R:DSAT Chapter 224 — The Next Ning Fei?

Translated by Cyrrene and edited by Uhei.

Although Fu Hua was angered by Luo Wei for a while, she was not a brainless unmarried woman. She knew that Luo Wei’s words were not wrong, and still did what Luo Wei said.

After Luo Zhiqiu placated his wife, he went to find Luo Wei again. When he arrived at the door to the study room, he heard Luo Wei complaining to Luo Ze within. “What is mother thinking, wanting to compete with the Chang family? Does she suspect our Luo family is still not conspicuous enough? Isn’t it fine as long as we can live well with what we have? Should our lives have to be made for public scrutiny?”

“Xiao Wei,” Luo Ze said, “I can’t understand you at all right now, why are you that cautious? Is there anyone else wanting to harm our family? Who is it? (Who) made you so fidgety?”

“Second Brother!” Luo Wei felt anxious, yet didn’t know how to explain it to his older brother.

“No need to shout,” Luo Ze said, “If you have something to say, just say it. Xiao Wei, to tell you the truth, I still don’t understand most court matters. You tell me about it.”

Luo Wei thought for quite some time before finally saying to Luo Ze, “This is similar to going to battle for you guys, Second Brother. Isn’t there this saying ‘an arrogant army is bound to lose’? It is the same with conducting one’s behaviour; an arrogant, extravagant person will ultimately not have a good outcome.”

Luo Zhiqiu pushed the door and entered the room. Not waiting for his two seated sons to stand up, he said to Luo Wei, “What you said was correct, but you cannot speak that way to your mother. I know you disapprove of this marriage, but this is what his Third Highness requested. His Majesty has agreed, so father has no way to oppose.”

“Why disapprove?” Luo Ze felt even more puzzled, “The grand wedding is in three more days. You all disapprove?”

“I was just overthinking it,” Luo Wei gazed at Luo Ze with a smile, “Second Brother need not worry. How could our Luo family be harmed by anybody? However, Second Brother needs to keep in mind that occurence in the Western Mountains hunting grounds. Don’t be outplayed again someday.”

“You said that Su Jing was the Second Highness’s cohort,” Luo Ze said, “If you hadn’t said to keep him, I would have driven him out of the Capital army long ago.”

“Wasn’t this Su Jing the one who led you to the mountain pass—otherwise how would Second Brother have encountered Consort¹ Xu?” Luo Wei spoke, “Do I even need to say whose follower he is?”

“Then why must I keep him?” Luo Ze said, “When I see him now, I feel uneasy all over.”

“If you drive him out, his Second Highness will pull someone unknown to us to fill his place. Then we might as well just let Su Jing stay in the capital’s army.” Luo Wei said, “This way, we will know who we are guarding against. Moreover, Second Brother had just been penalised. If you turned around and punished the subordinate who led the way, if word gets out, what will others say about Second Brother?”

“It’s as if (you) were born to be a worrywart,” Luo Ze snarked.

Luo Zhiqiu took a look at these two sons, and thought of the eldest son who was still on his way to the capital. Two of his sons thought too little, while one son thought too much—if these three sons redistributed their temperaments more uniformly among them, it would be better. “Your mother will do according to what you said,” Luo Zhiqiu said to Luo Wei, “She regards (Luo Wan) as her own daughter, it would be difficult to not want the best for her. You should try to understand her a bit.”

The young page from Luo Ze’s courtyard came to find him at this time. Generals from the army came to visit Luo Ze.

“I’ll go to receive the guests,” Luo Ze had to leave first. After he left Luo Wei’s study room, Luo Ze finally recalled that he had followed Luo Wei there for the purpose of ameliorating Luo Wei’s relationship with Fu Hua. Luo Wei’s relationship with his mother had always been fluctuating without warning. When Luo Wei went to Northern Yan, Fu Hua worried everyday, and could not help kneeling daily in front of the Bodhisattva in prayer. Now that Luo Wei was here in person, he became an opponent again. Luo Ze had not anticipated that before he could get a few words in, he would get lectured for another round by Luo Wei.

“The second young master is going back?” Xiao Xiao, who stood in the yard, saw Luo Ze had just come outside, and quietly asked Luo Ze, “What happened to our young master this time? Why does (your) complexion seem so unpleasant again?”

“Go!” Luo Ze gave the back of Xiao Xiao’s head a push, “Go ask your young master yourself! Where did you learn to gossip behind people’s backs, you little brat?”

Xiao Xiao was someone who did not fear a beating. When he was shoved back a few steps by Luo Ze, he drew close in front of Luo Ze again, “I heard that my young master had been told off by the madam.”

“No such thing happened,” Luo Ze while uttering those words, in his mind he was thinking, it would have been better if mother did indeed admonish that son! He took a few steps forward, noticed that Wei Lan’s bedroom door was open, he stopped again and asked Xiao Xiao, “Your Wei-dage is inside the room?”

“He is,” Xiao Xiao said, “He’s practising writing.”

“What is he doing?” Luo Ze feared he had misheard.

“He’s practising writing,” Xiao Xiao said, “Wei-dage’s characters were all personally taught by the young master. His writing is quite good, they look just like the young master’s.”

“There was even such a thing?” Luo Ze inquisitively strode into Wei Lan’s room. He heard that nobody in the Qilin Villa shadow guards was literate, yet this Wei Lan was educated?

“Second young master?” Wei Lan heard the sound of Luo Ze’s footsteps entering the room, put down the brush in his hand, and was about to salute Luo Ze.

“You’re still standing on ceremony with me?” While talking, Luo Ze arrived in front of Wei Lan’s desk where he was practising writing; it did indeed seem almost a perfect resemblance of Luo Wei’s handwriting. “My younger brother,” Luo Ze held Wei Lan’s writing in his hands, and said to Wei Lan, “I let him teach You’er to write when he had time, and he told me he wasn’t free. Did he not teach you how to write?”

Wei Lan quickly replied, “I have always accompanied the young master, so I was able to learn to write.”

“I’m not blaming you,” Le Ze could discern Wei Lan’s defensive justification for Luo Wei, and laughed, “It seems like here in this courtyard, I am not allowed to criticise our little Marquis Luo. A few of my friends from the military have come to visit. Lan, you can come with me too.”

“I should also go?” Wei Lan did not understand why Luo Ze wanted him to go meet with Luo Ze’s friends.

“Let’s go,” Luo Ze placed the fine paper filled with writing he had been holding back onto the desk, and said, “Are you thinking of scoring to become the next Zhuangyuan²? Lan, ah, since Xiao Wei is that fond of you, he won’t have you simply be a bodyguard for the rest of your life. This is to let you be acquainted with more generals in the army; it’s for your own benefit. Come with me.”

“I-” Wei Lan stood there without moving. It was already serendipity that he could be Luo Wei’s bodyguard for the rest of his life. What else could he hope for?

“Let’s go,” Luo Ze did not wait any longer. Walking outside the room, he said to Wei Lan, “You won’t listen to what I said?”

Luo Ze was also a master. Wei Lan couldn’t disobey his words, and could only go with Luo Ze.

“I just cannot comprehend Xiao Wei’s affairs with those literary officials,” Luo Ze said while walking with Wei Lan, “However in the army, it’s not as simple as a bowl of plain water³. You also need friends so that there will be more doors of opportunity, perhaps even Xiao Wei doesn’t know that.”

When Wei Lan heard Luo Ze say this, his interest was piqued, and asked Luo Ze, “There are even things that the young master doesn’t know?”

“Of course,” Luo Ze said, “I’ll ask you: who should you never offend in the army?”

Wei Lan said, “The Grand Commandant?”

“Wrong,” Luo Ze shook his head.

“Isn’t the Grand Commandant of the three armies the highest official in the army? Is there anyone with a higher position than the Grand Commandant?”

“The official in charge of transporting grains and provisions, the quartermaster, and the medical officer–these three officials are the ones you must never offend.” Luo Ze frankly explained to Wei Lan.

“Don’t these people also have to listen to the Grand Commandant?” Wei Lan asked. While he was in Luo Qi’s army, he had not witnessed what Luo Ze said of these three types of officers having such awe-inspiring authority.

“I’ll slowly explain it to you then,” Luo Ze was not someone who liked to lecture others, but at this moment he patiently started to instruct Wei Lan on the Way of the military. He saw how Luo Wei treated Wei Lan, and certainly thought that Wei Lan could become the next Ning Fei.

In the study room after Luo Ze had left, Luo Zhiqiu finally began to properly discuss the issue with Luo Wei.

“Wan’er is one who doesn’t cause trouble,” After Luo Zhiqiu told Luo Wei about some important personnel transfers and promotions within the imperial court, he spoke to Luo Wei again about Luo Wan, “You don’t need to worry about her engendering anything inappropriate.”

“Then what is his Third Highness’s intention?” Luo Wei said, “Previously, I have not perceived him as being at all close with our family. Now he took the initiative to marry a daughter of the Luo family. How did he have this change of heart?”

Luo Zhiqiu admonishingly gestured at Luo Wei. Some matters were fine just understanding it within one’s mind; there was no benefit to everyone in saying it aloud.

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Sorry it’s a day late.

1. 徐氏侧妃: more specifically, (Long Xuan’s) side-consort from the Xu family. Recall the hunting grounds incident of Ch. 138. A side-consort is a wife that is lower in rank than a principal wife and ranked above a concubine. A side-consort, unlike a concubine, has the potential to become a principal wife. [Return]

2. 状元: top scorer in the imperial examinations. [Return]

3. 一碗白开水: something that can be clearly seen through. [Return]