The morning sunlight spilled across the inner courtyard of the Jin mansion while servants moved quietly beneath hanging banners and carved stone arches.
Warm steam still rose from the breakfast hall behind them where Luo He and Jin Mulan had spent time eating their breakfast far too comfortably for people supposedly preparing for imperial decree.
Their dining table had been excessive even by noble standards. Fresh river fish glazed in sweet sauce. Rice wrapped in lotus leaves. Thin slices of roasted duck. Sweet buns filled with red bean paste.
Several fruits imported from southern provinces. And enough tea for the both of them. Luo He leaned lazily against his chair with one arm draped behind it.
Meanwhile Jin Mulan sat across from him in elegant crimson and white robes, calmly drinking tea as though the chaos of the last twenty-four hours had never happened.
"You realize," said Luo He lazily while picking apart a bun. "The Emperor visiting Wu personally means the Crown Prince is probably handling the capital."
"That is normally how succession works," Jin Mulan said calmly. Luo He pointed at her immediately. "That tone implies mockery." "Because it is mockery." She said.
Luo He sighed dramatically. "You wound your husband on a daily basis." "You survive daily." Jin Mulan argued. "That is because I am resilient." Luo He insisted.
Jin Mulan calmly sipped tea again before answering.
"No. It is because your skin is too thick."
Luo He looked genuinely proud. "Exactly."
The two continued eating while discussing the upcoming Wu wedding, the imperial escort, and which nobles would likely embarrass themselves first during the ceremonies.
"I give it three hours before someone insults someone else's bloodline," said Luo He casually. "Too generous," said Jin Mulan. "One hour."
Jin Mulan stood opposite him, her eyes sharp, gleaming with that same calculating intensity she always carried in her delicate movements.
"Fifty silver says a drunk military lord starts it," she said. Her tone light, though a glint of darkness lingered in her words.
"You are gambling on political instability," Luo He replied, his voice calm but a spark of intrigue in his dark eyes.
"I call it strategic prediction," she countered. Tilting her chin slightly, daring him to challenge her confidence.
Luo He sighed, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "Shame on you, woman," he said. His voice laced with dry humor, though the sharpness was unmistakable.
"I made our family this rich, and you still bet in silvers. Not even a single gold coin." Jin Mulan raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips.
"Next time you should bet with something valuable like a relic, or maybe yourself. Or a favor. Something truly priceless." Luo He nodded slowly.
The corner of his mouth quirking up. "Honey, I bet either one of us will be the first to be insulted. I bet 50,000 gold coins on it. Jin Mulan was visibly shock.
Luo He leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming with a mix of mischief and calculation. "What about you if I win?" he asked, his voice soft but sure.
Before Jin Mulan could answer, soft footsteps echoed through the outer corridor. One of the mansion guards entered first before lowering his head respectfully.
"An imperial eunuch has arrived with a decree from His Majesty." The guard said respectfully. Luo He did not even look up.
"Let him wait." He said confidently. The guard froze slightly.
"…Master?" the guard said as if to confirm. "I said let him wait," Luo He repeated while calmly taking another bite of food. "The Emperor sent the decree via a eunice, it's not like he had arrived him self."
Jin Mulan covered part of her mouth to hide her smile. Outside the eunuch had already been waiting nearly half an hour beneath the courtyard pavilion already.
By the time Luo He and Jin Mulan finally arrived, the man's expression had become visibly unpleasant.
The imperial eunuch stood tall in layered purple and gold robes bearing the insignia of the imperial household.
His face was pale and narrow, his voice sharp with practiced arrogance. Several imperial attendants stood behind him.
Bing also stood nearby carrying tea for the guests.
The eunuch's eyes swept over the courtyard before landing on her. "Hmph," he sneered openly. "Even the servants of this household walk around dressed above their station now." Bing immediately lowered her head silently.
Jin Mulan's eyes narrowed slightly. But Luo He smiled. Which was somehow worse. The eunuch finally looked toward them properly. "At last," he said coldly.
"The imperial decree has waited long enough."
Then his expression sharpened further.
"Kneel and receive His Majesty's words."
Jin Mulan instinctively began lowering herself but Luo He casually caught her wrist mid-motion.
The courtyard became still. Then Luo He slowly looked toward the eunuch. "I will not bow," Luo He said calmly. "Before a man without a cock." Complete silence fell across the courtyard.
Even the guards looked horrified. The eunuch's face turned white with fury.
"You insolent dog!" He screeched.
Luo He spoke yet again his tone calm as always with not even a flicker of anger.
"I even bow down to the Emperor out of choice," Luo He continued lazily. "So I certainly will not bow to the person carrying his words." The eunuch trembled violently. "You dare to insult a eunice of the imperial household?!"
Luo He shrugged. "You insulted my household first." Then his expression disappeared completely. Cold. Sharp. Dangerous. "You mocked someone under my protection."
The eunuch immediately pointed toward Bing. "She is a servant!" He said arrogantly. "And you are too," Luo He said quietly. "As a matter of fact you are easily replaceable." He said with killing internet in his voice.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
Even the surrounding guards stiffened.
The eunuch still tried to maintain dignity.
"If you refuse the decree properly," he said sharply, "I will report this disrespect directly to His Majesty!"
Luo He looked genuinely amused. Then he turned slightly toward two nearby Jin guards. "Cut off his index finger." The guards froze. The eunuch froze harder.
"What?!" Luo He looked mildly annoyed now. "Did I stutter?" He asked.
The guards moved immediately. Imperial authority meant little inside the Jin estate, now that Luo He technically held patriarchal authority over the household.
The eunuch panicked instantly. "WAIT!"
Too late. A short scream echoed across the courtyard. Blood hit the stone floor.
The severed finger dropped beside the pavilion steps.
The eunuch collapsed to his knees clutching his hand while shaking violently. "I'LL SPEAK! I'LL SPEAK!"
Luo He calmly folded his hands behind his back.
"Excellent," he said pleasantly. "See how much easier communication becomes? It's a pity I have to take out parts of your body for that." Luo He sighed dramatically.
Jin Mulan watched beside him silently before a faint smile appeared on her lips as well. Now that she understood more about Luo He's hidden background and influence, his arrogance no longer sounded reckless. Only dangerous.
Jin Mulan silently stared at her husband.
She looked slightly disturbed why her husband acted so ruthless today, as normally he's a very chill person.
The eunuch breathed heavily before forcing out the decree through clenched teeth.
"His… His Majesty will reached the Chu Kingdom," he gasped painfully. "Lord Jin He is invited to join the imperial escort before it departs from Chu Castle within the next two or three days." His breathing shook again.
"The escort will not remain long." Luo He nodded casually. "There was that difficult?" He asked. The eunuch looked ready to faint from rage and humiliation.
Deep inside he was already imagining Luo He kneeling before the Emperor for punishment. That calm expression finally broken. That mocking arrogance crushed beneath imperial authority.
The eunuch imagined soldiers forcing him to kneel onto the polished jade floor while court officials read aloud every crime committed today.
"Disrespect toward an imperial envoy.
Obstruction of a royal decree. Mutilation of a servant of the throne."
Death sentences had been carried out for less. The thought made the eunuch's breathing steady slightly.
Yes. Let him threaten people inside his little mansion. Let him act untouchable before provincial guards and noble women.
The imperial capital was different. Power there was real. The eunuch imagined Luo He's expression when the Emperor's patience finally vanished.
Imagined the moment that arrogant smile disappeared for good. Imagined watching executioners force his head against the chopping block before the blade fell cleanly across his neck.
The fantasy soothed him almost enough to forget the pain in his hand. Luo He clearly noticed him smirking. He laughed openly seen the eunices expression.
"You really think the Emperor would choose a random eunuch over me?" Luo He asked casually. The eunuch's face suddenly lost more color.