The small courtyard in front looked familiar to Luo Wei. He stood under the tung tree. “Is this… is this a tung tree?”
“Do you still recognize it?” Long Xuan stood not far from Luo Wei and said, “What do you think of this courtyard?”
Upon closer inspection, Luo Wei found this courtyard increasingly familiar. After scrutinizing it for a while, he finally realized that this was the courtyard from the Senion Chancellor’s mansion. “You,” he said to Long Xuan, “did you even take apart the house I had in the mansion? What on earth do you want to do?”
“Don’t blame me wrongly,” Long Xuan hadn’t expected Luo Wei to see this courtyard and immediately assume he had gone to the mansion and robbed the place. “It’s because Lord Luo didn’t want them anymore, so I brought these things back.”
“My father has nothing better to do at home than chop down trees?” Luo Wei said. “Don’t you have anything better to do either?”
“Even if I did dismantle the house,” Long Xuan conceded, “you can live here from now on.”
Looking at the row of houses in front of him, Luo Wei went straight to the study. Upon entering, he found that even the furnishings and decorations inside were familiar.
Long Xuan followed in and casually closed the door.
Luo Wei sat down in a chair, cursing Long Xuan as a madman in his heart.
Long Xuan sat down opposite Luo Wei and said, “Imperial Physician Wei is in Changming Hall. I’ve sent someone to fetch him. Just wait a bit longer.”
“I’m not going to die just yet,” Luo Wei said.
The room fell silent for a moment as both men were lost in their thoughts.
After waiting for Luo Wei for a while and not seeing him erupt in anger, Long Xuan asked, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“I’m not involved in state affairs, so I don’t know what there is to say to you,” Luo Wei said irritably.
“You have nothing to ask me about Wei Lan?” Long Xuan just wanted to get it out of the way. It would be best if he and Luo Wei didn’t have to talk about Wei Lan anymore after tonight.
Luo Wei gave Long Xuan a cold glance. “I don’t need to discuss Lan’s matters with you.”
“I will grant him wealth and status,” Long Xuan said. “You saw today, he’s now a Prince Consort.”
“It seems I still have to thank you.”
“Luo Wei, I said I wouldn’t hurt him.”
“Wangchuan almost cost him his life. You made his past a blank slate. And you call that not harming him?” Luo Wei couldn’t understand Long Xuan’s thinking. “Tell me, what would it take for you to consider harming him?!”
“It was just a month of suffering,” Long Xuan said. “Is it not good for him to be a new man?”
“Wasn’t he living as a man when he was with me before?”
“If you felt that being with him was so good, why did you let go today?” Long Xuan asked Luo Wei. “Luo Wei, you know yourself, when Wei Lan is with you, he can only ever be your subordinate.”
Luo Wei couldn’t help but laugh again. “How much do you really know about me and Lan? Don’t talk about things you don’t understand. In your eyes, who isn’t a subordinate?”
“You’re not,” Long Xuan said.
“I’m your stepping stone, I know,” Luo Wei retorted at Long Xuan. “Now that I’m in the palace, you can return to Changming Hall, right?”
“Let’s talk about it after Imperial Physician Wei arrives,” Long Xuan sat still. “This place is surrounded by water on all sides, very quiet. You can recuperate here.”
“You said I’m still Prince Jin.”
“Yes, I’ve already announced it to the world.”
“Then can I leave the palace to build my own residence, right? You won’t object?”
“I’ve said I won’t let you go again,” Long Xuan raised his voice, saying, “You should just stay here.”
“You’re still using my two older brothers, right?” Luo Wei’s gaze became sharp. “Am I the hostage you’re using to control them?”
Long Xuan stood up suddenly. “I will not use you anymore, Luo Wei. I just want to treat you well now.”
“I’m not a woman,” Luo Wei also stood up, addressing Long Xuan. “I don’t need you to treat me well. Even without Lan, I can take care of myself!”
“What if I say I want you to accompany me?”
“In the harem of three thousand beauties, you’re never short of company.”
“But they’re not you.”
“But I don’t want to!”
Long Xuan paced a few steps in the room. “We have a long life. You don’t have to be so certain now.”
“Enough,” Luo Wei didn’t want to pretend with Long Xuan anymore. “You’re just trapping me here to control those generals in the army. Let’s not talk about these meaningless things anymore. Save your sweet talk for your women. I don’t mind being your hostage, but if you trap me here, don’t regret it.”
Long Xuan couldn’t make Luo Wei believe that he really didn’t have any ill intentions this time. He felt somewhat frustrated. “I really want to use the Luo brothers. They are capable of fighting,” Long Xuan tried to explain to Luo Wei again. “I won’t leave such good generals unused.”
Luo Wei just sneered.
“Your Majesty,” at this moment, the voice of Fu Yun came from outside the room, “Master Wei has arrived.”
“Let him in,” Long Xuan suddenly felt that Imperial Physician Wei’s arrival at this time was like a relief, and he hurriedly said.
Imperial Physician Wei walked in and, upon seeing Luo Wei, frowned. Luo Wei’s complexion looked very poor, as if he hadn’t gained any strength during these years away.
“Go and check on the Prince,” Long Xuan commanded Imperial Physician Wei.
Luo Wei looked at Imperial Physician Wei and nodded as a form of acknowledgment.
“Prince,” Imperial Physician Wei approached Luo Wei and said, “Let me take your pulse.”
“Whatever,” Luo Wei placed his hand on the nearby coffee table and said, “You better tell me how long I can live.”
“Your Highness is joking,” Imperial Physician Wei, in front of Long Xuan, couldn’t say much to Luo Wei and could only awkwardly laugh as he felt Luo Wei’s pulse. The accompanying imperial physician had already briefed Imperial Physician Wei, and in his opinion, Prince Jin’s pulse indicated great depletion, not a sign of longevity. Actually, Imperial Physician Wei didn’t need to hear his colleague’s blunt assessment; Luo Wei wasn’t destined for a long life, and he had always known it. This person was just enduring, or rather, he had to say, Luo Wei was someone who could endure a lot.
“Where is Zhao Fu now?” While Imperial Physician Wei was checking his pulse, Luo Wei suddenly asked Long Xuan about Zhao Fu, who had previously served the late Emperor Xingwu.
How could Long Xuan know the whereabouts of a eunuch? He had to call Fu Yun back in and ask him, “Where is Zhao Fu?”
Fu Yun quickly replied, “He always said that he would go with the late emperor and is one of the servants preparing to follow him in death.”
“I want this person,” Luo Wei said to Long Xuan. “When I was in Changming Hall, he also served me, and I think he’s good.”
“But, but, Your Highness, he’s one of those preparing to die with the late emperor,” Fu Yun, emboldened, said to Luo Wei.
“Find someone else then,” Luo Wei said casually, “You can take his place. You’re not bad at serving people, but I don’t like seeing dogs every day.”
Imperial Physician Wei’s hand trembled.
Fu Yun looked pitifully at Long Xuan.
“Let Zhao Fu come,” Long Xuan said. “You, go and bring him here immediately.”
Imperial Physician Wei’s hand shook again.
Boundless Dao 
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