The winter snow gradually melted under the early spring sunlight. It was said that the spring chill in the north surpassed the depth of winter, but the branches of the trees still sprouted new green leaves, and the spring flowers bloomed on time.
Luo Wei sat on the terrace of the pavilion. Today, with no wind, imperial physician Chu advised him to come out and bask in the sun. This pavilion was located in the rear courtyard of the Sima Qingsha’s Palace. Since the incident at the New Year’s banquet where he clashed with Sima Qingsha, Luo Wei had been forcibly detained here by Sima Qingsha. The women in the Northern Yan harem all wished to live in this Guanshan Tower, accompanying the emperor day and night. Such favor, who wouldn’t cherish it? However, Luo Wei only wanted to return to Ninglu Palace, where he could at least meet with Lady Hu and her daughter. Staying in Guanshan Tower, even if Lady Hu had supernatural powers, she wouldn’t be able to enter.
It had been a year. Luo Wei looked at the palace below the tower, filled with worry. Why hadn’t anyone come to take him back yet? Was it because Sima Qingsha didn’t allow it? Did this person really want to fight another battle for him? Or had something happened in Great Zhou again?
The door to the terrace was pushed open forcefully, making a loud “clang” sound.
Startled, Luo Wei turned around to look. At first glance, he couldn’t believe his eyes. He rubbed his eyes with his hands, then looked again, confirming that he wasn’t mistaken. “Second Brother?!” Luo Wei exclaimed with both surprise and joy as he stood up. His second brother, Luo Ze, stood before him.
Luo Ze looked at Luo Wei, his hands clenched into fists, his expression cold. The pavilion was indeed as extravagant as rumored, with gold as its bones and jade as its bricks. His younger brother Luo Wei was sitting at the highest point of this tower, leisurely basking in the sun, undisturbed by anyone. Around him was the fragrance of incense from the censer, and on the carved ivory table were tea and fresh fruits. Everything he saw indicated that Luo Wei was living well in Northern Yan.
Hastily, Luo Wei walked up to Luo Ze, not even able to look at his expression. He spoke, “Second Brother, why are you here? Are you here to take me…”
“Xiao Wei,” Luo Ze interrupted Luo Wei’s words, looking down at the hand that Luo Wei had grabbed his sleeve with. “Are you doing well here?”
“I’m fine,” Luo Wei said. “Have you finished fighting the battles in the southeast?”
“I see that you’re doing very well,” Luo Ze said.
“What?” Luo Wei finally realized the tone of Luo Ze was wrong. He looked up at Luo Ze and noticed the angry look on his face, “Second Brother, what’s wrong with you?”
“Xiao Wei, Eldest Brother is gone,” Luo Ze said to Luo Wei, word by word.
“What?” Luo Wei looked bewildered.
“Gone, he’s dead,” Luo Ze said.
Luo Wei’s hand froze.
“The child in Sister-in-Law’s womb didn’t make it either,” Luo Ze tried to remove Luo Wei’s hand gripping his sleeve but found it difficult. He carefully pried Luo Wei’s fingers off his sleeve. “Xiao Wei,” he asked Luo Wei, “are you satisfied now?”
With empty hands and a blank mind, Luo Wei couldn’t comprehend what Luo Ze was saying.
Seeing Luo Wei in this state, Luo Ze suddenly erupted, shouting at Luo Wei, “You killed your eldest brother and caused Tian Shui to become a mountain of corpses and a sea of fire! Are you satisfied now? Sima Qingsha has feelings for you. How nice! Have you forgotten that you are a from Great Zhou?!”
“Did I cause this?” Luo Wei felt as if he were in a dream, completely unable to understand what Luo Ze was saying.
“It was you who wrote the letter to deceive Eldest Brother into going to Tian Shui to meet you! How could Eldest Brother die?! The child in Sister-in-Law’s womb was a boy! Are you so heartless? For your own sake, you even want to harm Eldest Brother and Sister-in-Law?!”
Luo Wei thought, Eldest Brother is dead?
“You actually led the Northern Yan army to Tian Shui Yuan! Wushuang City was reclaimed by you yourself, what do you take human lives for?! Do you regret it, and now want to help Northern Yan reclaim the city again?! Luo Yunqi, even if you follow Sima Qingsha, even if you want to be a traitor, but he was your Eldest Brother! How could you even think of harming him?!” Luo Ze roared at Luo Wei.
“How could Eldest Brother die?!” Luo Wei was starting to wake up from his daze. He grabbed Luo Ze’s clothes, almost roaring himself, “How could Eldest Brother possibly die?! What letter?! I don’t understand what you’re saying! If you’re joking with me, this joke is too much!”
Seeing Luo Wei like this, Luo Ze hesitated for a moment. Could they have misunderstood him? On the Tian Shui long embarkment, under Wushuang City, so many pairs of eyes saw Luo Wei. The letter found from the Yun Guan Command, it couldn’t all be fake! Thinking this, Luo Ze pushed Luo Wei forcefully.
Luo Wei fell to the ground, struggling to catch his breath.
Luo Ze threw a piece of golden brocade in front of Luo Wei, saying, “This is from His Majesty, your father, written to you. Before I came, it had already been announced to the world. I’m sure Sima Qingsha didn’t want you to be sad, so he must not have let you know about this. Look at it, Prince Jin.”
Luo Wei looked up at Luo Ze.
“Don’t look at me!” Luo Ze said. “Look at the edict written by your father!”
Luo Wei looked at the edict, written in red ink, as if each word was written in blood, making it almost impossible for him to read the lines.
Treacherous by nature, disregarding the country, harboring hatred, without father or king, unworthy of being a son,…, as he read these damning words, Luo Wei came across the phrase “betraying ancestors and forgetting one’s roots.” These four words made Luo Wei unable to hold onto the thin brocade anymore. With a loose grip, the brocade slipped from his hand.
“You can take care of yourself,” Luo Ze said, then turned to leave.
“Second Brother!” Luo Wei saw Luo Ze about to leave and rushed to him, hugging his legs, “I never wrote any letter! Tell me, what happened to Eldest Brother?! What’s going on?!”
“Have you ever written a letter to Eldest Brother?” Luo Ze asked.
“No, I really haven’t written any letters!”
“But Sister-in-law said you wrote a letter. Could it be that Sister-in-law is lying?”
“How could that be possible when I’m here in the palace,” Luo Wei suddenly remembered the letter he had asked Aunt Hu to send out, and his words trailed off.
“Why did you stop talking?” Luo Ze said. “So many people in the army saw you, Eldest Brother was stabbed right in front of you, and you didn’t know? And now you come to ask me?!”
“That’s impossible!” Luo Wei shouted, “I’ve never left the palace, how could I have gone to Tian Shui Yuan?!”
“Who can prove it?”
“The people here can prove it!”
“Here?” Luo Ze scoffed, “The people here, of course, will say whatever you tell them to say. Who dares to say no to you? The new favorite of Emperor Sima Qingsha!”
Luo Wei kept shaking his head, “Someone must be framing me!” He wanted to explain to Luo Ze, “I haven’t done anything against Great Zhou, nor have I harmed Eldest Brother. I did write a letter to Eldest Brother…”
“Enough!” Luo Ze suddenly kicked Luo Wei to the ground. “Everyone is wronging you! You’re a good person! Do you think I’m blind and can’t see for myself?!”
Luo Wei tried to stand up but couldn’t.
“Xiao Wei,” Luo Ze’s eyes filled with tears, “I never thought it would be you who would harm Eldest Brother, I never thought you would betray the country out of hatred. I thought you had changed for the better, that you were no longer the mischievous child who was causing trouble everywhere. But it turns out you haven’t changed at all, you still only think about yourself! You’re no longer a subject of Great Zhou, and I’m no longer your Second Brother. You don’t have to lie to me anymore!” Luo Ze turned and walked away quickly.
“Second Brother!” Luo Wei fell to the ground, unable to get up.
“Eldest Brother is dead!” Luo Ze turned back to Luo Wei and said, “I hope you can continue to enjoy prosperity in Northern Yan! The moment Eldest Brother died, I no longer had a brother!”
Translator: Ugh, I hope this arc ends soon, I can’t with all this angst >.<
Boundless Dao 
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