Jin Mulan stood there watching in silence for a long moment. Then she spoke her voice soft and far quieter than before, almost fragile. "This is my first time doing this." She paused.
Her gaze fixed on the courtyard below. "I have taken the lives of men on the battlefield and killed thieves and plunderers. But those people felt like they deserved it." Her fingers tightened slightly against the wooden frame of the window.
"I have never taken the life of my own men. The feeling is different." A faint tremor entered her voice. "I know their wives, their children but I took their lives regardless." Her breathing grew uneven.
"How can I face them from now on?" She swallowed hard her emotions beginning to surface despite her efforts to control them. "And despite all that when you stepped in to save your own abuser from your wife what will people think?" Her voice wavered.
"I myself felt like a monster for doing what I did today but it had to be done." The weight of her words lingered heavily in the room. Luo He stepped closer without hesitation and pulled her gently against his chest his arms wrapping around her in a steady and grounding embrace.
"It was in both our best interests that I let him live," he said calmly his voice low and reassuring. "In this game we are not two separate people but one. So we must learn to think from each other's perspective."
His hand rested lightly against her back steady and warm. "The general will soon thank you for sparing his son. You not only put down a rebellion but also gained a favour with the same move."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"If the general had lost his son he would have openly admitted that his son was a traitor who deserved death but it was still his son after all. He would have carried that grudge no matter what."
His voice softened slightly. "I can't promise you I will never do this again… but I sincerely hope I won't have to." Jin Mulan remained silent for a moment her frustration still lingering but now mixed with something more complicated. Understanding or perhaps reluctant acceptance.
"No…" She said quietly. "I am also grateful for your help." Her gaze drifted downward again toward the now cleaning courtyard. "If I had taken his life too I would have felt even more guilty.
Especially having to see the general every day and share pleasantries with him as the monster who killed his son. That would have been awful." Her voice tightened slightly.
Luo He responded his tone calm yet firm carrying a quiet weight of experience. "It is indeed a weakness to feel guilt after passing judgment but that is exactly what makes a good ruler." He looked at her his gaze steady.
"A leader should not kill people simply because he can. That is why the old saying goes, 'The man or woman who passes the judgment must also swing the sword.' It is a kind of guilt switch.
It reminds rulers of how many lives they have taken and prevents them from becoming ideal to it. Having others do it for you don't chase as much."
His voice lowered slightly more resolute now. "For those in power we must do what needs to be done." He paused briefly before adding, "I have to go to the capital tomorrow. I have plans that must be executed.
By sunrise I will be on my way." The next morning Jin Mulan woke to an empty bed. The space beside her was already cold the faint impression of where he had lain was the only proof he had been there at all.
A flicker of urgency ran through her. She quickly dressed her movements hurried and unrefined and rushed downstairs to see him off. But when she reached the courtyard she stopped.
There were no grand escorts. No lined guards no horses prepared in formation no display befitting someone of his status. Only her father and mother stood there composed as ever watching quietly. And then she saw him.
Luo He stood dressed in plain worn peasant clothes the fabric simple and unremarkable. Over his shoulder hung a weathered cloth sack its edges frayed from use. He looked like any ordinary traveller someone no one would notice twice.
At his side were only two house guards.
That was all. Jin Mulan's eyes widened in disbelief. A surge of anger rose within her as she turned sharply toward her parents. Is this how they treat their son-in-law?
She stepped forward ready to argue, her voice already rising. But Luo He stopped her with a small gesture. "It was my idea wife." His tone was calm almost casual.
"It's safer to have nothing worth being stolen than to travel with a display that invites trouble."
He adjusted the sack on his shoulder slightly. "Common criminals don't have horses," he added with a faint mocking edge as if amused by the very thought.
Without another word he turned and began to walk away.
She stood there watching him go unable to stop him her frustration lingering in her chest. With that he left. Within three days they reached the capital. The journey had been uneventful, quiet and deliberately unremarkable just as Luo He intended.
The capital however was anything but unremarkable. Towering walls surrounded it thick and imposing with guards stationed at every gate.
Inside the streets were alive with movement merchants calling out their goods, carts rolling over stone roads, people from all walks of life moving through the crowded avenues.
The air was filled with noise, colour, and the constant pulse of activity. Luo He moved through it all but unnoticed. The moment Luo He entered the capital He changed in to elegant clothes and entered the city as a noble
He made his way toward someone who might still remember him. He went to visit the Yu Kingdom emperor's personal eunuch. When the emperor had once visited their kingdom this man had been present.
Luo He was certain the emperor himself would not remember him but his personal eunuch might. So he went to meet him. As expected the eunuch did remember him though it took some careful words and subtle convincing before recognition fully settled in.
The man's eyes widened slightly as realization dawned. "It is indeed you my prince," he said his voice lowering as respect replaced uncertainty. "His Majesty might be pleased to meet you."
Luo He shook his head lightly.
"No, Eunuch Long. This time I did not come to see His Majesty I came to see you." The eunuch blinked visibly surprised. "My prince came to see someone as insignificant as an ant in your life?" he said with a humble bow.
"I am your servant." Luo He stepped closer his expression calm but intent.
"I need your word that you will do your best to aid me in winning your emperor's favour should I require it in the future."
The air between them grew still as if the world itself had paused to listen. The weight of the request settled quietly yet unmistakably pressing down on the moment with silent intensity.
"How could I ever refuse you my prince? I would give you my life if you demanded it. This humble servant is yours to command." Luo He studied him for a brief moment then gave a faint nod. "No one who has helped me has ever gone unrewarded."
With that matter settled he moved on.
Next he made his way to the Yu Country's branch of the Trade Origin Society a vast and influential coalition where powerful merchants and wealthy folk gathered to form a loose yet formidable alliance.
The organization operated like a silent force behind the flow of wealth across kingdoms its influence stretching far beyond what most could perceive.
This particular society was stabilised and headed by his uncle the second elder brother of his mother Lord Chu Mang. Also who is the second son of the Chu Country's lord.
The Chu Country itself stood as one of the Nine Great Kingdoms under the mighty Flame Kingdom making his uncle a man of both status and considerable power.
As Luo He approached the grand establishment its towering structure and refined architecture spoke of immense wealth and authority.
Carved pillars lined the entrance and finely dressed merchants moved in and out with purpose their conversations hushed yet urgent. The scent of ink, parchment, and expensive incense lingered in the air a subtle reminder that fortunes were made and lost within these very walls.
Luo He's expression remained calm but beneath it lay sharp awareness. This was not merely a visit of courtesy, it was a step into a web of influence where every word every glance and every decision carried weight.