Luo Wei stood in the corridor, watching the tung tree in the courtyard. He hadn’t expected that the tree transplanted from the Luo Mansion could thrive here in the palace. Looking at the tree’s lush green leaves under the drizzle and candlelight, he knew that in May, it would bloom with white flowers. May snow. He had seen it three times in the mountains and thought he would see it many more times. Wei Lan had even said he would plant another one in the courtyard. But now, he could only stand in the deep palace, looking at this tung tree, and Wei Lan… tears finally welled up in Luo Wei’s eyes.
Damn tears. Luo Wei fiercely wiped them away. When he wanted to cry, they wouldn’t come, but now, when he clearly didn’t want to cry, they insisted on flowing. Now even his tears were against him?
After Imperial Physician Wei finished dressing Zhao Fu’s various injuries, he stepped out of the room and saw Luo Wei standing in the corridor, rubbing his eyes. Was he crying? Imperial Physician Wei wondered. With a soft sigh, he crossed the entire courtyard and walked up to Luo Wei.
When Luo Wei heard footsteps, he wiped away the tears from his face.
“Young Master,” Imperial Physician Wei stood in front of Luo Wei and called him, preferring to address him as “Young Master” rather than “Prince.”
“How is Mr. Zhao?” Luo Wei asked. “Are his injuries serious?”
“He won’t die,” Imperial Physician Wei said. “But he’ll have to stay in bed for a while.”
“As long as he won’t die, that’s good,” Luo Wei said. “And the Dragon Guards, will they be alright now? Are you relieved?”
“Young Master’s return means we probably don’t have to fear being bullied by those scoundrels anymore,” Imperial Physician Wei chuckled. “Today, seeing how you treated His Majesty, I’ve gained a new perspective.”
“Can you still leave the palace?” Luo Wei smiled faintly and asked Imperial Physician Wei.
“Of course, I haven’t been confined,” Imperial Physician Wei said, casting a glance at Luo Wei and quickly adding, “And you’re not necessarily forbidden from leaving the palace either.”
“You go out of the palace,” Luo Wei whispered, “and visit Qilin Mountain Manor.”
“Go that far?” Imperial Physician Wei said. “That Luo Tingchao hasn’t left the manor’s gates in ages; he’s been in seclusion.”
“You go find him,” Luo Wei said. “Ask him to find a way to come to the capital.”
“If he comes to the capital, he still might not see you.”
“Didn’t you say I’m not imprisoned?” Luo Wei’s face flickered in the candlelight. “Tell Luo Tingchao that I’ve returned to the court and that I want to use him.”
“Is that all? Is that enough?” Imperial Physician Wei asked.
“That’s enough. What else do you want to know?”
“What if he doesn’t come?”
“He’s someone I can’t separate from in this lifetime,” Luo Wei said. “I think it would be too easy for him to die.”
“Alright, I’ll make the trip,” Imperial Physician Wei nodded in agreement.
“Don’t let anyone know your whereabouts,” Luo Wei added.
“That’s a bit difficult. When I leave the palace, someone will surely follow me,” Imperial Physician Wei said.
“You’ve traveled the Jianghu before, are you still pretending as if I didn’t know?” Luo Wei said. “If someone follows you, just poison and kill them.”
“I can’t beat that Long Yi1,” Imperial Physician Wei admitted honestly.
“Long Yi?”
“The head of the Dragon Cavalry Guards,” Imperial Physician Wei whispered to Luo Wei. “He followed the late emperor, and even before the late emperor passed away, he started following His Majesty.”
“But isn’t the Dragon Cavalry Guard supposed to be the most loyal?”
Imperial Physician Wei gave Luo Wei a crooked smile and said, “When it comes to saving their own lives, they have big hearts. By the way, it was Long Yi who found out about Wei Lan’s hometown. When His Majesty went to Xuanzhou, Long Yi took people to Youyan, looking for you and Lan.”
“It was him?” Luo Wei lowered his head, concealing the killing intent in his eyes.
“Yes, it must have been him. During the late emperor’s funeral, I didn’t see him. At that time, he went out on His Majesty’s orders to find you and Lan.”
“Don’t worry, I promise that when you leave the palace, this Long Yi will still be serving in the palace,” Luo Wei eased Imperial Physician Wei’s worries. “As for the others, aren’t you afraid?”
“The others are nothing. It’s just… Young Master,” Imperial Physician Wei said to Luo Wei, “if I really kill someone, can His Majesty forgive me when I return?”
“So when you kill, do it cleanly,” Luo Wei said. “Without evidence, what crime can His Majesty charge you with?”
“In that case, I’ll make the trip for Young Master. But when I’m not in the palace, the Young Master shouldn’t cause trouble for himself. Your health is really not good,” Imperial Physician Wei said, getting to the point. “Heart disease is a life-threatening condition, Young Master, please take it seriously.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Luo Wei said. “I don’t want to live to a hundred. Just living one day at a time is enough.”
“Better a bad life than a good death2,” Imperial Physician Wei advised Luo Wei. “The Luo family and the others are still here. Young Master is not alone.”
“Mm,” Luo Wei briefly replied to Imperial Physician Wei.
“Young Master,” Imperial Physician Wei looked at Luo Wei and knew that this man didn’t take his words to heart. He advised again, “Wait for an opportunity in the future to establish your own mansion. Once that’s done, life will become more bearable. Don’t be fooled by His Majesty’s current demeanor. You’re his half-brother after all, what can he do to you? Can he really hold the young master…’”
Luo Wei raised his hand to stop Imperial Physician Wei from continuing. What couldn’t Long Xuan do? It was just that this man longed for his heart more3. “I will survive,” Luo Wei said to Imperial Physician Wei. “I haven’t even avenged my grievances yet. How can I die?”
Imperial Physician Wei shrank back a bit. Luo Wei’s tone was frightening when he said that.
“I also want to see Lan’s son and daughter,” Luo Wei immediately softened his tone.
“A son and a daughter?” Imperial Physician Wei said. “But Wei Lan used to be in the Qilin Shadow Guards. Is it still possible for him to have offspring?”
“This was what Master Fu Yi told me,” Luo Wei said. “He said Wei Lan is destined to have a son and a daughter. I believe his words.”
“What will you do if Wei Lan has a son and a daughter?” Imperial Physician Wei blurted out without thinking. “Young Master, you didn’t really let go, did you?”
“How so?” Luo Wei said. “Haven’t I already let go?”
“It’s just a temporary measure,” Imperial Physician Wei said. “If he doesn’t remember, just remind him. Let him know, and it will be fine. He wouldn’t abandon you, would he, and become that Prince Consort? I think even the Princess Yanjun doesn’t look as good as the Young Master.”
“Don’t speak nonsense,” Luo Wei’s face grew colder. “I can’t harm him anymore.”
“So,” Imperial Physician Wei was puzzled. “Master, did you really let Wei Lan go? Just because of a monk’s words? Young Master, I’ve had a big monk tell me before that I wouldn’t live past twenty, but I’m already past twenty now. You can’t trust the words of monks and taoist priests, Young Master!”
“He’s Fu Yi,” Luo Wei sighed. “With Wei Lan by my side, I can’t protect him.”
Imperial Physician Wei turned his head away, not letting Luo Wei see his distorted face. Wei Lan still needed Luo Wei’s protection. What was going on here? Shouldn’t it be Wei Lan protecting Luo Wei? This was all backwards.
- So in some earlier chapters I kept his name as Long Yi instead of ‘One’ as it sounded better, he’s the only one in the Dragon guards with his name untranslated, but as he is the leader and not part of Luo Wei’s group of dragons, I’ll leave it like this. ↩︎
- 好死不如赖活着: idiom, it’s better to be alive than dead ↩︎
- 只是这个人更想他的心罢了: could also mean “It was just that this man also wanted his heart” ↩︎
Boundless Dao 
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