Luo Wei glanced at An’an and then at Wei Ning. He wanted to give this pair of children of Wei Lan a gift for their meeting, but after patting himself down, he realized he wasn’t even wearing a jade pendant. Luo Wei felt a bit disappointed; it seemed he would have to send something over later.
“Mother, look!” Wei Ning shouted at Yan’er while pointing to the sky where another round of fireworks bloomed.
Yan’er forced a smile at her son. She watched Wei Lan and Luo Wei. From the moment her husband saw Luo Wei, his gaze never left him. Yan’er felt uneasy again. She had been by Wei Lan’s side, raising their children for him. She loved him more than anything in the world. However, Wei Lan kept calling “Young Master”, “Luo Wei” or “Wangchuan” in his sleep. When Wei Lan woke up, he no longer remembered Luo Wei, but in his midnight sleep, the person in his dreams was still Luo Wei, even though they hadn’t seen each other in ten years. But after waking up, for him Luo Wei was merely the former Third Young Master who he once guarded at the Luo Mansion.
Sensing Yan’er’s unease, Luo Wei smiled and asked, “Have you been well in Eastern Shang?”
Yan’er smiled back, responding, “We’ve been doing well, and Lan…” She glanced at Wei Lan and continued, “He treats me well.”
Luo Wei’s smile remained gentle, “That’s good. Are you here for the banquet?” he asked.
“Yes,” Yan’er walked forward with Wei Ning, saying, “We went to see the Empress Dowager and were just heading to Lingyun Terrace.”
“In that case, you should hurry,” Luo Wei said. “The fireworks will be even more beautiful from there.”
“Really?” Wei Ning asked.
“Yes,” Luo Wei nodded, then turned to Wei Lan. “You’d better take them there quickly, don’t keep His Majesty waiting.”
“Let’s go,” Yan’er said to Wei Lan.
Wei Lan nodded and led his family past Luo Wei.
“Wait,” Luo Wei suddenly said.
Wei Lan hurriedly turned around to see Luo Wei picking up Wei Ning’s small drum from the ground. He felt a pang of disappointment but still said to Wei Ning, “Why did you make the Prince pick your things up?”
“Ning’er,” Luo Wei shook the rattle in his hand, saying, “You don’t want this anymore?”
Wei Ning ran to Luo Wei and said, “Ning’er wants it. Thank you, Highness Uncle1.”
Hearing Wei Ning call him “Highness Uncle,” Luo Wei smiled and patted Wei Ning’s head. The child was clever. He knew to call him “Highness Uncle” since his mother addressed him as “Highness gege.” “Take it,” Luo Wei said, handing the drum back to Wei Ning. “Don’t lose it again.”
“I won’t,” Wei Ning said crisply, looking up at Luo Wei. “Ning’er will hold onto it well. Father bought it for me.”
“Ning’er,” Yan’er urged from Wei Lan’s side, “we’re leaving.”
“Go ahead,” Luo Wei waved to Wei Ning.
“Goodbye, Highness Uncle,” Wei Ning said before running back to Yan’er.
“Well, your Highness,” Wei Lan said to Luo Wei, “we’re going to Lingyun Terrace now.”
Luo Wei nodded with a faint smile.
“Let’s go,” Yan’er whispered to Wei Lan, “don’t bother the Prince anymore.”
Wei Lan held his daughter An’an, while Yan’er held Wei Ning’s hand. The couple walked away together.
Luo Wei turned around dejectedly and walked in the opposite direction. Meeting an old friend after ten years, his face remained the same, but Luo Wei felt like a stranger. They had already been estranged for ten years. After leaving the leaf-covered path, Luo Wei wandered aimlessly. In the palace, the only places he was familiar with were Changming Hall and Yi Jin Garden, and he was only somewhat familiar with the area around Qingwen Hall. He had no idea where this path led.
Tonight, everyone’s attention in the palace was focused on Lingyun Terrace. As Luo Wei walked, he only encountered a team of night guards, who quickly moved aside upon seeing him, not daring to block his path.
At the end of the road was a palace, dark and seemingly uninhabited. Although the carved jade railings were exquisite, the scene was desolate. Leaning against a railing, he sat down on the ground. From here, he could no longer see the fireworks at Lingyun Terrace. A bright moon hung in the sky, stars were twinkling, and the crisp autumn air made for a refreshing night view. Luo Wei gazed at the bright moon, wondering why the moon on the fifteenth night of the eighth month wasn’t as perfectly round as he imagined. He pondered this question for a long time but couldn’t come up with an answer.
Long Xuan had accompanied the envoys of various countries and the civil and military officials on Lingyun Terrace for a while. After he noticed Luo Wei was nowhere to be seen, he hurriedly asked Zhao Fu about him. Learning that Luo Wei had gone alone for a walk nearby, Long Xuan waited for a while but didn’t see him return. Instead, Wei Lan’s family of four arrived.
“You saw Luo Wei?” Long Xuan asked Wei Lan upon hearing from Yan’er that they had encountered him in the woods.
“Yes, His Highness went north alone,” Wei Lan replied.
“Why didn’t you go with him?” Long Xuan blurted out.
Wei Lan was taken aback for a moment and asked, “Does Your Majesty want me to go after His Highness now?”
“No need,” Long Xuan said with a smile, patting Wei Lan’s shoulder. “There are secret guards following him. Go and talk to Mingyuan and the others.”
“This subject obeys,” Wei Lan said.
“Yan’er,” Long Xuan said to Yan’er, “the ladies are in the South Hall. Take the children over.”
“Yes,” Yan’er replied.
“Fu Dao, escort the princess over,” Long Xuan ordered Fu Dao.
Fu Dao hurriedly led Yan’er to the South Hall.
Long Xuan then asked for Prince Xin and said, “I have something to attend to and need to leave for a moment. Uncle, please preside over the affairs here in my absence.”
“This subject obeys,” Prince Xin replied.
Long Xuan hurried down Lingyun Terrace alone, heading towards the north as Wei Lan had indicated.
Luo Wei sat idly in the courtyard, lost in thought. After thinking about the moon, he began to consider what to give to Wei Lan’s two children as a meeting gift. He wanted to give them the best, but Yan’er might not be pleased with that. Wei Lan was probably not lacking in wealth now either. What else could he give?
When Long Xuan found this palace hall, he saw Luo Wei sitting on the overgrown courtyard, gazing up at the sky with a dazed look2. Long Xuan quickly went up to the courtyard and, without a word, first took off his outer robe and draped it over Luo Wei. He reached out and felt Luo Wei’s hand – they were warm. Long Xuan had just been feeling relieved that Luo Wei wasn’t cold when he suddenly worried the man had a fever, hurriedly feeling his forehead, which was burning hot.
“You said the longevity lock can really make people live a hundred years?” Luo Wei suddenly asked Long Xuan.
“You have a fever,” Long Xuan swiftly picked Luo Wei up in his arms, saying urgently, “I’ll take you back to Yi Jin Garden right now!”
“Does the longevity lock really work that well?” Luo Wei still asked Long Xuan.
“If you want one, I’ll find thousands, tens of thousands of them” Long Xuan said as he carried Luo Wei down from the courtyard. “Even without a longevity lock, you’ll live to be a hundred.”
Boundless Dao 
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