R:DSAT Chapter 215 – No Way Out

T/N: Translated by Uhei and edited by Cyrrene

“Vice-Commander,” Chang Ling’s personal attendant walked out of the hall, and loudly reported: “Commander Luo is inviting you to go over.”

Chang Ling looked at Long Xuan.

Long Xuan allowed Chang Ling to reply.

“What does Commander Luo want to talk about?” Chang Ling asked.

“Commander Luo didn’t say what he wanted to talk about, he only said that he and Third Young Master Luo are in the Commander’s residence waiting for the Vice-Commander to go over.”

“I got it, you leave first,” Hearing that Luo Wei was also waiting for him, Chang Ling became flustered.

Long Xuan let out a laugh, “Seems like Luo Wei is the first among the Luo Family who will not let you off.”

Chang Ling said with embarrassment: “It’s Luo Shiyi who’s looking for me, not Luo Wei.”

“Luo Qi just gained a son, and it’s his long-awaited reunion with his wife; would he think of you instead of accompanying his wife and son?” Long Xuan left the dining table, and sat down leaning against the window, saying to Chang Ling: “This is Luo Wei who’s looking for you, he’s already set his sights on you.”

“Luo Wei wants to get rid of me?”

“Previously during the Battle of Yunguan Pass, he was already on guard against you,” Long Xuan said: “Him leaving you in Yejia City, is for the sake of isolating you, can’t you tell?”

“I haven’t done anything to harm his Luo family,” Chang Ling said.

“Back then you Changs had already sought me out,” Long Xuan said amusedly, “You still say you haven’t done anything harmful to his Luo Family?”

“How would Luo Wei know about this?” Chang Ling had long wanted to ask this question.

“That’s not important,” Long Xuan said: “You need to get it clear, Luo Wei has already started making moves against you, you should think of how you can survive after this, how to avoid the Lingnan Chang Clan from following in the Qiyuan Liu Clan’s footsteps, or the Shanghang Xu Clan’s path of ruin. Those hands of Luo Wei’s,” Long Xuan lowered his head to look at his own two hands, “Just like mine, they owe too many lives.”

“I’ll explain it to him,” Chang Ling said, it’s just that even speaking this aloud, he did not believe it himself.

“Luo Wei won’t listen to your explanations, he only trusts himself,” Long Xuan let Chang Ling sit down opposite him, and said: “The advantage you have over Liu Shuangshi and Xu Huoqiang is, you have a brotherly relationship with Luo Qi, and Luo Qi is a sentimental person, so in consideration of his eldest brother Luo Wei won’t take your life.”

“He wants to kill me?”

“Of course he wants to kill you, just that Luo Qi is here, and on account of his eldest brother’s face he won’t touch you while you’re at Yunguan Pass.”

Chang Ling sat in a daze, during the events at Yejia City, he’d already known of how impressive Luo Wei was.

“You should prepare to go to Black Frost City,” Long Xuan had already started studying Chang Ling since he walked into this hall. Thinking of it now, it seems like this eldest young master of the Lingnan Chang Clan is a person who has been scared silly by Luo Wei. He can’t use this person quite yet.

“Go to Black Frost City?” Ling Chang said: “What would I go to Black Frost City for?”

“If I were Luo Wei, I would put you far aside, letting you be as far as possible from the capital. Black Frost City is sufficiently distant, and also allows you to be under his eldest brother’s control, and most coincidentally, Black Frost City is currently in need of a protectorate general.”

Chang Ling’s brain was in complete disarray, “Your Highness isn’t Luo Wei ah.”

“I think that if Luo Wei treats you like this, you should be content with it.”

“Because he won’t kill me now?”

“To let Luo Wei have mercy on you, you’re already sufficiently fortunate.”

Chang Ling jumped up from the seat, he’d really had enough of Long Xuan today, and he shouted loudly at Long Xuan: “Your Highness isn’t Luo Wei, how would you know what he intends to do?”

“Luo Wei’s waiting to see you, why don’t you go see him,” Long Xuan didn’t rebuke Chang Ling for being discourteous, and said to Chang Ling: “See what he has to say to you.”

In a mentally disoriented state, Chang Ling left where Long Xuan was and went to the Commander’s residence to see Luo Wei. The result could be imagined; after Chang Ling underwent a discussion with Luo Wei that made him mentally exhausted, he could only return to see Long Xuan again under an even more disoriented mental state.

“Just now you didn’t eat anything, so I ordered someone to re-make a table of good dishes anew for you, and have prepared some good wine,” Long Xuan just knew Chang Ling would surely return to see him, and looked at Chang Ling as he said: “Sit down and let’s talk.”

Chang Ling sat down woodenly as if he were a puppet.

“You’ll be going to Black Frost City?” Long Xuan asked knowingly.

“Those brothers, they were negotiating it with me.”

“I guess Luo Qi was negotiating it with you, Luo Wei would at most inform you.”

Chang Ling said with a drooped head and flagging spirit: “Your Highness understands this third young master of the Luo Family very well.”

“Because we are the same type of person,” Long Xuan poured a cup of wine and pushed it in front of Chang Ling, “You don’t want to be enemies with Luo Wei?”

Chang Ling said: “Your Highness has also said, Luo Wei wouldn’t listen to my explanations, he doesn’t trust me.”

“I have a way of making him trust you, if only you are able to harden your heart enough to do it,” Long Xuan said.

Chang Ling asked immediately: “What way does Your Highness have?”

“If the Chang Clan’s daughter is not my proper wife, there won’t be any problems anymore.”

“What, what do you mean?”

“The will of my Imperial Father’s edict cannot be changed, I am a prince so you cannot kill me, then if there is no bride, this tie of marriage between your Chang Clan and our Long Clan won’t exist anymore.”

Chang Ling still didn’t understand, and looked wide-eyed at Long Xuan.

Long Xuan furrowed his brow at Chang Ling’s dullness, “You’ve always been very smart; you truly can’t understand what I’m saying?”

“This humble general doesn’t understand.”

“If you kill your biological sister, isn’t it settled?”

Chang Ling’s hand shook, knocking over the cup of wine in front of him, yet he didn’t even realise it himself.

Long Xuan pushed another cup of wine in front of Chang Ling, “You have no shortage of sisters, it’s just that you share the same mother with this sister, so the matter is more difficult to handle.”

“How could I, how could I kill my own sister?” Chang Ling stammered.

“Then there’s no other way,” Long Xuan said: “Then you can only stand together with me.”

“Your Highness, then Luo Wei?”

“Luo Wei cares about his eldest brother; you need to follow Luo Qi closely, and wait obediently at Black Frost City, so Luo Wei won’t be cruel towards you.”

“Then Your Highness doesn’t want me to do things?”

Long Xuan only then had the semblance of a smile, “Hearing you ask this, makes me believe you aren’t a stupid person. You have no use to me now, so I won’t seek you to do things for me.”

Chang Ling drank a mouthful of wine to steady his heart, “Then why does Your Highness teach me how to survive?”

“Because perhaps I will have a use for you at a later date,” Long Xuan said: “You, Chang Ling are not useless trash, that’s why I want to preserve your life. But, that family behind you, you shouldn’t hope for too much. Luo Wei won’t let them live their days in ease.”

“He will destroy my Chang Clan?”

“Just watch, if that old man in your Chang Clan knew fear, he would learn to spend his days with his door shut, and not seek matters beyond himself, and perhaps then nothing will happen.”

“Your Highness,” Chang Ling kneeled to Long Xuan for the second time that night, saying: “It can’t be that there is no path of survival left to my Lingnan Chang Clan?”

“You think too much for your clan’s sake,” Long Xuan put his hand on Chang Ling’s shoulder, “Only those who can aid you to succeed are your clansmen, those that hold you back are not your clansmen, they’re burdens! As long as you’re alive, isn’t there a remaining survivor of the Lingnan Chang Clan? You yourself need to think of how to survive, that old man who can’t keep with the times and lived to an old age in vain, how well does he treat you? You want to kneel on his behalf? I think he’s better off dead, only with him dead can you become the head and make decisions for the Chang Family. I tell you, I want him dead too.”

Chang Ling wanted to kowtow to Long Xuan, but his shoulders were pressed back by Long Xuan, and he couldn’t bow his head forward. He pleaded with Long Xuan: “Your Highness, my Chang Clan will take you as our only leader¹, surely Your Highness won’t watch Luo Wei deal with my Chang Family?”

“That old man has stood in my way once, I won’t save him,” Long Xuan bent down and said to Chang Ling: “I dislike people who are easily swayed².”

“But I too am a clansman of the Chang clan ah.”

“Once I marry your blood sister, we will be a family, if you are useless trash, I won’t be bothered with you, yet you aren’t useless. Give me a bit of time, borrowing Luo Wei’s hand I will let you become the head of the Chang Clan, and you can count this favor on Luo Wei’s person. Vice-Commander Chang, I know you and your sister are on close terms, I daren’t guarantee I will love her, but if you are obedient, and devote yourself wholeheartedly to doing things for me, I will treat her well. If I succeed in days to come, as my proper wife she will be my Empress. At that time, it won’t be too late to deal with Luo Wei then.”

“Your Highness!”

“I have already given you the path to survival,” Long Xuan took back his hands, and loftily looked down at Chang Ling who knelt in front of him, “Whether or not to walk it is your own choice. Go, I still have guests to attend, today I have already spent far too much time on you.”

Chang Ling walked out vacantly from this official’s residence at a loss. Long Xuan, Luo Wei, how could there be people like them in this world? Chang Ling really couldn’t understand it, they were all people, and were all living as humans in this world, why did they have to force others such that they had no way out?

---

T/N: I’m sorry this came out late! Didn’t schedule the post properly.

1.马首是瞻 : to follow someone’s lead unquestioningly; as a horse is led by its rider.

2. 墙头草: literally, ‘grass on the top of a wall’, swaying with the breeze, it refers to people who are opportunists.