After nightfall, rain continued to fall over the capital, the early spring breeze alternating between warmth and chill, carrying bursts of floral fragrance.
Luo Wei stepped out of the main gate of the mansion and saw Long Xuan waiting for him outside.
“Come back to the palace with me,” Long Xuan said to Luo Wei. “I’ve ordered Imperial Physician Wei to wait for you in the palace.”
“Let’s go,” Luo Wei walked up to Long Xuan and glanced at the royal carriage behind him. “Your Majesty doesn’t want me to sit here with you when you go back, right?”
“It’s fine to ride together,” Long Xuan replied.
“I dare not,” Luo Wei said. “This carriage is meant for the Emperor. I’m afraid riding in it would shorten my life.”
“In that case, you go ahead and board,” Long Xuan glanced at the officials who came out to see him off, all of them bowing respectfully, as if they hadn’t heard his conversation with Luo Wei.
Luo Wei boarded his own two-seater carriage. Only after Luo Wei got into the carriage did Long Xuan ascend the imperial carriage and order, “Let’s go.”
The eunuch who was supervising the ceremony hurriedly shouted, “Depart for the palace!”
“We respectfully bid farewell to Your Majesty!” Luo Zhiqiu, leading the officials, knelt down together to see Long Xuan off.
Fu Hua, accompanied by her two daughters-in-law, stood at the door. Now that Luo Wei’s status had changed, these women from the inner court couldn’t easily meet him. They could only take this opportunity to hide behind the door and steal a glance at Luo Wei.
“He’s gotten thinner,” Fu Hua whispered. “He has lost weight again after going out.”
Ye Xiu and Xu Yuemiao could only shed tears. If the men couldn’t do anything, what could these women do?
When the imperial carriage reached the palace gate, Long Xuan pondered for a moment and said, “Open the main gate. Today, I will enter from the main gate with Prince Jin.”
The main gate of the palace swung open.
Luo Wei, sitting in the carriage, didn’t attach any significance to which gate they entered from.
“Your Majesty, are we going back to Changming Hall?” Fuyun, following behind the imperial carriage, asked.
“Go to Yi Jin Garden,” Long Xuan said.
The carriage proceeded towards Yi Jin Garden on Emerald Island.
Luo Wei heard the sound of flowing water from inside the carriage. He then lifted the curtain and looked outside. It wasn’t the road to Changming Hall. “Where are we going?” he asked the eunuch driving the carriage.
“According to His Majesty,” the eunuch hurriedly said, “His Majesty wants to take the prince to Yi Jin Garden.”
“Yi Jin Garden?” Luo Wei said. “There’s still such a place in the palace?”
“It was built after His Majesty’s ascension to the throne,” the eunuch explained. “It was specially built for the Prince by His Majesty.”
Luo Wei let down the carriage curtain. A garden built for him? “Madman,” Luo Wei cursed Long Xuan under his breath.
After Long Xuan’s carriage arrived at Yi Jin Garden, he stepped down from the imperial carriage and approached the carriage where Luo Wei was sitting. “Luo Wei, we’ve arrived. Come down and take a look.”
Luo Wei took a deep breath, watching as the carriage doors were pulled open by two eunuchs. Supported by another two eunuchs, he got out of the carriage.
“Do you like it here?” Long Xuan asked Luo Wei, gesturing to the surroundings.
Glancing at the garden in front of him, Luo Wei said, “It’s just a garden, isn’t it? What’s so special about it? I don’t see anything.”
Long Xuan looked around and realized he had forgotten to take Luo Wei to see the small courtyard. “My mistake. Let’s go inside and take a look,” he said.
Luo Wei avoided Long Xuan’s attempt to hold his hand and said, “Your Majesty, please walk ahead. I don’t know what you want me to see.”
“Let’s go in,” Long Xuan walked ahead, acting as a guide for Luo Wei.
As Luo Wei was about to step forward, he saw two guards about to approach and separate him from Long Xuan. He chuckled and said, “Should I step back a little more?”
Hearing Luo Wei’s words, the two guards stopped in their tracks, unsure of what to do. They were just following protocol, but they had once again angered Prince Jin.
Long Xuan turned around and asked, “Step back? What’s going on?”
“Your Majesty’s safety is paramount,” Luo Wei said, glancing at the two guards who wished they could disappear. “If I get too close, and something happens to Your Majesty, I would be guilty of a grave offense.”
“These servants deserves to die,” the two guards immediately knelt down.
“What are you arguing with the servants about?” Long Xuan walked back to Luo Wei’s side and asked, “Tell me, what do you want to do with them?”
“These servants deserve to die, please spare their lives, Your Highness,” the two guards pleaded with Luo Wei in fear.
“I’m tired of these people. I say kill them all. Will you do it?” Luo Wei asked Long Xuan with a smile.
Long Xuan glanced at the attendants present, actually considering Luo Wei’s words. Killing a few people could relieve Luo Wei’s anger, and it didn’t seem like a big deal. These people were just servants, and he could have as many as he wanted.
“Do you really want to?” Luo Wei shook his head. “Do you really see them as dogs?”
“As long as you are happy,” Long Xuan said to Luo Wei. “I’ve said it before, I can give you anything now,” Seeing that Luo Wei was about to speak, he quickly added, “Except letting you go.”
“They’re all human lives,” Luo Wei stepped past Long Xuan and walked ahead. “They were all born of mothers and raised by fathers. If you can kill fewer, then kill fewer.”
Long Xuan caught up with Luo Wei and said, “As I’ve said, it’s up to you.”
Fuyun secretly stomped his foot, hoping to warm up his trembling legs a little.
“Where’s the lamp bearer?” Long Xuan called ahead.
Fuyun quickly took a palace lamp from the lamp bearer and hurried a few steps to the side front of Luo Wei, carefully guiding him.
Luo Wei glanced at Fuyun and suddenly asked Long Xuan, “Do you want me to live alone on this island?”
Long Xuan said, “Whoever you want to serve you, just say the word, and I’ll send them.”
Fuyun, ahead, prayed to heaven, hoping Luo Wei wouldn’t mention his name again. If he fell into Luo Wei’s hands, he would definitely not live long.
Luo Wei asked Fuyun, “Now that Mr. Fu has risen in status, he probably won’t be willing to serve me again, right?”
Fuyun quickly knelt down and said, “It is this slave’s blessing to serve the Prince.”
“Is that the truth?”
“I dare not lie to the Prince.”
Luo Wei looked at Long Xuan.
Long Xuan said, “Then let Fuyun serve you.”
Fuyun sighed in his heart, resigned to his fate.
“I’ve never liked this servant,” Luo Wei said at that moment. “How could I possibly let him serve me? I’m afraid he would assassinate me.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Fuyun quickly kowtowed to Luo Wei. “Even if I had the weight of the sky on my shoulders, I wouldn’t dare harbor such evil thoughts. I hope the Prince will see this.”
“I haven’t said anything,” Luo Wei said calmly. “One have to consider its master when beating a dog. I still have to consider your master’s face.”
“If you don’t want to see him, I won’t let him come over in the future,” Long Xuan naturally understood that Luo Wei was using Fuyun to humiliate him, but he still spoke calmly to Luo Wei, “I don’t want you to have an outburst every time you see this servant.”
“Are you feeling sorry for me?”
“I just don’t want you to lose your status over this servant.”
Luo Wei laughed twice and said, “I didn’t know until today that I still had some status.”
“You lead the way,” Long Xuan said to Fuyun, who was kneeling on the ground. Luo Wei would definitely argue with him today. Long Xuan just didn’t want Luo Wei to lose his temper in front of so many servants.
Boundless Dao 
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