“Who are you?” After the letter was burned, Luo Wei asked Aunt Hu. After not speaking for several months, his speech seemed a little slow, but it was still clear enough for people to understand.
“I’m Yan’er,” Yan’er spoke before her mother could, her upbringing in the palace not yet instilling in her the concept of superiority and inferiority. She kept staring at Luo Wei, curious and somewhat fond of him.
Seeing that Luo Wei didn’t blame Yan’er, Aunt Hu didn’t scold her daughter either. She followed behind Yan’er and said, “This slave is from the Zhou Dynasty.”
“Since you’re from Zhou, why are you in the Northern Yan Palace?” Luo Wei asked.
“My ancestors have served in the Northern Yan Palace for three generations,” Aunt Hu replied.
Having been by Emperor Xingwu’s side for a long time, Luo Wei knew that there was such a group of people in the Great Zhou dynasty, scattered in the mansions of powerful ministers, serving as the eyes and ears of the Great Zhou dynasty in various countries. Was Aunt Hu one of them? Luo Wei asked tentatively, “Who do you pass your information to?”
“I don’t know,” Aunt Hu replied, “I don’t meet people from outside the palace.”
“What about Yan’er?”
“She’ll end up dying in the Northern Yan Palace like me.”
“You’re just a coarse palace maid,” Luo Wei said, “What can you find out in this palace?”
“You might not know, Your Highness, but as long as I make friends with the palace maids and eunuchs from various palaces, I will learn a lot.”
“Then how much do you know about me?”
Aunt Hu glanced at Luo Wei and said, “I’ve never been able to find out about Your Highness’s affairs. Emperor Sima Qingsha doesn’t allow anyone from other palaces to come to you, not even people from the Empress Dowager’s Palace or the Empress’s Palace.”
“Get up and talk,” Luo Wei realized that Yan’er had twisted her body on the ground, and he remembered that he hadn’t asked the mother and daughter to stand up yet. For long time, the mother and daughter had been kneeling and talking to him.
Aunt Hu got up quickly, but Yan’er couldn’t get up on her own. In the end, Aunt Hu reached out and helped Yan’er up from the ground.
“Yan’er,” Luo Wei beckoned to Yan’er.
Yan’er looked at Aunt Hu, saw her nodding, and then walked to Luo Wei’s side.
Luo Wei lifted Yan’er onto the bed and asked, “Does it hurt to kneel? I’m sorry, I was so engrossed in reading the letter that I forgot to let you get up.”
“This slave dares not,” Aunt Hu hurriedly said, “Your Highness is the master, and the lives of these slaves belong to the Prince.”
“I’m just a prisoner here,” Luo Wei said, “I can neither protect you nor harm you.”
“Your Highness,” Yan’er looked up and asked Luo Wei, “Why are you alone in here? There isn’t even a lamp.”
“Be good,” Luo Wei touched Yan’er’s head.
“Your Highness, Yan’er is already eleven years old,” Aunt Hu said when she saw Luo Wei touching Yan’er’s head.
Luo Wei quickly withdrew his hand. In Great Zhou, girls could be married off at the age of thirteen, and an eleven-year-old like Yan’er should already understand the distinction between men and women. “How did you get in here?” Luo Wei asked after moving a little further away from Yan’er.
“My mother made a hole there,” Yan’er pointed to the southern wall, “and my mother and I crawled in through the hole.”
Aunt Hu moved the candle southward, and Luo Wei saw that the wall on the south side was still intact.
Seeing that Luo Wei couldn’t figure it out, Aunt Hu walked over, bent down, and pulled out a brick from the base of the wall.
“When did this happen?” Luo Wei asked unexpectedly. He had been living in this chamber, and yet he had no idea that a hole had been made in the wall.
Aunt Hu inserted the brick back and walked back to Luo Wei, saying, “I started chiseling the wall two months ago, but I didn’t dare to do too much at once, only chiseling out one brick, so it wasn’t until today that I could come to see you, Your Highness.”
“You need to be careful,” Luo Wei kindly reminded, “If you’re discovered, I won’t be able to save you and your daughter.”
“Come here, Yan’er,” Aunt Hu called Yan’er to her side and bowed to Luo Wei, saying, “I’ll take my leave first, Your Highness. Is there anything else you need?”
Luo Wei wanted to say there wasn’t, but the words came out anyway, “In the future, if my eldest brother has any letters, bring them to me earlier.”
“Yes,” Aunt Hu agreed.
“But,” Luo Wei suddenly realized something was amiss and asked, “Why would my eldest brother have a letter? Shouldn’t it be a letter from the capital?”
“Your Highness,” Aunt Hu replied calmly, “The capital is too far from Hefang City. Yun Guan is the nearest.”
“Alright,” Luo Wei couldn’t find fault with this answer, so he said to Aunt Hu, “Take Yan’er and leave, don’t let anyone see you.”
“Your Highness, won’t you reply?” Aunt Hu asked again, “I brought paper and pen.”
“No need,” Luo Wei got off the bed, bowed to Aunt Hu, and thanked her, “Thank you so much, Auntie.”
Aunt Hu hurriedly pulled Yan’er away to avoid Luo Wei’s courtesy, saying, “I don’t dare to accept your courtesy, Your Highness.”
“It’s alright,” Luo Wei picked up the small wooden box that Imperial Physician Chu had placed at the head of his bed, emptied out the candies inside, and handed them to Yan’er, saying, “Yan’er, I only have these things here. Take them.”
Yan’er took a piece of sugar and put it in her mouth. Immediately, she smiled and said to Luo Wei, “Your Highness, this candy is delicious.”
“Well,” Luo Wei smiled, “I think so too.”
After thanking Aunt Hu and bowing solemnly again, Aunt Hu patched up the hole in the southern wall with Yan’er by her side, and after crawling out with Yan’er, she crouched outside and repaired the small hole again.
Before the hole was patched up, Luo Wei stood in front of it, feeling the night wind blowing in. He felt that the wind was no longer warm and humid like in summer, so he thought that it must be autumn outside.
Yan’er sneaked out of Ninglu Palace with Aunt Hu. Walking on the road, Yan’er asked Aunt Hu, “Mother, is His Highness like me, unable to read?”
“Nonsense,” Aunt Hu said, “How could His Highness not read?”
“Then why doesn’t he write back?”
“You shouldn’t concern yourself with the affairs of nobles!” Aunt Hu taught her daughter, “I have to tell you several times before you remember. They’re different from us. If you don’t learn to respect them and differentiate between superior and inferior, I’ll have to teach you a lesson next time!”
“But,” Yan’er said somewhat rebelliously, “His Highness seems like a very nice person.”
“What did you say?!”
Seeing her mother’s serious expression, Yan’er dared not say anything more.
Aunt Hu speculated about Luo Wei’s thoughts. She couldn’t believe that Luo Wei wouldn’t want to communicate with Luo Qi in Yun Guan or would refuse to write back. Was it because he didn’t want to put her and her daughter in more danger, or did he not trust them? Aunt Hu thought that Luo Wei probably didn’t trust her. Even if he believed the letter was genuine, he still wouldn’t trust her, Hu, as a person.
In the chamber, Luo Wei groped around in the dark, tidied up the bed, and then sat back down on it. Although he had burned Luo Qi’s letter, he remembered its contents clearly. With the matters in the south resolved, could it be said that his return to Zhou was getting closer and closer? Luo Wei thought for a long time but still couldn’t be sure. None of the princes in the capital would want to see him return, but what methods would they use to prevent him from returning to Zhou? Luo Wei tried to think as Long Xuan would. With natural disasters and human disasters disappearing one by one, what reason would there be for him, Luo Wei, to stay here as a hostage? Luo Wei thought for a long time but couldn’t think of a reason. As he felt the various grooves on the bed frame, he couldn’t help feeling uneasy in his heart despite the good news he had received.
Boundless Dao 
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