A few weeks later, Donghua was sitting on a divan under a willow tree reading his tome when he espied Xiao Jiu again, this time, with a group of other fairy maids as they were picking vegetables in the outside gardens. He could see her speaking but couldn't hear what she was saying but it appeared that she was telling a funny story as everyone around her was smiling. As she continued talking, he could see her companions laughing uproariously at certain parts of the story. He's never heard this kind of joyful laughter in the Palace before and wondered what she was talking about to incite such reactions from everyone around her. Chonglin, his head steward, who was standing across from him also heard the sounds of laughter and looked up alarmed knowing that the loud voices were most likely disturbing his Master who hated cacophonous voices and preferred everything to be silent and serene. Chonglin did not even have to turn around to see who was spearheading this loud gathering as this had been a frequent occurrence in the past few months, the only thing different was that Dijun had been away and was not witness to it like he was now. As he was trying to think of a way that he could signal her to keep quiet so that she would not be booted out of the Palace, he saw Dijun shift a bit closer to get a better view of the Pavilion, his eyes alert and curious.

"Dijun, please excuse me for a moment. I will just tell them to quiet down a little. They probably don't know that you are out here reading." Chonglin said hurriedly as he bowed to him. However, before he could leave, Dijun raised his hand to stay his action.

"Do you know who that fairy is in the middle? The one doing all the talking? Are you familiar with her?" Donghua asked. He seemed to be bumping into her everywhere and she was getting more and more interesting to him. Chonglin closed his eyes briefly knowing that he was too late, he could not warn her anymore for Dijun had seen who the ringleader was.

"That's Xiao Jiu. She's new here Dijun and I'm sure she doesn't know yet that she should maintain silence as much as possible. It's just that her nature is very cheery, I'm sure she'll tamp it down once she knows you're here." Chonglin said defending her quickly, although Donghua had not said anything worth defending against. Donghua narrowed his eyes a little staring at Chonglin and his unusual protectiveness towards the fairy. Normally, if he felt that someone could be disturbing Dijun, Chonglin would be the first to throw that person out of his vicinity. But now he was actually protecting this fairy?

"Are you saying that I squeeze out the happiness of everyone around me?" Donghua asked blandly, his eyes boring into Chonglin's. He was a little peeved at his steward now. Was he interested in her? Why is he being protective of her? How well do they know each other? Who is she to him?  Donghua didn't know why he was even thinking these questions and why he really wanted to know the answers to them even as he knew he should never ask them out loud.  This strange feeling he's been having for the fairy was not sitting well with him.

"Chonglin apologizes to Dijun for my incorrect wording. I only meant to ask you to excuse the fairy maid for she might not know all the rules as she is very new here." Chonglin said castigating himself for saying too much. He met Xiao Jiu a few months ago when she started working in the Palace. She would greet him and ask him how his day was whenever they would bump into each other. At first, he had been a little wary of her thinking that she was just like the other fairies who were nice to him only so that they could get near Dijun. However, it had only taken a few weeks for him to realize when observing her with everyone else that there was no hidden agenda with her, that she was caring and friendly to everyone around her simply because she was a genuinely, nice person.  She had only been there for a few months but it seems she was already friends with everyone in the Palace.  She's never even ask him anything about Dijun even as she had mentioned to him in passing once that she was there to pay a life debt to him. He never asked her to elaborate either because he knew that their friendship was not based on that. Now, he considered her a very good friend of his as they frequently shared a laugh or two whenever they chance upon each other, they would also sometimes share a meal cooked by Xiao Jiu when they were free at the same time.   She was even helping him woo Xiao Lei, the fairy maid he had been interested in for a few years now but never had the courage to ask out, until Xiao Jiu found out about it at one of their shared meals and engineered a way for them to get together.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Donghua asked wanting to know the nature of their relationship. He was uncomfortable with the direction of his own question knowing that he was prying but he could not stop himself. It wasn't unusual for a steward and a fairy maid to get together but for some reason the idea that his steward and "her" with each other left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Do you like her as more than a friend?" Donghua winced inwardly, he could not believe that he just asked that question to his steward of all people over a fairy maid.  He really must get a grip or people might think he was interested.  Which he was not. At least, that's what he tells himself whenever he would think of her at random times of the day

"NO! I mean yes, she's a friend of mine but I'm not interested in her for more than that. She's like a sister or cousin to me. I'm with someone else." Chonglin blurted out, his face turning a bright shade of red. He couldn't believe what he just said, he didn't know where to look as he's never had a conversation like this with Dijun in the 200,000 years that he has been serving him. "She's a very nice person Dijun. Very kind to everyone." Chonglin finally muttered staring at the floor, not knowing what else to say.

When he looked up, Dijun was no longer in front of him but was slowly sauntering towards the outside Pavilion near the gardens. Chonglin hoped that Xiao Jiu was not about to be kicked out of the Palace. Even from the distance, he could see Xiao Jiu making funny faces towards the other fairies making them laugh. He really should have thought of warning her that with Dijun back in residence, she should be a little bit less boisterous especially when telling her stories in the public areas. He quickly followed Dijun. However, before they could get near them, they heard a crash from the the opposite side of the garden drawing all their attention. Feng Jiu, who was telling the other maids about a prank that she had done also turned to see what was causing the commotion.

They could all see Princess Zhi He berating a servant who had dropped a tea set and had broken it. As she was yelling at the servant, her vitriol could be heard by everyone. The servant was now kneeling in front of her begging for her forgiveness explaining that it had been an accident but Zhi He was not in the mood to forgive. She had been having a bad day and had deliberately tripped the servant wanting to vent out her anger. She slapped the servant's face soundly and kicked the broken porcelain towards her. Donghua, who normally did not deal with domestic matters, was about to ask Chonglin to interfere seeing as how the servant's face was bleeding now from the force of Zhi He's hands when he saw Xiao Jiu rapidly walking towards where Zhi He was.  

"Xiao Jiu greets Princess Zhi He. I would like to ask for your Highness's pardon for my mistake. It was I who caused the accident. Please punish me instead of Mei Chan as it was my fault." she said kneeling down deliberately in front of Mei Chan covering her. Everyone was quiet now watching the unfolding scene, the only sound that could be heard was coming from the sobbing servant who was now hiding herself behind Feng Jiu. "Your Highness, please forgive your servant, I was trying to pull out a plant from the ground and I must have pulled too hard causing some of the rocks on the ground to fly off and it must have hit Mei Chan's feet accidentally causing her to trip. If not for that, she would not have dropped the tea set." Feng Jiu brazenly declared, the appropriate tone of apology in her voice as if what she said was exactly what had happened even though any one with half a brain would realize how ridiculous the story was.   However, Feng Jiu was fairly confident that Zhi He would pretend to believe her because Feng Jiu knew that Zhi He would jump at any chance to punish her instead.  Zhi He had always been out for blood when it came to Feng Jiu since she came to work into the Palace often assigning her the hardest task and making things difficult for her.  Feng Jiu didn't understand where all the hate was coming from because she hadn't done anything to her but as she didn't like to think  of unpleasant people,  she didn't bother trying to analyze it anymore.  It was enough for her to know that Zhi He did not like her so she tried to her best to avoid her as much as possible.  

Unfortunately, Feng Jiu could not stay away from the situation today because Mei Chan was a good friend of hers and she knew that Zhi He would be meting out the harshest punishment which was 20 lashes of the whip for this type of offense and as Mei Chan was sickly, Feng Jiu knew she would not be able to endure it.  This was not the first time she had covered for Mei Chan and she knew it will not be the last time for Zhi He was truly a bully.  She liked to prey on those that were the weakest.  Mei Chan, who was meek, quiet and easily scared was often the object of her ire.

"I see." Zhi He said, a gleam in her eyes now knowing she had this fairy maid right where she wanted her, punishing Xiao Jiu would be vastly more satisfying than the weak and insipid Mei Chan.  Zhi He hated Xiao Jiu because even though she was merely a fairy maid, she carried herself like a queen, something that Zhi He could never quite carry off however much she tried.  She also hated that Xiao Jiu seems to be universally liked in the Palace and in the Sky Kingdom while everyone seem to shun her company.  Zhi He would never admit that it was her superior attitude that was the problem for people's treatment of her.  "Since this is your fault,  100 lashes of the whip will be meted out and you will be thrown out of Tai Chen Palace."  Now that Donghua was back, she did not want Xiao Jiu to be in the Palace anymore as she was beautiful and Zhi He did not want anyone more beautiful than her to be around.  She did not notice that Donghua was actually observing the whole thing from a slight distance away.

"But that's not what the rules say. You can't do that."  Feng Jiu said defiantly.  She was angry now at the thought that she would be kicked out of the palace.  Although she was willing to take the punishment of Mei Chan, she would not allow Zhi He to completely abuse her.  She knew the rules and the punishments as well as anyone there and Zhi He was completely violating the rules as written down.  She was thinking about what to say next when she felt the sting of the slap from Zhi He's hand.   Feng Jiu could taste the blood trickling at the side of her lips where Zhi He's ring had cut her.  

"How dare you talk back to me.  Do you not know that I'm the mistress of this Palace?  What I say goes."  Zhi He yelled incensed that someone, especially her, dared to be so openly defiant against her.  She was about to slap her again when a voice arrested her action.        

"I believe that the punishment for breaking something is at most 20 lashes of the whip, and not 100 lashes with banishment, isn't that right Chonglin?" the cold voice of Donghua Dijun said as he made his presence known.  Seeing the God, the maids all knelt down and said the customary greetings.  Zhi He followed suit, quickly kneeling down also.  She was in shock as she never expected Donghua to be outside the villa knowing the God rarely went out during the afternoons.  That was why she was fairly confident in making such a scene.  Donghua looked steadily at her, furious that she had slapped Xiao Jiu, but his mask of frigid indifference remained firmly in place.  "However, I also know that the punishment for abuse of power is being sent  to the Mortal Realms for 1000 years stripped of cultivation.  I remember including that in the Codes of Discipline when I wrote it."  he continued in a mocking tone.  He motioned for Feng Jiu to get up from her kneeling position.    

"Godbrother, please forgive me if I overstepped. The tea set that was broken was the one that High God Mo Yuan had gifted to you, the one made from the most precious material, that's why I was really angry and may have been too harsh. I will decrease the punishment to the normal 20 lashes. " Zhi He said trying to backtrack, fearful now seeing the implacable face of Dijun and the hard tone of his voice.  She was crying as she wondered what she could say to get out of this mess she was in, for she knew that she was in trouble now.  She didn't understand why Dijun seem to be protecting the fairy maid, as far as she knew, they have never met.    

"So it's my tea set that was broken? Then, why are you the one giving out the punishment? It seems that you have been overstepping your bounds quite a lot these days." Donghua said deadly calm now.  Although Zhi He had taken charge of the domestic affairs in Tai Chen Palace, this was not an official position. Donghua had only allowed it as he did not want to deal with it himself. However, now seems to be the right time to make it clear to her that she was not the mistress of his Palace. "Don't think that just because I promise your father that I will look after you that it gives you the right to abuse the people in my household.  You are not the Mistress of this Palace and never would be."  He said, a little bite in his voice.

"Dijun, please forgive me. I made a mistake but I won't do it again." Zhi He continued to cry trying to clutch onto the robe of Donghua but the God simply shook her off and stepped away. He continued to look at her with emotionless eyes.

"I believe you need to learn a lesson. You are hereby banished to the mortal realms for 500 years stripped of all cultivation. Be grateful that I did not make it 1000 years."  At this pronouncement, everyone on the scene looked scornfully at Zhi He glad that she was getting her comeuppance.  Some of the fairy maid had seen Zhi He deliberately trip Mei Chan but they were afraid to say anything.  Zhi He couldn't believe what had just happened but knew that there was nothing she could do for there was no higher authority than Donghua Dijun and when Dijun made a decision, there was no use trying to change it, to continue to beg for mercy would likely lead to a harsher punishment.  Zhi He was taken away by the palace guards.  When she was gone,  Donghua finally rested his gaze on Feng Jiu, his eyes piercing and contemplative, as if trying to understand something.  

"Follow me!"  he said to her.  Feng Jiu had been about to kneel down again to convey her gratitude to him when he gave her the command.   The other maids looked at her worriedly wondering if she would get in trouble for the lie she told Zhi He.  Feng Jiu wondered the same thing but she meekly followed him as he walked back to his villa.