen family had roots in Yi Zhou, but Chen Yu had note from that particr line of the Chen family. He¡¯d been estranged from his rtions in Yi Zhou for years, and had no base of support in the magistrate there. As long as the officials in Yi Zhou managed to keep themselves together, even as the prefect, Chen Yu doesn¡¯t pose much of a problem. Though the junior chancellor obviously underestimated this disciple of the senior chancellor, and hadn¡¯t guessed what the oue of moving Chen Yu to Yi Zhou would be.


    Long Xuan had nned to kill Chen Yu as soon as he knew of the new prefect¡¯s assignment. He wasn¡¯t as optimistic as the junior chancellor. He believed that Chen Yu¡¯s new position in Yi Zhou was very likely the result of the Senior Chancellor, Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s influence. Behind Chen Yu stood the power of the crown prince, and if this man made it to Yi Zhou, then that meant the crown prince, Long Yu, has extended his hand into Yi Zhou as well. Long Xuan gave the order to assassinate Chen Yu, but even though he¡¯d always had great sess with the assassins at Ming Jian Vi, they had let him down this time. Chen Yu was protected both in the light and in the dark by highly skilled martial artists. Even though there¡¯d been some close calls on the way, he still managed to get to Yi Zhou safely and quickly, assuming the position of prefect.


    Just as Long Xuan ordered the junior chancellor to figure out a way of getting rid of Chen Yu from Yi Zhou¡¯s government, Chen Yu had already begun figuring out a way of changing things in Yi Zhou. The first thing he did after bing prefect was to send a letter back to Emperor Xing Wu, describing all the chaos in Yi Zhou¡¯s salt trade. This missive was detailed and corroborated with the ounts books as well. Emperor Xing Wu was still feeling raw from the betrayal in Yu Zhou, and after seeing this missive from Chen Yu, he quickly sent word for Chen Yu to restructure the entire salt trade, as well as calling the old prefect back to the pce so matters could be further investigated.


    Junior chancellor, Liu Shuang Shi, quicklymanded the officials in Yi Zhou to stop Chen Yu, but by this time Chen Yu received the full support of his old teacher, the senior chancellor, and had gained inws for his children in Yi Zhou in the form of the foreman of the local soldiers stationed to protect the area. With the support of both the senior chancellor and the foreman of the local military, Chen Yu was able to gain an upper hand on the officials in Yi Zhou who tried their best to keep him down. Yi Zhou¡¯s politics had never been without cracks. Chen Yu was right on target almost every time he investigated someone. With more and more dirty officials turning up, it reminded people more and more of Yu Zhou¡¯s Mining Case. And thus the business in Yi Zhou was named the Yi Zhou Salt Case.


    Liu Shuang Shi had already lost Yu Zhou, he couldn¡¯t lose Yi Zhou too. The junior chancellor redoubled his efforts in returning fire with fire. The imperial court was shrouded in a fog of war from the fighting between the different factions.


    And it was during this time that the martial arts world started a new cycle of struggle and strife, but this time things began in a shroud of bizarre incidents. Ming Jian Vi had lost their lucrative arrangement with the government in supplying protection for the salt mines. The business was instead given to Qi Lin Vi. Even though those in the martial arts world couldn¡¯t see what was going on behind the curtains, they could venture to guess that Qi Lin Vi gained some sort of support from the imperial court.


    Qi Lin Vi announced that they were no longer training shadow guards. All the existing shadow guards had disappeared in a single night. When everyone was specting that the shadow guards had been killed or otherwise disposed of, news came from the biggest apothecary of the martial arts world that a hundred and fifty odd Qi Lin Shadow Guards had been taken to the apothecary to be treated. After that, there were sightings of shadow guards training soldiers in several camps near Yun Guan. The news spread like wildfire, and Qi Lin Vi¡¯s position within the martial arts world suddenly rose to the same level as Ming Jian Vi.


    As the battle over this salt case raged on in the imperial court, the most popr gossip in the martial arts world was around how Ming Jian Vi had the junior chancellor¡¯s support, while Qi Lin Vi had the senior chancellor¡¯s support. Those who were in the martial arts world often cared little about what goes on in politics, but when the gossip and spections were not denied by Qi Lin or Ming Jian, the general feeling towards the government shifted too. If politics became the baseline for decision making, then the martial arts world of Greater Zhou would no longer be so ck and white.

 Chapter 63

    Without his freedom, Ning Fei knew nothing about what was happening between the imperial court and the martial arts world. He didn¡¯t even know who had captured him or where he was being kept. This dungeon had many cells but it was always very quiet, seeming to only contain himself. Every day a doctor came to check on his wounds, delicious meals were delivered as well, but no one came to interrogate him or let him know exactly what was going on.


    Ning Fei was anxious. He didn¡¯t manage to aplish what his father had set him out to do:pete in the imperial martial examinations. Ning Fei didn¡¯t know if news of his failure had reached Ming Jian Vi yet, or if it did, what his father had done to his mother, his little brother and his little sister. Ning Fei hated himself a little more every time he thought about his family suffering because of his own mistake. There wasn¡¯t a moment that he didn¡¯t want to escape this cage, but there had been no chances.


    ¡°Fei Er!¡± When his mother appeared with his little brother and sister, Ning Fei thought he¡¯d been dreaming.


    ¡°Big brother!¡± Two little bodies ran headlong into him. One on the left and one on the right, both hugging tight to Ning Fei, crying.


    ¡°Mother?¡± Ning Fei was stock still as his little siblings clung onto him, and felt as if he finally woke when he heard them crying. He watched his mother, Madam Wang(1), and his voice and body both trembled, ¡°How did you guys get here?¡±


    Madam Wang wiped her tears as she told Ning Fei about how her role as a dancer had been stricken from the official records, how she¡¯d been taken out of Ming Jian Vi by the senior chancellor, how they¡¯d been protected the whole way to the capital. Madam Wang was brimming with emotion, stuttering with excitement as she spoke and recounted the whole story. Ning Fei felt again that he¡¯d returned to the realm of dreams as he listened to her story.


    Luo Wei stood and listened patiently behind the turn of the hall. On the road, the mother and the two little ones were hounded by assassins from the Ming Jian Vi. Even though the name of the Senior Chancellor had not provoked Long Xuan, it was enough to provoke the master of the vi. Luo Wei had nned a few fake assassination attempts of his own under the names of Long Xuan and the Junior Chancellor. He believed that these attempts must have left deep impressions on this family of three. As he expected, he heard the three of them talking over one another to describe what it¡¯d been like on the road to Ning Fei.


    Luo Wei turned to leave. He wanted to give the family in the dungeon time to catch up privately through the night.


    The morning after, the reunited family of four were brought to Luo Wei¡¯s study.


    ¡°Third young master,¡± Having already been received with warmth by Luo Wei, Madam Wang was ever polite in front of him as she paid her respects.


    ¡°Big brother Wei,¡± The two kids smiled at Luo Wei with bright innocence. Beautiful and warm people can get children on their side very easily, and Luo Wei was just one such person. Ning Fei, however, stood frozen next to his mother.


    ¡°Have you eaten breakfast yet?¡± Luo Wei smiled gently, patting the heads of the two little kids, ¡°Why don¡¯t you guys go eat breakfast with your mother?¡±


    ¡°Young master,¡± Madam Wang called out to Luo Wei, then tugged on Ning Fei¡¯s sleeve, wanting him to pay respects to Luo Wei.


    ¡°Madam, feel free to take these two little rascals for breakfast,¡± Luo Wei smiled, ¡°I¡¯d like to have a few words with Ning Fei.¡±


    Madam Wang excused herself with the two kids, following Xiao Xiao out.


    Luo Wei regarded Ning Fei and found himself remembering that young general from the past life, riding a white horse and holding his silver spear at his side. It made him feel suddenly as if he was back there again. Luo Wei had no great hatred towards Ning Fei. The general had only followed orders when he came to confiscate the property of the Luo Estate. He never touched Luo Wei. Just the opposite, in the three months that Luo Wei had to endure humiliation in the pce, Ning Fei was the only one who pleaded for him in front of Long Xuan.


    Ning Fei stood quietly as well. His worries were calmed now with his mother and his siblings safe. He also regarded Luo Wei, the third young master of the senior chancellor¡¯s estate. Everyone had told him that this third son of the Luo family was a useless durd. He didn¡¯t expect to see that Luo Wei was actually a warm and beautiful youth.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Madam Wang ¨C A rification that Madam Wang is not the same as Madam Wang-Ning.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    Thank you guys for following again! : ) I received a few more coffees over on Ko-Fi and I¡¯m really appreciative! The cost of the website is half covered, and I¡¯m sure within the next few months we could just cover all of it. I¡¯m doing this just for fun so having help from you guys and seeing all yourments makes me so happy.


    I really like Ning Fei!! He¡¯s very straightforward, and his love for Long Xuan in thest life felt so one-sided¡­ like he owned the second prince. I hope you guys will like him eventually too, he¡¯s an honest guy.

 Chapter 64

    ¡°The person who saved you was my second eldest brother,¡± Luo Wei put away theplicated feelings in his heart and offered Ning Fei a seat, ¡°When we received the news that someone wanted to kill Ming Jian Vi¡¯s Ning Fei at the capital, we went one step ahead and saved you.¡±


    Ning Fei asked immediately, ¡°Who would want to kill me?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°Young master Ning, your martial arts skills are very aplished. If you had earned high honors this time during the martial exams, I think there would be many people who would be jealous, right?¡±


    Ning Fei¡¯s emotions ran cold, he believed what Luo Wei was saying. Not many people were aware of himing to the capital to participate in the martial examinations. Other than the few brothers he had, who else could it be? ¡°Then why would the third young master save me?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°The Luo family have no rtions with you, so we wouldn¡¯t go out of our way to help without expecting something in return. We think very highly of young master Ning¡¯s skills. Master Ning of the Ming Jian Vi might not appreciate it, but we certainly do.¡±


    Luo Wei was straightforward, so Ning Fei didn¡¯t mince words either, ¡°What does the young master want me to do?¡±


    Luo Wei pointed at a sealed envelop on his own desk, ¡°This is a rmendation letter written by my father. If young master Ning is willing, you can take this letter to Yun Guan to meet my eldest brother, Luo Qi, Luo Shi Yi, and be his second inmand.¡±


    ¡°You want me to join the military, and follow your eldest brother?¡± Ning Fei had thought that the Luo Family would want him to be their bond-servant. He couldn¡¯t have expected that they would want him to join the army and be a general.


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°Does young master Ning not want to join the army?¡±


    Bing a part of the military had been Ning Fei¡¯s dream, how could he not want this? But could something as good as this just drop out of the sky? Ning Fei watched Luo Wei¡¯s smile with suspicion.


    ¡°My eldest brother has always been stationed at important holds near the border,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°He needs talent such as you by his side. I think that the arrangement would be quite suitable for you as well.¡±


    Ning Fei asked, ¡°You don¡¯t even know me, how do you know I have ability to take on this role?¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°We know exactly who the master of the Ming Jian Vi is, so we¡¯ve always had our eyes on the vi itself. We don¡¯t just know about you, young master Ning, we know about all your brothers as well.¡±


    ¡°Then how can you trust me?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we trust you?¡± Luo Wei chuckled, ¡°There¡¯s no way for you to return to Ming Jian Vi, is there?¡±


    Ning Fei approached the desk.


    Luo Wei handed the letter to Ning Fei, ¡°Young Master Ning, we¡¯ve just met, so it¡¯s natural for you to not trust me, but I bear no ill will against you. My eldest brother is a man who knows the importance of skill and talent. Even though he¡¯s reached sess at such a young age, but he¡¯s very easy to get along with. I think the two of you will like each other very much.¡±


    Ning Fei took the letter and knew that he would never return to Ming Jian Vi. He¡¯d always wished that he wasn¡¯t Ning Shu Ying¡¯s son, that he wasn¡¯t a member of Ming Jian Vi. How could he turn down this chance when the Luo family were offering him a way out?


    ¡°Leave Madam Wang and the two little ones here with me,¡± Luo Wei said, but as he saw Ning Fei¡¯s expression cooling, he quickly added, ¡°When young master Ning has settled in Yun Guan, I¡¯ll have people apany them to meet you there.¡±


    Ning Fei finally lost that hint of coldness in his expression. Luo Wei wasn¡¯t going to keep his mother and his siblings as hostage in order to control him.


    ¡°You can stay here for the next few days, spend some time with your family,¡± Luo Wei spoke every word withpassion and care, ¡°But don¡¯t leave the estate, just to be sure. The person pulling the strings behind Ming Jian Vi isn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. We have beautiful gardens in the estate, you can stretch your legs there.¡±


    Ning Fei nodded. Luo Wei had thought of everything. ¡°Thank you,¡± He said to Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°It¡¯s not a problem.¡±


    Ning Fei finally smiled. It was easy to get along with Luo Wei. Even though this person was of the chancellor¡¯s estate, and the disciple of the emperor, but Ning Fei could feel that perhaps they could really be friends.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    sorry guys!!! work took over my life again. I only had time to trante one chapterst weekend before I had to work double shifts this week¡­ also sick again, haha ; ___ ; But I¡¯m going to do some weekend updates, and set up a few more chapters for next week. thank u for reading!!! <3

 Chapter 65

    As Luo Wei and Ning Fei were deep in their conversation, Xie Yu arrived.


    ¡°Big brother Xie Yu,¡± Luo Wei saw himing in and quickly stood to greet him.


    When Luo Wei had been in Yu Zhou, Xie Wang Bei had been sent away from the capital to assume another position. Naturally, Xie Yu moved into the Luo estate and became less of a disciple and more a part of the family. ¡°Master is asking you to hurry up,¡± Xie Yu said to Luo Wei, ¡°Are you nning to skip morning audience today?¡±


    Luo Wei pointed at Ning Fei, who stood beside him, and said to Xie Yu, ¡°Big brother, this is Ning Fei, the future second inmand to my eldest brother, and sure to be one of the great generals of Greater Zhou,¡± Then he said to Ning Fei, ¡°Young Master Ning, this is Xie Yu, he¡¯s a disciple of my father¡¯s, and an absolute key to the sess of our nation.¡±


    Xie Yu was blunt enough for a member of the family as he nudged Luo Wei, ¡°You¡¯re talking nonsense again!¡±


    Ning Fei couldn¡¯t hold back his grin, then paid respects to Xie Yu, ¡°A pleasure to meet you, Young Master Xie.¡±


    Xie Yu regarded this Ning Fei. Tall and upright, with a youthful and handsome face. He did not especially efface himself in front of Luo Wei either, instead being the very picture of an earnest man. Xie Yu nodded and thought to himself, Luo Wei was a good judge of character. He smiled and addressed Ning Fei, ¡°Xiao Wei didn¡¯t say any other nonsense to you, did he? This guy¡¯s pretty normal one moment and absolutely crazy the next, I hope Vice-General Ning wouldn¡¯t judge us on his behalf.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Luo Wei yelled, ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Ning Fei himself if I¡¯ve said any other nonsense to him!¡±


    Both of them stared at Ning Fei. Being a cautious and reserved person, Ning Fei wasn¡¯t used to this sort of teasing from Luo Wei and Xie Yu, so he shook his head.


    Luo Wei brightened up immediately at Xie Yu, ¡°See? I¡¯m just such an honest, down to earth person! I don¡¯t say anything unnecessary, how could I talk nonsense? Oh, wait, that¡¯s not true. I¡¯m not absolutely certain if you¡¯ll be a key part of our nation in the future, but I am pretty sure that Ning Fei is going to be a great general!¡±


    ¡°Time to head out already!¡± Xie Yu grinned and gave a little p at the back of Luo Wei¡¯s head, ¡°You¡¯re the one who says the most unnecessary things in this house! If you¡¯re not going to head out now, you¡¯ll really bete! You¡¯re the emperor¡¯s disciple, have some discipline!¡±


    ¡°Big brother Ning Fei, I¡¯ll leave you to yourself then,¡± Luo Wei rubbed where he¡¯d been pped and gave a little wave to Ning Fei before running off.


    Xie Yu turned his head before heading out as well, addressing Ning Fei, ¡°Let¡¯s chat tonight.¡± Seeing that Ning Fei returned a little nod, Xie Yu went on his way as well.


    Ning Fei came to his mother¡¯s side. Madam Wang had already finished feeding the two little ones breakfast.


    Xiao Xiao had been helping the three of them with their breakfast, but seeing that Ning Fei had arrived, he quickly excused himself, ¡°I¡¯ll let you four talk. Let me know if you need anything!¡±


    Madam Wang pulled Ning Fei to her, and asked, ¡°What did the third young master say to you?¡±


    Ning Fei answered, ¡°He¡¯s arranged a position in Yun Guan for me, to be the second inmand, the Vice-General to his eldest brother.¡±


    Madam Wang¡¯s entire body shook, ¡°You¡¯re going to join the army?¡±


    Ning Fei nodded.


    Madam Wang sighed, ¡°Is it okay if you don¡¯t go? We can be normal people, I could go find work, and we can live happily together like a family. I¡¯ll go beg the third young master, maybe he¡¯ll spare you.¡±


    ¡°Mother,¡± Ning Fei held his mother¡¯s hand, finding it cold, ¡°The third young master means well. If we were justmoners, how could the master of the vi let us just be? Mother, you know how devious and capable Ming Jian Vi is.¡±


    Madam Wang was shocked into silence, and a momentter, she cried, ¡°This is all because of me, because I¡¯m useless, and lost favor with the master of the vi. I¡¯ve pulled you all down with me.¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± Ning Fei couldn¡¯t stand watching his mother like this, ¡°Why are you saying this again? I¡¯ve always wanted to join the military. Believe me. I will earn my status there!¡±


    Madam Wang watched her son through her tears, ¡°Fei Er, people say that des will cut down anyone on the battlefield, regardless of status, I¡¯m just¡­ worried about you.¡±


    Ning Fei smiled as he shook his head, ¡°The third young master just said that I would be a great general of Greater Zhou in the future, would you believe in me less than he does? Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯ll take care of you for the time being. When I¡¯m settled in Yun Guan, he¡¯ll send people to take you there.¡±


    Madam Wang sighed, ¡°The third young master is good to us. We owe him everything.¡±


    Ning Fei said in a serious tone, ¡°What we owe him, we may not be able to pay back in this lifetime.¡±


    Madam Wang replied, ¡°We four will repay him together. If we can¡¯t pay him back in this lifetime, there¡¯s always the next.¡±

 Chapter 66

    During the morning audience, the various ministers were still busy arguing about the matters in Yi Zhou.


    Luo Wei stood beside Emperor Xing Wu, watching the noisy court dispassionately. Themon people all thought that this was some elevated ce that they couldn¡¯t hope to reach, but in truth, it was no different than a marketce. Luo Wei nced at Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s features, frozen over with ice, and he wondered who would consider being the head of a country a cushy job?


    Emperor Xing Wu said ¡°We shall reconvene¡±, and ended thisbative morning audience.


    As always, Luo Wei followed Emperor Xing Wu back to the Hall of Eternal Light, but just before they made it inside, the two of them ran into the fifth prince, Long Xiang.


    ¡°Your humble son kneels in front of the imperial father, long live your imperial majesty.¡± Long Xiang got on his knees and paid his respects to Emperor Xing Wu.


    ¡°You may rise,¡± Emperor Xing Wu responded, coldly.


    Long Xiang got up, his eyes meeting with Luo Wei¡¯s from behind the emperor, both smiling at one another. Long Xiang was the same age as Luo Wei. Even though the fifth prince was Consort Liu¡¯s son, but he¡¯d been childhood ymates with Luo Wei. This prince had been in line to control the military, and had juste back to the capital after a visit to Nan Zhao with Grand Prince Xin, Long Yi(1).


    ¡°Your humble servant greets your imperial highness,¡± Luo Wei made a salute to Long Xiang.


    ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Long Xiang stared at Luo Wei up and down, grinning, ¡°I heard that you¡¯d changedpletely after being sick, but I didn¡¯t think it would be this much.¡±


    Luo Wei smiled back, ¡°I just got thinner, I¡¯m still Luo Wei on the inside.¡±


    Luo Wei and Long Xiang had always been friendly with one another. In the past life, after Long Xuan ascended the throne, his only brother from the same mother had been sent to Yun Guan to be Commander in Chief. Long Xiang had be, after the death of Luo Qi, another great asset to Yun Guan, and was gifted the title of Grand Prince Yu. It was because of this development that Grand Prince Yu, Long Xiang, was not able to protect Luo Wei¡¯s family from being torn apart. All he could do at the time was send missive after missive to Emperor Ping Chang, asking him to send Luo Wei to Yun Guan as a bond-servant. But all of these missives were just a drop in the ocean to Long Xuan, and Long Xiang had never been able to make it back to the capital to properly plead for Luo Wei. If there was a single person in the imperial family that Luo Wei did not have some hatred for, it would be Long Xiang.


    ¡°The two of you may go chat amongst yourselves,¡± Emperor Xing Wu knew that the two of them were friends. If he were within earshot, the two of them wouldn¡¯t dare say anything too close to one another. So the emperor did them a favor and allowed Luo Wei to take a break instead. With Grand Prince Xin, who¡¯d just arrived at the Hall of Eternal Light, Emperor Xing Wu left the two of them so that the adults could chat about the goings-on in the Kingdom of Nan Zhao.


    Luo Wei had wanted to talk to Long Xiang alone, considering the fact that from his point of view, he hadn¡¯t seen Long Xiang for years and years. But Luo Wei didn¡¯t expect Long Xiang to drag him all the way to Long Xuan¡¯s Hall of Literary Transcendence(2).


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Long Xiang called out for Long Xuan as soon as he entered, ¡°Look who I brought over!¡±


    Long Xuan was writing at his desk with his head down, but he lifted his eyes to see Luo Wei standing with his brother, and wasn¡¯t able to look away.


    ¡°Your humble servant greets your imperial highness,¡± Luo Wei quickly paid his respects to Long Xuan.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Long Xiang thought it was funny, ¡°Xiao Wei, I didn¡¯t know you could be so formal with my big brother!¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°It was because your humble servant was not conscientious in the past.¡±


    Long Xuan turned his gaze to Long Xiang, ¡°When did you get back?¡±


    Long Xiang answered, ¡°Just now. I went to pay respects to our imperial father, and came here straight after.¡±


    Long Xuan chided him, ¡°Where are your manners? Why aren¡¯t you going to pay respects to our consort mother?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to go with you,¡± Long Xiang answered casually. The fifth prince¡¯s eyes fell on something on Long Xuan¡¯s desk, a little knick-knack of some sort, ¡°Big brother, what¡¯s this?¡± He pointed at the little model ship.


    Luo Wei startled at the sight of that wooden model ship. It was something he¡¯d madest year for Long Xuan¡¯s birthday, he didn¡¯t expect that Long Xuan actually kept it, and even put it out on disy.


    Long Xuan was staring at Luo Wei again.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Grand Prince Xin ¨C The character for Xin is ¡°trust¡±. Grand Prince is a title, not to be mistaken with the princes who are sons of the emperor. The title of Grand Prince is often gifted to the brothers / cousins of the emperor. In Chinese, the title is simr to ¡°king¡±, but this trantion will use Grand Prince as to not confuse with the titles of ¡°king¡± which will be usedter on.


    2. Hall of Literary Transcendence ¨C The original Chinese for this hall name is ¡°qing wen¡±. ¡°Qing¡± literally trantes to leaning, bending, or inclining. ¡°Wen¡± means words, script,nguage. However, there are other word groups that use ¡°qing¡±, as in ¡°qing guo¡±, which means to ovee a country via one¡¯s beauty / ability, etc, or ¡°qing shi¡± which means the best in the world. This trantion will use The Hall of Literary Transcendence in order to give a little nod to the original context of the individual characters.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Hope you guys didn¡¯t forget Long Xiang!! He¡¯s a good kid. Just a reminder of some of the characters (maybe I should set up a character page). Long Xiang willter be named Grand Prince of Yu, which is a title, which is different from Long Yu, who is the crown prince at the moment. It¡¯s kind of confusing in English but again, in Chinese, the characters are pretty different and easier to tell apart ??

 Chapter 67

    Luo Wei stared at the model wooden ship sitting atop the desk and smiled, ¡°I gifted this to your imperial highnessst year. I hope your imperial highness will forgive me for gifting you such a crude, ugly thing.¡±


    Long Xuan asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you make this yourself?¡±


    Luo Wei responded, ¡°I would¡¯ve done a much better job than this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Long Xiang interjected, ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty well made, and my big brother must like it, or else why would he put it on his desk like this?¡±


    Luo Wei sneered inside. Long Xuan had never considered anything gifted to him by Luo Wei as anything other than trash, like it? Never. Though Luo Wei was a little confused about why Long Xuan would have it disyed so close at hand, but whatever reason it was, it¡¯s not because he liked it. ¡°Your humble servant shan¡¯t disturb your imperial highnesses any longer.¡± With Long Xuan there, Luo Wei¡¯s interest in speaking to Long Xiang had dwindled to nothing, so he bid his farewell and excused himself, ¡°Your humble servant shall take his leave.¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t even look back as he left, and Long Xiang stood there, shocked, ¡°Big brother, why did Xiao Wei leave? Doesn¡¯t he remember that your birthday¡¯s today?¡±


    In the years past, the person most enthusiastic for Long Xuan¡¯s birthday had been Luo Wei. But as Long Xuan thought of how Luo Wei looked with his eyes cold but lips smiling, he exined to Long Xiang rather lightly, ¡°He¡¯s be distanced from us, can you not tell?¡±


    Long Xiang felt it was a little strange. When had Luo Wei ever not greeted Long Xuan with a smile, and begging to stick around for along as he can? Yet today he¡¯d only stuck around to pay some casual smalltalk, and didn¡¯t want to stay a moment longer than he had to. What¡¯s going on?


    Long Xuan stared at the wooden ship on his desk. A year ago, Luo Wei had given this to him as if it¡¯d been a treasure, iming that he¡¯d made it by hand. How unexpected that a yearter, the same person could look at the same object as if it were mere trash. Today was Long Xuan¡¯s birthday, and he¡¯d had a brief fantasy that Luo Wei would celebrate it with him like any other year. The reason that he¡¯d put this ship out on his desk was really because he wanted Luo Wei to know that he did appreciate these little things. He hadn¡¯t wanted it to end like this. From what Luo Wei implied, the third young master¡¯s wish was to have Long Xuan discard this model ship as soon as he can.


    ¡°Big brother?¡± Long Xiang called out carefully as he watched the emotions y out on Long Xuan¡¯s face, suddenly cool, and suddenly warm.


    ¡°I¡¯lle with you to visit our consort mother.¡± Long Xuan settled himself and stood.


    After the miscarriage, the emperor had used her health as an excuse to defer the role of the overseer of the Back Pce to Imperial Concubine Li. Now that her health had returned, the emperor didn¡¯t seem to want to give her back the control. Imperial Concubine Li was Ding Wei Hou¡¯s daughter, and the Li family was one of the families that had supported the founding of Greater Zhou, with des piled high for their diligence and aplishments. Compared to the families of Luo and Liu, their powers were evenly matched. To have Imperial Concubine Li take over the management of the Back Pce was not undue. Consort Liu¡¯s rage was burning her up inside, but she didn¡¯t dare let any of it show.


    Long Xiang had never been particrly perceptive. After arriving at his mother¡¯s, he¡¯d gone and told her everything about his trip to Nan Zhao and all the fun he¡¯d had, not recognizing a single shred of the anxiety and nervousness that gued Consort Liu.


    ¡°Is that a gift from the imperial father?¡± Long Xuan pointed at the pile of silk brocade on the round table.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Consort Liu nodded, ¡°A reward from your imperial father.¡±


    Long Xuan¡¯s brows creased, but he said nothing. Other than visiting Consort Liu after the miscarriage, Emperor Xing Wu had not set his foot here again. He sent over gifts from time to time to show that he hadn¡¯t forgotten Consort Liu, but that¡¯s all he did. The eyes in the Back Pce were all sharp and poisonous. The fact that Consort Liu had fallen out of favor wasmon knowledge, and the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty, once filled with peopleing and going to vie for Consort Liu¡¯s support, was now deserted.


    Between mother and son, Consort Liu and Long Xuan both had the thought that perhaps the emperor knew their dealings behind the scenes of the miscarriage. How they¡¯d tried to put the me on the empress. Yet the two of them couldn¡¯t believe, or rather, couldn¡¯t dare to believe it as truth. Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s moods were wild and raging. If he did know that they had a hand in the background, how could he have let the two of them live? But if he didn¡¯t know, why would Consort Liu fall out of favor so quickly? Was it because the whole thing embarrassed the empress? Like two travellers on a foggy road, Long Xuan and Consort Liu couldn¡¯t tell whaty behind them, or whaty ahead of them.

 Chapter 68

    After asking everything she could about Long Xiang¡¯s recent adventures, Consort Liu turned her questioning to Long Xuan, ¡°Has your uncle gone to see you?¡±


    After Imperial Concubine Liu assumed managerial control of the Back Pce, Liu Shuang Shi couldn¡¯t just find a random reason to go see his Imperial Consort sister anymore.


    ¡°Yes, he has,¡± Long Xuan answered.


    ¡°Has he said anything?¡± Consort Liu asked again.


    ¡°Nothing much,¡± Between the space of those two words, Consort Liu began to cough hard.


    ¡°Consort mother?¡± It took all of that for Long Xiang to finally notice that Consort Liu was not in good health, and he quickly added, ¡°Consort other, what happened to you?¡±


    Long Xuan pped his hand on his mother¡¯s back to sooth her cough while a maid came by with water and medicine.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s been happeningtely,¡± It took a while before Consort Liu could stop coughing and speak, ¡°This cough just hasn¡¯t gone away!¡±


    Long Xuan said, ¡°Let¡¯s get an imperial physician to take a look at you again.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s taken a look,¡± Consort Liu answered, ¡°We changed physicians justst night. He came to see me and wrote another prescription. I just don¡¯t think it helps much.¡±


    ¡°Consort mother,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°Give that prescription to me.¡±


    Long Xuan would see to it that his uncle found physicians outside the pce to examine the prescription for the medicine that Consort Liu took.


    ¡°Consort mother,¡± Long Xiang asked from the side, ¡°Does imperial father know that you¡¯re sick?¡±


    Consort Liu answered, ¡°Your imperial father¡¯s busy.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯te to see you?¡± Long Xiang raised his voice.


    ¡°Be quiet!¡± Long Xuan stopped Long Xiang with a shout, then whispered, ¡°Do you know what this ce is? Can we afford to shout nonsense?¡±


    ¡°But what in the world happened?¡± Long Xiang didn¡¯t get it. He¡¯d left one pce to go to Nan Zhao, but came back to one that waspletely different.


    Long Xuan only wanted Long Xiang to shut up. Things aren¡¯t right, that much he could feel. It seemed that there was another hand at his back, this one was slowly, determinedly pushing him further and further off a cliff¡¯s ledge.


    Zhao Fu arrived just then with an imperial physician in tow.


    ¡°Your royal highness, are you feeling better?¡± Zhao Fu asked Consort Liu reverently.


    ¡°A little,¡± Consort Liu had always been polite to this eunuch, he was the overseer of the Hall of Eternal Light, after all, ¡°Mister, you¡¯ve worked hard in service of our imperial majesty.¡±


    Zhao Fu smiled, ¡°Your humble servant is only doing whates naturally.¡±


    Zhao Fu watched Consort Liu take the medicine. In thest little while, every once in a few days, he¡¯de and watch to make sure that Consort Liu was taking her medicine. This was still a woman who¡¯d once been favored by the emperor, Zhao Fu thought, how pitiable that heart had been too treacherous! It seems the emperor didn¡¯t want her to stay around anymore.


    Consort Liu finished the medicine, and gave a reward to Zhao Fu herself. Emperor Xing Wu wouldn¡¯t visit, so she had hoped to ingratiate herself to the eunuch. Perhaps he¡¯d mention her in front of the emperor and say something good, remind him all the good she¡¯d done in the past.


    Zhao Fu took the reward and excused himself.


    Consort Liu put on a brave face and smiled at Long Xuan, ¡°Today¡¯s your birthday, Xiang Er¡¯s back too, why don¡¯t we have dinner together?¡±


    Long Xuan nodded.


    Outside the Hall of Eternal LIght, Luo Wei watched as Zhao Fu approached.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Zhao Fu saw Luo Wei from a ways away, and bid him good afternoon.


    ¡°Mister, you¡¯ve been to see Consort Liu?¡± Luo Wei smiled as he asked.


    ¡°Yes, just now,¡± Zhao Fu answered, ¡°Consort Liu¡¯s been sick for a while now, and she doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯s getting any better.¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s smile didn¡¯t change. Zhao Fu had been going to watch Consort Liu take her medicine once every few days. It seems like Emperor Xing Wu didn¡¯t want to keep this woman around anymore. It was only natural. How could the emperor of a nation stand to share a bed with someone devious enough to plot with him in mind?


    ¡°Young master,¡± Zhao Fu said to Luo Wei, ¡°It¡¯s the second prince¡¯s birthday today, you know?¡±


    Luo Wei blinked, that¡¯s right, thest day of May, it was Long Xuan¡¯s birthday. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right,¡± Luo Wei grinned, ¡°I almost forgot. Mister,¡± Luo Wei took a few steps closer to Zhao Fu, and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re always around the emperor. There¡¯s some things you ought to remind him of, like how many of Greater Zhou¡¯s soldiers stand behind Consort Liu. There are some things that, if you don¡¯t deal with it well, mighte and bite you in the back.¡±


    Consort Liu can¡¯t die just yet. She and her family need to go down together, just like what Long Xuan did to the Luo family in the past life. Long Xuan and Liu Shuang Shi weren¡¯t stupid. If Consort Liu died under questionable circumstances, they¡¯d struggle for their own survival all the harder. This wasn¡¯t what Luo Wei wanted to see, because no matter what, it¡¯ll end in chaos for Greater Zhou.


    Zhao Fu turned his head to look at Luo Wei. In the soft warm glow of the afternoon sunshine, Luo Wei was definitely smiling and bright, but somehow, Zhao Fu didn¡¯t feel any warmth in the youth standing before him.

 Chapter 69

    The pce gates were already closed in the depths of the night.


    Luo Wei was reading missives to Emperor Xing Wu in the Hall of Eternal Light.


    Zhao Fu rushed in and knelt, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, there¡¯s an emergency report from Yun Guan.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s expression changed. Emergency reports from Yun Guan would never be about something good.


    Luo Wei sat aside quietly. He knew what was about to happen.(1) Northern Yan(2) invaded this year, and second prince Long Xuan would request to go and lead soldiers against the enemy. At the end of the conflict, he¡¯d win out and return to the capital, but Luo Wei¡¯s eldest brother, Luo Qi would fight the only losing battle he¡¯d ever fought in his life during this conflict between the Zhou and the Yan. The things that should happen will happen, but Luo Wei would make sure that the end result would be different.


    ¡°He¡¯s insane!¡± Emperor Xing Wu cursed, ¡°Si Ma Chang Tian has gone insane! I¡¯ve just signed an alliance with Nan Zhao, and he¡¯s gone ahead and attacked! This maniac!¡±


    In reality, this wasn¡¯t Northern Yan¡¯s Emperor, Si Ma Chang Tian¡¯s doing. The one who wanted to fight this war was the crown prince of Northern Yan, Si Ma Zhu Xie. Luo Wei lowered his head, looking as if he was conflicted between worry and anxiety, but he was sneering on the inside. This was just another y that the crown prince of Northern Yan was putting on with the second prince of Greater Zhou. Long Xuan¡¯s sword was finallying down on the Luo family. From now on, he¡¯d hack away at the the Luo family¡¯s flesh and blood piece by piece, and Luo Qi would be the first to go. Si Ma Zhu Xie wasn¡¯t about toe out of this empty-handed either. He wanted to use this war to get rid of his imperial father¡¯s favorite, and the only one who could challenge his im to the throne, the third prince of Northern Yan, Si Ma Qing Sha. In the past life, both of these agitators had gotten exactly what they¡¯d wanted. Luo Qi lost, and the junior chancellor¡¯s eldest son, Liu Wu Sheng became the vicemander of Yun Yuan. Not only that, Liu Wu Sheng wore away and imed Luo Qi¡¯smand bit by bit until nothing was left. Si Ma Qing Sha had died in battle too, meaning that within Northern Yan, there would be no other contender for the throne other than Si Ma Zhu Xie. Luo Wei listened to Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s curses while he quietly sheathed his own malice, making sure that no one would be able to tell.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Wei waited until Emperor Xing Wu was finished raging, and got up to kneel, facing the emperor, ¡°Your humble servant requests to be sent to Yun Guan.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu was surprised to say the least, ¡°Wei er, do you intend on fighting on the battlefield?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Northern Yan is our nation¡¯s greatest enemy. Your humble servant would like to go and see what manner of people they are. Everyone knows that once war has been dered, it is the people who suffer the most, so I don¡¯t understand why the emperor of Northern Yan, the father of his nation, does not seem to mind!¡±


    ¡°You can get up and talk,¡± How could Emperor Xing Wu feelfortable with letting Luo Wei go to Yun Guan by himself? ¡°Wei Er, you¡¯re not a military officer, nor are you experienced with martial arts, how are you going to get between the fighting?¡±


    Luo Wei still kneeled as he spoke, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, my eldest brother will protect me. Your Imperial Majesty once told me that as a person who lives in this world, one needs to gather as many experiences as they can. I would like to go this time to see what war looks like.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not scared?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Both of my brothers are officers in the military, and I¡¯ve heard them talk of what it¡¯s like to march in battle. I have no reason to be afraid.¡±


    ¡°Wei Er,¡± Emperor Xing Wu sighed, ¡°To hear about it and to see it are two different things. You are still young, there¡¯s no shame in not going this time.¡±


    Luo Wei lifted his head, his eyes shining, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, do you think that I¡¯m incapable as well as a coward?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu regarded Luo Wei for a moment, then burst outughing. Luo Wei had be in more ways than one, a pleasant surprise for the emperor. Not only because Luo Wei was his son with Luo Zhi Jin, but also that he was wise beyond his years and courageous to boot. ¡°Wei Er, are you really not afraid?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked.


    ¡°It is your humble servant¡¯s honest wish to go and experience what it¡¯s like amongst soldiers in Yun Guan.¡± Luo Wei prostrated himself as he answered.


    ¡°Fine, I shall allow it.¡± Emperor Xing Wu didn¡¯t think about it any more than that. If he wanted to cultivate Luo Wei as a person, then he needed to give Luo Wei chances to gain experience. An eagle needs to spread their wings and fly, there was no reason to always keep Luo Wei at his side.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. He knew what was about to happen. ¨C A specific note and general as well, this trantion will add in additional detail that is not within the original text to make the meaning clear. Since tenses in Chinese are not especially defined when telling a story, additional points like this that do not exist in the original text has been added for rity.


    2. Northern Yan ¨C A state in the Sixteen Kingdoms era in historical China. Though the name is the same, the author has fictionalized much of the history in this novel. As a cement reference, it located what is modern Northeastern China.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S</strong><strong>NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Ooof, another tough week finished, but hopefully here are a few chapters for you guys to read and enjoy! : ) The plot is moving again, haha¡­ I want to thank all of you for reading again, reading yourments is a joy (even though I do not respond, I enjoy them all!) I recently got a few more coffees on Ko-Fi and I¡¯m so d to get the support from you guys! <3<3<3

 Chapter 70

    Having gotten the emperor¡¯s permission, Luo Wei smiled and rose to pour a hot cup of tea for him, ¡°I went with the fifth prince to see the second prince today and heard that Consort Liu is very ill.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu sipped the tea, ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother yourself with them.¡±


    Luo Wei said, ¡°I know that the second prince has always wanted to go into battle in order to help shoulder some of Your Imperial Majesty¡¯s stress, and to protect the nation. Only now that Consort Liu is ill, he won¡¯t be able to leave her by herself with how loyal to the family he is.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu made a ¡°mm¡± noise and continued sipping on the tea. After a moment of thought, he looked up at Luo Wei, ¡°Wei Er, be honest with me, are you not too fond of being in the pce?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled with some resignation, ¡°I¡¯d like to stay by Your Imperial Majesty¡¯s side, but there are things in the pce that I don¡¯t understand and can¡¯t wrap my mind around it.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Father has always taught me that in this world, ck is ck and white is white. But, in the pce, I can¡¯t seem to separate the two.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu sighed. He was somewhat d now that Luo Wei didn¡¯t grow up at his side, and wasn¡¯t exposed to things like this until now.


    The next day, Long Xuan really dide to the emperor to request permission to ride out with the army.


    Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s brows locked, ¡°Your Consort Mother is sick in bed, and you still want to go to Yun Guan?¡±


    Luo Wei knew that Emperor Xing Wu was about to lecture Long Xuan, and quickly annouced, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, your humble servant shall excuse himself.¡±


    ¡°You can go,¡± Emperor Xing Wu dismissed Luo Wei with a wave of his hand.


    Luo Wei stood in the gallery of the side hall, and Zhao Fu shuffled up to him, whispering, ¡°Young Master, your humble servant has spoken with His Imperial Majesty regarding the points that you brought up while I helped him to bedst night.¡±


    Luo Wei thanked him, ¡°Apologies for burdening with the task, mister. What did His Imperial Majesty say?¡±


    Zhao Fu answered, ¡°He didn¡¯t say much, but he did give me a reward. Your humble servant needs to thank you for that!¡±


    Luo Wei smiled softly, ¡°It¡¯s well deserved, mister, there¡¯s no need to thank me.¡±


    As the two of them were still discussing, the junior chancellor and his son walked by.


    Zhao Fu jogged up to greet the two, paying his respects to them as he spoke, ¡°Chancellor, His Imperial Majesty and His Imperial Highness the second prince are speaking at the moment, let me announce you first.¡±


    Luo Wei faced the father and son duo and bowed, smiling harmlessly.


    Liu Shuang Shi was all smiles to Luo Wei as well, but Liu Wu Sheng only harrumphed and turned his head, avoiding eye contact with Luo Wei. In the Liu family, Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s was the only one who chose the military in his generation. He was gifted and trained hard at martial arts, and was four years older than Luo Qi. But in terms of experience, Luo Qi far surpassed him.


    Not long after, Zhao Fu came out of the main hall and invited the father and son inside.


    Luo Wei waited in the gallery. It didn¡¯t take long for Long Xuan toe out of the side hall.


    Long Xuan had been lectured harshly by the emperor, and even though he wasn¡¯t resigned to take it lying down, there was no way to argue with his imperial father. Consort Liu was ill, that was true, but if he didn¡¯t go to Yun Guan this time, the deal he had with Si Ma Zhu Xie would be much harder to aplish, and his goal of achieving some power in this military campaign would be all but lost.


    Luo Wei bowed to Long Xuan from a distance, but did not move to get closer. He didn¡¯t say anything either as he stood.


    It was Long Xuan who walked up to Luo Wei. He regarded this youth who¡¯d been at his side for so many and yed him for a food, and couldn¡¯t believe how much of a stranger he seemed now, how distant, ¡°Luo Wei.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Your Imperial Highness,¡± Luo Wei looked like he was ready to humbly receive whatever Long Xuan had to say.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be a world-ss actor,¡± Long Xuan said, coldly.


    Luo Wei smiled. A gorgeous smile caught at the corners of his lips, the expression spreading to the rest of that pretty face, like a soft wind on ake in spring.


    If only this person was still by his side! Long Xuan thought to himself, but quickly and harshly cursed himself for thinking it. Did he want to be lied to again?! Long Xuan turned and left. This person¡¯s surname is Luo, and he will only stand by Long Yu¡¯s side. They were destined to be enemies in this life!


    Luo Wei watched as Long Xuan left. No matter what kind of situation Long Xuan was in, the second prince would always have his back straight, never letting go of his pride. Long Xuan would be a good emperor, and in reality, he was, but this time around, Luo Wei would never let him sit on the throne. In the past life, Luo Wei was the person that Long Xuan hated the most, but in this life, Luo Wei would be Long Xuan¡¯s greatest enemy.

 Chapter 71

    Liu Shuang Shi stood quietly at the door of the side gallery. He saw the mysterious look of tragedy and sadness on Luo Wei¡¯s face as Luo Wei watched Long Xuan walk away. He also saw the frigid coldness in Luo Wei¡¯s eyes as the youth stared at Long Xuan¡¯s back, and it shocked him to the core. Did Luo Wei hate Long Xuan? Liu Shuang Shi asked himself as he watched. If there wasn¡¯t the sort of hatred that cut straight to the bone like this, then why would a youth of thirteen watch Long Xuan with this sort of an expression?


    ¡°Father,¡± Liu Wu Sheng had just exited into the side gallery, and saw that his father was standing there quietly, so he called out to him.


    Upon hearing Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s voice, Luo Wei turned around and smiled at the father and son, and very respectfully bowed to them.


    Liu Shuang Shi watched Luo Wei¡¯s face change in the space of an instant, and felt his body go numb. Did he make a mistake just now in judging Luo Wei¡¯s expression, or was this kid too good of an actor?


    Emperor Xing Wu did not allow Long Xuan to leave the capital, but Liu Wu Sheng had gotten his wish. He was to lead out the emergency diversion of troops from the capital to assist in Yun Guan. What surprised everyone was that this time, Emperor Xing Wu did not name a military supervisor, but instead sent Luo Wei to act as a supervising imperial envoy, with an imperial edict to go and supervise the military. Luo Wei had not be a part of the court as of yet, but he was the emperor¡¯s disciple. Just because of that, the emperor could give him whatever title or role the emperor wished. However, Luo Wei was only thirteen, and war was not child¡¯s y. A thirteen year old youth was being given the responsibility of supervising the military? The rest of the imperial envoys quickly made noises of dissatisfaction at the emperor¡¯s decision, and the missives about their opposition fell on the emperor¡¯s desk like snowkes. For a stubborn and strong emperor such as Xing Wu, however, thements from the imperial envoys could go in one ear and out the other at his discretion, so the emperor pretended to not even see these messages.


    It was actually the empress, Luo Zhi Yi, who started to worry for Luo Wei after she¡¯d heard the news. She especially asked Shang Xi to go and summon Luo Wei to her Hall of the Gracious Phoenix.


    ¡°Auntie,¡± Whenever there were no other people of note in the hall, Luo Wei would change to calling the empress as his auntie, and of course, this time was no different.


    ¡°Wei Er,¡± Luo Zhi Yi beckoned Luo Wei closer to her, worry bubbling up in her chest as he spoke, ¡°War is made for generals. You¡¯ve never studied martial arts or military strategy, how could you go on the battlefield? If this is a job given to you by the emperor, there¡¯s no shame in denying it.¡±


    ¡°Auntie,¡± Luo Wei snuggled in close as he sat next to Luo Zhi Yi, ¡°My eldest brother is there, do you really think he¡¯s going to let me get anywhere close to the fighting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried no matter if you go and fight face to face with the enemy or not,¡± Luo Zhi Yi sighed, ¡°What if you got injured? Your eldest brother won¡¯t know how to face our family.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it sounds like auntie cares about me a lot more than she cares about my eldest brother, huh,¡± Luo Wei joked as he smiled.


    ¡°Nonsense!¡± Luo Zhi Yi poked at Luo Wei¡¯s forehead with her finger, ¡°How could I not care about him? But your eldest brother is very skilled in martial arts, do you think you couldpare?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t go, then His Imperial Majesty will send someone else,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°If he sent someone who wasn¡¯t friendly to us, do you think they¡¯dpare with me standing side by side with my brother? Auntie, don¡¯t worry, my eldest brother is going to make sure I¡¯m safe, and I¡¯ll be very, very careful too!¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you want to go so badly!¡± Emperor Xing Wu was grinning as he entered, ¡°You¡¯re afraid I¡¯m going to send someone who¡¯d meddle in your brother¡¯s business!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± The two seated rtives quickly rose and paid their respects to the emperor.


    ¡°Both of you may rise,¡± Emperor Xing Wu reached out to help Luo Zhi Yi up himself, ¡°Empress, now do you know how clever and mischievous your little nephew is?¡±


    Luo Zi Yi smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t know he would think about things this deeply, he really wanted to go and help his older brother.¡±


    Luo Wei grinned, ¡°Nothing in the world stronger than brotherly love! Your Imperial Majesties, Northern Yan is going to be defeated for sure!¡±


    The emperor and empress both chuckled, and Luo Zhi Yi asked her imperial husband, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, Wei Er is still young, could he really take on the role of military supervisor?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu answered, ¡°Wei Er needs the experience in order to grow into the man he will one day be. Empress, don¡¯t worry too much about him, I believe in Wei Er, and the fact that no harm wille to him.¡±


    The emperor¡¯s words were as good as gold, with this, Luo Zhi Yi couldn¡¯t have said anything else more even if her worries were not alleviated.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Zhao Fu announced from outside the hall, ¡°Consort Liu of the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty is here to request audience.¡±


    ¡°What does she want?¡± Emperor Xing Wu didn¡¯t call her in, only asking for her intentions.


    Zhao Fu loudly announced back, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, Consort Liu¡¯s illness has had some developments.¡±


    ¡°Then call the Imperial Physicians to attend to her,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said, ¡°Let her rest and recover well.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty?¡± Luo Zhi Yi sounded like she wanted to say something.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough, my empress,¡± Emperor Xing Wu interrupted her thought, ¡°Let¡¯s dine together tonight, you, me, and Wei Er.¡±

 Chapter 72

    In the Luo Estate, Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s study.


    The two sons of the Luo family and their father sat in discussion with Xie Yu. They haven¡¯t talked about Luo Wei¡¯s imminent trip to Yun Guan, but instead spoke about what¡¯s going to happen in Yi Zhou. For Luo Ze who was not especially skilled in politics, he could only sit aside and listen while Luo Zhi Qiu, Luo Wei, and Xie Yu discussed.


    Xie Yu¡¯s opinion was that now that war has been dered, it¡¯s time to take a few steps back, ¡°It might not be good to press people too hard,¡± Xie Yu said, ¡°Prefect Chen Yu can¡¯t kill or chase off all the old officials in Yi Zhou. We¡¯ve thrown a few punches, it¡¯s time to pat them on the back a little.¡±


    Luo Wei shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m only afraid that if we slow down, the junior chancellor is going to keep ramping up.¡±


    Xie Yu responded, ¡°If we slow down and he ramps up, he¡¯ll only attract His Imperial Majesty¡¯s anger. His Imperial Majesty won¡¯t like someone who doesn¡¯t know where his priorities lie in a time of war.¡±


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°The junior chancellor¡¯s biggest skill is watching people¡¯s reactions, he¡¯s always been very diligent in knowing where his priorities are at.¡±


    Xie Yu said, ¡°Then this is the best way forward. Prefect Chen will have some time to properly manage everything in Yi Zhou. Whoever needs to be pulled closer will get pulled closer, and those who should be ousted need to be ousted.¡±


    Luo Wei nodded, ¡°The most important thing for him right now is to find a way to take over everything in the salt trade.¡±


    Xie Yu shrugged, ¡°As hard as it seems, it¡¯s not impossible.¡±


    Luo Wei grinned at Xie Yu, then said to Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Father, can you send big brother Xie to go and help Prefect Chen? Big brother Xie¡¯s read enough books already, if he keeps just sitting there and reading, he¡¯s going to lose his mind!¡±


    Xie Yuughed as he chided Luo Wei, ¡°You haven¡¯t been reading any less, or maybe you¡¯ve already lost your mind?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu opened his mouth, ¡°And the two of you still have the energy to argue like this!¡± From Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s point of view, Luo Wei and Xie Yu both were veryplex in their thoughts, and were both used to keeping these thoughts to themselves. For people like them, it¡¯d be hard to make them friends even if they were allies. It¡¯s because they¡¯re both too simr, and thus are naturally in opposition to one another. They were beyond lucky to not be mortal enemies with one another. Luo Zhi Qiu didn¡¯t think too much when he epted Xie Yu as a disciple, but he thought he¡¯d made a good move. The fact that Luo Wei could exist with Xie Yu as brothers has shown Luo Zhi Qiu that fate, as important as it was, was hard to see and harder to understand.


    ¡°Then father has agreed?¡± Luo Wei asked Luo Zhi Qiu.


    Luo Zhi Qiu looked at Xie Yu, ¡°Yu Er, do you agree?¡±


    Xie Yu got up and replied, ¡°If my master allows, then I, Xie Yu, shall head to Yi Zhou immediately.¡±


    Luo Ze looked at Xie Yu, then looked at his father, ¡°Will he be okay if he goes?¡±


    Xie Yu wasn¡¯t angry at the fact that Luo Ze didn¡¯t seem to have any confidence in him, he knows that Luo Ze didn¡¯t mean anything bad by it, ¡°Big brother, you can rest easy,¡± He said to Luo Ze, ¡°I have ns.¡±


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Luo Wei smiled, ¡°When you were Xie Yu¡¯s age, you¡¯ve already seen blood on the battlefield, why are you worried about him?¡±


    ¡°Why are you smiling?¡± Luo Ze looked at Luo Wei, ¡°Our eldest brother is in a war right now, do you think you¡¯re going there to y house with him?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Do you think our eldest brother is going to let me, his youngest sibling who doesn¡¯t know any martial arts, onto the battlefield? If you¡¯re going to worry about me, big brother, you might as well spend that energy worrying about Xie Yu.¡±


    Xie Yu raised his eyebrows, ¡°Why does he need to worry about me?¡±


    Luo Wei chuckled mischievously, ¡°Xie Yu, you¡¯re a handsome young man, elegant and graceful, but still an eligible bachelor. If you¡¯re headed to Yi Zhou, better be careful not to break too many of those youngdies¡¯ hearts!¡±


    Luo Ze startedughing right as Luo Wei spoke, and even Luo Zhi Qiu was shaking his head with a smile. Xie Yu¡¯s face went full red. With everything he knew about the machinations at court, Xie Yu was still fairly shy when it came to women, ¡°Everyday it¡¯s nonsenseing out of that mouth of yours!¡± Xie Yu cursed at Luo Wei, and then, after a moment¡¯s thought that he can¡¯t let Luo Wei off the hook like this, he added, ¡°You should be careful that you¡¯re not breaking anyone¡¯s hearts in Yun Guan!¡±


    Luo Ze quickly jumped on Xie Yu¡¯s wagon and regarded Luo Wei, ¡°Xiao Wei, you have to remember this, our father and I are not opposed to you bringing back a beautiful young wife from the border, but getting married right before a battle is a capital offense, don¡¯t make it hard for me!¡±


    Luo Wei was bending over inughter on the outside, but he thought to himself, who would want to marry me?<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>: ) hope you guys are having fun with these cuties. I love the interactions between the Luo brothers and Xie Yu, who¡¯s kind of like a friend and a brother at the same time. They get super cute like this!!


    I also found a spoilers thread for this novel on NU!! Which was so surprising because I didn¡¯t know how many people would be reading this after it got deleted on wattpad. : ) Love you guys and sorry this novel is so abusive, lol¡­ the chinese website that rmended it to me was like ¡°this novel abuses your heart and abuses your body¡± and I fully agree!! But I want to take you guys down with me because I need more people to know abt it and cry about it with me, hehe.


    It did make mee up with another idea because I saw lots of people being too scared to read due to the graphic content. Maybe when the novel gets too graphic in terms of the bad scenes, I can put up warnings and a brief summary chapter for people who don¡¯t want to read the descriptions¡­ Let me know if you guys would like that or if it doesn¡¯t matter! ??

 Chapter 73

    After theirughter, Luo Zhi Qiu looked to Xie Yu, ¡°You have to be cautious in Yi Zhou.¡±Luo Ze said, ¡°Yeah, even rabbits know how to bite when they¡¯re feeling threatened, not to mention people!¡±


    Luo Wei added, ¡°Xie Yu, when you head to Yi Zhou, drop by Xiao Yi Apothecary, take a few Shadow Guards from there with you.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu had never asked about the business with the Xiao Yi Apothecary, but he gave Luo Wei a great deal of money to spend there. The one hundred and fifty seven shadow guards at the apothecary was, in reality, property of the Luo estate. ¡°Wei Er, how are those Shadow Guards doing?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked.


    ¡°Some have recovered fully,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°There are some who still need to rest for a while. Recovery is not something to be rushed.¡±


    ¡°Then Yu Er should go and take a look,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu turned towards Xie Yu again, ¡°And see if there¡¯s anything they need there.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Xie Yu epted the task.


    As they carefully nned things out in the Luo Estate, in the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty, a shadowy cloud of worry and panic hung about the rafters.


    Consort Liu¡¯s illness seemed to have gotten much worse. She had been able to get up by herself, but now could only stay in bed.


    Liu Shuang Shi used visiting her in her time of illness as an excuse, and entered the pce to see his younger sister. Seeing how ill she¡¯d be and the precarious state she¡¯de to, his heart ached for her.


    Consort Liu held Long Xuan¡¯s hand as she spoke, ¡°Xuan Er, I¡¯ve failed you as a mother.¡±


    Long Xuan forced himself to smile, ¡°Consort mother, what are you saying? Isn¡¯t it nice for us to spend more time together?¡±


    Consort Liu was crying as she spoke, ¡°You and your uncle have nned for this for so long, who could have expected my body to fail me like this! Does your Imperial Father intend on keeping you in the pce for life? Long Yu was ten when he first left the pce to experience the outside world, your father,¡± Tears streamed down Consort Liu¡¯s face, ¡°How could your father show such tant favoritism!¡±


    ¡°Imperial consort!¡± Liu Shuang Shi quickly took a few steps closer, standing at the side of Consort Liu¡¯s bed, ¡°You can¡¯t speak so insolently about His Imperial Majesty!¡±


    Consort Liu replied, ¡°Big brother, Wu Sheng has gone to Yun Guan with that Luo Wei by his side, is he going to ruin everything?¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi sighed, ¡°Naturally, Luo Wei¡¯s eyes won¡¯t let Wu Sheng out of his sight.¡±


    ¡°Then why are we keeping him around?¡± Consort Liu¡¯s voice suddenly gained an edge of steel.


    ¡°Consort mother,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°If something were to happen to Luo Wei, my Imperial Father would not let my cousin so easily off the hook.¡±


    ¡°The Luo family, it¡¯s always this Luo family!¡± Consort Liu spat with hatred, ¡°It¡¯s always Luo family standing in our way!¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi said, ¡°The Marquess of Ding Huai hase to the capital for an audience with the emperor. He went straight to see Luo Zhi Qiu after seeing His Imperial Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Concubine Li¡­ that woman,¡± Consort Liu said, ¡°She¡¯s relying on the empress now. That stupid woman doesn¡¯t see what lies in front of her. Does she think that as long as she¡¯s allied with the empress, she¡¯d be able to take control of the six back pces? Keep dreaming!¡±


    ¡°Imperial Consort,¡± Liu Shuang Shiforted, ¡°Don¡¯t think about these things right now, recovery and rest is what you need to focus on.¡±


    Long Xuan and Liu Shuang Shi both knew very clearly that the Marquess of Ding Huai, Li Sheng, was due to ally with Luo Zhi Qiu, it was only a matter of time. Imperial Concubine Li was temporarily managing the Back Pce, and someone had heard her say once that Consort Liu was a dog that¡¯d fallen into water, the only way is to hit her while she¡¯s down and keep her from biting anyone she can reach. With no hand on actual power, but very favored by the emperor, the empress was a definite target for Imperial Concubine Li to get close to. The intrigues of the Back Pce often tugged along whatever powers and alliances were forming on the surface of the imperial court.


    ¡°Consort Mother, everything will be fine,¡± Anxiety was anxiety, but Long Xuan still had tofort his birth mother, ¡°The n will move forward if I go or if my cousin goes. There are things that we cannot rush. Do you promise to trust me?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t trust you, who else could I trust?¡± Consort Liu was speaking the truth to Long Xuan. She had be the emperor¡¯s consort when she was only fourteen, acted as a wife for him for years, and birthed two sons for him. But Emperor Xing Wu had tossed her out without a second thought, and with that, her hopes with the emperor had died. Now all she had left was her son, and yet his fate could not rely on her sess, so her fate must rely on his.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTE:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>A correction from chapter 67, Ding Wei Hou is really Hou of Ding Huai (I misread, yikes), which is to say, the Marquess of Ding Huai¡­ @[email protected] I thought I had escaped these titles by escaping from the other novel I was tranting, but it¡¯s even worse here because the author does not specifically rely on historically urate titles¡­ The only reference I could find of Ding Huai is that there is a gate named Ding Huai in Nan Jing, which I think is the capital city in this novel¡­ though the novel doesn¡¯t ever mention it. Apologies for the confusion!!


    Also I want to thank another reader for buying me LOTS OF COFFEE on kofi, i¡¯m really grateful! <3 love you guys!!!

 Chapter 74

    Ten, of the Dragon¡¯s Secret Guard, arrived tonight at the Luo estate with a few simple items packed for the trip.¡°Ten!¡± Luo Wei received Ten with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d see each other again!¡±


    Ten smiled back. Luo Wei didn¡¯t see him, that¡¯s true, but he could always keep an eye on Luo Wei from the shadows of the Hall of Eternal Light.


    ¡°This is Ning Fei,¡± Luo Wei introduced Ning Fei, who stood next to him, then called out in the direction of the room near the left window of his study, ¡°Lan! Ten¡¯s here!¡±


    Ten and Ning Fei both greeted each other respectfully before Wei Lan arrived as well.


    ¡°Wei Lan,¡± Ten checked him over, and found that his health had recovered to a fairly good state. His energy wasn¡¯t waning as it had before, and his skin had gotten a little more flushed as well. All this made Ten very happy.


    ¡°Big brother Ning Fei,¡± Luo Wei called out to Ning Fei warmly, ¡°You were going to go to Yun Guan all by yourself before, but now look at how many of us are going with you!¡±


    Ning Fei was just about to answer when Xiao Xiao rushed in like a gust of wind, with Qi Zi following close behind.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°Young master!¡± Xiao Xiao didn¡¯t sound very happy as he asked Luo Wei, all usatory, ¡°Why are you not bringing me this time?!¡±


    Luo Wei grinned, ¡°You don¡¯t know any martial arts, why would I bring you? If we¡¯re in danger, I¡¯d have to keep you safe!¡±


    Xiao Xiao answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know any martial arts but I¡¯dy down my life for your safety!¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough,¡± Luo Wei pouted, ¡°Last time when I was getting a beating, the first one to run away was you! You think you can protect me? Whatever, at least I can take a beating. Not only can you not fight, you can¡¯t take a beating either, so tell me, why should I bring you along?¡±


    Xiao Xiao yelled, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the first to run!¡±


    Luo Wei rebutted, ¡°If you weren¡¯t the first then you were the second!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the second either!¡±


    ¡°Then the third!¡±


    The four others in the courtyard were all chuckling at the scene. Somehow, watching this servant master pair fight was funnier than actually listening to a joke.


    Luo Wei and Xiao Xiao hadn¡¯t finished arguing when Luo Ze and Xie Yu came in. Of course, Luo Wei and Xie Yu spoke a few words to each other then started digging into each other sarcastically, tossing insults back and forth for fun.


    Servants of the estate brought some fruits and dim sum, and Luo Ze ordered someone to go and grab some liquor and some snacks that¡¯d go well with drinks. The group of them thus formed an impromptu gathering in the little courtyard outside Luo Wei¡¯s study, drinking and eating, chatting with each other, trading jokes withughter.


    It was the beginning of June, just the right season for flowers to bloom. A few red lotuses stood elegantly in the little pond in the courtyard, the branches of the two magnolia trees(1) were dotted with flowers, and in the corner in which they stood, bushes of china roses bloomed without a care in the world. The tungoil(2) tree was at the end of its flowering season with its branches and leaves covering almost the entire courtyard, and as the wind blew, snowy white tungoil flowers fell with the wind as if real snowkes were descending from the skies.


    The perfume of flowers permeated the entire courtyard, and as Luo Wei watched the smiling faces in front of him, he returned it with a true, happy smile. In the past, he¡¯d always only seen one person, only thought of one person, and thought because his feelings were reserved for a single person that they were somehow purer. Now, surrounded by people he cares about, seeing all of their happy faces, it somehow brought him more joy than he thought possible. It seems that feelings didn¡¯t exist to be pure or not pure, it didn¡¯t exist for having and have lost, it existed to just exist, and didn¡¯t need to be made such a fuss over.


    Luo Ze was happy, because he was a simple person, and this type of person just tended to lead happier lives than normal people.


    Xie Yu was happy, because tomorrow he was heading to Yi Zhou, and once there, he¡¯d be able to finally show off his talent and abilities.


    Ten was happy, because the life of a Dragon¡¯s Secret Guard was tense and stressful, but here at Luo Wei¡¯s, he could truly rx.


    Ning Fei was happy, because here, no one asked about where he came from, he could joke with them and not have to guard himself around them. Simply existing with people like this as himself was an experience Ning Fei had never had before.


    Wei Lan was happy, because as long as he was spending his days with Luo Wei, he¡¯d be happy.


    Qi Zi and Xiao Xiao were also happy, because they liked Luo Wei better the way he is now, gentle and kind, but also fun to be around.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Magnolia trees ¨C Yn trees in the original text, otherwise known as Yu Lan Magnolia, lilytree, or literally, jade orchid/lily. A flower that¡¯s regarded as a symbol of purity.


    2. Tungoil tree ¨C Known also as the tung tree or Tong, in Pin Yin. Arge flowering tree whose nuts are used to press oil from. The flowers are white and in small clusters.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>every time there are flowers or foods or something that is specific to China, I get a little bit of a headache. A lot of them have more meanings in China, but sound less artful in English or arepared to something in English, ie. China roses as opposed to roses. It kind of takes some of the natural reading out of the text in english, but I can¡¯t avoid it. :/


    It¡¯s a little sad though, with the tungoil tree, because the original character in Chinese looks fairly average, ie. not beautiful or ugly, but in English¡­ tung feels like such an ugly word¡­ so I opted for Tungoil because at least it¡¯s a little easier on the eyes. it¡¯s more sad when you consider that Luo Wei died in snow, but his yard is covered by a tungoil tree, so that even in summer, he¡¯d see snowkes fall from the sky¡­ ??

 Chapter 75

    Yun Guan¡¯smander Luo Qi has not gone back to the capital to visit his home for two years now. In his memories, Luo Wei was still that often-hated little chubby boy, so when he saw this beautiful youth in front of him, he almost didn¡¯t realize he was staring right at his own brother.


    Luo Wei watched Luo Qi, his emotions were running wild in his chest. His eldest brother had been rendered to nothing but mud under the hooves of the horses of Northern Yan. His eldest brother, who¡¯d died without even a body to bury, was standing in front of him right now, still as tall and as handsome as he¡¯d remembered. Just by standing there, Luo Qi gave off the sense of someone who could be relied upon, who could protect others. Luo Wei really didn¡¯t know if he ought tough or cry.


    ¡°You¡­ You¡¯re Luo Wei?¡± Luo Qi finally said, uncertainly.


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Luo Wei smiled as he called out to Luo Qi.


    Luo Qi took his time looking over Luo Wei. It seems that Luo Ze didn¡¯t lie to him in his letters, Luo Wei really was prettier than a girl now.


    Luo Weiughed, ¡°Big brother, don¡¯t you recognize me?¡±


    Luo Qi chuckled too. He¡¯d always been a serious person and didn¡¯t smile orugh often, but when he smiled, it was always warm and gentle, ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Qi pped his hand over Luo Wei¡¯s shoulder hard, ¡°You¡¯re right, I almost couldn¡¯t recognize you! Dad and your second brother sent me letters about how you¡¯d be a good kidtely, and how you¡¯ve started to help dad out. I¡¯m d to hear it!¡±


    Luo Wei shook his head, a little embarrassed, ¡°It¡¯s only because I¡¯d been such a bad kid before.¡±


    ¡°Is that Luo Wei?¡± A surprised voice came from behind the two brothers.


    Luo Wei turned to look. A man who still looked like a schr despite his heavy armor walked over. As soon as Luo Wei saw him, his expression cooled momentarily. It was Chang Ling, Chang Lu Cheng. Yun Guan¡¯smander Luo Qi¡¯s good friend, and the son of Ling Nan¡¯s Chang family. He was the first of the vicemanders of Yun Guan. Ling Nan¡¯s Chang family had chosen the second prince in the end, and Chang Ling betrayed Luo Qi by guarding Yun Guan, and not sending back up when requested, resulting in the tragic death of Luo Qi.


    ¡°Lu Cheng,¡± Luo Qi left his hand at Luo Wei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Look, our little Xiao Wei¡¯s changed a lot, right?¡±


    Chang Ling answered, ¡°You can say that again, he¡¯s changed all over! Xiao Wei, I almost didn¡¯t recognize you.¡±


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°Almost, but didn¡¯t big brother Chang call me Luo Wei just now?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Luo Qi headed in.


    Chang Ling walked in front of Luo Wei, and he didn¡¯t notice that moment of strangeness when Luo Wei saw him. Luo Wei followed behind Chang Ling, thinking about how Chang Ling had never even lived to see the day that Long Xuan ascended. It was only half a year after Luo Qi¡¯s tragic death that Chang Ling died of a sudden illness. Was it karma or was he unable to escape his guilt? Luo Wei didn¡¯t want to know the truth, because no matter what the reason was, knowing that he¡¯d betrayed them was enough.


    After they sat down, Chang Ling wanted to catch up with Luo Wei, but Luo Wei cut him off, ¡°Big brother Chang, the enemy¡¯s almost at our gates, this isn¡¯t the time to discuss these trivial matters.¡±


    Chang Ling rubbed his nose, hiding his own awkwardness.


    ¡°Please invite General Liu inside,¡± Luo Qi said to the soldier nearby, then asked Luo Wei, ¡°Xiao Wei, did His Imperial Majesty tell you anything when you left the capital?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°His Imperial Majesty says he trusts in my big brother to protect Yun Guan, that the army of Northern Yan was nothing to be scared of.¡±


    Luo Qi stood, then bowed in the direction of the capital, thanking the emperor¡¯s praise.


    Chang Ling said, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the emperor to send you as the military supervisor, Xiao Wei.¡± Chang Ling saw Luo Wei as a younger brother, so he said whatever came to his mind and was not cautious of him.


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t know how to fight, or how to direct an army, watching is about all I¡¯m good for. But when I go back to the capital, I will tell the emperor exactly what I saw here. Big brother Chang, you better be careful, my eyes are real sharp. It won¡¯t be good if I saw you doing anything wrong.¡±


    Chang Ling looked at Luo Qi. Luo Wei¡¯s words seemed to be all business, but it also felt like a joke, and he didn¡¯t know how to react exactly, unsure of which one it really was.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>SORRY GUYS!!!! I took the entirety ofst week off without letting you know, but I ended up having a lot of work recently¡­ have to pay rent and everything, lol¡­ My work is very seasonal so i try to do as much as i can when there is work in case there¡¯s nothing in the week after¡­ thank u all for all your patience, and thank u again for people who have donated over ko-fi. : ) <3 love you guys!!!

 Chapter 76

    Liu Wu Sheng arrived with a few military officers.


    Luo Qi had always been adamant about defending Yun Guan and not moving out, but Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s first suggestion was to meet the enemy head on. Luo Wei sat beside them watching without saying a single word, trying to diminish his own presence as much as he could so he could see the bigger picture. He took in the way that Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s group were excited and ambitious about their own heroism, and thought about how funny it was. Long Xuan had once said that Luo Wei was the best actor in the world, but to be honest, there wasn¡¯t a single bad actor within Long Xuan¡¯s henchmen. The script was already written, they were just acting by following the directions of the y, but it was a damn good act.


    Liu Wu Sheng insisted on marching into battle, and this left Luo Qi no choice but to agree. Even though Liu Wu Sheng wasn¡¯t amander, but he came under themand of the emperor. His insistence might very well be the insistence of the emperor. Luo Qi shot many looks over at Luo Wei, but by Luo Wei¡¯s silence, he guessed that it was the will of the emperor to march out and meet their enemy.


    Luo Wei apanied Luo Qi wherever he went in the three days following his arrival, watching all of the generals and officers discussing strategies. Liu Wu Sheng suggested that they split into three groups in order toe together and surround the enemy, and that got the approval of all the officers and generals involved. Luo Wei kept silent, and Luo Qi didn¡¯t ask much of him either, thinking that Luo Wei just didn¡¯t understand.


    On the early morning of the fourth day, ten thousand soldiers marched out of Yun Guan like a tornado.


    Two days into the march, the army marched past Mountain Wu¡¯s Wolf Valley, and set up camp on the south shore of Sunset Lake.


    Luo Qi sat in his own sleeping tent. He was just about to order someone to bring food before Luo Wei lifted the tent p and walked in. ¡°Xiao Wei, have you eaten yet?¡± Luo Qi asked. He¡¯d been so busy in thest few days that they didn¡¯t even have a chance to talk.


    ¡°Big brother, can we go somewhere together?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    Luo Qi was confused, it¡¯s already midnight, ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Something really interesting is about to happen,¡± Luo Wei grinned as he tugged on Luo Qi¡¯s sleeve, ¡°So I¡¯m asking big brother toe with me so we can watch it together.¡± He had to use this trick at home with his second oldest brother, but he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d have to use it again with his oldest brother too.


    Luo Qi was still baffled when Luo Wei pulled him out of the tent.


    In the depths of the night, the camp was lit with torches all around. The sound of horses asionally broke the silence, but there were no sounds of people around.


    ¡°That¡¯s Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s tent,¡± Luo Qi recognized the tent in front of them as Luo Wei dragged him somewhere hidden in the shadows.


    ¡°Our great general Liu is entertaining a guest,¡± Luo Wei whispered to Luo Qi, ¡°Big brother, let¡¯s wait a moment.¡±


    Luo Qi didn¡¯t understand why he, amander of three armies, had to hide here to watch one of his subordinate officer¡¯s tent. He was just about to chide Luo Wei for nonsense when a person dressed in all ck exited Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s tent hurriedly.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back,¡± Luo Wei said.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± Luo Qi asked.


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already asked someone to follow them, we¡¯ll know in a little bit.¡±


    Luo Qi was full of suspicion, and was dragged all the way back to his own tent again by his little brother.


    When they¡¯ve returned, Luo Wei ordered someone to bring Luo Qi dinner while he himself sat beside his older brother with a cup of tea in his hands.


    How could Luo Qi still have an appetite after this? So he asked, ¡°What¡¯s really going on here?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°If I told you now, you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me, and I¡¯ll be the judge of it!¡± Luo Qi said.


    Luo Wei grinned, ¡°Aren¡¯t you hungry, though? Eat something first.¡±


    At this moment, Ning Fei arrived too, looking just as confused as Luo Qi.


    ¡°I told him toe,¡± Luo Wei said to Luo Qi, then greeted Ning Fei and invited him to sit down too, ¡°Let¡¯s all wait a while longer.¡±


    This little while longer extended to almost dawn.


    Wei Lan was silent when he slipped into the tent, dressed in ck and handed an envelop to Luo Wei without a word.


    ¡°Big brother, you should read this,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t even look at it before he gave it to Luo Qi, ¡°Wei Lan got this off of that man we saw earlier.¡±


    Luo Qi quickly opened the envelope, but discovered that it was all ciphers, he didn¡¯t understand any of it. When he looked at the writing, however, he recognized that it was Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s.


    ¡°This is a book from the private collection of Northern Yan¡¯s Imperial family, called ¡®Strategy of All Under Heaven''(1),¡± Luo Wei gave another book to Luo Qi, ¡°Apparently it¡¯s a text that¡¯s forbidden to be copied or transmitted by the Northern Yan¡¯s Imperial family, but luckily, His Imperial Majesty has a copy in his study. Big brother, you can use this as a guide to the cipher and see what¡¯s written in that letter. Big brother Ning Fei, you should help him look.¡±<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Strategy of All Under Heaven ¨C Original text is Tian Xia Ce, which can be literally tranted as book or strategy of everything under the sky.

 Chapter 77

    Luo Qi and Ning Fei both held the copy of Strategy of All Under Heaven, counting the lines and the characters, deciphering the letter word for word. The expression on both of their faces changed as they read. This was a letter of treason, selling out imperial military secrets!


    Luo Wei stepped closer and took the letter, folding it as it was folded before, then sealed it the same way before addressing Wei Lan, ¡°Deliver it.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Luo Qi said, ¡°How are you going to deliver that, where are you even delivering it to?!¡±


    Wei Lan exined inly, ¡°I followed that guy the whole way. There¡¯s a forest nearby with messenger pigeons.¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Luo Wei handed the letter to Wei Lan, ¡°Be careful.¡±


    Wei Lan nodded.


    Luo Qi quickly questioned, ¡°How could you deliver that letter?!¡±


    Luo Wei turned and asked in return, ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we? Big brother, we could just beat them at their own game.¡±


    Wei Lan excused himself and left the tent, disappearing like a ghost into the pre-dawn night.


    Luo Wei looked at Luo Qi, then at Ning Fei, and smiled, ¡°It¡¯s all just a y being put on by two people who¡¯d been driven insane by their ambition to be emperors.¡±


    Luo Qi felt a chill through his entire body. He wasmander at Yun Guan, far away from the machinations of politics. He couldn¡¯t have imagined that treason and betrayal of the emperors were things that actually existed in the world. Ning Fei was dumbstruck too, finally realizing that the schemes being put on by the people in Ming Jian Vi were childsypared to this, and wasn¡¯t even worth the mention.


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t seem to take it very seriously, though, and asked, ¡°Big brother, do you think we still need to fight this war if we were going along with Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s ns?¡±


    Luo Qi wanted to go and kick Liu Wu Sheng to death right now, this man was sentencing an entire army to death!


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time to be angry, we should think about what to do next.¡±


    Luo Qi lowered his head and sat for a moment, calming himself, ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± He asked, ¡°How did you know about all of this?¡±


    ¡°How could I not know?¡± Luo Wei asked, ¡°What else am I supposed to do in the middle of a war without knowing the first thing about how to fight? nt trees and start a garden in all the dust you guys kick up?¡±


    ¡°Does His Imperial Majesty know?¡± Luo Qi asked.


    ¡°This,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±


    Luo Qi nodded, ¡°Call for Chang Ling.¡±


    Luo Wei stopped him, ¡°The less people know about this the better.¡±


    Luo Qi looked at Luo Wei, then waved Ning Fei over to his desk, unrolling the map. Ning Fei held amp in his hand, the two huddled over the map, pointing and prodding at one location or another.


    Luo Wei sat aside. He didn¡¯t care much about what Luo Qi was discussing with Ning fei. He trusted in the abilities of his eldest brother to defeat Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s ns and Northern Yan¡¯s Si Ma Zhu Xie¡¯s army.


    Luo Qi and Ning Fei were merely acquaintances, but seeing as how Luo Wei trusted this youthpletely, Luo Qi didn¡¯t suspect anything of Ning Fei. He treated Ning Fei like he would a confidant. As the day was about to break for real, Luo Qi handed a g to Ning Fei as a token of authority(1) from themander, giving him themand of five thousand soldiers to march out of camp.


    Luo Wei saw Ning Fei out of the tent, ¡°Big brother Ning Fei,¡± He called out to Ning Fei, warmly, ¡°Take care of yourself out there.¡±


    Suddenly serious, Ning Fei bowed to Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei quickly reached out to hold him up, speaking quietly, ¡°Big brother Ning Fei, don¡¯t think about Ming Jian Vi anymore. The world is so much bigger than that little vi. If you be a general of Greater Zhou, Ming Jian vi will throw themselves at your feet, wagging their tails and begging for your mercy. That day wille.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that will be my future?¡± Ning Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been wrong in my judgement of people,¡± Luo Wei smiled.


    Ning Feiughed finally, the first time he did so openly in front of Luo Wei. Theughter was like the first rays of sunshine breaking over the horizon, radiant and bright. ¡°I shall take my leave now. Be safe, young master.¡± Ning Fei said his farewells to Luo Wei and left.


    It was only when he turned to head back to the tent that Luo Wei realize Luo Qi was standing right behind him.


    ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Qi asked, ¡°Why do you trust him so much?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Because he¡¯s a person who knows how to pay his debts of gratitude. I trust people like that. And it doesn¡¯t hurt that his mother and siblings are still living in our estate, he wouldn¡¯t view their safety lightly.¡±


    Luo Qi looked at Luo Wei. The youth was smiled, though it didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. In this moment, Luo Qi stopped seeing Luo Wei as a child and began to believe everything that Luo Zhi Qiu had told him in their letters. The one reminder that his father left him too: Luo Wei is deeply cunning, as long as you do what he says, nothing will go wrong.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Token of authority ¨C A small triangr g used to show that someone with higher authority has invested responsibilities into a lower ranking person in the military. They can act as signals as well, in the case of attacking forces.

 Chapter 78

    Luo Qi organized everything alone and decisively. Luo Wei obeyed hismand and took ten thousand soldiers to be stationed in the small city of Ye Qie. The battle ahead seemed to have nothing to do with them any longer.


    Three dayster, news came from the front of the progress of war, describing how the army of Northern Yan had retreated a hundred miles.


    Five dayster, a prison wagon slipped into Luo Wei¡¯s military residence under the secrecy of night.


    Si Ma Qing Sha had fought a hopelessly stupid war this time. No matter how, he wasn¡¯t able to understand why he had suffered such losses. The army of Greater Zhou seemed to know exactly what his soldiers were going to do, the traps they¡¯d set were so perfect that even he had nothing to say about them.


    ¡°Third prince,¡± This was the first time that Luo Wei has met Si Ma Qing Sha. He cut an impressive figure, and yet his face was adorned with a pair of peach blossom eyes(1) with upturned corners. Even though he¡¯d been taken prisoner, he still had the bearing of a jade tree ready to face the oing storm. This sort of man was rare in the world indeed.


    Si Ma Qing Sha was also looking at Luo Wei. This person was obviously the master around here, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be a teenage youth. At first nce it was hard to tell if he was a man or a woman, but the boy could be described as exceedingly beautiful, enough to overthrow a city or a kingdom. ¡°Who are you?¡± Si Ma Qing Sha asked.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°My name is Luo Wei, and my style name is Yun Qi.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha quickly said, ¡°The emperor¡¯s disciple, and senior chancellor¡¯s third son?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that the third prince would know who I was.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha¡¯s face remained cold, ¡°What are you going to do with me?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Right now, the soldiers of Northern Yan are probably wearing their funerary clothes for you, the third prince is as good as dead to them.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha huffed, ¡°If you¡¯re going to kill me, then do it, we don¡¯t have to y games.¡±


    Luo Wei kept smiling as he spoke, ¡°The third prince doesn¡¯t seem to value his life, but does he also not want to know why he lost?¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha looked at him, ¡°So tell me why I lost.¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Naturally it¡¯s because someone wanted you to die more than we did.¡±


    This was the answer that Si Ma Qing Sha dreaded. Si Ma Zhu Xie¡¯s troops were the ones who were operating in the light, his soldiers were supposed to operate under cover. Even if the army of Greater Zhou was going to set traps, they should have been targeted at Si Ma Zhu Xie¡¯s troops, how would they have targeted what they didn¡¯t know?


    Luo Wei watched as the expression on the third prince¡¯s face changed time and time again, but Luo Wei never lost his smile, ¡°Perhaps the third prince would like to hear what our strategy was before things changed.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha listened to Luo Wei describing their original tactics without so much as raising his voice. The description rendered him wide-eyed and speechless. If things had gone ording to what they had nned, Greater Zhou would have also suffered tremendous losses. The result would have been a draw.


    ¡°So, there are people who¡¯re also hoping for my older brother¡¯s death.¡± Luo Wei said, finally.


    ¡°Who are these people?¡± Si Ma Qing Sha asked.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Two people with ambition to be emperors.¡±


    ¡°Long Xuan?¡± Si Ma Qing Sha only thought about it for a moment before he realized the answer.


    Luo Wei poured him some tea, ¡°Crown Prince Zhu Xie might be overthinking everything, I think. He¡¯s your empress¡¯ eldest, rightful son. As long as he doesn¡¯t make any wrong moves, the transition from crown prince to emperor was only a matter of time.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha looked at the steaming cup of tea in front of him with indifference.


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°Does the third prince wish to be emperor too?¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha didn¡¯t use Luo Wei of speaking impertinent nonsense. He already knew that the youth in front of him might be his ally in iming the throne of Northern Yan. Like Si Ma Zhu Xie and Long Xuan were allies, the enemy of his enemy is his friend.


    Luo Wei saw by Si Ma Qing Sha¡¯s expression that they were about to be fast friends, and chuckled, ¡°Crown Prince Zhu Xie sees your highness as a tiger at his side, even with a transgression this severe, he would have you die. Looks like there¡¯s a good reason that he won¡¯t seed.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha replied, ¡°We Northern Yan have taken notice of the emperor¡¯s thirteen year old disciple a long time ago. The fact that Long Xuan hasn¡¯t taken care of you seems to me that his abilities are only so-so.¡±


    Luo Weiughed out loud and responded, ¡°I could make your highness return with victory in hand.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha said inly, ¡°Then I¡¯m all ears.¡±<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Peach blossom eyes ¨C Original text trantes to peach blossom phoenix eyes. Peach blossom eyes are eyes roughly shaped like a single peach blossom petal, with the end turned slightly upwards, and a pink hue around the edges of the eyes. Phoenix eyes refer to the corners of the eyes which are upturned.

 Chapter 79

    ¡°There¡¯s a town about a hundred miles of here called Huang Sha,¡± Luo Wei spread out a map himself, pointing at the location for Si Ma Qing Sha, ¡°Your highness could take your soldiers here, take the town, sack it for some gold, jewels, and women as war prizes to herald your return.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha asked, ¡°As the young master¡¯s prisoner, where am I going to find any soldiers?¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°Your highness¡¯ loyal followers have been tailing you, hoping to rescue you, do you not know?¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha stared at Luo Wei, ¡°And you¡¯re fine with sacrificing a trade town?¡±


    ¡°Our great general from Ping Nan, Xu Huo is stationed at Huang Sha at the moment.¡± Luo Wei replied.


    ¡°Xu Huo?¡± Si Ma Xing Sha considered, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of his prowess. I¡¯m not a hundred percent sure we can win.¡±


    Luo Wei shrugged, ¡°He¡¯s nothing more than one of Long Xuan¡¯s dogs, given the order to secretly take troops out of Yun Guan. All he¡¯s after was the merit of saving the stragglers and winning against the enemy once my older brother has been defeated. Your Highness shouldn¡¯t worry too much about him, I will help you to attack when his defenses are down.¡±


    ¡°And the people of that town?¡± Si Ma Qing Sha asked.


    ¡°The n was for Xu Huo to aplish his goals, then kill them all,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°They¡¯re already going to be dead anyway, why should I worry? If Your Highness has such heart for them, kill less of them when you sack the town.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha finally smiled. There were few who could match him and be a capable ally, but Luo Wei was one of them. ¡°And what happens after I return to camp? Has the young master thought of that for me too?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Of course. Naturally I¡¯ll help Your Highness with the struggle against Zhu Xie.¡±


    It was the first snow in the sixth year of Qing Yuan(1), Ye Xie was in the middle of a flurry of snow.


    Si Ma Qing Sha stood in the wind and snow as he turned his head back to the city. The youth on the gate tower wore brocade, and his smile was like that of a spring breeze.


    A dayter, Huang Sha town was broken by Si Ma Qing Sha¡¯s troops.


    Xu Huo, who¡¯d taken troops out of Yun Guan without having the order to do so, killed himself after the loss at Huang Sha. Three monthster, his five sons were executed outside of the South Gate by order of Emperor Xing Wu, and thus fell the Xu family, who¡¯d been a part of the founding of the nation.


    When the news about Huang Sha¡¯s defeat reached Luo Wei, he readied his troops to retreat from Ye Qie. Unfortunately, Ye Qie was suffering a blizzard that day and there was no way to move troops, so they could only halt their action until a further day.


    ¡°Young master!¡± And it was on that night that the garrisonmander, Peng Hu, rushed into Luo Wei¡¯s bedroom.


    Si Ma Zhu Xie¡¯s troop of thirty-thousand-odd soldiers have arrived at the gates of Ye Xie.


    Luo Wei cast his eyes over the Northern Yan army under the city walls. It felt unlikely that Long Xuan knew of the turnabout on the battlefield, so it must have been Liu Wu Sheng who wanted to kill him.


    ¡°Young master, we, your loyal generals, would fight to the death for you,¡± General Xu Chuan said to Luo Wei, ¡°We will protect you and guard you out of the city.¡±


    Luo Wei sighed, ¡°If we do that, then Ye Xie might as well be damned. What about the tens of thousands of people living in the city?¡±


    The generals were all struck silent.


    ¡°I think this city is very defensible,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Guarding ourselves for a few days is not a problem.¡±


    The generals all exchanged looks with each other. There were only ten thousand soldiers in the city, and three times as much outside. How were they going to fight this battle?


    Luo Wei watched these generals, each battle-tested under his eldest brother, Luo Qi, and smiled, ¡°The movements of thirty thousand soldiers isn¡¯t something that could be easily hidden. If my older brother knew that Ye Xie was surrounded, he would most definitely send reinforcements.¡±


    Luo Wei was no general, but what can¡¯t be denied is the fact that he was the keystone of this group in Ye Xie. As the group watched his face, devoid of fear and worry, their own nerves and anxiety slowly receded. Ten thousand against thirty thousand. If they were to go and meet the opposition head on, there was no way they could win, but if they guarded and garrisoned the city while waiting for reinforcements, then they at least had half a chance at getting out of this alive.


    ¡°I trust that no one who fears death would join the army,¡± Luo Wei¡¯s voice resounded as it pierced through the wind and snow, ¡°To die in battle for the lives of an entire city, for the prosperity of their descendants. That, is something worth dying for!¡±<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. Qing Yuan ¨C The regnal era of Emperor Xing Wu.

 Chapter 80

    Luo Wei¡¯s speech had just ended when the sound of war drums began to reverberate like thunder beneath the gates. The Northern Yan army had begun their attack on the city.


    Wei Lan stepped up and shielded Luo Wei begins him, ¡°Young master, perhaps you should get inside first.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Luo Wei smiled at the generals present, ¡°I leave the fate of the city in all of your capable hands.¡±


    The battlefield was a ughter, corpses were strewn across the wilderness and blood ran like rivers.


    Luo Wei stood aside in silence. He¡¯d already altered the course of so many things in his second chance at life. If he lost his life today at Ye Jie, it would be a death with no regrets.


    ¡°Young master!¡± Wei Lan guarded Luo Wei begins him, terrified that the hail of arrows from below the walls would hurt Luo Wei.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Luo Wei said unexpectedly.


    Wei Lan froze for a moment, then turned to look at Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei was watching him too, ¡°I¡¯ve pulled you into this.¡±


    Wei Lan stared at Luo Wei for a long while before he spoke, ¡°No harm wille to you, Young master!¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°I only wish no harm wille to you.¡±


    Wei Lan lifted the saber in his hand and two halves of an arrow fell at their feet, broken, ¡°Wei Lan¡¯s life has always been cheap. Don¡¯t worry, Young Master. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re safe even if I have to die fighting.¡±


    ¡°How can human lives be spoken of in terms of valuable and cheap?¡± Luo Wei chuckled lightly behind Wei Lan, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯d be better if we died together, the two of us. At least we won¡¯t be lonely on our journey to the underworld.¡±


    The blizzard grew ever more vicious, making it almost impossible to keep one¡¯s eyes open.


    But Wei Lan felt warm inside. With the person behind him, the trip to thend of spirits could never be a lonely one.


    Luo Wei watched Wei Lan as the man shielded him, but his chest was caving in with guilt. If they don¡¯t make it past this, wouldn¡¯t he be the one to put Wei Lan to death?


    The Northern Yan army besieged the city for an entire night. It wasn¡¯t until daybreak that their trumpets sounded, and the soldiers retreated.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Wei Lan¡¯s clothes were stained with blood all over. He jogged to Luo Wei and asked, ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    Luo Wei shook his head, ¡°How about you? Were you injured?¡± This person was actually more concerned about him.


    ¡°No.¡± Wei Lan put a little distance between himself and Luo Wei, afraid that the rotten stench of blood would disgust him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you wounded here?¡± But Luo Wei just so happened to to see a wound on Wei Lan¡¯s left thigh, deep enough that the skin curled outward around the sh, ¡°Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± He quickly reached out to steady Wei Lan.


    ¡°Young master, I¡¯m dirty,¡± Wei Lan stepped aside, ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll go and find a doctor to bandage it up.¡±


    ¡°Young master,¡± At this point, all of the officers and generals who weren¡¯t hurt gathered around.


    ¡°Everyone, I must offer my deepest gratitude in advance for all the hard work and extra effort you¡¯re putting into this battle,¡± Luo Wei said to everyone present, ¡°I¡¯m only well versed in books and letters, and not very experienced in the defense of a city.¡± Luo Wei said as he put his hands together and paid respects to everyone individually.


    All of them quickly moved, each avoiding Luo Wei¡¯s respects. The propriety and gratitude from a disciple of the emperor was not something they could afford to receive.


    ¡°The third young master should not worry,¡± Xu Chuan, One of Luo Qi¡¯s confidants and close generals said to Luo Wei, ¡°So long as we¡¯re alive for another day, we¡¯ll defend this city for another day!¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Luo Wei was still calm at this point, ¡°I¡¯ll be under the city walls, if there¡¯s anything anyone needs, don¡¯t hesitate to call me.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the third young master should go and rest,¡± Xu Chuan said, ¡°We can guard things around here.¡±


    ¡°The storm is harsh,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°I couldn¡¯t hope to fight, but with all of you here risking your lives in the snow, how could I go and wait in a warm room?¡±


    They didn¡¯t say anything more, but all of them saluted to Luo Wei. Even though this third young master of the Luo family was still young, but he had the style and grace of his elder brother. Even if it was just for theirmander, Luo Qi, they¡¯d make sure that Luo Wei was safe.


    At the base of the city wall, near a makeshift fire, Luo Wei was carefully bandaging Wei Lan¡¯s wounds.


    ¡°Has the young master learned medicine as well?¡± Wei Lan asked.


    Luo Wei smiled bitterly, ¡°I¡¯ve read a few books on it.¡± In his past life, if he didn¡¯t know how to take care of himself, how could he have survived all those years?


    Wei Lan noticed a drop of cast off blood at the corner of Luo Wei¡¯s mouth, and automatically reached over to wipe it. It was only when his finger touched Luo Wei¡¯s lips that he¡¯d realized what he was doing, and quickly pulled his hand away, embarrassed as he looked at Luo Wei.


    But all Luo Wei did was smile back as he leaned his head on Wei Lan¡¯s shoulder, saying, ¡°It¡¯s freezing today, Lan.¡±


    Wei Lan pulled his fur cape over the both of them, wrapping the two of them up together, ¡°Is this better?¡±


    ¡°Much better.¡±


    In the wind and the snow, the two of them huddled and leaned on one another, listening to each other¡¯s heartbeat, and slowly fell asleep.

 Chapter 81

    Three dayster, the northern walls of Ye Qie had been blown apart by Northern Yan¡¯s heavy cannons.


    The scent of blood was pervasive in the air while corpses piled up underfoot. The soldiers of Greater Zhou had blocked themselves in this narrow space, locking their jaws with the army of Northern Yan in a death struggle. The wall towers had fallen, and Ye Qie was no longer defensible. The Zhou soldiers knew that their deaths were certain and imminent, so why not take a few more of those Northern Yan soldiers to hell with them! The blood struggle raged on for three days. Even the most cowardly would have been provoked into blood lust, nevermind that they were all soldiers.


    As the sun was about to set in the west, war cries were heard in the distance. The reinforcements of Greater Zhou had finally arrived.


    Chang Ling lead a line of ughter right to the city walls. Scanning his surroundings, all he could see was the dead piled up on one another, those who were standing were all stained with blood like living ghouls. ¡°Xiao Wei!¡± Chang Ling couldn¡¯t tell who was who between these ghoulish figures, and could only shout Luo Wei¡¯s name.


    The saber in Luo Wei¡¯s hand dropped to the ground. Even the strong civilian youths had been dispatched by him to help defend the city, so how could he just stand around and watch? It was only after killing someone with his own de that Luo Wei figured out how easy it was to kill someone. The saber he¡¯d let drop to the ground was curled in around the edge of the de. Just how many had died under his weapon? Luo Wei had counted up to twenty before he¡¯d stopped.


    ¡°Xiao Wei! Luo Wei!¡± Chang Ling yelled from his horse. He didn¡¯t dare imagine what Luo Qi would do if Luo Wei had died in Ye Qie.


    ¡°Big brother Chang,¡± Luo Wei drew a breath and waved to Chang Ling.


    Chang Ling dismounted and covered the distance at a run of few paces. Luo Wei was sttered with blood all over. There was no way to tell whether it was his own blood or someone else¡¯s, ¡°Have you been wounded?¡± Chang Ling supported Luo Wei with both of his hands.


    ¡°They¡¯re all small ones,¡± Luo Wei opened his mouth, even his teeth had traces of dust and grime.


    The war cries ceased for a moment. The people of Ye Qie who¡¯d endured three days of fear and terror all stepped outside onto the streets one by one, weing the reinforcements with shouts of excitement.


    The old tribe leader, aged at least seventy, walked up to the temporary military barracks while supported by two of his grandsons.


    Luo Wei got off his horse and quickly walked up to the man.


    ¡°Young master!¡± The old tribe leader addressed Luo Wei with a trembling voice that seemed to say he was holding something back, like he had so much to say but didn¡¯t know where to start.


    But it was Luo Wei who fell to his knees in front of the old man, ¡°It was my fault that those who left to fight with us could not return.¡±


    ¡°Young master!¡± The old man¡¯s aged tears cut grooves in his skin as he tried to help Luo Wei up with both hands, ¡°Young master, you¡¯re the savior of everyone who lives in Ye Qie, you shouldn¡¯t me yourself! Please ept this humble bow of thanks from an old man,¡± The tribe leader was about to get down as he spoke.


    ¡°Sir!¡± Luo Wei had already used up all of his energy. He wanted to hold the old man up but wasn¡¯t able to and ended kneeling on the ground as well, unable to get up.


    ¡°Young master!¡± The old tribe leader sobbed, ¡°Ye Qie is just a small border city, often suffering from soldiers fighting this and that. The young master is the only official of the court who¡¯d be willing to live or perish with us!¡±


    In a fit of sobs, Luo Wei held the old man¡¯s hand, ¡°Sir, I said that day that if the Northern Yan army wished to march into the city, they¡¯d do it over my dead body! A man cannot go back on his word. It¡¯s only that I¡¯m useless, I couldn¡¯t protect everyone in the city.¡±


    The sky had gone clear a day before, but the winds over the border were still cold to the bone.


    Joy and sorrow swirled within the city of Ye Qie. Not everyone was lucky enough to survive a life or death battle. Those who died are fated for the underworld, leaving only endless sorrow for those who had lied.


    Wei Lan approached and helped both Luo Wei and the old man up.


    The old tribe leader took three steps back, then knelt down again for Luo Wei. The residents of the city around them followed his lead and knelt too.


    The old man spoke up to Luo Wei, ¡°We, the people of Ye Qie, bow our heads in gratitude to the young master for saving our lives!¡±


    Chang Ling stood behind Luo Wei, thinking how Luo Wei, even with his hair disheveled, his clothes torn, his body marred with blood and mud, could still move people with his beauty. Was this it then for the Luo family? After six generations of being chancellors, would everyone in Luo Qi¡¯s generation be trailzers, not content to sit around in court, and happily die in battle for their nation?

 Chapter 82

    When Luo Wei managed to push himself throughforting the rest of the city¡¯s inhabitants, another night was already over.


    ¡°Xiao Wei, why don¡¯t you go and sleep first?¡± Chang Ling asked Luo Wei.


    But Luo Wei asked, ¡°What¡¯s happening with my big brother¡¯s battles?¡±


    Chang Ling became excited, saying, ¡°It¡¯s lucky that we didn¡¯t listen to that useless Liu Wu Sheng! Or else we¡¯d really be done for this time! To think that absolute garbage like him could still manage the title of a general, it makes meugh!¡±


    Ning Fei had gone with five thousand soldiers to conquer Yan Xia, and broke Si Ma Zhu Xie¡¯s food supply line. Luo Qi didn¡¯t split his soldiers into three after that, but instead ordered them to attack as one, fighting to the death with Si Ma Zhu Xie at the western shore of theke they were stationed at. The battle had forced Si Ma Zhu Xie back to Mount Wu¡¯s southern foothills. Si Ma Zhu Xie retreated to the point of no retreat, and without enough force to make another push, he sheltered himself in the valley.


    Luo Wei rubbed at his brow, ¡°If they had taken Ye Qie, they could have escaped through the old route in Mount Wu.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Chang Ling answered, ¡°Your older brother was scared you wouldn¡¯t be able to hold the city!¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°I don¡¯t have skills enough to take a city and expand military positions, but at least I could defend one.¡±


    Chang Ling couldn¡¯t hold it in as he asked, ¡°Xiao Wei, are you not scared of anything?¡±


    Luo Wei looked at Chang Ling, ¡°The worst that could happen is that I happen to die, what¡¯s there to be scared of?¡±


    ¡°Brave kid!¡± Chang Ling stuck his thumb out at Luo Wei, ¡°You¡¯re worth your big brother¡¯s name!¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s expression was one of fatigue, and had no real reaction to Chang Ling¡¯spliment, ¡°Big brother Chang, it looks like you¡¯re going to have to guard the city now.¡±


    Chang Ling nodded, ¡°Yes, at your big brother¡¯s orders.¡±


    Luo Wei said, ¡°Then that means I could go and see my big brother.¡±


    Chang Ling answered, ¡°Si Ma Zhu Xie has no way of sending anyone to attack Ye Qie anymore, Xiao Wei, maybe you ought to stay here.¡±


    Luo Wei went on asking, ¡°When my big brother suddenly changed tactics, how did Liu Wu Sheng react?¡±


    Chang Ling answered, ¡°That piece of garbage almost fought with your brother! But he¡¯s ying nice now.¡±


    ¡°I kind of want to go and see the sorry look on his face,¡± Luo Wei seemed half joking as he spoke to Chang Ling.


    ¡°What about Huang Sha vige?¡± Chang Ling asked.


    ¡°I heard Xu Huo killed himself before the battle,¡± Speaking of Huang Sha Vige, Luo Wei¡¯s expression suddenly went serious, ¡°But it appears Si Ma Qing Sha didn¡¯t make things difficult for the people living there. He only looted their valuables. Big brother Chang, you could send a troop to guard between here and there.¡±


    ¡°Xu Huo¡¯s dead?!¡± Chang Ling almost jumped up from his seat.


    Luo Wei shrugged, ¡°He moved imperial troops at his own behest and lost. If he didn¡¯t die, he¡¯d only be waiting to be ripped to pieces by His Imperial Majesty.¡±


    Chang Ling was dumbstruck. Luo Wei wasn¡¯t wrong, but he couldn¡¯t readily ept these words from the mouth of a thirteen year old like this.


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t stay in Ye Qie for long. After daybreak, he took a group of light cavalry and left the city. When the old tribe leader received news of his departure and brought the citizens out to see him off, they were only able to see a trail of dust off towards the north. The citizenry could only pay their respects to the direction of Luo Wei¡¯s retinue, knowing that as he left, they would not see him again in this lifetime unless they were at the danger of being attacked again.


    At the battle of Ye Qie, more than half of the ten thousand soldiers of Greater Zhou perished. Countless inhabitants of the city were either dead or injured. But with this, Luo Wei, Luo Yun Qi¡¯s name became famous among the nations.


    Chang Ling stood at the gate tower, watching the group of soldiers ride off with Luo Wei until they disappeared at the horizon.


    ¡°Master,¡± A soldier of the Chang estate stood behind Chang Ling.


    Chang Ling turned around, the respectful and courteous smile that had always hung about his lips was gone, ¡°Go back to Ling Nan for me, tell our family to just pretend that our deal with the second prince didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    The soldier was shocked as he heard, ¡°But what about the elder master of the house?¡±


    ¡°Tell the elder master,¡± Chang Ling whispered, ¡°That the Luo family may grow even more powerful in the court in days toe. If we keep dealing with the second prince, it¡¯lle back to bite us.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± The soldier took his orders.


    Chang Ling drew in a deep breath of chilled air atop the gatehouse. At this moment, his mind was crystal clear. If Ling Nang¡¯s Chang family drew their hand back from these plots now, they would still have a chance.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    Hey guys!!! I feel like I apologize every few weeks about my disappearances¡­ xD but work has been very busy. I have not had a day off since thest update¡­ One of my coworkers was very sick and had to takest week off, and because of it I had to work their shifts too after mine (thankfully our shifts kind of ovep in the afternoon so it¡¯s only a few hours more)¡­ I keep seeing goodments about this novel! and it keeps me going a lot! : ) thank you guys for your continued support, and I will make sure to keep updating more this week!

 Chapter 83

    When Luo Wei rejoined with Luo Qi¡¯s forces, Si Ma Zhu Xie had already sent a delegate to Luo Qi¡¯s camp and seek to pay.


    ¡°So talk to him,¡± Luo Wei said to Luo Qi, ¡°It¡¯s not like we have the resources to trap Crowned Prince Zhu Xie to death in the mountains.¡±


    Luo Qi answered, ¡°It¡¯s Liu Wu Sheng who wants to go.¡±


    ¡°Liu Wu Sheng?¡± Luo Wei grinned, ¡°I bet he¡¯s just chomping at the bit right now to go and exin himself to Si Ma Zhu Xie.¡±


    Luo Qi had been suffering from having to endure Liu Wu Shengtely, ¡°Let¡¯s just arrest Liu Wu Sheng.¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the right time,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Let¡¯s go pay with Crowned Prince Zhu Xie with our good old General Liu.¡±


    Luo Qi had been worried to death about Luo Wei defending the city at Ye Qie. Now this kid wants to go and pay with Si Ma Zhu Xie in person, how could Luo Qi befortable with letting him go? So he shook his head in an absolute no.


    Luo Wei raised his hands for his older brother to see, ¡°Look, big brother, I¡¯ve killed people.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wei?¡± Luo Qi¡¯s brows locked together, his face full of regret.


    Luo Wei looked down at his own hands, ¡°No matter how hard I wash my hands, it always seems to smell of blood.¡±


    Luo Qi walked up to Luo Wei, crouching down halfway to hold Luo Wei¡¯s hands in his own, ¡°Xiao Wei, this is what battle is like, no one cane away clean from war.¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Ye Qie, Huang Sha, so many people died. They wouldn¡¯t have died if not for this war. Those people who¡¯ve lit the beacon to start the war, I will never forgive them!¡±


    Luo Qi questioned, ¡°What will you do?¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°I want them to taste the fruit of theirbors.¡±


    Luo Qi¡¯s eyebrows were almost a knot now. Luo Wei was his brother by blood, and yet he couldn¡¯t understand a single thing that goes around in his little brother¡¯s head. ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Qi asked him, ¡°Tell me, how did you know Xu Huo would take soldiers to Huang Sha?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s tactics all centered around it, didn¡¯t it? If big brother lost, then Xu Huo would send reinforcements and be a hero. Who else at Yun Guan would be able to bear this hero¡¯s mantle other than him?¡±


    Luo Qi didn¡¯t understand, ¡°Why must it be Xu Huo?¡±


    Luo Wei lowered his voice, ¡°Xu Huo¡¯s only daughter is the second prince¡¯s concubine, does big brother not remember?¡±


    Luo Qi was struck dumb for a good while, watching the smile on Luo Wei¡¯s face bloom slowly, ¡°How can you manage to smile right now?!¡±


    Luo Wei grinned even brighter, ¡°Don¡¯t you think these people are funny?¡±


    Luo Qi couldn¡¯t smile or find anything funny. He only felt absolute hatred! But with Luo Wei here, he felt at peace inside. Luo Qi thought himself rather funny as he thought about it. How could a big brother like him find peace in his little bother? Isn¡¯t this hrious?


    But Luo Wei broke the silence with his question, ¡°Big brother, how¡¯s Ten doing?¡± When Luo Wei left for Ye Qie, he especially made sure to leave Ten with Luo Qi. The whole business with Si Ma Qing Sha wasn¡¯t something he wanted Ten to know about.


    Luo Qi answered, ¡°He¡¯s doing well, but he¡¯s worried about you.¡±


    Luo Wei nodded, ¡°He¡¯s one of the Dragon¡¯s Secret Guard. Big brother, he will report your every action to His Imperial Majesty in detail.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the reason you left him with me?¡±


    ¡°Sitting where you are, big brother, you might not have even realized, but there¡¯s a lot of people who wants to sit on your seat as Yun Guan¡¯smander.¡±


    Luo Qi brought both of his hands up to his forehead.


    Luo Wei continued, ¡°Big brother, he¡¯s seen it all. All of your merits, your tactics, your martial abilities. His Imperial Majesty will understand you more now too, and will trust in you.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Qi called Luo Wei¡¯s name, but followed it with a sigh, ¡°Let me¡­ Let me take a look at your injuries.¡±


    Luo Wei had quite a few wounds on him. Between the lot of them, the cut on his calf was the most severe. It¡¯d been wrapped inyers of linen already, but blood was still seeping out and staining the fabric.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Luo Qi asked his heart ached with protectiveness and worry.


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t seem to care much at all, ¡°Compared to those who lost their lives, what do I have toin about with a little cut like this?¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still riding around on a horse with an injury like this?¡± Luo Qi was regretting now that he hadn¡¯t thought of looking over Luo Wei¡¯s injuries right at the start, before they¡¯d started this whole conversation, ¡°This won¡¯t do, we have to use heavier bandaging on this.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Luo Wei answered without hassle. Even though the army physician had just bound it for him, but he was no longer that ungrateful Luo Wei of the past. He knows that Luo Qi was being good to him, and he won¡¯t reject this kindness again.

 Chapter 84

    The recent days of Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s life has left him feeling as if he¡¯d been cast in a zing fire, ready to suffer the mes. Luo Qi must have known their pre-arranged deal with Si Ma Zhu Xie, if not, the battle would not have turned out this way. How could Luo Qi have known? Liu Wu Sheng couldn¡¯t get to the bottom of it, but he believed that the chances were high that Luo Wei had a hand in ruining their ns. Before he left the capital, his father Liu Shuang Shi especially instructed him to be wary of Luo Wei. This person had pretended to be a fool, following Long Xuan around for years, who knows how much he knew of Long Xuan¡¯s ns! Liu Wu Sheng passed along the information that Luo Wei was at Ye Qie to Si Ma Zhu Xie, aiming for two things. First, to let Si Ma Zhu Xie take Ye Qie, and thus be able to ess Mount Wu¡¯s old route to retreat, and second, to get rid of Luo Wei with Si Ma Zhu Xie¡¯s help.


    What Liu Wu Sheng hadn¡¯t expected was that Luo Wei was actually able to hold the city. This made the already flighty Liu Wu Sheng even more anxious. Luo Wei came back alive, and what was he supposed to do now?


    ¡°General Liu, what are you thinking about?¡± A clear and gentle voice dragged Liu Wu Sheng back to reality from his chaotic thoughts.


    ¡°Third young master,¡± Liu Wu Sheng looked at Luo Wei before him. The winter wind was cutting and cold, but this person looked to be no lessfortable.


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°We¡¯ve been talking everything over for a while now, does General Liu have nothing to add?¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s expression was frozen and rigid. Looking at Si Ma Zhu Xie and Si Ma Qing Sha sitting opposite them, what else could he possibly contribute to the conversation?


    Si Ma Zhu Xie¡¯s expression didn¡¯t look any better than Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s. His features were simr to Si Ma Qing Sha¡¯s, but was a little more broad, possessing the height and strengthmon to people from the northern nations.


    Si Ma Qing Sha¡¯s face betrayed neither joy or sorrow, it was impossible to tell what this guy was thinking about.


    Luo Wei turned his head at the water next to them, already at a boil, and said to Liu Wu Sheng, ¡°General Liu, why don¡¯t you prepare some tea for the two princes, the water¡¯s ready.¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng lowered his head and poured out four cups of tea, leaving two on the little desk in front of Luo Wei, then took two to Si Ma Zhu Xie and Si Ma Qing Sha.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Luo Wei stopped Liu Wu Sheng, reaching with his left hand and flicked at the tea in one of the cups with his middle finger, ¡°There¡¯s a little bug in there.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha remarked rather coldly, ¡°Looks like even the bugs in Mount Wu know how to appreciate the finer things in life with the way they like to get into tea.¡±


    Luo Wei lifted his cup and sipped at it himself first, ¡°I¡¯ve always heard that Mount Wu was a deste mountain, but looking at the snow and ice of this thousand year cier, I find myself thinking that it¡¯s worth the view.¡±


    Si Ma Qing Sha tossed a cold look at Luo Wei, downing the tea in his cup in one gulp, then addressed Si Ma Zhu Xie, ¡°Imperial brother, you ought to taste this tea from Greater Zhou, it¡¯s nothingpared to our clear teas from Northern Yan.¡±


    Si Ma Zhu Xie looked at Liu Wu Sheng, the young man a picture of anxious nerves. How could Long Xuan send trash like this? Si Ma Zhu Xie cursed inside, but followed Si Ma Qing Sha¡¯s lead in downing the tea.


    Luo Wei smiled from across the desk, ¡°How could an army travel with the best teas on a campaign like this? Perhaps at another time, when our countries have once again found peace with each other, I would dly make an offering of our best teas to the two imperial princes.¡±


    Si Ma Zhu Xie changed the subject, ¡°We understand all of third young master Luo¡¯s conditions, and will provide an answer in three days.¡±


    Luo Wei responded, ¡°I don¡¯t think our conditions and requests are too difficult, I hope that crown prince Zhu Xie would consider them carefully.¡±


    Si Ma Zhu Xie rose and left his seat. He hadn¡¯t been in a hopelessly stupid situation like this before, and had already cursed Long Xuan half to death inside but pity that he couldn¡¯t say any of it out loud.


    Si Ma Qing Sha followed Si Ma Zhu Xie closely behind. After tossing a look at Luo Wei, who had not moved from his seat, Si Ma Qing Sha followed his older brother out.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    YOU GUYS!!! your words make me so happy, and I will keep it in mind in case things get difficult again. like i said before in previous posts, im living alone in a not exactly good situation. im looking to change my job soon (hopefully with more pay and steady hours), and then maybe start tranting and writing my own novels sometime. <3 thank you guys so much for all your care.

 Chapter 85

    Liu Wu Sheng waited until the Si Ma brothers left before speaking to Luo Wei, ¡°Why did themander want to have a peaceful discussion? This is a chance to get rid of all Northern Yan soldiers!¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Does big brother Liu really think so? With the snow closing off all the roads, even if we surround the Northern Yan army and trap them here, our own supply lines would be cut, so how do we keep going? Mount Wu¡¯s southern foothills are treacherous, easy to defend but hard to attack, are we certain to win?¡± Luo Wei stopped here and suddenly grinned, ¡°Maybe big brother Liu is ying with me, seeing as how it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve been out in battle? Otherwise, how could big brother Liu not understand rationale behind our move after this many years of serving as a general?¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng grinned back. Luo Wei¡¯s demeanor vacited between honesty and falsehood, mixing lies with the truth, making it impossible for someone to understand. Liu Wu Sheng wished he could bring his sword down on that neck and end Luo Wei once and for all, but he knew he couldn¡¯t do that.


    Luo Wei pushed the tea set away and stood up, ¡°Let¡¯s go back and make our report.¡±


    The group returned to camp. Luo Wei addressed Liu Wu Sheng, ¡°Go and see themander first, big brother Liu. My clothes are covered in snow and it¡¯s soaking through, I¡¯m going to change first.¡±


    Wei Lan was a step behind Luo Wei as Luo Wei returned to his tent, but he could only watch as Luo Wei brought a de down on his own hand, chopping off the tip of his middle finger on his left hand.


    ¡°Young master!¡± Wei Lan panicked and rushed forward to see the wound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Luo Wei¡¯s face was pale as a sheet. The fingers are intimately connected to the heart(1), the pain of him breaking a finger like that was drenching him in cold sweat.


    Wei Lan looked at the piece of flesh and bone on the ground with surprise. It was ck.


    ¡°I dipped it in poison,¡± Luo Wei finally came out with the truth.


    Wei Lan suddenly remembered the way that Luo Wei touched the tea being offered to the princes of Northern Yan.


    ¡°Help me bandage this,¡± Luo Wei was biting back the pain as he spoke.


    Wei Lan turned himself around and helped Luo Wei to a seat. He pulled out a medicine kit and quickly helped Luo Wei to get rid of the rest of the poisoned blood before bandaging the wound. After the flurry of motions, Wei Lan was silent as he stared at Luo Wei¡¯s injured finger. Luo Wei¡¯s hands had always been elegant and long, but now it was marred and ruined. The thought sent a shiver through Wei Lan. He wished he was the one missing the tip of his finger instead.


    It took Luo Wei a little while toe around after taking the painkillers, but he smiled at Wei Lan, ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re in a lot of pain right now?¡±


    Wei Lan responded, ¡°How could the young master hurt himself like this? Why do you did you have to do it yourself instead of asking others?¡±


    Luo Wei tipped his head up to look at Wei Lan, ¡°I thought of the n myself, if I don¡¯t do it, who will?¡±


    Wei Lan replied, ¡°I would have!¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s smile did not wane, ¡°How could I let you get hurt again?¡±


    Wei Lan felt powerless against Luo Wei. In the battle at Ye Qie, he hadn¡¯t suffered major injuries, but Luo Wei had gotten ten or so wounds, some big, some small. And now he¡¯d lost the tip of one of his fingers. Did this person want to be Wei Lan¡¯s bodyguard instead?


    ¡°It¡¯s only a little bit of a finger,¡± Luo Wei saw Wei Lan shaking, and quickly changed his tone tofort instead, ¡°Missing or not, it doesn¡¯t make any difference to me.¡±


    Wei Lan asked, ¡°And the young master doesn¡¯t want to y the qin anymore?¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°The qin? It¡¯s only something I do to pass the time when there¡¯s nothing else at hand, I can always find something else to do.¡±


    The careless look on Luo Wei¡¯s face finally stoked the anger in Wei Lan, ¡°Young master, you¡¯ve read the Four Books and Five ssics(2), how could you not understand that every part of your body is gifted to you by your parents?!¡± As the words tumbled out of his mouth, Wei Lan regretted it immediately. He was looking for death now, how could he be disciplining his own master?!


    But Luo Wei seemed happy as he heard Wei Lan¡¯s words, seeing it as a sign that Wei Lan was no longer watching himself so carefully around Luo Wei anymore, ¡°Alright,¡± He spoke to Wei Lan as he pulled his sleeves down to hide his injured hand, ¡°I was wrong. I should have consulted with you first and I won¡¯t do it next time. Lan, can you forgive my misconduct this time, please?¡±


    Wei Lan opened his mouth but he didn¡¯t say anything else. Finally, there was someone in this world who cared enough for him to think of him, who didn¡¯t want him to be injured on their ount. Wei Lan was happy, but Luo Wei¡¯s injury hurt him somewhere deep inside. Before he¡¯d be a shadow guard, Wei Lan had always thought about how he was going to survive another day. After he¡¯d be a shadow guard, he¡¯d only lived for his master, Luo Ting Chao, without happiness or grief. After he¡¯d been at Luo Wei¡¯s side, even though Luo Wei had asked nothing of him, Wei Lan would dly sacrifice his own life for Luo Wei. He wanted to spend his life protecting Luo Wei from everything else in the world, but he realized that he was unable to. This discovery sent Wei Lan¡¯s heart tumbling into the depths of a valley that he could not see the bottom of.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. the fingers are connected to the heart ¨C In Chinese medicine, there is a saying that the ten fingers are connected directly to the heart. The belief was formed due to the fact that many heart diseases had symptoms rted to the fingers, but it also worked backwards in that people often believed your hands showed the health of your heart. Thus, any pain that your fingers suffered felt more intense because it goes right to your heart.


    2. Four Books and Five ssics ¨C The original text says sheng xian shu, which is a colloquial way of referring to the books concerning core values of the Confucian ideals. Learned people in historical China would study these books as a way of guiding their ethics and morals. Many concerned the family, and the hierarchy between children and their parents, as well as the idea of filial piety. Luo Wei¡¯sment about forgiving his misconduct specifically used the word ¡®de¡¯, which refers to virtues, and in this case referring back to Wei Lan pulling out Confucius on him.

 Chapter 86

    It was only after resting a while that Luo Wei went to see Luo Qi. Conversational and good-natured as usual, no one else realized that he¡¯d broken the tip off of one of his fingers.


    At night, Luo Wei called Ten into his tent and handed him a letter, asking him to deliver it to the emperor.


    Ten was more worried about Luo Wei. Luo Wei¡¯s wounds had struck fear into Ten when he came back from Ye Qie. Ten was honestly too afraid that something else would happen to Luo Wei.


    ¡°The battle is almost at an end,¡± Luo Weiforted Ten, ¡°Rx, Ten, I¡¯m not going to rush into battle again. This letter is very important, you have to deliver it personally to His Imperial Majesty.¡±


    It was only after this that Ten left, traveling through the night for the capital.


    On the morning after, Si Ma Zhu Xie sent people to the camp, passing on his agreement to the terms posed by Greater Zhou.


    Luo Qi didn¡¯t think that Si Ma Zhu Xie would agree to his terms to readily, he threw a look at Luo Wei, who sat in a lower seat next to him.


    ¡°This is great news,¡± Luo Wei was looking at the messenger, ¡°We can all leave after the treaties have been exchanged.¡±


    Sure enough, the army of Northern Yan packed up and left that very afternoon, leaving behind all of their equipment and resources.


    ¡°Could something have gone wrong in their ranks?¡± Luo Qi muttered to himself.


    Luo Wei was beside him, ¡°Who knows?¡±


    Off to the side, Liu Wu Sheng was mired in a wave of anxiety. Si Ma Zhu Xie wouldn¡¯t let them off this easily, who knows how the prince of Northern Yan would deal with Long Xuan! Aside from that, he¡¯d brought soldiers to Yun Guan this time without being able to aplish a single thing. How was he supposed to face Long Xuan and his father when he gets back?


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°I thought we¡¯d have to fight for a while yet, but I didn¡¯t think my big brother would be this ferocious and beat the soldiers of Northern Yan back so quickly.¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng followed as well with a few words of praise for Luo Qi.


    Faced with praise, Luo Qi could only toss a smile back at Liu Wu Sheng.


    Luo Wei spoke up suddenly, ¡°Big brother, I want to take an excursion outside of the camp, is that okay?¡±


    Luo Qi asked, ¡°Where are you off to now?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in watching our soldiers loot the resources Northern Yan left after them, though the snowyndscapes here at Mount Wu are quite pretty, I want to go and take a look around.¡±


    ¡°Snowscapes?¡± Liu Wu Sheng said, ¡°The third young master still has the heart to go and look at snowscapes?¡±


    ¡°Even though we drew a truce in this battle,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°It feels like we Greater Zhou havee out on top. I¡¯m feeling rather chipper about that right now and want to take an excursion to see the natural splendors outside of the camp, is that against any military rules?¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s going to stop you if you go,¡± Luo Qi said, ¡°But the army of Northern Yan had only just retreated. I worry something would happen if you went right now. Xiao Wei, wait a few days and I¡¯ll go with you, okay?¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng joked in a way that felt more like a jab than a joke, ¡°Commander Luo, the two of you sure have a strong brotherly bond. But as themander of the army, could you just leave camp for personal reasons like that?¡±


    As soon as Liu Wu Sheng finished speaking, Luo Qi¡¯s followers all red daggers at the general. This guy was clearly saying that theirmander was putting his personal matters ahead of his duties! Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s followers weren¡¯t happy either. They¡¯ve all followed young master Liu all the way from the capital. Most of them haven¡¯t even managed to earn any merits after fighting an entire war, meaning they¡¯de for nothing. They were just worrying about not having an outlet for their low spirits. Seeing that Luo Qi¡¯s followers were ring at them and squaring up, they naturally red right back.


    Luo Wei chuckled aloud, ¡°Big brother Liu, I¡¯m here as an acting military supervisor. Looking around at this and that is a part of my duties. If big brother Liu was interested ining along, I¡¯d be happy to have you apany me out of the camp for a stroll.¡±


    Liu Wu Sheng had been taken down another notch. This little kid from the Luo family was pulling his status as the military supervisor now, what else could he say to that? All Luo Wei had to do was say he¡¯s going out to inspect the camp¡¯s defenses to shut you up.


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Luo Wei stood and addressed Luo Qi, ¡°I¡¯ll be just outside of the camp, not too far, and I¡¯ll make sure to return before it gets dark.¡±


    Luo Qi waved his hand in assent. If he didn¡¯t allow Luo Wei out right now, he¡¯d be tossed in with Liu Wu Sheng¡¯s camp. ¡°Don¡¯t go too far.¡± After mulling it over, Luo Qi was still uneasy about it, so he saw Luo Wei out of the camp himself and reminded his younger brother once more to be extra careful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, big brother, I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Luo Wei mounted his horse and folded his hands in a bow, then lead Wei Lan and a group of his attendants out of the camp.

 Chapter 87

    After leaving camp, Luo Wei headed east until the end of a mountain pass before stopping.


    Wei Lan asked, ¡°Is the young master waiting for someone?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Mm. Let¡¯s wait here for a bit.¡±


    Half an hourter, a bunch of people who looked to be the part of a caravan stopped in front of Luo Wei¡¯s group.


    Luo Wei opened the conversation by asking the only woman in the group, ¡°Miss, are you Ye Xiu?¡±


    The girl named Ye Xiu looked at Luo Wei. This person threw her name around as if he was familiar with her, but she didn¡¯t know him at all.


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°My name is Luo Wei, Luo Qi is my older brother.¡±


    Hearing that this young man was Luo Qi¡¯s younger brother, Ye Xiu¡¯s face grew a few shades redder as she sat on her horse, ¡°Did Luo Qi ask you toe?¡±


    Luo Wei pointed at a neglected and derelict stone pavilion, ¡°Let¡¯s sit down and talk.¡±


    Ye Xiu dismounted, following Luo Wei into the pavilion without a single suspicion in her mind. She sat down opposite him so that they were face to face.


    This was the first time that Luo Wei saw Ye Xiu, but he remembered this name for ten years in his past life. Ye Xiu, the daughter of a runaway ve, the leader of Ji Feng Fort located at Mount Wu. She was the boss of a group of mounted bandits, but was also the reason that his older brother, Luo Qi, had never married. Luo Wei looked at Ye Xiu in front of him. Dressed in all red with tanned skin, she wasn¡¯t terribly pretty, but she had a sort of heroic bearing and experienced look that was rare in women. She was tall, with a pair of high spirited eyes that were long and tapered at the end. In the past life, Luo Qi had never revealed Ye Xiu¡¯s existence to his family even in death. But in thest moment of his life, when everyone betrayed him and left him behind, it was this woman who single-handedly rode into battle against an entire army to find him. In the end, the two of them died together, flesh and blood mixing with one another¡¯s as their bodies sunk into the yellow sands, never to be separated by anyone else.


    Ye Xiu was also considering Luo Wei. From his age, this must have been Luo Qi¡¯s third younger brother from what he had told her. How pretty he was.


    ¡°My older brother has kept us from meeting you,¡± Luo Wei spoke. In his past life, he¡¯d only learned of Ye Xiu when she passed. In this life, he wouldn¡¯t let himself feel this sort of regret again.


    Ye Xiu smiled, exasperated, ¡°Then how does the third young master know about me?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled too, ¡°My second oldest brother¡¯s kid can already walk and yet my oldest brother hasn¡¯t married. As the youngest brother, I have to pay attention to these things. My oldest brother is very careful, but to find out about Miss Ye¡¯s existence isn¡¯t difficult.¡±


    Ye Xiu asked, ¡°How much does the third young master know about me?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Enough to know that Miss Ye¡¯s heritage is a little awkward for us.¡±


    Ye Xiu¡¯s smile disappeared immediately. She was the daughter of an escaped ve. With this status, being with Luo Qi was an impossible dream. She knew this better than anyone.


    Luo Wei continued, ¡°I want to attempt to persuade Miss Ye to leave my oldest brother, would Miss Yeply?¡±


    Ye Xiu shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t care about his status or his name.¡±


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°Is there a single woman in the world who doesn¡¯t care about having proper status in a household?¡±


    Ye Xiu¡¯s expression was unchanged as she answered Luo Wei, ¡°I don¡¯t. Just being with him is enough.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ¡®to surrender everything for a single night of happiness with him?''¡± Luo Wei smiled as he watched Ye Xiu.


    ¡°What?¡± Ye Xiu wasn¡¯t a cultivated woman, she didn¡¯t understand Luo Wei¡¯s quote.


    If he hadn¡¯t known how they ended up, Luo Wei really wouldn¡¯t want Luo Qi to be in love with a woman like this. Her way of life and theirs were too different, and she was nothing like the girls around them. Even though his second sister-inw Xu Yue Miao was a hunter¡¯s daughter, but no one can dispute the fact that she was a bona fide beauty with a gentle disposition. Her embroidery was first-ss, and can she can hold her own whether in front of guests or in front of the stove. A good wife as well as a good mother. Which part of Ye Xiu appealed to his oldest brother, Luo Qi?<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    hello everyone!!! back and tired af from work but!! I managed to get my hours down this week. : ))) rly excited to do a few more chapters and build up more of a buffer for you guys. our little luo wei has a lot of ideas about what kind of woman makes a good wife even though he¡¯d never have one, huh?? lol, luo qi just likes who he likes, wei wei!! xD

 Chapter 88

    ¡°The third young master need not worry,¡± Ye Xiu saw that Luo Wei wasn¡¯t speaking, so she cut to the point instead, ¡°I won¡¯t bother your eldest brother.¡±


    Luo Wei smiled immediately, ¡°Miss, you¡¯re mistaken, I don¡¯t want to break the two of you up.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ye Xiu didn¡¯t believe him. To be honest, she felt ufortable all over with Luo Wei sitting opposite staring at her.


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°My older brother isn¡¯t someone who does anything casually. Once he likes someone, it¡¯s going to be for a lifetime. I wouldn¡¯t even have the power to separate you two if I wanted to.¡±


    Ye Xiu¡¯s gaze turned joyful as soon as the words left Luo Wei¡¯s mouth, but she quickly followed, ¡°I won¡¯t get in his way. If he gets married with a girl who fits his status, I won¡¯t begrudge him. I just want to be with him.¡±


    Luo Wei nodded, ¡°I have a n that will let the two of you get properly married, but I don¡¯t know if Miss Ye would trust me.¡±


    Ye Xiu asked, ¡°What does the young master have in mind?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of status and identity, not terribly difficult to solve with a little handiwork here and there.¡±


    As soon as Ye Xiu heard Luo Wei mention ¡°handiwork¡±, she quickly shook her head, ¡°No, your big brother won¡¯t allow it.¡±


    Luo Wei shook his head too with a smile. Luo Qi was too honest and upright. It¡¯s what made his miss his chance at this marriage in thest life, ¡°Miss Ye, I extend my full promise to you that I will not do anything that goes against thews of our nation.¡±


    Ye Xiu looked at Luo Wei suspiciously.


    ¡°This battle has alreadye to an end,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Miss Ye cane and find me at Yun Guan. I will take you back to the capital with me. My oldest brother will return in a few days as well to report to His Imperial Majesty. This is the only chance we have left, I will make Miss Ye my sister-inw.¡±


    That ¡°sister-inw¡± got Ye Xiu blushing. The women who didn¡¯t want proper status with their lover are ones who knew it was clearly impossible. Now that Luo Wei promised to her that this status was something she can get, Ye Xiu was honestly intrigued. ¡°Go back to the capital with you?¡± At this point, Ye Xiu looked back at her band of make-shift brothers behind her. If she left, what would this bunch of headstrong robbers do?


    ¡°Miss, would you resign them to a life of robbery and crime?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Ye Xiu answered quickly.


    ¡°Then give them to me,¡± Luo Wei said without mincing words.


    ¡°What?¡± Ye Xiu was struck dumb again. What did the young master of the chancellor¡¯s estate want with a bunch of robbers?


    ¡°Historically, there¡¯s been little difference between soldiers and bandits,¡± Luo Wei grinned, ¡°They may be bandits today, but tomorrow, they can be soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Ye Xiu said, honestly.


    Luo Wei exined, ¡°This is the bordernds, and a part of the trade route between our Greater Zhou and Northern Yan. When we¡¯re not at war, countless merchant caravans pass this barrennd everyday. That¡¯s why there are so many bandits, and not only the ones under Miss Ye¡¯s control.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Ye Xiu asked.


    ¡°So, why do they have to be bandits? Why not be armed escorts for merchants?¡± Luo Wei said.


    Ye Xiu¡¯s eyes shone, ¡°You¡¯re saying that we should open a security escort business?¡±


    ¡°I have the money, Miss Ye has the people. With both money and people in hand, how hard could it be to open this business?¡± Luo Wei smiled.


    ¡°But you¡¯re going to be in the capital, how are you going to manage things from there?¡± Ye Xiu followed up with another question.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Naturally I¡¯ll have someone take care of it. How about it, future sister-inw, do you want to do business with me?¡±


    ¡°Future sister-inw?¡± Ye Xiu¡¯s face wentpletely red now.


    Luo Weiughed openly. He¡¯s never encountered a girl quite like Ye Xiu before, but since she¡¯s the one his big brother likes, then he was sure he¡¯d also end up epting her.


    ¡°Miss,¡± An old man dressed in all grey approached the stone pavilion.


    ¡°This is Uncle Hong,¡± Ye Xiu introduced the old man to Luo Wei, ¡°He¡¯s the one who manages everything in our camp.¡±


    Luo Wei regarded this Uncle Hong. The man looked rather mediocre, but his small eyes shone with intelligence and cunning. Looks like this Uncle Hong was the tactician who came up with all the ideas in Ye Xiu¡¯s camp of bandits. ¡°Uncle Hong,¡± Luo Wei smiled as he rose from his seat, ¡°Please,e in and sit down.¡±


    Uncle Hong didn¡¯t waste time on courtesy, and entered the stone pavilion to seat himself directly next to Ye Xiu.

 Chapter 89

    Luo Wei exined his ns for Fort Ji Feng to Uncle Hong in detail. The older man listened carefully, nodding every once in a while.


    Ye Xiu sat aside and observed Uncle Hong¡¯s expressions. She¡¯d been brought up singlehandedly by him. When Luo Wei sent an invitation to meet, Uncle Hong insisted oning along in case she was put at a disadvantage somehow. Looks like he was right ining along. If Uncle Hong agreed to Luo Wei¡¯s enterprise, then she wouldply without hesitation. The only thing was that even Ye Xiu herself did not realize that, at this moment, how much she longed for Uncle Hong to agree with Luo Wei¡¯s idea.


    ¡°There would be no advantages to the Luo family,¡± Uncle Hong listened to Luo Wei carefully, then addressed the youth before him, ¡°If Commander Luo married Xiu Er. Why does the third young master want to help them along?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled simply, ¡°Our family is nearing the limit for amassing wealth and power, I don¡¯t think anyone, even the emperor, would want us to marry into another powerful family and gain advantage.¡±


    Uncle Hong regarded Luo Wei for a good while. For a family to be at the limit of wealth and power, if they do not hide it and act modest, the power and wealth they amassed might be their ruin. He didn¡¯t think someone so young would be able to understand the logic behind this.


    ¡°Uncle Hong?¡± Ye Xiu tugged at Hong¡¯s coat sleeves.


    Uncle Hong addressed Luo Wei directly again, ¡°And why should we put our trust in the third young master?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°My big brother has not betrayed anyone in his life. If Imit any misconduct, he would repay it with his life. Why would I put my own brother¡¯s life on the line?¡±


    Uncle Hong then asked, ¡°What about young master yourself?¡±


    ¡°Myself?¡± Luo Wei chuckled, ¡°I¡¯m no gentleman, but I never do anything against my own conscience.¡±


    Uncle Hong smiled, the expression carving wrinkles into his face, ¡°Fine, I trust the young master.¡±


    Ye Xiu¡¯s face opened into a joyful smile.


    With that aplished, Luo Wei grinned at Ye Xiu, ¡°Future sister-inw, you can¡¯t keep enabling my big brother and just let him do whatever he wants, ok?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Ye Xiu still couldn¡¯t quite understand this boy.


    Luo Weiid out the rest of his ns, ¡°Why don¡¯t we tell my big brother that Miss Ye ran off with a merchant from Northern Yan, and won¡¯t being back? Make him regret his decisions for a few days, and let him really feel how much he needs her.¡±


    Uncle Hong agreed, ¡°Exactly. Xiu Er¡¯s been chasing after him all this time, it¡¯s time we made themander do some leg work.¡±


    Luo Wei looked at the darkened sky outside the pavilion, it was alreadyte. He stood from his seat, ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for you at Yun Guan, my future sister-inw. Uncle Hong, it¡¯ste, I should return to camp.¡±


    As they watched Luo Wei¡¯s group quickened their horses in the distance, Uncle Hong told Ye Xiu, ¡°Out of Chancellor Luo¡¯s three sons, it seems that this third son is the most fierce of them all.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fiercer than his eldest brother?¡± Ye Xiu asked. Her bias was for Luo Qi, and was feeling rather unconvinced about Uncle Hong¡¯s judgement.


    Hong added, ¡°He has a fever.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Ye Xiu didn¡¯t notice any difort in the way that Luo Wei acted.


    Uncle Hong nodded, ¡°His movements are a little slow, his injuries don¡¯t seem light.¡±


    Ye Xiu asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see anything?¡±


    Uncle Hong replied, ¡°That¡¯s because this young master is someone who¡¯s ruthless even to himself. Commander Luo has killed countless soldiers in battle, but when ites to ruthlessness, I¡¯m afraid he doesn¡¯t hold a candle to this younger brother of his.¡±


    ¡°Luo Wei is ruthless?¡± Ye Xiu said, ¡°I thought he was really nice.¡±


    Uncle Hong lowered his voice as he advised Ye Xiu, ¡°Xiu Er, if you really do manage to marry into the Luo estate, you have to remember to never cross this third young master. Someone who¡¯s this ruthless to himself would be even more ruthless to others. I know, I¡¯m a good judge of character and I¡¯ve never been wrong.¡±


    Ye Xiu nodded. She never doubted anything Uncle Hong told her, even though she couldn¡¯t for the life of her figure out where all the cruelty was in this cheerful and good-humored Luo Wei. ¡°I wonder if his injuries are going to be alright,¡± Ye Xiu started to worry for Luo Wei as she thought about it, ¡°It¡¯s so cold out, and he sat here and spoke with us for such a long time.¡±


    Luo Wei wasn¡¯t feeling good. His body felt too hot, and pain ebbed from where he¡¯d broken his finger, but all of this was within what he could endure. He still had so many things to put into motion. Now was not the time for him to be confined to a bed for rest.

 Chapter 90

    Northern Yan has retreated, Yun Guan has won a great victory.


    The court was wild with jubnce when the news of the victory reached the capital.


    Emperor Xing Wu endowed sizeable des onto those who have aplished great deeds in the battles. Among them, Liu Wu Sheng was especially picked out as one of the most triumphant of the bunch.


    Liu Wu Sheng was confused and didn¡¯t know how to react to the news. How did he be one of the most merited servants of His Imperial Majesty? Alongside him, both Long Xuan and Liu Shuang Shi were nervous about the situation, but they couldn¡¯t fathom what Emperor Xing Wu meant by this.


    Luo Wei began living in the Hall of Eternal Light when he returned to the capital.


    The sight of Luo Wei¡¯s broken finger made Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s heart ache, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± He asked Luo Wei.


    ¡°The wound¡¯s already healed,¡± Luo Wei smiled back, ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt at all.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu sighed, ¡°Wei Er, do you me me?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Your humble servant would not dare. Your Imperial Majesty must have a reason not to make a move on the Liu family.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu patted Luo Wei¡¯s head, ¡°There is a limit to how much I will let them do.¡±


    Luo Wei looked at Emperor Xing Wu with some hope, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty?¡±


    But the emperor had already lowered his head to look at Luo Wei¡¯s injury again. The wound at the end of his finger was scabbed over, and red scar tissue had already started to grow around the edges. ¡°Wei Er,¡± Emperor Xing Wu spoke, ¡°Do you not value yourself at all?¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s gaze was cold. Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s hair had gone white in more ces than he remembered. Luo Wei thought that the emperor must have suffered too in thest little while. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I would dly share your burden to ease your worries,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°My life is nothing.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu drew a long sigh and pulled Luo Wei into his arms. Luo Wei¡¯s body stiffened. He didn¡¯t like being close to other people, but this was the emperor. After a moment of thought, he decided to keep ying cute and leaned his head against Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s chest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill people,¡± The emperor held Luo Wei, ¡°But there are some people who make it impossible for me to not take up the role of the butcher.¡±


    Luo Wei replied, ¡°Your humble servant is a killer now too. It turns out that dying is so much easier than having someone grow up.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu held Luo Wei tight, ¡°I¡¯m very worried about you.¡±


    ¡°This humble servant thanks Your Imperial Majesty.¡± Luo Wei said, his voice quiet.


    A monthter.


    A messenger from Northern Yan arrived in Greater Zhou. In front of all the martial and civil ministers of the court, the messenger offered up a brocade box to Emperor Xing Wu, announcing that it was something that the Emperor of Northern Yan has especially gifted to Emperor Xing Wu.


    Emperor Xing Wumanded an attendant to open the box, only to find a stack of letters and papers inside.


    Luo Wei stood beside Emperor Xing Wu. When he saw what was within the brocade box, he knew that the Liu family¡¯s time was up.


    Emperor Xing Wu nced over a few of the letters, then cast the entire box down in front of Junior Chancellor Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s feet.


    Liu Shuang Shi lowered his head to read a few of the correspondences. In a moment, his eyes went dark and fainted before all those present.


    In the span of a day, the skies at court were changing colors once again.


    Luo Wei had poisoned the tea with the tip of his finger. When Si Ma Qing Sha epted the tea from Liu Wu Sheng, he took the one that Luo Wei marked as safe. Yet after their return to camp, the effects of the poison seemed to ost both Si Ma Zhu Xie and Si Ma Qing Sha at the same time, this forced the army of Northern Yan to retreat as quickly as possible. The news that Liu Wu Sheng had been rewarded by Emperor Xing Wu reached Northern Yan quickly. Si Ma Zhu Xie had been lucky enough to escape death, but his eyes had been blinded by the poison. Not only that, Si Ma Qing Sha took the chance to use him of betrayal in front of their father, the Northern Yan Emperor, Si Ma Chang Tian. Thus, Si Ma Zhu Xie was stripped of his status as crown prince and was ced under house arrest in the Eastern Pce. Si Ma Zhu Xie didn¡¯t know that the reason his younger brother had been poisoned along with him was because Si Ma Qing Sha had taken poison himself prior to the meeting. In his recollection, Luo Wei only touched one of the teacups, but the both of them ended up being poisoned. That meant perhaps Luo Wei wasn¡¯t the one who poisoned them, and the only person who¡¯d have a chance to poison them was Liu Wu Sheng. It follows that Liu Wu Sheng should have a reason to poison them. After the battle of Yung Guan, both him and Long Xuan had miscalcted. If he died, his dealings with Long Xuan would be taken to the grave with him, and thus Long Xuan could rest easy. The news that Liu Wu Sheng wasuded for his aplishments provoked and upset Si Ma Zhu Xie greatly, because it meant that the emperor of Greater Zhou was rewarding Liu Wu Sheng for poisoning the tea!


    Si Ma Zhu Xie was blind in both eyes now, he was stripped of his station as the crown prince, and has lost his father¡¯s trust, marking him as a dead man. He had no reason to let Long Xuan live peacefully as Greater Zhou¡¯s second prince, so he gave up his secret dealings with Long Xuan easily.


    All this was just ording to the n that Luo Wei and Si Ma Qing Sha made that night in Ye Qie, to beat both Long Xuan and Si Ma Zhu Xie at their own game, and get exactly what both of them needed out of it.

 Chapter 91

    This time, Emperor Xing Wu did not rage. He was very calm, but the calmness felt somehow more threatening than his usual rage did.


    Everyone knew that the Liu family from Xi Yuan was at an end.


    As far as Long Xuan went, the letters exchanged with Si Ma Zhu Xie were all by Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s hands. Liu Shuang Shi was extremely careful to not mention Long Xuan¡¯s name in any of the letters, and didn¡¯t leave anything that would incriminate his nephew. Thus, Long Xuan escaped this near cmity.


    Luo Wei returned to the estate. He¡¯d barely made it to the door when his father¡¯s attendant summoned him to his father¡¯s study.


    ¡°This is all your doing?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked at the sight of Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Not all by myself.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu and Liu Shuang Shi had struggled with one another for half a lifetime. He didn¡¯t think that in the end, it would be his son who brought Liu Shuang Shi down.


    ¡°Father,¡± Luo Wei posed a question to Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Do you think His Imperial Majesty is going to go easy on the junior chancellor this time?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu answered frankly, ¡°Treason and betrayal of one¡¯s own nation, Liu Shuang Shi dug his own grave.¡±


    Luo Wei nodded, ¡°Almost all of the soldiers that the Liu family control are at Yun Guan, overseen by my eldest brother. The ones that are left in the capital are all civil ministers. His Imperial Majesty should have nothing to worry about.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu didn¡¯t betray any happiness on his face. He only waved Luo Wei over, ¡°Let me see your hand. Have all your injuries healed up?¡±


    Luo Wei asked while extending his hand for Luo Zhi Qiu to check over, ¡°Father, are you not happy?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu checked Luo Wei¡¯s finger as carefully as Emperor Xing Wu had done before him, ¡°What is there to be happy about? One Liu Shuang Shi cut down, and other Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s will rise in his ce. Wei Er, did you think that we would be able to live peacefully without the Liu family around?¡±


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°Who¡¯s going to be the next Junior Chancellor?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu replied, ¡°His Imperial Majesty requested the forestry minister(1) Qiu Che to be transferred to the capital half a month ago. Qiu Che used to be the emperor¡¯s studyingpanion. I believe this Minister Qiu is going to be the next Junior Chancellor.¡±


    Qiu Che? Luo Wei didn¡¯t know this name at all.


    Luo Zhi Qiu let Luo Wei¡¯s hand go, ¡°Minister Qiu¡¯s fifth younger sister is Concubine Qiu Yi, he¡¯s the ninth prince¡¯s uncle.¡±


    Ninth prince? The ninth prince¡¯s name was Long Yi, Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s youngest son. Luo Wei did his best to remember, but after a while, he could only recall that in the past life, this prince was just a grand prince with absolutely no ambitions.


    Luo Zhi Qiu followed, ¡°Concubine Li is also pregnant. Even if the second prince has no chance, did you think no one else would be interested in the throne in the Crown Prince¡¯s hall?¡±


    Luo Wei looked dumbstruck.


    Luo Zhi Qiu said, ¡°Even if the Liu family fell, Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s disciples are still around, the second prince is not going to be left all by his lonesome for long.¡±


    It only took a second for Luo Wei¡¯s expression to change, ¡°Father, you¡¯re saying that I did things too hurriedly this time. We¡¯ve only lead the fire to the Junior Chancellor, but it won¡¯t stop the second prince from vying for the throne?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu pulled Luo Wei to sit beside, ¡°The situation this time was a chance in a thousand. If we let it go, then there would be no way to get rid of the Liu family. Once the Liu family falls, support for the second prince suffers as well. Everyone knows that Liu Shuang Shi is the second prince¡¯s own uncle, and who did this uncle do all these things for is a question that anyone with a brain would know the answer to.¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s eyes turned in thought, ¡°Father is saying that we should investigate the second prince?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°But we won¡¯t need to. The wall falls not from the push of a single man, we don¡¯t need to add our hands to it.¡±


    Luo Wei frowned, ¡°And the Junior Chancellor¡¯s disciple won¡¯t help their master?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu exined, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that these people just happen to be the ones who want Liu Shuang Shi to die the most right now,¡± Seeing that Luo Wei didn¡¯t quite understand, Luo Zhi Qiu went further, ¡°Liu Shuang Shi betrayed and sold our nation out to the enemy, the closer they are to him, the more afraid they are of being pulled down with him.¡±


    Luo Wei understood, ¡°So the person who wants the Junior Chancellor to die the most would be the second prince himself?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu nodded once.


    Luo Wei suddenly felt likeughing. With the way things were, what were the Liu family losing their lives over? ¡°I understand now,¡± Luo Wei said to Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°I won¡¯t say anything more about this in front of His Imperial Majesty.¡±<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Forestry Minister ¨C The original text is yu hou, which ording to research is a position in historical China. The position entails overseeing or managing specific types ofnds called shan zhe, the English trantions of which are very vague, and allude to wilnds.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Man, the trantion for that specific position stumped me so much that I had to leave this trantion half finishedst night and only finished it tonight. I had originally thought he was a marquis because ¡°hou¡± usually means some rank like marquis or duke or whatever, but it turns out that it has a different meaning¡­

 Chapter 92

    As the father and son spoke, a doorman came to announce that Qiu Che, the forestry minister, hase to visit.


    Luo Wei said, ¡°I should excuse myself.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu nodded his head, ¡°Go and see your mother.¡±


    Luo Wei stood at the side door, watching Luo Zhi Qiu weing Qiu Che into the flower gallery. He didn¡¯t think that after pushing Liu Shuang Shi over, this Qiu Che was the one who would benefit the most, and yet he had absolute no memory of who he was.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Just as he was deep in thought, a doorman¡¯s voice interrupted him from behind.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Luo Wei turned to ask.


    The doorman answered, ¡°The fifth prince hase to visit, saying that he will wait for you at the gates.¡±


    Luo Wei expected Long Xiang to visit, ¡°Then I shall go wee him inside.¡± He said as he started to head off to the gates.


    The doorman spoke up again, ¡°The fifth prince said that he won¡¯t enter the estate, he only wants to talk with the young master.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Luo Wei answered with a hum,municating that he already knew.


    Long Xiang stood at the gates of the Luo Estate by himself, as if he¡¯d been waiting there for Luo Wei for a long time.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe in?¡± Luo Wei walked down the steps and stood in front of Long Xiang.


    As if looking at a stranger, Long Xiang stared at Luo Wei, ¡°I¡¯ve gone to see my uncle.¡±


    Luo Wei sighed, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, the Junior Chancellor¡¯s crime is rather grave, you should distance yourself from him.¡±


    Long Xiang kept talking, ¡°My uncle said you were the one who did this to him.¡±


    Luo Wei watched Long Xiang quietly, ¡°What? How could that be possible?¡±


    Long Xiang responded, ¡°My uncle said that you wouldn¡¯t admit it.¡±


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°What, is the Junior Chancellor still iming his innocence?¡±


    Long Xiang exined, ¡°He said he was guilty and must pay for his crimes, and that I shouldn¡¯t go to see him.¡±


    Luo Wei said, ¡°Then no one did anything to him, it¡¯s the Junior Chancellor reaping what he¡¯d sown.¡±


    Long Xiang only stared at Luo Wei, ¡°Just tell me the truth about one thing, were you the one who did this to him?¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t even think as he answered, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°My uncle said it was you, my cousin Liu Wu Sheng also says it was you,¡± Long Xiang staggered back a few steps before he regained his bearing enough to stand still, ¡°Would two people who are about to die lie to me like this?¡±


    ¡°If Your Imperial Highness already believes in the Junior Chancellor and General Liu,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Then why has hee to ask me about it?¡±


    Long Xiang answered, ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to be your enemy!¡±


    ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t, this matter is out of your hands.¡± Long Xuan arrived,ing in the direction of Long Xiang.


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Shocked, Long Xiang didn¡¯t think that Long Xuan would be there too.


    Long Xuan stood beside Long Xiang, ¡°I knew you¡¯de to find him,¡± He looked at Luo Wei but spoke to Long Xiang.


    Luo Wei paid his usual respects to Long Xuan.


    Long Xuan stared at Luo Wei, coldly.


    Luo Wei was staring at Long Xuan too. Between Long Xuan¡¯s browsy a deep fatigue. In Luo Wei¡¯s memories, Long Xuan had never looked this haggard and weak. Luo Wei thought that he would be very happy to see someone that he hated so much fall into a difficult situation like this, to be utterly exhausted, but he found that he wasn¡¯t happy at all. His heart was still empty. Why?


    Long Xuan¡¯s hands were clenched in fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. Years of nning had gone up in smoke. The Liu family with a hundred years of glorious history had fallen in the space of a single day. Long Xuan wished against wish that it was just a nightmare. Luo Wei was standing in front of him, but he couldn¡¯t see even a shadow of the youth he¡¯d known before. Luo Wei looked calm, but his eyes were like ice. Long Xuan didn¡¯t know what was happening to him anymore. He should have hated this person, and yet the only thing he felt was a profound sadness. Why was it Luo Wei, why does it have to be him?


    Long Xiang¡¯s eyes skittered between Long Xuan and Luo Wei. Things were find before he went to Nan Zhao, how did things change sopletely when he came back? Long Xuan, Luo Wei, both of them were unrecognizable to him.


    Luo Wei finally opened his mouth, ¡°Your Imperial Highnesses, it¡¯s gettingte, perhaps you should return to the pce.¡±


    ¡°Can you save them?¡± Long Xiang asked suddenly.


    Luo Wei wanted tough. Long Xiang, ever the one oblivious to the troubles and tragedies of the world!


    However, Long Xuan addressed Long Xiang, ¡°Can you stop? Liu Shuang Shi and Liu Wu Sheng are both traitors, unforgivable traitors, how many times do I have to say it before you understand?¡±

 Chapter 93

    Long Xiang screamed, ¡°Do you really want our uncle and cousin to die?¡±


    Long Xuan¡¯s voice was harsh, ¡°Shut up! What uncle? Does he deserve to be called our uncle after all his crimes?!¡±


    ¡°How heartless you are,¡± Behind them, Luo Wei sighed.


    Long Xuan spun around, hard, but he was faced with Luo Wei¡¯s expression of deep sorrow. Long Xuan was startled. Where did this sorrowe from? Heartless? How could this person who sheds blood without dirtying his own hands call him heartless?


    Luo Wei bowed, ¡°Your humble servant bids farewell to your imperial highnesses.¡±


    The night fog was getting thicker. A dark cloud overtook the skies.


    Luo Wei turned around and saw Wei Lan standing at the top of the stairs outside of the gate, quietly waiting for him. The corners of Luo Wei¡¯s mouth curled upwards, revealing a smile, ¡°Are you bullying me because I don¡¯t know martial arts? I don¡¯t even know when you got out here.¡±


    Wei Lan smiled back, ¡°Does the young master wish to learn?¡±


    Luo Wei walked up the steps and surprisingly, made a funny face at Wei Lan, ¡°If you¡¯re so smart, why don¡¯t you learn how to read someone else!¡±


    Wei Lan turned to the side, the smile on his face even bigger.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Luo Wei called out to Wei Lan, ¡°After I go and visit mother, my brother and sister-inw, I can teach you some more.¡±


    A soft coal fire burned in the study, making the room warm as is Springtime came early.


    Luo Wei taught Wei Lan how to write stroke by stroke, expression serious, exining the words as he wrote them.


    ¡°Big brother Luo,¡± From outside the door came the voices of two little kids.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Luo Wei knew it had to be Ning Fei¡¯s little sister and brother from the voices alone, and invited them in with a smile.


    Following Ning Yuan and Ning Ling was Madam Wang.


    ¡°Madam Wang is here too?¡± Luo Wei saw her enter, and with Wei Lan, the two of them rushed up to her to stop her from lowering herself in paying respects.


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Ning Yuan and Ning Ling circled Luo Wei¡¯s legs, ¡°When is our big brothering home?¡±


    ¡°The young master is injured, don¡¯t disturb his wounds!¡± Madam Wang saw that her kids were just about to climb onto Luo Wei, and quickly instructed them to stop.


    Wei Lan was also afraid that the kids would identally hurt Luo Wei¡¯s wounds again, so he came by and took one in each hand, carrying the two of them inside.


    ¡°Big brother Lan went to Yun Guan too,¡± The two kids didn¡¯t give up as they held onto Wei Lan¡¯s neck and asked, ¡°Big brother Lan, when is our big brothering back to visit us?¡±


    Wei Lan looked at Luo Wei, but seeing as how his young master was only standing there smiling at them, he couldn¡¯t do anything else but answer, ¡°General Ning ising back with young master Luo Qi, he¡¯ll be back very quickly.¡±


    ¡°General Ning?¡± Ning Yuan, who was only a year older than Ning Ling, held onto this and asked, ¡°Big brother Lan, is our big brother a general now?¡±


    Wei Lan hadn¡¯t even managed to open his mouth to answer when Ning Ling asked, ¡°Big brother Lan, what does a general do?¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t seem to care if Wei Lan could handle these two kids by himself. Instead, he invited Madam Wang to sit and told her the news, ¡°Zi Zhou has aplished great things this time, he hasn¡¯t been injured either. When my big brother returns, he will request merits for him from the emperor. Madam Wang has no need to worry.¡±


    Madam Wang had been praying to Buddha all this time, but she seemed to have calmed down. It was a mother¡¯s right to worry when her child is traveling, not to mention that Ning Fei went to war.


    ¡°When Zi Zhou bes a minister and acquire titles,¡± Luo Wei continued, ¡°Madam Wang would be able to rx and properly enjoy life with him. Yuan Er¡¯s future is bright, and when Ling Eres of age, she will find a good home.¡±


    Madam Wang smiled as she nodded, but suddenly remembered that everything good that¡¯s happened is due to Luo Wei¡¯s kindness. So once again, she tried to kneel to thank Luo Wei while speaking her gratitude so he could hear.


    ¡°Everything is due to Zi Zhou¡¯s own merits,¡± Luo Wei used all his energy and barely stopped Madam Wang from getting on her knees, ¡°I see Zi Zhou as my own brother, please, there¡¯s no need to say things you would to an outsider.¡±


    ¡°Mom,¡± Ning Yuan shouted from across the room, ¡°I¡¯m going to have big brother Lan teach me martial arts in the future, that way I can go away with my big brother and be a general just like him.¡±


    Luo Wei grinned, ¡°Your big brother Lan is going to be in the capital, if you go away with your big brother to Yun Guan, how are you going to learn your martial arts with big brother Lan?¡±


    Ning Yuan hadn¡¯t thought this far, and scratched his head trying to find answer.


    ¡°You big dummy!¡± Ning Ling said from the other side, ¡°Why not ask big brother to teach you?¡±


    Even though Ning Yuan was still a little kid, he knew enough to know that he lost face. Staring at the three grown-ups in the room chuckling at him, there wasn¡¯t anything else to do but chase after Ning Ling for herment.


    In a moment, Luo Wei¡¯s study was filled with the sound of joyousughter.

 Chapter 94

    On the streets of the capitalte in the night, Long Xuan staggered as he walked. But every time Long Xiang tried to help him upright, he pushed Long Xiang aside.


    Not long before this, the two brothers went and found a random alehouse, ordered some good wine, a few snacks that paired well with the wine(1), and spoke with one another between bites and mouthfuls. Long Xuan¡¯s tolerance for wine had always been higher than Long Xiang. He hadn¡¯t expected to be intoxicated after just one pot(2) of wine, but tonight he was trying to drink his feelings away and somehow fell deeper into them.


    ¡°Big brother!¡± Just as Long Xuan was about to take a dive to the ground, Long Xiang raced ahead a few steps and managed to grab Long Xuan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Where are you going? The pce gates are already closed, how are we going to get back?¡±


    Long Xuan looked around, mumbling, ¡°Of course we¡¯re heading back.¡±


    ¡°Even if we were, this isn¡¯t the right way to to the pce!¡± Long Xiang rebutted.


    ¡°Back to the pce?¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°That¡¯s not our home, why are we going back there?¡±


    ¡°Big brother, you¡¯re drunk. Why don¡¯t you follow me and we can head back?¡± This was the first time that Long Xiang had seen Long Xuan drunk. He didn¡¯t think that for a person so disciplined, he¡¯d be utterly irrational after a few drinks.


    ¡°Which way, which way are we heading now?¡± Long Xuan pointed at the direction they were heading and asked.


    Long Xiang looked at the road ahead before answering, ¡°This is the way to the Senior Chancellor¡¯s estate.¡±


    ¡°Senior Chancellor¡¯s¡­ estate?¡± Long Xuan took a step, still intending to go forward.


    ¡°It¡¯s sote, what are you going to the Senior Chancellor¡¯s estate for?¡± Long Xiang used all his strength to keep Long Xuan still, ¡°Everyone in the estate¡¯s probably asleep by now!¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Long Xuan paused, seeming to think over something for a moment, ¡°I want to go find Luo, find Luo Wei.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say that Luo Wei was our opponent now?!¡± Long Xiang wouldn¡¯t let go even if he died now, pulling Long Xuan away, ¡°Why are you going to find him?¡±


    ¡°I want to ask him something,¡± Long Xuan still didn¡¯t budge, ying a tug-o-war with Long Xiang on the street corner.


    ¡°What are you going to ask him?¡±


    ¡°I want to ask, ask him, ask him why he¡¯s treating me this way!¡±


    ¡°Big brother!¡± Long Xiang wished he could knock Long Xuan out and drag him home, ¡°You weren¡¯t exactly nice to him before!¡± Long Xiang said to Long Xuan, ¡°How did you think he was going treat you? I¡¯ve told you to not belittle him so much before, to be nicer to him, don¡¯t humiliate him over nothing, but you never listened to me!¡±


    Long Xuan suddenly burst out inughter. At this deserted street corner, the echoes sounded absolutely frightening and could send one¡¯s hairs on end.


    ¡°Big brother, stop scaring me!¡± Long Xiang was afraid that Long Xuan would keep this up and catch the attention of the patrolling soldiers at night. If that happened, not being back in the pce before lock down would be the least of their problems.


    ¡°I was wrong,¡± Long Xuan shoved Long Xiang aside, harshly. Stumbling and haggard, he was still intent on heading towards the Senior Chancellor¡¯s estate, ¡°I¡¯ll tell him I was wrong, I¡¯ll apologize, and he¡¯ll let, let our uncle and our cousin go?¡±


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging you, big brother,¡± Long Xiang didn¡¯t dare let Long Xuan stumble drunkenly to the Luo estate, ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the pce and get some sleep, things will be fine in the morning!¡±


    And just like this, with one intent on going ahead and another intent on going back, this pair of imperial brothers almost started a fight right on the street.


    ¡°Ah, your Imperial Highnesses,¡± A wizened but peaceful voice suddenly rang out behind Long Xiang.


    ¡°Monk,¡± Long Xuan was of course facing the neer, pointing behind Long Xiang andughing.


    Long Xiang had been scared half to death, cold sweat dripping down his back. He¡¯s not unskilled in the martial arts and trained a set of keen eyes and ears, how could someone walk right up behind him without him noticing? Was this a person, or a spirit?


    ¡°Looks like your imperial highness might be drunk?¡± The neer chuckled quietly.


    Long Xiang turned around. The man standing behind him turned out to be the Grand Priest(3) of Greater Zhou, the head of the Hu Guo Chan Buddhist(4) temple, Master Fu Yi.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. wine ¨C referring to Chinese white wine, or liquor.


    2. pot of wine ¨C Chinese liquor is usually served in pots, like teapots.


    3. Grand Priest ¨C Literally meaning ¡°the nation¡¯s teacher¡±, the Grand Priest presides over teaching Buddhism to the Emperor and the Imperial Family, holds ceremonies for the Imperial family.


    4. Huguo Chan Buddhist ¨C Hu Guo meaning ¡°protecting the nation¡±, Chan Buddhism, also known as Zen Buddhism, is a Buddhist school originating in China thatbines Taoism with Buddhism.

 Chapter 95

    Huguo Chan Temple is the temple of the imperial family of Greater Zhou. Historically, all of the masters of the temple itself were named by the Imperial family as the Grand Priest. The temple was situated in the northern parts of the capital, facing south, the size of which was about the same as the pce. There was even a golden dragon signifying the imperial family carved inside the temple, but the only difference between that and the pce dragons was that it had not been given eyes. In the temple, there is a nine-story tower hidden from view. Other than the sitting Emperor and the Grand Priest who keeps it in good order, no one else can enter. In legends, the vein of power of the Long family who sat on the throne was situated beneath this very tower.


    Other than the pce, this temple was the most scared and cherished ce of Greater Zhou.


    Long Xiang was born an imperial prince, and as one such prince he¡¯d been brought here to receive a Buddhist ceremony after his first month. After that, there were no other opportunities for him to visit this temple. Right now, as he sat in a meditation room inside the temple watching the empty walls, Long Xiang thought to himself, perhaps he¡¯d drank too much too, and this was in his dreams?


    ¡°The fifth prince should rest,¡± Master Fu Yi said to Long Xiang, ¡°Not to worry, you can return to the pce tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°But my brother?¡± Long Xiang couldn¡¯t put away the concern he felt about Long Xuan, who¡¯d been left at a little Buddha hall by Master Fu Yi.


    ¡°Do not trouble yourself,¡± Master Fu Yi said, ¡°The second prince¡¯s emotions are disquiet, the hall will allow him to set them at peace once more.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s drunk.¡±


    ¡°Is he drunk of the heart or drunk of the body, that, only the second prince knows for himself,¡± Master Fu Yi left that as his final words before he exited the room. A little monk entered soon after, to help Long Xiang get ready for sleep.


    Long Xiang wanted to go and see Long Xuan. But this was the Huguo Chan Temple. Forbidden ces here were even more numerous than those in the pce. Even if he was a prince, Long Xiang didn¡¯t dare to take an extra step in the temple grounds. The only thing he could do was let the little monk get him ready for sleep, and open his eyes again once the little monk left him alone. There was no way for him to sleep this night. The entire Liu family was being exterminated, Long Xuan was drunk, Luo Wei had turned into an enemy from a friend. All of these things made it difficult for Long Xiang to get a single moment of rest.


    In the little Buddha hall, Long Xuan had already taken some broth to help wake him up from the intoxication. He sat in front of a statue of the Laughing Buddha, staring emptily.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Master Fu Yi entered the hall and lit the oilmp in front of the statue himself. The light seeped from the altar, quickly brightening up the entire hall.


    ¡°Why is this Buddhaughing so happily?¡± Long Xuan suddenly asked.


    ¡°Without obsessions persisting in his heart, it¡¯s natural to be happy to the point ofughter,¡± Master Fu Yi exined, ¡°Can Your Imperial Highness notugh anymore?¡±


    Long Xuan wanted to get up, but he couldn¡¯t do it. He tilted his head and looked up at the Grand Priest standing in front of him. This man had never spoken to him before, so why did he bring him into the temple?


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness ought to rest,¡± Faced with Long Xuan¡¯s inquisitive stare, Master Fu Yi only responded with a smile.


    ¡°They say that the Grand Priest has opened his inner eye,¡± but Long Xuan continued, ¡°Does he have words for me?¡±


    ¡°I have words and yet no words,¡± Master Fu Yi answered, ¡°An emperor¡¯s son being drunk on the streets cannot be good news for anyone if it were passed around. Chancellor Liu has been careful and exacting with his calctions throughout his life, and yet he didn¡¯t see that these calctions would one day take his life. Does Your Imperial Highness think that all of this wasn¡¯t worth it for Chancellor Liu?¡±


    ¡°Not worth it?¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°Obviously not now that he¡¯s lost. He betrayed our nation, doesn¡¯t it serve him right to die?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness is not wrong,¡± Master Fu Yi still only smiled. He didn¡¯t say anything else about whether Long Xuan was right or wrong, but also didn¡¯t seem to have an interest in speaking to Long Xuan, ¡°Your Imperial Highness should go to one of the rooms and rest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just sit here tonight,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°It¡¯s not too bad here with the oilmps and an ancient Buddha. The temple at the Imperial Tombs in Xia Chuan should be even quieter than here.¡± At that, Long Xuan felt another wave of discouragement. Once the Liu family has fallen, what is the future going to be like for him, Long Xiang, and his consort mother? Perhaps the Imperial Tombs in Xia Chuan would be where they¡¯ll belong.


    Master Fu Yi sighed quietly, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, the Buddha says to cast away obsessions and obstinacy, make the best of that.¡±


    Cast away obsessions and obstinacy? Long Xuan sat in the hall lit by a singlemp, wondering how he was supposed to cast those away? The Buddha in front of him smiled but said nothing. The bells in the temple sounded far and quiet. Long Xuan sat like this for an entire night.

 Chapter 96

    The next morning, Luo Wei ran into Long Xuan and Long Xiang at the pce gates apanied by a monk. As he was just wondering what the two princes had to do with a monk, he heard the old monk next to Long Xuan call out to him with a smile, ¡°Third young master.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Luo Wei looked at the old man. His expression was cid, smileforting. He had a short beard, and though his face was obviously worn and weathered, it was clear that he¡¯d been a handsome and elegant man in his youth.


    ¡°He¡¯s the Grand Priest, Fu Yi,¡± Long Xiang¡¯s words still had a tinge of anger in them, ¡°Don¡¯t you recognize the Grand Priest, Luo Wei?¡±


    Grand Priest Fu Yi? Honestly, Luo Wei had never met this legendary man face to face. He took another detailed look at this famous grand priest. His entire habit was grey and extremely simple. There was no telling him from any other monk or priest.


    ¡°This humble monk has never met the third young master,¡± Fu Yi exined to Long Xiang, ¡°It¡¯s not so strange that he wouldn¡¯t recognize me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an honor to make your acquaintance, grand priest,¡± Luo Wei only just managed to react. The detailed look he¡¯d given to the priest was impolite, so he quickly made up for it by paying his respects.


    ¡°It¡¯ste, we should head in soon,¡± Long Xuan sat in the hall for an entire night, his emotions were quiet now. Seeing that Luo Wei was also paying respects to him, he said by way of convenience, ¡°Luo Wei, you have to go with my imperial father to morning audience, it¡¯s not good to bete.¡±


    Luo Wei nodded yes, and was just about to leave when the grand priest said, ¡°This humble monk also needs to see His Imperial Majesty. Third young master, let¡¯s go together.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to say good morning to our Imperial Mother,¡± Long Xuan said to the Grand Priest, ¡°We will talk more next time.¡±


    ¡°Did the second and fifth prince discuss something with you yesterday, Master Fu Yi?¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t remember Long Xuan having had anything to do with the Grand Priest in his past life.


    ¡°The pce gates were already shuttered,¡± Grand Priest Fu Yi responded, ¡°The two princes are still youths at heart, the street corner is no resting ce, so this humble monk invited them to the temple for a night¡¯s rest.¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t know why the Grand Priest Fu Yi was currying for Long Xuan¡¯s favor. To bepletely honest, he didn¡¯t believe that this priest saw them in the streets by chance. ¡°That¡¯s why His Imperial Highness was so keen on seeing Her Imperial Majesty the empress. The Empress must be worried sick about them noting home for a night, and it¡¯s best if she doesn¡¯t pass anything onto the Emperor himself.¡±


    Grand Priest Fu Yimented, ¡°The third young master sees through people very easily, I believe that is the second prince¡¯s intention.¡±


    Luo Wei walked with his head down. He still couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of Fu Yi¡¯s rtionship with Long Xuan, so perhaps it¡¯s better if he didn¡¯t talk just now.


    But it was the Grand Priest¡¯s turn to speak, ¡°Third young master, I asked His Imperial Highness the second prince to abandon his obsessions, but he could not do it. What obsessions and obstinacy does the third young master hold in his heart?¡±


    ¡°Obsessions?¡± Luo Wei looked at the Grand Priest next to him, oblivious, ¡°What obsessions?¡±


    The Grand Priest pointed a finger at Luo Wei¡¯s chest, ¡°The young master is a young man yet, why does he hold such hatred in his heart?¡±


    At this moment, Luo Wei had a sudden moment of suspicion that this Grand Priest knew exactly why he¡¯d been reborn. He stopped in his tracks, staring at Grand Priest Fu Yi, dumbfounded.


    ¡°The third young master has lived all this time, what do you think it was all for?¡±


    Luo Wei questioned right back, ¡°What does Master Fu Yi really want to say to me? What kind of hatred would I hold in my heart?¡±


    Grand Priest Fu Yi passed Luo Wei by, leaving the scent of sandalwood in the air.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Luo Wei caught up to Fu Yi in a few steps, ¡°Does Master Fu Yi know where I came from?¡±


    ¡°From the previous life, going to the next life,¡± Master Fu Yi answered, ¡°Such is the fate of everyone in this world.¡±


    ¡°Can you not talk in these Buddhist riddles to me?¡± Luo Wei became impatient, and grabbed the monk¡¯s habit in his fist, ¡°What do you know?¡±


    ¡°Wei Er!¡± Emperor Xing Wu saw Luo Wei grabbing at Master Fu Yi from a distance, and quickly ordered him to stop, ¡°Don¡¯t be rude to the Grand Priest!¡±

 Chapter 97

    Luo Wei let go of the grip he had on Master Fu Yi. Seeing that the emperor was heading over, he quickly knelt on the ground but he still wasn¡¯t satisfied. This Grand Priest must know something, and he was determined to get an answer out of him.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Master Fu Yi did not kneel at the sight of the emperor, and only bowed respectfully, ¡°I was trying to exin a few rules of Buddhism to the Third Young Master, but it doesn¡¯t seem as if his path crosses with that of the Buddha.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu gave Luo Wei permission to rise while he joked with the Grand Priest, ¡°Are you trying to convert this boy and ordain him as a monk?¡± Emperor Xing Wu has respect for Buddhism, but as a father, he was rather happy to hear that Luo Wei¡¯s path did not cross that of the Buddha. No one wanted their children to spend their lives alone and empty, and the emperor was the same. He wanted to give Luo Wei a life of fortune and luxury.


    ¡°Third Young Master,¡± Master Fu Yi said to Luo Wei, ¡°There are things that the Buddha dictates that can¡¯t be spoken of, they can¡¯t be spoken of.¡±


    Luo Wei was angry now. If they can¡¯t be spoken of, then why did he say those things before? Or was it that perhaps, Luo Wei thought now of the way that the Grand Priest was standing next to Long Xuan, was it that this man was trying to plead mercy for Long Xuan? Was Long Xuan¡¯s situation so dire that this Grand Priest was trying to help him out now? Was the priest trying reach a hand out to this drowning man?


    ¡°Wei Er, you can head back to the Hall of Eternal Light first,¡± Emperor Xing Wu saw that Luo Wei was unsettled, so he gave instructions first, ¡°I have words to speak of with the Grand Priest.¡±


    Luo Wei could only obey and head back to the Hall of Eternal Light as ordered. It was still half an hour to the morning audience, who knows what Emperor Xing Wu wanted to talk to his Grand Priest about.


    Zhao Fu saw Luo Wei entering the Hall of Eternal Light, so he quickly attended to him, ¡°Young master, His Imperial Majesty left a letter on his desk and said that you should read it as soon as you got here.¡±


    Luo Wei went behind the desk and sat down. There was indeed a letter on it. When he opened to read it, he found that it was from Long Yu. Luo Wei nced over the contents, and immediately felt his annoyance grow to worry. Long Yu said in the letter that the Liu family has done much for the country, and was pleading with the emperor to leave some branches of the Liu family untouched and spare their children. Could this sort of person be someone who grew up in a treacherous ce like the pce? Luo Wei didn¡¯t even know how to react just now.


    Emperor Xing Wu and Master Fu Yi walked in the Imperial Gardens. The sky had been overcast for days and days, but produced no rain or snow. All the nts seemed to hang in the air, making it feel rather oppressive.


    ¡°Why did Master Fu Yie into the pce?¡± Emperor Xing Wu spoke up finally as the two of them wandered deeper into the woods of the garden, making sure the two of them were alone.


    ¡°Last night, the second prince drank a little too much, so I humbly invited him to the temple to rest for a night,¡± Master Fu Yi said, ¡°I was hoping that Your Imperial Majesty wouldn¡¯t fault him too much.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu made a noise rather coldly, ¡°He¡¯s my flesh and blood, what could I possibly do to him?¡±


    Master Fu Yi continued, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty should open his heart a little more and not be too sensitive about things like this.¡±


    ¡°That boy just now,¡± The emperor ceased his steps then, ¡°That boy is Luo Wei. What does the Grand Priest think now that you¡¯ve seen him?¡±


    Master Fu Yi asked, ¡°What does Your Imperial Majesty want to ask about him?¡±


    ¡°I wish to ask about his fate.¡±


    ¡°The Third Young Master¡¯s fate is naturally filled with fortune and luxury.¡±


    ¡°How fortunate is he?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the birth date and time(1) that you sent to me the other day, they must be the young master¡¯s, are they not?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu looked at the Grand Priest. This monk seemed to have a pair of eyes that knew everything, ¡°Last time you said that the child who had those dates and times was doomed to a life of suffering. Compared to leaving him at court, you said it would be better if I let him go. But today you said that his life was one of fortune and luxury. Master Fu Yi, which reading of yours should I trust?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Fu Yi answered, ¡°The Third Young Prince would be better served with the surname Luo rather than the surname Long, he would be better served living in a vige faraway rather than being at court. Brocade and delicacies are of course his fortune and luxury, but the suffering I spoke of will be in his heart.¡±


    ¡°The Luo family has treated him very well,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said, ¡°Why would his heart be full of suffering? Luo Zhi Qiu is a good father, that mother of his is only not very close to him, but she doesn¡¯t treat him especially badly. Even those two brothers of his treat him very well.¡±


    ¡°This humble monk doesn¡¯t know the things that wille to pass,¡± Master Fu Yi said, ¡°I only feel as if the third young master would live a more peaceful, happy life if he were far away from here.¡±<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. birth date and time ¨C In Chinese numerology and fortune telling, a person¡¯s birth date, location, and time cany out what their life is going to be. The month, the day, the location, and the time are referred to as ¡°Ba Zi¡± or the eight letters. The title of the chapter specifically means natal chart, or birth chart, but generally is better tranted as fate.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    hey guysss!!! sorry to leave you guys on kind of a cliffhanger for a while! christmas ising so I picked up a few more shifts in order to get some more $$ to buy some christmas gifts for friends and family. : ) Work is progressing pretty well though, and I¡¯m probably going to take a few trips in the next few months just to have some time off. Will make sure I have a good amount of chapters tranted and backed up!!


    In case anyone is wondering, the reason sometimes yourments don¡¯t show up is because the default is that I have to approve newments. But! If you havemented in the past and I have approved it, you will be able toment without approval. to keep out spam and wild spoilers or just trolling, I¡¯m going to keep the approval system the way it is, but don¡¯t worry! yourments will show up once I see it! : D

 Chapter 98

    When Emperor Xing Wu returned to the Hall of Eternal Light, Luo Wei was standing in the middle of the courtyard, staring off into the sky as if he was thinking about something. He was so lost in his mind that he didn¡¯t notice the emperor walking up behind him.


    ¡°Wei Er,¡± Emperor Xing Wu called out to him.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Wei turned to see the emperor and immediately put a smile on his face, bending his knees to pay respects to the emperor.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Emperor Xing Wu stopped him with a hand on his arm, ¡°Didn¡¯t I say not to worry about protocol like this when we¡¯re alone together?¡±


    ¡°Did the Grand Priest head back?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°He did,¡± Emperor Xing Wu felt Luo Wei¡¯s hand, it was cold like ice, ¡°Why are you standing out here in the wind when it¡¯s so cold? Let¡¯s head inside.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, has the Grand Priest really opened his third eye?¡± Luo Wei posed another question.


    ¡°Why?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked him right back, ¡°He only spoke a few words to you, and now you¡¯re interested in his preaching?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t quite understand him,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°So I wanted to ask.¡±


    ¡°What did he say to you?¡±


    ¡°He said I had a lot of hate in my heart,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°But what kind of hate would I have?¡±


    If you knew that you were a prince as well, would you not hate this father of yours? Emperor Xing Wu understood this ¡°hate¡± immediately as he heard Luo Wei speak. ¡°Take the words of the Grand Priest in passing,¡± Emperor Xing Wu patted the back of Luo Wei¡¯s hand, ¡°If you don¡¯t understand, that means your path does not cross with that of the Buddha¡¯s, so you better be a good minister instead.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Zhao Fu jogged in to make a report, ¡°The second prince and the fifth prince are here to beg your audience.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Emperor Xing Wu let go of Luo Wei¡¯s hand, ¡°Wei Er, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Are we not heading back inside the hall?¡± Luo Wei saw that the emperor wasn¡¯t taking him in the direction of the main hall, so he asked aloud.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit somewhere and have some tea, then we¡¯ll head to morning audience together.¡± Emperor Xing Wu said.


    ¡°What about the two Imperial Highnesses?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°Let those two bastards(1) kneel there and wait!¡± Xing Wu spoke to Zhao Fu now, ¡°Everything can wait after I attend audience.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Even if he was faking it, Luo Wei had to make the effort and plead for Long Xuan and Long Xiang.


    ¡°Wei Er, you don¡¯t need to say anything on their ount,¡± Emperor Xing Wu walked them briskly to the side hall, ¡°Those two deserve some punishment.¡±


    In the side hall, Luo Wei sat as he ate the little desserts that Emperor Xing Wu passed to him. He rather liked this sort of little cake with a hint of creaminess. Even though he wasn¡¯t quite hungry, he still managed to eat two pieces.


    ¡°You read the letter from the crown prince?¡± It was only then that the emperor brought the letter up to Luo Wei.


    ¡°He¡¯s a merciful crown prince,¡± No matter how anxious and annoyed he was, Luo Wei could only speak well of him. He was too afraid that the emperor would be angry with the prince that his family supported.


    ¡°Merciful?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked, ¡°Both you and I have stained our hands with blood, and he gets the honor of being called merciful. Wei Er, don¡¯t put on false pretenses, even if he is the crown prince!¡±


    Luo Wei dropped onto his knees immediately, ¡°Your humble servant dares not.¡±


    ¡°You.¡± Emperor Xing Wu stood again to help Luo Wei up. Even now Luo Wei was afraid of him, and that felt like a sizable dent on the emperor¡¯s ego, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to cast any me on you. Are you that afraid of me?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Wei gripped Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s hands, ¡°His Imperial Highness the crown prince is generous by nature, he couldn¡¯t stand to see the Liu family wiped out like this. That¡¯s why he sent that letter to you, to plead for them. Everyone says that mercy heals a nation, the fact that your humble servant thinks that the crown prince is merciful is the absolute truth, I dare not put up false pretenses before you.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯d rather stain your own hands with blood so that this crown prince may rule?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked.


    ¡°The blood of the Liu family is not on my hands, Liu Shuang Shi walked himself into the gallows,¡± Luo Wei said quickly, ¡°Does Your Imperial Majesty think that this is me staining my hands?¡±<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. bastard ¨C This word is not used in the official context, the original text said something akin to asshole or bastard in English, but as ¡°assholes¡± sound too weird for the emperor, ¡°bastards¡± was used.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>SO!! I took a few liberties in this chapter than I did in some of the other chapters, mainly because the conversation between Emperor Xing Wu and Luo Wei sounds strange tranted straight from Chinese, especially when Luo Wei keeps referring to himself as ¡°your humble servant¡±. : ) The sentiment is urate tho! And because this one is so short¡­ I will do another chapter tonight, hehe.

 Chapter 99

    Emperor Xing Wu has been holding a question, a suspicion in his heart. Did Luo Wei really discover the plot by ident when they caught the messenger heading to the Northern Yan camps? Was the war just won by Luo Wei going with the flow? But faced with Luo Wei, Emperor Xing Wu didn¡¯t know how to get this question out in words. He was afraid that if he asked what he wanted to ask, it would put more distance between himself and Luo Wei than ever before. A ruler and his minister cannot coexist in peace without trust, never mind father and son.


    Luo Wei let himself be pulled up to his feet by the emperor. The fall of the Liu family didn¡¯t make him as happy as he thought it would, but he wasn¡¯t sad either. It felt as if his heart was dead, incapable of feeling anything.


    ¡°He deserves to die for degeneracy and treason by his own hands,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said, finally, ¡°Wei Er, you¡¯re right. No one pushed him towards the execution grounds, he walked there himself.¡±


    Luo Wei nodded and made a quiet noise of agreement.


    ¡°Wei Er, is there anywhere you¡¯d like to go?¡± Emperor Xing Wu was testing the waters now as he asked Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°Not particrly.¡±


    ¡°Is there no ce in our magnificent Greater Zhou you¡¯d like to go?¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t understand why the emperor was suddenly asking him this all of a sudden. He knew a few of the famous spots and sights in Greater Zhou, but he¡¯d never particrly cared about them.


    ¡°There¡¯s no hurry, think about it.¡± Emperor Xing Wu was still ambivalent about whether or not to trust the Grand Priest¡¯s words. He couldn¡¯t really believe that Luo Wei would live a life of suffering with him here protecting the boy. ¡°When you¡¯ve thought about a ce you¡¯d like to go, let me know.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t understand, but he epted themand none the less.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Zhao Fu rushed in again, this time from the direction of the main hall.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked.


    ¡°The second prince has just fainted,¡± Zhao Fu reported, his tone urgent.


    ¡°Fainted?¡± Emperor Xing Wu took a step towards the main hall, ready to rush to see his son, but a few stepster, he stopped himself, ¡°Have him taken back to the Hall of Literary Transcendence and summon the imperial physician for him.¡±


    Zhao Fu epted the orders and rushed away again.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and visit him, Wei Er?¡± Emperor Xing Wu said to Luo Wei, ¡°You don¡¯t need to apany me to the morning audience today,¡± With that, Emperor Xing Wu left to take audience with the ministers.


    When Luo Wei arrived at Long Xuan¡¯s bed chambers in the Hall of Literary Transcendence, an imperial physician was applying acupuncture needles to the second prince.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Fu Yun saw Luo Wei walking in, and wiped the tears off his face before jogging forward to pay his respects.


    ¡°His Imperial Majestymanded me to visit,¡± Luo Wei said quietly to Fu Yun, ¡°Go tend to your master, don¡¯t worry about me.¡±


    Fu Yun quickly nodded and turned aside for Luo Wei to enter.


    Luo Wei walked up to Long Xuan¡¯s bedside and asked the other imperial physician standing aside, ¡°What¡¯s happened to His Imperial Highness?¡±


    ¡°To answer the young master,¡± This imperial physician was quick to reply, ¡°His Imperial Highness caught a chill yesterday. Hecks energy, and the fainting spell just now might be because of a moment¡¯s weakness.¡±


    Seeing that Long Xuan¡¯s eyes were still tightly shut, Luo Wei asked again, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t he woken up yet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already finished applying the needles,¡± The imperial physician replied, ¡°His Imperial Highness should be awake shortly. Young master,¡± The imperial physician took a few steps closer to Luo Wei, and spoke to him in hushed tones, ¡°There¡¯s too many people here, could you ask them to go outside for now?¡±


    Luo Wei nced over Long Xuan¡¯s bed chambers. A veritable group of servants were amassed there, just standing. He waved Fu Yun over, ¡°Take them outside and wait in the outer hall for now.¡±


    Luo Wei came under themand of the emperor, so Fu Yun wasn¡¯tfortable with leaving him alone here with Long Xuan. Yet, there was nothing else he could do but obey. His master had tread so close to being under house arrest, and him, a mere servant, wouldn¡¯t dare offend the emperor¡¯s favorite by being disobedient.


    When the people cleared out of the room, the imperial physician who spoke to him walked to the window to open one of the shutters, letting some fresh air into the bed chambers.


    As the other imperial physician adjusted the needles further, Long Xuan woke up.


    ¡°Is Your Imperial Highness still dizzy?¡± The physician standing aside leaned over to ask.


    Long Xuan¡¯s gaze shot past the imperial physician andnded on Luo Wei. What was he doing here?


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness?¡± When Long Xuan didn¡¯t answer, the only thing the physician could do was to ask again.

 Chapter 100

    ¡°His Imperial Majesty ordered this humble servant toe and visit,¡± Seeing as Long Xuan was staring at him and not paying any attention to what the imperial physician had asked, Luo Wei spoke up, ¡°Does your Imperial Highness feel better now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Long Xuan took back his gaze and spoke to the imperial physician, ¡°What happened to me?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness caught a chill,¡± the imperial physician answered, ¡°It would necessitate a few days of bedrest.¡±


    Long Xuan nodded.


    ¡°Your humble servants shall take our leave and formte some medicine for your Imperial Highness,¡± the two imperial physicians bowed to Long Xuan, then to Luo Wei, and excused themselves.


    ¡°If Your Imperial Highness is feeling better now, I shall go and make my report to His Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Wei wanted to leave too. Spending time alone with Long Xuan made him very ufortable.


    ¡°Where did Xiang go?¡± Long Xuan asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s still at the Hall of Eternal Light.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything wrong,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°You know this.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the emperor for him.¡±


    The half opened window suddenly blew open from a hard gust of wind, filling the room with frigid air. Luo Wei moved quickly to close the shutters, but the gust of wind in his face carried sand and dust into his eyes. Just as he was rubbing his eyes with one hand while feeling for the window shutter with the other to close it, someone¡¯s hand pulled him back a few steps.


    Long Xuan had pulled Luo Wei behind himself as he tried to close the window. When had he ever needed to do this himself before? It was only a small window, but he couldn¡¯t get it closed at the first push, and failed at the second try too before he shoved hard, almost managing to break the shutters and pull the whole frame to the ground.


    ¡°There¡¯s atch underneath,¡± Luo Wei had rubbed his eyes until they teared up. When he cleared his eyes of the sand, the first sight to greet him was Long Xuan trying and, ridiculously, failing to close a simple window.


    Long Xuan watched as Luo Wei pulled opened thetch and softly closed this shutter that he couldn¡¯t for the life of him close. So windows had to be shut like this. In Long Xuan¡¯s moment of sudden realization, he managed to see the tip of Luo Wei¡¯s broken finger. Just like that, his gaze darkened.


    Luo Wei turned around and caught the sight of Long Xuan standing on the ground barefoot. He quickly said, ¡°Your Imperial Highness should get back into bed, it¡¯ll be bad if you caught another chill.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯d care if I caught a chill or not?¡± Long Xuan walked towards his bed, ¡°Luo Wei, there isn¡¯t a third person in this room. Why do you still insist on plying me with false words?¡±


    Luo Wei followed after Long Xuan for a few steps, ¡°Should I summon Fu Lai back inside so he can help you into bed?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Long Xuanid down himself, ¡°I¡¯ll wager he and the rest of the servants are busy looking for another master right now.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness, these words of yours may weigh heavily on those servants waiting outside.¡±


    ¡°I just said that you didn¡¯t need to put on false pretenses with me,¡± Long Xuan suddenly shouted with anger.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness can get angry and let it out on me as you like, but when you see His Imperial Majesty again, you must remember to not rage in front of him,¡± Luo Wei spoke as he walked up to the side of the bed, wanting to pull the covers over Long Xuan properly.


    ¡°Your hand,¡± Long Xuan reached out and held Luo Wei¡¯s hand with his own.


    In an instant, Luo Wei pulled his hand back.


    Long Xuan¡¯s hand was empty.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness needs rest,¡± Luo Wei reached out again, pulling the covers up for Long Xuan, ¡°This humble servant shall excuse himself.¡±


    It was only when Luo Wei turned to leave that Long Xuan spoke, ¡°I was only thinking that it¡¯s a pity for you to injure your hand.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t stop me from eating, dressing myself, and writing,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t bother to turn around to face Long Xuan as he spoke, ¡°Let it be injured, I¡¯m already very luckypared to those people who lost their lives in the killing fields.¡±


    ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t be able to y the qin anymore,¡± Long Xuan said, his voice low, ¡°After I heard you y at the study that day, I had ordered someone to go and find a quality instrument for you. It was going to be a gift, on your birthday.¡±


    Luo Wei chuckled, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, there¡¯s no one else in this room, why do you insist on trying to appease me and make me happy with these words? I never cared much for music, why would I y? Your Imperial Highness shouldn¡¯t worry too much. You are the son of the emperor. Even if His Imperial Majestymands the execution of the entire Liu family, he wouldn¡¯t touch you, your consort mother, or your imperial brother.¡±


    The room was empty now, save for Long Xuan himself. ¡°But I really do think it¡¯s a pity that you¡¯ve injured your hand,¡± watching the wisps of smoke float out of the patterned holes on the incense burner, Long Xuan mumbled to himself. The wisp of smoke was just in front of his eyes, but as Long Xuan reached out, he couldn¡¯t manage to hold a single strand in his hand.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    I wanted to wait until the 100th chapter to say this but¡­ Wow¡­ we¡¯re just a little over 20% through the entire length of this novel!! I can¡¯t believe we made it this far!!! Thank you all so much for reading along and following this story, I¡¯m very happy to have such nice readers. all of yourments make me very happy, and thank you to everyone who supported me on ko-fi!!! here¡¯s to the rest of the 379 chapters and 9 epilogue chapters!! xD

 Chapter 101

    Luo Wei wanted to plead for Long Xiang, but he could only wait until after the morning audience to do it.


    ¡°You may rise,¡± Emperor Xing Wu only took a single look at Long Xiang kneeling there, ¡°This time Wei Er helped your case by asking for forgiveness, if you do this next time, it won¡¯t blow over so easy!¡±


    Long Xiang pressed his forehead to the ground to give thanks, but he¡¯d been kneeling for too long and couldn¡¯t stand, so Zhao Fu had to go up to help him.


    ¡°Go back to your hall,¡± Xing Wu waved his hand to dismiss Long Xiang, ¡°Stay in your own chambers for these next few days and don¡¯t go out, make sure you study some of the Confucian books in the Imperial Study the next time you go!¡±


    Long Xiang staggered as he walked out of the hall. Zhao Fu was already doing his best, but he lost attention for one moment and identally let Long Xiang stumble. The prince¡¯s entire body fell to one side.


    Luo Wei quickly stepped up, wanting to help.


    ¡°Get away from me!¡± Long Xiang saw Luo Wei¡¯s hand reaching for him, and pushed Luo Wei back.


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t have his guard up, and with Long Xiang¡¯s shove, he fell to the ground.


    ¡°Insolence!¡± Emperor Xing Wu stood as soon as he saw Luo Wei fall back, cursing Long Xiang as he walked around his desk so see if Luo Wei was okay.


    ¡°Your humble servant simply lost his step,¡± Luo Wei saw that Emperor Xing Wu was about to let Long Xiang have it, so he quickly got up and exined himself to the emperor before him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to pretend to be nice!¡± Long Xiang didn¡¯t want Luo Wei to help him. He tossed a dirty look to his former friend.


    ¡°You insolent idiot!¡± Emperor Xing Wu was ready to strike Long Xiang with a raised hand.


    ¡°How does my Imperial Father wish to punish me?!¡± Long Xiang lifted his head, making a pose as if ready to be hit, looking untamed as he stared at the emperor, ¡°I ept it!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll grant you your wish!¡± Emperor Xing Wu pointed at Long Xiang, ready to do something drastic.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Luo Wei can¡¯t keep watching while Long Xiang and Emperor Xing Wu went at it like this, both hardheaded. He felt guilty about Long Xiang¡¯s circumstance, ¡°Even if you and His Imperial Majesty are father and son, you are also a servant to the crown.¡±


    ¡°How d¨C!¡±


    ¡°You need to think of His Imperial Highness the Second Prince and Consort Liu,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t let Long Xiang finish. Long Xiang wasn¡¯t afraid of Emperor Xing Wu when it came to himself, but he won¡¯t be inconsiderate of Consort Liu and Long Xuan.


    As expected, after Luo Wei brought up these two people, Long Xiang lost the feral look in his eyes, lowered his head, as to not let anyone else see his face while he knelt before Emperor Xing Wu, ¡°Your humble son recognizes his mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Wei Er, you can head home first,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said to Luo Wei. Luo Wei had juste back from Yun Guan, it wouldn¡¯t be fair of him, as an emperor, to ask him to take up residence in the Hall of Eternal Light for too long. Besides that, what he didn¡¯t want Luo Wei to witness even more was the sight of him teaching Long Xiang a harsh lesson.


    Luo Wei left the Hall of Eternal Light. He didn¡¯t know what kind of punishment Emperor Xing Wu had in mind for Long Xiang, but he knew enough to know that Long Xiang wouldn¡¯t be able to escape this one unscathed.


    Outside the hall, Shang Xi was waiting for Luo Wei. Seeing that he¡¯d left the hall doors, the eunuch quickly walked up to him, bowing his respects, ¡°This humble servant greets the young master.¡±


    ¡°Does Her Imperial Majesty wish to see me?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Shang Xi followed closely behind Luo Wei, speaking quietly, ¡°Consort Liu has gone to see Her Imperial Majesty.¡±


    ¡°To seek mercy?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    Shang Xi nodded, ¡°Consort Liu is crying up a storm right now.¡±


    ¡°Has Her Imperial Majesty agreed to clemency?¡±


    ¡°Her Imperial Majesty is in tears with her,¡± Shang Xi answered, ¡°Young master, you know our empress has always been soft-hearted.¡±


    ¡°Then find a chance to remind our empress that the wives and concubines of the emperor are not allowed to put their hands in matters of state.¡± Luo Wei was again reminded of Long Yu¡¯s letter, and felt another wave of annoyance, ¡°Consort Liu¡¯s business is not up to her, she can¡¯t help her.¡±


    ¡°But Her Imperial Majesty agreed to help.¡±


    Luo Wei sighed, ¡°His Imperial Majesty doesn¡¯t have much interest in going to the Back Pce these days, Mister, you should take advantage of the chance and talk to Her Imperial Majesty as soon as you can.¡±


    Shang Xi responded, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯d be best if the young master went to talk to Her Imperial Majesty himself. Words from a simple servant like myself¡­ I don¡¯t know if Her Imperial Majesty has the mind to listen.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much my words would mean either,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask my father toe to the pce tomorrow and visit her. Don¡¯t worry too much about this, mister, go back and attend well to our empress.¡± Luo Wei spoke as he tucked a banknote(1) into the eunuch¡¯s pocket. He didn¡¯t want to go and see Luo Zhi Yi today. Luo Wei was honestly afraid that if he saw the empress, he might not be able to hold back his anger. The empress and the crown prince, both mother and son, were good enough people, but howughable!<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. banknote ¨C A historical version of currency in historical China, literally tranted as ¡°silver ticket¡±, which stands for a certain amount of silver. People are able to take these paper tickets to banks and cash out the amount of silver indicated, or give them to others as payment.

 Chapter 102

    As he stepped out of the gates of the pce, Luo Wei¡¯s legs went soft all of a sudden, and he fell again. The frustration he¡¯d held back in his heart was too real. Was he angry at Long Yu and the Empress, or was he feeling some sort of unbidden guilt for Long Xuan, or was it something else he felt for Long Xuan¡­ Perhaps it was the sight of Long Xuan sick in bed. Luo Wei bit his lip. Even today, was he still capable of feeling sorry for that man?


    ¡°Young master!¡±


    Luo Wei looked up and saw Wei Lan.


    ¡°Did you fall?¡± Wei Lan saw that Luo Wei¡¯s face was pale, and busied himself with checking the youth over, afraid that Luo Wei was injured somehow.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Luo Wei borrowed Wei Lan¡¯s arm and pulled himself up, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    ¡°But your hand?¡± Wei Lan caught sight of a patch of skin scraped raw on Luo Wei¡¯s right hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m really unlucky today,¡± Luo Wei looked at the injury with indifference, ¡°With this fall just now, I¡¯ve already taken two tumbles.¡±


    Seeing that Luo Wei was still walking rather briskly, Wei Lan let go of the breath he¡¯d been holding and made rest his worry. He helped Luo Wei into the carriage, and once inside, dipped a fresh handkerchief into some tea so he could wipe the injury on Luo Wei¡¯s hand clean.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bleeding,¡± Luo Wei saw that Wei Lan¡¯s mouth was still pressed into a line, so he tried to pacify him, ¡°I¡¯ll watch where I¡¯m going next time.¡±


    ¡°Rather than just saying it all the time, young master ought to be putting it into action.¡± Wei Lan carefully checked over the wound again, afraid that he¡¯d missed a spot, ¡°If something dirty from the ground got into a wound like this, it won¡¯t heal properly.¡±


    ¡°Lan, you¡¯re behaving like an old mother hen right now,¡± The nervous and worried look on Wei Lan¡¯s face made Luo Wei¡¯s heart feel suddenly warm, and he can¡¯t help the smidgen of smile at the corner of his lips, ¡°I just scraped my hand is all, what¡¯ll you do if I break it next time?¡±


    ¡°You said you were going watch where you¡¯re going,¡± Wei Lan knew very well that Luo Wei was joking, but he still wasn¡¯t happy about it. How can a person be this bad at taking care of themselves? ¡°Young master, aren¡¯t you afraid of getting hurt?¡± This wasn¡¯t just a small piece of skin that he scraped, there was an entire patch that¡¯d been rubbed raw.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little injury, how much could it hurt?¡± Luo Wei pulled his hand from Wei Lan¡¯s, ¡°Stop worrying, we¡¯ve fought on the front lines already, keep acting like this and people are going tough at me.¡±


    ¡°We should bandage it up,¡± Wei Lan said.


    ¡°Do you have a clean handkerchief?¡± Luo Wei looked at the piece of wet cloth on the little table in the carriage and asked Wei Lan. This handkerchief was his own, he didn¡¯t have another.


    Wei Lan hesitated for a moment, ¡°I have one, if the young master doesn¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind, here,¡± Luo Wei stuck out his injured hand again.


    Wei Lan quickly pulled out his own handkerchief, and as carefully as he could, bandaged up Luo Wei¡¯s hand.


    Luo Wei watched Wei Lan tending to him. He blinked, and suddenly asked, ¡°Lan, today, His Imperial Majesty asked me if there¡¯s a ce I¡¯d like to go.¡±


    Wei Lan asked, ¡°Why would he ask the young master that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ where does the young master want to go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that either¡­ I don¡¯t leave the capital very often,¡± Luo Wei tilted his head and propped his cheek on one hand, thinking, ¡°Lan, do you have a ce you¡¯d like to go?¡±


    Wei Lan shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve been to a lot of ces with Master Luo back at the vi.¡±


    ¡°What are you bringing him up for?¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°I¡¯m asking where <em>you </em>want to go.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go wherever the young master goes.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­ Lan, where did youe from?¡± Luo Wei asked again.


    ¡°Xu Zhou(1).¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s really far from the capital.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a border town, very small.¡±


    ¡°I heard that Xu Zhou is famous for its jade. Lan, what are some fun sights to see in Xu Zhou?¡±


    While his hands tied a clever bow with the handkerchief over Luo Wei¡¯s hand, Wei Lan was doing his best trying to remember what Xu Zhou looked like. But he¡¯d been away for so long that the only thing he remembered was that it was a very, very small city, and beyond its wallsy endless sand.


    ¡°Lan, I want to go to Xu Zhou,¡± Luo Wei made up his mind then.


    Wei Lan lifted his gaze. The sunlight sneaked into the cart by the side of the window blinds, forming a luminous veil between him and Luo Wei. The small tea kettle was boiling on the table, gurgling quietly, and Wei Lan couldn¡¯t quite distinguish all the features on Luo Wei¡¯s face. He felt as if his body had been submersed in a dream.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. Xu Zhou ¨C Not to be mistaken with any Xu Zhou that currently exists. The characters used for this ¡°Xu Zhou¡± had been assigned to ces that exist historically, though the location (desert, border town) is likely fictional.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>I realllllly loved this chapter¡­ I think here is where I started to really root for the two of them. : )) Wei Lan¡¯s love for Luo Wei is so pure¡­ Also a double update as I¡¯m going to be working a long shift tomorrow and won¡¯t be able to get to myputer. <3

 Chapter 103

    ¡°Young Master!¡± The horse carriage stopped as Qi Zi spoke to Luo Wei from outside, ¡°There¡¯s a wedding pnquin in front of us, they¡¯re bringing the bride home for the night, should we let them go before us?¡±


    Luo Wei opened the door to the carriage, ¡°Let¡¯s yield so they can go ahead, this is an important event for a person¡¯s life, we¡¯re just going home, and are in no hurry.¡±


    Luo Wei and Wei Lan stepped out of the carriage, and Qi Zi quickly drove the horse to the side of road.


    ¡°This is tradition in the capital,¡± Luo Wei squeezed himself in between the crowd gathered to watch the procession. He exined to Wei Lan, ¡°A new bride cane back for ast visit on the day of her wedding. After this, other than weddings, births, and deaths, she can no longere back.¡±


    Wei Lan asked, ¡°She can¡¯t return home normally?¡±


    ¡°A girl who¡¯s been married out is like water poured into a river, once you go there¡¯s no returning,¡± Luo Wei pulled Wei Lan as he attempted to squeeze to the front of the ground, ¡°The wedding pnquins in the capital are the prettiest in all of Greater Zhou. Come, let me show you.¡±


    ¡°The bride¡¯s here!¡± A group of little kids pped their hands together and yelled from the street corner.


    Wei Lan saw a pnquin decorated in all red passing before him. The side of the vehicle was painted with hundreds of flowers, so real they almost seemed alive. Wei Lan had seen wedding pnquins a few times in city streets and viges, but like Luo Wei said, this was really the most beautiful he¡¯d ever seen.


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s wedding candy,¡± Luo Wei nudged Wei Lan with his elbow.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to grab for the candy!¡± Someone somewhere yelled, and those who were gathered to watch the procession all raised their hands, trying to grab the candy being strewn into the air by the bride-groom¡¯s family.


    ¡°Young master!¡± Wei Lan saw Luo Wei following a few kids, trying to get a space even further front of the crowd.


    ¡°Big brother Wei, where¡¯s the young master?¡± Qi Zi arrived at this time with a few guards, having finally managed to get past the crowd and found Wei Lan.


    Wei Lan pointed to the front, anxiously, ¡°He went to get wedding candy.¡±


    Qi Zi felt he¡¯d gone stupid suddenly, and the few guards from the Chancellor¡¯s estate all felt much the same. Did a young master of the senior chancellor¡¯s estate really need to bring himself luck by partaking in amoner¡¯s wedding? What was the third young master thinking?


    Wei Lan instructed, ¡°All of you wait here, I¡¯ll go find him up front.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s look together,¡± Qi Zi said, ¡°Who knows where he got himself to!¡±


    In the time that it took for the few of them to peer at the crowd on tip-toes, Luo Wei had already managed to squeeze himself back out of the crowd again. The clothes he wore had a dirty smudge from rubbing against someone in the crowd.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Wei Lan quickly pulled Luo Wei to his side.


    ¡°Look,¡± Luo Wei opened his hands to show Wi Lan.


    Wei Lan and Qi Zi¡¯s group all stared, at the center of Luo Wei¡¯s handsy two wedding candies, wrapped in red wax-paper.


    ¡°This one¡¯s for you,¡± Luo Wei passed one to Wei Lan, and kept one for himself.


    Qi Zi harrumphed at the side.


    ¡°I only got two,¡± Luo Wei tossed a look at Qi Zi, ¡°If you want one, you can go and grab some yourself.¡±


    ¡°The wedding party¡¯s all gone,¡± Qi Zi said, ¡°Where am I supposed to grab them from?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t there plenty on the ground?¡± Luo Wei pointed at a group of children all crouched down, trying to find thest of the candies, ¡°You can go and just pick them up.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Qi Zi rubbed his nose, ¡°Young Master, there¡¯s plenty of candy back at the house.¡±


    ¡°These are wedding candies,¡± Luo Wei showed off the candy in front of Qi Zi¡¯s face, ¡°It¡¯s not the same as the candy at home.¡±


    Qi Zi could only roll his eyes now. It¡¯s just candy, why is it any different?


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going,¡± Luo Wei looked at the people who haven¡¯t yet dissipated from the hubbub, still gathered on the road, then said to Qi Zi and the rest, ¡°It¡¯s going to be sundown before the bride returns to her husband¡¯s home, are you guys waiting to be witnesses on their wedding night?¡±


    Qi Zi took the guards and walked to the front of their entourage. This third young master wasn¡¯t a bully anymore, but he still had a mouth on him!


    ¡°Lan,¡± Luo Wei tugged Wei Lan who walked in front of him.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Wei Lan asked, then a piece of too-sweet hard candy suddenly appeared in his mouth.


    ¡°Taste it,¡± Luo Weiughed quietly, ¡°Let¡¯s hope some of that luck rubs off on us.¡±


    Wei Lan looked at the candy in his own hand, then peeled the wax-paper off, feeding the piece of milk-white candy to Luo Wei, ¡°Young master, you should taste it too.¡±


    ¡°Lan, when my big brother¡¯s wedding is finished, let¡¯s go to Xu Zhou,¡± Luo Wei said to Wei Lan as he sucked on the candy in his mouth.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see there,¡± Wei Lan said rather too earnestly.


    Luo Wei shook his hand at Wei Lan, ¡°I just want to see where Lan grew up is all.¡±<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    Sorry for the long wait!!!!


    Thest few weeks have been so difficult, sorry for the suddenck of updates. Long story short, I did end up quitting my other job, and found a new one that pays more, and the manager is very good with letting me know times for my shifts. However, I¡¯ve had to work at both jobs this past week because I needed to start in the new ce earlier to get my position, and couldn¡¯t leave thest job because they¡¯ve scheduled me in for another week. :((


    But I¡¯m d to be back and d to be tranting this again. : ) Hope I will able to keep going and bring you guys lots of chapters when things start settling down at work next week!! <3 Thank you all for your patience! ??

 Chapter 104

    Luo Qi arrived home a monthter than Luo Wei.


    On the road back to the capital, he heard the news of the Liu family being extinguished, and it took him half a day to finally realize what had happened. He thought originally that it¡¯d be nice if they could just get Liu Wu Sheng to admit to his crimes, but he couldn¡¯t imagine that this time, the Liu familynded themselves with the crime of treason.


    Luo Qi entered the pce for audience with the emperor. Emperor Xing Wuuded this victoriousmander general of Yun Guan with rewards and sent him to go and see the family that he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.


    When Luo Qi returned him, the estate was decorated withmps and colorful ribbons, as if they were celebrating the new year.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Xiao Wei?¡± Luo Qi ended up asking about Luo Wei first. All the members of the family were present, except his youngest brother.


    Luo Ze answered, ¡°Xiao Wei¡¯s at the pce apanying the emperor, did you not see him?¡±


    Luo Qi shook his head.


    Bo Hua pulled Luo Qi aside and asked about his well being for a long time before excusing herself, ¡°You boys chat with your father, I¡¯ll go and see how the dinner is going.¡±


    It was only when the trio of father and sons seated themselves in Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s study that Luo Qi had the nerve to ask, ¡°Father, what actually happened here?¡±


    Luo Ze was a little surprised, ¡°Big brother, you were the one who was fighting this war, don¡¯t you know what happened?¡±


    Luo Qi shook his head.


    Luo Zhi Qiu asked, ¡°And you know nothing of how Xiao Wei injured his finger on his left hand either?¡±


    Luo Qi stood immediately, shocked, ¡°What?! When did that happen?!¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu found himself shaking his head. Did his eldest son that rough with the details, or was his youngest son too good at scheming? Luo Zhi Qiu slowly revealed what Luo Wei did off the field to his two sons, one thing at a time.


    Luo Qi and Luo Ze listened, bothpletely dumbfounded.


    Luo Zhi Qiu said at the end, ¡°The two of you are military generals, leaving rivers of blood and corpses after each battle. This younger brother of yours isn¡¯t a military man, but what do the two of you think of his methods in killing?¡±


    ¡°Father?¡± Luo Qi couldn¡¯t tell if Luo Zhi Qiu wasmending or using his younger brother.


    Luo Zhi Qiu waved his hand at Luo Qi, ¡°I¡¯m not faulting him for anything. I¡¯m just scared thinking about things after the fact. I don¡¯t dare imagine what might have happened to the crown prince or our family if Liu Shuang Shi seeded in his ns this time.¡±


    Luo Qi was still confused, ¡°He never told me about any of this!¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°You being in the dark means that he would be the one shouldering all the me if what he did angered the emperor. It wouldn¡¯t have dragged our family down.¡±


    A heavy silence descended over the study.


    ¡°Chancellor!¡± The head of the servants came running up to the door of the study, ¡°An imperial edict has arrived!¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu lead his two sons to kneel so they could receive the edict.


    Marriage.


    Luo Qi could never have imagined in his wildest dreams that this edict was the emperor gifting him a marriage, a wife.


    Luo Zhi Qiu was wondering when in the world did his good friend, Grand General Zhao He Nian, acquire an adopted daughter?


    Luo Ze was happy. His big brother finally getting hitched had been a hope of his for years.


    To go against an imperial edict was a crime punishable by death. Even if Luo Qi had a thousand reasons to reject this gift, the only thing he could do right now was to ept it and thank the emperor. Ye Xiu had eloped with a merchant from Northern Yan. He was sad, but he didn¡¯t me her. His family would never ept a woman like Ye Xiu as his wife, and if he couldn¡¯t give her that, then what reason did he have to want her waiting for him for the rest of her life? Maybe this is for the better? Luo Qi held the edict in his hands. Perhaps with this, he could somehow put an end to his longing for her, maybe it would be a good thing?


    Thus, as the Liu family readied themselves for executions, the Luo family readied themselves for their eldest son¡¯s wedding. Perhaps this was how the world bnced itself out.


    In the Hall of Eternal Light, Emperor Xing Wu smiled at Luo Wei, ¡°I¡¯ve given you the reward you asked for, there¡¯s no taking it back now!¡±


    Luo Wei nodded forcefully. What else could he want for in life? His oldest brother¡¯s life had been mended, his love hade to fruition, this was at least another aplishment he¡¯d managed in this second try at life. He¡¯d begged Zhao He Nian to ept Ye Xiu as his adopted daughter, then requested this edict from the emperor, meaning that this marriage could not be stopped aside from the force of the heavens. So what if Ye Xiu was a daughter of an escaped ve? Grand General Zhao He Nian had all the power needed to change Ye Xiu¡¯s background and standing. So when Luo Wei told him about Ye Xiu¡¯s origins, Grand General Zhao only waved his hand with augh, ¡°And here I thought it¡¯d be a lot more troublesome than that!¡±


    There were some things in the world that his eldest brother, a proper gentleman, could never have done. But someone like him, Luo Wei, could make happen.

 Chapter 105

    In the Hall of Longevity, the Empress Dowager sucked in a deep breath to ease her haggard breathing.


    Consort Liu sat at the Empress Dowager¡¯s left hand, face drenched with tears.


    ¡°It was Luo Wei?¡± The Empress Dowager asked.


    Consort Liu answered, ¡°My older brother said so.¡±


    The Empress Dowager, ¡°What else did he say? Tell me everything from start to end!¡±


    Consort Liu made a face as if she was afraid.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± The Empress Dowager shouted.


    Consort Liu knelt on her knees in front of the Empress Dowager, speaking quietly, ¡°My older brother said that the Emperor¡¯s behavior towards Luo Wei is beyond strange, he said that this child was intelligent to the point of being monstrous, that he can¡¯t be kept around.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t be kept around?¡±


    ¡°My older brother said that our Grand Imperial Mother has seen Luo Wei, and she must remember that she¡¯d seen this face some thirteen years ago.¡±


    The Empress Dowager took in another cold breath. Of course she knows who Luo Wei looks like. She¡¯d never forget that face as long as she lived. Luo Zhi Jin. If it weren¡¯t for that woman, why would Emperor Xing Wu hate the Rei Mu n so? He¡¯d killed them all, not even caring that his body carried half of the Rei Mu bloodline.


    ¡°Grand Imperial Mother,¡± Consort Liu called out to the Empress Dowager carefully. Liu Shuang Shi had only given her onest message. Luo Wei cannot be left alive, they must borrow the Empress Dowager¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Luo Wei is the Senior Chancellor¡¯s son,¡± The Empress Dowagerughed unexpectedly, ¡°It sounds like your brother is brave enough to say just about anything.¡±


    ¡°Grand Imperial Mother!¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± The Empress Dowager said, ¡°You may leave.¡±


    Consort Liu had said all she had to say. She knew well enough how much the Empress Dowager hated Luo Zhi Jin. It was because of this that the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Luo family had been thorns in her side. It didn¡¯t matter if Luo Wei was or wasn¡¯t Luo Zhi Jin¡¯s son now, as long as the Empress Dowager believes he is, there was no way that she¡¯d let him go free. Consort Liu quietly exited the Hall of Longevity. She couldn¡¯t save her own family, but she would make sure the murderer gets what¡¯sing.


    The Empress Dowager sat under themplight. Luo Zhi Jin. Luo Zhi Jin! She¡¯s nothing more than cold bones in the earth now, but her spirit still wouldn¡¯t disperse!


    ¡°He was the one who caused Zhi Jin¡¯s death!¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s raging words rang in her ears again, twisting the Empress Dowager¡¯s expression into something cruel. Was Luo Wei her son? Did that cheap whore really give birth out of wedlock? Was the emperor that generous of a man, enough to shower his lover¡¯s son with someone else with affection and favoritism? Disciple of the emperor,panion during the audiences, long stays in the Hall of Eternal Light¡­ The Empress Dowager obsessed over these details. Had any princes enjoyed so much tant favor from the emperor? No. Not even the crown prince, Long Yu! Other than Luo Zhi Jin, had her son ever been so good to anyone else? Was it because Luo Wei looked like Luo Zhi Jin? Was it because he was Luo Zhi Jin¡¯s son? No, not that, it couldn¡¯t be any of those reasons. Unless he was the emperor¡¯s son! Unless he was the son that Luo Zhi Jin bore with Emperor Xing Wu!


    All the things she couldn¡¯t understand before became clear in an instant. The Empress Dowager somehow beganughing. That slut! She was the one who caused the rift between the Empress Dowager and her son, the emperor. She was the one who caused the deaths of the Rei Mu n, some five hundred strong. And now her son was stirring up a storm in the court too! With the Liu family gone, who else could protect Long Xuan? The Empress Dowager felt her heart twist in pain as she thought of Long Xuan. She¡¯d brought him up herself. She couldn¡¯t sit still while Long Xuan drifted further and further from the throne.


    Luo Wei can not be kept around. If he can¡¯t be kept around, then he must be gotten rid of!


    ¡°Your Grand Imperial Highness,¡± The old servant maid, Matron Zhang, walked up to the Empress Dowager carefully, ¡°What is the matter?¡±


    The Empress Dowager dipped her finger in her cup and wrote two characters down on the table, ¡°I need to get rid of this one.¡±


    Matron Zhang quickly spoke when she saw the name on the table, ¡°But Luo Wei is the Empress¡¯ own nephew, not to mention that His Imperial Majesty has taken a shine to him. If Your Grand Imperial Highness were to hurt him, then your rtionship with His Imperial Majesty¡­¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t even think of me as his mother anymore,¡± The Empress Dowager spat the words out, ¡°Am I supposed to beg at his feet?¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ then what would you like to do?¡± Matron Zhang asked.


    ¡°Kill him¡­ No,¡± The Empress Dowager thought of Luo Zhi Jin, the hatred in her voice could no longer be controlled as she spoke, ¡°I want that slut¡¯s son to suffer a fate worse than death!¡±


    The pure malice in the Empress Dowager¡¯s voice shocked Matron Zhang. She hung her head low, not daring to even lift her head to look at the mistress she¡¯d served half her life.

 Chapter 106

    In the Imperial prison in the capital, Luo Zhi Qiu and Liu Shuang Shi sat drinking with one another.


    ¡°You actually remembered that I like osmanthus wine,¡± Liu Shuang Shi sighed at Luo Zhi Qiu.


    Luo Zhi Qiu smiled bitterly.


    The two of them have struggled with each other for more than half their lives. Who could guess that they used to be close friends when they were young, never leaving each other¡¯s side?


    ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I¡¯m about to die,¡± Liu Shuang Shi said, ¡°We probably wouldn¡¯t have the chance to sit and eat together like this, would we?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu shrugged, ¡°You took this path yourself, don¡¯t me me.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Liu Shuang Shiughed, ¡°Does this have anything to do with you? I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s the Third Young Master, right?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu asked, ¡°You¡¯re that sure it¡¯s all his doing?¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi answered, ¡°You¡¯re not the type to do something as insidious and cruel as this. You¡¯d stop things before they even happened, not go along with things and use someone¡¯s ns against them. You wouldn¡¯t let discord be sown in the bordends, get inspiration, and sit here and cry wolf.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu sipped the osmanthus wine in his cup, his silence affirming Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s suspicions.


    Liu Shuang Shi smiled, ¡°See? I know you too well. That¡¯s why you couldn¡¯t beat me.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu looked at him, ¡°And yet you¡¯re the one who¡¯s waiting for his execution, but I¡¯m still living quite well.¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi picked a mouthful of the assorted vegetables, rather enjoying it, ¡°Luo Wei¡¯s good. A dutiful minister in times of peace, an ambitious schemer in times of war.¡±


    ¡°The sons of my family won¡¯t be ambitious schemers like that,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu was rather offended by Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s judgement of Luo Wei¡¯s character.


    Liu Shuang Shi asked Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Aren¡¯t you rejoicing that Luo Wei was one of you Luo n¡¯s offsprings?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my son since birth, why would I be rejoicing any more than normal?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you¡¯d still be able to think of other things after falling so low so quickly, have you made peace with death?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter if I haven¡¯t?¡± Liu Shuang Shi said, ¡°We¡¯ve been serving the court all these years, how many powerful ns have gone up in smoke in our time? They¡¯ve all enjoyed their times of fortune and favor, but they¡¯ve all gone to ruins in the end. I¡¯m the one to me in the Liu family, but I don¡¯t regret a thing. I¡¯ve done everything I can. If fate won¡¯t allow me to seed, then there¡¯s nothing I can do about it.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu set his cup down, and spoke to Liu Shuang Shi earnestly, ¡°I¡¯m going to give it a few more years here, and then I¡¯m going to resign.¡±


    ¡°Have you decided then?¡± Liu Shuang Shi wasn¡¯t surprised, ¡°Going to go and hide out in a log cabin?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiuughed, ¡°The world is full of beautiful ces, I want to take the wife and travel some.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of Luo Wei?¡± Liu Shuang Shi asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Is it because Luo Wei¡¯s here to protect the Crown Prince?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu nodded, ¡°He¡¯s more suited to the intrigues at court than I am.¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi knocked his knuckles on the table softly, eyes focused on Luo Zhi Qiu sitting opposite him. The years have been kind to him. He¡¯d already been halfway to old age, but still looked more or less how he did when they first met at the imperial academy. Still handsome and bookishly elegant, only with the addition of some white hair and a few shallow lines at the corners of his eyes. If he hadn¡¯t been one of the Luo family, or if he hadn¡¯t been one of the Liu family, the two of them would still be friends right now. How funny life is, how fate traps everyone and leaves people no routes of escape. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Liu Shuang Shi said to Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°This ce doesn¡¯t suit you at all. Traveling is good. I recall how you said you were going to write a book of your travels.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu sighed with a smile, ¡°My strong suit is all in imperial documentation now, travel notes? I don¡¯t think I could write one of those if I tried.¡±


    Liu Shuang Shi smiled too, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me where you¡¯d like to go first, then?¡±


    And so, these two political adversaries who¡¯d fought tooth and nail for years and years began discussing natural wonders and exotic locales, as if they were back in the old days. In those old days, when they were still youths, they were only young men making their first forays into the wide world, talking to one another about how the nation ought to be run, full of ambition. In those old days, they had no idea that their futures were already decided, fated to be enemies.

 Chapter 107

    Luo Qi¡¯s wedding was magnificent and grand.


    Guests descended upon the Luo estate today in droves, and the reception dinnersted until the early morning with no sign of stopping.


    Luo Qi was half drunk when his two younger brothers ushered him to his bedroom.


    ¡°Big brother, you just take your time with the missus,¡± Luo Ze patted his own chest, making a promise to Luo Qi, ¡°Those guys who¡¯re trying to sneak a peek(1) won¡¯t get past me.¡±


    Luo Wei was congratting Luo Qi on one end while trying to drag Luo Ze over to stop the rowdy bunch outside.


    Luo Qi stood outside the bead curtains for a long while before pulling them open and going through to the inner chamber.


    The bride, still in her wedding garments sat quietly beside therge bed.


    Luo Qi didn¡¯t think too much longer before he walked to the bride, pulling off her red veil(2) while apologizing profusely, ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve let you, let you wait too long, how¡­¡± Luo Qi didn¡¯t manage to bring the next few words out of his mouth. He saw what the bride looked like. Didn¡¯t they say she was Zhao Jun Xiu? No, this is Ye Xiu!


    Ye Xiu watched her man being startled into silence and started chuckling quietly. She¡¯s not a terribly pretty girl, but that smile as she chuckled was the most beautiful thing Luo Qi ever saw.


    ¡°Xiu?¡± Luo Qi really thought he was drunk now. How could the bride be Ye Xiu?


    Ye Xiu stood, reaching out and pinching Luo Qi¡¯s cheek, ¡°Shocked? My greatmander!¡±


    The slight pinching pain at his cheek told Luo Qi that this wasn¡¯t a dream, this really was Ye Xiu!


    ¡°Husband,¡± Ye Xiu addressed Luo Qi finally, face fully flushed red.


    Luo Qi¡¯s fingers let go, dropping the red wedding veil onto the ground as he reached to pull Ye Xiu into his arms, ¡°How did this happen? I thought I¡¯d never see you again!¡±


    Outside the window, Luo Wei peeked at the two inside embracing with a smile. He quietly closed the window, and left Luo Qi¡¯s part of the estate. He still didn¡¯t know how the two of them came to meet or how they fell in love. He didn¡¯t ask, and Ye Xiu didn¡¯t tell him. But Luo Wei knew that Luo Qi was fortunate. There was a woman in this world who, without blood rtions, without the promise of marriage, would be happy to apany him til death do they part. Not every man could meet someone like this in their lifetime.


    Down the hall, Xu Yue Miao passed a bowl of soup to Luo Ze, wiping the sweat on his forehead with the side of her sleeve, whispering, ¡°It¡¯s not even warm yet and you¡¯re sweating a puddle! Drink some soup, don¡¯t just try to get drunk with that group of friends of yours. This is Luo Qi¡¯s big day, we can¡¯t let anything go wrong.¡±


    ¡°Daddy,¡± The three year old Luo Yiu ran headlong into Luo Ze¡¯s knees and wrapped his little arms around them, ¡°Up!¡±


    Luo Ze downed the soup in a few big gulps and reached down to pull his son into hisp, ¡°You were so good today,¡± He pressed a little kiss to the boy¡¯s cheek, ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a reward!¡±


    ¡°Daddy,¡± Luo Yiu asked Luo Ze, ¡°Do I need to go and keeppany with uncle Qi today?¡±


    Luo Ze burst outughing, ¡°You daft boy, do you think your uncle needs you to keep himpany today?¡±


    Xu Yue Miao was smiling, but she still gave Luo Ze a little punch on the shoulder, ¡°What are you teaching him? Don¡¯t be so improper!¡±


    ¡°Oh! Daddy¡¯s made mommy mad again!¡± Luo Yiu pped and grinned.


    ¡°Laughing at my misfortune?¡± Luo Ze bumped his head against Luo Yiu¡¯s, ¡°You¡¯re gonna get it today!¡±


    ¡°Mommy, save me!¡± Luo Yiu could only kick his feet at his father,ughing and yelling all at once, reaching out to Xu Yue Miao with his little hands, ¡°Mommy, save me!¡±


    This three person family yed andughed, joking around with each other joyously.


    Luo Wei stood near the rockery in the garden, watching them from afar, feeling the joy rub off on him. His second oldest brother, Luo Ze, was also fortunate. He managed to meet someone who¡¯d also apany him for the rest of his life in the time when his life was at its lowest point. If it weren¡¯t for Luo Wei¡¯s existence, they would have grown old together in the past life, with a great family full of children and grandchildren. Luo Wei resolved to not make the same mistake this time around. Perhaps they could grow old together this time? Luo Wei was sure this must be true.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Sneaking a peek during weddings ¨C A Chinese custom where guests banter with and y pranks on the newlyweds when they¡¯re supposed to consummate the marriage.


    2. red veil ¨C The color for weddings in China is red, and the bridal garments are all red, topped off with an opaque red veil that obscures the face of the bride. The bridegroom is supposed to be the first one to see her face that night, and will take off the veil when he returns to their bedroom after revelry.

 Chapter 108

    In the bridal bedroom, Luo Qi was red from a certain type of anger, ¡°Xiao Wei, this kid! I¡¯m going to have a good long talk with him!¡±


    Ye Xiu grabbed him quickly, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to yell at him for this! I should be thanking him right now!¡±


    Luo Qi¡¯s anger melted into humor, ¡°What, now that you¡¯re going to be his sister-inw, are you trying to put your foot down and protect your little brother-inw?¡±


    Ye Xiu rolled her eyes, ¡°Well, am I not supposed to help my little brother-inw?¡±


    Luo Qi held Ye Xiu as the two of them fell into bed, ¡°This feels like a dream, don¡¯t let me wake up tomorrow with you disappearing again.¡±


    ¡°Who else would I disappear off with aside from you?¡± Ye Xiu softly and carefully mapped out Luo Qi¡¯s handsome face. She remembers meeting this man for the first time at some street corner in Yun Guan. The two of them both extended a helping hand to a little boy who¡¯d almost been trampled by a startled horse. They only smiled at each other once, but she¡¯d already fallen for this handsome, upright stranger. The second time they met was when she lead her brothers in the gang in a robbery for food, but she didn¡¯t expect that the person she¡¯d be robbing was him. She couldn¡¯t beat him inbat, and in a frustrated moment she managed to bite him. The shocking reaction from him was to blush. The third time¡­ Ye Xiu reminisced about her past together with Luo Qi, suddenly wondering what a miracle it was. They were clearly from two different worlds, how did they manage to fall in love so deeply with each other?


    Luo Qi entered Ye Xiu carefully, marking the woman under him as his wife. All of the passions and desires they¡¯d been suppressing until now burst forth today. Luo Qi moved as he listened to Ye Xiu¡¯s cries, as if in pain mixed with pleasure. He leaned down to kiss Ye Xiu¡¯s lips. He¡¯d never told her how it was then, that day on the streets of Yun Guan, when he watched this girl dressed in all red saving that child, when she yelled at the owner of the horse while simultaneouslyforting the boy, how it was then, when she met his eyes with a smile, he¡¯d already fallen for this straightforward and brave girl.


    Luo Wei headed towards the ceremony room at the front hall. It was so busy today that even Wei Lan was helping out near the front. Luo Wei wondered as he walked if they should hire some more servants for the estate.


    ¡°Third young master,¡± A young man dressed in the Luo estate¡¯s livery caught up to Luo Wei from behind.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Luo Wei stopped to ask.


    ¡°The mistress wants to see the third young master about something,¡± The servant answered.


    ¡°Are you from the mistress¡¯ quarters?¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t quite recognize this man.


    ¡°This humble servant was just hired recently,¡± The young man lowered his head.


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t know what Bo Hua wanted with him at this hour, but he turned to walk back to the center of the estate.


    ¡°Third young master,¡± The servant saw that Luo Wei was turning to leave, and called for him again.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Luo Wei looked back, but quickly felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and his whole world went ck.


    A few more young men all dressed in the clothes of the Luo estate servants quickly appeared from somewhere in the dark. Luo Wei had already passed out, and was quickly stuffed into a wooden box by these men. The box was ced on a cart, and directly taken out of the estate via a servant¡¯s passage.


    When the day broke, Luo Zhi Qiu was stillying in bed. Luo Qi getting married finally managed to tied off a loose end in his heart. Though he had to admit that the whole wedding and party wasn¡¯t easy on the people in the estate. As he was still in bed, the head servant entered his room with Luo Wei¡¯spanion, Wei Lan.


    ¡°Counselor, the third young master disappeared!¡± The old servant had already searched the entire estate with Wei Lan in tow. He¡¯d begrudged Wei Lan at first for making something out of nothing, but when he made certain that Luo Wei was no longer in the estate, he¡¯d gotten anxious as well, and thus came to see Luo Zhi Qi¡¯s with Wei Lan.


    ¡°What?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu wasn¡¯t even fully awake yet.


    ¡°The servants have been looking up and down the estate, the third young prince has disappeared, but no one saw him leave the gates!¡± The man answered.


    Luo Wei disappeared? Luo Zhi Qiu suddenly woke uppletely.


    If they cant find him in the estate, then they¡¯ll search from him outside the estate. So it follows that everyone from the estate began searching for Luo Wei in the capital.


    The excitement from Luo Qi¡¯s recent marriage disappeared along with Luo Wei.

 Chapter 109

    ¡°Maybe Xiao Wei went out?¡± Bo Hua said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know how many people want to kill him in the capital right now?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu had already paced around the hall with his hand behind his back many times now, ¡°And Xiao Wei never goes out without telling anyone!¡±


    Bo Hua tried to calm him, ¡°Ze Er already went to look for him, why don¡¯t you sit down and wait.¡±


    ¡°What kind of mother are you?¡± This was the first time that Luo Zhi Qiu had gotten his temper up at his wife, ¡°Are you not worried for him at all?!¡±


    Bo Hua was shocked at first, staring at Luo Zhi Qiu, but quickly fell into sobs. How could he yell at her in front of their daughter inws like this?


    Xu Yun Miao watched the situation develop and quickly got up, ¡°Mother, let¡¯s go wait in your room.¡±


    Bo Hua got up and left.


    Luo Qi gave Ye Xiu a look, and Ye Xiu quickly followed them out.


    Luo Zhi Qiu didn¡¯t have any energy to worry about his wife¡¯s feelings right now, ¡°I need to go see His Imperial Majesty.¡±


    Luo Qi suddenly thought of how Luo Wei broke Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s faction. Who knows how many people who were allied with the junior chancellor wanted him dead. His heart felt cold every time he thought of this, and he couldn¡¯t possibly sit still at home, ¡°I¡¯ll go out to look for him too.¡±


    The head of the household servants entered right then with a doorkeeper.


    ¡°Chancellor, first young master,¡± This doorkeeper stuttered with nerves, ¡°Yesterday, just before dawn, a few servants left through the servant¡¯s passageway with a big wooden chest.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu quickly asked, ¡°What big wooden chest?¡±


    The doorkeeper answered, ¡°A ck chest, the cart they pushed it out on is what we usually use for firewood.¡±


    Luo Qi asked, ¡°Is that the time we usually get firewood delivered?¡±


    The doorkeeper replied, ¡°We usually keep the servant¡¯s passageway open at that time of day for firewood and food.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu followed, ¡°What was the wooden chest for?¡±


    The doorkeeper shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu thought about it for a moment, then asked, ¡°Was the chest big enough for a person?¡±


    The doorkeeper nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±


    There was no time to waste, Luo Zhi Qiu immediately headed for the pce to see Emperor Xing Wu.


    On this day, people in the capital went about their daily lives at usual. The only thing that caught their attention was that there were more patrols on the streets.


    The emperor didn¡¯t sleep for an entire night in the Hall of Eternal Light. If he could, he would be out there in the capital looking for Luo Wei too.


    Luo Zhi Qiu didn¡¯t sleep the night before either. He arrived at the pce to deliver the bad news to Emperor Xing Wu: Luo Wei had still not been found.


    Emperor Xing Wu couldn¡¯t hold his temper anymore, ¡°Have they searched the entire city?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu sighed. The capital was huge. A single person can easily be hidden away somewhere, but to find them again was a task beyond reckoning.


    ¡°Go search Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s bunch,¡± Emperor Xing Wu ground his teeth, ¡°Go find all of his disciples in court, search every single family!¡±


    How were they supposed to go about this? Luo Zhi Qiu stared at the emperor, dumbfounded.


    ¡°Just use the excuse that we¡¯re rounding up all of his faction,¡± Emperor Xing Wu exined, ¡°You¡¯re going to lead them personally, I want you to search every estate you can!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu replied hurriedly, ¡°If it was a minister a court, do you think they would hide him at their estate?¡± Besides, if Emperor Xing Wu moved on them in this manner, it was basically forcing the culprit¡¯s hand, giving them no option but kill and bury Luo Wei!


    Emperor Xing Wu closed his eyes to calm himself, ¡°If he¡¯s not being held at an estate, where else?¡± He asked Luo Zhi Qiu.


    Luo Zhi Qiu shook his head. Yesterday, they¡¯d searched everywhere they could search.


    ¡°Then spread out and search street by street!¡± In the end, the emperor felt that this stupid and slow tactic was the only one they had left, ¡°No matter if it¡¯s a civilian¡¯s home or a federal building, they all have to be searched! I¡¯m assigning all the capital¡¯s guards to you.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu was beyond the point of caring about disturbing the peace of the citizenry by now. He epted the edict, left the Hall of Eternal Light, and immediately ordered a servant to go and acquire soldiers from Luo Ze¡¯s camp.


    ¡°By my imperial edict,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said to Zhao Fu after Luo Zhi Qiu left, ¡°The second prince, Long Xuan, is to not allowed to leave the grounds of the Hall of Literary Transcendence.¡± If Luo Wei really was kidnapped by someone from Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s faction, the news of Long Xuan¡¯s house arrest might encourage them to not harm Luo Wei. Even lost in worry and anxiety, the emperor was still able toe up with an n to keep Luo Wei alive.

 Chapter 110

    Luo Wei opened his eyes, his brain nked out for a moment, but he quickly realized that he¡¯d been tied with his arms and legs out on a stone b.


    <em>(Content Warning: Graphic description of non-consensual sexual acts.)</em>


    ¡°Oh, the little young master¡¯s finally awake,¡± A cotton soft voice sounded beside him.


    Luo Wei looked at the face that was closing in on his own. It was a wholly unremarkable face, one that would be easily lost in a crowd, but Luo Wei was more familiar with this face than he would have liked. Ku Liu. After being cast out of the pce by Long Xuan in his past life, this man was his very first employer. Three months in this man¡¯s hands made him envy the dead. After that ordeal, he felt emotionless, as if he was just a whore to be yed around with by others, the empty shell of his body no longer had a soul left inside it.


    ¡°This face of yours is pretty enough to strike pity in my heart!¡± Ku Liu stared into Luo Wei¡¯s eyes.


    Luo Wei wanted to speak, but he quickly realized then that his mouth had been gagged. Other than groaning through the cloth, he wasn¡¯t able to say anything. He didn¡¯t know how long he¡¯d been out. That young man who¡¯d told him that Bo Hua wanted to see him must have been the culprit. But who would be this cruel? To not kill him, but to deliver him into the hands of someone like Ku Liu? Long Xuan? No, if something happened to him now, the first one to be suspected would be Liu Shuang Shi, and Long Xuan wouldn¡¯t escape suspicions either, so he wouldn¡¯t be so stupid to do this. Then who? Was it one of Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s allies? Did they hate him this much?


    Luo Wei was very clear what he would have to endure in Ku Liu¡¯s hands. He wasn¡¯t scared, he¡¯d endured ten years of this, he wasn¡¯t scared to do it again. The only thing he felt was regret. If he knew that he wasn¡¯t able to escape this even in this life, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if he killed himself after his big brother¡¯s wedding? At least he would have gotten away with a clean body this time.


    ¡°Do you know where you are?¡± Ku Liu said to Luo Wei with a smile, ¡°No? It¡¯s okay, you¡¯ll know soon enough. You don¡¯t know who I am either, do you? It¡¯s all good, you¡¯ll know that soon enough too. This body of yours, this heart, all of this will belong to me.¡±


    Luo Wei was still staring at Ku Liu coldly. He should have killed him earlier. He thought that there were more important things to take care of first. The thought that this sort of unimportant character could wait was neglectful of him.


    Ku Liu¡¯s hand traveled from Luo Wei¡¯s face to his neck, ¡°You¡¯re not scared? Looks like you¡¯re braver than I thought.¡±


    The clothes on his body were removed piece by piece by Ku Liu. Luo Wei didn¡¯t resist. Resisting under Ku Liu¡¯s hand would only make him suffer more.


    The body in front of Ku Liu¡¯s eyes still had that characteristic rawness of a youth. Not much hair, a little on the thin side, but his bones looked strong enough. If it weren¡¯t for that scar on him, this body could be called perfect. Ku Liu grinned happily. Thinking about all the things he was going to do with this body had gotten him excited.


    ¡°Master?¡± A muscr man walked up to him, his torso was bare.


    ¡°Look,¡± Ku Liu pointed at Luo Wei spread out on the stone bed, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen this kind of quality in about how long now?¡±


    The man looked at Luo Wei, his eyes full of lust and perversion.


    ¡°Wash out his intestines first,¡± Ku Liu pped the man hard on the face, ¡°Don¡¯t even fucking think about it, I¡¯m going to be this one¡¯s first time!¡±


    Luo Wei closed his eyes. Now that death wasn¡¯t an option for him, all he could do was endure. When the third pan of water had been poured into him via a bamboo tube, Luo Wei¡¯s stomach had been stretched out as if he was six months pregnant. Ku Liu kept his eyes on Luo Wei. This youth was already sweating from the difort, and his face looked pale from the pain, but he didn¡¯t make a single sound. If Ku Liu hadn¡¯t made sure that Luo Wei had had no prior experience before this, Ku Liu would really suspect that someone had already yed with him, and gotten him some experience.


    The tube was removed from him, and two muscr men closed in on him, pressing on Luo Wei¡¯s stomach. Luo Wei rxed himself as much as possible. On the day of Luo Qi¡¯s wedding, he¡¯d been so busy that he only drank some water and ate some small snacks, so the liquid that came out of him didn¡¯t smell, and was only a light yellow.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so clean,¡± Ku Liumented.


    The water was already clear by now, but Ku Liu¡¯s brows were locked. This youth was like a corpse, letting them do whatever they wanted. Did he really have no shame? Ku Liu reached out and pinched at Luo Wei¡¯s chest, his fingers gripping so hard that Luo Wei¡¯s skin broke and bled.


    With the gag in his mouth, Luo Wei couldn¡¯t scream out loud, but neither could he stop himself from groaning from the pain on instinct.


    Ku Liu looked at Luo Wei¡¯s lower body, still no reaction, and no indication that it was about to get excited in anyway. Ku Liu¡¯s brows furrowed even more. A body this slow to excitement was something he¡¯d seen the first time. ¡°Make hime,¡± Ku Liu stopped the motion of his hand and instructed his minion, ¡°Until he can¡¯t even piss anymore.¡±


    The two brutes stood beside the stone b, one on each slide.


    Ku Liu seated himself in a bamboo chair next to it. He was looking forward to seeing how long this kid could hold out.


    Luo Wei¡¯s first orgasm came quickly, after all, he¡¯d never been touched like this in this lifetime yet.


    Ku Liuughed, ¡°And here I thought you were of another breed, that you were beyond simple pleasures of the flesh.¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s moans stopped and started, dragging on, unable to control himself as he drooled out of his mouth.


    The two men didn¡¯t stop what they were doing just because Luo Wei came. One of them used both of his hands to touch and massage Luo Wei all over, while the other toyed with his lower body.


    Luo Wei¡¯s lower half was in pain, a burning pain. He reflexively struggled, even though logic told him that there was no point in struggling. His body was running on instinct now, and he couldn¡¯t control himself.


    ¡°He¡¯s emptied his dder,¡± The man turned his head to report to Ku Liu, who was busy drinking tea.


    ¡°Keep going,¡± Ku Liu¡¯s eyes never left Luo Wei once. He knew no one would be able to endure in front of him.


    Luo Wei was already totally exhausted. His flushed and naked body looked like it¡¯d been fished out of water, sweat and fluids staining the stone b underneath him, dripping onto the ground. A boy stood at his head kept him from passing out, sticking red hot needles into Luo Wei¡¯s chest whenever Luo Wei looked faint.


    Ku Liu walked up to him, reaching to wipe some of the sweat off of Luo Wei¡¯s face, ¡°This is only the first step, you have to keep it up,¡± He said to Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei¡¯s lower half was already swollen and raw, he didn¡¯t know that it¡¯d already been two hours of this.


    Ku Liu took two pills from the boy, the size of musket balls, and inserted them into Luo Wei¡¯s body.


    Luo Wei knew that it was an aphrodisiac being pushed into him. Ku Liu would use this to wear him down, until his body was used to all of this.


    ¡°What a rare treat,¡± Ku Liu felt the wetness between his fingers as he withdrew them from Luo Wei¡¯s body, ¡°Looks like you were born for this.¡±


    Luo Wei moaned, shivered, but still stared at Ku Liu with nothing but coldness in his eyes.


    Ku Liu backhanded Luo Wei across the face, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how stubborn you are, there¡¯s only one way this could end with me!¡±<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTE:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>first off!! Sorry for the wait, guys! I should have posted this yesterday but it was such a rough chapter to trante that i had to go slow with it¡­ this guy is really disgusting¡­ I do want to make it clear that I am not tranting 100% exactly as the words are, I¡¯m trying to interpret a mood from the words, and so it will not be word for word urate. I do my best, so please forgive me if you think some of this is too different.


    I also put a content warning ahead becausest time I asked, there were a few people who wanted it! I think that¡¯s fine, it¡¯s not really a spoiler, and helps people who have issues with reading stuff like this skip the chapter if they need to. : ) hope you guys are good with it too! Again, as always, thank you for reading and supporting!

 Chapter 111

    The men went at Luo Wei¡¯s body in turns.


    Luo Wei finally passed out. He did not wake up even as the red hot needles entered his chest.


    Ku Liu instructed his minions, ¡°Let¡¯s wait for two hours and then get back to taking care of this one.¡±


    When he woke up next, Luo Wei woke from the pain.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± Ku Liu¡¯s face appeared as expected in front of Luo Wei¡¯s eyes.


    Luo Wei groaned, but there was nothing he could do for himself right now.


    While he was passed out, Ku Liu had used jade plugs of different sizes to push open Luo Wei¡¯s lower body. From thin to thick, gradually increasing in size. Right now, the one that woke Luo Wei was not the thickest one, but it was big enough to be the same size as a child¡¯s arm. Bright red blood quickly stained Ku Liu¡¯s hands. Luo Wei was almost about to faint again, but Ku Liu moved his hand with some force, and Luo Wei¡¯s drifting consciousness was dragged back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared,¡± Ku Liu said to Luo Wei, ¡°It¡¯ll feel good soon.¡±


    His body was tearing, bit by bit. The organs inside his body felt as if they were being pushed out by the size of the plug. But as he struggled in pain, a sort of heat rose from within him. It appears that while he was passed out, Ku Liu had administered higher doses of drugs. The pain was quickly overtaken by a sense of pleasure that was hard to describe. Luo Wei felt like a dried leaf in moving water, other than going with the flow, he could do little else.


    As Luo Wei was struggling through his hardships, the pce was overtaken with another storm under the news of Long Xuan¡¯s confinement.


    When Consort Liu heard about the news, her first reaction was to go to the Hall of Literary Transcendence to see Long Xuan, but she was stopped by the guards outside the hall. Without Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s direct permission, no one could enter the hall to see the second prince.


    Consort Liu didn¡¯t know what to do, her only option was to kneel outside of the Hall of Eternal Light, refusing to get up. She didn¡¯t expect that anyone to do with the Liu family was the people Emperor Xing Wu wanted to see the least. With onemand, Eunuch Zhao Fu had ¡°invited¡± Consort Liu back to her hall with guards in tow.


    Not long after, the fifth prince, Long Xiang, arrived at the Hall of Eternal Light as well to beg on his knees. He knocked his head against the ground so hard that his forehead bled.


    ¡°Tell him to get out of here!¡± Inside the Hall of Eternal Light, Emperor Xing Wu was furious.


    ¡°Imperial Father!¡± Long Xiang shouted from outside the hall, ¡°Why are you doing this? Even if you wanted us dead, shouldn¡¯t you at least let us know why?!¡±


    ¡°Get him out of here!¡± Emperor Xing Wu roared with anger, ¡°If he wants to die, then take him to his brother so they can die together!¡±


    A few of the guards from the Hall of Imperial Light arrived, and ¡°invited¡± Long Xiang back to the Hall of Literary Transcendence to be confined with Long Xuan.


    With two of her sons confined, Consort Liu lost her nerve. Her birth family was already lost, and if she had lost her sons to, what else did she have left? Consort Liu ran, looking almost unkempt with the rush she was in, as she headed to the Hall of Longevity. The Empress Dowager was thest straw she could grasp at to save her from drowning.


    ¡°Imperial Mother, I¡¯m begging you, please save Xuan Er and Xiang Er,¡± Consort Liu begged in tears as she kneeled in front of the Empress Dowager, ¡°They¡¯ve done nothing to deserve this!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± The Empress Dowager thumbed at the jade on her Buddhist prayer beads, ¡°Even a vicious tiger won¡¯t eat their son, His Imperial Majesty won¡¯t do anything to those boys.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Mother!¡± Consort Liu was even more anxious as she heard this. Even if a father couldn¡¯t kill his own sons, would Long Xuan have a chance at the throne after this? Now that Long Xiang was under suspicion by his Imperial Father too, what chance did they have at all at court in the future?


    ¡°I alone will shoulder the wrongdoings,¡± The Empress Dowager knew what Consort Liu was thinking. How could she not? ¡°You are excused.¡±


    Consort Liu stumbled out of the Hall of Longevity, feeling as if she¡¯d lost her spirit, her soul. It was already dark in the pce. In the depths of the halls and the chambers, the only sound was the wind rushing through the greenery, swishing through the leaves. There were no sounds of the living. Consort Liu¡¯s entourage all followed her with their heads lowered, afraid to even breathe too loudly. Consort Liu asked herself inside: Who is truly alive in this pce?

 Chapter 112

    In thest five days, Wei Lan searched through almost all of the big and small streets of the Capital. Luo Wei had been gone for five days, there were already people guessing that he¡¯d met his end. Wei Lan didn¡¯t want to keep listening to these spections that made him want to die. The only thing he knew right now was that if Luo Wei¡¯s alive, he¡¯d want to see him, and if Luo Wei¡¯s dead, he¡¯d want to see a corpse at least.


    Luo Ze And Ten were standing by Wei Lan. They were apanying him in searching this street in the capital famous for its brothels. It was thergest of its kind in Greater Zhou.


    ¡°Would Xiao Wei be in a ce like this?¡± Luo Ze asked. Luo Wei had been gone for five days, the people in the Luo family had already gone nearly insane.


    Wei Lan answered him, ¡°This is the best ce to hide someone.¡±


    ¡°Hiding in in sight,¡± Ten agreed, ¡°We¡¯ll search these ces one by one, but we can¡¯t scare them off.¡±


    Luo Ze turned to survey over the people they¡¯de with, ¡°It won¡¯t be hard, all we¡¯ll have to say is we¡¯vee to check census.¡±


    Wei Lan left them, preferring to go by himself. He had ways of looking for people.


    Luo Ze and Ten broke from each other too, splitting into two groups as they entered the red light district.


    Wei Lan didn¡¯t go to those open, well lighted rooms on the floor level. In his experience, you needed to hide a person somewhere secret, so he only checked the basements and hidden rooms.


    Luo Wei was tied onto a wooden box, body rocking back and forth with the box. Therge bronze stick attached to the box was moving back and forth in Luo Wei.


    ¡°Make it go faster,¡± Ku Liu said.


    The two muscr men quickened the pace, and the wooden box seemed to move much faster all of a sudden.


    Luo Wei¡¯s moans grew louder, his lower body was already bloodied and raw. The drugs they used on him made him more sensitive, pleasure mixing with the pain, and Luo Wei¡¯s consciousness became blurrier as time went on. Ku Liu still haven¡¯t let anyone touch him yet, but this body was already scarred and hurt.


    Ku Liu¡¯s expression was terrible to behold. It¡¯s already been five days, toying with this body without care for night and day, but this person still had not surrendered. If he said this to other people who were present, they wouldn¡¯t have believed him. But Ku Liu knew that this person was only suffering, he has not been broken. Even in the worst moments of humiliation, the eyes that Luo Wei stared at him with only had hatred, but no distress.


    Luo Wei¡¯s head tilted to one side as he lost consciousness again.


    This was also one of the reasons that Ku Liu looked so terrible. The time between Luo Wei¡¯s waking moments were bing shorter. This meant that even if his mind has not fully gone, the condition of his body was slowly bing untenable. Yet for this extraordinarily stubborn youth to break, Ku Liu had to userge amounts of drugs on him. People often said that drugs, even good medicine, is three parts poison. Not to mention this sort of drug. So it became a harmful spiral downwards. If they continued like this, Luo Wei would die, but if they stopped now, taking him down a peg would be even harder.


    The sky had darkened outside, and Wei Lan¡¯s heart was growing colder. If he couldn¡¯t find Luo Wei here, then where else was he going to look? He wanted to see him if he were alive, and if he were dead, they need to see proof, but he knew better than anyone that all you needed was some lye(1) or a fire, and a body would quickly be a puddle of water or a pile of ashes.


    This basement was built in three levels. Wei Lan silently descended down to the bottom-most floor. The two levels above were to keep people imprisoned, and there was no shortage of people there looking dishevelled or devoid of any clothing.


    Luo Wei¡¯s hair hid his face, and Wei Lan couldn¡¯t tell who it was from appearance alone, but he recognized the voice. In that moment of recognition, Wei Lan¡¯s heart went ice cold. Luo Wei¡¯s image in Wei Lan¡¯s heart was always someone who was perched above everyone else, elevated to the skies and the clouds, someone who wouldn¡¯t touch this mortal world and its desires, but now this person was bound and naked, being tortured by a bronze toy under the gaze of ten or odd people.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡± The people in the room had already discovered Wei Lan¡¯s presence.


    Wei Lan went mad, the only thought in his head at the moment was to kill everyone present.


    The wooden box stopped moving.


    Luo Wei sat on the wooden box, secured by that bronze thing onto it like a doll, unmoving.


    ¡°Young master?¡± After Wei Lan had gotten rid of everyone at the scene, he ran up behind Luo Wei.


    ¡°Lan?¡± When Luo Wei came around just slightly, he¡¯d already fallen into Wei Lan¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Young master!¡± Wei Lan held Luo Wei close, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t let people, let people see me like, like this,¡± He¡¯d been gagged for five days, and the words weren¡¯ting naturally to him, so Luo Wei stuttered as he spoke to Wei Lan.


    Wei Lan pulled clothes off of one of the men closest to him and wrapped the robes around Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei scanned the ground for the corpses. Ku Liu¡¯s was not there.


    Wei Lan held Luo Wei in both arms and the two left the basement like a gust of wind.


    <hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Lye ¨C The original text said ¡°corpse dissolving powder¡±, which is somethingmon in Wuxia novels and legends, this trantion uses ¡°lye¡± which is a simr chemical in real life, just not as magical. The choice was made to keep the trantion short and feel more realistic.

 Chapter 113

    Imperial Physician Wei was sent to the Luo estate by the emperor himself, but after seeing the wounds on Luo Wei, the imperial physician regretteding here. He was worried if Luo Wei would kill someone who knew what the truth was.


    Luo Wei was putting on a brave front for the physician as he spoke, ¡°Don¡¯t tell my family, but you can let His Imperial Majesty know what happened to me.¡±


    Imperial Physician Wei let out a relieved breath. If the third young master wouldn¡¯t mind the emperor knowing, then there was no need to kill a simple physician like him.


    As the physician applied medication for him, Luo Wei fell into a deep slumber.


    ¡°The third young master has suffered brutal torture,¡± Physician Wei told the Luo family, ¡°He¡¯s been severely injured, and will need time to recover.¡±


    ¡°How severely?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not life threatening anymore,¡± Physician Wei answered.


    The Luo family heaved a collective sigh in relief.


    There are some thing that Physician Wei couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell them. Those horrible men had used the drugs too heavily on Luo Wei, and there¡¯s very little chance that Luo Wei wouldpletely recover. When he was applying medicine to the youth earlier, Physician Wei noted that there was no semen inside. This settled him a little, meaning that no one had truly ruined this boy, and it was a small mercy in this horrific event.


    In the Hall of Eternal light, Emperor Xing Wu raged furiously after hearing the imperial physician¡¯s honest report on Luo Wei¡¯s condition. How dare someone do this to his son! Physician Wei almost felt that even if Luo Wei wasn¡¯t about to kill him, the emperor might do it instead.


    When the emperor calmed down, he summoned the Dragon Guard¡¯s leader, One, ¡°Go investigate,¡± Emperor Xing Wu told One, ¡°Starting from that damned brothel, find out who the hell wanted to hurt Luo Wei like this!¡±


    The Dragon Guard epted themand and left.


    Emperor Xing Wu couldn¡¯t just sit around in the Hall of Eternal Light anymore, and immediately called for a pnquin to visit the Luo estate.


    Luo Wei was deep in sleep, making no reaction at all to anything happening beside him.


    Emperor Xing Wu sat at Luo Wei¡¯s bedside, instructing Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°You can excuse yourself, I want to sit with Wei Er for a bit.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu took Luo Qi and Luo Ze out of the room with him, guarding outside Luo Wei¡¯s door.


    Emperor Xing Wu lifted the nket on top of Luo Wei, and carefully took a look at the wounds. Luo Wei¡¯s lower body was red and bruised and raw all over, the cotton cloth wrapped around him couldn¡¯t hide the blood. Emperor Xing Wu felt his heartstrings being wrung out. Luo Wei still had one more month before he was fourteen. How could a boy like this withstand such humiliation?


    ¡°I didn¡¯t protect you well enough,¡± Emperor Xing Wu quietly repeated his apologies to Luo Wei as the boy slept.


    At some point, Luo Wei suddenly woke from his sleep and started coughing. Just as Emperor Xing Wu thought that he was finally conscious, Luo Wei coughed a mouthful of blood out of his throat.


    ¡°Imperial Physician!¡± Emperor Xing Wu quickly moved to call the physician back in from outside.


    Physician Wei rushed in, and the Luo trio of father and son followed suite.


    Luo Wei was woken by the coughing, but he wasn¡¯t quite conscious. The only thing he was managing to do was coughing mouthfuls of blood onto the ground.


    Physician Wei knew well enough that the drugs inside Luo Wei¡¯s body were wracking him with its own kind of hangover, and quickly started administering acupuncture to stop the internal bleeding. Along with his hands, the physician called out Luo Wei¡¯s name. They had to wake him somehow, if not, he might breathe in the blood and choke.


    ¡°Wei Er, Wei Er!¡± Emperor Xing Wu understood what the physician meant, and quickly called for Luo Wei too, lightly pping his hand over the boy¡¯s face.


    Luo Wei only opened his eyes once, staring darkly at the emperor, before passing back out again.


    Luo Ze mumbled as he watched this scene, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he was out of danger?¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu aimed his furor at the imperial physician, shouting, ¡°What is going on with him?¡±


    Physician Wei was sweating, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the third young master¡¯s insides¡­¡±


    The emperor suddenly remembered what the physician had told him, how those bastards had given Luo Wei those drugs, ¡°Enough, stop his bleeding first!¡± The emperor didn¡¯t let the physician finish the rest of that sentence. It must have been the drugs acting up again.


    ¡°My little brother¡¯s insides¡­?¡± Luo Qi wanted to know the truth.


    Luo Zhi Qiu lifted a hand to silence Luo Qi. The physician cannot be distracted when he was administering acupuncture. Some questions can be askedter. Even though the physician hadn¡¯t said so, but Luo Zhi Qiu could imagine the sort of torture Luo Wei went through by looking at the wounds on Luo Wei¡¯s lower body. That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t let Luo Qi and Luo Ze see how badly Luo Wei was wounded. Luo Wei wouldn¡¯t want his two older brothers to know what happened to him, that is to say, he didn¡¯t want anyone to know what happened in these past five days if possible. Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s heart ached! He was enraged! But he couldn¡¯t let his emotions go rampant because he knew that the most important thing right now was for the physician to take care of Luo Wei¡¯s body, and his possibly broken mind.


    Two hours had passed before the imperial physician stopped.


    ¡°How is he?¡± Emperor Xing Wu saw the physician¡¯s hands leave the needles, and questioned him immediately.


    Physician Wei quickly responded, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the third young master¡¯s condition is slowly improving.¡±


    ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t he woken up yet?¡± Luo Ze didn¡¯t care that the emperor was there anymore, he questioned the imperial physician hastily, ¡°What exactly happened to Xiao Wei? What kind of injuries are there? He¡­¡±


    ¡°Luo Ze!¡± Luo Zhi Qiu yelled at Luo Ze to stop him from talking, ¡°Silence! His Imperial Majesty is present, how can you talk out of turn like this?!¡±


    Luo Ze opened his mouth, but couldn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Emperor Xing Wu didn¡¯t have enough heart right now to care about Luo Ze¡¯sck of politeness by yelling in front of him. He turned and headed outside.


    ¡°The two of you guard him,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu followed Emperor Xing Wu out after ordering his sons to their station.


    The emperor didn¡¯t even stop in the hall, he left Luo Wei¡¯s quarters directly, standing in the small courtyard.


    When Luo Zhi Qiu followed him out, the chancellor waved his hand at the household servants, ordering them out.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s face was calm like a deepte as he spoke to Physician Wei, ¡°What will be of Wei Er in the future?¡±


    The physician answered, ¡°The third young master might have a tough time with the cold.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu spared a look at Luo Zhi Qiu, then managed the words with some difficulty, ¡°And what about having children?¡±


    Physician Wei almost buried his head in the ground, hating the fact that he was the one who was assigned this case!


    ¡°Master Wei,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s face still managed a strained smile, ¡°Please, speak inly.¡±


    Physician Wei stuttered and shook as he answered, ¡°The third young master will find it very difficult to have children in the future.¡±


    ¡°Very difficult, but you mean to say that he still could?¡± Those words from the physician settled the emperor somewhat.


    ¡°So long as we help him recover and take care of his health?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu followed it up with his own question.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, Your Excellency,¡± Physician Wei wouldn¡¯t dare to lie over this matter, ¡°Your humble servant can only say that there is a very small hope.¡±


    The emperor and his minister fell silent in the courtyard. What¡¯s to be of Luo Wei¡¯s future?


    Emperor Xing Wu sent Physician Wei to go and check on Luo Wei. It was only after the physician had left that he asked Luo Zhi Qiu quietly, ¡°Who was the one who rescued Wei Er?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°It was a body guard of Xiao Wei¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still keeping him around?¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s intentions were clear, the less people who knew about Luo Wei¡¯s condition the better. His stare towards Luo Zhi Qiu was filled with me as well, how could he let someone who¡¯d seen Luo Wei¡¯s tortured body live?


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, Xiao Wei has always been very protective of this guard,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu never had the intention of hurting Wei Lan, he saw exactly how Luo Wei acted around Wei Lan on the daily, ¡°Let us leave this matter for Luo Wei to decide.¡±


    ¡°Is this person trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°He owes his life to Xiao Wei. So long as Xiao Wei has confidence in him, I believe he¡¯s trustworthy.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu didn¡¯t try to argue the point. At a time like this, he didn¡¯t want to do anything that would go against Luo Wei¡¯s wishes even a little.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu tried tofort Emperor Xing Wu, ¡°The matters of the nation are numerous andplex, you should go back to the pce and rest. I shall guard Xiao Wei here myself, and make sure that nothing else happens. If Your Imperial Majesty insists on staying here to watch over Xiao Wei, I¡¯m afraid it might stir suspicion from others.¡±


    ¡°Damn it all, I really wish I could name him my son here and now!¡± Emperor Xing Wu cursed out of frustration.

 Chapter 114

    Luo Wei stared at the pce hall before him at a loss. This was the Hall of Eternal Light, that much was true, but how did he be just a spirit in its halls? Perhaps he¡¯d been killed by Ku Liu? But he remembered Wei Lan rescuing himself, or was that just an illusion before death?


    He walked through room after room in the pce, only a spirit, floating in the air and passing through rooms. No one could see him, and naturally he was unable to let anyone know of his existence.


    In what used to be the bedroom of Emperor Xing Wu, Ning Fei was crouched, kneeling beside the imperial bedside. And lying within the bed was Long Xuan.


    Luo Wei felt himself nched with shock. He¡¯d done the best he could, but was the result still going to be the same? Long Xuan would be emperor, and his family still dead beyond his help? Luo Wei positioned himself above Long Xuan, and it was only then that he saw that Long Xuan looked deathly, as if he could die from the very next breath.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Ning Fei¡¯s voice was broken with the wetness of tears, ¡°Please, you should take your medicine!¡±


    ¡°Zi Zhou,¡± Long Xuan¡¯s voice sounded breathy and weak, his lungs were no longer able to support his voice.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty!¡±


    ¡°The Crowned Prince is young still, after this, I will be counting, counting on you.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Ning Fei held up some of the medicinal tonic on the short table next to him, ¡°Please, just a mouthful, your humble servant begs of you!¡±


    But Long Xuan only shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s useless, why should I keep drinking it?¡±


    Ning Fei¡¯s hand shook. The tonic was still steaming when some of it dipped onto Ning Fei¡¯s hand, but he didn¡¯t seem to notice at all.


    Long Xuan wasn¡¯t looking at him either, as if he was mumbling to himself, ¡°Do you know why I did those things to him? When everyone in the world was trying to get Long Yu¡¯s favor, he was the only one who was good to me wholeheartedly. But he had no talent or morals, he didn¡¯tpare with an inch of your finger, Zi Zhou, but I¡­ How could I fall for someone like this? I thought that maybe if I destroyed himpletely, maybe all of this would end.¡±


    Luo Wei stared at this, dumbstruck.


    Long Xuan looked at Ning Fei, ¡°But I still couldn¡¯t forget him! Even if he was the lowest, dirtiest, cheapest person in this world, I still think of him. Do you know why I dug out his eye? Because I couldn¡¯t see the past in it. Aside from hatred in his eyes, all I could see was more hatred, nothing else. I cursed him for betraying his family, but everything he did was for me, he betrayed his family for me, and I betrayed everything he did. We¡¯re the same, he and I, we¡¯re both guilty.¡±


    Ning Fei couldn¡¯t stand to listen to this any longer, and spoke, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, let¡¯s not mention the past anymore.¡±


    ¡°Not mention it anymore?¡± Long Xuanughed, ¡°How could I not? I love him! I¡¯m a madman, a madman!¡± Long Xuan¡¯s tears fell on the pillow, ¡°A madman!¡±


    Luo Wei left. He wished that he¡¯d nevere here.


    The streets were peaceful and quiet, the snow fell in the silence. Luo Wei had never had the memory of a night as lonely and silent as this. He stood under the roof sills of amoner¡¯s house, watching the asional person walk by, leaving a trail of footsteps behind them in the snow. Not much longer after, the snow had filled those footsteps anew.


    When the sun had set, mourning bells rang out from the pce.


    Long Xuan had died.


    The entire nation wept.


    Luo Wei stood under the roof sills, not thinking of anything, just standing. He watched as every house and home put up the white gs of mourning. He watched the monks from the Hu Guo temple rush by him. They are rushing to the pce to read scripture for the emperor who had just passed. The streets that were so lively a day ago, in the period of one night, became silent and withdrawn with the news of Long Xuan¡¯s death.


    In seven days, the new emperor saw his father off to the imperial tombs.


    Luo Wei saw Xie Yu, he saw Liu Shuang Shi, he saw Zheng Jing Feng, and he saw Emperor Ping Zhang¡¯s various ministers and generals.


    Ning Fei was standing at the new emperor¡¯s side. It was only seven days, but Ning Fei had aged, the hair around his ears had gone white.


    Luo Wei looked at the grand coffin. Long Xuan had only ousted him by only a year. Long Xuan wasn¡¯t wrong. Luo Wei was a cheap whore, and Long Xuan was just a madman. How sad for Ning Fei, that he fell in love with such a madman, who would tell him before his death that he was in love with some whore, and not Ning Fei instead, even if they¡¯d consummated their rtionship within the imperial bed.


    The wind and snow became ever stronger. It reminded Luo Wei of the storm when he had died. Was this a coincidence, or was it something determined in the mysterious passages of fate? Luo Wei wanted to cry, but he had no tears left as a spirit.


    A mourning g was ripped from its post by the wind, coiling and curling at Luo Wei¡¯s feet.


    Ning Fei¡¯s eyes followed this mourning g with his eyes until it fell under the roof sill. The street was full ofmoners and citizens kneeling in mourning, but there seemed to be someone standing where the g fell. Ning Fei stumbled, almost falling as he tripped over a step in surprise. Why was Luo Wei here?


    ¡°General,¡± One of his followers quickly rushed ahead to steady him.


    Ning Fei lifted his gaze again to where the g fell again, but there was only that piece of cloth,ying in the snow, motionless. There was no Luo Wei. There wasn¡¯t anyone there. Ning Fei looked at the coffin in front of him, his eyes full of a tragic loneliness.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to find Luo Wei,¡± Long Xuan¡¯sst words reverberated, ¡°But I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m afraid that he doesn¡¯t want to see me ever again.¡±


    Ning Fei had never known what Long Xuan was thinking. The pleasures of the flesh they¡¯d experienced had only brought onrger bouts of emptiness for him. Ning Fei had never understood Luo Wei either. Why had he been so in love with Long Xuan? Why had he fallen for someone who had never been good to him, and sacrificed everything for that man? Maybe this is something best left between Long Xuan and Luo Wei, and he, Ning Fei, was just an outside, aplete third party to the goings on between them.


    ¡°General?¡± The new emperor had stopped too.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I¡¯ve embarrassed myself.¡± Ning Fei quickly said as he lowered his head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± The new emperor also looked towards the sill of thatmon dwelling. It was only amoner¡¯s home, empty of residents at the time being, with that g coiled on the ground all by itself.


    Ning Fei knew that he¡¯d mistaken nothing for something. Why would Luo Wei be here? To see Long Xuan off? Ning Fei¡¯s eyes flickered towards that g onest time, watching as it was carried off by the wind. Luo Wei wouldn¡¯t be here. How would he have ever forgiven Long Xuan after being abandoned and betrayed in such a way?


    ¡°How many are those lost in the affairs of love and obsession,¡± The Grandmaster mumbled to himself at the rear of the procession, ¡°Not knowing that such thought leads to hurt, that longing feelings lead to a shortened life!¡±


    ¡°Grandmaster?¡± Those younger priests in the procession didn¡¯t understand. The emperor had just passed, why would a monk such as the grandmaster, with his third eye opened, speak such words at a time like this?


    ¡°Those that have died, have died, why not go back?¡± The Grandmaster¡¯s eyes were full of pity, staring up at the sky as he sighed.


    Why not go back? Luo Wei cast his eyes over the empty skies andnd. Where was the way back for him?


    The sounds of scripture began. Those who were devout could hear that what was being recited was the Chant of a Past Life. An emperor of a dynasty had just died, his soul was being returned to the imperial tombs at Xia Chuan. Why would they be reciting a Chant of a Past Life?


    Long Xuan¡¯s coffin and funeral procession slowly passed into the distance, until they were no longer within eyeshot.


    The citizens who knelt at the sides of the streets slowly disappeared back into their homes as well.


    The streets were quiet and empty again.


    The snow that had just now been stamped with footsteps in disarray had, in a moment, be covered yet again.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    Hello!! Sorry for the dy and theck of updates. I have been too busy at work again, this time at the new job. I hope you were not disappointed by this chapter, but this is where my heart was tugged for Long Xuan when I read this novel the first time. My heart ached for him, but I still hate him xD I hope you guys can hold your hate for long enough to read through the rest of this.


    Thank you again for reading this, I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been so spotty with postingtely¡­ life isn¡¯t going very good for me recently, but I want to pick up the pace again so we can get to the bottom of this romance!!!!

 Chapter 115

    When Luo Wei woke again, there was no one waiting at his side. He didn¡¯t make a sound either, onlyying there thinking. If that wasn¡¯t just a dream, then it¡¯d have to be the ending the melodrama of his past life. Long Xuan loved him? Luo Weiughed voicelessly, he¡¯d just heard another hrious joke about his life.


    A warm hand pressed against Luo Wei¡¯s cheek.


    ¡°Lan,¡± Luo Wei stared at Wei Lan, smiling.


    Wei Lan turned to rush outside, shouting, ¡°The Young Master is awake!¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t know that he¡¯d already beenatose for much of half a month. The Imperial Physicians were of the opinion that he¡¯d never wake up again, and his family were in the process of preparing for his funeral, everyone had mentally prepared themselves to ept Luo Wei¡¯s death as fact.


    ¡°Does the young master feel any difort?¡± Imperial physician Wei asked Luo Wei, a group of other imperial physicians stood behind him, followed by all of Luo Wei¡¯s family members.


    ¡°I have no strength,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t feel any pain, but just a generalck of energy and strength in his limbs.


    Imperial Physician Wei felt for Luo Wei¡¯s pulse, and quickly offered the youth¡¯s wrist to another physician. The physicians present each had their turn assessing him, then gathered together to discuss.


    Luo Wei looked towards his family, smiling, ¡°I¡¯m fine, sorry for worrying you all.¡±


    Surprisingly, the first one to cry was Bo Hua. This half month, she¡¯d been ming herself for not having ever been truly good to Luo Wei.


    The Imperial Physicians let out a collective breath of relief. Even though Luo Wei was still feverish, but he was conscious and alert, that meant that he wasn¡¯t getting any worse, and was on the way to being better.


    ¡°Wei Er,¡± Bo Hua stepped up to him, asking after him quietly, ¡°Are you hungry? Do you want to eat anything?¡±


    Luo Wei shook his head, he wasn¡¯t hungry at all.


    Luo Zhi Qiu muttered, ¡°How could you not be hungry at all?¡±


    Physician Wei came over and advised, ¡°The Third Young Master can drink some congee, but he can¡¯t have anything too heavy just yet.¡±


    In the end, the bowl of congee hadn¡¯t even arrived yet and Luo Wei had already closed his eyes.


    ¡°Xiao Wei!¡± Luo Ze, the first to notice, called out to his little brother.


    Luo Wei opened his eyes again, ¡°What?¡± He didn¡¯t know that everyone in the room was afraid that he was never going to wake up again.


    ¡°Do you want to go back to sleep?¡± Luo Qi asked Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei felt listless, he really did want to get back to sleep.


    ¡°You should eat something first before sleeping again,¡± Bo Hua reached out and pushed some stray hairs out of Luo Wei¡¯s face.


    The warm congee arrived. Bo Hua fed Luo Wei spoonful by spoonful, having never been this close to Luo Wei as a mother in two lifetimes. Luo Wei ate a few mouthfuls, then shook his head to say that he was full, that he didn¡¯t want to eat anymore.


    ¡°Just a little more,¡± Bo Hua asked Luo Wei, ¡°Just a few more mouthfuls.¡±


    Luo Wei listened and ate a few more mouthfuls, but a wave of nausea hit him, and he leaned over the side of the bed out of reflex and threw up all that he just ate.


    Imperial Physician Wei faced the family, whose expressions had all changed by now, and shook his head, ¡°The third young master should take some ginseng soup.¡±


    Luo Wei threw up violently, and felt even more wrung out when he finished. He closed his eyes and fell asleep as soon as he did. When he woke again, the one waiting by the side of his bed was Luo Zhi Qiu, as if he¡¯d been waiting there for a long time.


    ¡°Are you awake?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu saw that Luo We¡¯s eyes were open, and quickly reached out to feel his forehead. It was ice cold. His fever had gone. ¡°Do you still feel nauseous?¡± He asked Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei shook his head.


    Xiao Xiao ran out of the room and returned not too long after with a bowl of ginseng soup.


    As the hot ginseng soup made its way into his stomach, Luo Wei¡¯s pallid face softened some, and gained some color. ¡°Father,¡± He asked Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Who did this to me?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about this, focus on getting better first.¡±


    ¡°Have they not found out who did it?¡± Luo Wei was someone who didn¡¯t care about his own health at all, how would he listen to Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s suggestions?


    Luo Zhi Qiu looked nervous and worried as he stared at Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei¡¯s heart clenched, ¡°Have you seen my wounds, father?¡±


    ¡°Wei Er!¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s eyes were clear and full of anguish, and the look was answer enough for Luo Wei, ¡°Father, it¡¯s alright. I¡¯m not some woman, there¡¯s no virginity or purity to speak of. Besides, it¡¯s not as if they¡¯ve actually done anything to me physically, I¡¯m not so mentally distraught that I¡¯d go and seek my own death.¡±


    The more that Luo Zhi Qiu heard Luo Wei speak this way, the more his heart ached for his son. Imperial Physician Wei had already told him everything. Luo Wei had been given drugs and aphrodisiacs by those men. Along with the injuries and the fact that he¡¯d not fully healed from the loss of blood, wounds upon wounds, the chances that Luo Wei¡¯s body would fully heal were slim.


    ¡°Who did this to me?¡± Luo Wei asked once more.


    ¡°People who were allied with Liu Shuang Shi.¡± Luo Zhi Qiu said.


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°Why do they hate me this much?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu sighed, ¡°Wei Er, the depths of darkness within a man¡¯s heart knows no bounds, how could we guess at the goals and thoughts of someone else? The Liu family had already been fully exterminated five days ago.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu sent One to go and investigate. From Ku Liu¡¯s body, they found the reward money, and following the notpletely destroyed stamp markings on the money, they managed to find their way back to the pce, and then onto the Empress Dowager. Luo Zhi Qiu was there when this happened too, and when he thought about all the goings on in this imperial family, his heart filled with reticence.


    Emperor Xing Wu roared at his mother, ¡°He¡¯s only a chid, how could you stand to send him to a ce like that?! How has Luo Wei done you any wrong?!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s Luo Zhi Jin¡¯s son, a bastard who doesn¡¯t deserve to see the light o day!¡± The Empress dowager cursed back in a tone just as loud, ¡°Should I have watched him destroy this entire royal family?!¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu pointed at the empress dowager, shaking with anger, ¡°You, mother, do you hate me this much?¡±


    ¡°Mother?¡± The Empress dowager sneered, ¡°I can¡¯t possibly take the weight of this title, as your mother. You said that it was the Rei Mu n that killed Luo Zhi Jin, you wanted the entire Rei Mu n to pay for this woman¡¯s life with theirs. I am the only surviving member of my n now. Why should that woman have a son alive still, and capable of enjoying all the fortune and riches that life has to offer?!¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°A whore¡¯s son should live where the whores live! I want her to turn and writhe in her grave without a day¡¯s peace even in death!¡±


    ¡°I said shut up!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you kill me! Let the whole world see how the ruler of a nation pays filial piety to his mother!¡±


    ¡°You think I wouldn¡¯t kill you?!¡±


    Matricide. Even the emperor couldn¡¯t bear the weight of this guilt. Luo Zhi Qiu hated the empress dowager¡¯s treachery as well, but all he could do was hold the emperor back, the emperor who¡¯d lost thest shred of his rationality, hoping that his imperial majesty wouldn¡¯t kill Empress Dowager Rei Mu.


    All of the eunuchs and the maids at the Hall of Longevity were sentenced to death that very night


    When he¡¯d finished cutting down everything that could be broken in the Hall of Eternal light, Emperor Xing Wu sent down another edict. The Empress Dowager has an illness, and thus would be moved to the Hall of the Eastern Buddha to recover. The Hall of Eastern Buddha sounds like any other hall in the pce, but was in fact a small temple chamber where one could leave offerings for the Buddha. It was hidden and far away from the thoroughfare of the main pce, and more deserted than even the Cold Pce where the most hated and reviled concubines lived.


    The pces are deep and full of secrets. Those who were outside of a select circle knew very little of what¡¯s happened, but everyone seemed to know that the rtionship between the Imperial Majesty and his mother had gone to pieces. As long as the emperor did not kill his mother, the denizens of Greater Zhou had no real reaction to the news that the Empress Dowager had been moved to the Hall of the Eastern Buddha.


    Emperor Xing Wu and Luo Zhi Qiu were of one opinion on the matter of what happened to Luo Wei. They can never let Luo Wei know of the truth. They knew how intelligent Luo Wei was. If he knew, it wouldn¡¯t be long until he found out his real identity as a son of the emperor. Before Emperor Xing Wu was ready to recognize Luo Wei¡¯s proper status as a royal son, this secret was to be kept far from Luo Wei¡¯s infinite knowledge.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Thank you everyone for your well wishesst time! I¡¯ve been in recovery for thest little while, trying to get my mental health and physical health back in ce.


    I want to send out this chapter and wish everyone a happy lunar new year!! ?? if you want, you could leave me a little red pocket in my ko-fi link, but otherwise, I¡¯m just very thankful and happy that you have all kept following this story and reading this trantion!

 Chapter 116

    ¡°Wei Er will hate me,¡± The emperor had said to Liu Zhi Qiu when he finished taking care of the empress dowager, ¡°I don¡¯t want him to hate me.¡±


    But Liu Zhi Qiu was worried about something else. If Luo Wei knew that he was a prince, Liu Zhi Qiu wouldn¡¯t dare to think what Luo Wei would do. The throne is a huge temptation, if Luo Wei also wanted that seat, then who would the Luo family choose? Long Yu or Luo Wei? Luo Zhi Jin was his sister, but Luo Zhi Yi was also his sister! In front of Luo Wei¡¯s intelligence and political machinations, was Long Yu even a real opponent? Luo Zhi Qiu hoped that things would remain as they are.


    Xiao Xiao brought over another bowl of congee, but Luo Wei stubbornly refused it, only shaking his head.


    Luo Zhi Qiu helped tuck Luo Wei in, ¡± The imperial physician said that if you take care of your body and let it heal, everything will be fine. Wei Er, just concentrate on getting better, don¡¯t worry about things out there, everything can wait until you get better.¡±


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°That¡­ That brothel¡­¡±


    ¡°His Imperial Majesty sent down orders, everyone there has been executed,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu didn¡¯t let Luo Wei finish his questions, instead interrupting, ¡°No one else will know about what happened.¡±


    Luo Wei asked again, ¡°That one, named Ku Liu, is he dead too?¡±


    ¡°Who is Ku Liu?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked.


    Luo Wei hesitated, ¡°The one who was torturing me.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu quickly answered, ¡°Wei Lan was the one who lead the Dragon Guard there, there¡¯s no chance of escape for any of them.¡±


    ¡°The Dragon Guard?¡± Luo Wei asked, ¡°Father, why is His Imperial Majesty so good to me?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu managed a smile, ¡°You¡¯re his pupil, how could he not care about you?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled too, ¡°Right, of course, father.¡±


    Luo Qi and Luo Ze walked in at this moment.


    Luo Qi asked, worriedly, ¡°Xiao Wei still isn¡¯t eating?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°I just had some ginseng soup.¡±


    Luo Ze made a noise, ¡°Even your voice sounds tired, you can¡¯t survive on ginseng soup alone.¡±


    Luo Wei pulled a smile, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, big brother, how could someone all grown up like me starve to death?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu and his two elder sons all sighed upon hearing this from Luo Wei. If it weren¡¯t for the ginseng soup he¡¯d been havingtely, Luo Wei might really have starved to death.


    Luo Qi spoke up, ¡°Xiao wei, I¡¯m going to leave for Yun Guan tomorrow, but I¡¯m still worried about you.¡±


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°Are you going with my big sister-inw?¡±


    Luo Qi nodded.


    Luo Wei followed it solemnly, ¡°Big brother, I¡¯m really sorry, I caused trouble on your wedding night, your first day together, and ruined it for the two of you.¡±


    The rims of Luo Qi¡¯s eyes went red, he already knew that Luo Wei was the one who brought him and Ye Xiu together. This little brother of his almost lost his life, but was still sorry about him and Ye Xiu¡¯s feelings! ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense like this anymore,¡± Luo Qi gave Luo Wei an eye, ¡°So long as you¡¯re okay, why are you worrying about me for?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much about me, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Luo Wei said, but his voice was getting quieter and quieter, and his eyelids were slowly closing.


    Luo Zhi Qiu and Luo Ze quickly helped Luo Wei down onto the bed, his father said, ¡°Rest for a bit if you¡¯re tired, don¡¯t think too much about other things.¡±


    After Luo Weiid down, it only took him seconds before he was fast asleep.


    Luo Qi looked at Luo Wei¡¯s face, pale as paper, and shook his head, ¡°With Xiao Wei like this, I really don¡¯t want to leave.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu stood and motioned his two older sons to follow him outside the room.


    Luo Ze nudged Luo Qi, ¡°Big brother, you could probably stay a few more days.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu turned around, ¡°You¡¯re both servants of the emperor, can you afford to be irresponsible?¡±


    Luo Qi nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll leave tomorrow morning.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiuforted him, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be worried about Xiao Wei. The imperial physicians are all guarding him day and night, he will not lose his life, and getting his health back is only a matter of time.¡±


    Luo Ze spat in hatred, ¡°That old man Liu died too easy! I wish I could go and rattle him right now and pay him back for what he did to Xiao Wei!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say that now,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu waves his hand in dismissal, ¡°Let¡¯s go and let Xiao Wei rest.¡±


    The three of them were just about to leave when they saw Ye Xiu and Madam Wang arrive in the courtyard of Luo Wei¡¯s dwelling at the estate, closely followed by Ning Fei and his two siblings.


    ¡°Chancellor, Commander, General,¡± Ning Fei was holding his little sister, Ning Ling, in his arms.


    ¡°Grandpa Luo,¡± Ning Yuan, Ning Fei¡¯s little brother, pulled his hand out of his mother¡¯s when he saw Luo Zhi Qiu, and jogged up to him.


    ¡°Yuan Er, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu crouched down to ask.


    ¡°We came to see big brother Wei, we heard he woke up,¡± Even Ning Yuan¡¯s little face held a facet of worry on it, he looked Luo Zhi Qiu in the eyes, ¡°Grandpa Luo, will he get better? Is he gonna be on the bed for the rest of his life?¡±


    ¡°Yuan Er!¡± Madam Wang quickly interrupted the boy when he started talking about these unlucky things.


    ¡°Your big brother Wei will be fine,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu ruffled Ning Yuan¡¯s hair, ¡°Are you worried about him too?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ning Yuan said, ¡°My mother said, good thingse to good people, big brother Wei is a good person, he will be okay.¡±


    Luo Ze felt his eyes sting with tears, and turned around to hide it.


    ¡°Xiao Wei just went back to sleep,¡± Luo Qi walked up to his new wife, and told her.


    Ye Xiu looked at Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Father, I¡¯m going to leave with Luo Qi tomorrow to Yun Guan, so I wanted toe take a look at Xiao Wei.¡±


    ¡°Go take a look,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu said. Luo Wei was deep asleep now, he wouldn¡¯t wake even if someone shouted for him, nevermind any raucousness that could be caused by this party of five.


    Ye Xiu and Madam Wang lead the two little ones inside, Ning Fei stayed in the courtyard.


    ¡°Father,¡± Luo Qi said to Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°I made preparations for Ning Fei to stay for a few more days. His Imperial Majesty has awarded the soldiers and officers in Yun Guan, I want Ning Fei to see the gifts back to the border. I¡¯m still worried about Xiao Wei, if Ning Fei is here, I¡¯ll worry less.¡±


    ¡°Foolishness,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s face darkened, ¡°Ning Fei is a general of Greater Zhou, and you¡¯re treating him like somemon house guard? Have you grown this proud after Yun Guan¡¯s sess?¡±


    ¡°Chancellor,¡± Seeing Luo Zhi Qiu scold Luo Qi, Ning Fei quickly interjected, ¡°The third young master is my benefactor, no matter what position I hold, I would do anything for him.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu walked up to Ning Fei and gave him a pat on the shoulder, ¡°General Ning Fei, you¡¯re a general of the imperial court, not one of our house guards, I appreciate your love and affection for Xiao Wei.¡±


    ¡°The chancellor thinks too highly of me,¡± Ning Fei quickly bowed with his hand in his fist. He has always been respected in the Luo estate, and it was this respect that made the Luo family carry more and more weight in his heart.


    ¡°Go see Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu nodded at Ning Fei, then turned to ask his two sons, ¡°Are you guys leaving?¡±


    ¡°We want to stay with Xiao Wei for a little while longer,¡± Luo Qi answered.


    Luo Zhi Qiu left Luo wei¡¯s quarters by himself, and returned to his own study. He poured himself a drink and downed it in a single mouthful, but he could not drown his sorrows with it.


    In Luo Wei¡¯s bedroom, Ning Yuan and Ning Ling both called out to Luo Wei, but he did not rouse. The two grew scared, and Ning Ling started to cry, asking the adults in the room why her big brother Wei wasn¡¯t waking up. Ning Yuan followed her not long after, with Ye Xiu being affected too. Madam Wang kept trying to talk them out of it, saying how one shouldn¡¯t cry in front of an ailing man, but she ended up crying as well. The three military men in the room all stood, their insides twisting.


    In Luo Wei¡¯s dreams though, there was still a great snowstorm brewing. The barren earth only held himself. He couldn¡¯t see where he wasing from, or where he was going. The sky felt so faraway, and the earth seemed endless, yet somehow, he had nowhere to go.

 Chapter 117

    Wei Lan was afraid of tiring out Luo Wei again, he wanted Luo Wei to rest, but he was also very afraid of Luo Wei falling asleep, of Luo Wei not waking up again. Other than when the Luo family came to visit, Wei Lan would stay within the room, guarding Luo Wei, refusing to leave even a single step.


    Luo Wei drew a portrait of Ku Liu for Wei Lan, asking whether or not Wei Lan had killed this man.


    Wei Lan looked at the portrait carefully, then shook his head because he¡¯d never seen this man before.


    Luo Wei trusted Wei Lan¡¯s memory, so he believed in the fact that Ku Liu did not die.


    On the day after, Ku Liu¡¯s portrait arrived at Qi Lin Vi, and thus a kill order was issued from Qi Lin Vi to the rest of the world, chasing after this man named Ku Liu.


    Luo Wei got better little by little, and was finally able to eat again, only that he still disliked anything too fatty and rich.


    Emperor Xing Wu sent someone to check on Luo Wei everyday, and sent him many supplements and health products. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that it was inappropriate in terms of protocol, he really wanted Luo Wei to recover within the walls of the pce instead. That way, he could pay some more attention to this son to whom he owed such arge debt.


    Luo Zhi Qiu, Bo Hua, Luo Ze, Xu Yun Miao, even his little three year old nephew, Luo You, all listened to Luo Wei¡¯s wishes and requests, all afraid to offend him even a little.


    Luo Wei smiled in return at all the care he¡¯d received. He didn¡¯t want the family to be worried about him. This life, he was dedicated to taking care of them, but his heart was still somehow frozen closed. He started to really fear the snow. No matter if it was thest life or this one, the snow was the backdrop to all of his nightmares.


    ¡°Young master!¡± Xiao Xiao raced to Luo Wei¡¯s beside, ¡°Look!¡±


    Luo Wei saw the little snowball inside Xiao Xiao¡¯s hands, his expression ttened for a moment before he responded, ¡°Has it snowed outside?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Xiao Xiao didn¡¯t notice the change in Luo Wei¡¯s expression, stating happily, ¡°It snowed a lot, there¡¯s even a bunch of snowman in the estate!¡±


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you make a snowman in our courtyard too?¡±


    ¡°Roger that!¡± Xiao Xiao epted hismand gratefully and rushed outside.


    Half a year passed by in the blink of an eye. Luo Wei¡¯s health improved and rpsed, still unable to getpletely better.


    When the night fell, the snow got heavier and heavier, Luo Wei could hear the rustling static of snow falling from where heid in bed.


    ¡°Young master, are you cold?¡± Wei Lan noticed Luo Wei curling up under the covers, shivering.


    Luo Wei shook his head, and told Wei Lan to go sleep on the other bed in the room.


    A warm hand pressed over Luo Wei¡¯s forehead. Wei Lan¡¯s face was magnified in Luo Wei¡¯s eyes, full of worry and concern, ¡°Is the young master feeling feverish again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, go sleep,¡± Luo Wei tried to rush Wei Lan to rest.


    Around midnight, Wei Lan was awoken by Luo Wei¡¯s sleep talking.


    ¡°Young master, young master!¡± Wei Lan patted Luo Wei gently, his young master was still caught in the throes of the nightmare, ¡°Young master, wake up!¡±


    Luo Wei opened his eyes wide, staring at Wei Lan with shock and surprise.


    ¡°Young master?¡± Wei Lan asked, ¡°Have you had another nightmare?¡±


    Luo Wei closed his eyes again, trying to catch his breath.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Wei Lan said to Luo Wei, ¡°Did you remember that whole thing again? Don¡¯t think about it, no one will know it happened.¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s brows furrowed lightly, ¡°Lie down with me for a bit.¡±


    Wei Lan didn¡¯t move, how could he presume to lie down on Luo Wei¡¯s bed?


    Luo Wei waited for a while, but seeing no reaction from Wei Lan, heughed, ¡°What, do you think I¡¯m too dirty?¡±


    Wei Lan quickly got down beside Luo Wei, holding him tight.


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t say anything for a long while.


    Wei Lan called out to him, ¡°Young master?¡±


    Luo Wei turned around, burying his face in Wei Lan¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Young master?¡± Wei Lan reflexively put his arms around Luo Wei, but all he could heart was the quiet, muffled crying from Luo Wei. Wei Lan could only hold him tight, not daring to let go for even a moment.


    Luo Wei let loose against Wei Lan¡¯s chest, sobbing. Long Xuan actually loved him, the reason behind utterly destroying him was Long Xuan¡¯s love! Luo Wei didn¡¯t know what he could do, his feelings intersected and mixed into one another, but all he could discern in the end was a tragic sadness. The sadness was like a hole in his heart, growing everrger, but nothing and no one had tried to fill it. He wanted to protect this family in this lifetime, and it seemed right now that he was doing fine, but a too-deep sense of shame and self hatred stopped Luo Wei from fully immersing himself into the everyday life of the family. Wei Lan¡¯s arms were so warm, making Luo Wei unable to let go. Wei Lan was like a piece of wood drifting above the water¡¯s surface, and Luo Wei was a drowning man.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Wei Lan patted Luo Wei¡¯s back gently, ¡°I will never leave your side, not even a step, that way no one will ever be able to hurt you again. Unless I die, no one will¡­¡±


    Luo Wei kissed Wei Lan fully on the lips. In thest life, he had nowhere to cry to even if he wanted to, but in this life, he had Wei Lan.


    Wei Lan didn¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t push Luo Wei away, and instead opened his mouth, licking his tongue into Luo Wei¡¯s lips.


    In the twisting and turning halls and galleries outside, a winter plum has quietly blossomed in the snow.


    When the first wave of pain came, Luo Wei bit down on Wei LAN¡¯s shoulder. Pleasure was always mixed with pain. The two of them were both scarred and wounded all over, but together, they have given each other all their vulnerabilities without holding back. Luo Wei moaned quietly. He only now realized why people said that this was a kind of love and enjoyment. Wei Lan sunk deep in Luo Wei¡¯s warmth and tightness, as if he¡¯d found a treasure he¡¯d been seeking for all his life. If this was a dream, then he would be happy to never wake up ever again.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never leave me?¡± Luo Wei asked Wei Lan, shaking.


    ¡°Never, never ever.¡± Wei Lan whispered under his breath.


    The two of them reached their climaxes together.


    In the candlelight, Wei Lan saw Luo Wei¡¯s lower body stained with red and white.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look,¡± Luo Wei¡¯s face flushed, pulling the covers over himself to hide his body.


    Wei Lan mumbled, ¡°I think you¡¯re hurt.¡±


    Luo Wei smiled in a way that both felt like and not like smiling, ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to bleed a little the first time? Is Master Wei not happy with this?¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Wei Lan was short of words at the best of times, and right now, he had no idea what else to say, only leaning down to kiss Luo Wei again.


    ¡°No,¡± Luo Wei turned his head away.


    ¡°Really?¡± Wei Lan stopped to ask Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei opened his legs silently, but he was not looking at Wei Lan. His heart felt empty, as if he needed something to fill him up. Luo Wei couldn¡¯t tell what he felt for Wei Lan exactly, but he knew that he didn¡¯t mind Wei Lan¡¯s love for him. Perhaps this life, Wei Lan won¡¯t push him away, and would stay with him forever.


    When he entered Luo Wei again, Wei Lan¡¯s actions were wilder than before. Watching Luo Wei writhe in pleasure under him, listening to his half pained and half pleasured moans, Wei Lan felt himself ovee with a sense of desire and domination. This beautiful youth was his and his alone, and he won¡¯t let him go for the rest of his life!


    Slowly, Luo Wei lost control as well, yelling a mess, ¡°No, Lan, Lan, slow down, slow down, I can¡¯t, slow down, ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Young master!¡± When Wei Lan came deep inside Luo Wei again, he cried out quietly, ¡°Wei!¡±


    Dawn was approaching. The snow has stopped. The two exhausted men fell asleep in each other¡¯s embrace.


    Wei Lan woke early in the morning even after a night of wild passion. He looked at Luo Wei next to him, still deep in sleep. Wei Lan dressed, drew a bath, and picked up Luo Wei to bathe him. Luo Wei didn¡¯t wake at all.

 Chapter 118

    When Luo Wei woke, it was already the afternoon. The first person he saw when he opened his eyes was Wei Lan, guarding by his bedside.


    ¡°Are you up?¡± Wei Lan crouched down beside the bed to ask Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei looked at Wei Lan, a little dumbfounded at first, but then started smiling.


    Wei Lan quietly asked him, ¡°Young master, do you want to eat something?¡±


    Luo Wei shook his head.


    Wei Lan paused for a moment, then asked shyly, ¡°Does it still hurt?¡±


    Luo Weiughed, ¡°I¡¯ve been taught how to take it by the best of the best, how could I be hurt like that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Wei Lan wished he could cover Luo Wei¡¯s mouth with his hands, ¡°Don¡¯t say that!¡±


    Luo Wei sighed, ¡°Lan, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve hurt you.¡±


    Wei Lan didn¡¯t understand Luo Wei¡¯s words. Even now, he couldn¡¯t fully understand why Luo Wei gave him his bodyst night, ¡°How could the young master hurt me?¡± Wei Lan was only sure of one thing and that was the fact that Luo Wei would never hurt him.


    ¡°Call me by my name. What ¡®young master¡¯? What kind of master am I?¡± Luo Wei said.


    Wei Lan didn¡¯t know what to follow that up with, so he stood, ¡°I¡¯ll go and get you some ginseng soup.¡±


    Luo Wei watched Wei Lan leave, and he couldn¡¯t hold back the slow, warm smile that was forming on his face. At the very least, there was someone like this around him.


    Not long after, Wei Lan brought in the soup.


    ¡°Is it still snowing outside?¡± Luo Wei asked, suddenly.


    ¡°It stopped this morning,¡± Wei Lan answered, seating himself beside the bed, nning to feed Luo Wei the soup.


    ¡°No need, it¡¯s not as if I can¡¯t move,¡± Luo Wei took the soup from Wei Lan, and drank it down in a few mouthfuls.


    Wei Lan saw that Luo Wei¡¯s spirits were quite high today, so he said, ¡°Young Master, the plum blossoms in the courtyard have bloomed.¡±


    ¡°Lan, do you like plum blossoms?¡±¡® Luo Wei asked.


    Wei Lan smiled, abashed, ¡°Flowers are all the same in my eyes, but I thought the young master might like it.¡±


    ¡°Plum blossoms, huh,¡± Luo Wei thought about it a good deal. He was of the same mind as Wei Lan, there wasn¡¯t any flowers specifically that he liked, nor did he dislike any flowers.


    ¡°Does the young master want to see?¡± Wei Lan asked, his face still full of a sort of affection, ¡°The plum blossoms have a fragrance too.¡±


    Luo Wei smiled, for real now, ¡°Plum blossomse from the bitter cold, what else could it have to attract pollinators other than fragrance, naturally. Lan, have you never seen plum blossoms before?¡±


    Wei Lan answered, ¡°Qi Lin Vi has them, only that, we weren¡¯t allowed in the garden.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Luo Wei nodded, ¡°Then let¡¯s go and take a look at these blossoms.¡±


    Outside his little room, the wind and snow has already stopped. The subtle scent of the winter plums floated in the air, the nt at the end of the hall stood there stubbornly, the branches holding up bits of snow. The overall effect made it seem as if the light pink blossoms were blooming on the snow.


    Luo Wei stood with Wei Lan from the other end of the hall, watching the flowers quietly, as if they both were seeing these blossoms for the very first time.


    ¡°Once the plums bloom, winter will start its retreat for spring,¡± Luo Wei said to Wei Lan, ¡°Lan, another year has passed us by.¡±


    ¡°The estate is nning for the new year,¡± Wei Lan answered, ¡°The mistress of the house is nning to do a Buddhist ceremony for the young master, to chase away some of the bad luck.¡±


    Buddha? Luo Wei thought about the chant that the grand master recited in his dream of the past life, and those words he spoke, as if he knew something. Those that have died, have died, why not go back? How many are those lost in the affairs of love and obsession, not knowing that such thoughts lead to hurt, that longing leads to a shortened life. Were these words for Luo Wei, or was he talking about Long Xuan, who had already died in the past life? Everyone says that this grand master has opened his third eye, and can see through the past and future lives. Luo Wei thought that perhaps he should go and see this high priest. With his current status as the disciple of the emperor, there¡¯s no reason why he shouldn¡¯t be able to see him, right?


    ¡°Young master?¡± Wei Lan saw that Luo Wei was daydreaming while watching this winter plum. So he called out quietly and asked.


    Luo Wei was just about to answer when Qi Zi jogged in in a rush, a face full of shock.


    ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± Luo Wei asked quickly.


    Qi Zi started telling him, his words stumbling over one another as he tried to give a full answer from the very beginning.


    Luo Wei¡¯s face darkened. The crown prince, Long Yu, has suffered an assassination attempt, Xie Yu, who was apanying him on the way back to the capital, did his best to protect him, and has been injured severely.

 Chapter 119

    Xie Yu had been sent back to the Luo Estate by the crown princes¡¯ servants. He had a high fever and had fallen into unconsciousness.


    When Luo Wei walked into Xie Yu¡¯s room, the imperial physician was checking the wound on Xie Yu¡¯s abdomen.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Luo Wei asked the physician.


    The imperial physician bit his tongue, ¡°The cut is very deep.¡±


    Luo Wei looked towards the crown prince guards who had brought Xie Yu into the estate.


    The guards quickly told Luo Wei what happened. When Xie Yu¡¯s abdomen had been stabbed, the wound was so bad that his intestines had breached the wound.


    Luo Wei asked the imperial physician, ¡°Is it life threatening?¡±


    The imperial physician answered, ¡°Young Master Xie¡¯s wounds are already on the way to healing, there¡¯s no real concern for him losing his life.¡±


    Luo Wei let out a breath of relief, ¡°Doctor Ren, I have a lot of medicines in my part of the estate, please go and take a lookter, as long as they¡¯re of use to Young Master Xie, take as much as you need.¡±


    The imperial physician quickly nodded yes.


    Luo Wei then asked the crown prince¡¯s guards, ¡°How is the crown prince¡¯s wounds?¡±


    The guard answered, ¡°His Imperial Highness has already returned to the Eastern Pce, the imperial physicians there are helping to treat him.¡±


    Luo Wei asked, ¡°Is my father there too?¡±


    The guard answered, ¡°When I left toe here, the chancellor was still in the Eastern Pce.¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t go to the Eastern Pce, instead heading straight for the Hall of Eternal Light. It wasn¡¯t until now that he he realized that no matter if it was in the past life or in this life, he had never held truly fond feelings for Crown Prince Long Yu. If Long Yu was a little more useful in the past life when he was still in cahoots with Long Xuan, if Long Yu had managed to protect his own status, then the Luo Family wouldn¡¯t have ended up in such dire straits. This life? A cold smile hung on Luo Wei¡¯s lips. When he¡¯d been reborn, he¡¯d only managed to see the crown prince just once. The floods in the south definitely needed his attention, but did that mean that what happened in the capital could be just ignored?


    When the carriage stopped, Luo Wei hid the sneer he had on his face and stepped into the Hall of Eternal Light, the ce that he hadn¡¯t set foot in for about half a year at this point. Long Yu¡¯s life or death didn¡¯t concern him one bit. Empress Luo had three sons, even if Long Yu died, there are two more princes directly in line for the crown. No matter which one they protected, the Luo family¡¯s status will stay as it is.


    Emperor Xing Wu was not at the Hall of Eternal Light, instead he went to the Empress¡¯ hall in order tofort her.


    So Luo Wei stood in the gallery outside of the Hall of Eternal Light to wait for his return.


    Snow started drifting from the skies again, dressing the entire Hall of Eternal Light with a beautifulyer of silver and white. The few plum blossoms were also blooming in the snow at the end of the gallery. Aforting and weing scent wafted through the chill air, there and gone again. Luo Wei reached out, letting a single blossom fall on his palm.


    Long Xuan was rushing into the hall to see the emperor as well, but saw Luo Wei, who he¡¯d not seen in a long time. The sight shocked him into startled silence, and he stood there stunned in silence. Not far from him, Luo Wei lifted the blossom in his hand to his nose, sniffing lightly, then let it fall from his hand while he watched the white plum blossom drifting onto the snow. Long Xuan watched Luo Wei for a long time. He¡¯d grown thin, and not fully recovered from his illness yet, his face was still white as paper, but beautiful as ever.


    Luo Wei turned around, seeing Long Xuan, and startled as well. In a moment of daze, he seemed to see Long Xuan¡¯s giant coffin in the snowstorm again. His heart lurched, and Luo Wei¡¯s body wavered, as if he couldn¡¯t hold his own weight.


    The Liu family has been exterminated. Consort Liu had been demoted to a lower concubine, and had been sent into the Cold Pce by Emperor Xing Wu, and the Empress Dowager has lost her freedom totally. Thest half year has been extremely difficult for Long Xuan, as if he¡¯d fallen from the skies into a muddy swamp. People¡¯s fickleness and favor, their various behaviors, have all beenid bare to him in this half year. And thus, the prince without peer has had to learn how to hide himself, learned how to lower his head.


    ¡°Your Second Imperial Highness,¡± Luo Wei made a sign of obeisance to Long Xuan, humble and polite.


    ¡°How is your health?¡± Long Xuan approached Luo Wei slowly, asking.


    ¡°This humble servant has already recovered, his body is no longer a bother,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°Apologies for causing Your Imperial Highness to worry, it is my fault.¡±


    Long Xuan nodded once.


    The two of them didn¡¯t have any words for each other anymore, standing together to watch the snow fall. Luo Wei was surprised internally to see the cid peace inside Long Xuan¡¯s eyes, but Long Xuan was surprised too, to see the destion within Luo Wei¡¯s eyes.


    Marquis of Ning Yu, Qiu Che walked in on the scene. Watching Long Xuan and Luo Wei standing shoulder to shoulder seemed to him a little difficult to watch. But he was impressed by the two of them. Clearly they¡¯d been battling to each other¡¯s end, enemies to thest, but they could somehow still stand together and watch the snow and appreciate the plum blossoms. One might say that the two of them have open hearts to ept each other thus, or perhaps it was a matter of not having hearts at all.


    Emperor Xing Wu arrived from the Empress¡¯ hall, and saw Luo Wei standing in the snow. His heart ached and worried for him, but he couldn¡¯t let Long Xuan or the Marquis of Ning Yu see his preference, so he kept it to himself and endured it.


    Long Xuan had been assigned recently by the emperor to study history. His trip today was to inform his imperial father of his progress. When he¡¯d finished making his report, Long Xuan suggested to the emperor that he wanted to go and see his elder brother, the Crown Prince.


    ¡°Go,¡± Emperor Xing Wu nodded.


    Long Xuan lowered his head and backed out. He knew that Long Yu was a soft-hearted person. With the situation that he and Long Xiang were in now, maybe the only route for some sort of protection temporarilyy within the good graces of the crown prince. There was only one throne. If he, Long Xuan, were not contesting the crown prince for it, it didn¡¯t mean that none of the other princes won¡¯t contest for it. A better choice for him at the moment was to stand behind Long Yu with Long Xiang, and watch to see how others are nning to go after this throne. A mantis will snatch up a cicada easily, but the sparrow soon follows. A heron and a m may do battle, but the one that wins in the end is the fisherman. Long Xuan was very aware that right now, the only thing he could do was crouch and lie in wait for his chance.


    Qiu Che was the acting Junior Chancellor at the moment for Greater Zhou. When Long Xuan excused himself, he began making grandiose gestures and statements to the emperor about how they ought to catch the assassin who¡¯d made an attempt on the crown prince¡¯s life.


    Luo Wei listened aside, appreciating Qiu Che¡¯s acting abilities. This man was doing his best to pave the road for the ninth prince, Ning Yi. He couldn¡¯t wait for the crown prince to die, but he had to speak up for him as well. It must have been tiring for this junior chancellor. Watching the act being put on by Qiu Che, Luo Wei suddenly thought, perhaps those assassins who made an attempt on Long Yu¡¯s life were under direction of this chancellor.


    ¡°Wei Er,¡± Emperor Xing Wu addressed Luo Wei, ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°The weight of this matter is too great, I shall humbly listen to Your Imperial Majesty¡¯s directives, and keep my words to myself.¡±


    Qiu Che followed him, ¡°This humble minister dares to ask Your Imperial Majesty for an edict, to investigate this matter to the fullest, and shall return with the assassin in hand.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu did not say yes or not, and simply spared a look at Qiu Che, then said to Luo Wei, ¡°Wei Er, let¡¯s go to see the crown prince.¡±


    Qiu Che didn¡¯t receive an approval from the emperor, and his expression numbered for a moment. When he lifted his head again, his eyes met directly with Luo Wei¡¯s eyes, which held zero patience for him, and that startled him too. When Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s head met the ground for his execution, thest person he mentioned was Luo Wei! If that wasn¡¯t Liu Shuang Shi¡¯sst ditch attempt at throwing crazed words around before death, then he has to watch out for this Luo Wei.


    Emperor Xing Wu got on his litter, and looked down to Luo Wei who stood beside him. He couldn¡¯t bare to have a sick man stomp around in the snow like this, so he instructed Zhao Fu, ¡°Bring us another soft litter.¡±


    Zhao Fu looked towards Luo Wei, and quickly understood his meaning. He lead the two little eunuchs standing aside to fetch the litter.


    ¡°Wei Er, you¡¯re notpletely well yet,¡± Emperor Xing Wu held Luo Wei¡¯s hands in his own. Their temperature worried him some more, because there was absolutely no warmth from them, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t walk in the snow.¡±


    Luo Wei quickly answered, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty¡¯smand for Mister Zhao was for me? Please, sir, take it back.¡±


    ¡°There are no rules against you being on a litter in the pce,¡± Emperor Xing Wu saw Zhao Fu arrive with the soft litter, and shoved a hand warmer into Luo Wei¡¯s hands, ¡°All you need to do right now is to keep yourself healthy, that¡¯s more important than anything else. I¡¯m allowing you to be in a litter today, there¡¯s no need to say anything more.¡±


    Luo Wei saw the look on Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s face, and could only nod and listen, letting the two little eunuchs carry him above the litter, following Emperor Xing Wu to the Eastern Pce.

 Chapter 120

    Everyone in the Eastern Pce already heard of Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s arrival, and the Crown Prince¡¯s consort had already taken everyone outside to wait for the emperor¡¯s arrival.


    Luo Wei saw the crowd outside the Eastern Pce from afar and wanted to get off the litter, but he didn¡¯t expect to hear Emperor Xing Wu say, ¡°You should just keep sitting. Do you think they haven¡¯t seen you on the litter already?¡±


    The only thing Luo Wei could do was to sit still. He tried o guess at why Emperor Xing Wu favoured him so much, but he couldn¡¯t figure heads or tails of it, much lesse up with an exnation.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty.¡± The servants and residents of the Eastern Pce saw the Emperor step down from his litter, and all knelt to pay respects to him.


    ¡°You may rise.¡± Emperor Xing Wu announced. He didn¡¯t look at the Prince¡¯s rightful wife, Consort Zhou, but instead turned to watch Luo Wei make it safely off his litter before nodding, ¡°Let¡¯s go inside.¡±


    Luo Wei ignored everyone¡¯s watchful gaze on him, and put on a polite and respectful expression as he followed behind the emperor. He did sneak a look at the mood of the crowd. The concubines of the Crown Prince were all looking rather tearful, Consort Zhou especially, with her eyes swollen and red. Looks like they¡¯ve all been crying up a storm. Other than the youngest of the emperor¡¯s sons, the eighth and the ninth prince, all of the other princes were present. Behind them stood his father, Luo Zhi Qiu, and the father of Consort Zhou, the minister of the Imperial Secretariat, Zhou Ning Wen. The Crown Prince¡¯s three tutors were all present as well. Luo Wei nced over the crowd. Everyone who supported the Crown Prince were basically all here.


    ¡°Stop crying, all of you,¡± One of the concubines¡¯ sobs made it to Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s ears again and he finally lost his patience and stopped, ¡°Did he die already? Are you all crying so he could listen, or are you crying so I can hear?!¡±


    With that, everyone fell to the ground kneeling, no one dared to stand as they professed their faults.


    Emperor Xing Wu only regretted his words when he saw Luo Wei kneeling as well. He got angry again, and scared Luo Wei. ¡°Rise, all of you.¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s voice softened.


    Luo Wei had some trouble standing up as he was still recovering, and Zhao Fu very helpfully rushed over to give him a hand.


    Long Yu¡¯s bedroom was sparsely decorated, but it was filled with books. It looked less like a prince¡¯s bedroom and more like an expanded library.


    ¡°Imperial Father,¡± Long Yu was being helped by his personal guard, and had half sat up on his bed already.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get up,¡± It was hard to tell what Emperor Xing Wu felt from his face, but he waved his hand, ¡°The imperial physician said that the injuries are not too severe, you just need to rest and recover.¡±


    Luo Wei stood behind the emperor. He stole a look at Long Yu, noting the sallowness of his face. Perhaps the Crown Prince was not injured as severely as Xie Yu, but he doubted it was as light and easy as the emperor made it out to sound.


    The Crown Prince saw Luo Wei and smiled at him. Everyone in Greater Zhou knew how much the emperor favoured this youth, the Crown Prince certainly wasn¡¯t out of the loop either.


    ¡°I will investigate this attempt on your life,¡± Emperor Xing Wu nced at the group of princes behind him before addressing the Crown Prince, ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself too much over it. No one would dare to hurt you so long as I¡¯m still here.¡±


    Long Yu thanked his imperial father for his generosity, then followed quickly with a request, ¡°Father, the flooding in the south remains a great threat to our people. Spring is almost here, I humbly advise our imperial father to send someone to administrate the relief efforts there. I can only apologize for not being able to go there myself.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu considered the flooding in the south, yet another worry on his mind. He asked Long Yu, ¡°Do you have someone in mind for the task?¡±


    Long Yu answered, ¡°Long Xuan and I were discussing this before you arrived, father. Perhaps he could go, I think it¡¯s time for my little brother to lend a helping hand to you. He¡¯s about the right age, father.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu turned to look at Long Xuan, ¡°Are you willing to head south, Long Xuan?¡±


    Long Xuan quickly kneeled, ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    Was this a ploy to take a step back and rebuild his bases? Luo Wei knew what Long Xuan wanted from this exchange immediately, and quickly opened his mouth to interject. How could he give Long Xuan this chance to get a heads again? Someone like Long Xuan only needed space to grow, how could the Crown Prince not see this?


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± The Crown Prince¡¯s father inw, Schr Zhou, spoke up before Luo Wei could talk, ¡°The poption in the south is currently migratory and unstable, it may be too dangerous for His Highness, the Second Prince, to go.¡±


    ¡°Imperial Father,¡± Long Xuan spoke on his knees, ¡°I only wish to help you to shoulder some of the weight of your worries, I¡¯m not afraid of the dangers.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Schr Zhou rebutted, ¡°If you went, the local officials may not have enough time and energy to extend to you during this crisis, who will be responsible for your safety then?¡±


    It was apparent that Long Yu hadn¡¯t expected his own father inw to be the first one to rebuke his suggestion. He felt more than a little sorry to Long Xuan. Just as he was about to open his mouth, his consort noticed in time and quickly handed him a cup of tea.


    Luo Wei watched coldly as Zhou Ning Wen and Long Xuan exchanged words. Zhou Ning Wen was a powerful figure among the literati of Greater Zhou, but he wasn¡¯t exactly an honourable man. In the past life, he¡¯d seen Long Yu¡¯s fall quickly, and just as easily pushed his younger daughter into Long Xuan¡¯s side, taking the Zhou family and cast their lot in with Long Xuan. Now that Long Xuan was losing, he was putting on the facade of a good father-inw. What kind of people is this world filled with? How many of them can you really trust?


    ¡°This matter can be discussedter,¡± Emperor Xing Wumented in the end.


    This had finally managed to shut both Long Xuan and Zhou Ning Wen up.


    ¡°You should get some rest, Long Yu, I¡¯lle and see you again tomorrow,¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s face was frozen over with an icy coldness yet again, and he rose to leave. Seeing that everyone was ready to kneel to pay respects again, he sighed, ¡°The Senior Chancellor and Luo Wei, the two of you wille with me.¡±


    Luo Wei made a bow at Long Yu, and followed close behind his father and the emperor as they left the room.


    Emperor Xing Wu had barely moved two steps before stopping again and addressing the crowd of people present, ¡°The Crown Prince is heavily injured, the lot of you need to stop disturbing him.¡±


    The crowd epted themand in unison, but each had their own thoughts in mind. Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s attitude towards the princes was always hard to grasp and predict. To say that he was cold to them was not strictly true. He could be very caring at times, and keep their best interests at heart. But to say that he was a good father, well, looking at that cial expression on his face, even the best liar would find it hard to say that.


    As they left the Eastern Pce, Emperor Xing Wu said, ¡°Wei Er, your aunt is rather worried about you, why don¡¯t you go and see her, I have things to discuss with your father.¡±


    Luo Wei epted readily, but he didn¡¯t want to go to the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix. He was honestly afraid of the emperor allowing Long Xuan to leave the capital.


    Luo Zhi Qiu squeezed Luo Wei¡¯s hand and nodded at him, whispering, ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Go see the empress, I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    It was only with this that Luo Wei bowed his exit, leaving the chancellor and the emperor to their discussion.


    ¡°Young master?¡± The little eunuchs who carried his litter set it back down in front of him.


    Luo Wei¡¯s heart was heavy with thoughts and worries, and only spoke a few words to Luo Zhi Yi at the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix before putting on a guise of fatigue. Luo Zhi Yi saw how thin and frail Luo Wei was, and worried for him too. She didn¡¯t want to keep him too long, so after sending her eunuch to fetch him some herbs and medicines, she let Luo Wei go with a few words about taking care of himself.


    Luo Wei knew that Luo Zhi Yi wanted to see Long Yu, but the emperor hadn¡¯t approved of it. She was the empress of the Central Pce, and had no right to go and see her own son in the Eastern Pce. Luo Wei spent a little more time talking about Long Yu¡¯s condition with Luo Zhi Yi. He wanted to advise Luo Zhi Yi to tell Long Yu that he should stay away from Long Xuan. But as he reminded himself of who he was talking to, he realized he was only wasting his words, and left without saying anything about it.


    When Luo Wei hadforted Luo Zhi Yi enough, he left the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix. The sky was already showing colours of dusk. As he was about to get back onto the litter to head to the Hall of the Eternal Light, one of the little eunuchs turned his attention to the gallery just outside the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, and the figure waiting there.


    It was Long Xuan.

 Chapter 121

    Luo Wei approached Long Xuan slowly, step by step. Has this person ever waited for him in the past life? And even right now, as he closed in on Long Xuan, step by step, his heart was screaming at him to leave. He didn¡¯t want to be alone with Long Xuan.


    But as Luo Wei finally got close to him, Long Xuan opened with a question, ¡°Do you want me to die?¡±


    ¡°How could I, your humble servant, dare to harbour such thoughts?¡± Luo Wei quickly put on a fearful affect, ¡°Your Imperial Highness is a prince, exalted in status, I am merely a servant. These words from Your Imperial Highness is cause for execution for someone like me.¡±


    ¡°You? Afraid of me?¡± Long Xuan responded, ¡°No one¡¯s afraid of me now. You¡¯re a confidante of the emperor, why are you still pretending to be weak?¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness¡­¡±


    ¡°I only want to leave. I wish for nothing else beyond that. Can I not even have that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand the second prince¡¯s words,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t believe that this was what Long Xuan believed at all. As long as Long Xuan wasn¡¯t dead, the throne will always be his ultimate goal, ¡°The second prince will be an imperial Grand Prince in days toe, where else would he want to go?¡±


    Long Xuan answered, ¡°The south. Don¡¯t you want me to be as far away from here as possible?¡±


    Luo Wei lifted his brows, as if exasperated, ¡°So long as His Imperial Majesty says yes, who would dare stop you from going south? Grand Schr Zhou?¡±


    Long Xuan looked at the snowscape beyond the gallery hall, andughed, self-deprecating, ¡°If I could go, what else would you do? Are you just going to leave the Qi Lin Shadow Guards there and not use them? Luo Wei, the crown prince is honourable and forthright, I¡¯m not as good as he is, but do you really think he would make a good emperor?¡±


    ¡°Is the second prince not afraid that I might report this conversation to His Imperial Majesty?¡± Luo Wei¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change, but he was shocked inside. Long Xuan dares to say this aloud in front of him, this was treason.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Long Xuan answered, ¡°A few words won¡¯t kill me, you won¡¯t do something as useless as that.¡±


    ¡°The wind was so loud just now, I really couldn¡¯t quite hear what the second prince was saying,¡± Luo Wei tightened the drawstring on his cape. It¡¯s only been a few moments in the hall of this exposed gallery and he already couldn¡¯t stand the cold, ¡°Grand Schr Zhou said that there are many vagrants and refugees in the south. If the second prince were to go, is he there for charity to sway the heart of the popce? It seems that the crown prince isn¡¯t the only one with an honourable and forthright heart, the second prince seems to have it as well.¡±


    Long Xuan¡¯s true intentions have been read loud and clear by Luo Wei, but he only pulled the corner of his mouth as a response, ¡°Just as you said, Luo Wei, if worsees to worst, I¡¯d still be a Grand Prince in the future, but what about you? Why are you spending so much energy on this? Are you nning to take over your father¡¯s role?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± It was only with Long Xuan¡¯s question that Luo Wei had even begun to think about what he would do after everyone was safe. In a passing thought, Wei Lan appeared in his mind. If possible, he would be happy to go traveling with Wei Lan, see the sights of the nation of Greater Zhou. At this thought, Luo Wei revealed a small smile. What wonderful days those would be.


    Long Xuan was transfixed by the sudden smile on Luo Wei¡¯s face. How long has it been since he¡¯d seen this person smile, for real? It felt like forever ago, ¡°You,¡± Long Xuan wanted to ask, second guessing the smile, but suddenly realized that this person¡¯s smile couldn¡¯t possibly be for him. The rest of his question died on his tongue.


    ¡°If the second prince needs nothing else from me, this humble servant shall take his leave,¡± Bringing himself back to reality, Luo Wei cooled his expression again to ask Long Xuan for a chance to exit.


    ¡°Well, in any case, you should be careful,¡± Long Xuan didn¡¯t want to have Luo Wei linger any longer, so he ended with that. If he didn¡¯t want to fight for the throne, there¡¯ll naturally be others who would. How long could you really protect the crown prince, Luo Wei?


    Luo Wei was about to leave when he heard this little reminder from Long Xuan. Caught off guard, he turned his head to look at Long Xuan onest time. Did he actually mean it? But thinking for a moment, Luo Wei realized that Long Xuan could only stand behind Long Yu at the moment, and let Long Yu protect him for the time being. If something happened to Long Yu, then Long Xuan¡¯s life would be exponentially harder. With this thought, Luo Wei made a gesture of respect at Long Xuan, and turned to leave.


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Just at this moment, Long Xiang arrived, having searched for Long Xuan. He saw Long Xuan and Luo Wei talking from a distance, and was afraid that they were going to argue, so he picked up his pace and jogged over.


    ¡°Xiao Wei,¡± Long Xiang arrived before his older brother and Luo Wei, and addressed Luo Wei in the way he was used to, quietly, with Luo Wei¡¯s nickname.


    ¡°Fifth prince,¡± Luo Wei made a gesture of respect to Long Xiang as well, but was determined to leave.


    But Long Xiang asked, ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Much better,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°Thank you for caring, Your Imperial Highness.¡±


    ¡°Did you know?¡± Long Xiang continued, ¡°My uncle¡¯sst words were ¡®Luo Wei killed me¡¯, do you still insist that he¡¯s lying?¡±


    ¡°The one who issued the edict to exterminate his family was His Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t expect that after almost a year, Long Xiang was still bent on this question, ¡°Fifth prince, do you believe that the father and son duo of the Liu family shouldn¡¯t have died?¡±


    Long Xiang¡¯s expression was one of anguish. Naturally they should have been executed, but he couldn¡¯t just forget his childhood, how he¡¯d yed cute in front of his uncle, Liu Shuang Shi, he couldn¡¯t just forget how that man taught him how to take his first steps while crouched in the courtyard of the Hall of the Blossoming Beauty. So many memories that had already gone blurry and rough at the edges had been suddenly brought into sharp relief because of that man¡¯s death. For someone like Long Xiang, Liu Shuang Shi was less of an uncle, and more of a father figure. He just couldn¡¯t hate someone like that.


    ¡°I pray the fifth prince to think upon those who died by Liu Shuang Shi¡¯s hands,¡± Luo Wei only felt disgust when he thought of the man, and his words were equallycking in sentiment, ¡°Who in this world doesn¡¯t have family? Your Imperial Highness may mourn your uncle, but are you the only person who¡¯s in mourning in this world? I caused his death? He didn¡¯t repent even on his deathbed. Did I force him to go and form that treasonous alliance with Northern Yan?¡±


    ¡°Wei¡­¡±


    ¡°Xiang, if you have to ask yourself something, don¡¯t ask who his killer is, ask who hemitted treason for! Ask who forced his hand and led him to the gallows!¡±


    Long Xiang looked at Long Xuan. Luo Wei¡¯s question wasn¡¯t difficult, but he hadn¡¯t wanted to think about it.


    As the three of them stood frozen, Long Xuan¡¯s concubine, Madam Xu arrived with two of her maids.


    Luo Wei looked at herrge belly. So this woman was already pregnant, and Long Xuan¡¯s first son was about to be born.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Long Xuan asked, his face obviously devoid of any real care or concern.


    ¡°Your humble concubine is here to pay the imperial mother a visit,¡± Madam Xu said, carefully. Her father Xu Huo hadmitted suicide in front of the battle lines, and her five older brothers had all been executed outside of the gates. The Xu n in Shang Zheng has already fallen into ruin, and thisdy, the daughter of the erstwhile marquis, still didn¡¯t date to show an ounce of sadness in front of Long Xuan.


    ¡°Your humble servant shall take his leave,¡± Luo Wei excused himself. The two little eunuchs were standing guard by the litter. Luo Wei seated himself, and went directly to the Hall of Eternal Light.


    ¡°You should go,¡± Long Xuan said to Madam Xu, ¡°Have a good chat with imperial mother.¡±


    Madam Xu murmured an agreement of some sorts, and left for the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix.


    Long Xuan didn¡¯t want to stick around for too long either, so he turned to leave, but a few stepster he realized that Long Xiang was still standing there, ¡°What are you doing?¡± He turned back and asked.


    ¡°Big brother,¡± Long Xiang said to Long Xuan, ¡°Everyone in the world can say that our uncle got what he deserved, but you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s my fault?¡± Long Xuan asked.


    Long Xiang ground his teeth. He didn¡¯t want for much in this world. As a child he¡¯d always only liked to practice martial arts. He didn¡¯t understand Long Xuan. They were already princes, showered with fortune and riches, what else could they still want? Their father was the emperor of all under heaven, but how many happy days has he ever had in his life? Why didn¡¯t this intelligent older brother of his understand? Should he hate Luo Wei directly, or hate this older brother of his?


    Long Xuan smiled bitterly, ¡°Luo Wei is really something. He only said a few words and now you hate me too.¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with Luo Wei,¡± Long Xuan said, his voice quiet, ¡°What do we still have left now? Xi Yuan¡¯s Liu family is all but gone. Even though our consort mother is in this very pce, we can¡¯t see her. And our imperial grandmother has been hidden away too. Big brother, what do we still have left?¡±


    Long Xuan lowered his head, silent. He has neverid the turning gears inside his mind out for Long Xuan to see, but he especially can¡¯t do it now. Lost everything? Not exactly. At least he was still an imperial prince of Greater Zhou. He hasn¡¯t been imprisoned. Long Yu still saw him as a brother. He, Long Xuan, still had a chance to amass power.


    When Long Xuan didn¡¯t answer him for a long time, Long Xiang swallowed his anger and stomped his foot, then ran off.


    Long Xuan pushed his fist lightly against one of the columns in the gallery hall, and tidied up the mixed up emotions inside. He wanted to leave the pce for a walk, not for anything else, just to rx.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>Hi guys! Sorry for theck of trantor¡¯s notes recently. : ) I always like to talk to you guys a little, but a lot has been going on in my life. I have to travel a lot for my new job, and when I¡¯m working I¡¯m usually going from one ce to the next, so updates have been slow. Thank you all for your patience and thank you for keeping up with this novel! <3

 Chapter 122

    Luo Wei followed behind Zhao Fu, and entered the Hall of Eternal Light. As soon as he entered, he saw Grand Schr Zhou Ning Wen kneeling at Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s desk, and the emperor¡¯s face was full of anger. His own father, Luo Zhi Qiu, stood beside the two of them, silent.


    ¡°Wei Er, you¡¯re here.¡± Emperor Xing Wu saw Luo Wei enter, and his expression softened somewhat, ¡°Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°Your humble servant is not tired,¡± Luo Wei quickly answered, his eyes falling for a moment on Zhou Ning Wen, but quickly turned away from the man.


    ¡°You should still head back and rest first, Wei Er,¡± Emperor Xing Wu didn¡¯t want Luo Wei to see him disciplining a court minister, especially when it was the father-inw of the crown prince. He was afraid of scaring Luo Wei again, seeing as how he was rted to the crown prince.


    The emperormanded him to leave, and Luo Wei had no excuse to dally any longer, so he looked to his father.


    Luo Zhi Qiu smiled at Luo Wei and nodded, motioning that things are okay, and Luo Wei needn¡¯t worry.


    ¡°This kid,¡± Emperor Xing Wu found the exchange a little funny, ¡°Are you worried that I won¡¯t let your fathere home tonight?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiuughed and spoke to Luo Wei, ¡°What are you still waiting around for? Hurry back to the estate.¡±


    With that, Luo Wei finally let himself out of the Hall of Eternal Light. Inside, he was still wondering if Zhou Ning Wen had angered the emperor by opposing Long Xuan¡¯s bid to go south. The thoughts shifted, and he started thinking about the attempt on the crown prince¡¯s life. Who called for the attack? Even within the imperial household, there weren¡¯t many who knew of Long Yu¡¯s travel ns and routes, not to mention the court ministers. So how did someone manage to attack him en route?


    Outside the pce gates, Wei Lan saw Luo Wei arriving on the litter, and quickly approached.


    ¡°Lan,¡± Luo Wei finally let himself smile at seeing Wei Lan¡¯s face, and let the man help him off the litter, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get on the carriage, young master,¡± Wei Lan helped Luo Wei to the carriage, and pulled the curtain doors aside for him to enter.


    ¡°Pleasee here, sirs,¡± Luo Wei turned around and motioned the two little eunuchs who¡¯d carried his litter closer, and rewarded each with a few pieces of silver.


    The two little eunuchs made a grand gesture of thanking him, and watched Luo Wei¡¯s carriage until it was far enough away before heading back into the pce.


    Inside the carriage, Wei Lan pulled out a little pot from inside his coat, and passed it to Luo Wei, ¡°Young master, you should drink this quickly.¡±


    Luo Wei epted it and asked, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Medicine, just prepared ording to Physician Wei¡¯s prescription,¡± Wei Lan answered, ¡°He said it¡¯ll be best taken within the hour, so I came to get you with it right after Xiao Xiao finished brewing it.¡±


    The little pot was still warm, ¡°How long have you been outside?¡± Luo Wei asked Wei Lan. With the weather outside like this,ing from the chancellor¡¯s estate to the pce, liquids would be cold by now no matter how hot it was when it was brewed.


    ¡°A while,¡± Wei Lan answered, ¡°You should drink it quickly, young master, it won¡¯t be good when it¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°Did you use your internal energy for this?¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t need to think on it too much before he realized that this man probably employed that stupid idea.


    ¡°Not too much,¡± Wei Lan could see Luo Wei¡¯s face growing sour, so he quickly added, ¡°The young master can say whatever he needs to say after he drinks the medicine.¡±


    Luo Wei gulped down the bitter medicine in a few big mouthfuls, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to do this again in the future,¡± He made a conscious effort to look unhappy as he spoke to Wei Lan, ¡°Using precious internal energies to warm medicine like this, and you don¡¯t even think it¡¯s a waste.¡±


    Wei Lan nodded yes. When he delivers the medicine next time, he would do the same to keep it warm, but right now, he¡¯d be happy to agree with whatever Luo Wei said to him.


    ¡°Does it feel bad still to use it?¡± Luo Wei pressed his hand against Wei Lan¡¯s chest, ¡°Didn¡¯t your chest hurtst time you used it?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore,¡± Wei Lan answered hurriedly, ¡°That Physician Wang said that I¡¯ve fully recovered.¡±


    ¡°Take whatever the imperial physicians say with a grain of salt,¡± Luo Wei felt the clothes on Wei Lan, just to check if he¡¯d dressed warmly enough, ¡°Even if you get sick again, it¡¯s not as if I can go and hunt him down for it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± Wei Lan passed a sweet preserve to Luo Wei, ¡°Here, eat this, I know how bitter that medicine is.¡±


    Luo Wei put the sweet preserve in his mouth and listened to the bustle and noise outside of the carriage. He suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s almost New Year¡¯s. Wei Lan, I want to go and buy and few things.¡±


    ¡°What does the young master want to buy?¡±


    ¡°Kid stuff,¡± Luo Wei counted on his fingers as he spoke, ¡°We can¡¯t skimp on You Er¡¯s things, Ning Fei¡¯s going to leave for Yun Guan with his family after New Year¡¯s, so I want to buy some things for Ning Yuan and Ning Li. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll be before we see them again once they head off.¡±


    ¡°Kid stuff, like toys?¡± Wei Lan had never had toys growing up, so he didn¡¯t have any suggestions for Luo Wei.


    ¡°Is Physician Wei still at the estate?¡± Luo Wei asked again.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Wei Lan vaguely understood why Luo Wei wanted to go shopping now, ¡°Do you not want Physician Wei to assess you again?¡±


    ¡°That Physician Wei,¡± Luo Wei shook his head, face full of misery, ¡°I¡¯m scared even just looking at him. Other than prescribing medicine, all he does is prescribe more medicine. Doesn¡¯t he know how to do anything else?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a doctor, that¡¯s his job.¡± Wei Lan couldn¡¯t hold back his chuckle, thinking that Luo Wei could be very childish sometimes too.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him anymore,¡± Luo Wei lifted the curtains on the carriage window, looking at the streets outside, ¡°Let¡¯s take a look around outside once the carriage turns on Zhu Que Road.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Naturally, Wei Lan wouldn¡¯t try to stop Luo Wei from going wherever he wanted to go.


    The carriage turned on Zhu Que road. This road was the most bustling and busiest market in the capital. Shops lined the road like a forest, and street peddlers stood in droves along the street.


    Luo Wei stepped out of the carriage as Wei Lan pulled another thick jacket over his shoulders.


    ¡°You guys can head back,¡± Luo Wei said to the guards and Qi Zi behind him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible, young master,¡± Qi Zi answered, ¡°The chancellor ordered us not to leave you even for a single step.¡±


    ¡°But Wei Lan¡¯s with me.¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°You guys,¡± He looked around, and pointed at a random bar, ¡°can go and find something to eat. Wei Lan and I will be back in a bit.¡±


    ¡°But the chancellor¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on this street,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t want too many people to follow him around. Even just standing here, people had begun to look, ¡°People won¡¯t know who I am if you guys are not following me around. With all of you tagging along behind me, you might as well be calling the thieves and robbers over to me.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t,¡± Qi Zi was thinking now of how Luo Wei looked when Wei Lan had rescued him. He was scared, ¡°Young Master, we have to go with you, even if we have to call the second young master toe clear the street with soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Clear the street with soldiers?¡± Luo Wei looked at the bobbing heads on the passers-by next to him, people walking by shoulder to shoulder. The corner of his eye twitched a little.


    ¡°The second young master said it himself,¡± Qi Zi was afraid that Luo Wei didn¡¯t believe him, so he reiterated himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, young master,¡± The guards behind him all agreed, ¡°The second young master told us so, we can¡¯t let you just wander off.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go,¡± There was no other way. If he only brought Wei Lan along today, once Qi Zi and the rest of them went home and made reports, not only was he going to get told off by his father and his brother, even Wei Lan would get it.


    No matter how many people came along, Wei Lan was still excited to be beside Luo Wei. To him, this was the first time he walked in a crowd like this without another thought, and felt carefree.

 Chapter 123

    There were many stands on the street selling toys for children. Luo Wei shopped here and there, and managed to purchase a big pile of toys.


    Qi Zi was more interested in the snacks, however. But when he realized that Luo Wei had no interest in these delicacies, he didn¡¯t manage to buckle up his courage to ask Luo Wei to buy something to eat. Finally, halfway down the street, Qi Zi couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and tugged on Wei Lan¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Brother Wei, are you hungry?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Wei Lan has never had high standards of living. Enough food and warm clothing were fulfilling enough for him, and he wasn¡¯t hungry at all just now. Not to mention it wasn¡¯t time for dinner yet.


    ¡°Brother Wei, you¡¯re hungry, right?¡± Qi Zi winked and made a face at Wei Lan, trying to catch him up to sleep.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Luo Wei could see what¡¯s going on clearly. He gave Qi Zi a light tap on the head, ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s hungry.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should get something,¡± Wei Lan saw the sorry picture Qi Zi made, looking dejected while holding his head, and couldn¡¯t help himself from helping Qi Zi out. He saw Qi Zi as a little brother, after all.


    ¡°Then go buy something,¡± Luo Wei threw Qi Zi a look, making fun, ¡°I thought girls were the only ones who liked to snack, didn¡¯t think you¡¯d like these too.¡±


    Qi Zi was beyond caring about Luo Wei¡¯s jab at his pride. He shouted happily and ran off to a small street stand selling sticky rice balls.


    ¡°Lan, do you want something to eat?¡± Luo Wei asked Wei Lan, ¡°If you do, let¡¯s go buy something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Wei Lan quickly shook his head. Of all the foods avable on the street, he hadn¡¯t had much. The ones that were foreign to him were most of them, and Wei Lan simply didn¡¯t know what tasted good and what didn¡¯t.


    Wei Lan saw the guards holding all of his stuff, then looked at the sky, but realized that Physician Wei probably hadn¡¯t gone back to the pce yet, so he decided to look around some more.


    ¡°Young Master,¡± Qi Zi was holding a few servings of sticky rice balls when he jogged back, offering them to Luo Wei, ¡°Do you want some?¡±


    Luo Wei grabbed a piece and gave it to Wei Lan, ¡°Have a taste, Lan, I don¡¯t like sweets.¡±


    ¡°Young Master, I feel like you¡¯re not interested in anything other than congee anymore,¡± Qi Zi said, ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Luo Wei spoke to Qi Zi as he sauntered off to a store selling jade, ¡°It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m a monk, eating vegetarian foods and reciting scripture.¡±


    ¡°Wee inside, sir,¡± The owner of the shop saw that Luo Wei was being followed by servants of his own estate, and quickly went to wee him at the door, ¡°Feel free to look around. All the jade pieces here are top quality.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me out here,¡± Luo Wei instructed Qi Zi and the guards, ¡°Lan,e inside with me.¡± And thus he brought Wei Lan into the shop.


    Luo Wei liked gemstones and jade trinkets in the past life, but these held no interest for him anymore. This was just to waste some time before he headed home.


    ¡°It¡¯s the third young master of the Luo family,¡± In the inner room behind the counter, Fu Yun saw Luo Wei arriving, and quickly became nervous. He whispered quietly to Long Xuan, who sat at the table inside.


    ¡°Mm, I saw him.¡± Long Xuan was still holding a teacup, ¡°He can¡¯t see us, what are you nervous for?¡±


    Fu Yun stood aside and went quiet.


    This store was a secret business that Liu Shuang Shi left to Long Xuan. Long Xuan had only gotten it when he went to visit Liu Shuang Shi before his execution. He didn¡¯t think that the very first time he visited the business, he¡¯d meet Luo Wei.


    Wei Lan didn¡¯t understand anything in regards to jade objects. He looked at the different things all over the store, and felt a little bewildered, feeling as if everything was beautiful.


    ¡°This is made of jade stone from Xuan Zhou, sir,¡± The owner saw Wei Lan had been staring at a small object for a while, and quickly introduced it to him.


    Xuan Zhou? Luo Wei had been looking at a jade Buddha statue when he heard and walked over. Wasn¡¯t Xuan Zhou where Wei Lan came from? ¡°Lan, did you find something you like?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Wei Lan quickly answered, ¡°I just thought this looked kind of like a buckle, so I was taking another look.¡±


    Luo Wei looked at the little trinket that Wei Lan pointed to, and realized it was a pair of mandarin ducks(1). One of them had a buckle lock at the breast, and the other had a ring where the lock fit, ¡°This is a lovers¡¯ buckle,¡± Luo Wei smiled, ¡°Lan, this is an object for lovers to make promises with.¡±


    Wei Lan smiled shyly, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything like it before.¡±


    Luo Wei picked up this lovers¡¯ buckle. Xuan Zhou¡¯s jade were of a inky green, and the construction of the buckle wasn¡¯t very detailed, but had an elegance to it. Under the light, its shine glistened across the surface, as if looking at a crisp greenke at your very palm.


    ¡°Young master,¡± The owner pulled out another lovers¡¯ buckle, ¡°If you¡¯re nning on gifting this to a youngdy, take a look at this one.¡±


    Luo Wei looked at the one on his hand, then at the one on the owner¡¯s hand and realized that the one he had didn¡¯t distinguish between male and female. The one on the owner¡¯s hand, however, was a pair of male and female ducks. The capital had estates for many royal and high ranking people. The rich all had a male lover on the side. Even regr people who didn¡¯t have money to take care of a wife could live together in male-male pairings. So it wasn¡¯t that strange that an object for lovers to make promises with didn¡¯t distinguish between male and female.


    ¡°These two look different,¡± Wei Lan had realized the difference between the two buckles as well.


    ¡°I want this one,¡± Luo Wei pointed at the one on his hand, and asked the owner, ¡°How much is it?¡±


    The owner saw the way Luo Wei had been looking at the buckle in his hand, and he knew that Luo Wei understood the business of jade well enough. He took another nce at the guards standing outside, and didn¡¯t dare give Luo Wei too bad of a price.


    ¡°Do you really want to buy this, young master?¡± But Wei Lan was still shocked by the hundreds of silver pieces this small piece of jade cost.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Luo Wei said to Wei Lan, ¡°Do you not like it?¡±


    Wei Lan answered, ¡°I don¡¯t understand this jade stuff.¡±


    ¡°I can teach youter,¡± Luo Wei grinned at Wei Lan as he spoke, then he passed the owner a bank note while asking, ¡°Do you buy jade as well? I have many pieces at home that I want to sell.¡±


    With business at the door, the owner quickly epted. He asked Luo Wei to wait in the store for a bit as he went back to grab some silvers.


    Luo Wei looked at the two little assistants in the shop, both standing facing outside, and weren¡¯t paying attention to him and Wei Lan. So he pulled open the buckle and gave half of it to Wei Lan, ¡°Lan, this is for you.¡±


    Wei Lan stood there, immobile, looking at the half of the buckle in Luo Wei¡¯s hand with astonishment, as if he didn¡¯t quite understand what Luo Wei meant by it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want it?¡± Luo Wei waved it in front of Wei Lan¡¯s face.


    ¡°Do you really want to give it to me, young master?¡± Wei Lan almost couldn¡¯t believe it.


    ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t want it,¡± Luo Wei pretended to be a little sad on purpose, ¡°Then forget it.¡±


    Wei Lan reached out and took the half of the buckle from Luo Wei¡¯s hand quickly, ¡°How could I not want it if it¡¯s from the young master?¡±


    ¡°Then you have to keep it safe,¡± Luo Wei poked Wei Lan¡¯s chest with his finger, ¡°You can¡¯t go losing it now.¡±


    ¡°Then the other half?¡± Wei Lan pointed at Luo Wei¡¯s other hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine, of course,¡± Luo Wei grinned, asking, ¡°Who are you hoping for me to give it to?¡±


    Wei Lan¡¯s heart leapt with joy, but on the outside he only managed a small smile. He tugged the jacket over Luo Wei¡¯s shoulders tighter. This half of a lovers¡¯ buckle was the thing that Wei Lan would most cherish for the rest of his life.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Mandarin ducks ¨C In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks are thought of as lifelong couples. They¡¯re regarded as a symbol of love and loyalty, and frequently used to represent lovers.

 Chapter 124

    ¡°Young Master, I shalle with you directly,¡± The owner said as he came out from the back of the store with an old assistant.


    Luo Wei and Wei Lan shared a look, and smiled at each other, ¡°Let¡¯s go, then,¡± Luo Wei said to the owner.


    Fu Yun let out a sigh of relief finally as he watched Luo Wei walk out of the door. When he turned around to look at Long Xuan, he was immediately tensed with fear again, ¡°Y-Your Imperial Highness?¡± The cup in Long Xuan¡¯s hand had already been crushed into pieces by its owner. Long Xuan¡¯s blood dripped onto his clothes, and had stained a swathe of his clothing.


    It was only when Long Xuan heard Fu Yun¡¯s shout that he lowered his head and realized what he did.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness, I¡¯ll go fetch a doctor for you right away,¡± Fu Yun said as he go ready to rush outside.


    ¡°It¡¯s but a small wound,¡± Long Xuan looked at the cut on his hand. The skin had been cut open deep, as if it was going to split his palm in two, but Long Xuan didn¡¯t seem to care as he ordered Fu Yun, ¡°Bandage it for me.¡±


    Fu Yun took a look at the wound on Long Xuan¡¯s hand, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, this is going to need some ointments before I can bandage it.¡±


    ¡°Wrap it up for now,¡± Long Xuan offered his hand, the blood wasn¡¯t stopping, but he didn¡¯t seem to feel it at all.


    Fu Yun wrapped the wound up for Long Xuan, his hand shaking all the while.


    ¡°Who was that man who came in with Luo Wei?¡± Long Xuan suddenly asked.


    Fu Yun answered, ¡°I only know him as Wei Lan, the third young master¡¯s personal guard.¡±


    ¡°Wei Lan?¡± Long Xuan repeated the name. It was only today that he realized there was someone like this beside Luo Wei. That scene out in the store just now felt like pins in Long Xuan¡¯s eyes. No matter if it was the lovers¡¯ buckle, or the warmth and innocence in Luo Wei¡¯s smile when they shared that secret look at one another, Long Xuan thought to himself, he was only a guard, does he really deserve you treating him like this?


    Lovers¡¯ buckle. Long Xuan¡¯s thoughts suddenly drifted far away.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°This is a lovers¡¯ buckle.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re giving this to me? Luo Wei, have you gone crazy?¡±


    ¡°Xuan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, I¡¯m ¡®Your Imperial Highness¡¯ to you, not ¡®Xuan¡¯. How many times do I have to tell you for you to understand? Or is your skull so thick that you can¡¯t understand the words that areing out of my mouth?!¡±


    ¡°Then, this¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a bother!¡± And thus the buckle was tossed away.


    Long Xuan remembers how Luo Wei had stood by theke behind the Hall of Literary Transcendence for a long time after Long Xuan tossed his half of the lovers¡¯ buckle into the water. In the end, some maids saw Luo Wei tossing the other half into the water as well. After that, Long Xuan remembered that he heard Luo Wei had been injured by the Zhao brothers on the streets. He didn¡¯t go to visit him while he was injured, because this youth had always followed him closely. Long Xuan thought that when Luo Wei had healed, he¡¯d still be back his side, just like before, hanging on him left and right. He couldn¡¯t chase Luo Wei away.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Fu Yun did his best but still wasn¡¯t able to stop the blood, ¡°We need to put something on this wound.¡±


    ¡°Go ask someone in the store for some wound ointment(1),¡± Long Xuan said, irritated, ¡°What are you freaking out for?¡±


    Fu Yun quickly rushed to find someone in the store.


    Long Xuan still sat there, looking dejected. He didn¡¯t think that when Luo Wei had healed after that injury, the Luo Wei he¡¯d known before would be one. Lovers¡¯ buckle, that smile, they should all be for him. Why were they for someone else now? Long Xuan¡¯s heart ached. Wei Lan? Long Xuan carved this name into his mind, he¡¯d actually hated that person so much that he¡¯d wanted to kill him in that instant. Long Xuan had always gotten what he wanted, like power and control, and the same goes with people.


    Fu Yun brought over the ointment and even dragged a doctor over. A wound this deep, he¡¯d never dare to bandage it himself for Long Xuan.


    The doctor was fairly practiced and an old hand at this sort of injury.


    Long Xuan was quiet, watching the doctor work on his wound, and didn¡¯t even so much as frown.


    Fu Yun watched at the side, unable to help. Long Xuan¡¯s injury must be rted to the third young master, but as a servant, he didn¡¯t dare ask the reason. The only thing he knew was that the thoughts and inner workings of this master of his were growing less and less predictable each day.


    When the doctor had finished wrapping the wound and prescribing more of the ointment, he reminded Long Xuan that he shouldn¡¯t let the cut touch water for the next few days. Only when he was finished did he take his fee and leave.


    Fu Yun watched Long Xuan sit there, immobile, but he didn¡¯t dare rush Long Xuan. The only thing he could do was stand aside and wait. As he stood, he started blindly guessing again. If Luo Wei found that this shop was his own master¡¯s business, what would they do then? Seeing as how Luo Wei neither listened or allowed Long Xuan anything, perhaps this shop was another one of his master¡¯s businesses that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep.


    Long Xuan sat in the shop until dark, until even the workers in the shop all felt like today was hard to endure. It was only when the sky turned dark that the owner came back to the shop, with a big cart he¡¯d rented on the way.


    Long Xuan looked at the owner and the workers unload everything from the cart and put them all into the shop, asking coldly, ¡°How much money did you pay for all of this?¡±


    The owner quickly responded, ¡°The third young master told us to just sell these for now.¡±


    Long Xuan looked at the jade stones, coral, and fake bonsais on the ground. These were all things Luo Wei used to like, but now they were being tossed out here for silver? The young master of the chancellor¡¯s estate wouldn¡¯t want for money, this could only mean that these held no interest for him now.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness?¡± Fu Yun looked at Long Xuan¡¯s face as he held back his anger, and saw the raw jade stone sitting at Long Xuan¡¯s feet was the one he¡¯d hand delivered for Long Xuan to Luo Wei when he was sick. Fu Yun quietlymented his bad luck to himself, afraid that Long Xuan would direct his anger at this hapless servant.


    The rage in Long Xuan¡¯s heart was almost uncontroble. All of the things he¡¯d given to Luo Wei were all here. He hadn¡¯t gifted Luo Wei with many things, only a few pieces, and they were all given after he¡¯d let his anger out on Luo Wei, felt bad after, and used to coddle him. Because of this, Long Xuan still remembered all these things.


    ¡°Master?¡± Long Xuan¡¯s sullen face was scaring the owner of the shop now too. Was he not supposed to take this business? But his master had nodded when he reported it, was he going to turn around and get mad?


    ¡°This one, this one, and that one,¡± Long Xuan pointed out the things he¡¯d given to Luo Wei from all the various objects on the ground, and told the owner, ¡°I¡¯m going to take them.¡±


    The owner quickly nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll wrap these up for you right away.¡±


    ¡°When you went to the third young master¡¯s estate, was he the one who dealt with you?¡± Long Xuan asked.


    The owner responded, ¡°The third young master said he was tired, so it was the chancellor estate¡¯s head overseer who dealt these objects to me.¡±


    ¡°Was the overseer the one who gave you these things?¡±


    ¡°No, it was a little attendant of the third young master¡¯s. I heard the overseer call him ¡®Xiao Xiao¡¯.¡±


    So it was Luo Wei¡¯s own decision after all. Long Xuan held on a shred of hope just now, but it turned into disappointment soon enough. ¡°Grab these things and let¡¯s go.¡± Long Xuan ordered Fu Yun.


    So Fu Yun and the owner quickly wrapped up the few items Long Xuan pointed out together.


    Long Xuan carefully examined the collection of objects again, watching to see if there were any that were gifted by his imperial father, things that cannot be sold. After taking a careful look, he realized there wasn¡¯t a single item officially bestowed by the pce. Long Xuan suddenly found himself rather funny. How could Luo Wei do something that¡¯d give other people a chance to trip him up? Even now, was he still intent on thinking of Luo Wei as the fat little kid who used to follow him around?

 Chapter 125

    When Luo Zhi Qiu came back to the estate that day, he smelled a little like alcohol.


    ¡°Who were you out drinking with?¡± Bo Hua asked her husband, while ordering someone to go and make some sobering soup for Luo Zhi Qiu.


    Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°Grand Schr Zhou and I left the pce together, he insisted on inviting me to drink a couple with him, I couldn¡¯t reject his invitation, so I just went.¡±


    ¡°How are things with the Crown Prince then?¡± Upon hearing that Luo Zhi Qiu was out drinking with Zhou Ning Wen, Bo Hua wasn¡¯t worried anymore, so she asked after the crown prince, ¡°Is the injury very bad?¡±


    ¡°Not on the surface,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°But he¡¯d been given a blow to the back by the assassin, the imperial physician said he¡¯ll need to rest and recover carefully from the internal injuries.¡±


    ¡°Rest and recover again?¡± Bo Hua felt as if her ears were going to be calloused over from hearing these words. Luo Wei¡¯s illness didn¡¯t look to be getting better, and the imperial physician prescribed rest, now that the crown prince was injured, the imperial physicians were still prescribing the same thing!


    Luo Zhi Qiu waved his hand, ¡°How¡¯s Xie Yu doing?¡±


    ¡°The same,¡± Bo Hua said, sounding annoyed, ¡°That Physician Ren also said he needs rest and recovery, his injuries are external, thankfully nothing internal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go and take a look at him,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu stood, intending to see Xie Yu right away.


    ¡°You reek of alcohol right now, what if the smell makes him sick,¡± Bo Hua said, ¡°You should wait until it disperses a little more before seeing him. Beside, he¡¯s sleeping ugh now. But you should send someone to give Master Xie the news, don¡¯t keep him worrying.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°I¡¯ll write a letter to Master Xie and send it over night. Where¡¯s Wei Er?¡±


    ¡°He came to see me after getting home, and said he was tired, so I told him to go and rest,¡± Bo Hua felt worried again as she thought of Luo Wei, ¡°He still doesn¡¯t seem to be getting any better. He has no energy to walk, even, what should we do? I asked Qi Zi, he went for a stroll on the streets today too. Doesn¡¯t he know how to take care of himself? Is he in the right state to be taking walks like that?¡±


    ¡°Wei Er¡¯s been trapped in the estate by bed rest for the better half of a year now,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu could hear the anxiety in Bo Hua¡¯s voice, and quickly gave Luo Wei an out, ¡°A stroll might do him some good, we¡¯ll ask Physician Wei toe over and check his pulse again tomorrow, don¡¯t bother him too much about it.¡±


    Bo Hua knew that Luo Wei wasn¡¯t someone to mention in front of Luo Zhi Qiutely, so she let it go for now, and asked, ¡°Grand Schr Zhou has never invited you out for drinks before, why did he ask you today?¡±


    ¡°He had something good to discuss with me,¡± At this, Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s face gained a hint of a smile.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Bo Hua quickly asked, ¡°He has something good to discuss with the chancellor?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve met the seventh youngdy of the Zhou family, right?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked.


    Bo Hua answered, ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve met that girl before. Intelligent and well behaved, and a proper daughter of his official wife, of the main line. Why is the chancellor mentioning her?¡±


    ¡°This girl is born in the same year as Wei Er, younger by half a year,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu said, ¡°Grand Schr Zhou wants to marry her to Wei Er, and be inws with us.¡±


    The news brightened up Bo Hua. She¡¯d just met the seventh youngdy Zhou a few days ago, ¡°And here I was wondering why Lady Zhou had brought the youngdy out to the temple that day,plimenting her girl as if she¡¯s a flower. Looks like this was what the Zhou family was nning.¡±


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯s pretty and good enough of a person for Wei Er?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s not bad, but in terms of being pretty, our Wei Er is still better looking than she is.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯dpare their son¡¯s looks to other people¡¯s daughters?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu found it funny, ¡°People are going to make fun of us if this ever gets out, you know.¡±


    Bo Hua answered, ¡°With the way Wei Er looks, would you be happy to marry him to an uglier girl?¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu knew the time to take a step back, ¡°Just tell me if you think this youngdy is suited for Wei Er.¡±


    ¡°I heard she¡¯s not bad in the four arts(1), in terms of personality, I think she¡¯s calm and obedient enough, not a bad match for Wei Er,¡± Bo Hua had a pretty good impression of the seventh youngdy, ¡°If you¡¯re worried, I¡¯ll have someone ask around.¡± Bo Hua never had a say in Luo Qi and Luo Ze¡¯s marriages, now that she had a say in Luo Wei¡¯s marriage, her enthusiasm was palpable.


    ¡°We should ask what Wei Er thinks of this himself,¡± The worry running through Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s mind now was the fact that, after all the torture and pain Luo Wei had endured, if he¡¯d even be interested in marriage.


    ¡°Marriage is natural when a man bes a certain age,¡± Bo Hua said, ¡°Why would he be unwilling, youngdy Zhou¡¯s talented and pretty, the Zhou family is of the right caliber for ours, what¡¯s not good about this match?¡±


    ¡°Father, mother,¡± Luo Ze came back to pay a greeting to his parents, and was just at the right moment to hear Bo Hua¡¯sst sentence, ¡°What are you talking about with this youngdy Zhou?¡±


    ¡°Grand Schr Zhou was matchmaking with your father today,¡± Bo Hua smiled, ¡°He wants to marry his seventh daughter to our Xiao Wei, I¡¯m discussing it with your father.¡±


    Luo Ze didn¡¯t know a thing about these youngdies of the upper ss, he only cared about Luo Wei, ¡°Does Xiao Wei know about this, then?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°I haven¡¯t told him yet.¡±


    ¡°You better ask him first,¡± Luo Ze said, ¡°If you guys made a proper match here and he¡¯s not happy with it, are you going to just force him to get married?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll find a time to talk to him,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu said. To be honest, in the matter of Luo Wei¡¯s marriage, no one in this house can make any hard decisions, it was all up to Emperor Xing Wu in the end.


    ¡°You guys can talk it over, and I¡¯ll find someone to ask around on my side.¡± With these words from the father and son duo, Bo Hua could only take a step back.


    ¡°I heard that Xie Yu¡¯s gotten hurt pretty bad this time,¡± Luo Ze asked after Xie Yu, ¡°What did the imperial physician say today?¡±


    At this point, the head overseer came in with the sobering soup. After Luo Zhi Qiu finished it, he told Luo Ze, ¡°Let¡¯s go see him together.¡±


    Luo Wei had gone to bed for a while before feeling a little more energetic. The cold got worse after nightfall, and now that he was even less good against the cold than usual, Luo Wei had asked Xiao Xiao to bring a small bed table so he could eat in bed.


    Luo Ze and Luo Zhi Qiu went to visit Xie Yu, who was still in deep sleep, then came to Luo Wei¡¯s part of the estate to see him. When Luo Ze entered room, he felt as if he couldn¡¯t breathe. The room was sealed against the wind with warm coals still burning to heat up the room, it was stuffy and hot. He sighed when he took at look at the bed, and found Luo Wei still wrapped in his nkets. If Luo Wei had gotten better, why was he still this afraid of the cold?


    Wei Lan was trying to convince Luo Wei to eat some more food. When he saw Luo Zhi Qiu and Luo Zee in, he quickly stood up from Luo Wei¡¯s bedside and addressed both men, ¡°Chancellor, general.¡±


    Luo Ze asked Wei Lan, ¡°Lan, how much did Xiao Wei eat today?¡±


    Wei Lan answered, ¡°A bowl of congee.¡±


    Luo Ze walked up to the bedside, and looked at the dishes on the little bed table,pletely uneaten. He sighed at Luo Wei, ¡°Xiao Wei, if you can eat, just put a little more food down, that way you can get better faster. I heard you went to the pce today and came home exhausted, what are you going to do if this keeps going?¡±


    Luo Wei smiled, ¡°Wei Lan¡¯s already been nagging at me for a while now, are youing to help him too, big brother? I¡¯ve already eaten some snacks and I¡¯m not hungry just now. It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll eat more when I¡¯m hungry again.¡±


    Wei Lan shook his head aside. The snack was just a half a piece of walnut cake, how much space could it possibly be taking up in Luo Wei¡¯s stomach?<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>1. Four arts ¨C The original referred directly to the four arts by name, but this trantion has omitted them for ease of reading. The four are ¡°Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua,¡± which individually means the qin (zither / gu qin), to show appreciation for music; Qi ¨C the strategy game go, which is akin to chess, and is used to train foresight and strategy; Shu ¨C calligraphy; and Hua ¨C painting. These arts are not specific to gender and most learned people of good upbringing will train in all four.


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>It¡¯s been a while since a double update, and since I have some time this Sunday, I decided to trante two chapters at once! : ) I just want to make clear again that I¡¯m not tranting word for word in this novel. I feel like there¡¯s a divide between people who will stay very close to the novel and trante the sentences exactly the way it was written in Chinese, but I prefer to make things easier to read by substituting some Chinese sentence structures for English sentence structures.


    If you¡¯re interested on differences / choices, you can read below! ; ) otherwise thank you for following and reading, and for the tips on ko-If!


    The author uses a lot of ¡°XX said¡±, even though they use two different verbs, it still gets very repetitive. Whenever answering a question, I try to use words like answered, replied, etc¡­ to make it clearer and less repetitive.


    The structure of some sentences in Chinese goes: ¡°Spoken dialogue,¡± Something happens in a person¡¯s mind, speaker said.


    This reads awkwardly in English, so I try to change it to ¡°Dialogue,¡± speaker said, something happens.


    I will also intone some actions because words don¡¯t exist in English. Instead of saying the emotion, I try to build it into actions. When there needs to be an extra bit of meaning attached, ie. the Chinese has some bits at the end that makes it sound impatient, but doe¡¯te across in English, I¡¯ll add ¡°impatiently¡± as an adverb to deliver the full meaning.


    On asion, I will add in a short sentence to exin if in Chinese, it should be obvious what the speaker is talking about / what¡¯s happening, but it bes less obvious in English due to grammar or the way the paragraph is structured.


    And of course, I try to change idioms from Chinese ones, such as ¡°responding to gratitude with anger¡± to English ones like ¡°biting the hand that feeds you¡±. Or ng like ¡°little rabbit¡± (CN) to ¡°little asshole¡± (EN). I feel like this improves the writing somewhat, and makes it easier to read.


    So, in the end, if you¡¯re a Chinese reader but prefer to read trantions, and wonder why things are different, it¡¯s mostly to make things coherent in English and easy to read. I don¡¯t trante things to English when I read it from Chinese, so I don¡¯t want the readers here to have o mentally process Chinese-English to conversational English.

 Chapter 126

    After Luo Wei joked around with Luo Ze, he asked Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Father, has His Imperial Majesty made a decision about the second prince going to the south?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu watched as Wei Lan exited the room with the small table in hand before answering, ¡°Grand Schr Zhou was trying to stop him, so His Imperial Majesty is still trying to decide.


    ¡°The second prince wants to go south?¡± Luo Ze asked, ¡°Then let him go, otherwise he¡¯s just going to make trouble for us here.¡±


    Luo Wei quickly answered, ¡°It¡¯s better if he stays in the capital. That way, no mater what he does, we¡¯ll be able to watch him. Once he heads south, who knows what he¡¯ll do?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu nodded, ¡°Wei Er, do you really think it¡¯d be better if the second prince stayed here?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°If there was nothing to gain for him in the south, then why would he actively seek the crown prince¡¯s help in going there?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu then asked, ¡°And what about the crown prince¡¯s assassination this time, what are your thoughts about that?¡±


    Luo Wei had been thinking about this question, but he hasn¡¯t been ale toe up with anything, ¡°Chancellor Qiu said he was going to investigate it,¡± He looked at his father and brother, ¡°Perhaps we should wait to see what hees up with.¡±


    ¡°Qiu Che?¡± Luo Ze made a noise of discontent, ¡°That man is up to no good!¡±


    ¡°What are youining about?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu yelled at Luo Ze, ¡°Is anyone up to any good in your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Why is Chancellor Qiu up to no good?¡± Luo Wei asked Luo Ze.


    Luo Ze lowered his voice, ¡°You¡¯ve been ill for all these days, and we didn¡¯t want to say anything about the stuff going on outside. After this Qiu Che came to the capital, he managed to pull god know how many of his own people to court. Father couldn¡¯t even say no.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Luo Wei only smiled. It was only natural that Emperor Xing Wu wouldn¡¯t want the Luo family be the only pir at court. His support for Qiu Che¡¯s rise was something Luo Wei had already suspected. As he thought of Qiu Che, Luo Wei suddenly realized something, and asked Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Father, do you want the second prince to leave the capital and head south?¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu sat in front of Luo Wei¡¯s bed. He had already grown tired and disgusted about everything at court, but now was not the right time for him to leave, ¡°Wei Er, you have to know that the tree that grows taller than the rest of the forest is in danger of felling by the wind. Having the crown prince face all the animosity at court alone can never be a good thing.¡±


    Luo Ze didn¡¯t quite understand what his old man was saying, but it seems that Luo Wei understood. It was only that if Luo Zhi Qiu truly intended for Long Xuan to stand in front of Long Yu, and thus help shield Long Yu from the desire of the throne from other princes, it might be an impossible task.


    ¡°Wei Er,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked just then, ¡°Are you afraid of the second prince?¡±


    Luo Wei startled, him? Afraid of the second prince?


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Qiu Che would agree to the second prince¡¯s request to head south either,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s brows furrowed slightly, ¡°We don¡¯t need to do anything. Even if the crown prince wanted to help, once the Grand Schr Zhou rejects the proposal, the crown prince will change his tune too.¡±


    ¡°Man,¡± Luo Ze grew impatient. It annoyed him to even have to listen to these matters of court, ¡°Xiao Wei, you don¡¯t know yet, do you? Grand Schr Zhou wants you to be his son-inw!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Luo Wei was startled yet again, what was this now?


    ¡°The seventh daughter of the Zhou family, they¡¯re promising her to you,¡± Luo Ze thought that for once, Luo Wei looked a little stupid, ¡°Aren¡¯t you happy to get a wife?¡±


    Luo Wei finally managed to understand ande up with the proper response. Zhou Ning Wen was gifting his daughter to him, ¡°Doesn¡¯t he know that I¡¯m very ill?¡± Luo Wei¡¯s expression suddenly soured, ¡°Promising me his daughter? Is he interested in me, or interested in our family¡¯s power?¡±


    Luo Ze was happy originally when he mentioned this, but hearing Luo Wei, his smile disappeared in an instant, ¡°Xiao Wei, what¡¯s wrong with your body? Are you ill again? Aren¡¯t you better than before?¡±


    ¡°This Zhou Ning Wen isn¡¯t a great guy either,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°Father, brother, you shouldn¡¯t pay attention to people like this.¡±


    ¡°When did Zhou Ning Wen cross you?¡± Luo Ze asked.


    ¡°If we had a younger sister, would you be happy to marry her off to a sickly little noble like me?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Luo Ze grew unhappy, ¡°Why are you calling yourself a sickly little noble? Do you know how many young daughters of prestigious families want to be betrothed to you?¡±


    ¡°Brother, you found your own wife, why can¡¯t I find my own? I want to find someone for myself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡±


    ¡°How is that different?¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu saw the two of them were about to get into it, so he piped up first, ¡°All you had to say is that you don¡¯t like the idea. I¡¯ll let Grand Schr Zhou know.¡±


    ¡°Then what kind of girl do you like?¡± Luo Ze wouldn¡¯t let it go, and asked Luo Wei.


    ¡°Girl?¡± Luo Wei grinned, half serious and half joking, ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about liking girls.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t like girls, are you trying to say that you like men?¡± Luo Ze suddenly remembered the rumours in the past about how Luo Wei was into Long Xuan, but no one was repeating those rumours now. Could it be that this kid really liked men?


    ¡°What?¡± Luo Wei asked Luo Ze, ¡°Are you trying to say that you don¡¯t want me as your little brother if I liked men?¡±


    ¡°You,¡± Luo Ze looked at Luo Wei for a good while before managing to say, ¡°You really like guys?¡±


    ¡°Well, now¡¯s not the time to talk about this,¡± Luo Wei suddenlyughed, ¡°Wow, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be this bad at taking a joke.¡±


    ¡°How can you joke about stuff like this?!¡± If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Luo Wei was sick, Luo Ze would show his little brother what¡¯s what.


    Wei Lan entered with the medicine.


    ¡°You should rest after you take the medicine,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu wanted to chat with Luo Wei more about the crown prince, but he saw that Luo Wei was looking worse than he had in the day time, and decided that no matter what he had to say, he¡¯ll find another time for it.


    Luo Wei nodded. He was getting tired. His brain was still going, but his body was yearning for sleep.


    ¡°What are we going to do about the crown prince? Is there no n?¡± Once they had exited Luo Wei¡¯s bedroom, Luo Ze couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore and asked Luo Zhi Qiu, ¡°Who did His Imperial Majesty send to investigate this thing?¡±


    ¡°Quietly,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu waved a hand at Luo Ze, ¡°Don¡¯t wake your brother.¡±


    The only thing Luo Ze could do was follow Luo Zhi Qiu out of the part of the estate that was Luo Wei¡¯s, then he asked, ¡°So who did he send? Are we just going to leave it like this?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t send anyone,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu stood at the corner of the gate, replying in a quiet tone, ¡°I don¡¯t know what His Imperial Majesty is up to. I want to wait until Xie Yu wakes up, and ask him what really happened.¡±


    ¡°Do you think the crown prince brought it on himself?¡± Luo Ze quickly asked, ¡°Could there be something we don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°The floods in the south,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu shook his head, ¡°Anyway, it¡¯splicated. Let¡¯s talk about it again when Xie Yu¡¯s up and about.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s no good, I can go and ask him myself,¡± Luo Ze grew up with the crown prince, and they¡¯d been ymates for all that time, so their rtionship is better than most people. Once he heard the reticence in Luo Zhi Qiu¡¯s voice, he quickly said, ¡°He¡¯d tell me the truth if I go and ask him myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be better if you spent that energy on asking the crown prince to stay away from the second prince,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu said, ¡°This isn¡¯t the time to get too concerned with brotherly love.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve asked him to do that before, lots of times,¡± Luo Ze said, ¡°But he doesn¡¯t listen. What else am I supposed to do?¡±


    All Luo Zhi Qiu could feel at the moment was the beginnings of a pounding headache. The crown prince, Long Yu, had a generous quality about him, and he didn¡¯t like topete with others. He¡¯s rather like his mother, the empress Luo Zhi Yi in that respect, but it was this sort of personality that caused the most trouble for those standing behind them in support.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong><strong>


    </strong>


    <strong></strong>hello everyone!!! Sorry for the dy of the two weeks¡­ my grandmother got very sick so our entire family went to the hospital to stay with her. We all work so we had to take shifts to keep by her bedside, and between my new job, taking care of her, and talking to my mom about her condition, I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to spend on tranting.


    She is getting better though, and will be out of the hospital tomorrow! I will be more active in tranting starting next week. : ) I hope you all are safe, and your families are safe too¡­ it¡¯s always such a scary time when someone close to you is sick. <3 please take care everyone!!

 Chapter 127

    ¡°Did you hear what Luo Ze said just now?¡± Inside the inner chamber of the bedroom, Luo Wei asked Wei Lan after he finished his medicine.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Wei Lan nodded and took the empty bowl from Luo Wei.


    ¡°I won¡¯t find a wife,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Perhaps before, but not now, there¡¯s no chance.¡±


    Wei Lan put the bowl outside to be collected, and when he returned, he watched Luo Wei in silence, as if deep in thought.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°Young Master,¡± Wei Lan sat at the bedside, asking, ¡°Why are you so good to me?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Luo Wei smiled, ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Wei Lan didn¡¯t know what he was hoping Luo Wei would say, but this ¡°I don¡¯t know either¡± sent his mood into a free fall. He opened his mouth to say something to hide his disappointment, but in the end, he didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Luo Wei reached out to press his hand against Wei Lan¡¯s, feeling the contours of his face, ¡°Lan, you¡¯re the only one who has no connection to me in the past. You can be with me, always be with me. You don¡¯t know this, but there was someone else I was good to before, but all that managed to do was annoy the person I was good to. I wasn¡¯t good enough, I was¡­¡±


    ¡°How could the young master not be good enough?¡± Wei Lan held onto Luo Wei¡¯s hand and interrupted him. His heart ached at how cold Luo Wei¡¯s hand was, ¡°Who was this person?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who they were,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°It¡¯s all in the past now. At least you wont be annoyed with me, right?¡±


    ¡°How could I be annoyed with you? As long as the young master won¡¯t be tired of me, that¡¯s all I want.¡± Wei Lan quickly answered, ¡°Before I met you, I was just a¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the past anymore,¡± Luo Wei rested his head on Wei Lan¡¯s shoulder. He didn¡¯t want to think about all of the rights and wrongs of the past anymore. Now, when he sees Long Xuan, he still wasn¡¯t able to quell those emotions in his heart, but the obsession and single mindedness to do whatever the other one pleased was gone, ¡°I only want to find someone who¡¯s good to me now,¡± Luo Wei¡¯s voice was quiet, as if he was murmuring something from a dream, ¡°Lan, you¡¯re unlucky to meet someone as selfish as me.¡±


    All Wei Lan could do was hold the youth tight against his shoulder. Luo Wei always met people with a smiling face, but as someone who followed him as closely as a shadow, Wei Lan knew that Luo Wei had never been truly happy. There were too many things going on in his mind for him to be happy. Wei Lan thought that perhaps even the counsellor of the nation, Luo Zhi Qiu, might not even have as many things on his mind as Luo Wei did. ¡°Young master, what¡¯s wrong? Why are you saying these things?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t want to answer, ¡°We¡¯ll go to Hu Guo Temple tomorrow. I want to see Grand Master Fu Yi.¡±


    ¡°The high priest?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯d be interested in seeing me,¡± Luo Wei shifted down to lie on the bed, ¡°Sleep.¡±


    Wei Lan nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll go wash up.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± Luo Wei closed his eyes.


    When Wei Lan returned after washing up, Luo Wei looked to already be deep in sleep. Wei Lan didn¡¯t know if he ought to sleep in the daybed near the window or on Luo Wei¡¯s bed. As he was making up his mind over this dilemma, Luo Wei opened his eyes, ¡°Young master,¡± Wei Lan said quietly.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t youing to sleep?¡± Luo Wei had half an eye open, a little groggy as he spoke, ¡°Isn¡¯t it cold standing there?¡±


    It was only after this that Wei Lanid down beside Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei mumbled quietly, ¡°It¡¯s a lot warmer with you in bed.¡±


    Wei Lan pulled Luo Wei into his arms then, and the two of them fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms.


    At around midnight, a senior eunuch from the pce arrived, knocking on the front door of the senior chancellor¡¯s estate.


    Luo Zhi Qiu was already asleep by then, but the overseer of the estate woke him up, and he dressed in a rush beforeing out to greet the eunuch.


    ¡°Chancellor,¡± The eunuch put a smile on when he saw Luo Zhi Qiu arrive, ¡°His Imperial Majestymanded me toe and deliver news to you.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu quickly stood straight, ¡°Please, sir.¡±


    The eunuch cleared his throat, ¡°An hour before midnight, Consort Li has given birth to the tenth prince.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu didn¡¯t know how to feel when he heard the news that there was yet another imperial prince in he world. The emperor needs to have heirs, but once there were too many in the race, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing for either the ministers or the poption of the nation. Not only that, this was a son borne of Consort Li, the noble consort currently in charge of the Back Pce. There was one more strong contender for the crown prince¡¯s future. ¡°You can head back to the pce first, sir,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu forced a smile at the eunuch, ¡°I shall head in once I¡¯ve made myself ready.¡±


    ¡°His Imperial Majesty has other requests,¡± The eunuch smiled even more when he received the reward from Luo Zhi Qiu for the news, ¡°Since it¡¯s frigid outside these days, and the third young master is not of good health, he doesn¡¯t need to head into the pce for the time being.¡±


    ¡°I thank his Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu quickly took a bow towards the direction of the pce.


    Once the eunuch has left, Luo Ze rushed over and saw the dark look on his father¡¯s face, ¡°What happened now?¡±


    ¡°Consort Li has given birth to the tenth prince,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu answered, ¡°Go change into your uniform ande with me to pay our congrattions in the pce.¡±


    ¡°Consort Li has a son now too?¡± Even one so blind to the politics of the court as Luo Ze knew that a birth of a new prince was nothing good for the crown prince.


    ¡°Go get dressed,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu rushed Luo Ze.


    ¡°What about Xiao Wei? Should we wake him up?¡± Luo Ze asked.


    ¡°His Imperial Majesty has generously given him leave for the night,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu answered.


    ¡°Ok, wait for me a bit, father,¡± Luo Ze walked back to his rooms quickly to change.


    Luo Zhi Qiu went to change as well. Looks like neither Bo Hua or Xu Yun Miao were going to get any sleep tonight. The overseer of the house would also need to wake some of the servants to prepare a pnquin for Luo Zhi Qiu as well as a horse for Luo Ze. The guards that often came with them would also need to prepare themselves. Everyone was busy doing something, and the Luo Estate became a flurry of people heading this way and that.


    The only part of the estate that remained quiet was Luo Wei¡¯s quarters. There were no sounds of people in the depths of his courtyard.


    ¡°Wait until Wei Er gets up tomorrow morning before you tell him about this,¡± Luo Zhi Qiu reminded Bo Hua as he left the gates, ¡°If he doesn¡¯t wake, don¡¯t go and bother him.¡±


    ¡°Wei Er¡¯s not feeling well,¡± Bo Hua said, ¡°Why would I go and bother him for this? You should hurry.¡±


    It was only after this exchange that Luo Zhi Qiu got on his pnquin. Luo Ze mounted his horse at his father¡¯s side, and went off to the pce with their retinue of guards.


    As the father and son arrived, there were already a group of ministers waiting outside of the Hall of Eternal Light. Worried that some of these ministers were going to freeze in tonight¡¯s weather, Emperor Xing Wu had the pce servants ce coal heaters outside the hall for them to warm up.


    ¡°Chancellor,¡± Grand Schr Zhou got here earlier, and was speaking to someone else when he saw Luo Zhi Qiu arrive. He quickly got himself in front of the chancellor and put his hands together for a sign of respect, ¡°You¡¯ve arrived too.¡±


    ¡°Master Zhou,¡± Luo Ze was of a younger generation, so he bowed for the Grand Schr.


    The various other ministers all paid their respects to Luo Zhi Qiu one by one, and Luo Zhi Qiu returned their gestures with good cheer. Luo Ze found Zhao Jun Bo and Zhao Jun Yi in the crowd and started to catch up with them, leaving the schrly ministers that often annoyed him.


    ¡°How¡¯s Xiao Wei doing?¡± Zhao Jun Bo opened the conversation by asking about Luo Wei first.


    ¡°Still not eating,¡± Luo Ze answered quietly as he shook his head, ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem too good still.¡±


    The Zhao brothers could only worry along with Luo Ze. As for the new prince who¡¯d just been born, they had no feelings about one way or another. It wasn¡¯t as if this prince had anything to do with them. It was Luo Wei who they worried about.<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    hi everyone! I half finished tranting this chapter when my grandma had a turn for the worse¡­ she passed away at the beginning ofst week and we¡¯ve been busy in the family preparing for everything after. I have been trying to get into the mood to trante again, but it has been really difficult. I will definitely keep going, but its very hard sometimes when so many things are happening, and in the middle of it you lose someone very, very important to you. Thank u all for reading, and i hope you all say love you to people who are important to you today. <3

 Chapter 128

    Zhou Ning Wen waited until Luo Zhi Qiu had gotten over all the small talk with the other ministers before stepping aside with the chancellor, ¡°His Imperial Majesty has gone to see Consort Li.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu nodded, ¡°The birth of a prince is fortuitous, something to be celebrated.¡±


    Zhou Ning Wen agreed, ¡°Yes, a blessing upon Greater Zhou.¡±


    The words between these two were only there for other people to hear. Who amongst the nine princes, even the crown prince himself, had been guarded over and visited by the emperor on the day of his birth? It seemed that this tenth prince held a special ce in Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s heart.


    ¡°Marquis Li and his wife are there too,¡± Zhou Ning Wei said again, quietly.


    ¡°Then the crown prince is there too?¡± Luo Zhi Qiu asked.


    ¡°His Imperial Highness is not well enough to go, but his consort went,¡± Zhou Ning Wen answered, ¡°Her Imperial Majesty the Empress has gone as well.¡±


    Luo Zhi Qiu looked at the edges of the sky, the first morning stars were rising already. He said to Grand Schr Zhou in a meaningful voice, ¡°Looks like we may have to wait until after daybreak to see His Imperial Majesty.¡±


    On the other side of the front steps, there were a bevy of ministers surrounding the junior chancellor, Qiu Che, all buzzing with quiet talk as well.


    Luo Zhi Qiu knew in his heart that this junior chancellor held no happiness for the news either. The ninth prince, Long Yi, was still young. Before this new prince, he¡¯d stillmanded some favour from the emperor because he was the youngest. Now, with the new birth of the tenth prince along with the powerful Li family behind him, the ninth prince has gained a powerful adversary in the span of a single night. Luo Zhi Qiu remarked to himself quietly with a shake of the head, no one had it easy.


    In Consort Li¡¯s Hall of Marital Harmony, Emperor Xing Wu watched the tenth prince, who was being held in the Empress¡¯ arms. ¡°What a rare child, to smile at me right after his birth.¡±


    Luo Zhi Yi was looking at the tenth prince as well, feeling the same sentiment as the emperor. She¡¯d had three sons herself, but this was the first time she¡¯d seen an hour old baby who¡¯d only cried for a few seconds before knowing to smile at people. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, look, he¡¯s smiling at me too.¡±


    The emperor and empress were having a great time ying with the baby together.


    ¡°Just like Xiao Wei,¡± Luo Zhi Yi suddenly mentioned Luo Wei.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked quickly when he heard the empress mention Luo Wei.


    ¡°I heard from my brother that when Xiao Wei was born, he smiled quickly too,¡± Luo Zhi Yi said, ¡°Xiao Wei was a chubby little baby back then, like one of those little cherubs(1), sadly I never had the chance to see him when he was still a baby.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu reached out and poked the little prince¡¯s face. The little prince opened his mouth and made a cute noise.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Luo Zhi Yi smiled, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I think little ten here is calling for his father.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu burst out inughter, but there was some bitterness mixed into it. When Luo Zhi Yi mentioned what Luo Wei looked like as a baby, Emperor Xing Wu naturally thought of Luo Zhi Jin. A child borne of Zhi Jin must have been like a cherub, but he was never able to be beside her.


    The marquis and marquise Li heard the emperor¡¯sugher from the outer hall, and both were ted. How happy the emperor sounded, he must love the tenth prince dearly.


    But the other consorts and concubines were not happy, neither was the crown prince¡¯s consort. However, none of them could let any of these emotion show on their face. Everyone was all smiles, saying things they didn¡¯t mean, only following each other¡¯s lead.


    Zhao Fu entered, and reported to Emperor Xing Wu, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, the ministers are all outside the Hall of Imperial Light, waiting to congratte you.¡±


    ¡°Has Wei Ere too?¡± Emperor Xing Wu asked.


    Zhao Fu quickly answered, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty has given orders not to disturb this third young master¡¯s rest, so he does not know about this yet. I¡¯ve only seen Chancellor Luo and the Grand General of the Capital arrive.¡±


    ¡°Wei Er¡¯s not doing well,¡± Emperor Xing Wu saw that Luo Zhi Yi was looking at him, so he exined, ¡°I wanted him to rest up, especially now that he¡¯s not great with the cold.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Wei¡¯s health,¡± Luo Zhi Yi couldn¡¯t help worrying herself when she heard Emperor Xing Wu mention it, ¡°It¡¯s been more than half a year now, but he¡¯s still not getting better. I saw him during he day and he looks thinner again. It¡¯s not as if he hasn¡¯t been taking medication, why isn¡¯t he getting any better?¡±


    ¡°Sickness is like a mountain caving in when ites, but taking it away is like pulling threads out of fabric,¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s happiness about his son¡¯s birth dampened considerably as he thought about Luo Wei¡¯s health, ¡°You should stay here, Empress, I¡¯ll go and see to the ministers.¡±


    Luo Zhi Yi looked at him, ¡°What if sister Li wakes up and wants to see you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s enough that you¡¯re here,¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s face became cold again. He looked at the tenth prince in the empress¡¯ arms once more before leaving.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± As soon as the emperor left, a servant from Long Xuan¡¯s pce came and kneeled in front of Luo Zhi Yi, ¡°His Imperial Highness the second prince begs for a imperial physician, his consort is having some pains in her abdomen.¡±


    Tonight was Consort Li¡¯s due date, so all the good imperial physicians were here waiting on her. Prince Consort Xu was pregnant with Long Xuan¡¯s first child. No matter if it was a boy or a girl, it would be important to the imperial family. Luo Zhi Yi quickly appointed two imperial physicians to follow the servant back to Long Xuan¡¯s quarters. Then, upon considering it again, she couldn¡¯t feel at ease until she sent the matron who waited on her to go and see to the prince consort as well. As much as Luo Zhi Yi didn¡¯t want to participate in the politics of the Back Pce, she knew well that people here were keen to take advantage of the weak. Long Xuan¡¯s position at court was not as strong as it was before, and Luo Zhi Yi worried he¡¯d be taken advantage of in his weakness.


    In the Hall of Literary Transcendence, Prince Consort Xu called out intermittently in pain as shey in a side room. She was soaked through with cold sweat. Long Xuan paced outside the room, sick with worry as well. Even though Consort Xu had no n to speak of, and was useless to Long Xuan, the child in her belly was Long Xuan¡¯s firstborn. Long Xuan was looking forward to the birth of this child.


    Long Xiang sat aside, watching Long Xuan as he paced. Long Xiang didn¡¯t know whether to stand or sit, but it wasn¡¯t as if he could do anything right now. After a few sparse words offort, he felt that it¡¯d be better if he said nothing. The only thing he could do was to shut his mouth and sit patiently aside.


    The imperial physicians arrived with the servant, ¡°Quick, go and see to her,¡± Long Xuan pardoned them from paying obeisance to him, and directly pointed them to the side room.


    The two physicians quickly rushed in. Long Xuan gave Long Xiang a look before heading in as well. Long Xiang got up because he wanted to follow his older brother inside, but it was in the span of a step that he remembered this was the room of his brother¡¯s consort, he was not allowed inside, so he sat back down and waited.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness, drink some tea,¡± Fu Yun served another cup of tea to Long Xiang.


    Long Xiang waved an annoyed hand at Fu Yun. How could he take tea at a moment like this?


    In the inner room, the two imperial physicians felt for Consort Xu¡¯s pulse once after another, then the two huddled together in discussion.


    ¡°Is my child alright?¡± Consort Xu was a little delirious, but she still cared deeply about her baby. She had to bite back the pain to ask even this.


    ¡°The physicians are here,¡± Long Xuan stepped up tofort Consort Xu, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, nothing bad wille to you and your child.¡±


    The tenderness in Long Xuan¡¯s voice came as a shock to Consort Xu. Even when she¡¯d been the first daughter of Shang Hang¡¯s Xu n, Long Xuan had never shown her kindness like this. Looks like a woman still needed a child beside her. Consort Xu sighed to herself inside, but managed to squeeze out a smile, ¡°I will be fine, apologies for worrying Your Imperial Highness.¡±<hr>


    <strong>TRANSLATOR¡¯S NOTES:</strong>


    Thank you everyone for the kind words. I cried a lot reading thements because it¡¯s still so fresh in my mind and in my family. We talked a lot recently about it because i lived with my grandma for a long time as a child, and now she is gone. <3 Reading and tranting this novel will be a good distraction, I will try to put more time into it in theing weeks as work allows. Thank u for reading it and following it!!

 Chapter 129

    After the imperial physician has taken her pulse, he quickly wrote a prescription and asked someone to prepare and boil the herbs.


    ¡°How is she doing?¡± When all three of them had left the inner room, Long Xuan opened his mouth to ask the two physicians.


    The two looked at each other, and neither wanted to speak first.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Long Xuan was impatient, ¡°Is the child going to be ok?¡±


    From the way the two of them were looking at each other, Long Xuan could tell that Consort Xu wasn¡¯t in a great condition, so he looked at the old madam servant waiting outside and said, ¡°Madam, you may take your leave and tell my imperial mother that Consort Xu is going to take her medicine soon. She¡¯s not in grave danger, and ask my imperial mother to not worry,¡± With that, Long Xuan threw a look at Fu Yun.


    Fu Yun quickly walked up to the old woman and said, ¡°Madam, I¡¯ll show you out.¡±


    The madam was an old servant of the pce, and she knew that this meant Long Xuan didn¡¯t want her to hear Consort Xu¡¯s real condition, but she didn¡¯t want to break the pretence. No matter what the oue, her imperial majesty the empress had already done her best, if Long Xuan¡¯s side weren¡¯t going to reciprocate, there was nothing more the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix could do for them. The old madam put on a smile and nodded at Long Xuan, ¡°Consort Xu is sure to have great fortune, it¡¯s good that nothing bad has happened. Your humble servant will take her leave and make her report to her imperial majesty presently.¡±


    ¡°This is a gift from the second prince,¡± Fu Yun handed a heavy pouch of silver to the old madam when he saw her off.


    Inside the hall, Long Xuan spoke directly to the physicians, ¡°It¡¯s fine, say what you want to say inly, I¡¯m not one to shoot the messenger.¡±


    The two physicians looked at one another again, and finally the older of the two bowed, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, the consort¡¯s condition is not looking very good. Her heart is pent up with emotions, and her liver looks inmed, it looks like she¡¯s been ill for quite some time.¡±


    ¡°Inmed?¡± Long Xuan knew some basic medicine. Upon hearing this, he responded, ¡°Then you need to prescribe her some anti-inmmatories. But she¡¯s with child, and the medicine may interfere, how will you prescribe? What about the condition of the baby?¡±


    The physicians were having a tough time prescribing. Pregnant women cannot take that sort of medicine, and they¡¯ve only given her something to stave off her illness. The only thing was that even though it will get rid of some of her pain, it wasn¡¯t enough to get to the root of the problem.


    ¡°What about the baby?¡± Long Xiang repeated beside them.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± After thinking things over, the imperial physician finally responded to Long Xuan, ¡°The consort is already showing signs of miscarriage. I can only try my best to protect the baby, but I¡¯m only twenty percent sure of sess.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Long Xuan asked the other physician.


    ¡°I am uncertain as well,¡± The physician quickly responded.


    Long Xuan¡¯s hands clenched hard in his sleeves. Twenty percent? That¡¯s about the same as saying that this child is dead. ¡°Then do your best,¡± He said finally.


    ¡°As youmand,¡± The two physicians responded.


    ¡°The two of you know that today is a happy day in the pce, we have the birth of a new prince. On such an auspicious day, I think the two of you ought to not report anything negative to his imperial majesty,¡± Long Xuan¡¯s face was cold as he spoke, ¡°When you make your report, say that Consort Xu has taken her medicine, and nothing else.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness, we¡­¡± The physicians were startled, was he asking them to hide facts from the emperor himself?


    ¡°Consort Xu is only a consort, and not my official wife, that child is not a blood heir either,¡± Long Xuan responded, ¡°There¡¯s no need to ruin my imperial father and mother¡¯s joy with this child. If something were to really happen to Consort Xu, I shall report to them myself.¡±


    ¡°How can you do this?¡± Long Xiang shouted, ¡°Brother, how can you say these things?¡±


    ¡°If you have something to say, wait untilter,¡± Long Xuan looked at his younger brother, then turned to the two physicians, ¡°The two of you only need to concern yourselves with doing your best for Consort Xu.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± The two of them had heard of how cold Long Xuan could be by reputation, but seeing how he can speak this way about his own consort, the two of them could do nothing else other than to ept and do their duties.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in my study,¡± Long Xuan did not go back in to check on Consort Xu, he told the imperial physicians as he left, ¡°If anything happens, send someone to find me.¡±


    Long Xiang stared at Long Xuan, then at the two physicians, and stomped his foot out of anger before running after Long Xuan.


    As he watched Long Xuan leave, one of the physicians sighed heavily.


    ¡°Be careful to not be heard!¡± The older physician quickly reminded his younger. In the pce, an extra word is an extra chance to do something wrong. As physicians, when their masters are sick, they¡¯ll do their best to heal them, at other times, it¡¯s better to pretend to see and hear nothing.


    Long Xuan headed back to his study with a quick stride, ¡°Leave,¡± He said to the young eunuchs who attended the study as soon as he walked in.


    Long Xiang followed quickly behind, watching the four eunuchs shuffle off in fear.


    ¡°Close the door,¡± Long Xuan asked Long Xiang as he sat himself down in an empty chair.


    Long Xiang mmed the door shut, and shouted at Long Xuan, ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡±


    ¡°What are you yelling for?¡± Long Xuan replied, ¡°Don¡¯t you know today is the birthday of our younger brother?¡±


    ¡°Is that it then? Because father has another son, that means no one else in the pce is allowed to get sick?¡± Long Xuan¡¯s words made next to no sense to Long Xiang.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know the kind of position we¡¯re in?¡±


    ¡°We are weak at the moment. Father doesn¡¯t favour us, and we can¡¯t see our consort mother, but we¡¯re not prisoners, are we?¡± Long Xiang said in anger, ¡°Even prisoners are allowed toin when they get sick, are they not?!¡±


    ¡°If I told them, and Consort Xu turns out to be fine, won¡¯t it simply be another chance for people to make gossip?¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°Better to wait and see how she turns out.¡±


    ¡°Twenty percent!¡± Long Xiang replied, ¡°I might as well go find a temple and start praying to Buddha! What kind of turn out are you waiting for? Waiting until my sister-inw¡¯s baby is gone? Is that when you¡¯ll say something?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you get it? If I go and tell them right now, I¡¯ll be putting myself somewhere where I¡¯m not wanted,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°You know we¡¯re in a precarious situation right now in the pce, don¡¯t keep acting as if our Consort Mother was still managing the entire Back Pce. I won¡¯t say anything until the condition has gotten truly dire. Just listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Big brother!¡±


    ¡°Just go back to your ce for the time being!¡± Long Xuan rubbed at the furrow between his own brows.


    ¡°Am I supposed to just fall asleep when I go back?¡± Long Xiang raised his voice again.


    ¡°Let me have some peace and quiet,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°Xiang, we¡¯re talking about my first child here, it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m not suffering.¡±


    Long Xiang knew that his older brother didn¡¯t want his younger brother to see him in pain. He stood there for a moment, and sighed, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be back first thing tomorrow morning, if anything happens to her, send someone to let me know.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    Long Xiang left, his mind full of worries.


    Long Xuan closed his eyes as he sat. He didn¡¯t want Long Xiang to be anxious and worried, but he knew that this younger brother of his is no help right now, so he sent him back to rest. Long Xuan smiled bitterly. He wanted someone to be with him right now, the problem was that person wasn¡¯t going toe.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness!¡± Outside the study, Fu Yun gave a gentle, careful knock at the door.


    Long Xuan didn¡¯t respond.


    Fu Yun waited for a moment, when he heard silence, there was nothing more he could do but grit his teeth and speak, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, Consort Xu¡¯s belly is hurting again.¡±


    ¡°Send for the imperial physician,¡± Long Xuan responded coldly, ¡°Do I look like an imperial physician to you?¡±


    Fu Yun didn¡¯t dare say anything more, and scuttled off as quietly as he could.


    Long Xuan opened his eyes, dazed as he stared at the candbra opposite him on the table. How can he get out of their current position? Be good to the crown prince, leave the capital, that was his only exit. Only when he leaves the capital can he start to amass his power again. Even though his uncle was dead now, but his disciples and friends are still there. Within them, there¡¯d at least be a few he could use. Ming Jian Vi¡¯s Ning Shu Ying has sent word too, saying he¡¯d like to meet at some point. All of this can only be done if he left the capital. But how can he leave? The father and son of the Luo family hadn¡¯t even showed their hand yet, and a single grand schr was able to stand in his way. Is this it? Was he meant to die, imprisoned within these pce walls?

 Chapter 130

    Wei Lan woke as the light had just broken over the horizon. Luo Wei, still against him in his arms, remained fast asleep. Wei Lan gently set Luo Wei down and before he even dressed himself, he got out of the bed and pulled the covers over Luo Wei.


    After he got dressed, Wei Lan left the bedroom. The courtyard outside was silent at this moment. Thenterns at the end of the hall was still lit. He walked down the hall and blew out the candles in eachntern, then lit the remnants of the fuel in the coal basin. After adding a bit more coal, he carried the embers in the basin and took it back to Luo Wei¡¯s room to chase the chill out of the air inside.


    When Wei Lan had finished adding the coal, Qi Zi walked in with a yawn, quietly greeting him, ¡°Brother Wei.¡±


    ¡°The young master hasn¡¯t woke yet,¡± Wei Lan quietly answered back.


    ¡°Was he still coughing yesterday?¡± Qi Zi asked.


    Wei Lan shook his head. Luo Wei¡¯s cough seemed to have gotten better thesest few nights.


    ¡°Looks like we can decrease the amount of herbs he¡¯s taking again,¡± Qi Zi walked up to the bed and looked at the sleeping Luo Wei. Not coughing is a good thing.


    Wei Lan walked over as well, and reached out to touch Luo Wei¡¯s forehead. Not too warm and not too cold, just right.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get breakfast,¡± After making sure Luo Wei was alright, Qi Zi let himself rx a little and turned to Wei Lan, ¡°Brother Wei, wait here for me.¡±


    Xiao Xiao came in at this moment too, quietly as a mouse. He took the clothes Luo Wei changed out of yesterday to wash, then paused to ask Wei Lan, ¡°Brother Wei, where¡¯s yourundry? I can wash it all at once.¡±


    Wei Lan quickly shook his head, ¡°No need, I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have to do theundry anyway,¡± Xiao Xiao said, then picked up all the clothes that weren¡¯t folded in the room, no matter if it was Luo Wei¡¯s or Wei Lan¡¯s, ¡°You¡¯re always keeping the young masterpany, it¡¯s tiring enough, let me take care of these little things for you.¡±


    Wei Lan made a move to stop him, he really wasn¡¯t ustomed to having someone else do hisundry for him.


    ¡°The young master is waking up,¡± Xiao Xiao said suddenly, and in the time that Wei Lan turned to check, Xiao Xiao escaped with the clothes.


    Luo Wei turned over on the bed, and Wei Lan leaned in to check. When it seemed that Luo Wei was still not up yet, he tucked the corners of the covers in under the youth. He remembered what the physicians had said, Luo Wei was not supposed to exposed to any cold.


    Qi Zi arrived with the breakfast, both he and Wei Lan ate outside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and brew the young master¡¯s medicer,¡± Qi Zi said while eating, ¡°Those herbs smell bitter enough, the physician keeps saying the young master has no appetite. I¡¯d have no appetite either if I had to drink this everyday.¡±


    Wei Lan had the exact same thought, but it¡¯s no good if you don¡¯t take medicine when you¡¯re sick either. He can¡¯t not believe in the imperial physician, after all.


    Qi Zi kept dishing out hisints about the physician. He¡¯d already been sleepless for many times thinking over the reasons why Luo Wei wasn¡¯t eating. It seemed that he finally figured out someone to me it onst night, ¡°Brother Wei, if the physicianes again today, I¡¯ll talk to him about it, maybe beg him to give our young master some herbs that don¡¯t taste as bitter. Say, do you think he¡¯s just unable to prescribe anything not bitter?¡±


    ¡°Medicines are always bitter,¡± Wei Lan didn¡¯t think there was a single medicine on earth that wasn¡¯t bitter.


    ¡°Then is there a medicine that isn¡¯t as bitter?¡± Qi Zi asked Wei Lan.


    Wei Lan shook his head, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± If there was, he would also want to find it for Luo Wei.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask the physician today,¡± Qi Zi wasn¡¯t ready to give up, ¡°All that medicine he¡¯s drinking everyday¡¯s making him full, how could he even fit anything else in his stomach? You know, the young master used to love eating sticky rice cake, and I even bought some yesterday, but he turns around and tells me that he didn¡¯t like sweets! He¡¯s really changed a lot.¡±


    ¡°The young master¡¯s past¡­¡± Wei Lan stopped himself halfway.


    ¡°What about the young master¡¯s past?¡± Qi Zi asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Wei Lan decided not to ask any further. If Luo Wei wanted to tell him, he would, if he didn¡¯t want to, Wei Lan didn¡¯t need to know.


    Luo Wei slept until ten in the morning before he got up. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Wei Lan guarding him by his bedside.


    ¡°Is the young master awake?¡± Wei Lan saw Luo Wei¡¯s eyes open, and quickly rushed to grab his clothes.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Luo Weiid still in his bed as he asked Wei Lan.


    ¡°Almost noon,¡± Wei Lan answered.


    ¡°Noon already,¡± Luo Wei wriggled and rolled under the covers a few times. It was so warm, he almost couldn¡¯t bear to get himself out of it.


    Wei Lan had already arrived with his clothes, but seeing as how Luo Wei didn¡¯t seem to want to get up, he said instead, ¡°Should I go and bring the young master his meal?¡±


    ¡°No need, I¡¯m not hungry,¡± Luo Wei answered.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just not eat,¡± Wei Lan heard that Luo Wei wasn¡¯t hungry and immediately started to worry over it.


    ¡°You¡¯re frowning again,¡± Luo Wei peeked at Wei Lan, thenughed, ¡°It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m going to starve myself to death.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring you some ginseng soup,¡± Wei Lan said. He didn¡¯t know what to do with Luo Wei.


    When the overseer of the household had finished his lunch, he came to Luo Wei¡¯s part of the estate, which was already the third visit today. The sight that greeted him was Xiao Xiao sitting in the courtyard, looking dazed, ¡°Has the young master gotten up?¡±


    Xiao Xiao brought himself to attention and quickly answered, ¡°Brother Wei is feeding him some ginseng soup.¡±


    ¡°He still has no appetite?¡±


    ¡°He said he wasn¡¯t hungry.¡±


    The overseer sighed. If the young master keeps this up, he might as well start cultivating himself to be an immortal.


    ¡°Do you have something important to tell the young master?¡± Xiao Xiao stood, ¡°He¡¯s not up yet, but you can go and speak to him in the bedroom.¡±


    Luo Wei had already finished his ginseng soup by now, and was resting on the bed with his eyes closed. He was still feeling drained.


    ¡°Young master,¡± The overseer called out from the outer chamber.


    ¡°Enter,¡± Luo Wei recognized the voice, and responded.


    Wei Lan was about to stand up when Luo Wei held onto his hand and pressed down, ¡°Sit.¡±


    The overseer was already inside by this time. He made no reaction to the sight of Wei Lan sitting on Luo Wei¡¯s bedside, only making a gesture of respect to Luo Wei, ¡°Young master, the mistress of the house wanted me toe and see if you were awake.¡±


    ¡°Mother needs to see me?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    The overseer answered, ¡°The young master may be unaware, butst night, Consort Li gave birth to another prince. The chancellor and the second young master has gone to the pce in celebration. The emperor said that you were not feeling well, and ordered no one to disturb your rest.¡±


    ¡°They went to the pcest night? Then are they back yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    Luo Wei felt a mixture of emotions as he heard that Consort Li has given birth. In the past lifetime, Emperor Xing Wu only fathered nine princes in total. Even if he cherished Consort Li before, she¡¯d never managed to give him a child. If it weren¡¯t for Consort Liu losing favour by failing her plot to hurt the Empress in this lifetime, perhaps Consort LI wouldn¡¯t have gotten pregnant in that time. Consort Li, of n Li of Chang Huai. This extra prince in this lifetime wasn¡¯t someone that would be easy to deal with.


    ¡°Young master?¡± The overseer called out again as he saw Luo Wei lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling quietly.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Luo Wei finally responded, ¡°You must have other matters to attend to, overseer.¡±


    ¡°Then, will the young master enter the pce as well?¡± The overseer asked.


    ¡°I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to partake of the feast they¡¯re putting on in the pce anyway,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°I won¡¯t head in today. Though I am going to head outter with Wei Lan and the rest of them, go inform my mother.¡±


    ¡°I shall,¡± The overseer got the response he was looking for, and excused himself.


    ¡°Are you really going to go to the Hu Guo Temple today?¡± Wei Lan asked.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Luo Wei sat up, ¡°there are a few things I¡¯d like to ask the Imperial Grand Master, a few things that I hope he could guide me in.¡±

 Chapter 131

    The Hu Guo Zen Temple didn¡¯t allow normal visitors to enter and burn incense. If they wanted to burn incense and pray, they could only kneel outside the doors of the temple and kowtow against the ground. Thus, the sight that surrounds the temple every day is the throngs of visitors kneeling outside to pray to the Buddha.


    When Luo Wei arrived at the temple, the doors were closed as they always are.


    Wei Lan went up to the gates and knocked. After a good long while, a little young monk in training opened a small peep hole on the door. He peered at Wei Lan and asked, ¡°Who are you looking for? If you¡¯re here to pray, you have to do it outside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Luo Wei, Luo Yun Qi,¡± Luo Wei walked up behind Wei Lan, addressing the little monk, ¡°I am here to beg for audience with Grand Priest Fu Yi. Could you please let him know?¡±


    The little monk looked at Luo Wei, then answered, ¡°Please wait a moment, Master Luo,¡± then closed the little peep hole.


    ¡°Are you cold, young master?¡± Wei Lan stood upwind, shielding Luo Wei behind him, ¡°Should we wait in the carriage instead?¡± He asked.


    Before Luo Wei could even answer, a matronly voice spoke up behind him, ¡°Is this the third young master of the Luo family?¡±


    Luo Wei turned to look, and recognized the matron behind him as Lady Li, the wife of the Marquis Li, ¡°Lady Li,¡± Luo Wei put a smile on his face, and bowed towards Lady Li, ¡°My most respectful greetings.¡±


    ¡°Is the third young master also here to pray to Buddha?¡± Lady Li asked with a smile. She was here to pray for good fortune for the new-born tenth prince. The fortune and sess of the Li family was tied to this little prince, and thus Lady Li never felt quite at ease without praying to the Buddha at least once.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to see the Grand Priest,¡± Luo Wei answered. He knew that Lady Li must have been here for the tenth prince, so he didn¡¯t ask.


    Hearing that Luo Wei was here to see the grand priest, Lady Li felt a touch of envy, but she couldn¡¯t quite believe it at the same time. The Marquis Li had asked to see the Grand Priest many times as well, but hadn¡¯t the luck to see this Grandmaster Fu Yi even once. How could a young kid like Luo Wei, be granted audience with the grandmaster just by standing outside the temple readily announcing that he wanted to him?


    Luo Wei stood outside the gates and made small talk with Lady Li. He didn¡¯t mention the tenth prince, and neither did Lady Li. It was between a few polite niceties that the gates finally opened.


    ¡°Third young master,¡± It was that little monk from before, addressing Luo Wei as he stepped out of the gates, ¡°The grandmaster extends his invitation, pleasee with me.¡±


    Themoners outside were abuzz with curiosity as they saw the gates actually open at the temple. Even if it was a smaller door, people were curious enough not to make a fuss and only stared quietly through the small opening, trying to see what the inside of this temple was really like.


    ¡°You must excuse me, Lady Li,¡± Luo Wei made another bow at Lady Li before heading into the temple with Wei Lan, led by the little monk.


    ¡°He¡¯s the third son of Chancellor Luo¡¯s family,¡± At this point, some of themon visitors recognized Luo Wei, and passed the information along to theirpanions.


    ¡°No wonder he¡¯s able to get inside. He¡¯s the disciple of the emperor himself.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s even here on direct orders from His Imperial Majesty.¡±


    ¡­


    Lady Li¡¯s expression was a little stiff. She listened to the throng ofments made about Luo Wei. No matter if it¡¯s about how Luo Wei¡¯s appearance rivalled that of women, how he was in favour with the emperor, or recently, how the Luo family were in good solid standing in the court, everything sounded like a personal jab at her. Consort Li had birthed the tenth prince, but there were nine other princes in front of him. The crown prince was the direct offspring of the Empress himself, thus the official heir. How could she ever hope to remove these roadblocks? And this Luo family¡­ with their existence, how could the Li family ever hope to rise above the rest? What will the Li family have to do in order to tread carefully enough, and make sure to not repeat the Liu family¡¯s fate? Lady Li was not just another noble wife. She was the chief strategist behind Marquis Li. She¡¯d been plotting the future of the Li family ever since she became the wife of the Marquis.


    Luo Wei, Luo Yun Qi. Lady Li repeated this name. How could this youth gain so much favour with the emperor that even Grandmaster Fu Yi had to treat him differently? If the tenth prince wanted to gain the throne, this Luo Wei would be considered an enemy. But to make an enemy of someone like this¡­ Lady Li thought of how Liu Shuang Shi used Luo Wei of killing him with his dying words. Making an enemy of someone like this was not a very lucky thing.


    Luo Wei followed closely behind the little monk. He was thinking of Lady Li as well. In the past life, Consort Li never had a son, and so the Li family had thrown their lot in with Long Xuan, and did not participate in thepetition for the throne. This lifetime, a tenth prince had been added into the mix, and the Li family were unlikely to simply rally behind someone else. But the tenth prince had just been born, and within the depths of the Back Pce, even growing up was an uncertainty. For the Li family to be plotting right now was perhaps a little early. Instead of praying for the tenth prince to be a dragon in his own right, it¡¯d be more useful to pray for him to grow up safely! These were the thoughts that floated around in his brain as Luo Wei stood in front of Grandmaster Fu Yi.


    ¡°Why does the young master hold death and killing in his heart?¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi looked at Luo Wei, and immediately asked after a nce


    Luo Wei startled, and quickly held back his thoughts as he paid respects to the grandmaster, ¡°My most respectful greetings to the Grand Priest.¡±


    Grandmaster Fu Yi looked at Wei Lan, standing outside the chamber, ¡°Is that the young master¡¯s guard?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Luo Wei answered.


    ¡°His life is difficult,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi said, ¡°But he has the fortune of having both a son and a daughter.¡±


    ¡°A son and a daughter?¡± Luo Wei turned to look towards Wei Lan, his voice a little shaken.


    ¡°It should be thus,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi said, ¡°It is fated, but achieving that fate will depend on himself.¡±


    Outside the doors, Wei Lan had just turned as well. Seeing Luo Wei staring at him, Wei Lan cast a little smile to Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei smiled too, back at Wei Lan, then turned to the Grandmaster, ¡°Then what about me? Could the grandmaster tell me what my days in the future hold?¡±


    Grandmaster Fu Yi responded, ¡°Please take a seat first, let¡¯s sit and chat.¡±


    Luo Wei sat opposite the grandmaster. A little monk came up to offer clear tea. Luo Wei looked at the light green tea, then lifted his gaze back to Grandmaster Fu Yi, still questioning, ¡°I don¡¯t quite understand the words that the Grandmaster offered me that day in the pce. I¡¯m here today to get to the bottom of it.¡±


    Grandmaster Fu Yi held the tea in his hands, ¡°Who did the young master want to kill just now?¡±


    Luo Wei answered, ¡°I was thinking of something unpleasant, but I didn¡¯t want to kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°The business of killing and execution is not very well suited for the young master,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yimented, ¡°If the young master has already found someone to be with, why not leave?¡±


    Luo Wei had lowered his head to touch the teacup, but in a moment his fingers shot back as if scalded, ¡°The Grandmaster had said just now that he has the fortune of having both a son and a daughter.¡±


    Grandmaster Fu Yi didn¡¯t expect Luo Wei to be so open with him, but he smiled, ¡°But I also said it¡¯s up to him to achieve it, to see if he is willing. If the young master will not let go, this person will follow, never straying or abandoning you.¡±


    ¡°Can the grandmaster be so sure?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s someone who does not ask for much in life. A person like this lives simply, and his heart is the most true and honest,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi turned to look at Wei Lan again, who stood guard outside, ¡°People are hard to predict, but I have some experience in the judgement of character.¡±

 Chapter 132

    ¡°Then it looks like I¡¯ve hurt him in the end,¡± Luo Wei watched Wei Lan.


    ¡°His fortune and ill-fortune is not something the young master can alter,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi answered, ¡°Only the person drinking the water can know if it¡¯s hot or cold, the young master cannot judge so decisively.


    Luo Wei¡¯s emotions were in a state of chaos. He decided not to talk about Wei Lan anymore, and instead asked the grandmaster, ¡°Everyone says that the grandmaster can see into the past life of a person and determine their future. I wonder if the grandmaster knows of my past life?¡± Luo Wei got the words out, and anxiously awaited Grandmaster Fu Yi¡¯s answered.


    Grandmaster Fu Yi only stared at Luo Wei, for a very long time.


    ¡°Grandmaster?¡± Luo Wei was bing more and more nervous from the grandmaster¡¯s stare.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that sort of power,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi only opened his mouth once he realized that Luo Wei was having trouble keeping still.


    Luo Wei was a little dumbfounded as he sat there. This man stared at him for all this time, and his only response was this? ¡°That¡¯s not possible!¡± In his excitement, Luo Wei stood suddenly from the seat and raised his voice.


    ¡°Young master?¡± Wei Lan heard the noise from within the room and noticed something wrong. He didn¡¯t care that it was the Imperial High Priest that was sitting inside and rushed in.


    Luo Wei saw Wei Lan and was still for a moment before he realized he¡¯d acted improperly.


    ¡°Direct action is more to the young master¡¯s personality, is it not?¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi stood as well, a warm smile spread out from the corner of his mouth, ¡°Young master, our appearances take shape from what¡¯s inside our hearts. When I said that the young master had hate in your heart, it¡¯s because I saw it.¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s face went pale. He couldn¡¯t remember what kind of hate he felt that day in front of the pce.


    ¡°A person lives no longer than a hundred years,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi looked at the hand Wei Lan used to support Luo Wei, ¡°Third Young Master, you ask of the past life, but the past life is already gone, why not focus on the here and now? Treasure the one in front of you, if you can leave this ce, then leave.¡±


    ¡°Where would you have me go? My family is here, where could I go?¡±


    ¡°Could the young master guard them for a lifetime?¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi asked, ¡°And how could your family not wish you a peaceful and happy life? If something were to happen to you, how could they ever have peace in theirs?¡±


    ¡°Other than asking me to leave, is there nothing else the Grandmaster wants to say to me?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°Take care of yourself, young master,¡± The grandmaster answered, ¡°Leave when you still have the chance, and go far away from here.¡±


    ¡°How could you know that I won¡¯t be able to leave in the future?¡±


    ¡°The longer a person stays in a ce, the more entangled they be to that ce. The more you achieve, the harder it¡¯ll be to let go.¡±


    Luo Wei was silent for a mere moment before he smiled at Grandmaster Fu Yi, ¡°Grandmaster, you may be able to recluse yourself from the world(1) and be free, but I am just a regr man and am unable to understand your words. Grandmaster, to be honest, I don¡¯t want very many things in this world, if I aplish my dreams, then no matter where I am at that moment, I will be sure to leave.¡±


    ¡°Young master,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi recited a Buddhist phrase quietly, ¡°I hope that the young master can remember what he said today and not lose sight of it in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve promised someone that one day, we¡¯ll visit where he came from,¡± Luo Wei gripped Wei Lan¡¯s hand tightly, ¡°Even though it may be a long journey, but I will make it one day.¡±


    The hand that Wei Lan used to hold Luo Wei grew that much tighter.


    ¡°I take my leave,¡± Luo Wei didn¡¯t get the answer he wanted because the Imperial High Priest would not answer, so he didn¡¯t feel like pressing the matter. The conversation wouldn¡¯t stray from the fact that he should leave, but how could he leave now?


    ¡°Perhaps the young master could stay here for a day,¡± The grandmaster opened his mouth again with an invitation, ¡°And let things quiet around you.¡±


    ¡°Grandmaster, you must know that the tenth prince has been born. I need to enter the pce to offer my congrattions, perhaps I wille back another day to take up some more of your time,¡± Even with that kind invitation, Luo Wei declined. A quiet and clean ce such as a temple didn¡¯t seem like a ce someone like him should dally at.


    ¡°Good,¡± Grandmaster Fu Yi didn¡¯t ask him to stay again, and insteadmanded the little monk from before to see Luo Wei and Wei Lan out of the temple.


    As Wei Lan walked through the temple, he couldn¡¯t stop his curiosity and peered around as he took his steps.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Luo Wei asked. Wei Lan was rarely like this.


    Wei Lan answered quietly, ¡°Young master, is there really a nine level treasure tower in here?¡±


    Luo Wei stopped too. They were standing in a clearing in front of the temple¡¯s altar. Luo Wei looked all around but all he saw were grand temple halls, their hips high and curved into the sky, crossing with one another. That tower of legend was nowhere to be found.


    ¡°Does the young master need something?¡± The little monk who had been leading them out asked as he noticed the two of them stopping.


    ¡°Young master,¡± Luo Wei asked the little monk, ¡°Isn¡¯t there a nine storey tower in the temple? Why can¡¯t we see it?¡±


    ¡°That is something I wouldn¡¯t know about either,¡± The little monk didn¡¯t seem like he was lying.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know either?¡± Luo Wei found it hard to believe.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been at the temple since I was five,¡± The little monk answered, ¡°In thest six years, I¡¯ve really never seen anything like that tower.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Luo Wei smiled, ¡°We were only curious. Please continue leading the road, young master.¡±


    The little monk saw Luo Wei and Wei Lan all the way out of the temple, and watched them until Wei Lan helped Luo Wei onto the carriage before he doubled back inside. He closed the little door in the grand gate and stopped the curious nces from those attendees still waiting outside.


    Once in the carriage, Wei Lan asked Luo Wei, ¡°Is it a legend?¡±


    Luo Wei leaned on the soft cushions inside the carriage, ¡°That was only a young monk, how much would he know of the temple? You wouldn¡¯t be able to enter that temple without the allowance of the Imperial High Priest even if you were the crown prince.


    ¡°Then the tower is real?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Luo Wei answered, ¡°That¡¯s something for the imperial family to worry about, why would we ministers be involved?¡±


    Wei Lan thought that Luo Wei was right in his statement. Even if there was a tower, why would he, amoner think about it if the only ones who could enter were the Imperial High Priest and the emperor himself?


    ¡°Lan,¡± Luo Wei sipped a mouthful of the warm water that¡¯d been in the carriage the whole time, and addressed Wei Lan, ¡°Give me some time, when I can leave here, we¡¯ll go to Xuan Zhou.¡±


    Wei Lan nodded.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me how long it¡¯s going to be?¡±


    It was then that Wei Lan asked quietly, ¡°Is it after the crown prince has taken the throne?¡±


    Luo Wei looked at Wei Lan with some surprise, ¡°I thought Lan didn¡¯t understand any of this, looks like you get it too.¡±


    Wei Lan replied, ¡°I¡¯ve been in the chancellor¡¯s estate for so long, but the only thing I know is that the chancellor and the rest of the family can only befortable when the crown prince takes the throne and solidifies his power. Young master¡¯s running about all day for the crown prince, is really for the chancellor and the rest of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Luo Wei listened to Wei Lan, suddenly realizing that he didn¡¯t understand Wei Lan fully at all. He thought that Wei Lan didn¡¯t understand this imperial intrigue or matters of court, but looks like he sees it clearly after all.


    ¡°I will wait for the young master,¡± Wei Lan announced very seriously.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be that long,¡± Luo Wei smiled, leaning close to Wei Lan¡¯s ear in a whisper, ¡°If we were waiting for the crown prince to take the throne, when will that be? We¡¯ll be old men by then and won¡¯t even be able to walk. What¡¯ll we do then?¡±


    Luo Wei¡¯s words made Wei Lan grin. How long would it be for them to grow into old men? ¡°If that were really the case, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to wait that long.¡±


    Luo Wei didn¡¯t have to move much as heid his head on Wei Lan¡¯sp. He knew when Emperor Xing Wu would die. It would only be seven years from now. Seven years. He could wait that long.<hr>


    <strong>FOOTNOTES:</strong>


    1. Being a recluse from the world ¨C Grandmaster Fu Yi¡¯s priest name is Fu Yi, meaning literally to shake one¡¯s clothing. The word ¡°fu yi¡± in Chinese can also be used to refer to being a recluse from the world or severing ties with the everyday life and bing a monk, as to not care about the goings on of the daily struggles. Luo Wei is making a pun / reference to his name.

 Chapter 133

    In the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, the emperor and the empress were both smiling, with both their gaze on the tenth prince.


    Those concubines who sat below them and the princes standing all had different thoughts in mind, but all were smiling too.


    Consort Li, who¡¯d just given birth a day ago, was sitting now too at the empress¡¯ lower left hand side. The chair she was on had enough room toy on, so that she was not fully upright. For a woman who¡¯d just recently given birth, this was the best position to be in. Consort Li watched the empress holding the tenth prince. Even though this was her own son, but she¡¯d not had a chance to hold him herself. This was also the reason that Consort Li, despite her current condition, made sure she was in attendance at the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix today. She had heard from the older serving woman that the empress was very taken with the tenth prince. The news made her entire person anxious. If the empress were to ask for the tenth prince to be housed with her, then as a mere consort, she had no ce to object.


    Every one of the concubine present, so long as they were intelligent enough, knew exactly how Consort Li felt. They were all here heady to watch the drama y out when Consort Li fought with the Empress for her son. One of them was the empress, the other was the head overseer for the back pce. This drama ying out between them should be more than good to watch.


    Luo Wei arrived outside the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix. Once he realized he should avoid entering due to the concubines being gathered inside, he decided to head to the Hall of Eternal Light.


    ¡°Young Master,¡± As he was about to leave, Zhao Fu came out from the main hall, ¡°His Imperial Majesty requests your presence inside.¡± He was a senior eunuch, and once he saw Luo Wei arriving from afar, he¡¯d already brought the news to the emperor¡¯s attention. This kind of efficiency was brought on in no small part by Emperor Xing Wu mentioning Luo Wei many times today.


    Luo Wei hesitated, ¡°Thedy concubines are all inside, isn¡¯t it improper of me to enter?¡±


    ¡°Young master can rest assured,¡± Zhao Fu smiled, ¡°The mistresses have all gone back to their dwellings, you may enter.¡±


    With that, Luo Wei entered the main hall. Once he was inside, he cast his eye about the room. It seems that the princes, even the eighth and ninth, were all present. Between the concubines, Consort Li, Consort Qiu, Consort Xiao, and Consort Zheng, the Four Imperial Consorts whose positions were second only to the empress were also there.


    Emperor Xing Wu watched as Luo Wei paid his ministerial respects to him, then waited for him to pay the same respects to Luo Zhi Yi before smiling at him, ¡°Wei Er, are you also here to see the tenth prince?¡±


    Luo Wei lowered his head, ¡°Your humble servant is here to congratte His Imperial Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t youe up and see,¡± Emperor Xing Wu waved Luo Wei closer.


    Luo Wei walked up behind the emperor and the empress.


    ¡°This is the tenth prince,¡± Emperor Xing Wu pointed at the little baby in Luo Zhi Yi¡¯s arms.


    Luo Wei looked at the tenth prince. The little prince was sleeping right now. The newborn had hardly had time to unfurl his wrinkly little face yet, but he was healthy and chubby, and very adorable.


    ¡°Wei Er, he was born with a smile on his face too,¡± Luo Zhi Yi told Luo Wei, ¡°Just like you.¡±


    ¡°The tenth prince is a child of the imperial dragon, how could I possiblypare myself to him,¡± Luo Wei said quickly. Consort Li was sitting just down from them. Luo Zhi Yi had managed to wrong her with a single sentence.


    Emperor Xing Wu wasn¡¯t quite happy when he heard Luo Wei, especially when Luo Wei¡¯s true identity was a sickness upon his mind, ¡°You¡¯re not any worse either,¡± he said, ¡°The son of a senior chancellor, the dignity of your position is far above others.¡±


    Luo Wei quickly smiled at the emperor. So what if his father was the chancellor? If the emperor was angry enough, he could still exterminate his entire family. The only person who was truly far above others was only the emperor himself.


    The tenth prince awoke just now, and opened his little mouth with a childish squeak.


    Since Luo Wei had already seen the tenth prince and congratted the emperor, he wanted to leave. This was a gathering for the emperor¡¯s family, an outsider like him could only be an intrusion. ¡°I hope you grow up safe and sound,¡± Luo Wei thought as he readied himself to be excused.


    Luo Zhi Yi saw Luo Wei¡¯s gaze at the tenth prince, and mistook his thoughtfulness for interest, ¡°Xiao Wei, do you want to hold him?¡±


    Luo Wei felt a headacheing on. This aunt of his was always like this, like a person who didn¡¯t understand how the world properly looked. Between the imperial consorts and the princes present, why would he, an outsider, a servant of the emperor, get to hold the prince? Even if he was rted to her, there was still a distinct difference between the imperial family and him, a mere minister! ¡°Your humble servant dares not,¡± Luo Wei quickly backed up a few steps, and lowered his head in a bow.


    Emperor Xing Wu felt his heart clench at Luo Wei¡¯s disy of humbleness and propriety, it made him truly unhappy, ¡°Wei Er, hold him for a bit.¡±


    ¡°I dare not,¡± Luo Wei answered quickly, ¡°And I don¡¯t know how to either.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu smiled as he shook his head, ¡°So are you not even going to hold your own child when you get married one day? How hard could holding a baby be? Do you need to be this scared?¡±


    Even with his back to Consort Li, Luo Wei could feel the sting of her gaze on him.


    ¡°Come here,¡± Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s thoughts were all on Luo Wei now, and didn¡¯t much mind for everyone else¡¯s reactions.


    Luo Wei could only do as he was told, and stepped closer once again. Looking at the tenth prince with his trepidation, he wondered how he was supposed to be holding a baby this small.


    ¡°Let him hold him,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said to the empress.


    ¡°You have to be careful,¡± Luo Zhi Yi advised Luo Wei as she really passed the tenth prince into Luo Wei¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Learn how to hold him properly,¡± Emperor Xing Wu saw how stiff Luo Wei was, and found it rather amusing. He always thought that this youth was rather grown up for his face, and didn¡¯t expect to see him acting this awkward and afraid.


    Beside them, Consort Li almost fainted. What were the emperor and the empress thinking? Were they trying to teach Luo Wei, a servant of the empire, to hold a baby with her own son? Who was Luo Wei to them? No more than an outside rtive(1)! Her son was a prince!


    To say that Luo Wei was holding the tenth prince wasn¡¯t exactly urate, it was more like proffering the tenth prince on both hands. Luo Wei wasn¡¯tfortable, and the tenth prince who was being held up like a trophy wasn¡¯t exactlyfortable either. Babies were often very direct in their reactions, so as the prince started to cry, his limbs started wiggling about as well.


    ¡°No!¡± Hearing the sound of the tenth prince crying, Consort Li¡¯s body moved before her brain could hold down the reflex. She jumped up from her chair at once.


    Luo Wei turned to look at Consort Li with the tenth prince in his hands. Not only him, all the people present turned to stare at her.


    Consort Li didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to this just now. He only saw the tenth prince clutched in Luo Wei¡¯s hands, his little body struggling, and Luo Wei¡¯s hands looked as if they were shaking from the effort. ¡°That¡¯s my baby!¡± Consort Li was incredibly afraid of Luo Wei dropping the tenth prince, and rushed forward instinctually to wrench the prince into her own hands. Along the way, she pushed Luo Wei aside.


    It happened all too quickly for those inside the hall to react. When everyone realized what had happened, the tenth prince was already crying in Consort Li¡¯s arms, and Luo Wei had gotten on his knees on the ground.


    ¡°Are you trying to hurt the prince?!¡± Consort Li finally managed to breathe as she held her son with her own arms. All of her anger was directed at Luo Wei, ¡°If something happened to him, are you going to be responsible?! His Imperial Majesty asked you to hold him, you should have held him carefully, how could you make the prince cry?!¡±


    ¡°Please forgive me, Imperial Consort,¡± Luo Wei backed down, and knocked his head against the ground to recognize his mistake. The little prince did start crying in his arms, after all.<hr>


    FOOTNOTES:


    1. outside rtive ¨C In a marriage in China, the rtives on the mother¡¯s side are all considered ¡°outside rtives¡± because the wife will leave her family to be married into the husband¡¯s. Due to the fact that she often lives with the husband¡¯s family in his home, her rtives are thus ¡°outside¡±.

 Chapter 134

    ¡°If you hurt the prince, what can you do to repent for your crime?!¡± Consort Li chided Luo Wei.


    ¡°Damn you!¡± Emperor Xing Wu mmed his hand into the armrest of his chair and stood.


    ¡°Your humble servant deserves death,¡± Luo Wei knocked his head even harder against the ground. Everyone, including Luo Wei himself, thought that Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s outburst was at him.


    ¡°Come with me to the Hall of Eternal Light,¡± Emperor Xing Wu wanted to pull Luo Wei up. But under the eyes of everyone here, it would have been too much a disy of tant favouritism for a mere minister.


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty?¡± Luo Wei¡¯s forehead was a little bruised from all the knocking about, he lifted his head to stare at the emperor, a little dumbstruck.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said, ¡°Are you still not getting up?¡±


    Luo Zhi Yi stood up as soon as Consort Li started yelling at Luo Wei, but she didn¡¯t know how to react to this sudden burst of anger. ¡°Your Imperial Majesty,¡± Luo Zhi Yi walked to where the emperor and Luo Wei stood, a little wooden, and finally thought to plead for mercy on Luo Wei¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°Empress, you should rest,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said to her when he finally watched Luo Wei get up, ¡°I¡¯m going to head back too.¡±


    When the emperor announced his leave, the three other imperial consorts all stood up as well.


    ¡°Beloved consort, you should also head back with the child,¡± Emperor Xing Wu tossed a look at Consort Li. The smile that¡¯d been in those eyes so often in the past two days was nowhere to be found, he was once again, that imprable Emperor Xing Wu.


    Consort Li finally realized what had happened. She finally remembered that Luo Wei was someone favoured by the emperor at the moment. Emperor Xing Wu was the one who allowed Luo Wei to hold her son. For her to criticize Luo Wei, it was as if she was criticizing the emperor himself. Consort Li wanted to kneel and beg for forgiveness from the emperor, but he¡¯d already left with Luo Wei in tow.


    ¡°Dear sister Li,¡± Luo Zhi Yi said with a rare tone of anger, ¡°Please see yourself out.¡±


    Consort Li held the tenth prince as she stood there awkwardly. The other three imperial consorts were all rather happy at her misfortune on the inside. Looks like this Consort Li was stupid too. She forgot how much or little she mattered to the emperor with the birth of just a son.


    ¡°Please see yourselves out, sisters,¡± Luo Zhi Yi refused to look at Consort Li anymore. The tenth prince was no longer as adorable as he was in her mind, ¡°I would like some rest.¡±


    ¡°We shall excuse ourselves too,¡± The princes bid their farewells a step ahead.


    As Long Xuan left, he cast a look at Consort Li. She looked so pitiable as she stood there. When he thought of what she¡¯d done when his own mother, Consort Liu, had lost favour, Long Xuan could only sneer inside. This woman had gotten too arrogant from birthing a son, it was time for her to suffer like his mother had suffered before. Not only that, how could she act that way to Luo Wei. Long Xuan exited the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix with Long Yu, his thoughts were full of how much Consort Li deserved what she got.


    After everyone left. Consort Li began to cry as she watched Luo Zhi Yi. ¡°Sister, I didn¡¯t mean to act that way towards the third young master, I was only worried for the tenth prince, and acted on impulse, please, I beg of you, don¡¯t be angry with me.¡±


    Luo Zhi Yi¡¯s heart hurt as she thought of the bruises on Luo Wei¡¯s forehead just now. If she knew that would be the oue, she wouldn¡¯t have asked Luo Wei to hold Consort Li¡¯s son. Right, Consort Li¡¯s son, Luo Zhi Yi realized at that moment that this son was Consort Li¡¯s and not her own. Perhaps she¡¯d really been empress for too long. Hearing the princes calling her Imperial Mother over and over again, she almost forgot that other than Long Yu and his two brothers, all the other princes had their own birth mothers.


    ¡°Elder sister,¡± Consort Li called out to Luo Zhi Yi again, carrying a weak timidity in her voice to humble herself.


    ¡°Luo Wei is a mere minister,¡± Luo Zhi Yi said, ¡°If you saw something wrong with the way he acted, then why shouldn¡¯t you punish him as you see fit? I¡¯m tired, and sister, you¡¯re still recovering from the birth, it¡¯s time you left with the tenth prince.¡±


    Consort Li knew she¡¯d done something worse than stupid, but as she watched Luo Zhi Yi sitting herself down for some tea, the only thing she could do was pay her respects and lean on her servant as she took her leave.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Shang Xi walked up to Luo Zhi Yi.


    ¡°Go and check on the third young master,¡± Luo Zhi Yi said, ¡°Take some of the bruise ointment we have and give it to him, if he¡¯s still in pain, make sure you call an imperial physician to see him.¡±


    ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll go right now,¡± Shang Xi epted quickly and turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Luo Zhi Yi stopped Shang Xi again, ¡°Tell him toe see me again before he leaves, so I can see him and make sure he¡¯s ok.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Shang Xi went to fulfill the empress¡¯mands.


    And thus, Luo Zhi Yi sat here and let herself wallow in the anger a little more. Luo Wei was the Luo family¡¯s treasure right now, even her sister-inw, Bo Hua, couldn¡¯t say anything harsh to him. And now Consort Li had to go and give him a good seeing to. The thought made Luo Zhi Yi feel as if something were stuffed in her chest, blocking it until she felt worse and worse.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Madam Xue entered from the outside, until she stood in front of Luo Zhi Yi, and whispered, ¡°Just now, as His Imperial Majesty left, I saw him giving the third young master a seat on the soft sedan. It didn¡¯t seem as if His Imperial Majesty wanted to me the third young master any, so please don¡¯t worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Good, good,¡± Luo Zhi Yi patted her chest, ¡°Xiao Wei¡¯s health has never been that great, I was really worried that something would happen to him. This Consort Li is beyond reason. Would Xiao Wei really let the tenth prince drop? Just look at how outrageously she acted!¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± Madam Xue massaged Luo Zhi Yi¡¯s shoulder as she spoke, ¡°Consort Li had just given birth to a son, she must be proud. It¡¯s not unexpected that she¡¯d be a little out of line, after all, doesn¡¯t this mean she¡¯ll have something to rely on from now on?¡±


    Luo Zhi Yi didn¡¯t say anything else, but standing as close as she is, Madam Xue could see a touch of anger on her gentle and temperate mistress¡¯ face.


    Inside the Hall of Eternal Light, Luo Wei entered behind the emperor and immediately fell to his knees with a thud, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I¡¯ve wronged the prince and deserve death, I await your sentence.¡±


    ¡°Get up,¡± Emperor Xing Wu could finally help Luo Wei up himself now. Once he felt Luo Wei¡¯s hand, the icy coldness of it made the emperor¡¯s expression drop, ¡°Are you cold?¡±


    Luo Wei quickly responded, ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    Emperor Xing Wu looked up and down at Luo Wei, and saw that he was wearing enough today, then that must mean the chill is something inherent to his condition. With that, Emperor Xing Wu held Luo Wei¡¯s hand in his own, and breathed some warmth onto them before rubbing Luo Wei¡¯s hands. At the same time, he spoke to Zhao Fu, who was attending to them, ¡°Quick, go fetch a hand warmer.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Majesty?¡± Luo Wei felt some disdain towards this action of Emperor Xing Wu¡¯s. Other than Wei Lan and his family, he hated when other people touched him, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I¡¯m honestly fine,¡± He didn¡¯t dare to pull his hands out of the emperor¡¯s grasp, so he redoubled his efforts in telling the emperor that he wasn¡¯t cold.


    Zhao Fu came back very quickly with the hand warmer, offering it to Luo Wei with both hands. As for the way the emperor acted towards Luo Wei, Zhao Fu chose not to see it.


    With the hand warmer present, Emperor Xing Wu finally let go of Luo Wei¡¯s hand, but reached out to touch the slight bruise on his forehead, asking softly, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    Luo Wei shook his head. He really didn¡¯t understand why Emperor Xing Wu care for him this much. What was this seemingly unconditional kindness for?


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and fetch the imperial physician,¡± Zhao Fu saw the emperor¡¯s gaze turning his way, and quickly spoke up.


    ¡°No, there¡¯s no need,¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°Your Imperial Majesty, I¡¯m fine, really.¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Emperor Xing Wu spoke to Zhao Fu instead.


    The eunuch slipped out to fetch the physician.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about what happened to the tenth prince,¡± Emperor Xing Wu said finally to Luo Wei, ¡°And there¡¯s no need to pay any mind to what Consort Li said.¡±


    Luo Wei still responded with derations of his guilt, but curiosity was sparking in his mind. If he really hurt the tenth prince, would the emperor act the same way?

 Chapter 135

    The story of Consort Li reprimanding Luo Wei in the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix quickly spread across the Back Pce.


    After he left the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, Long Xuan returned to his own hall immediately. In terms of what this story would be as it gets passed around, or what the Luo family would do when they heard the news, or how many people would be aside watching it develop with glee, Long Xuan had no interest in any of it. Long Xuan believed that with Luo Wei¡¯s abilities, if he wanted to get back at Consort Li, he didn¡¯t need any help from anyone else at all.


    Tagging along behind Long Xuan, Long Xiang¡¯s emotions were rather conflicted. He wanted to speak up for Luo Wei, but also felt as if he had no ce to speak up for someone he¡¯d already be enemies with.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± The two physicians who were looking after Consort Xu were waiting inside the hall. When they heard that Long Xuan was back, they quickly rushed to the study to greet him.


    ¡°How is everything?¡± Long Xuan asked as he set eyes on the physicians.


    The two of them looked like they came with good news. The older of the two answered, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, the signs of the consort miscarrying has much improved.¡±


    Long Xiang became happy at the news, ¡°Does that mean the child is safe?¡±


    The imperial physician answered, ¡°To answer the Fifth Prince, so long as the consort rests and recuperates for a few more days, both the chid and the mother will be safe.¡±


    Imperial physicians usually did not speak with such surety, so when Long Xuan and Long Xiang heard this, they both knew that Consort Xu and the baby were going to be fine. At the very least, the most dangerous part of her condition had passed.


    ¡°So long as my sister inw and my little nephew are well,¡± Long Xiang looked at the two physicians with approval, ¡°I will reward both of you handsomely!¡±


    ¡°Your servants humbly thanks the Fifth Prince,¡± The physicians quickly reacted with gratitude.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± Compared to Long Xiang, Long Xuan was much calmer, and tossed his words out rather inly at the physicians, as if the child that the two of them saved wasn¡¯t even his own.


    ¡°Brother?¡± Long Xiang wasn¡¯t happy as he was faced with Long Xuan¡¯s cold expression, which was gradually getting colder, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about it.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to the Imperial Study tomorrow?¡± Long Xuan asked him.


    ¡°Y-Yeah,¡± Long Xiang answered.


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t you busy studying?¡± Long Xuan said. He didn¡¯t need to go to the Imperial Study any more himself, but he knew the ins and outs of the ce, ¡°Even if you¡¯re not going to be punished if you can¡¯t recite the lessons, aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s going to be losing face in front of everyone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back and study,¡± Long Xiang didn¡¯t dare to talk back. He never liked school much, and really all he wanted to do was to get by in the Imperial Study. When Consort Liu was in power, no one would say anything about it, but now, Long Xiang¡¯s days in the Imperial Study were very difficult.


    ¡°Tell Fu Yun to pack you some desserts to take back,¡± Long Xuan spoke up again, ¡°Eat first when you get back, then study for a bit, don¡¯t sleep toote.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Long Xiang nodded. Long Xuan was as caring to him as he¡¯d ever been, and that has not ever changed.


    After Long Xiang left, Long Xuan turned to the two physicians, ¡°The two of you may go. If anything else happens to my consort, I will send someone to fetch you.¡±


    The two physicians epted Long Xuan¡¯s rewards, then thanked him before they left.


    Like many times before, Long Xuan sat in his study alone for a very long time, all the way until it was time formps to be lit in the pce. Fu Yun wanted to bring in some supper for him, but Long Xuan only answered him with a simple ¡°no¡±. Standing in front of his window, Long Xuan looked at the bright moon and sparse sprinkling of stars in the night sky, and sighed quietly. He¡¯d finally made a decision.


    Consort Xu wasying on the bed after she took her medicine. The physicians told her to think of happy things, but she couldn¡¯t think of anything happy to think about. After mulling it over for a while, it seemed like the only times she could think of being happen was when she was still a young girl back in the estate of the marquis, everyday doing what she wanted. Now, the Xu family of Shang Hang had vanished and gone, when she thought of the past, all it brought her was pain.


    ¡°Are you sleeping?¡± Long Xuan entered the back room, and stood himself in front of Consort Xu¡¯s bed.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± She tried to rise when she saw Long Xuan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Long Xuan said, and turned to wave off the maids in the pce.


    The maids and servants all excused themselves, leaving only this young husband and wife in the room.


    Watching Long Xuan as he sat at her bedside, Consort Xu wracked her brain for a while before managing to ask, ¡°Have you eaten dinner yet?¡±


    ¡°Are you doing alright?¡± Long Xuan didn¡¯t answer, and instead asked her something back.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt anymore,¡± Consort Xu said. The physicians had already told her that the child was fine. It was only when she heard that news that she managed to smile for the first time during the entire day.


    ¡°They told you everything was fine?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the physicians said the child is safe.¡±


    Long Xuan gazed at Consort Xu¡¯s pregnant belly, andid his hand on it gently.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± Consort Xu said quietly, ¡°It knows how to move now.¡±


    Long Xuan made an epting hum in response.


    Consort Xu watched Long Xuan. It had been so long since she¡¯d had a chance to look at her own husband in such a careful manner. Long Xuan was handsome. Consort Xu could still remember how her heart beat out of her chest and her face rushed with fire when he first lifted her veil during the wedding. At that moment, Consort Xu thought she had been very lucky, to be married to such a handsome and elegant prince. Even if she was only a side-concubine, this was still a huge honour. But when did her heart grow cold? When did she realize that this man would never find a space in his heart to love her? Consort Xu couldn¡¯t remember anymore, but in her memory, Long Xuan had never smiled at her, not once.


    ¡°Ah-Rou,¡± And yet at this time, Long Xuan called out to Consort Li for the first time with her nickname.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness?¡± Consort Xu¡¯s expression stuttered, so he knew her name.


    ¡°There are some things that the physicians didn¡¯t dare tell you, I think I ought to be the one who told you about them,¡± Long Xuan¡¯s voice filled with a rare warmth.


    Consort Xu¡¯s smile disappeared, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, w-what do you need to tell me?¡±


    Long Xuan took the hand back from Consort Xu¡¯s belly, and said, ¡°The physicians said that your¡­ our child can¡¯t be saved anymore¡­ the child is already gone.¡±


    Consort Xu¡¯s brain went nk for a moment. She could see Long Xuan¡¯s lips moving, but she couldn¡¯t hear the sound. This man suddenly felt so far away from her. No, not just this man. It was this entire world that distanced itself from her.


    ¡°Ah Rou?¡± Long Xuan shook Consort Xu lightly, as she stared at him in stunned silence.


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness,¡± She pointed at her own belly, ¡°Isn¡¯t our child still inside me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Long Xuan said, ¡°But the physicians could no longer feel its heartbeat. Ah Rou, this child has died.¡±


    ¡°But he was moving just now,¡± Consort Xu grabbed Long Xuan¡¯s hand in desperation and pulled it to her stomach, ¡°Your Imperial Highness, that¡¯s not possible, the child was kicking me just now!¡±


    Long Xuan didn¡¯t reach to touch Consort Xu¡¯s belly again. He looked at her face, ¡°Ah Rou, we¡¯re still young, if this child was fated to not be ours, we will have others in the future.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Consort Xu shook her head wildly, ¡°The baby¡¯s still moving, how could it be dead!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only a phantom sensation from your mind,¡± Long Xuan reached out and pushed a strand of Consort Xu¡¯s loose hair back behind her ear, ¡°We¡¯ll have another child eventually.¡±


    ¡°Your Imperial Highness!¡± Consort Xu gripped Long Xuan¡¯s hand, ¡°Those two physicians must be lying to you, please, please believe your concubine this once, the baby just kicked me, please believe me!¡±


    ¡°Ah Rou, this baby is my child too,¡± Long Xuan pulled her into his arms, ¡°How could I not want my own child to live?¡±


    Consort Xu¡¯s body was trembling furiously in Long Xuan¡¯s arms, until she unleashed her desperate sobs.


    ¡°Cry it out,¡± Long Xuan held her tightly in his arms, ¡°When you finish, Ah Rou, we won¡¯t let this child die in vain.¡±

 Chapter 136 part1

    Chapter 136 Family(Part1)


    <strong><em>Description£º</em></strong>


    <strong><em>The Senior Chancellor, Luo Wei''s son, loved the wrong person in his past life, which caused his entire family to be wiped out, and in the end, he was cast down as a pleasure ve, and died in the vast snowfield.</em></strong>


    <strong><em>Somehow, the heavens did not give up on him and gave him a second chance to live. He believed this rebirth was only meant for atonement, but not for love. Yet, as he plotted his vengeance, Luo Wei quickly realized that this would be his fateful downfall again.</em></strong>


    <strong><em>The once emperor, the lover from his past life, his beloved in this life, and an opposing empire''s monarch who is doomed to love him, who is supposed to be the lover for whom? And who is supposed to hurt whom? A hero chasing after a dream, an empire of a thousand years, a kingdom stretching across the knownnds, all shing before the eyes like a mirage. Is it worthwhile to trade a hundred years of my loneliness to give you a single lifetime of joy?</em></strong>


    When Luo Wei returned home, Luo Ze just returned from the Tudor camp, and the brothers met at the door.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Luo Ze saw Luo Wei with a bruised forehead at a nce, and his eyes immediately smashed.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Luo Wei said with a smile: ¡°Let¡¯s go home first.¡±


    ¡°Who is hitting you?¡± Luo Ze felt that Luo Wei¡¯s forehead was not right. ¡°Lan, you said, what is going on?¡± Looking at Luo Wei¡¯s being perfunctory, Luo Ze asked Wei Lan who was behind Luo Wei.


    Wei Lan has been massaged for Luo Wei''s extravasated blood in the carriage for a long time,When he waited for Luo Wei in the pce, he had already heard about the Concubines Li rebuked Luo Wei in the pce.Wei Lan really wants to go in and see how Luo Wei is going,but she wouldn¡¯t get in to the pce. And if she goes in, it will bring disaster to Luo''s family.When Rowe came out of the pce, his forehead was covered with medicinal wine, and a blue-violet scar was clearly visible.Wei Lan''s heart is like being shackled.


    ¡°Go,¡± Luo Wei stepped forward and took Luo Ze to the house. ¡°We should not stand at the gate.¡±


    Luo Ze was taken home by Luo Wei. When he entered the gate, he stood down and said, ¡°Okay, now we are going home. You tell me, what is going on?¡±


    Luo Wei looked at the servants who were around him that looking at him and Luo Ze. He took Luo and went on. He whispered: ¡°I have a bit of a disaster in the pce. This scar is caused by kowtowed.¡±


    ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Luo Ze did not care about what happened to Luo Wei. He rushed to Wei Wei: ¡°Do you need such a force to kowtowed?¡±


    ¡°Otherwise I will be beaten,¡± Luo Wei said. ¡°It''s not as good as a few kowtows.¡±


    ¡°Who are you provoked?¡± asked Luo Ze.


    ¡°The Concubines Li,¡± Luo Wei whispered to Luo Ze, ¡°I didn¡¯t hold the tenth prince today, and almost fell.¡±


    ¡°You,¡± Luo took a breath of cold air. ¡°You have nothing to do to carried her child?¡±


    ¡°The emperor and my aunt both let me carry he,¡± said Luo Weidao. ¡°I have to do it.¡±


    ¡°So why the Concubines Li lose her temper to you?¡± Luo is even more angry. ¡°She should talk to the emperor?!¡±


    ¡°Go, go,¡± Luo Wei turned back and gave a hint to Wei Lan to went back to his courtyard. He took Luo Ze to give regard to Fu Hua.


    ¡°There is no good man in this pce!¡± Luo is awkward, but when ites to the topic in the pce, his voice is a lot smaller. ¡°Aunt is watching you being taught by that woman?¡±


    ¡°Keep it down!¡± Luo Wei reminded Luo Ze that his voice was too loud. ¡°That is also the nephew in the pce.Can aunt help me on the spot?This is over, brother, don¡¯t make trouble.


    ¡°No,¡± said Luo Ze. ¡°Li is just giving birth to a prince. They are too self-righteous!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it!¡± Luo Wei mmed Luo¡¯s mouth. ¡°There is an ear in the wall. This conversation cannot be transmitted.¡±


    Luo Ze pushed Luo Wei''s hand and said, "This is in our own home. What are you afraid of?"


    ¡°He will still worry about fear, it is better than you are not afraid of fear!¡±


    When the two brothers turned back at the same time, they saw their father Luo Zhiqiu standing in their not far away, looking at them angrily.


    ¡°Father,¡± said Luo Ze. ¡°You are back.¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Rowe is make a bow to Luo Zhiqiu respectfully.


    Luo Zhiqiu came forward and took a closer look at Luo Wei¡¯s forehead and asked: ¡°I smell a medicinal liquor, has it been coated?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Luo Wei. ¡°the emperor called the doctor, and my aunt gave me medicine.¡±


    <span><strong>Hey guys!</strong>


    <span><strong>As you noticed, recently we''ve been working on several different novels. As a newly established trantion group the whole thing is just so overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We got tons of messages from you everyday. Although many of you didn''t get our replies, we treated your feedback very carefully. This is why we decided to bring our website and content to a more professional tform.</strong>


    <span><strong>Here is the address of our new website: </strong>


    <span><strong>You can find everything we''ve done so far on our new website, and you can always leave us messages. Those messages could be a kind suggestion, a not-so-kind suggestion,int about the quality of our trantion, kudos to our trantors, or a book you really really really want to read but has not been tranted yet.</strong>


    <span><strong>Have fun exploring our new website!</strong>

 Chapter 136 part2

    <strong>Chapter 136 Family(Part 2)</strong>


    Luo Zhiqiu was talking about his official affairs with his subordinates in Minister Yamun today. He heard the news that Luo Wei had smashed by the Concubines Li in the pce, and was injured.Then Luo Zhiqiu was no longer working. Luo Wei''s illness has not recovered to this day, and he has a lot of thoughts, and he has been injured again. If it is sick, it will be worse. Luo Zhiqiu rushed home. On the way home, Luo Zhiqiu was thinking, if Luo Wei had not returned home, he would go to the pce to find him, no matter what, Luo Wei can not stay in the pce today.


    ¡°Father, that Concubines Li¡­..¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Luo Zhiqiu asked Luo Ze to shut his mouth. ¡°You are not qualified toment on what happened in the pce.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see the mother,¡± Luo Wei was afraid that Luo Ze would argue with Luo Zhiqiu and hurriedly took Luo Ze away.


    Father and two sons went to the main courtyard where Luo Zhiqiu and Fu Hua lived, Luo Wei stood under the gallery and whispered to his father and brother:¡±I won¡¯t go in, I will give my regards to mother outside the house,¡± he said, pointing to his forehead. ¡°Don¡¯t let mother worry about me.¡±


    ¡°Are youing back together?¡± Fu Hua walked into the main courtyard from the side door, followed by a few servants.


    Luo Wei hid behind Luo Ze.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Wei¡¯s head?¡± When Fu Hua hadn¡¯t been able to see clearly, she had already asked questions before she hade to them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go in and say,¡± Luo Zhiqiu knows that he can¡¯t hold it anymore, just let the family go into the room and talk about it.


    ¡°Is it painful?¡± Fu Hua called Luo Wei in front of her. Like Luo Zhiqiu¡¯s previous work, she looked at the wound on Luo Wei¡¯s forehead and asked with concern.


    ¡°No pain,¡± Luo Wei suddenly had some sorrow, but still smiled and said to Fu Hua: ¡°The wound has been coated with medicine. After two days, it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°I will worry about you when you go out now,¡± Fu Hua said. ¡°Wei, before you get well, you should rest in the house.¡±


    ¡°Wei is not in jail,¡± Luo Ze said to Fu Hua with a smile: ¡°Mother, are you imprisoning Wei?¡±


    ¡°You were such a lot!¡± Fu Hua red at Luo Ze, and then she repented: ¡°I really regret that I didn¡¯t let Wei also practice some martial arts at that time!¡±


    ¡°He is not suitable for practicing martial arts,¡± Luo Ze said: ¡°He had asthma when he was a child, how to practice martial arts?¡±


    ¡°Mother and brother can be at ease,¡± Luo Wei smiled. ¡°I have Wei Lan around me.¡±


    ¡°Wei Lan¡¯s kung fu is good,¡± said Luo Ze. ¡°But he can¡¯t follow you into the pce.¡±


    ¡°There have guards in the pce,¡± Luo Zhiqiu looked at Luo Ze wanted to say something stupid. He said: ¡°There have eunuchs in the pce, what did Wei Lan go in? Yu Xuan, you are a courtier, don¡¯t always say things in the pce, you are disrespect, how many times do you want your father to say?¡±


    ¡°Save you tongue,¡± Fu Hua sees Luo Zhiqiu to reprimand Luo Ze, persuaded:¡±Ze is also worried about Wei¡±


    The housekeeper stood outside the door and said loudly: ¡°The third son, a doctor from the pce came to see you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the doctor sent by the emperor,¡± Luo Wei hurriedly got up and said: ¡°Father, mother, brother, let me go and have a look.


    ¡°You go,¡± Luo Zhiqiu said, Luo Wei was injured, and Xingwu Emperor would not feel good in his heart. It would be reasonable to send a doctor to see him at home.


    ¡°Please ask Dr. Lin toe to my room,¡± Luo Wei told the housekeeper after he left the house.


    ¡°I will go right away,¡± and then the housekeeper went to meet Dr. Lin.


    <span>Hey guys!


    <span>As you noticed, recently we''ve been working on several different novels. As a newly established trantion group the whole thing is just so overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We got tons of messages from you everyday. Although many of you didn''t get our replies, we treated your feedback very carefully. This is why we decided to bring our website and content to a more professional tform.


    <span>Here is the address of our new website:


    <span>You can find everything we''ve done so far on our new website, and you can always leave us messages. Those messages could be a kind suggestion, a not-so-kind suggestion,int about the quality of our trantion, kudos to our trantors, or a book you really really really want to read but has not been tranted yet.


    <span>Our website is under testing and the app is being developed in the meantime. Have fun exploring our new website! Wee to give us your precious opinions and constructive suggestions! Thank you!

 Chapter 137 part1

    Chapter 137£ºLuo Wei''s worries (Part 1)


    When Luo Wei walked back to his yard, Wei Lan stood at the door. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go into the house?¡± Luo Wei said, ¡°How cold it is.¡±


    Wei Lan said: ¡°I am not cold.¡±


    ¡°Sir¡± At this time, Dr. Lin also arrived. He saw Luo Wei standing at the door and hurriedly saluted.


    ¡°Dr. Lin, pleasee in,¡± Luo Wei asked the doctor to go in.


    In the study, Xiao Xiao has added charcoal in several charcoal stoves, and the entire study is as warm as spring.


    Wei Lan was guarding the outside of the study.


    ¡°Please sit down,¡± Luo Wei asked Dr. Lin to sit down and handed a cup of hot tea for him.


    Dr. Lin quickly took a drink from the cup.


    ¡°How is Mrs. Xu Ce¡¯s illness?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°I have already inquired,¡± Dr. Lin replied: ¡°Mr. Xu Ce''s fetus should be kept.¡±


    "Should?" Luo Wei said: "That is, maybe it won''t be saved?"


    ¡°As long as there is no ident, Mrs. Xu Ce¡¯s fetus will be safe,¡± Dr. Lin replied quickly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a chance to see it by yourself?¡± Luo Wei asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the appointment of Queen Empress, so I can¡¯t go to the Temple of Qing Wen.¡±


    ¡°This is not difficult,¡± said Luo Wei. ¡°Tomorrow I will let the Queen Empress order you to go to the Qingwen Pce personally. I want to make sure that Mrs. Xu Ce is fine.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I understand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do this for myself,¡± Luo Wei knew that Dr. Lin would suspect why he cares about the emperor¡¯s nephew and exined to Dr. Lin: ¡°I am also thinking about the Queen Empress. On that day, the tenth prince was born, Mrs. Xu Ce was sick, doctor did not go in time, if Mrs. Xu Ce had an ident, the Queen Empress would be reputable.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Dr. Lin replied quickly. He entered the pce is rmended by Luo Zhiqiu, and was told by Luo Zhiqiu: To help Luo Wei, who often lives in Changming Pce, Dr. Lin did not think that he had be a pair of eyes in pce for Luo Wei. After doing the first task for Luo Wei and taking the first reward from Luo Wei, Dr. Lin knew that he had been tied to Luo Wei since then.


    ¡°The Concubines Li gave birth to a prince, and this concubines is still the harem general,¡± Luo Wei said in a step: ¡°You should also know that the Queen Empress is unable to let others catch a little wrong now.¡±


    ¡°I understand your considerations,¡± Dr. Lin said. He doesn¡¯t fully believe in Luo Wei¡¯s words, but Dr. Lin is a smart person. He never thought about Luo Wei¡¯s words. Luo Zhiqiu asked him to help Luo Wei, which means that the Left Prime Minister is to set his choice on this son to carry on his position. Luo Wei will be his master for many years from now to farther. He does not have to think about what the masters think, just listen their orders.In this way, the master will trust him and hire him, and he will be able to live peacefully until the day when he returns home.


    Luo Wei gave Dr. Lin the money as before, and let Dr. Lin go back to the pce to go to work.


    ¡°I have left,¡± Lin said.


    ¡°Today you go to copy Mrs. Xu Ce¡¯s prescription,¡± Luo Wei thought for a moment, and said: ¡°I will find someone to look at it again.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dr. Lin replied, the third son was too careful to do things, but at the same time he also managed the things in the inner courtyard of the pce. In front of such people, Dr. Lin was afraid of any mistakes.


    Luo Wei let Qi zi send Dr. Lin out. He is really worried about the child in Xu¡¯s stomach, but not for the Queen Empress, and it is not a sympathy for Long Xuan.


    <span>Hey guys!


    <span>As you noticed, recently we''ve been working on several different novels. As a newly established trantion group the whole thing is just so overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We got tons of messages from you everyday. Although many of you didn''t get our replies, we treated your feedback very carefully. This is why we decided to bring our website and content to a more professional tform.


    <span>Here is the address of our new website:


    <span>You can find everything we''ve done so far on our new website, and you can always leave us messages. Those messages could be a kind suggestion, a not-so-kind suggestion,int about the quality of our trantion, kudos to our trantors, or a book you really really really want to read but has not been tranted yet.


    <span>Our website is under testing and the app is being developed in the meantime. Have fun exploring our new website! Wee to give us your precious opinions and constructive suggestions! Thank you!

 Chapter 137 part2

    Chapter 137 Luo Wei''s worries (Part 2)


    The royal family of Long has always attached importance to the children. If there is a miscarriage and a child''s death, the members of the royal family will go to the Eastern Buddha Temple in Yuezhou to repair a Buddhist temple called Washing Dark. When Luo Wei heard that Xu¡¯s fetus was not good, the first reaction was that if the fetus was not protected, Long Xuan could be in the name of washing dark, leaving the pce and leaving Shangdu. Yuezhou is not far from the country, but Long Xuan left the capital, meaning to leave his sight, Luo Wei knows that he can not monitor Long Xuan. Xu can¡¯t have an ident. In any case, she must keep her children safe. Luo Wei only has this idea now. In thest world, the eldest son of Long Xuan grew up to be an adult, and followed the martial arts of Ning Fei. He was a talented leader who was the leader of the war. It is already dangerous to be born in this world.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Wei Lan took the medicine in and saw Luo Wei staring at the desk and asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Luo Wei replied, looking at the medicine bowl in the hands of Wei Lan. ¡°Do I have to take medicine again?¡±


    Wei Lan nodded. ¡°Drink it when it is still hot..¡±


    Luo Wei was not afraid of bitter. He took the medicine bowl and raised his neck and took the bowl of dark brown bitter medicine for a few mouthfuls.


    Wei Lan handed over the candied box and said, ¡°Today, Qi Zi asked Dr. Wei if he could give some medicine that is not bitter.¡±


    Luo Wei ate sugar in his mouth and said, ¡°Is Dr. Wei given it?¡±


    Wei Lan shook his head.


    ¡°There is no medicine that is not bitter in the world .¡± Luo Wei said: ¡°Qi Zi always been whimsical, Lan, you will be stupid if you y with him frequently.¡±


    ¡°Qi Zi is very smart,¡± Wei Lan whisper.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Luo Wei smiled. ¡°In your eyes, there are no stupid people.¡±


    "Does the head still feel pain?" Wei Lan bypassed the desk and walked to Luo Wei''s side. "Do you want me to give you a massage?"


    ¡°Let it go,¡± said Luo Wei. ¡°It¡¯s just a little scar. Why are you so nervously? Maybe tomorrow will be fine, but the taste of this medicinal wine is not good.¡±


    ¡°Be patient,¡± Wei Lan said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it going to be wiped again before going to bed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there is still a bowl of medicine waiting for me before going to bed,¡± Luo Wei patted the table gently. ¡°It would be annoying to think about this.¡±


    ¡°If you are annoyed, you could quickly recover your body!¡± Luo Ze said as he walked in.


    ¡°The second son,¡± Wei Lan is ready to salute to Luo Ze.


    ¡°Well, Lan,¡± Luo Ze waved his hand and said to Wei Lan: ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay so much attention to etiquette for me. I don¡¯t pay attention to it. I also expect you to take care of Luo Wei.¡±


    ¡°Wei Lan has been taking care of me all the time,¡± Luo Wei said. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Luo Ze said: ¡°You are protecting him like this? Lan, I will talk to you less in the future. If I say something wrong, Xiaowei will not let me go.¡± "


    Wei Lan is not used to jokes with people. He was stabbed by Luo Ze''s joke and didn''t know what to say.


    ¡°Lan,¡± Luo Wei gave Wei Lan a solution: ¡°You have to go see my ginseng soup.¡±


    Luo Ze looked at Wei Lan went out, shaking his head and smiling. He said to Luo Wei: ¡°I have seen all the Kirin film guards of Xiaoyi Yaozhuang. They are not very talkative, but there are no more people who are not used to jokes than Wei Lan.


    ¡°How did your say this?¡± Luo Wei took the smile on his face. ¡°The Kirin film guards is no longer there. Wei Lan is not used to jokes with people. You will not open his jokes in the future. He will be serious. "


    ¡°I was wrong,¡± Luo Ze admitted. ¡°I just forgot that Wei Lan was guarded by my third brother. I will not forget itter.¡± After the rtionship with Luo Wei was intimate, Luo Ze did not be serious before Luo Wei, but revealed his somewhat vulgar temperament.


    ¡°What''s up? Brother ?¡± For this discovery, Luo Wei was funny, but also happy, and he also liked such a brother.


    <span>Hey guys!


    <span>As you noticed, recently we''ve been working on several different novels. As a newly established trantion group the whole thing is just so overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We got tons of messages from you everyday. Although many of you didn''t get our replies, we treated your feedback very carefully. This is why we decided to bring our website and content to a more professional tform.


    <span>Here is the address of our new website:


    <span>You can find everything we''ve done so far on our new website, and you can always leave us messages. Those messages could be a kind suggestion, a not-so-kind suggestion,int about the quality of our trantion, kudos to our trantors, or a book you really really really want to read but has not been tranted yet.


    <span>Our website is under testing and the app is being developed in the meantime. Have fun exploring our new website! Wee to give us your precious opinions and constructive suggestions! Thank you!

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138 I Will Protect You


    Every five years, near the Spring Festival, the hunting of the Xishan paddock in the western suburbs of Shangdu will begin. This is not the main purpose of hunting. Only in order to worship the ancestors during the New Year¡¯s Eve, the emperor personally presented the altar to show the descendants of the Long royal family, and did not forget the world where Long¡¯s ancestors were snoring.


    On the day of the Xishan hunting, the empress of the harem, the wives of the emperors must attend. This is also the only opportunity for these women to go out in five years.


    Luo Wei listened to Luo Ze about the West Mountain hunting,. Luo Weimented that it was another five years, and Xishan hunting began again.


    ¡°Wei, you have more days in the pce,¡± Luo Ze said to Luo Wei: ¡°You ask me for it. This time, how many pce maidens are going to go, I have a preparation in advance.¡±


    "This hunting is arranged by the second elder brother?"


    ¡°My camp is always responsible for guarding,¡± Luo Ze said. ¡°The arrangement is arranged by the Royal Highness prince Xin.¡±


    The Royal Highness prince Xin Longyi, among the many brothers of Xingwu Emperor, this is the one trusted by Emperor Xingwu. Luo Wei said: ¡°The second elder brother listens to the arrangement of the prince, and he says what you do.¡±


    ¡°The problem is that he doesn¡¯t say it,¡± Luo Ze thought of the gentleman¡¯s tempering temper. ¡°The prince only gave me a sentence, and you guess what it is.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Luo Wei couldn¡¯t guess.


    ¡± The Royal Highness prince Xin said,¡± Luo Ze learned the tone of the prince. ¡°General Luo, you will do it.¡±


    ¡± The prince Xin told you so?¡± Luo Wei had to think about it more. What does the prince mean? I believe that his second elder brother, or something happened at that time, the prince Xin is good to push the wrong to his second elder brother ¡®s head?


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what he said. I asked him several times and returned to me every time,¡± Luo Ze said.


    ¡± The prince Xin is assured that the second brother will do it, then the second brother will do it well,¡± said Luo Wei. ¡°But if you do everything, you have to report it to the prince Xin.¡±


    ¡°Everything has to be reported?¡±


    ¡°Well, everything, no matter whether it is serious or not. This is also respect for the prince Xin.¡±


    ¡°Well, listen to you,¡± Luo Ze said. ¡°I don¡¯t care, as long as the prince Xin doesn¡¯t bother me.¡±


    ¡°He is too annoyed by the second brother, and the second brother is going to go,¡± Luo Wei said. ¡°Or else something really happened, would the second brother be alone?¡±


    Luo Ze frowned, saying: ¡°Is this what the prince Xin said?¡±


    ¡°No matter whether the prince Xin has this meaning,¡± Luo Wei said: ¡°If something really happens, the consequences are like this, the second brother should be careful.¡±


    Luo Ze shook his hand to Luo Wei. ¡°What can happen to the royal hunting? Before the game is cleared, the civilians are now no longer allowed to enter the Western Hills. On the day of hunting, the outside of the paddock is guarded by the troops. What surprises can you make?¡±


    Luo Wei said: ¡°All said that the defense is particrly strict, a fly can not fly in, brother, if there is a flood, your soldiers can prevent it? Not to mention flies, I see a group of hawks, can also fly into the West Mountain What?¡±


    Luo Ze said, ¡°Wei, Don¡¯t split hairs, and you are biting words.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t expect to have a reward, just ask not to make a mistake,¡± Luo Wei said. ¡°You have to remember my words, and tell the prince everything.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Luo Ze said now that he still believed in Luo Wei¡¯s words, otherwise he would not specificallye over and say these things to Luo Wei. ¡°Then you will go to the pce for me to inquire.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask this, you can guess they have gone,¡± Luo wei said.


    ¡°All are going?¡±


    Luo Wei said: ¡°Preparing the arrangement is your business. If you are not going to be a girl, why should you manage the minds of the girls?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very reasonable,¡± Luo Ze walked back and forth a few steps before Luo Wei¡¯s table. ¡°Actually, I just feel bother. I really want to lead troops as eldest brother. That''s delighted!¡±


    Luo Wei only smiled bitterly. If there is no army in the hands of Luo Ze, then the Prince who is the most importance people of Luo''s family,,is no soldier and horse that can bepletely trusted. Luo Ze wants to go out as a general. Even if the Prince can be enthroned in the future, he will not let Luo Ze leave the capital


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you talk?¡± asked Luo Ze.


    .¡±Work well,¡± said Luo Wei. ¡°This event is rted to the royal family. It must not be an ident.¡±


    ¡°Reassured,¡± Luo Ze reached out and rubbed Luo Wei¡¯s nose. ¡°I still have this ability.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Luo Wei squinted at his nose and avoided the hand of Luo Ze. He said, ¡°You can kill the enemy when you are in the battle.,this is also can guard them. I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Your face is still so cold,¡± Luo Ze said, after he touched Luo Wei¡¯s cold face, he was worried. He stayed in the house for a short while and sweated, but Luo Wei still like no heat on his body.


    ¡°I am not cold,¡± said Luo Wei. ¡°The house is so warm.¡±


    ¡°You should eat more food,¡± Luo Ze touched Luo Wei¡¯s hand again. His hand was like ice. ¡°If you go down like this, your body will not be healthy. What should you do?¡±


    ¡°I will eat, why don¡¯t I eat?¡± Luo Wei looked at Luo Ze andughed. ¡°When the weather is warm, it will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Families will do Buddhist things in the New Year,¡± said Luo Ze: ¡°Mother said, help you get rid of suffocation. You have been taking medicine for the whole year. You can¡¯t be so bad again next year.¡±


    ¡°As long as the mother and the second sister are not tired, it is good to do a Buddhist to bless our family to be safe next year.¡±


    ¡°Hey boy,¡± Luo Ze looking at Luo Wei seriously and said : ¡°If I knew that after you know things, there will be so many disasters, I would rather you have been so confused, no matter what, I and your eldest brother will protect you forever. ¡°¡±


    ¡°Brother,¡± Luo Wei called out of Luo Ze, and some of his mood could not be said in words.


    ¡°You will remember to drink the soup,¡± said Luo Ze. ¡°Before you go to bed, don¡¯t think that William is obeying you. You can not listen to the doctor. Father said that your always preupied, Xiao Wei. What do you have to worry about? You have a father who is a prime minister, two brothers who are generals, can''t we protect you? "


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think about anything,¡± Luo Wei lowered his head. ¡°I will take good care of my illness.¡±


    ¡°In that case, you should listen to me, still stay at home, and you should not care about the outside.¡± Luo Ze said: ¡°My mother''s words is right today, as long as you go out, we are all worried.¡±


    ¡°And Xishan paddock?¡±


    ¡°Can you still go to Xishan now?¡± Luo Ze said immediately: ¡°I listen to you, all the things are reported to the Prince Xin, and will be careful, you should not think too much, rest early, huh?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Luo Wei had no interest in hunting, but his second brother was carrying errands inside, so he thought about it. Royal hunting, meanings Yu Linjun will also be on the scene to guard, as long as the second brother is doing things with care, there should be no idents.


    ¡°Would you stay at home tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Brother doesn¡¯t want to know how many girls are going to the paddock?¡±


    "Nasty guy!"


    <span>Hey guys!


    <span>As you noticed, recently we''ve been working on several different novels. As a newly established trantion group the whole thing is just so overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We got tons of messages from you everyday. Although many of you didn''t get our replies, we treated your feedback very carefully. This is why we decided to bring our website and content to a more professional tform.


    <span>Here is the address of our new website:


    <span>You can find everything we''ve done so far on our new website, and you can always leave us messages. Those messages could be a kind suggestion, a not-so-kind suggestion,int about the quality of our trantion, kudos to our trantors, or a book you really really really want to read but has not been tranted yet.


    <span>Our website is under testing and the app is being developed in the meantime. Have fun exploring our new website! Wee to give us your precious opinions and constructive suggestions! Thank you!

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139 Xishan Paddock


    Luo Wei was really at home, not going out.


    Xingwu Emperor sent a doctor to see Luo Wei, and rewarded a lot of ginseng, Chinese caterpir fungus and atractylodes, which is very good for health. He only wished that Luo Wei would be able to raise the body overnight.


    However, Dr. Wei had changed another prescription. He gave the words of Xingwu Emperor and Luo Zhiqiu that Luo Wei''s body is getting better, but he still needed to raise it slowly.


    In Dr. Wei''s advice, three dayster, the five-year-old Xishan hunting of the Long''s royal family began.


    The guards of the royal family, Yu Lin troops closely guarded the emperor of Xingwu and his royal families and the Du Wei troops of Luo Ze was responsible for the safety of the outfield.


    Luo Ze kept in mind the words of Luo Zhiqiu and Luo Wei. After watching a whistle card of his own in Xishan outside, he took a team of solider and horses and walked around the outer hills of Xishan. He dared rx a little and was afraid of someone entering the paddock. .


    ¡°General, the guns are ringing inside.¡± After the soldiers heard the sound of guns in the paddock, they said to Luo Ze.


    Luo Ze also heard the sound of the cannons and said to the soldiers: ¡°The hunting has begun. After you have finished the day, I will give everyone a holiday.


    These soldiers had not taken a vacation during a month for a Xishan hunting, and they are happy when they listen to Luo Ze''s words. The soldiers who were ttering said to Luo Ze: ¡°The generals have also worked hard these days. After today, you can take a rest.¡±


    Luo Ze said: ¡°If we all go back to see the wife and children, this military camp will not be no one. Can the emperor spare me? What a bad idea!¡±


    A team of soldiersughed together, but did not dare tough out loud, and they all put theughter to the lowest.


    ¡°General, where are we going next?¡± In front of the lead who named Su Jing is deputy general,turned back and asked Luo Ze.


    Luo Ze looked around, silent in the vicinity, said to Su Jing: ¡°We just walk around, you lead the way.¡±


    Su Jing no longer said more, only led the way ahead, Luo Ze and others behind himughed all the way, but he did not say a word.


    After a half-day, they went to the east entrance of Xishan.


    ¡°Whye here?¡± Luo Ze saw the valley in front and asked Su Jing: ¡°Isn¡¯t this sealed?¡±


    Su Jing just came back and said: ¡°There is a path to the paddock here, I only know it today.¡±


    Luo Ze said: ¡°There is still a small road? Let¡¯s go see it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Su Jing said: ¡°But the general can rest assured that there are not many people who know the path.¡±


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t set up defense,¡± Luo Ze heard that there was another path he didn¡¯t know. He was anxious. If anyone went from the path to the paddock, his sin would be serious.


    A group of people rushed to the entrance to the valley.


    ¡°General, there is a carriageing over,¡± the soldier who in front went into the mountain pass was shouted at Luo Ze who is in the back.


    Luo Ze came to the front of the team and stood side by side with Su Jing.


    There was a carriage in front which couldn¡¯t see any marks, and the carriage didn¡¯t stop after saw them, rushing to Luo Ze.


    ¡°Let him stop,¡± Luo Ze said to the soldiers.


    ¡°Parking, parking!¡± The soldiers yelled.


    The carriage still did not stop.


    ¡°Prepare the bow and arrow,¡± Luo Ze¡¯s face had a chill.


    ¡°It¡¯s us!¡± The wheeler looked at the opposite soldier who bowed the arrow pointed at himself and shouted.


    ¡°There is doubt in this voice,¡± said a soldier to Luo Ze.


    This voice is wrong. The people in present both can hear that the man''s voice is too sharp and different from the normal man''s voice.


    ¡°Is this an eunuch?¡± The soldier with a quick mouth said his thoughts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put down the arrow,¡± Luo Ze said quickly, because there was no such voice as the eunuch in the pce.


    ¡°Hurry up and stop!¡± Su Jing shouted at the man who drove the car.


    Luo Ze saw that the carriage was getting closer and closer to himself. ¡°Damn!¡± After he snorted, he rode out of the queue and he had to go and see what was going on.This horse does not seem to be frightened. How can the car in the pcee here? This car does not look like a caring out of the pce. Is it hijacked by a monk? After a while, Luo Ze had no time to think about it. He only took out the sword with his waist and took it in his hand.


    The soldiers saw Luo Ze rushed out and followed up with Luo Ze.


    In the carriage, the old wet nurse said to the person in her arms: ¡°Madam,are you ready? I will push you out.¡±


    ¡°My stomach is very painful!¡±


    ¡°Madam relieved, after the incident, the emperor must be better than you before, and the good life of madam ising!¡±


    ¡°Mammy!¡±


    ¡°I did this for you, madam!¡±


    Luo Ze rushed to the front of the carriage, but the horse turned a corner, he had no time to stop the horse, and saw a wheel of the carriage flew out.In the humming sound of the yellow horse, the carriage fell to the ground and wiped past Luo Ze. At the same time, a woman screamed and flew out of the carriage and fell to the front of Luo Ze''s horse.


    Things happened too fast, almost in a sh, and Luo Ze and his soldiers were sitting on horseback, and they didn¡¯t react for a long time.


    The yellow horse fell to the ground and made a few attempts to get up, but did not seed, and the leg had already broken.


    The man who drove the car fell not far from the car, motionless, and did not know whether he was dead or alive.


    Just when everyone was in a daze, an old woman climbed out from the side of the car in the ground, her hair was also scattered, and the clothes were broken, stumbling, and even crawling to the woman''s front, crying loudly. Shouted: ¡°Madam! What happened to you, madam? madam!¡±


    The woman was taken in the arms of the old woman, unconscious, but the blood was flowing under her body. The high belly of the woman made everyone scared.


    ¡°This is the wife of the second prince, Mrs. Xu Ce!¡± The old woman found that she could not wake up the woman, so she looked up and said to Luo Ze: ¡°Thedy is pregnant, if something goes wrong, can you afford it?¡± !¡±


    ¡°Doctor!¡± Luo Ze forgot to dismount. He sat on the horse and said to a soldier who is shivered to his side like him. ¡°Go to the doctor!¡±


    Su Jing was the first one to turn around the horse head to the paddock. There was a doctor who was apanying the emperor. It was the closest to the ce where the doctor could be found.


    ¡°Madam! Madam!¡± The old woman bowed her head again and shouted at the woman in her arms.


    Luo Ze almost fell to the ground from the horse. He stood in front of Mrs. Xu Ce, watching the blood under thedy¡¯s body be a pool. The blood flowed into this way, can the child still keep it? Luo Ze has a nk in his mind.


    ¡°If Mrs. Xu Ce and the second prince¡¯s child had an ident, how can you pay for it!¡± The old woman said with Luo Ze: ¡°Is your life worth it?!¡±


    The soldiers of Luo Ze were dismounted and stood behind Luo Ze. It''s not time to ask why the second prince''s wife would appear here, and when they saw that they didn''t stop, now if the fetus in thisdy''s belly can''t keep it, then they, including the general, Luo Ze. These lives added together also can¡¯t afford the life of this child!


    <span>Hey guys!


    <span>As you noticed, recently we''ve been working on several different novels. As a newly established trantion group the whole thing is just so overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We got tons of messages from you everyday. Although many of you didn''t get our replies, we treated your feedback very carefully. This is why we decided to bring our website and content to a more professional tform.


    <span>Here is the address of our new website:


    <span>You can find everything we''ve done so far on our new website, and you can always leave us messages. Those messages could be a kind suggestion, a not-so-kind suggestion,int about the quality of our trantion, kudos to our trantors, or a book you really really really want to read but has not been tranted yet.


    <span>Our website is under testing and the app is being developed in the meantime. Have fun exploring our new website! Wee to give us your precious opinions and constructive suggestions! Thank you!

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140 Appease


    Luo Wei was still taking a nap on this day. Wei Lan was practicing writing at the table next to him. Xiao Xiao called "Sir¡± and rushed in.


    Luo Wei was awakened by the voice of Xiao Xiao, but he looked at Wei Lan and asked, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Xiao Xiao rushed to the bed of Luo Wei, ¡°The bad thing ising!¡±


    ¡°What a bad thing?¡± Luo Wei asked, at this time he was a little confused, notpletely awake.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Xiao Xiao almost reached out and woke up Luo Wei, ¡°Your elder brother has an ident!¡±


    Luo Wei was a little sleepy, and suddenly he stood up and sat up. ¡°What happened to my brother?!¡± Today is the day of hunting in the Xishan paddock. Is it an ident in the paddock?


    Xiao Xiao flustered, incoherently telling Luo Wei and Wei Lan about what he heard from the front yard.


    Luo Wei sat and listened to the Xiao Xiao talk, and couldn¡¯t speak for a long time, but the blood on his face was gone.


    Wei Lan was scared by this sudden disaster, because the second son couldn''t afforded the crime of murdering the emperor''s grandson. When Wei Lan came over, he found that Luo Wei''s look was wrong and hurriedly said to Luo Wei: ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Xiao,¡± Luo Wei said to Xiao Xiao: ¡°I want to change clothes.¡±


    Xiao Xiao quickly ran to the hanger and took Luo Wei¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°Lan,¡± Luo Wei said to Wei Lan again: ¡°I am going to the Xishan paddock. You help me prepare the horses. I don¡¯t take a carriage.¡±


    ¡°You want to ride a horse?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Luo Wei reluctantly smiled at Wei Lan and said: ¡°If I can¡¯t hold it, you can take me.¡±


    Wei Lan head nodded and went out to prepare the horse.


    ¡°Sir,put on your clothes,¡±Xiao Xiao took Luo Wei¡¯s clothes over.


    Luo Wei hurriedly put on his clothes, went out of the bedroom and went to the main courtyard of the house, and Xiao Xiao followed him.


    In the living room of the main courtyard, Fu Hua and Xu Yuemei are sitting there anxiously. Many servants are crying and crying. They look like a scene of search Luo''s house and confiscate his property.


    ¡°Mother, sister,¡± Luo Wei walked in quickly and saluted them.


    ¡°Wei,¡± Fu Hua saw Luo Wei at the moment, like finding a dependency, ¡°Your brother¡­¡±


    ¡°I already know this,¡± Luo Wei walked up to Fu Hua and said, ¡°Mothers don¡¯t worry, I will go to Xishan now.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Fu Hua had no idea at this time, and she could only listen to Luo Wei.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t cry,¡± Luo Wei rushed to the servant who was crying and said, ¡°Is this a death of our family? Let you cry like this? I am still far from this day, give me wipe your tears clean! Butler? If someone cry again, you have to drive them out of the house! I can¡¯t afford the servant who just crying!¡±


    The butler standing by the side hurriedly stood facing the crowd, frequently ring at these women, let these women do not cry.


    Luo Wei has never been angry at home since he was born again. Today, this situation is even more fierce than the third son of Luo, who was very tempered. There was no sound in the room, no one dared to speak again, even Fu Hua and Xu Yuemiao were scared, watching Luo Wei can¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Sister, go back and look at Xiao You, don¡¯t let him be scared too,¡± Luo Wei said after he got angry, and then relieved his face, whispering to Xu Yuemiao: ¡°I will definitely protect my brother, please rest assured.¡±


    Xu Yuemiao can only nod. At this time, Fu Hua has no idea, and she is even worse.


    "Wei,"Fu Hua looked at Xu Yuemiao who was scared. Then she said to Luo Wei: "Your father can only lie outside the tent of the emperor. What can you do?"


    ¡°How can my brother hurt the royal descendants?¡± Luo Wei said: ¡°There must be something else in this.Mother is relieved, and my aunt also in Xishan, she will not look at the brother have an ident. Okay, mom, who ising back? I want to meet him.¡±


    ¡°The man is outside, I called him in?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Luo Wei. ¡°I went outside and asked him something. Mother, the family still needs mother to manage, even if our family has a big ident, and still can¡¯t let outsiders see jokes.¡±


    ¡°Mother knows,¡± Fu Hua was calm at this moment. Luo Wei was right. In any case, the family could not be chaotic. Father and son were outside. She had to guarded the house for them.


    ¡°I have gone,¡± Luo Wei said and turned away.


    ¡°Brother,¡± Xu Yuemiao stood up and shouted Luo Wei.


    ¡°Sister has something to tell?¡± Luo Wei stopped and asked.


    ¡°Everything is request you,¡± Xu Yuemiao said, she is only want a promise that Luo Ze will be fine now, no matter who this person is, as long as he can give her this promise.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Luo Wei looked at Xu Yuemi with a gentle smile. ¡°Sister and Xiao You are waiting at home, I will let brother return safely.¡±


    Xu Yuemiao nodded, and the existence of Luo Wei never made her feel asfortable as she is today.


    Luo Wei out of the yard, the person who told them the news, Luo Zhiqiu¡¯s rtives came forward, ¡°while walking and said,¡± Luo Wei said at the foot of the foot, said to this person: ¡°You tell me again, what¡¯s happened.¡±


    This man followed by Luo Wei went out of the house and rode to Xishan.


    Luo Wei was silent all the time. After listening to the pro-following of everything, Luo Wei only felt that his eyes were ck.How can a woman in a harem appear in the valley of Xishan where was blocked? Mrs.Xu prevention of abortion need to stay in bed, how can she go to Xishan paddock? Long Xuan, must be Long Xuan! He actually did something like this, and Luo Wei''s body swayed on the horse''s back.


    Wei Lan was always at the side of Luo Wei, watching Luo Wei fall from the horse, and leaned over, and reached out and held Luo Wei, hurriedly asked he: ¡°Are you ufortable?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Luo Wei took a deep breath. ¡°Let¡¯s hurry.¡±


    ¡°I take you,¡± said Wei Lan.


    ¡°No, I am okay,¡± said Luo Wei, as he whipped, the white horse that had crossed had a pain, snorted and ran forward.


    Wei Lan led a team of guards behind Luo Wei.


    When Rowe arrived at the Xishan paddock, it was already in the evening.


    ¡°The third son?¡± Zhao Fu saw Luo Wei, and he knew that Luo Wei woulde here definitely, but he still made a look of surprise. He said to Luo Wei: ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    When Luo Wei had just entered the mountain, he had already heard from the soldiers of Luo Ze. Luo Ze has been taken into custody by the Xingwu Emperor now, and his father Luo Zhiqiu is still in the camp of Xingwu Emperor, and has note out. ¡°Eunuch Zhao,¡± Luo Wei said to Zhao Fu: ¡°I want to see the emperor, please inform the emperor for me.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Zhao Fu whispered to Luo Wei, ¡°How can the emperor meet you now? You still go home and wait for news.¡±


    Luo Wei stood still, with a pleading to Zhao Fu said: ¡°Please inform the emperor for me. If the emperor does not see me, Luo Wei will not do anything.¡±

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141 Am I Still Useless?


    Xingwu Emperor listened to Zhao Fu said that Luo Wei was waiting outside the tent. The Xingwu Emperor, who had been annoyed by the loss of a grandson, began to worry about Luo Wei. On such a cold day, did this child rush to Xishan all the way?


    ¡°Emperor?¡± Zhao Fu sneaked into the look of the Xingwu Emperor, and tried to say something good to Luo Wei. ¡°The third son is waiting outside, do you want him toe in?¡±


    Xingwu Emperor took a look at Luo Zhiqiu who stood by and said: ¡°Prime minister Luo, what do you think? Should I see Wei?¡±


    Luo Zhiqiu said with a hoarse voice: ¡°I don¡¯t dare to guess the meaning of the emperor.¡±


    Xingwu Emperor snorted heavily and said: ¡°The incident happened in Xishan. But the news of your prime minister mansion has been so fast. It was really beyond my expectation.¡±


    Luo Zhiqiu just stood up, but after listening to the words of Xingwu Emperor, he hurriedly squatted.


    ¡°Let him go back,¡± Xing Wu Emperor said to Zhao Fu.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zhao Fu took his task and prepared to leave the tent.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± the Xing Wu Emperor said again: ¡°Let the doctor give him a look and see if it is cold again.¡±


    "ve obey,"Zhao Fu said and leaved the tent.


    ¡°Let the doctor give me a look?¡± After listening to Zhao Fu¡¯s words,Luo Wei had no expression.


    "Sir," Zhao Fu advised. "The emperor is angry now. You still have to wait a few days and thene to see the emperor, only in this way, emperor will listen to you."


    ¡°I will stand here and wait,¡± Luo Wei smiled apologetically at Zhao Fu and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want the Eunuch Zhao to be in trouble. You can go in.¡±


    How could Zhao Fu dare to let Luo Wei stand outside the tent and blow the frozen? This is the person who is favored by Xingwu Emperor. Zhao Fu hurriedly went into the tent again and told Xingwu Emperor that Luo Wei would not go.


    Luo Wei looked at Zhao Fu went into the tent. In a blink of an eye, he saw several doctors walking in a hurry to the tent.


    The young eunuch standing outside the tent saw these doctors and rushed into the tent to report. After a while, the young eunuch ran out and said to the doctors: ¡°The emperor let you in.¡±


    When Luo Wei looked at the expressions of these doctors, he knew that Xu''s children were gone.


    Shortly after the doctors entered, the voice of the heavy object fell to the ground, Luo Wei thinking that the Xingwu Emperor had angered.


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Just as Luo Wei thought about how to do when he was thinking, Long Xiang''s angry voice came behind him.


    Luo Wei turned around and saw Long Xuan walking behind Long Xiang.


    After Long Xuan saw Luo Wei, he stood in front.


    ¡°Are you satisfied with this?!¡± Long Xiang red at Luo Wei¡¯s cor and vigorously shook Luo Wei. ¡°What is my brother owing the Luo''s family?! The Luo''s people have not let him go!¡±


    Luo Wei turned a deaf ear to Long Xiang¡¯s anger, he just looked at the Long Xuan in the opposite side, the tiger poison is still not eating, but this person in order topete for the throne, can actually killed their own children! brute!


    Long Xuan also looked at Luo Wei, Luo Wei''s anger in his eyes, he could see at a nce, but Long Xuan''s eyes could only see indifference.


    After hearing the screams of Long Xiang outside, the Xingwu Emperor immediately let Zhao Fu go out and see, ¡°They are all crazy!¡± Xingwu Emperor has already kicked the royal case in the tent, and this time he kicked his chair to the ground.


    Zhao Fu went out to the tent with several emperor warriors and saw Long Xiang squatting at Luo Wei. He hurriedly talked to Long Xiang: ¡°The fifth prince, you can¡¯t mored in front of the emperor¡¯s tent!¡±


    Several emperor warriors came up and pulled Long Xiang aside.


    ¡°Eunuch Zhao,¡± Long Xuan went forward and said: ¡°I asked to see the father, you go and inform him.¡±


    Luo Wei went away in the distance, because the closer he was stood to Long Xuan, the more he was suffocating. He was afraid that he could not restrain himself and would die with this person on the spot.


    Emperor Xingwu will definitely meet Long Xuan at this time, Zhao Fue out again soon,and let Long Xuan and Long Xiang go into the tent. When Zhao Fu opened the curtain for the two emperors, he shook his head slightly at Luo Wei.


    Luo Wei gratefully nodded to Zhao Fu. This person can still report a letter to him at this time. This friendship had to remember.


    All the people who outside the tent looked at Luo Wei. He was a favorite of the emperor, but Luo Ze had ruined the emperor¡¯s grandson. How could Luo''s family pay the life of the baby for emperor? Xingwu Emperor often praised Luo Wei for his talents, but what can he do with something like this?


    Luo Wei''s body was like be frozen, and he asked himself what he should do? The thick tent curtains were covered tightly, and the vocals inside could not be heard at all. It seems that he can only wait for the words of the Xingwu Emperor now. The life of his elder brother is in the mind of the king of the country in the tent. Luo Wei is not willingly, he lost to Long Xuan once again,and also to lose a life of his elder brother, he can not be so fatal, if the end is someone dead, he is better to fight.


    Just as Luo Wei had already stepped into the camp, he saw Zhao Fuing out of the tent with several emperor warriors. This time, Zhao Fu did not look at Luo Wei, but went straight with the emperor¡¯s warriors.


    ¡°The third son,¡± when Luo Wei was still spheming, a young eunuch came out and walked over to Luo Wei and said, ¡°The emperor asked you to go in and see him.¡±


    Luo Wei entered the tent and looked at his father first. Luo Zhiqiu also looked up at Luo Wei, the eyes of the two looked at each other. At this moment, neither of them had concealed their inner anxiety.


    ¡°Wei,¡± Xingwu Emperor sat in a chair that was re-supported by the young eunuch. Not waiting for Luo Wei to bow to him, he said to Luo Wei: ¡°You must see me,what do you want to say to me?¡±


    Luo Wei knelt on the ground and said, ¡°The emperor, my elder brother¡­¡±


    ¡°I have already decided on this matter, you don¡¯t have to say it again.¡± Xingwu Emperor did not let Luo Wei finish the words, and categorically said: ¡°You have no responsibility for this matter, you don¡¯t have to think about it, you just need to rest and recuperate your body.¡± "


    Luo Wei has some stunned, the emperor has a conclusion, what does this mean?


    ¡°The emperor!¡± Luo Zhiqiu suddenly knelt.


    ¡°Prime minister Luo, you still have something to say?!¡± Xingwu Emperor looked at Luo Zhiqiu with cold eyes. ¡°I am already had mercy on your family. What do you want me to do?¡±


    Luo Wei took a look at Xingwu Emperor, look at Luo Zhiqiu, and then look at Long Xuan who is looked down, and then look at Long Xiang. He looking at Long Xiang''s look of relief, Luo Wei climbed up from the ground and turned to go out to the tent.


    The people in the tent did not react for a while.


    ¡°Run after him!¡± the Xingwu Emperor was the first person to respond, and said very angrily to the people in the tent.


    Luo Wei ran to the ce where Zhao Fu had just left. He was a little breathless, but he just ran away. The emperor said that he had already reached a conclusion, and he was already kind. Did he want Luo Ze to die, and then he would not condemn other people in his family? He should think of what Zhao Fu was going to do earlier, just as he should have thought earlier that Long Xuan can give up anything for the throne, even his own son also was the same. "Why didn''t I think of it? Luo Wei licked himself in his heart, "I lived again, but Luo Wei, Luo Yunqi is still fool like a pig!"


    <span><em>Hey guys!</em>


    <span><em>As you noticed, recently we''ve been working on several different novels. As a newly established trantion group the whole thing is just so overwhelming and exciting at the same time. We got tons of messages from you everyday. Although many of you didn''t get our replies, we treated your feedback very carefully. This is why we decided to bring our website and content to a more professional tform.</em>


    <span><em>Here is the address of our new website: </em>


    <span><em>You can find everything we''ve done so far on our new website, and you can always leave us messages. Those messages could be a kind suggestion, a not-so-kind suggestion,int about the quality of our trantion, kudos to our trantors, or a book you really really really want to read but has not been tranted yet.</em>


    <span><em>Unfortunately we still need to figure out some tech problems in order to amodate mobile users. Please give us some time, and once the problem is solved we¡¯ll let you know immediately. For now you can still ess our website viaptops or tablets.</em>


    <span><em>Have fun exploring our new website!</em>


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!