Northern Yan has retreated, Yun Guan has won a great victory.

The court was wild with jubilance when the news of the victory reached the capital.

Emperor Xing Wu endowed sizeable accolades onto those who have accomplished great deeds in the battles. Among them, Liu Wu Sheng was especially picked out as one of the most triumphant of the bunch.

Liu Wu Sheng was confused and didn’t know how to react to the news. How did he become one of the most merited servants of His Imperial Majesty? Alongside him, both Long Xuan and Liu Shuang Shi were nervous about the situation, but they couldn’t fathom what Emperor Xing Wu meant by this.

Luo Wei began living in the Hall of Eternal Light when he returned to the capital.

The sight of Luo Wei’s broken finger made Emperor Xing Wu’s heart ache, “Does it still hurt?” He asked Luo Wei.

“The wound’s already healed,” Luo Wei smiled back, “It doesn’t hurt at all.”

Emperor Xing Wu sighed, “Wei Er, do you blame me?”

Luo Wei answered, “Your humble servant would not dare. Your Imperial Majesty must have a reason not to make a move on the Liu family.”

Emperor Xing Wu patted Luo Wei’s head, “There is a limit to how much I will let them do.”

Luo Wei looked at Emperor Xing Wu with some hope, “Your Imperial Majesty?”

But the emperor had already lowered his head to look at Luo Wei’s injury again. The wound at the end of his finger was scabbed over, and red scar tissue had already started to grow around the edges. “Wei Er,” Emperor Xing Wu spoke, “Do you not value yourself at all?”

Luo Wei’s gaze was cold. Emperor Xing Wu’s hair had gone white in more places than he remembered. Luo Wei thought that the emperor must have suffered too in the last little while. “Your Imperial Majesty, I would gladly share your burden to ease your worries,” Luo Wei said, “My life is nothing.”

Emperor Xing Wu drew a long sigh and pulled Luo Wei into his arms. Luo Wei’s body stiffened. He didn’t like being close to other people, but this was the emperor. After a moment of thought, he decided to keep playing cute and leaned his head against Emperor Xing Wu’s chest.

“I don’t want to kill people,” The emperor held Luo Wei, “But there are some people who make it impossible for me to not take up the role of the butcher.”

Luo Wei replied, “Your humble servant is a killer now too. It turns out that dying is so much easier than having someone grow up.”

Emperor Xing Wu held Luo Wei tight, “I’m very worried about you.”

“This humble servant thanks Your Imperial Majesty.” Luo Wei said, his voice quiet.

A month later.

A messenger from Northern Yan arrived in Greater Zhou. In front of all the martial and civil ministers of the court, the messenger offered up a brocade box to Emperor Xing Wu, announcing that it was something that the Emperor of Northern Yan has especially gifted to Emperor Xing Wu.

Emperor Xing Wu commanded an attendant to open the box, only to find a stack of letters and papers inside.

Luo Wei stood beside Emperor Xing Wu. When he saw what was within the brocade box, he knew that the Liu family’s time was up.

Emperor Xing Wu glanced over a few of the letters, then cast the entire box down in front of Junior Chancellor Liu Shuang Shi’s feet.

Liu Shuang Shi lowered his head to read a few of the correspondences. In a moment, his eyes went dark and fainted before all those present.

In the span of a day, the skies at court were changing colors once again.

Luo Wei had poisoned the tea with the tip of his finger. When Si Ma Qing Sha accepted the tea from Liu Wu Sheng, he took the one that Luo Wei marked as safe. Yet after their return to camp, the effects of the poison seemed to accost both Si Ma Zhu Xie and Si Ma Qing Sha at the same time, this forced the army of Northern Yan to retreat as quickly as possible. The news that Liu Wu Sheng had been rewarded by Emperor Xing Wu reached Northern Yan quickly. Si Ma Zhu Xie had been lucky enough to escape death, but his eyes had been blinded by the poison. Not only that, Si Ma Qing Sha took the chance to accuse him of betrayal in front of their father, the Northern Yan Emperor, Si Ma Chang Tian. Thus, Si Ma Zhu Xie was stripped of his status as crown prince and was placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace. Si Ma Zhu Xie didn’t know that the reason his younger brother had been poisoned along with him was because Si Ma Qing Sha had taken poison himself prior to the meeting. In his recollection, Luo Wei only touched one of the teacups, but the both of them ended up being poisoned. That meant perhaps Luo Wei wasn’t the one who poisoned them, and the only person who’d have a chance to poison them was Liu Wu Sheng. It follows that Liu Wu Sheng should have a reason to poison them. After the battle of Yung Guan, both him and Long Xuan had miscalculated. If he died, his dealings with Long Xuan would be taken to the grave with him, and thus Long Xuan could rest easy. The news that Liu Wu Sheng was lauded for his accomplishments provoked and upset Si Ma Zhu Xie greatly, because it meant that the emperor of Greater Zhou was rewarding Liu Wu Sheng for poisoning the tea!

Si Ma Zhu Xie was blind in both eyes now, he was stripped of his station as the crown prince, and has lost his father’s trust, marking him as a dead man. He had no reason to let Long Xuan live peacefully as Greater Zhou’s second prince, so he gave up his secret dealings with Long Xuan easily.

All this was just according to the plan that Luo Wei and Si Ma Qing Sha made that night in Ye Qie, to beat both Long Xuan and Si Ma Zhu Xie at their own game, and get exactly what both of them needed out of it.