Wei Lan had been standing aside, listening to the discussion of the group not far away.
Chang Ling had been transferred back to the capital, Luo Qi had returned be the commander-in-chief of Yunguan, and Luo Ze held authority over the southeast. Wei Lan had known of these news while he was journeying with Luo Wei. He could understand Long Xuan’s approach. Just as Luo Wei had said, this time, Long Xuan relied on nothing but having Emperor Xingwu ultimately controlled by himself. Among the military, aside from Long Xiang and Chang Ling, there were no others. Chang Ling’s return to the capital was to stabilize the area around the capital for Long Xuan. Although the Luo brothers and Long Xuan were not of the same mind, the moral integrity of the Luo family would never allow them to betray the Emperor. Therefore, Long Xuan’s use of the Luo brothers was an inevitable choice. By promoting Luo Qi and Luo Ze, people like the Zhao brothers in the military could follow Long Xuan with peace of mind.
Thinking about Long Xuan’s words about welcoming back Luo Wei’s remains, Wei Lan couldn’t help but smile. This person could really say all kinds of hypocritical things.
“Then when will this battle start? Has it already begun?” the teahouse owner asked. At this point, she believed that these people weren’t just talking nonsense.
“When we arrived, it hadn’t started yet,” the old merchant said. “But I heard that Great Zhou is sending troops to Yunguan. It might turn into a big war this time. I also heard that His Majesty intends to personally lead the troops.”
“His Majesty truly cares deeply about Prince Jin,” the teahouse owner said. “Their brotherly love in the Imperial family is commendable.”
“You, you’re just a woman!” Old Wei rolled his eyes at the teahouse owner. “There are principles involved in this. The Imperial family…”
“Don’t talk about national affairs!” The four old men beside him all pushed Old Wei.
Personal expedition? Wei Lan frowned. What was Long Xuan planning this time? Would he take control of the military authority again under the guise of this war?
The statement “don’t talk about national affairs” instantly cooled down the lively atmosphere of the teahouse.
The five old men walked over to Wei Lan, while Old Wei still had a fearful expression.
“You old fool, you’ll die from your mouth one day!” The other four elders scolded Old Wei. “Don’t you know what to say and what not to say at your age? It’s okay if you talk about war, but can’t you keep your mouth shut about the affairs of the Imperial family?”
“Can what I say here be heard in the capital?” Old Wei couldn’t lift his head under the scolding from his old friends, so he argued forcefully, “How can there be eavesdroppers here?”
“You old man are not afraid of death!” The five old men stood in front of Wei Lan, while the other four continued to scold Old Wei. “Those people, except for the gates of hell, go everywhere and talk too much. How do you know they won’t spread your words? Do you know what kind of temper our new Emperor has? If he hears it, will he spare you?” Old Wei couldn’t even lift his head anymore.
“Brother Lan, you’ve also been out there wandering,” another old man asked Wei Lan, “Can you say whatever you want about national affairs and the Imperial family?”
“We common people,” Wei Lan smiled, “shouldn’t ask about national affairs or the Imperial family. It’s enough to take care of ourselves.”
“Did you hear that? Brother Lan is more sensible than you!”
Wei Lan didn’t know why these old men were so sensitive about talking about national affairs and the Imperial family, but he didn’t want to ask. He simply said, “Gentlemen, it’s getting late. I have to go back now. I’ll come back to the city tomorrow to buy things.”
Only then did Old Wei speak again, “If Brother Fu wants to come tomorrow, you can bring him. We’ll wait for you here.”
“Alright,” Wei Lan nodded in agreement, urging the chestnut horse toward the east of the city.
After Wei Lan left, the five old men stood together, still giving Old Wei a lecture.
“Why did our ancestors leave such a good place in Jiangnan and come here? Wasn’t it just because they said the wrong thing back then?”
“Our Wei ancestors were also founding heroes. It was just offending the new emperor that forced us to come to this remote desert. It was just a slip of the tongue!”
“Alright, I was wrong, okay? Next time I talk nonsense, make me mute!” Old Wei finally said harshly.
“In fact, our Wei ancestors were no worse than today’s noble Luo family of Youyan!”
Several old men squatted against the wall, reminiscing about the glorious past of their Wei ancestors, which they themselves had never seen.
When Wei Lan returned to the wooden house in the forest, it was already dusk. The door of the wooden house was open, and there were still bedding being aired in the front courtyard.
“Young Master?” Wei Lan got off the carriage and called out to Luo Wei.
No one answered.
Wei Lan immediately became nervous again. He hurried into the house to look around, but there was no sign of Luo Wei. However, when he saw that the two large pots were missing from the kitchen stove, he knew where to find Luo Wei.
By this time, Luo Wei had already washed all the pots, pans, and utensils, and was washing the clothes that he and Wei Lan had changed out of but hadn’t washed yet. The creek water was cold, but after soaking in it for a while, it didn’t feel cold anymore.
When Wei Lan arrived at the creek, he saw the setting sun dyeing the water red. Luo Wei sat on a large rock by the stream, surrounded by a golden-red glow. With the green trees and red flowers by the stream, along with Luo Wei’s focused yet relaxed expression, Wei Lan couldn’t help but be entranced. It was like a painting, and he hesitated to disturb this picturesque scene bathed in sunlight.
After some time, Wei Lan quietly approached and suddenly sat down next to Luo Wei.
The sudden appearance of someone startled Luo Wei, but when he saw that it was Wei Lan, he smiled and said, “Why did you come back only now? Did something happen on the way? Did you send the old gentlemen home?”
“So many questions at once,” Wei Lan looked at Luo Wei with a smile. “Young Master, which one do you want me to answer first?”
“Answer them all,” Luo Wei said. After a moment of thought, he continued, “Wasn’t it just three?”
“They’ve all been sent home,” Wei Lan said. “And in the city, I listened to the elders teaching me about farming.”
Luo Wei chuckled, “Can you understand it by just listening to it?”
Wei Lan shook his head, “It sounds a bit confusing to me. I’ll have to try it out myself to find out. If I don’t understand, I’ll go back and ask them again.”
“Are you really going to bother them like this?” Luo Wei chuckled. “How hard can farming be? I’ve seen people farm before. You just dig a hole in the ground, put the seeds in, and cover it up. That’s it.”
“Is it that simple?” Wei Lan said. “But I heard from Old Wei that you need to use sprinkles.”
“Sprinklers?” Luo Wei said. “What does that mean? Don’t you need to dig a hole?”
Wei Lan felt discussing farming with Luo Wei was a mistake. He looked at the clothes Luo Wei was holding and noticed that Luo Wei’s hands were red from soaking in the cold water. Wei Lan quickly took the clothes from Luo Wei’s hands and said, “Do you want to wash everything today? Let me see your hands.”
Luo Wei tried to hide his hands behind his back and said, “Am I that delicate? It’s just a little thing. I’ve almost finished washing everything.”
Wei Lan pulled Luo Wei’s hands over and felt even more distressed. He said, “Why are they so cold?”
“They’ve been soaking in cold water, haven’t they?” Luo Wei said. “They will be fine in a moment.”
Wei Lan didn’t listen to Luo Wei anymore. He held Luo Wei’s hands in his and rubbed them for a long time until Luo Wei’s hands warmed up. Then he let go and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go home.”
Boundless Dao 
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