He walked back toward Jin Mulan, Fei, and little Lin with the same relaxed expression he had worn when entering the hall. Jin Mulan stared at him for a moment before speaking quietly.
"You're not angry?" Luo He shrugged.
"I had fun." Fei looked utterly unconvinced. "He literally stole your win." "Exactly," Luo He replied cheerfully. "Which means I lost the game overall."
"Now beating him a next time will feel even better." Luo He said casually. That answer left Fei speechless. Little Lin meanwhile simply reached her tiny arms toward him the moment he approached.
Luo He immediately scooped her up with one arm.
And while the surrounding still buzzed with whispers about politics, cheating, and the prince's reputation Luo He walked out smiling like a man who had just finished an enjoyable afternoon game.
Jin Mulan's eyes narrowed coldly from the audience. Fei looked ready to flip the entire board over the prince's head. Even several older scholars seemed uncomfortable. But Luo He! He simply stood calm and completely unbothered.
He did not argue. Did not protest. Did not even glance at the board again. His expression carried neither anger nor humiliation. If anything he looked mildly amused. That unsettled people far more than outrage would have.
Because the truth was obvious to everyone who truly understood the game. The Crown Prince had not won.
He had survived defeat. And there was a massive difference between the two.
The board had already spoken long before the ink touched the paper. No false record could erase the fact that for nearly two hours Luo He had dismantled the Crown Prince completely in front of scholars, ministers, nobles, and officials alike.
The judges could alter the verdict. The Prince could steal the title. But neither of them could erase what everyone had seen with their own eyes. For the first time in years the undefeated Crown Prince had been cornered so thoroughly that he had needed power itself to escape losing.
As the Luo family prepared to leave the academy grounds the tournament courtyard behind them was still buzzing with discussion. Scholars argued over the final match. Nobles whispered carefully behind folding fans.
Officials debated whether the Crown Prince's victory had truly been legitimate.
Luo He meanwhile had already stopped caring. He walked leisurely beside Jin Mulan while little Lin rested against his shoulder sleepily one tiny hand gripping his collar.
Fei followed behind carrying supplies while the thirteen guards maintained formation around them. They had already crossed half the outer courtyard when hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from behind.
"Young Master He! Please wait!" A servant came running toward them robes disheveled and breathing hard. Luo He and Jin Mulan turned. The servant bowed quickly. "You forgot the second place reward," he said while catching his breath. "Three thousand gold."
Luo He blinked once. Then lightly slapped his own forehead. "Ah… right."
He genuinely looked surprised. "I completely forgot." Jin Mulan stared at him as though he had gone insane. "You forgot three thousand gold?" Luo He shrugged casually.
"I was thinking about dinner." Fei nearly choked. Even the servant looked confused. Only little Lin happily babbled nonsense from Luo He's shoulder completely unaware of the absurdity surrounding her father.
With no other choice the family turned back toward the courtyard. The award ceremony was still ongoing. The Crown Prince stood upon the elevated platform calm and dignified beneath the afternoon sunlight.
Nobles applauded respectfully as servants presented him with the first place reward. His expression remained composed. Elegant. Perfectly princely.
Then Luo He re-entered the courtyard.
The moment the Crown Prince noticed him something shifted slightly in his eyes. Without warning he stepped down from the stage personally. The servant carrying Luo He's reward chest froze in confusion as the prince simply took the heavy box from his hands himself.
A murmur spread instantly across the courtyard. The future ruler of the empire personally carrying a reward chest?
For another man? Even ministers looked surprised. The Crown Prince ignored them completely and walked directly toward Luo He.
"You almost left this behind," he said calmly. Slightly raising the chest. Luo He smiled immediately casual and relaxed as always. "Thank you, Your Highness."
There was no tension between them now. No bitterness. If anything they looked like two men who had genuinely enjoyed competing against one another.
The Crown Prince handed over the chest. And that was the exact moment Jin Mulan finally snapped. Without hesitation she threw a punch directly toward the Crown Prince's face.
Everything happened instantly. The guards moved. Officials stood. Several nobles nearly screamed. The future emperor being punched in public was not a scandal. It was a national disaster. But before her fist could reach him thud.
Luo He casually kicked the back of Jin Mulan's ankle. Not hard. Just perfectly timed. Her balance disappeared instantly. "What?!" Instead of punching the prince she stumbled forward violently. Straight into him.
The Crown Prince's eyes widened.
Pure instinct took over. One arm wrapped around her waist to stop the fall while his other hand braced instinctively against her upper chest to keep both of them from collapsing. The entire courtyard froze completely. Jin Mulan froze too.
Her brain stopped functioning for one horrifying second as she realized her body was practically pressed halfway against the Crown Prince's chest.
The Crown Prince himself turned red almost immediately. Bright red. The elegant composed heir to the empire suddenly looked like someone whose soul had just left his body.
For one unbearable moment neither of them moved. Then Jin Mulan practically launched herself backward. Her face burned crimson beneath the stunned gazes of hundreds of people. But now
her murderous glare no longer targeted the Crown Prince.
Slowly… Very slowly… It turned toward Luo He. Luo He stood there calmly holding the chest of gold with a perfectly innocent expression. "What?" he asked.
Jin Mulan's eye twitched violently. The Crown Prince coughed awkwardly and quickly straightened his robes clearly trying to regain whatever of his dignity that remained.
Several ministers were pretending not to see anything. Others were pretending extremely badly. Meanwhile Luo He simply bowed lightly again. "Thank you for the reward Your Highness." The Crown Prince nodded stiffly. "You're welcome."
Then Luo He turned around and walked away carrying three thousand gold as though absolutely nothing unusual had happened. The journey home was cold.
Terrifyingly cold.
Jin Mulan walked ahead in complete silence while Luo He followed beside her carrying the chest of gold casually under one arm. Little Lin sat against his shoulder happily playing with one of the golden seals attached to the lock.
Completely unaware that her mother was currently deciding whether murder was acceptable in broad daylight. Fei stayed far behind. Very far behind. Like a veteran soldier wisely avoiding an active battlefield.
The guards were equally careful. Nobody spoke. Nobody even breathed too loudly.
After several long minutes Luo He finally reached over casually and tried placing a hand on Jin Mulan's shoulder. Smack.
She slapped it away instantly without even turning around.
Luo He blinked once. "Why are you angry?" No response. She continued walking forward. Her aura somehow became even colder. "Mulan?" Still nothing. Only silence and enough killing intent to make nearby servants lower their heads nervously.
Luo He genuinely looked confused now.
"I saved you from punching the Crown Prince." That somehow made things dramatically worse. Jin Mulan stopped so abruptly the guards behind nearly crashed into one another.
Then she slowly turned around. Her eyes blazed like fire. "You kicked me." Luo He nodded honestly. "Yes." He accepted with no regards. "You made me fall onto him." She said poking him with a finger.
"You stupid girl," Luo He replied calmly. "That was a lesson." Jin Mulan stared at him in disbelief. "The first people to fail you at critical moments are not always enemies," he continued casually. "Sometimes it's your own allies.
Remember that."
That answer was so absurd Jin Mulan nearly forgot why she was angry in the first place. "You could have stopped me normally!" She said in an angry voice.
"I did stop you normally."
Fei immediately looked away before he laughed himself to death. Meanwhile Luo He still looked sincerely puzzled by her reaction. "I prevented a diplomatic incident," he explained reasonably. "And nobody got hurt." Jin Mulan stared at him like she was seeing a new species of idiot.