Chapter 259 – Confession

Luo Qi held the account book, staring at a long string of numbers, utterly dumbfounded.

“Are you satisfied with this money, Elder Brother?” Luo Wei asked from the side.

Luo Qi said, “Have you been the owner of this escort bureau all these years?”

Luo Wei replied, “It’s Uncle Hong who’s been handling everything. I just provided the initial capital.”

Uncle Hong quickly added, “Without Young Third Master, this escort bureau wouldn’t have been the same, we wouldn’t be able to do such big business.”

Luo Qi glanced at the huge numbers in the account book and asked Luo Wei, “Don’t you know officials shouldn’t engage in business? What do you need so much money for?”

Luo Wei responded, “As I’ve said, this escort bureau is registered under Uncle Hong’s name. As for the money, Elder Brother, we need to plan for the future.”

“Is our family going to rely on running an escort bureau for a living from now on?” Luo Qi inquired.

“If we don’t hold official positions, running an escort bureau wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Luo Wei said, casting a glance at Uncle Hong.

Uncle Hong quickly withdrew.

“Do you think Father will lose his official position?” Luo Qi asked Luo Wei. He had not be able to digest what had happened with Long Xuan yet, and now Luo Wei was giving him another blow.

“The political situation is chaotic right now,” Luo Wei lowered his voice and said to Luo Qi, “I don’t think the Crown Prince is a reliable ally.”

“The Crown Prince too…”

“He’s no match for Long Xuan,” Luo Wei stated bluntly, “Elder brother, you should prepare for the possibility of the Crown Prince’s downfall.”

“But Father has never mentioned this,” Luo Qi said.

“Father wants to protect the Crown Prince,” Luo Wei said, “But before I leave for Northern Yan, I have to prepare for the worst-case scenario for the Luo family. If I can’t come back, Elder Brother, you…”

“How could you not come back?” Luo Qi snapped, “Stop talking like that!”

“I’m just saying, in case,” Luo Wei insisted.

“There’s no ‘in case’ in this matter.”

“Big brother, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. A family as wealthy and noble as ours shouldn’t hesitate to secure multiple retreats for ourselves,” Luo Wei argued, “With money, we can live in seclusion in the mountains and the forests and still lead a prosperous life.”

Luo Qi said, “It’s not so easy to live in seclusion. If the Crown Prince can’t be relied upon, what about those who depend on our family for a living?”

“Should we worry about others’ lives and deaths at such a critical moment?” The smile on Luo Wei’s face suddenly turned cold. “Brother, if taking one step forward means facing a cliff, why not take a step back? Uncle Hong is Big Sister-in-law’s confidant. You can trust him. Even if the Luo family is no longer prominent in the court, he will still wholeheartedly assist you.”

Luo Qi couldn’t sit still anymore. He got up and paced around the flower hall. “Has our family really reached the point where one more step forward means annihilation?” he asked Luo Wei.

“The Left Chancellor’s Luo Mansion has had three sons who were granted the title of marquis within a year,” Luo Wei said, “Then I was ennobled, enjoying the title of a prince. Elder brother, do you think our family is currently basking in glory or facing adversity?”

Luo Qi was stunned for a moment and said, “The Crown Prince hasn’t made any major mistakes. How could he be defeated?”

“I think the Emperor has grown tired of the Crown Prince,” Luo Wei said, “So if he falls out of favor, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. As for Long Xuan, the tasks assigned to him by the Emperor are increasing day by day. I think it’s just a matter of time until we see him surpassing the Crown Prince.”

“Does Father know about this?”

“Father has some idea about it, but he’s unwilling to admit it.”

Luo Qi paced around in silence for a few rounds, then finally stopped and turned to Luo Wei, and said, “Xiao Wei, I haven’t been in the capital for a long time, so don’t try to deceive me.”

Luo Wei pulled Luo Qi’s hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and whispered, “I’m just saying it’s a worst-case scenario plan, maybe I’m overthinking. But this private wealth, Elder Brother, you can’t let go of it. If the Crown Prince really falls out of favor, Father will follow him in life or death. Big brother, you must persuade Father along with Second Brother to resign from office and give up their titles. As long as the whole family can be together, whether it’s farming or anything else, we would still be happy, wouldn’t we? Besides, we won’t suffer from poverty.”

“With you in the court, how could our family lose its foundation?” Luo Qi said. At this point, he didn’t care about being loyal or disloyal. Luo Wei was right. As long as their entire family was safe, what did the Crown Prince matter to them?

“The heavens are unpredictable,” Luo Wei said softly, “Who can predict the future? We don’t have the ability to foresee it. Elder brother, just remember what I said and handle things cautiously. Even if I return to court, I don’t know if the Emperor will still be kind to me.”

“But you,” Luo Qi paused for a moment, then asked, “now that you are also an imperial son, have you never thought about it?” Luo Qi pointed to the seats they were sitting on. “Never even thought about it?”

“I…” Luo Wei was about to speak when Ye Xiu arrived.  The food was already cooked and on the table, waiting for the two brothers to eat.

The dishes prepared by Ye Xiu were her specialties. Luo Wei’s current state of mind made everything taste like wax, but under the watchful eyes of Luo Qi and his wife, he still managed to eat a little more.

The meal was finished in a dull atmosphere, the three of them having hardly said more than a few words.

After dinner, Ye Xiu said she wanted to prepare some more clothes for Luo Wei and hurried back to her room. Luo Qi and Luo Wei slept on the same bed. The two brothers had never shared a bed before.

“Have you brought all your medicine?” Luo Qi couldn’t let Luo Wei escape, so he had to ask about Luo Wei’s preparations to go to Northern Yan.

“I’ve got everything,” Luo Wei said. “Father wants me to endure for a year in Northern Yan.”

“Just a year?”

“Perhaps,” Luo Wei said. If possible, at this time, he would really think of asking Luo Qi to help him escape.

Luo Qi turned over and faced Luo Wei. “Have you thought about it if we get to this point?”

“If I wanted to, what would Elder Brother do?”

Luo Qi gritted his teeth and said, “If you wanted to, your Second Brother and I would help you.” (T/N: not sure what they are talking about in the last 3 sentences, if it’s still about escaping after one year or if it’s about taking the throne. Please let me know in the comments if you know chinese!)

“But what if Father doesn’t allow it?”

“It’s not up to him,” Luo Qi said. “And why wouldn’t he allow it? Aren’t you closest to us? Why should we let outsiders benefit for no reason?”

At first, Luo Wei laughed, then said, “I don’t have a fate for it.”

“How do you know that you don’t have the fate for it?” Luo Qi turned Luo Wei around to face him and said, “I’m not joking with you. What makes you inferior to Long Xuan? If he can compete, why can’t you?”

Luo Wei seemed to hesitate again and again. He was surprised that Luo Qi could say such words about helping him to ascend to the throne. In his memory, his elder brother was a loyalist, almost rigidly so. But the person before him now didn’t seem like the brother he remembered.

“Speak,” Luo Qi urged Luo Wei.

“I…” Luo Wei finally made up his mind and said, “My health is poor, and I will never have children in this lifetime. How could I possibly have the destiny to rule this kingdom?”

“You…” Luo Qi never expected Luo Wei to say such words and instinctively looked at Luo Wei’s abdomen.

“I wouldn’t talk nonsense about this,” Luo Wei said bitterly. “I’ve been treated by the imperial physicians in the palace. Many medicinal ingredients were used specifically for this issue.”

“Would your heart condition prevent you from having children?” Luo Qi didn’t believe it. “As long as you control yourself a little, isn’t it possible?”

After he said this, Luo Wei didn’t respond. Luo Qi blushed first. It was too embarrassing to discuss such matters with his younger brother.

“Also,” Luo Wei confessed to Luo Qi this time, “I don’t like women either.”

Luo Qi, who was originally lying on his side with his head propped up by his hand, was shocked by Luo Wei’s words. He swayed and almost fell off the bed.

Luo Wei remained composed. “I’m not capable of continuing the family line. Marrying a wife would only harm others, so it’s not a bad thing that I don’t like women.”

“You…” Luo Qi remembered something at this moment. After hesitating for a while, he asked Luo Wei, “Are you… are you with Wei Lan?”

“Mn,” Luo Wei hummed in response.

Luo Qi didn’t know if he should get angry or not.

“So, Elder Brother, you should take care of Lan more,” Luo Wei said to Luo Qi in a rare earnest way.

Luo Qi turned his back in frustration.

“Elder Brother?” Luo Wei persisted, tugging at the sleeve of Luo Qi’s inner shirt.

Luo Qi almost couldn’t hold it in anymore and wanted to scold Luo Wei for his nonsense, but seeing Luo Wei’s earnest gaze, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything more. “Got it,” Luo Qi mumbled vaguely to Luo Wei. Knowing that Luo Wei was leaving for Northern Yan, Luo Qi couldn’t harden his heart. He tucked Luo Wei’s quilt in and said, “Go to sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll see you off to the border.”

“What about the matters of the escort bureau?”

“I will take good care of it,” Luo Qi said. “This is also your hard work; it cannot be wasted.”

Luo Wei felt relieved now. All the things he wanted to explain were explained. With Luo Qi guarding him, he really closed his eyes and fell asleep.

However, Luo Qi remained awake, troubled, and restless, keeping his eyes open throughout the night.