Luo Wei has no complaints about those ten years of suffering. A miscreant like him deserved it, everyone in the world had the right to humiliate him, the only exception was Long Xuan. Luo Wei held no feelings for anyone in the world, but he was true to Long Xuan. For Long Xuan, Luo Wei helped to cause strain on the Emperor and the Empress' relationship, he let Long Xuan plot with the Crown Prince of Northern Yan, leading to his eldest brother not even having a body to be buried, and he helped pull off the great plot for the Luo family's downfall. Back then, he only had place in his heart for the second prince, Long Xuan. Everything he did was for him. Long Xuan wanted to be Emperor, so he helped him become Emperor by getting rid of every obstacle in his path, even if they were Luo Wei's own family.

For all the awful things he did, all he got in exchange was a single sentence: Since you like men, why don't you service them from now on?

"Young Master?" Xiao Xiao had been standing by his bed for a while now, but all he saw was Luo Wei sitting there staring blankly into space, with no reaction at all. The bowl of congee was nearly cold by this point, so he couldn't resist drumming up his courage and opened his mouth to address Luo Wei.

Xiao Xiao's voice brought him out of his reveries. Luo Wei plodded through the congee, still silent. He caused the deaths of everyone in this estate and had no face to look at them again. His heart still moved at the thought of Long Xuan, in the last life it was an infatuation that held everything else in disregard, but in this life, all that's left was hatred. Since the heavens gave him another chance to start over, then his only goal in this new life was to protect his family. A sinner like him didn't deserve to get anything else, but his family, these people who treated him like one of their own despite knowing that he was a bastard, they deserved a lifetime of happiness and safety.

Someone pushed open the door again. The Senior Chancellor's wife, Bo Hua, walked in.

"Mother," Luo Wei called, his voice suddenly dry.

"I heard you were awake, does it still hurt?" Bo Hua asked him, expressionless.

"It's all good," Luo Wei replied. His mother was always like this to him. He used to purposefully make her angry for fun, because he thought she only loved his brothers and was cold to him, but he won't do it now. He didn't have the privilege to receive love from a honorable woman like her.

"Your father and your second brother has gone to court," Bo Wei spoke in a cold tone as she regarded him. She had raised this child by her own hand, but she could never feel a closeness to him. Even now, as a thirteen year old, the Senior Chancellor's wife couldn't understand why Luo Zhi Jin was determined to have him all those years ago.

"I see," Luo Wei avoided her gaze, answering quietly.

"The doctor will come to see you soon," Bo Hua thought that he was going to give her trouble, but didn't anticipate that he'd actually be well-behaved today. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, so she left it at that and walked out.

Luo Wei had drifted between sleep and unconsciousness for about a half month, and then recuperated in bed for another.

Luo Zi Qiu and Luo Ze came to see him very little, and only sat for a bit before leaving each time. They had nothing in common or to say to Luo Wei. Bo Hua came infrequently as well, and Luo Ze's wife, Xu Yue Miao, never came by at all. Luo Wei didn't mind it at all. Xu Yue Miao came from a poor family. Luo Ze had once been injured in battle, and she, a hunter's daughter, had rescued him. The two fell in love and married. This was a happy story, but Luo Wei didn't think so in his past life. He looked down on his sister in law's hunter background, and only had mean things to say about her at home, never giving her the time of day. The fact that she didn't come to visit was only natural.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE:

No footnotes!!! I think we've gotten enough background previously for this chapter to not have any footnotes, but let's see what happens once we get into talking about the palace and all that. Going to be doing another chapter tonight I think!!