Long Xuan walked out of the East Palace and stood outside its main gate, looking at the palace that he once envied. Now it seemed that the East Palace was nothing special, with its red walls and glazed tiles, not much different from his Qingwen Hall.
“Your Highness,” a man knelt before him.
Long Xuan looked at Long Yi, the head of the Dragon Cavalry Guards, and asked, “How is my Father?”
“Master Wei is still treating him,” Long Yi replied.
“I promised to let you take off this uniform,” Long Xuan said. “You can leave the palace now.”
The fate of the Dragon Cavalry was never in their hands. If the emperor decreed before his death to bury them with him, they would have to commit suicide in the imperial tomb. Even if they were unwilling to commit suicide to escort the emperor to the underworld, they would still die by being sealed alive in the eternal silence of the imperial tomb. When Long Yi heard that he could leave the palace, he looked up at Long Xuan in disbelief. Would this person really ignore his father’s last wish and let him leave the palace?
“Do you know about Prince Jin’s matter?” Long Xuan asked Long Yi.
“This subordinate heard about it,” Long Yi replied.
“Sima Qingsha said Luo Wei died, but I don’t believe it,” Long Xuan said.
“Can Sima Qingsha still lie about this matter?” Long Yi asked.
“You go to Northern Yan and find Luo Wei,” Long Xuan ordered Long Yi. “Wei Lan has left the camp in Tian Shui Yuan, throwing away his armor and hanging his seal, so he must have gone to Hefang City to find Luo Wei. The fire in Ninglu Palace might have been set by Luo Wei and Wei Lan to cover up their escape.”
“Your Highness, can Wei Lan have the ability to sneak into Northern Yan’s palace?” Long Yi asked skeptically.
“He had the ability to go from being a Qilin Shadow Guard to becoming a General of our Great Zhou through military exploits. Why wouldn’t I believe he can sneak into the deep Northern Yan’s palace?” Long Xuan said. “For Luo Wei, this person will do anything. If Luo Wei is dead but there is no news of Wei Lan’s death, I won’t believe that Luo Wei perished in a sea of fire.”
“But even if Wei Lan is dead, no one in Northern Yan would recognize his body,” Long Yi said.
“Luo Wei must be alive,” Long Xuan said, looking at Long Yi with cold eyes. “You go find him. If you can’t find Luo Wei, don’t bother coming back.”
“This subordinate will obey,” Long Yi quickly acknowledged.
“After you leave the palace, if you don’t search for Luo Wei with all your heart and effort for me, I won’t let you off lightly,” Long Xuan warned.
“I understand.”
“After becoming a Dragon Cavalry Guard, you can only be a servant of my Long family for the rest of your life,” Long Xuan said coldly to Long Yi. “Even if there are unforeseen events with Father, you will still be my Dragon Cavalry Guard.”
“Yes,” Long Yi kowtowed to Long Xuan.
“You may leave the palace now,” Long Xuan finally let Long Yi go.
“Your Highness, what should we do if Prince Jin is indeed deceased?” Before leaving, Long Yi asked Long Xuan this final question.
“He cannot be dead,” Long Xuan replied. “If he truly died, I would sense it.”
Long Yi felt that Long Xuan was delusional. Luo Wei died in Northern Yan, while Long Xuan was in the palace. How could he have any feeling about it?
“Anything else?” Long Xuan asked Long Yi.
Regardless of the situation, Long Yi knew he must visit Northern Yan. Whether Luo Wei was alive or dead, he needed to find out.
“Remember, not only must you investigate Luo Wei, but you must also track down Wei Lan. If the two of them got together, they would never be separated again,” Long Xuan added as Long Yi departed.
“I understand,” Long Yi quickly retreated.
Watching Long Yi depart, Long Xuan turned and headed back to his Qingwen Hall. It was time to return to the Changming Hall to have a look.
“Brother!” Long Xiang called out as he hurried over.
“What do you look like?” Long Xuan frowned upon seeing Long Xiang’s state. “Running like this, are you afraid others won’t notice your anxiety?”
“Did Luo Wei die?” Long Xiang asked before even reaching Long Xuan, ignoring his reprimand.
“Is this matter already spreading outside?” Long Xuan inquired.
“Yes,” Long Xiang gasped, still catching his breath. “Did Sima Qingsha really send an imperial edict, saying Luo Wei has died?”
“Yes,” Long Xuan confirmed. “Luo Wei is dead. You can forget about him.”
Long Xiang, like Long Yu, was stunned.
“I called you into the palace for a reason,” Long Xuan said. “What are you doing? Luo Wei is dead, and you still want to cry for him?”
“You—” Long Xiang glared at Long Xuan. “Is this how you are?”
“What am I like?” Long Xuan asked.
“The person who died is Luo Wei!” Long Xiang shouted at Long Xuan. “And you’re telling me about it as if it was someone insignificant?”
“The emperor is seriously ill,” Long Xuan whispered to Long Xiang. “Now is not the time for grieving.”
“Father?”
“Keep your voice down,” Long Xuan cautioned, preventing Long Xiang from raising his voice again.
“Then I’ll go see my father,” Long Xiang said, heading toward Changming Hall.
“Hold on,” Long Xuan said. “Do you think the emperor, after hearing about Luo Wei’s death, will have the heart to see his sons?”
Long Xiang looked at Long Xuandao blankly. “Besides Luo Wei, are we no longer his sons?”
“Is it useful for you to tell me these nonsense?” Long Xuan retorted. “If you want to make your father angry, just go to him and let him remember that he still has a son like you.”
Long Xiang cursed under his breath before asking, “Then why did you summon me into the palace?”
Long Xuan continued walking towards Changming Hall, with Long Xiang following behind.
“Take your troops,” Long Xuan said to Long Xiang as they walked. “Go and bring those disobedient battalions under control for me.”
Long Xiang’s expression changed. “Bring them under control?”
“What’s wrong?” Long Xuan asked. “Are you scared?”
In the Six battalions of the capital, Long Xuan could control three battalions, and the other three had to be seized by Long Xiang.
“It’s not that I am afraid,” Long Xiang said. “It’s just, have you thought this through, brother? Once we do this, there will be no turning back.”
“You don’t want to stand with me and face death?” Long Xuan asked.
“Let’s face it then,” Long Xiang said firmly. “If we don’t fight, we will only have the fate of being bullied!”
“Follow me,” Long Xuan said. “I don’t want bloodshed, so remember, if you can avoid violence, then do not resort to it.”
“Alright,” Long Xiang agreed. “I will listen to you.”
When the two brothers arrived at Changming Hall, Long Xuan said to Long Xiang, “Wait for me outside.”
Glancing at the situation inside Changming Hall, Long Xiang pulled Long Xuan aside and whispered, “You’ve surrounded this place too? What if Father finds out?”
“It’s fine,” Long Xuan said, giving Long Xiang a smile before turning and entering the hall.
After entering the main hall, Long Xuan first glanced into the inner chamber and saw Imperial Physician Wei and his colleagues gathered around the emperor’s bed, indicating that Emperor Xingwu had still not awakened. Long Xuan didn’t speak to the physicians and walked to the outer chamber. He sat behind Emperor Xingwu’s imperial desk and wrote three edicts, all ordering the commanders of the three camps to surrender their military authority. After writing the edicts, he sealed them with the imperial seal and waited for the ink to dry.
“Your Highness?” Imperial Physician Wei regretted coming out at this moment, just in time to see Long Xuan sitting behind the imperial desk.
Long Xuan didn’t lift his head. “How is my father?”
“The emperor’s condition is not good,” Imperial Physician Wei replied reluctantly.
“I finally understand how it feels to wield power over vassals,” Long Xuan said to Imperial Physician Wei. “No wonder so many throughout history coveted this throne.”
Imperial Physician Wei dared not speak. His fate now lay in Long Xuan’s hands. Previously, Emperor Xingwu was his master, but now Long Xuan was his master.
Long Xuan no longer looked at Imperial Physician Wei. He left the hall and handed the edicts to Long Xiang, saying, “Be careful and don’t be reckless.”
Long Xiang took the edict and left in a hurry.
Zhao Fu looked at Long Xuan, unable to help but look up at the heavens in despair. The heavens were about to change.
Boundless Dao 
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