“It seems Long Xuan was right,” Sima Qingsha stood behind the secret door, speaking to Sun Li who was standing beside him. “Luo Ze is hot-tempered, he won’t have the patience to listen to Luo Wei’s explanation.”
Sun Li looked at Luo Wei, who was lying on the ground. The hatred he felt for this person suddenly diminished quite a bit. “In a situation like this, Prince Jin will be unable to argue. No one will believe what he says.”
“Chang Ling is temporarily in command of the troops at Yunguan,” Sima Qingsha said. “This person is Long Xuan’s brother-in-law. What do you think, Sun Li? If Long Xuan ascends to the throne, will it be a blessing or a disaster for Northern Yan?”
“Long Xuan is ruthless,” Sun Li said truthfully. “If this person becomes the emperor of Great Zhou, Your Majesty should take more precautions.”
Sima Qingsha didn’t speak to Sun Li anymore. He looked at Luo Wei, feeling somewhat distressed, but this was the only way he could permanently keep Luo Wei by his side.
“Do you want me to call the court physician?” Sun Li asked Sima Qingsha with concern as he saw Luo Wei lying motionless on the ground.
“You can leave,” Sima Qingsha waved his hand, dismissing Sun Li. “Make sure Luo Yuxuan is sent away properly.”
“Luo Yuxuan said he wants to take away all the guards and servants Prince Jin brought from Great Zhou,” Sun Li said. “Does Your Majesty agree to his request?”
“Luo Wei is no longer associated with Great Zhou,” Sima Qingsha said. “Let him take his people away.”
Sun Li acknowledged and went to attend to Luo Ze.
Luo Wei watched Luo Ze walk away quickly. He wanted to chase after him but couldn’t get up. He wanted to call out, but Luo Ze ignored him. He could only lie on the ground, his face against the cold floor tiles, his mind slowly clearing. Sima Qingsha took him to the New Year’s palace banquet, allowing him to cause a scene to make people believe that he, Luo Wei, was influential in the Northern Yan palace, and that Sima Qingsha cherished him. He was confined to the Guanshan Tower, enjoying a life of luxury, all to show his Second Brother that he was living well, to make his Second Brother believe that he was a favored “male consort.” Who would harm his Eldest Brother? Who else would Sima Qingsha collaborate with? Apart from Long Xuan, there could be no one else. The mother and daughter Hu were not loyal to Emperor Xingwu, but to Long Xuan. That letter must have been tampered with by Long Xuan. These two, in the span of a year, played cat and mouse games, just to make him, Luo Wei, homeless.
Taking another look at the piece of gold brocade, the four words “Betraying one’s ancestors and forgetting one’s lineage” once again caught his eye. Luo Wei closed his eyes. It turned out that in both lifetimes, he would end up with the epithet of betraying ancestors and forgetting one’s lineage, alienating both kin and country, destined to bring about his Eldest Brother’s demise. Blood dripped from his tightly closed lips, falling onto the brocade. Luo Wei didn’t care. His hand grasped the gap in the bricks, his nails cracked, but he didn’t feel any pain. Eldest Brother was dead, he was homeless, what reason did he have to live? Luo Wei asked himself. You reincarnated to ensure their safety in this life, but now you face the same ending. What’s the point of this life?
“Second Brother!” With this self-questioning, Luo Wei suddenly found the strength to climb up from the ground and rushed to the door of the staircase. The door had long been locked. Luo Wei could only pound on the wooden door, hoping that Luo Ze hadn’t gone too far yet. “I didn’t harm Eldest Brother! Tell me, did you really see Eldest Brother’s body?! I don’t believe Eldest Brother is dead! Second Brother! Listen to my explanation! Second Brother!”
In vain, he shouted for half a day, but there was no sound coming from the other side of the door; Luo Ze had already gone far. Luo Wei leaned against the door and slid down to the ground, too exhausted to shout anymore. He remembered his Second Brother’s temperament—Luo Ze wouldn’t listen to his explanation. He had already decided that Luo Wei was the murderer. Not killing him in retaliation was already the greatest tolerance from this Second Brother of his.
Sima Qingsha had been watching Luo Wei all this time, until his legs began to ache a little from standing for so long. Luo Wei was still sitting on the ground, hugging his knees, with his head hanging low, not moving at all.
Sun Li escorted Luo Ze all the way to the inn and returned to the Guanshan Tower palace in the afternoon. “Your Majesty,” he approached Sima Qingsha from behind and whispered, “I have arranged for Luo Yuxuan. He said he would return to Zhou tomorrow.”
Sima Qingsha asked, “Did he mention Luo Wei?”
“No,” Sun Li replied.
Sima Qingsha nodded.
“Your Majesty, have you been standing here the whole time?” Sun Li asked.
“I’ve been thinking about what to say to Luo Wei,” Sima Qingsha said.
Sun Li twitched his mouth slightly. Whatever he said to Luo Wei now, the man wouldn’t listen, right? “It’s raining outside now,” Sun Li said to Sima Qingsha.
“Is it?” Sima Qingsha finally tore his gaze away from Luo Wei and looked at the sky, where there were faint drizzles falling. “You can go down,” Sima Qingsha decided to go up and talk to Luo Wei, not wanting him to catch a cold in the rain. He gestured for Sun Li to retreat first.
“Yes,” Sun Li wasn’t worried about his master Luo Wei. No matter what Luo Wei did, he couldn’t harm his Majesty.
Sima Qingsha pushed open the secret door and walked up to the terrace, approaching Luo Wei. “It’s raining. Let’s go back,” he said.
Luo Wei heard Sima Qingsha’s voice and shrank a bit.
“Yunqi,” Sima Qingsha crouched down in front of Luo Wei, saying, “Stay here from now on. I will really treat you well, and I won’t hurt you in the slightest, nor will I force you anymore.”
Luo Wei’s lips trembled twice.
“I will keep my word,” Sima Qingsha held Luo Wei’s hand and said, “Come back with me. It’s raining, you can’t catch a cold.”
“Qingsha,” Luo Wei softly called Sima Qingsha’s name.
Sima Qingsha, as if hearing the voice of heaven, immediately responded, “I am here.”
“I’m homeless now,” Luo Wei looked up at Sima Qingsha, tears streaming down his face.
“You have me,” Sima Qingsha’s heart ached, and he hugged Luo Wei in his arms, “This is my palace, and from now on, it’s your home too. How could you be homeless?”
“If you wanted to retaliate against me, you could do whatever you wanted. Why did you have to harm my elder brother?” Luo Wei’s voice suddenly turned sinister again after a moment, “Why didn’t you spare even my big brother?”
Sima Qingsha felt something was wrong and hurriedly let go of Luo Wei’s arms, and looked down.
“Why did you have to harm my big brother?!” Luo Wei had a dagger in his hand, and thrusted it directly towards Sima Qingsha’s chest.
Sima Qingsha quickly leaned back and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding Luo Wei’s thrust.
“You all deserve to die!” Luo Wei, no longer the pitiful figure he was moments ago, now looked ferocious, his eyes bloodshot with madness. “I deserve to die, and you won’t escape either!”
“Yunqi!” Sima Qingsha grabbed Luo Wei’s hand and shouted, “It’s too late now. You have nowhere to go! Except me, who else can protect you!”
“Who needs your protection?!” Luo Wei, seemingly crazed, headbutted Sima Qingsha to the ground, shouting at him, “I wish you were dead!” He then grabbed a short knife from Sima Qingsha’s waist without even bothering to remove the sheath, and stabbed it into Sima Qingsha’s abdomen.
“Luo Wei!” Sima Qingsha’s heart turned cold in an instant at Luo Wei’s madness. He had only ever wanted to keep Luo Wei, but he never imagined Luo Wei wanted to die with him. In a daze, Sima Qingsha felt a sharp pain in his left abdomen. Luo Wei’s knife had pierced him.
“I should have killed you long ago!” Luo Wei’s hand was bruised and bleeding from holding the the knife too hard, but he felt no pain at this moment. All he wanted was to plunge the sheathed knife deep into Sima Qingsha’s belly.
Something snapped in Sima Qingsha’s mind. This was the first time he truly faced Luo Wei’s hatred, and it was bone-deep. “You want to kill me?!” Sima Qingsha became furious. He grabbed Luo Wei and pinned him down beneath him in just one move.
Hearing the commotion on the terrace, Sun Li rushed up with his men and saw Sima Qingsha and Luo Wei entangled in a fight. The scene left everyone stunned.
Boundless Dao 
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