Originally Luo He intended to take Ning Jia with him northward. But that plan collapsed almost immediately after arriving at the manor. Because absolutely everyone kept bowing to her.
Constantly.
Servants bowed. Guards bowed. Officials bowed. Merchants bowed.
Even random attendants nearly threw themselves onto the ground greeting her.
Luo He eventually became deeply uncomfortable watching it happen.
"She receives more respect than I do in my own house," he complained bitterly during dinner. "That is because she is an imperial princess," Jin Quan replied calmly. "That sounds biased." Luo He said.
"It is reality." Jin Mulan answered. Even Su Kim laughed softly at that. Ning Jia herself seemed entirely unbothered by the attention, which somehow annoyed Luo He even more.
Finally he called a full family meeting that same night. Everyone gathered within the central hall except Xu Mun and Jin Sang, who still remained absent.
Lantern light illuminated the large chamber while servants quietly sealed the doors afterward. Jin Quan sat calmly near the front while Jin Su remained beside him.
Fei stood silently near the wall with Bing nearby holding Luo He's son carefully in her arms, while Su Kim sat slightly farther back observing quietly carrying Jin Mulans daughter.
Ning Jia herself remained composed despite every one in the room secretly fearing her status. Maybe not Luo He.
Then Luo He finally spoke.
"This," he said while gesturing toward Ning Jia "is the Third Princess." He said proudly. The entire hall immediately became even quieter somehow.
"I brought her here because her life is currently in danger within the capital." He said confidently. Ning Jia looked toward him afterward. "That explanation sounds strangely similar to kidnapping." She said.
"I prefer the phrase safe repositioning." Luo He said in his usual smug tone. Jin Quan rubbed his forehead slowly already feeling a headache forming. Then Luo He's tone became more serious.
"The Crown Prince has already begun moving." He said calmely. That instantly changed the atmosphere completely.
Luo He calmly explained everything afterward.
The alliance with the Wu Kingdom. The assassination attempt against the Emperor. The growing instability inside the court. The preparations for open succession conflict.
And finally his own suspicion that the upcoming wedding itself might become the spark that ignited everything. The hall fell silent afterward.
Then Jin Su spoke quietly. "So when you previously said you might attend the wedding to either prevent a war…" "Or to start one," Jin Quan finished slowly.
Luo He nodded casually. "Yes. You'll are indeed right, I expected this then."
Several people stared at him in disbelief.
Even Fei looked disturbed by how calmly he admitted it.
Su Kim shook her head afterward with a helpless smile. "You saw this far ahead already?" She asked as if to confirm. Luo He leaned back lazily afterward. "I simply assume powerful people will eventually ruin everything." He said coldly.
"That is not strategy." Jin Mulan said.
"It has worked surprisingly well so far honey." He admitted proudly. Eventually the discussion shifted toward security arrangements.
Xu Mun needed to return immediately.
The family estate required stronger defenses. The Third Princess could not safely travel openly anymore.
And after long discussion, Ning Jia was ultimately left behind temporarily under the protection of the Jin family. Though Luo He changed one more decision afterward.
Instead of taking Ning Jia northward as originally planned he decided to take Su Kim instead. Su Kim herself seemed genuinely surprised. "Me?" She was over joyed at being the favourite one at least for some time.
Luo He nodded. "You're calmer under pressure." He said. Ning Jia narrowed her eyes immediately. "That sounds suspiciously insulting toward me."
"It was." Even Jin Mulan agreed.
Su Kim laughed softly afterward and eventually agreed to accompany him.
Luo He also decided to take his firstborn son along for the journey northward.
Little Lin was deeply offended by not being selected and apparently spent nearly half an hour calling him "Bad DiDi." But did Luo He care. Non what's for ever. His skin is now too thick for most women to burrow through.
That same evening Luo He finally held a long private conversation with Jin Mulan and Ning Jia together. The discussion was surprisingly civil at first. Surprisingly.
Eventually Luo He proposed an absurd scheduling system entirely based on the number of letters within their names.
"Jin has three letters," he explained confidently. "Odd number. Therefore odd days belong to Mulan."
"That is the stupidest logic I have ever heard," Ning Jia replied immediately.
"Yet flawless." Luo He added proudly.
"And even days?" Jin Mulan asked.
"Those are for my princess." Jin Mulan stared at him for several seconds. "You prepared this in advance." The two asked nearly at the same time. "Obviously." Luo He said.
Despite the ridiculous reasoning, the conversation slowly moved toward something resembling an actual agreement.
Then Luo He added one final condition.
"I will not share a room with the Princess, until I properly consult her father first." He added stocking ever one. Ning Jia looked genuinely stunned.
"You are refusing me?" She asked furiously. "I am respecting imperial etiquette." Luo He added shamelessly.
"You are hiding behind etiquette now, Stinky Mouth." She argued tirelessly.
"Yes." Luo He calmly replied. She immediately argued against it. Luo He remained completely unmoved. Finally he smiled faintly afterward.
"Try convincing me otherwise later in the battle field." He said proudly, deliberately pausing for dramatic effect. "Women enjoy a good challenge." He thought for him self.
"That confidence is infuriating," Ning Jia muttered. "Yet effective." She added calmly afterwards accepting the challenge.
Since that particular night happened to fall on an odd-numbered day according to Luo He's completely fabricated rotational system.
He proudly announced that he could finally "sleep properly" again tonight instead of merely "resting" like he had suffered through during the previous few days.
Nobody in the household even needed clarification anymore. Except Fei of course, who is most likely the last in line who got to know Luo He's antiques.
In Luo He's personal vocabulary, sleeping meant peacefully cuddling a woman in his arms while acting like the world outside no longer existed.
Anything else, even lying in a comfy bed wrapped in soft blankets for several hours was apparently nothing more than "temporary battlefield recovery," if he doesn't have a woman around his arms.
Naturally, Fei had nearly thrown the cup he was drinking from at Luo He after hearing that explanation from Bing earlier.
Luckily he didn't come to it as though how bizarre Luo He was, he is still Fei's master, and deserves appropriate respects. Still, Luo He remained entirely serious about it culture.
So once the evening quieted and most of the mansion lights dimmed, Luo He eventually returned toward Jin Mulan's chambers looking visibly more satisfied,
with life than any man currently preparing for possible civil war had the right to be.
The atmosphere inside the room became far quieter once the doors closed behind them. Soft lantern light illuminated the interior while the faint scent of incense still lingered gently through the air.
Jin Mulan stood near the bed removing portions of her outer garments slowly revealing the fitted inner layers beneath. Her long crimson hair fell loosely over her shoulders again after remaining tied for travel throughout the journey.
She looked toward him afterward. "You enjoy provoking people too much," she said warmly. Luo He sat near the edge of the bed with all the confidence of a man who believed the world existed primarily for his entertainment.
"It keeps life interesting," he replied proudly. "You nearly started a fight between an imperial princess and your wife." She said coldly. "Correction." Luo He immediately raised one finger.
"I successfully prevented one." He said proudly. Jin Mulan stared at him flatly.
"That is not prevention." She said. "It is advanced diplomacy honey, you wouldn't get it." He said with an indifferent tone.
"That is manipulation." She said looking away. "That is a form of diplomacy with great results," Luo He corrected confidently. Jin Mulan stared at him silently for several seconds before finally shaking her head slowly.
"One day someone truly will kill you, honey." She said possessively. Luo He leaned backward lazily afterward. "Yes," he admitted calmly. "But not before becoming extremely annoyed by me first."
Despite herself, Jin Mulan's lips curved faintly afterward. The atmosphere gradually softened after that. Jin Mulan eventually sat beside him in silence, now dressed only in a deep blue bra and matching underwear.
The flickering lantern light danced softly across her fair skin while her expression, once sharp and heated, had finally settled into calmness.
A quiet elegance surrounded her as she leaned back slightly, her crimson eyes no longer carrying their earlier intensity.