"If I had done something like that as a child," she said in horror. "My parents would have had me tied to a pillar and whipped until I regretted being born." She said in a firm voice. Luo He blinked once.
"In my defence I was eight when I did it." Luo He replied calmly. "Your childhood sounds significantly rougher and less creative than mine." He said solemnly. "That is because my family raised me right." She said proudly.
"They raised you violently," Luo He said mockingly. "Good for slaves and soldiers perhaps, but not children. He said.
They raised me responsibly unlike whatever strange thing your family created out of you." She said sarcasticly.
Luo He rubbed his chin thoughtfully afterward as if genuinely analyzing the difference.
"You interfered with an active military campaign and lived to tell the tale?" She said suprised. "How irresponsible of your parents. If you were my son I would have beaten you to death." She said angryly.
"Never even think of laying a finger on our daughter without consulting me first, or else we will have a problem." Luo He said calmly.
His voice was even, almost polite but there was a quiet finality beneath it that made nearby attendants instinctively freeze.
Jin Mulan slowly turned her head toward him. "You are threatening me over our daughter?" she asked. Luo He nodded once. "Yes. I wouldn't want my first daughter beaten to death at 8." He said with a playful demeanor in his voice.
Jin Mulan stared at him for a long moment. "You are speaking as if I am some enemy." Luo He looked thoughtful for a second.
"On battlefields, misunderstandings kill people." Luo He said. "That is not a battlefield." She declared. "It becomes one the moment emotions are involved." He said confidently.
A servant passing nearby suddenly found the floor extremely interesting and walked faster. Jin Mulan exhaled sharply through her nose. "She is my daughter too."
"Yes," Luo He said immediately. "That is exactly why I am informing you in advance." He said. "Informing me?" She asked pissed. "About boundaries." He said calmly.
Jin Mulan folded her arms. "You are setting rules for how I raise my own child," she struck back. "I am setting precautions on how we raise our child, honey." Luo He corrected calmly.
"That is worse." She said. Luo He tilted his head slightly, as if genuinely considering her objection. "You are emotionally impulsive when it comes to her," he said.
"I am her mother," Jin Mulan replied immediately. A faint pause passed between them. Luo He's gaze softened slightly, but his tone stayed firm.
"Yes. But you were my wife before you ever became her mother," he said lightly. "So shouldn't my little girl listen to mee..?" He said playfully.
Before she could retort, he gently pinched her nose.
Jin Mulan froze for half a second. "You are unbelievable." She said. A short silence followed. Even the wind through the palace seemed to hesitate, as if unsure whether it was allowed to continue.
Then Jin Mulan spoke more slowly. "Do you think I would harm Little Lin?" She asked if concerned. Luo He looked at her directly this time. "I think you would never," he said simply.
Then he added a little more carefully, "But sometimes what you do out of love becomes excessive." He said openly.
Jin Mulan narrowed her eyes. Luo He continued without flinching.
"Even with me," he added casually, "you punch me, honey. And not in a playful way. If it were anyone else, they would probably not have teeth left in whatever remains of their jaw."
Despite the complaint, his tone carried no real fear only calm observation. That softened Jin Mulan's expression slightly, though she still looked annoyed.
"But intention and outcome are different things," Luo He said. Jin Mulan frowned immediately. "That is the most irritating thing you have ever said." She replied now deeply affectionate.
"I have said worse things today." He said. She looked away briefly, clearly trying not to smile. "You are impossible." She lightly punched his chest in a playful manner.
"I am cautious." He said. "You are paranoid." She followed. "I am very well informed." He said. Another pause settled between them.
Then Jin Mulan's tone lowered slightly, becoming more serious. "If I ever discipline her, I will not do it without a good reason." She said. Luo He nodded once. "Good." A beat passed.
"And if you think my reason is unjust," She said lightly. "You can argue that with me." Jin Mulan Said. Luo He didn't hesitate.
"If that happens, I will stop you." He said coldly. Jin Mulan stared at him. "Are you serious." She asked suprised. "I am always serious about family."
That line changed the air between them. Not tense just grounded, heavier with meaning. Jin Mulan slowly exhaled. "You really love her that much." She asked.
Luo He's gaze softened just a fraction.
"She is Little Lin," he said simply. No explanation followed. None was needed.
Jin Mulan looked away, her voice quieter now.
"You make it sound like I need supervision." Luo He stepped slightly closer as they resumed waiting, his tone gentler than before. "You do not need supervision," he said. "You need balance."
Then, after a short pause, he added more softly. "And she needs both of us not to confuse love with control." He said confidently. Jin Mulan glanced at him from the side.
For once, she didn't immediately argue.
Instead, she exhaled slowly. "You really think about things too much." She said with a sigh. Luo He gave a faint smile.
"I have to. One of us should." Luo He said.
Jin Mulan shook her head, but there was no real resistance in it now. "Fine," she muttered. "But if you ever pinch my nose again in front of everyone, I will forget the 'balance' part." She said dangerously.
Luo He's eyes lit up slightly. "That sounds like a threat." He said. "It is a promise," Jin Mulan replied calmly. "Noted," he said, entirely satisfied.
Then as if concluding a matter of law, rather than affection, Luo He added casually, "But I can't only touch your nose." Jin Mulan narrowed her eyes immediately. "What now?" She thought.
Without giving her time to step back or argue, he gently pulled her a little closer by the sleeve. "But I can still do this instead," he said softly.
Before she could fully process it, he leaned in and gave her a brief, calm kiss. Light, unhurried, as if it was the most natural correction to a conversation he had just won.
Jin Mulan froze. For a moment, even the distant palace noise seemed to fade.
Then she slowly stepped back half a pace, staring at him with a mixture of disbelief and restrained annoyance.
"You really have no sense of timing." She said. Luo He looked mildly pleased with himself. "I tested whether you would mind." He said. "And?" She asked.
"You did not stop me." Luo He said proudly. "That is not an answer." She said. "It is still a result." He said calmly.
Jin Mulan exhaled slowly through her nose, clearly fighting the urge to either smile or strike him.
"You are impossible." She said yet again as always. "If I get a gold coin every time you say that, I would earn about 500 coins per month." Luo He replied while calculating. As if that explained everything.
Somewhere deeper inside the palace, unseen and unknown to them, Little Lin's future continued to be discussed with more seriousness than most emperors ever received in court.
And yet here between teasing, threats, and careless affection her parents treated it like the most natural subject in the world.
The palace guard finally returned from the inner courtyards, breathing slightly heavier than before. He moved quickly toward the captain stationed beside the gate and leaned close to whisper into his ear.
"The Crown Prince's orders," the guard muttered carefully. "Hold them outside as long as possible. Delay them. Humiliate them if necessary."
The captain gave a slow nod. Unfortunately for them Luo He heard every word clearly. His expression did not change at all. No anger. No surprise.
Not even irritation.
Only a faint smile touched the corner of his mouth, as if the answer merely confirmed something he had already expected. Beside him, Jin Mulan noticed the slight shift in his eyes immediately.
"What did he say?" she asked quietly.
Luo He did not answer immediately.
Instead, he casually reached for her wrist and gently pulled her away from the gate before the guards could properly react.
The two walked calmly toward the side pavilion near the outer lotus pond while the wrapped dark cloud shuttle continued resting behind them beneath black cloth.
Only after they were far enough from the guards did Luo He finally speak. "The Crown Prince ordered them to keep us waiting as long as possible," he said lightly.
Jin Mulan's expression cooled instantly.
"So it begins already." She said lightly. "It began long before we entered the palace," Luo He corrected calmly.
The morning wind passed softly through the stone corridors while distant servants moved carefully between courtyards pretending not to notice anything unusual.