On their way back to Yi Jin Garden, the two brothers hadn’t exchanged a word. Now that Long Xuan had returned to the palace, it wasn’t a place where one could speak freely.
After entering the courtyard of Yi Jin Garden, Luo Qi finally relaxed a bit. He looked around at the courtyard identical to the one belonging to the third young master of the Luo Mansion. Luo Qi was lost in thought for quite some time.
“Elder brother, let’s talk inside,” Luo Wei stood with Luo Qi for a moment before leading him into his study.
“Alright, let’s talk inside,” Luo Qi agreed.
In Luo Wei’s study, there wasn’t a single document to be seen. Yesterday, Luo Wei had ordered Zhao Fu to send all the documents and official papers related to state affairs to Changming Hall.
“Lan is still in the army,” Luo Qi said as he entered the study. “Not all the soldiers can enter the city when the army returns to the capital.”
Luo Wei trusted Luo Qi’s words. “Have any of you been injured?” Luo Wei’s nerves had relaxed slightly, then he anxiously asked, “I saw the injuries on Long Xuan’s body. If he’s been injured so severely, what about Lan?”
“Lan sustained a few injuries,” Luo Qi replied. “But they’ve all healed now. You don’t need to worry about him.”
“What about you?” Luo Wei looked Luo Qi up and down, trying to see if he had been injured.
“In war, who doesn’t get injured?” Luo Qi chuckled. “Never mind us, even Mo Huansang from back then didn’t have that ability.”
“Where were you injured?” Luo Wei hurriedly asked upon hearing that Luo Qi had also been injured.
“It’s all healed now,” Luo Qi said. Noticing Luo Wei’s uneasy expression, he rolled up his left sleeve to reveal an arrow wound on his arm. “Look, it just left a scar. It’s all healed.”
Luo Wei leaned in to inspect the scar on Luo Qi’s arm and asked, “Where else were you injured?”
Luo Qi teased, “Xiao Wei, do you want me to strip naked so you can inspect all my wounds?”
Luo Wei was caught off guard by Luo Qi’s remark and stared at him wide-eyed.
“Are we going to stand here and talk like this?” Luo Qi patted Luo Wei on the head, seeing him looking like a child.
“Elder brother, please have a seat,” Luo Wei remembered to offer Luo Qi a seat and then called for Zhao Fu.
Zhao Fu responded and came in with a few young eunuchs, bringing in refreshments.
“Elder brother, you must be hungry after a day like this,” Luo Wei waved for Zhao Fu and the others to leave, then said to Luo Qi, “Have some snacks first, and we’ll have a meal together later.”
“Has His Majesty agreed?” Luo Qi asked hurriedly.
“He has,” Luo Wei confirmed. “Elder brother, just relax and have a good meal here with me.”
Luo Qi drank two cups of tea in a row before asking Luo Wei again, “Xiao Wei, now that the war is over, what are your plans for the future?”
“Let’s talk about my affairs later. I must give Long Xuan an account of the court,” Luo Wei replied.
Luo Qi whispered, “I’ve heard a bit about Prince Yu’s matters and the affairs of the harem. Xiao Wei, will these matters burden you?”
“They have nothing to do with me,” Luo Wei said, lifting the teacup but not drinking, just holding it in his hand. He said to Luo Qi, “Elder brother, tell me about your experiences in the war. I want to hear about it.”
Since his younger brother wanted to listen, Luo Qi, who usually didn’t speak much, began to explain to Luo Wei in detail. From the flames of war, the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the iron cavalry crossing mountain passes, to the common soldiers seeking titles over thousands of miles and returning to their hometowns adorned with feathers. He even talked about the heavy snow in Northern Yan, the vast expanse of white with no end in sight, engulfing people as if to bury them alive.
Luo Wei listened quietly to Luo Qi’s account, not interrupting once.
As Luo Qi spoke, it seemed as if he suddenly understood Luo Wei’s thoughts. He started talking about Wei Lan again, eager to relay everything about him to Luo Wei, regardless of its importance.
Luo Wei listened even more attentively. He wanted to remember all these words, perhaps so that Wei Lan’s past seven years wouldn’t remain a blank space to him.
Luo Qi spoke for a long time, until Zhao Fu came in to ask if they wanted to eat dinner. The two brothers then realized that it was already dark outside, and at some point, a spring rain had begun to fall.
“Let’s talk while we eat,” Luo Wei yawned, smiling at Luo Qi. “Elder brother, you can stay here as long as you want tonight.”
“I’ll stay with you for the night. If the rain stops later, we can go out for a walk,” Luo Qi also smiled.
“Great,” Luo Wei said happily.
Luo Qi looked at Luo Wei indulgently and smiled fondly. Along the way, on the journey back to the capital, Luo Qi had heard rumors about Luo Wei being ruthless and bloodthirsty, but he never believed such nonsense. How could his brother be that kind of person? No matter how many years had passed, in Luo Qi’s heart, Luo Wei was still a little boy incapable of such atrocities. Luo Qi and Luo Wei sat at a round table, watching as Zhao Fu and the servants filled the table with palace delicacies.
“I actually prefer Sister-in-law’s home-cooked dishes,” Luo Wei said to Luo Qi. “But… ” Luo Wei trailed off.
“But what?” Luo Qi asked.
“But Sister-in-law can’t come to the palace to cook for me,” Luo Wei sighed. “In this lifetime, I don’t know if I’ll ever get to taste her cooking again.”
Luo Qi felt a pang of sadness in his heart, but he only lightly tapped Luo Wei on the forehead and said, “What nonsense are you talking? If you want to eat it, next time I come to the palace, I’ll have your sister-in-law cook for you at home and bring it in for you to taste. Write down the dishes you want to eat, and I’ll bring the list to your sister-in-law.”
“Alright,” Luo Wei rubbed the spot where Luo Qi had tapped him, and said to him, “Let me think about it first. Let me think about how to write this menu.”
The two brothers were deceiving themselves a little as they said this. They both knew that they didn’t know when they would see each other again. Perhaps it would be in another seven years, or maybe even longer.
“Eat up, elder brother,” Luo Wei picked up some vegetables for Luo Qi.
Luo Qi buried himself in eating, deciding to hold off on saying anything upsetting until later. At least for now, they could enjoy this meal together.
Meanwhile, Long Xuan had already set up a grand banquet for his courtiers at the Fangfei Waterside Pavilion.
With music, dancing, fine wine, and delicious dishes, they focused only on the joy of today, without worrying about tomorrow. Everyone drank happily and was in high spirits, thinking about the seven years of hard-fought battles and the great achievements they had made for Great Zhou. No one could be unhappy or unenthusiastic.
With injuries still on his body, Long Xuan sat with his courtiers for a while before letting them enjoy themselves and leaving the table to rest.
The courtiers understood that the Emperor’s wounds were not yet fully healed, so no one dared to persuade Long Xuan to stay longer. After kneeling down and seeing Long Xuan off, they continued to enjoy the night of revelry.
After leaving the Fangfei Water Pavilion, Fu Dao approached him and whispered, “Your Majesty, this servant has found out that the Empress Dowager’s body has been kept in Dongfo Hall by Prince Jin and has not been buried.”
“Let’s go to Dongfo Hall,” Long Xuan ordered with a single sentence.
Boundless Dao 
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