Luo He remained in the capital for a few more days, waiting patiently for the outcome. The city, once filled with the bright noise of recent festivities, had taken on a different tone.
The laughter and music that used to echo through its streets had faded into something quieter, something uneasy.
Whispers spread through the crowded markets. Merchants spoke in hushed voices behind half-closed stalls, and officials moved with unusual urgency, their faces tight with concern.
Something was coming. Everyone could feel it. On the day of the execution, the central square was packed with people.
A raised wooden platform stood at its center, reinforced with thick beams, freshly built for the occasion.
Rows of armed guards stood at attention around it, their armor gleaming under the pale morning sun. Long banners of the imperial court fluttered above, snapping sharply in the wind, their vibrant colors clashing with the grim mood below.
Citizens gathered in large numbers some drawn by curiosity, others by fear, many simply to witness what they believed was justice.
Vendors who once sold food along the square now stood silent, watching. Mothers held their children close. Old men leaned on canes, their eyes heavy with experience.
The air was thick. Expectant.
Luo He stood at a distance, blending effortlessly into the crowd. His clothing was plain, his posture relaxed, unremarkable. He watched calmly.
One by one, the captured members of the Xu family were brought forward. The heavy clink of chains echoed across the platform as the prisoners were forced to kneel.
Faces that had once held arrogance and power were now pale, hollow, broken. Some shouted, their voices desperate "We are innocent!" "This is a lie!"
Others stayed silent, their eyes distant, filled with despair or a quiet, resigned understanding.
Among them stood the elder daughter of Xu Mun, the Xu family's leader. Her gaze was steady. Cold. Unlike the others, she did not shout, did not beg. She knew.
From her father's teachings, she understood exactly what this was. Not justice. But the price of losing.
All except two, the Xu family leader himself, and his youngest daughter who had escaped, every one else were present.
Their absence lingered over the square like a shadow, but it changed nothing. The rest were marched forward in chains to face their sentence.
An imperial official stepped to the front of the platform and unrolled a long scroll. His voice rang out, sharp and authoritative, cutting through the murmur of the crowd.
"The Xu family stands accused of treason against the throne!" Murmurs spread instantly. Shock, curiosity, fear.
"It has been discovered," the official continued, "that the elder daughter of the Xu family leader conspired to assassinate His Majesty the Crowned prince."
A pause.
"With the aid of one hundred Black Mang troops, and her own elder brother."
Gasps rippled through the crowd like a wave. Hands flew to mouths. Eyes widened.
"The plot was uncovered before it could be carried out," the official went on. "The general and his Black Mang soldiers have already been eliminated."
His voice hardened. "The remaining conspirators present here shall face execution under imperial law." The explanation was simple, clear, convincing.
To the ministers watching from the elevated pavilion above, it was lawful. To the common people below, it was justice.
The executions began. Steel flashed under the morning light.
The crowd fell silent, and the only sound left was the dull, rhythmic finality of bodies falling.
Luo He didn't look away. His expression never changed. This was not revenge. Not anger. This was retaliation, a form of control.
Each life taken was not an emotional act but a calculated one. A message.
As the last body fell, the tension gripping the square slowly began to dissolve. People turned away, their whispers returning, quieter now.
Some spoke of justice. Others of fear. A few said nothing at all. The capital would move on. The story would settle into rumor, and rumor into silence.
Far from the eyes of the crowd, Luo He turned and walked away. For him, this was only the beginning. He never went to thank the emperor, nor to reassure him. He simply left.
For the emperor, this outcome was the best he could have hoped for. The man he feared was gone. He had failed to eliminate two of his targets.
The Xu family leader and his youngest daughter, and that failure brought him quiet unease. But compared to the mere presence of Luo He inside his capital, it was a minor concern.
Knowing Luo He had departed, the emperor's body finally relaxed. But beneath that relief simmered anger.
Not for the killings, which to him were nothing more than a political inconvenience. Replaceable. Manageable.
No, what angered him was the humiliation. The memory replayed in his mind again and again.
Being forced to kneel, to bow, to lower himself before another man inside his own palace. "I am the Emperor…" he muttered, pacing his chamber.
Fists clenched, jaw tight. And yet he had knelt. The weight of that realization burned deeper than any loss of power. He stopped pacing. His expression darkened.
But it must remain a secret. That thought alone was enough to restrain him. Luo He had come without announcement, without witnesses, without leaving any formal record behind.
Only one other man knew the truth of what had happened in that chamber. Eunuch Long.
The emperor's gaze drifted toward the door. For a brief moment, a dangerous thought crossed his mind. "He knows…"
Silence filled the chamber. "Should I remove him?" He thought.
The idea lingered, tempting in its simplicity. Erase the witness, erase the shame. But just as quickly, the thought collapsed under its own weight.
"If it weren't for him…" The emperor exhaled slowly. Eunuch Long had bowed first. He had warned him, saved him from making a fatal mistake.
Without that warning, pride might have made him speak out, might have made him refuse Luo He outright and if that had happened.
The emperor's body stiffened. I would not be alive. The realization settled heavily over him. Killing Eunuch Long would not erase the humiliation.
It would only remove the one man who had preserved his life. Slowly, the emperor sat back down. The anger remained. The humiliation remained.
But so did the fear, and beneath both of them, a quiet understanding. Luo He was not someone he could afford to provoke again.
Outside, the capital returned to its rhythm. The executions became stories. The stories became rumors. The rumors faded. But in the shadows of power, nothing was ever truly forgotten.
Far from the capital, Luo He moved forward unseen, unstoppable, already turning his thoughts to what came next.
As long as my enemies remain, I won't grow complacent, he thought, a quiet satisfaction settling over him.
Soon I'll deal with the rest of the Xu family as well. But never again will I underestimate an enemy.
With that thought trailing behind him, he continued on, heading back toward the Jin mansion once more.
Back to being nothing more than a good-for-nothing son-in-law, not the crown prince of a nation.
Though after what he had shown in the capital, keeping up that disguise would prove harder than ever.
Lost in that thought, he arrived once again at the Prosperous Silk Isle.
Luo He returned home and first saw his wife, who was waiting for him. Now she truly looked like a pregnant woman.
Her movements were slower, her body carrying visible weight, and there was a softness in her eyes, yet also strength. She felt the burden, but she stood firm.
Luo He smiled faintly and walked toward his family. He was warmly welcomed. Everyone had been waiting, eager.
From the moment he entered, questions poured in: "What happened in the capital?" "Who exactly are you?" "How are you so strong?" Jin Yang leaned forward, eyes sharp.