Luo Qi and Ning Fei both held the copy of Strategy of All Under Heaven, counting the lines and the characters, deciphering the letter word for word. The expression on both of their faces changed as they read. This was a letter of treason, selling out imperial military secrets!

Luo Wei stepped closer and took the letter, folding it as it was folded before, then sealed it the same way before addressing Wei Lan, “Deliver it.”

“Wait,” Luo Qi said, “How are you going to deliver that, where are you even delivering it to?!”

Wei Lan explained plainly, “I followed that guy the whole way. There’s a forest nearby with messenger pigeons.”

“Go,” Luo Wei handed the letter to Wei Lan, “Be careful.”

Wei Lan nodded.

Luo Qi quickly questioned, “How could you deliver that letter?!”

Luo Wei turned and asked in return, “Why couldn’t we? Big brother, we could just beat them at their own game.”

Wei Lan excused himself and left the tent, disappearing like a ghost into the pre-dawn night.

Luo Wei looked at Luo Qi, then at Ning Fei, and smiled, “It’s all just a play being put on by two people who’d been driven insane by their ambition to become emperors.”

Luo Qi felt a chill through his entire body. He was commander at Yun Guan, far away from the machinations of politics. He couldn’t have imagined that treason and betrayal of the emperors were things that actually existed in the world. Ning Fei was dumbstruck too, finally realizing that the schemes being put on by the people in Ming Jian Villa were childsplay compared to this, and wasn’t even worth the mention.

Luo Wei didn’t seem to take it very seriously, though, and asked, “Big brother, do you think we still need to fight this war if we were going along with Liu Wu Sheng’s plans?”

Luo Qi wanted to go and kick Liu Wu Sheng to death right now, this man was sentencing an entire army to death!

“Big brother,” Luo Wei said, “Now isn’t the time to be angry, we should think about what to do next.”

Luo Qi lowered his head and sat for a moment, calming himself, “Xiao Wei,” He asked, “How did you know about all of this?”

“How could I not know?” Luo Wei asked, “What else am I supposed to do in the middle of a war without knowing the first thing about how to fight? Plant trees and start a garden in all the dust you guys kick up?”

“Does His Imperial Majesty know?” Luo Qi asked.

“This,” Luo Wei answered, “I can’t say.”

Luo Qi nodded, “Call for Chang Ling.”

Luo Wei stopped him, “The less people know about this the better.”

Luo Qi looked at Luo Wei, then waved Ning Fei over to his desk, unrolling the map. Ning Fei held a lamp in his hand, the two huddled over the map, pointing and prodding at one location or another.

Luo Wei sat aside. He didn’t care much about what Luo Qi was discussing with Ning fei. He trusted in the abilities of his eldest brother to defeat Liu Wu Sheng’s plans and Northern Yan’s Si Ma Zhu Xie’s army.

Luo Qi and Ning Fei were merely acquaintances, but seeing as how Luo Wei trusted this youth completely, Luo Qi didn’t suspect anything of Ning Fei. He treated Ning Fei like he would a confidant. As the day was about to break for real, Luo Qi handed a flag to Ning Fei as a token of authority(1) from the commander, giving him the command of five thousand soldiers to march out of camp.

Luo Wei saw Ning Fei out of the tent, “Big brother Ning Fei,” He called out to Ning Fei, warmly, “Take care of yourself out there.”

Suddenly serious, Ning Fei bowed to Luo Wei.

Luo Wei quickly reached out to hold him up, speaking quietly, “Big brother Ning Fei, don’t think about Ming Jian Villa anymore. The world is so much bigger than that little villa. If you become a general of Greater Zhou, Ming Jian villa will throw themselves at your feet, wagging their tails and begging for your mercy. That day will come.”

“Do you really think that will be my future?” Ning Fei asked.

“I’ve never been wrong in my judgement of people,” Luo Wei smiled.

Ning Fei laughed finally, the first time he did so openly in front of Luo Wei. The laughter was like the first rays of sunshine breaking over the horizon, radiant and bright. “I shall take my leave now. Be safe, young master.” Ning Fei said his farewells to Luo Wei and left.

It was only when he turned to head back to the tent that Luo Wei realize Luo Qi was standing right behind him.

“Xiao Wei,” Luo Qi asked, “Why do you trust him so much?”

Luo Wei answered, “Because he’s a person who knows how to pay his debts of gratitude. I trust people like that. And it doesn’t hurt that his mother and siblings are still living in our estate, he wouldn’t view their safety lightly.”

Luo Qi looked at Luo Wei. The youth was smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. In this moment, Luo Qi stopped seeing Luo Wei as a child and began to believe everything that Luo Zhi Qiu had told him in their letters. The one reminder that his father left him too: Luo Wei is deeply cunning, as long as you do what he says, nothing will go wrong.

FOOTNOTES:

1. Token of authority – A small triangular flag used to show that someone with higher authority has invested responsibilities into a lower ranking person in the military. They can act as signals as well, in the case of attacking forces.