Watching Luo Wei coax Long Xiao, Long Xuan wouldn’t express his anger at this moment, no matter how angry he was towards Long Xiao in his heart.
Luo Zhiyi invited Long Xuan and Luo Wei to have lunch with her.
Thinking about having lunch with Long Xuan, Luo Wei felt like he wouldn’t be able to eat this meal, but Long Xiao was regarding him as a supporter and pulled on Luo Wei’s sleeves to prevent him from leaving.
“Stay,” Long Xuan said softly to Luo Wei, “you and the Empress Dowager haven’t seen each other for a long time.”
Seeing Luo Zhiyi also looking at him with a pleading expression, knowing that this aunt who had never exerted herself was tired today and possibly frightened as well, Luo Wei finally nodded, “Alright, but I won’t be able to eat much. The Empress Dowager can’t force me to eat.”
“If you are willing to have a meal with me, I couldn’t ask for more,” Luo Zhiyi said, then ordered Shang Xi to prepare the food. With Luo Wei accompanying her, she could remain calm even in front of Long Xuan.
“Let’s not have separate tables,” Long Xuan said, “Let’s eat together at the main table.”
“Bastard,” Luo Wei cursed inwardly, how was he supposed to eat this meal now?
Long Xiao showed a hopeful expression, he had never eaten at the same table with his father before, but today he could. A child’s attention was easily diverted; just a moment ago he was extremely sad, but now he could smile again.
A table of dishes was placed in front of the four people.
“Imperial Mother, please help yourself,” Long Xuan invited Luo Zhiyi first.
“Alright,” Luo Zhiyi began to eat, saying, “You all should eat too, while it’s hot.”
Long Xuan picked up a scallop with his chopsticks and put it in Luo Wei’s bowl, surprising the eunuch in charge of serving Luo Wei’s food. Shocked, he quickly took a few steps back and stood down. “You can’t always avoid meat,” Long Xuan said to Luo Wei, “For the sake of your health, you should eat a little more.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Luo Wei took a bite of the scallop and thanked Long Xuan.
“How does it taste?” Long Xuan asked again after watching Luo Wei eating it.
Luo Wei had already swallowed the scallop without much chewing, so he hadn’t tasted how it was.
Seeing Luo Wei not responding to him, Long Xuan said, “It doesn’t suit your taste.”
“No,” Luo Wei said, “I just don’t eat these things.”
“If you don’t eat meat, just eat more fish, shrimp, and seafood,” Long Xuan continued to put food in Luo Wei’s bowl, “The palace has everything, so whatever you want to eat in the future, let Zhao Fu command the Imperial Kitchen to prepare it.”
Luo Wei looked at the small bowl filled by Long Xuan, then casually averted his eyes, unfazed. He happened to see Long Xiao, who was sitting next to Luo Zhiyi, eagerly watching him and Long Xuan, and said, “What does Xiao’er want to eat? Tell Sixth Uncle, and Sixth Uncle will give it to you.”
Long Xiao was about to speak, but then remembered that Long Xuan was still sitting beside him, so he closed his mouth and looked at Long Xuan obediently.
“Just tell your father what you want, let your father feed you,” Luo Wei said.
Long Xiao’s eyes brightened when he looked at Long Xuan. Would Father really feed him?
Looking at the dishes on the table, Long Xuan didn’t know what Long Xiao liked to eat. In the end, he picked up a chicken leg and gave it to Long Xiao, as if all children liked to eat this.
“I thank Father,” Long Xiao’s face flushed with excitement just because of Long Xuan’s gesture.
“Why aren’t you eating?” Long Xuan immediately shifted his attention back to Luo Wei. The amount of food in Luo Wei’s bowl remained the same as before, this person hadn’t touched anything at all.
Luo Wei lowered his head and took a few mouthfuls of rice.
“Are you full?” Long Xuan watched Luo Wei eat. Seeing that Luo Wei had stopped moving his chopsticks after taking only a few mouthfuls of rice, he asked, “Is this all you can eat now?”
“Sixth Uncle, you have to eat more to grow tall and strong,” Long Xiao said as he ate the chicken leg Long Xuan had given him, then turned to Luo Wei, “Why doesn’t Sixth Uncle eat vegetables?”
“Sixth Uncle isn’t hungry,” Luo Wei smiled at Long Xiao, “Sixth Uncle doesn’t need to grow taller now.”
“Oh, right,” Long Xiao said, “Sixth Uncle is already very tall, just not as tall as Father.”
Luo Wei laughed and then coughed again. Forcing a smile didn’t seem too difficult for him, but the cough seemed to make him feel uncomfortable in his chest.
“Are you catching a cold?” Luo Zhiyi, noticing Luo Wei had coughed several times, asked, “Should I have the Imperial Physician take a look?”
“It’s nothing,” Luo Wei put down his chopsticks, saying, “Physician Wei saw me yesterday. Xiao’er, hurry and eat. Sixth Uncle will eat more when he’s hungry.”
Seeing Luo Wei not eating, Long Xuan, knowing that Luo Wei usually had a poor appetite, didn’t force him and quickly finished his meal. As they were about to leave the table, Long Xuan suddenly asked Long Xiao, “Who told you about your uncle having soldiers?”
Both Luo Zhiyi and Long Xiao were startled.
Luo Wei signaled the eunuch who was serving him to bring him a bowl of soup.
“No one told me,” Long Xiao remembered he had promised Luo Wei not to tell, dared not look at Long Xuan, but still said, “Isn’t Uncle a General?”
“Xiao’er is right,” Luo Wei took a sip of the soup, and finding it had a watery sweet consistency, didn’t want to drink it anymore. He put down the bowl and said, “Does Xiao’er practice martial arts?”
Long Xiao nodded, “But my martial arts are not good.”
“How old are you?” Luo Wei coughed again and smiled, “If you become a General at such a young age, your father will be overjoyed!”
Long Xiao touched his little head and giggled.
“As long as you practice hard, you will succeed one day,” Luo Wei coughed a few more times before stopping, and then said, “Xiao’er should become a talented person in both civil and military matters.”
Long Xiao nodded in agreement with Luo Wei, then looked at Long Xuan. He hoped Long Xuan would also say something he liked to hear, even if it was just a compliment.
“Have you finished eating?” Long Xuan didn’t notice his son’s gaze, just asked Luo Wei, “If you’re coughing so badly, you should let an imperial physician take a look after you go back.”
“Isn’t Imperial Physician Wei here?”
“He’s on leave,” Long Xuan said, then turned to the eunuch behind him, “Go tell Imperial Physician Wei that he will leave the palace after his consultation with Prince Jin.”
The eunuch who was temporarily stopped by Long Xuan hurriedly obeyed and ran out.
Imperial Physician Wei had asked Long Xuan to leave the palace so quickly. Luo Wei was pleased in his heart, but his face remained indifferent when he said to Luo Zhiyi, “Empress Dowager, I’m done.”
“Imperial Mother, then Prince Jin and I will leave first,” Long Xuan stood up and bid farewell to Luo Zhiyi.
“Alright,” Luo Zhiyi couldn’t keep either of them, so she nodded, “You two go attend to your business.”
Luo Wei also stood up and smiled at Long Xiao, “Crown Prince, see you next time.”
“Sixth Uncle,” Long Xiao saw the two of them getting up together, so he couldn’t stay sitting anymore. He stood up and said to Luo Wei, “Can I visit you?”
“Your Majesty, is it alright?” Luo Wei asked Long Xuan.
“If you don’t mind him being noisy,” Long Xuan said, not objecting to Long Xiao spending time with Luo Wei. Luo Wei was very protective of his nephews, and Long Xuan thought that maybe Luo Wei liked children, so letting Long Xiao accompany Luo Wei might prevent him from getting bored in the palace.
“Then come to Yi Jin Garden, Crown Prince,” Luo Wei said to Long Xiao, “But you need your Imperial Grandmother’s permission.”
“Alright,” Long Xiao nodded happily. He had another place to go in the palace now. He couldn’t go back to Fengyi Hall, and he couldn’t go to Xiangnian Hall. Yannian Hall was too boring, and Father wouldn’t let him go back to Qingwen Hall 1, so going to Yi Jin Garden might be a place where he could have some fun.
- Fengyi Hall is where his mother lives. Xiangnian Hall is where Empress Dowager Liu, his paternal grandmother, lives. Qingwen hall is his own residence. ↩︎
Boundless Dao 
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