With that everything changed. Not merely emotionally. Not symbolically.
Legally. Traditionally. Officially.
The moment the ancestral chamber opened beneath the rules of Jin family law Luo He's position within the household transformed in real time.
And the terrifying part was that nobody could actually argue against it. The Jin family records were absurdly strict regarding succession traditions. The heir who opened the ancestral chamber will get authority over the household.
Simple. Absolute. Final. Which meant that somehow entirely by accidient Luo He had become Patriarch of the Jin bloodline. The announcement spread through the mansion before sunrise.
Servants whispered through the halls.
Guards spread the news across the estate. Even the older attendants who rarely reacted emotionally looked stunned hearing it. By noon the Jin family held a formal succession ceremony.
The main hall had been prepared completely for the occasion. Golden incense burned beneath towering spirit tablets while ancient banners of the Jin bloodline hung from the dark wooden pillars overhead.
Hundreds of candles illuminated the chamber in warm amber light while armored household guards lined both sides of the hall in perfect silence.
Servants. Stewards. Maids. Scholars.
Warriors. Workers. Everyone belonging to the Jin household gathered there.
And standing at the center wearing ceremonial black robes trimmed in deep crimson and gold was Luo He.
Looking deeply annoyed about the entire situation. "This is ridiculous," he muttered quietly while Jin Mulan adjusted the outer layers of his robe beside him. "You said that five times already," she replied calmly.
"Because it remains ridiculous despite how many times I say so." He said in annoyance. "You are literally the Patriarch now." She said proudly kissing his shoulder.
"Against my will that is." Luo He argued.
"That is not how succession works honey." Luo He looked toward the ancestral tablets helplessly. "Your ancestors are bullies." Luo He said.
Jin Mulan almost smiled. Then the ceremony began. The chief steward stepped forward first before kneeling deeply. "Greetings to the new Patriarch of the Jin household."
The motion spread instantly afterward.
Like a wave. Guards dropped to one knee. Servants lowered themselves immediately. Even older retainers bowed deeply toward him without hesitation.
One by one the entire hall pledged allegiance. "To the Patriarch." "To the head of the Family." "To Lord Jin He."
The sound echoed through the ancestral hall heavily.
Jin Mulan stood beside him silently watching everything unfold. Even Jin Quan and Jin Su bowed formally according to household law despite both looking faintly amused by Luo He's increasingly uncomfortable expression.
Because Luo He looked less like a newly crowned ruler and more like a man accidentally trapped inside responsibility.
Finally the ceremony master raised his voice. "May the Patriarch now issue his first declaration to the Jin household."
Everyone grew silent immediately. Luo He stared at the room. Then sighed heavily. Then very casually "I resign."
The entire hall froze.
Even the incense smoke seemed to stop moving. The ceremony master blinked slowly. "W...hat?"
Luo He pointed directly toward Jin Quan.
"I officially declared all operational authority to my honorable father-in-law."
Absolute silence.
Jin Quan looked genuinely stunned. Luo He continued calmly. "He is experienced. Capable. Well respected." Then after a small pause. "And more importantly I have far better things to do than manage family politics."
The old retainers looked horrified. "What things my lord?" one elder asked carefully. Luo He answered honestly.
"Enjoy worldly pleasures." The hall became silent again.
Jin Mulan covered part of her face with one hand. Jin Su actually turned away briefly to hide her laughter. Jin Quan looked like a man questioning every life decision that brought him to this moment.
Meanwhile Luo He nodded proudly like he had delivered a profound political speech. Thus the shortest reign in Jin family history officially ended less than five minutes after beginning. Though technically Luo He still retained the title and legal authority.
He simply delegated all responsibilities directly back to Jin Quan. Which somehow irritated the elders even more.
Afterward the household reorganized itself according to the authority of the new Patriarch.
And that was where the real problems began. By ancestral law the Patriarch and his wife inherited the ancestral master chambers located within the southern wing of the estate. The same room Luo He just opened.
The most luxurious section of the entire mansion. The old sealed chamber itself was restored carefully over the following weeks while the surrounding rooms were reassigned according to rank and household hierarchy.
Thus Luo He and Jin Mulan were moved into the restored masters chamber. Directly beside them the adjacent private chambers were assigned to Jin Su and Jin Quan. Which at the time had seemed completely harmless.
An unfortunate mistake the two would later regret deeply. Meanwhile Luo He's and Jin Mulan's former room in the west wing was reassigned to Su Kim and the child.
And the smaller eastern chamber previously occupied by Su Kim was formally granted to Bing. Or rather
Jin Bing.
Because Luo He still technically acting under Patriarch authority casually added her into the household registry personally. "Congratulations," he told the stunned girl afterward.
"You've been promoted into nobility." Bing nearly fainted on the spot. The household servants spent weeks reorganizing the southern wing afterward.
Ancient furniture restored. Walls repainted. Family relics returned. The old master suite reopened for the first time in decades beneath the authority of its new owners.
And so without truly intending to Luo He and Jin Mulan ascended to the highest status within the Jin household.
A position earned through a combination of intelligence, luck, shamelessness,
accidental archaeology and above all Luo He's curiosity. Plus one extremely dangerous book.
The memory slowly faded afterward.
The moonlit skies returned around them.
Cold winds flowed softly past the dark cloud shuttle while the floating lamina hovered silently among the clouds.
Luo He sighed quietly while staring beyond the drifting sea of clouds below them. Moonlight painted the distant mountains silver while the dark cloud shuttle floated silently in the cold night sky.
"So yes," he admitted at last. "This entire situation is partially my fault." Jin Mulan stared at him for several seconds before a quiet laugh escaped her lips.
"Partially?" she repeated. Luo He looked genuinely offended. "Fine. Mostly." That only made her laugh harder.
"If you were not sitting there looking absurdly serious while reading that ancient book," he continued proudly. "I would never have cared enough to open the stupid chamber in the first place."
Jin Mulan folded her arms while her crimson hair drifted softly in the freezing wind around them. "You were the one mocking the family rules." She said.
Luo He :- "And I still stand by that. I am the Patriarch now, remember? My word is law."
Jin Mulan :- "You surrendered your authority less than five minutes after obtaining it."
Luo He :- "That is called enlightened leadership."
Jin Mulan :- "It is called laziness."
Luo He:- "A book that accidentally turns me into the head of an entire bloodline because I got curious deserves criticism. Honestly your ancestors built a succession system specifically designed to reward nosy people."
Jin Mulan :- "You also broke through a wall with a chisel."
Luo He :- "A visionary must sometimes commit minor property damage."
Jin Mulan :- "You destroyed part of the mansion."
Luo He :- "And gained the family a Patriarch in return."
Jin Mulan :- "You were looking for hidden treasure."
Luo He :- "I was looking for knowledge."
Jin Mulan :- "You literally asked if there would be gold inside."
Luo He :- "Knowledge and gold are not mutually exclusive."
Jin Mulan :- "Sometimes I genuinely cannot tell whether you are intelligent or simply insane."
Luo He :- "The greatest minds in history were always misunderstood honey."
Luo He :- "And there was gold. A ridiculous amount of it too."
Jin Mulan :- "You actually found treasure."
Luo He :- "Of course I did. Your ancestors apparently believed emotional trauma and hidden wealth were excellent family inheritances."
Jin Mulan narrowed her eyes slightly.
Jin Mulan :- "How much gold?"
Luo He immediately looked offended.
Luo He :- "Why would I tell you that?"
Jin Mulan :- "Because I am your wife genius."
Luo He looked at her with complete seriousness.
Luo He :- "So what if I marry someone new one day? Should I introduce myself by announcing how much gold my personal vault contains?"
Jin Mulan's expression froze instantly.
Luo He continued proudly before she could react.
Luo He :- "That is how men get manipulated financially."
Jin Mulan :- "You want to marry someone new?"
Luo He immediately pointed at her accusingly.
Luo He :- "See? This is exactly why wise men stay vague."
Jin Mulan's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Luo He finally sighed dramatically.
Luo He :- "Fine. Since you are already plotting my death I will tell you."
He crossed his arms while the dark cloud shuttle drifted silently through the upper clouds.
Luo He :- "Enough gold bars to fill three military wagons."
Jin Mulan blinked once. Luo He continued casually.
Luo He :- "There were also seven large chests filled with old Jin silver certificates, stacks of ancient jewelry cases and enough raw gold bricks that even your father will forget how to breathe for a moment."
Jin Mulan stared at him silently now.
Because describing treasure by physical scale somehow made it feel vastly larger than naming a number ever could. Luo He smirked proudly beneath the moonlight as it was his intention all along.
Luo He :- "Your free loading husband accidentally robbed your ancestors."