The night's rain came suddenly. At dusk, the light from the sun still cast beautiful colors over the sky, but a heavy rain fell as soon as the sun set.

Long Xuan was still straight-backed as he kneeled in the courtyard of the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix, being drenched by the rain without anything to s.h.i.+eld him.

He didn't know how much time had pa.s.sed, but the rain overhead stopped suddenly. Long Xuan raised his head and was startled when he saw Luo Wei standing beside him, holding an umbrella.

Luo Wei had just eaten dinner inside the Hall of the Gracious Phoenix. The crown prince, Long Yu, wasn't in the capital city, so Emperor Xing Wu summoned the third prince, Long Xing, and the sixth prince, Long Hao, to accompany the empress. Luo Wei was also the nephew to the empress, and in this little family gathering inside the grand hall they interacted with a sense of peace and happiness.

"You don't have to do this," Long Xuan told Luo Wei, who held the umbrella over him.

Luo Wei replied, "Your Imperial Highness is being exposed to the rain, how could I sit comfortably with a roof over my head?"

Long Xuan said, "You're no longer my study companion, there's no need for you to pretend anymore."

Luo Wei sighed, "Spring weather is still rather chilly and rains are frequent, is Your Imperial Highness not cold? Your Imperial Highness might see me as a mere pig or a dog, but I still have heart enough to help s.h.i.+eld Your Imperial Highness a little from the rain. But I also know that if I had suffered like this in the past, Your Imperial Highness would have no heart to treat me the same way," As he spoke, Luo Wei draped a thick coat over Long Xuan's shoulders. It was still warm.

Long Xuan watched Luo Wei. The light of the lanterns was dim, in the heavy downpour and in this little s.p.a.ce under the bamboo umbrella, Luo Wei's face was blurry and indistinct, hidden by a stray shadow. Long Xuan only realized then that Luo Wei stood upwind from him, and was really guarding him from the cold wind. He suspected that this person was only pretending, but Long Xuan's heart still warmed. He was truly cold. Both his body and his heart were frozen. It was a good thing that this person was here now, at the very least he was no longer completely alone.

"Your Imperial Highness must forgive me," Luo Wei said, "His Imperial Majesty forbade me to kneel."

Long Xuan responded, "You did nothing wrong, why would you kneel?"

Luo Wei didn't want to come at first. But he couldn't just let a prince kneel in the rain while he enjoyed a feast inside, warm and protected, conversing and laughing. So Luo Wei requested leave from the emperor to come outside and hold an umbrella for Long Xuan. When he saw Long Xuan as he stood on the steps, there was a moment when he felt that Long Xuan was truly lonely. All by himself, kneeling back straight in the downpour. Emperor Xing Wu was not good to him. But in the next moment, Luo Wei felt his heart go cold and harden. Why was he feeling sorry for someone who wronged him? The winner takes the crown, and the loser bears the blame. On the day he was crowned, did a winner like Long Xuan ever take pity on a loser like him?

One kneeling, one standing, the two of them couldn't find anything else to say to each other.

It stayed this way until late into the night, the head eunuch of the Hall of Eternal Light, Zhao Fu, finally came to deliver word from the emperor: Long Xuan has been allowed to go.

"The ground is slippery," Luo Wei saw Long Xuan off, "Be careful, Your Imperial Highness."

Long Xuan's knees were swollen from the punishment. Fu Lai held him up as he walked off without looking back.

"Young Master, you should hurry back to the Hall of Eternal Light for some rest," Zhao Fu put on a smile for Luo Wei, "His Imperial Majesty has already ordered me to prepare some hot water. The Young Master can have a warm bath and get a good night's rest."

Luo Wei turned his head, looking towards the Hall of the a Gracious Phoenix.

"His Imperial Majesty has decided to take his rest here tonight with Her Imperial Majesty," Zhao Fu quickly added.

Luo Wei nodded with a smile.

"Please," Zhao Fu turned to lead them off.

"Mister, thank you for going through such trouble for me," Luo Wei thanked him.

Zhao Fu's smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. Luo Wei had always been polite with him, to a point that was almost shocking to him. But Zhao Fu didn't think that Luo Wei was just putting on false pretenses. The young master was always well-mannered to just the right amount, making even an eunuch like him feel a sense of dignified respect. As the head eunuch of the Hall of Eternal Light there was no shortage of people trying to get on his good side, but how many of those people truly and honestly respected him like this?

TRANSLATOR'S NOTES:
A double update for tonight. ;)