Four days after the capital was once again reclaimed, the emperor invited everyone who had contributed to his victory to attend the first imperial court following the coup.
Luo He, accompanied by Ning Jia, Jin Mulan, and Little Lin, also traveled to the capital for the occasion.
During the final stages of the campaign, Duke Bian had led ten thousand cavalry to eliminate the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince reached Duke Lu's estate first.
Where the two armies prepared an ambush. Duke Bian's scouts detected the trap in time, forcing a retreat. Seven thousand cavalry escaped safely.
The three thousand of the rear guards sacrificed themselves to buy enough time for the rest of the army to withdraw.
With the capital secured once more, the emperor had stabilized the empire and reclaimed his throne. The conspirators had been captured.
Those too powerful to punish, such as the First Princess, who had already fled back to the Heavenly Golden River Sect before the coup, and the sect itself, were left untouched.
Princes from across the empire gradually returned.
The Second Prince abandoned his journey to seek Warlord Gin Wenyuan's support after learning the capital had been retaken and immediately rode back to the capital at the fastest phase.
Many younger princes who had been imprisoned by the Crown Prince were rescued after the emperor's victory.
Several, including the Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Princes, had surrendered during the coup. Executing so many imperial princes over forced submissions would have disgraced the imperial family.
Especially when the evidence against them consisted mainly of reports from palace eunuchs. Instead, the Emperor stripped them of their authority and confined them to their residences as punishment.
The Third Prince had attempted to flee but failed to escape the city, hiding instead in a brothel where one of his lovers, already pregnant with his child, concealed him during the coup.
The Ninth Prince, only sixteen years old, refused to kneel before the Crown Prince despite repeated threats. He was thrown into the darkest prison cells until the emperor's forces rescued him.
The emperor had scarcely remembered that he even had a ninth son, but upon hearing of the young prince's unwavering loyalty, he ordered him to attend court personally.
Meanwhile, around eight imperial consorts who had been seduced by the Crown Prince's grandfather were arrested and scheduled for public execution on charges of treason.
Before court convened, Luo He arrived at the palace early and requested a private audience with the emperor. Since openly advising the Emperor during court would expose Luo He.
His carefully maintained image as an idle live-in son-in-law was very important to him so the discussion took place inside the emperor's private study.
Ning Jia, Jin Mulan, and Little Lin remained outside, where eunuch Long served them tea. Inside the study, only the emperor, eunuch Long, Shu Kang, and Luo He were present.
They discussed how to deal with the aftermath of the rebellion. Among the topics was the Crown Prince's mother. The emperor had already ordered her execution.
Luo He immediately shook his head.
"That's a foolish decision, Your Majesty. Spare her." He said.
The Emperor frowned. "Why?"
"She's still one of your consorts. Killing her accomplishes nothing. The Crown Prince abandoned her without hesitation, which proves he already considers her expendable."
"As his mother, she'll never betray her own son to help you either, so she's useless as a hostage." The Emperor remained silent.
"So simply place her under house arrest," Luo He continued. "If you feel punishment is necessary, give her a light whipping and leave it at that."
Then he grinned. "But I'd recommend Your Majesty administer the punishment personally." He said smugly.
The Emperor raised an eyebrow.
Luo He shrugged.
"I don't let anyone else touch my women, not even when they're being disciplined. I handle that myself. Letting another man do it would be disgraceful."
He smiled mischievously. "Besides... Your Majesty might even have a little fun with it." He said without any shame whatsoever.
The Emperor stared at Luo He for a long moment before letting out a helpless sigh. "You truly have no filter."
Luo He merely smiled.
"But... your reasoning isn't without merit." The emperor said. He tapped his fingers against the desk in thought.
"The Crown Prince abandoned his own mother without hesitation. Keeping her alive costs me little, and if nothing else, she remains a symbol. Executing her now would satisfy my anger, but it gains me nothing."
The Emperor nodded slowly. "Very well. Her execution is revoked. She will be placed under house arrest instead."
He glanced sideways at Luo He. "As for your suggestion that I administer the punishment myself..."
Luo He raised an innocent expression.
"I was only speaking as a husband, Your Majesty."
"You were speaking as a shameless rogue." The emperor said seriously.
"I've been called worse." Luo He said calmly.
Even Eunuch Long lowered his head to hide a smile, while Shu Kang silently looked away, pretending he had heard nothing.
The Emperor shook his head in amusement. "Very well. I'll consider it."
Luo He grinned. "You won't regret it, Your Majesty."
The Emperor ignored the grin and picked up the next memorial.
"And the fifteen consorts?" He asked.
"They should be executed," Luo He said calmly.
The Emperor agreed.
"They betrayed the imperial family." Luo He said.
"But they were threatened by the Crown Prince's grandfather. Faced with death, they had little choice. Killing them now won't solve anything."
"So what do you suggest?" The emperor asked indiferantly.
"Dismiss them all from the imperial harem. They are no longer suitable to bear the imperial bloodline."
"If any have children, Your Majesty may decide their fate separately. And if there are any whom Your Majesty still cares for, settle them somewhere secluded and provide for them."
"Casting them out of the harem is of utmost important. Or else the court disipline will be violated, but do not abandon them incase if you have any feelings for these women."
The Emperor nodded thoughtfully. "And the Crown Prince's mother, keep her under house arrest. Then go and see her personally." Luo He advised.
"Myself?" The emperor asked angrily.
Luo He nodded.
"Promise her that if the Crown Prince is captured alive, he will not be executed. Strip him of his succession, make him renounce all claim to the throne."
"And keep him under permanent guard within the palace. He will remain your son, but never your heir."
The Emperor remained silent.
"A father who executes his own son for treason may be justified," Luo He continued. "But he will never be remembered as compassionate."
"Show mercy where you can. I believe the Crown Prince's mother will help us if she knows her son's life will be spared."
Luo He said thoughtfully.
"You believe she would betray him?" The emperor asked.
"No. I believe she would rather see him live in disgrace than be exicuted or die on the battlefield." Luo He smiled faintly.
"The Crown Prince is no hero. He's a coward. I've seen enough of him to know that when death is placed before him, he'll gladly surrender his claim to the throne in exchange for his life."
The Emperor slowly nodded.
"You've given this considerable thought."
"I always do." Luo He said.
Luo He then changed the subject. "The Wu Kingdom will not abandon him. Their armies greatly outnumber ours. They can field nearly three hundred thousand soldiers, while Your Majesty can barely muster a hundred thousand."
"The next war is inevitable." He said firmly.
"And your solution?" The emperor asked.
"The Jin family will stand with Your Majesty. I, too, will do everything I can to secure your victory." He promised.
The Emperor looked at him with a faint smile. "And what reward does you seek this time?"
Luo He chuckled. "I've already slept with Your Majesty's daughter countless times and helped you reclaim your throne in return."
He spread his hands with a grin. "Surely Your Majesty doesn't expect me to fight the upcoming war as well without giving me a reward?" He asked shamelessly.
Luo He leaned forward.
"Your Majesty's greatest weakness is your lack of soldiers. Gather every count and prefecture willing to support you."
"Even a few thousand additional troops can change the outcome of a battle if used wisely."
"And what should I offer them?" The Emperor asked.
"Gold. Not titles or land. Promise generous rewards in silver and gold. I'll make sure Your Majesty can repay those promises after the war."
"If we defeat Wu, the indemnity alone will cover the cost. If we crush them thoroughly enough, they may even submit as our vassal."
The Emperor slowly nodded.
"Until the war begins, Your Majesty must rule with restraint. Avoid unnecessary executions and show the realm that you are a benevolent ruler."
"Your reputation is what will persuade the counts and prefectures to stand with you, or at the very least, remain neutral."
"Neutrality alone would spare us countless enemies." Luo He spread a map across the desk.
"The Wu Kingdom can field nearly three hundred thousand elite soldiers. We can barely gather one hundred thousand, and many of those are newly recruited or second-line troops."
"Aside from the capital's defenders, few of our soldiers are properly trained or equipped. Meeting them head-on would be suicide."