Liu Shuang Shi wanted to tell Long Xuan how madly in love and infatuated Emperor Xing Wu was with the Luo girl, but he didn't say anything in the end. Xing Wu was someone who didn't smile or joke around these days, his mood was thunderous and changed with the wind, not a man for sentimentality. How could he make Long Xuan believe that his father who has only been cold to him, was once honestly in love with someone?

Long Xuan only said a joke that wasn't really a joke to Liu Shuang Shi, "Maybe Luo Wei did something to father all by himself. He followed me for six years and I had no idea that he'd been pretending all along."

Liu Shuang Shi told hm, "A few people were put to death at the Luo estate two nights ago, something about stealing from their masters. Last night I ordered someone to go take a look at the corpses, they were all people I planted."

"Was Luo Zhong among the dead?" Long Xuan asked.

"No," Liu Shuang Shi answered.

"Then it's not a big loss, our most important piece is still at play," Long Xuan said, "Tell him to lay low and watch what he says for the next little while."

"Understood." Liu Shuang Shi agreed, then said, "Luo Zhong did send word that between the senior chancellor and his disciples, words passed about how the Yu Zhou mining case has spread far wider than he'd expected. Your Imperial Highness, I believe Luo Zhi Qiu might have realized the difficulty of the situation and is thinking of backing off."

"We still have to be cautious," Long Xuan has never truly believed anyone, he said to Liu Shuang Shi, "Uncle, you must take care not to let the flames spread too far lest you burn yourself."

"Understood," Liu Shuang Shi replied, but he was about seventy percent sure that Luo Zhi Qiu was going to fold. Under his clandestine machinations, Yu Zhou's mining case was already a pond of muddy water that you can't get to the bottom of. If Luo Zhi Qiu was suspicious enough to keep the investigation going, he might just uncover his own name in the search. The senior chancellor had some students who were governing in Yu Zhou, how could he be certain that the people under him wouldn't be greedy enough to be bought?

Long Xuan continued his questions, "Where is Long Yu right now?"

Liu Shuang Shi responded, "Not too far yet."

"Who's guarding him?"

Liu Shuang Shi shook his head, "A few guards from the East Palace, and five bodyguards. The people I sent said they've never seen them before."

"Did Luo Zhi Qiu send them or was it my father?" Long Xuan asked.

"They should be sent by the Senior Chancellor," Liu Shuang Shi answered, "They have habits of the underworld(1)."

Long Xuan sneered, "Luo Zhi Qiu's got dealings with the underworld?"

Liu Shuang Shi said, "This is only my guess. If His Imperial Majesty were to send someone, they wouldn't be out in plain sight, they'd be protecting him from the shadows."

"You're not wrong," Long Xuan said coldly, "He's the crown prince after all, they would spare no expense to keep him safe."

Liu Shuang Shi knew that the anger was rising in Long Xuan again, so he waited a moment before speaking up, "Your Imperial Highness, what are you going to do regarding this business with Luo Wei?"

Long Xuan paused, "What business with Luo Wei?"

"He's been with Your Imperial Highness for many years, can we afford to let someone like him live?" Liu Shuang Shi whispered to Long Xuan.

As if shocked, Long Xuan's eyes widened, "He's by my father's side now. You'd be betting your life against his if you do anything to him now!"

"Your Imperial Highness," Liu Shuang Shi didn't fully expect Long Xuan's reaction. If they really wanted to get rid of a mere kid like Luo Wei without dirtying their own hands, it wouldn't be difficult to arrange, "If we can't keep Luo Wei around, then we should get rid of him now."

"Don't touch him," Long Xuan's face carried a darkness that didn't match his age, "Now is not the time. He's been favored by the emperor, my imperial father wouldn't let anyone hurt him. Uncle, you can't take that chance."

"What if he knew something?" Liu Shuang Shi asked.

"How smart do you think Luo Wei is?" Long Xuan said to his uncle, his own flesh and blood, "Don't worry, uncle. Even if he's been hanging around me for a few years, he still knows nothing of my plans."

Liu Shuang Shi didn't bring it up again.

Get rid of Luo Wei? Long Xuan gazed out of the window at the fullness of spring. He was suddenly reminded of that day beneath the peach tree, of Luo Wei standing under the flowers, clad in white brocade. The thought made his heart hurt.

FOOTNOTES:

1. The underworld - The original text says "Jiang Hu", which is a familiar term for those who read martial arts novels. It literally means rivers and lakes, but does not refer to a specific location. Rather, it's a turn of phrase to refer to those people who are on the fringes of society, not often caught up in matters of government. The tone Liu Shuang Shi sounded derogatory, so the word has been translated as "the underworld" temporarily to make reference to the fact that often, these people participate in violence and banditry.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:

Wow!! Views exploded recently! Maybe this is all from Novel Updates. : ) I'm not good with working these update websites, but I'm glad that this one is easy enough to use! Thanks for everyone's comments and well wishes. I'm getting better, but might take a few days to fully recover.

That little tidbit at the end about his heart hurting made my heart hurt, lol!