Dong Hua's timing had been flawless, with the quarterly meeting of the heavens just around the corner. Si Ming found it hard to keep his mouth shut on the matter. But he knew if he gossiped about this particular matter, he would deeply regret it.

Dong Hua dressed in his finest robes for the meeting, hanging the tail around his waist.
"How do you feel?" Si Ming asked as they walked to the meeting.
"I must not fail." He told him and Si Ming nodded, feeling the obvious nerves.

The meeting was typical, with every realm being represented. Many marriage contracts were signed and Dong Hua felt his hands become clammy as Hao De asked if there were any more marriage proposals. Dong Hua raised his hand and smiled at the audible gasp in the room.
"Dong Hua Dijun?" Hao De asked with clear shock in his voice.

Without moving, Dong Hua announced:
"I am going to marry Bai Fengjiu of Qin Qiu." The room was stunned into silence. Of course, they all knew about the love lantern, but marriage? This was unfathomable.
"The Queen of Qin Qiu?" He asked and looked over to Qian Qian, whose eyes were wide with shock.
"The very same." He nodded slowly.
"I approve of this match." Bai Yi announced, stepping forward. Hao De's eyes grew even wider with shock.
"You knew about this?!" He asked in confusion as Bai Yi bowed.
"Don Hua Dijun asked for my blessing to marry my daughter, Bai Fengjiu. I gave him my blessing." He told him and Hao De sat back stroking his beard.
"In all of my years, I have never known anyone to turn your eye, Dong Hua." He shook his head in disbelief.
"And what of Bai Fengjiu, why is she not here today?" He asked.
"She had matters to attend to in her own realm. I have asked her, and she has accepted me." He informed Hao De who huffed in shock.
"I have been kept in the dark about this. Is this a marriage of love?" He asked and Dong Hua shot him a warning glance, reminding Hao De that he was still the most powerful in the heavens.
"I can confirm that little Jiu is very much in love with Dong Hua Dijun. I support this match." Qian Qian stepped forward and Hao De nodded, knowing that the women of Qin Qiu were very close.
"I also support this match." Ye Hua joined his wife.
"I do not know little Jiu as well as my wife, but she is the reason I am here. So I owe it to her to ensure her happiness."

The room erupted into whispers.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Hao De demanded an explanation. Ye Hua looked to his wife and then to Dong Hua, who both nodded, giving him consent to tell the tale. Ye Hua told the story of Fengjiu and Dong Hua and everyone listened, enthralled by the tale.
"Now you can understand." Dong Hua stated and Hao De stood.
"I owe this girl everything. What does she want?" He asked in shock.
"I believe the only thing she wants is to be with Dong Hua Dijun." Ye Hua stated and Hao De nodded, grunting approvingly.
"Let it be known that soon there will be a date set for the marriage of Dong Hua Dijun and Bai Fengjiu of Qin Qiu." He announced the whole room erupted into applause. Dong Hua sighed, glad that his final obstacle was eliminated.

Ye Hua walked with Dong Hua that afternoon.
"Thank you, for standing up for Fengjiu." Dong Hua smiled over to him.
"It was the least I could do. I hope she won't be angry at me for revealing her secret." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I am sure she will pout for at least two days, but let me deal with that." He chuckled, thinking of her sulking around.
"Who will rule Qin Qiu now?" Ye Hua wondered aloud and Dong Hua had also wondered this.
"If Fengjiu wishes to remain Queen, I will not stop her." He told him and Ye Hua furrowed his brows.
"But you must be here and she must be there." He thought aloud and Dong Hua shrugged his shoulders.
"We can make it work." He told him.
"Perhaps Little Jiu can be Queen by name, and have some help ruling." He suggested and Dong Hua sighed.
"I think she will find life in the heavens boring." He told him and Ye Hua.
"You might be right." He agreed.
"I am sure there is a way to reach an agreement. She is the most beloved woman in the realms now. Anything can happen."

Si Ming immediately went to the little princess to announce the news.
"You should have seen the shock." He giggled, recounting the morning for her.
"Why did Ye Hua have to tell everyone!" She cried out, wishing her secret could have been kept.
"Little princess, you are now the most beloved woman in all the realms, you should be grateful to your uncle." He told her and she cocked her head to the side, wondering how she had become the most beloved woman.
"It feels surreal." She smiled a little, shaking her head, wondering if it was all a dream.
"Come with me, I have a surprise for you." He took her hand and she beamed up at him.

Si Ming had been in contact with Zhe Yan, after the proposal.
"I want the little princess to feel at home in the palace. Perhaps she and I can plant some peach trees, if you would allow it?" He asked and Zhe Yan thought this was a wonderful engagement gift.
"I will harvest some trees for you." He agreed and Si Ming had thanked him profusely.

Fengjiu felt a pressure she had never felt before when she entered the palace. Before, she had just been a maid and the thought that this would be her new home scared her a little.
"Let's go out into the courtyard." He suggested and she nodded.

She gasped when she saw the peach trees stood in their pots.
"I thought perhaps they could remind you of home." He told her and she smiled widely.
"Si Ming, this is so thoughtful!" She cried out with joy.
"Perhaps we can plant them together." He suggested and she nodded, rolling up her sleeves and tying back her hair.

Si Ming was so glad, watching the little princess dig the holes with vigour. She had been pleased with his gift and her joy was enough of a reward for him. He helped her where he could, but it seemed that she was more than capable of planting them herself.
"I used to help Zhe Yan with this when I was a child." She told him and he nodded.
"I asked Zhe Yan himself for the trees." He admitted and she looked over with shock in her eyes.
"These are from Zhe Yan's forest?" She asked with wide eyes and he nodded.
"The very same."

Fengjiu thought it was so special that Si Ming had gone to so much effort to make her feel at home. She was very glad she had a friend like him in such an untrustworthy place.

Dong Hua walked back to the palace after talking with Ye Hua. He felt as if he was walking on air, knowing how drastically his life had changed. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Jiuer, on her knees, planting a peach tree.
"Dijun!" She called out when she saw him and although he didn't like her calling him that name, there was something sweet about it when she said it in that way. Her hands were covered in mud as she ran over to him.
"I don't want to make you dirty." She looked down at her hands, pouting with frustration.
"I dont care." He told her, sweeping her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to avoid his white hair, fearing she would dirty it.
"I am planting peach trees from Zhe Yan's forest with Si Ming." She told him and he nodded, smiling down to her.
"They are beautiful." He told her.
"They will make me think of home when I live here." She told him and watched as his brows furrowed in thought.
"You want to live here?" He asked and she cocked her head to one side.
"Of course, do you not want me here?" She asked, taking a step away from him. He sent her a mischievous grin.
"How could you say that after what I did this morning?" He asked and she grinned up at him, ready to run away, but he caught her before she could start the chase.
"Will you always be so playful?" He asked and she giggled.
"Would you like me to stop?" She asked and he chuckled.
"Never."

Dong Hua watched as she and Si Ming planted the last of the trees and suggested they all have tea together.
"You seem to have gained a stain, Dijun." Si Ming pointed out the brown stain in his hair, from Fengjiu's muddy hands. She averted her eyes, sipping on her tea.
"Si Ming, would you say I am a good man?" He asked and Si Ming was caught off guard.
"Of course, Dijun. You are the finest man I have ever known." He bowed his head and Dong Hua chuckled.
"No need for all of that. Would you say a good man takes accountability for his actions?" He asked and Si Ming agreed that all good men should take accountability.
"Jiuer, you are a very good woman and you made my hair dirty. What will you do about it?" He asked her and she let her mouth fall a little agape, not having been paying attention to the conversation.
"Would you like me to wash your hair?" She asked, confused by his motives.
"It is not about what I want, but what is right." He informed her and she nodded.
"I made your hair dirty, so I should be the one to clean it." She understood and he smiled over to her.
"Clever little girl."

Her hands shook as she led him out to the well.
"You can sit here, Dijun." She ordered him and he nodded, sitting on the stool. She looked at his robes and furrowed her brows.
"Can you take off your robes?" She asked and he looked over to her with shocked eyes.
"I don't want to ruin the silk." She explained and he nodded.
"You can do it for me." He told her and she felt her breath hitch.

She untied his robes and pushed them down off of his shoulders, exposing his flesh. She blushed a deep shade of pink, seeing his marble like shoulders on display.
"This should be ok." She told him, not wanting to make him indecent. She began undressing his hair, laying the pins to one side. They didn't speak, she just worked methodically and he let his eyes fall closed in relaxation.

She pulled his hair back into the water and ran her fingers through the strands. His hair really was magical, white as snow and as shiny as a pearl. She took the clam and began to pour water over his hair, ensuring to coat every strand.

Don Hua felt himself fall into slumber as she massaged his head with delicate fingers. He was more relaxed than he had felt in thousands of years. He awoke when he heard her whisper to him.
"Dijun, you can sit up now." He nodded, sitting up from the well. She combed through his hair and pressed a towel into his scalp gently, to soak up any moisture.
"You are very good at this." He told her and she smiled softly.
"I always used to wash Gugu's hair." She told him and he hummed lightly.
"It is getting late, let's go to bed." He told her and she felt herself become nervous.

He led her through the palace, until they arrived at his quarters. She had only ever been in there in her fox form. She stood in the entrance while he poured hot water into two cups and sat on the bed.
"Don't tell me you are nervous now, Jiuer?" He chuckled, wondering when she had become so coy, remembering when she had laid on his chest in the Kunlun pools.
"We are not married, Dijun. I can sleep on the floor." She pointed to the space next to his bed and he sighed, drinking the rest of his water.
"Very well. Come and drink. Then let's rest." He told her.

She gasped as he began to undress her hair, whilst she drank. He placed the pins to the side and held the comb in his hand. She continued to sip as he brushed the comb through her hair. She sat as still as was possible as he worked at smoothing down each strand and when he was done, he sat down the comb and hummed in approval.
Fengjiu collected a blanket from the corner of the room, to cover herself on the floor.
"Give it to me." He told her and she shook her head stubbornly.
"You are the Dijun, you cannot sleep on the floor." She told him, holding onto the blanket tightly.
"I am the Dijun, I can do what I want. You will be my wife, will you not do as I say?" He challenged her and she cocked her head to the side.
"Not if it is the wrong thing to do." She answered and he looked at her with a knowing grin.
"Trust your judgement more than your husband's?" He asked and she pouted, having been talked into a corner.
"I cannot do something that is wrong." She stated and he raised his eyebrows.
"Even if I say it is right?" He asked and she sighed, shaking her head.
"Do as you wish tonight, Dijun." She passed him the blanket and slumped down on the bed.

She watched as he stretched himself out on the floor and closed his eyes.
"Go to sleep, Jiuer." He commanded her and she huffed in defiance.
"I can't sleep with you on the floor." She told him and he nodded.
"Very well, then I will sleep in the bed." He climbed off the floor and his eyebrows shot up when Fengjiu slipped past him.
"How can I sleep if you are on the floor?" He cried out, laughter in his voice.
"This is the right way. You are the Dijun, you should be in the bed. And I am younger than you, my body can withstand the ground." She countered, covering herself with the blanket.
"Jiuer, you don't want to sleep in the same bed as me?" He asked, his voice plain now and she sat up, looking him in the eye.
"Of course I do. But we are not married." She told him and he sighed, shaking his head in frustration.
"I have waited for hundreds of years to hold you, Jiuer." He whispered to her, his fingertips pressed into the bridge of his nose.
"You will not look at me differently?" She asked and she smiled down to her.
"How is this any different than the pools in Kunlun?" He asked and she rose quickly now.
"No no no, don't speak of that!" She rushed, flustered, climbing into the bed, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment. He brushed a hand over her cheek as she laid down and sighed.
"I might be the Dijun, but you are my Queen." He told her and she felt a shiver travel up her spine. He snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her towards him. She wondered for a moment, if they should be so close. But he was Dong Hua Dijun and she loved him so much she didn't care for all of that anymore.