To say hao de was shocked would be an understatement. After donghua finished, he lost all cognition and reasoning, he kneeled there trembling in fear not for his life this time but at the prospect of being stripped of all his powers and rank. The moment this registered, he kowtowed at donghua's feet begging for mercy.

Donghua ignored his kowtowing but addressed his pleas, "I have never practiced mercy, hao de, and I will definitely not start from you." Then he called for feng jiu, "bai feng jiu."

The whole court sat there amazed and astounded. Not just because of what donghua had said, though that was definitely jarring, this time their source of shock came from the young fox queen they thought they knew but couldn't recognize at that moment. The woman they saw walking through the doors at dijun's command was poles apart from the child queen they knew. The woman opposite them was a fully matured lady with dark ruby red hair falling in perfect waves down to her knees, porcelain skin that shone with power, a beautiful red robe made from qingqui silk that hugged her womanly curves and an aura that rolled with power. The whole court sat in a daze at the beauty of the fox queen. She walked unhurriedly towards the one who had called for her and greeted him with a bow.

"dijun"

"bai feng jiu, the heavenly lord owes you a life debt for saving his kingdom and with that kingdom, he shall pay. You have my permission to collect."

As donghua declared this, hao de began to plead again, his desperation visible to everyone.

"your lordship, have some mercy on me. Please, your lordship, I beg you. Have some mercy, please."

Annoyed, donghua sneered, "that's enough. Have I not made it clear that I do not have any mercy for you. I was never a merciful ruler, hao de and that aspect has not changed. This matter now rests in the hands of the fox queen, haode."

Turning to face feng jiu, he said with a calmer if not softer voice, "it is your choice now how and when you want to collect on your debt. I leave the decision in your capable hands."

Hao de was perplexed, he did not want to kneel and beg to a child queen but with the noose that rested around his neck, he chose to keep kneeling but stayed silent.

Fengjiu bowed and with her rank apparent in her voice, she addressed donghua, "your majesty, you have honored me with your grace. I did what I felt was right as a ruler and as a person. I did nothing that a ruler shouldn't do, I was simply fulfilling my duty. Never did I imagine that your benevolence would shine on me for it. I am gratified that you think me capable of such responsibility. Though I possess no desire for the throne of the heavens but if you feel that I should be enthroned then I must not disappoint you. But if I may, your majesty, a hesitation circles in my mind."

Donghua understood was feng jiu was playing at, amused he decided to play along, "and what hesitation will that be?"

"your majesty as my young brain comprehends, in case of any mishappenings to the current ruler the throne, by law goes to the crown prince or princess chosen beforehand. With the situation as it is now, I cannot intentionally and blindly encroach on the rights of the said crown prince and crown princess which just so happens to be my beloved aunt and uncle. If I were to do this I would not only be encroaching upon their rights but also encumbering upon their happiness. The filial niece in me would not allow me to do such a thing. But since it is your majesties command, my loyalty towards you would not allow me to disregard it. I stand at a fork in the road, with my dilemma before you asking for your guidance."

Donghua wanted to laugh at the words she had twisted and kiss that sassy mouth of hers at the same time but with the situation as it was, he kept his inner self in check. "since you have elaborated your dilemma with such precision, I expect you also have a solution for it. What do you have in mind, fox queen?"

"you misunderstand me, your majesty. I do not speak with an aim in my mind. Because of my youth, I tend to speak too freely sometimes. Forgive me, your majesty, if I spoke too much. My young filial heart just wanted to ensure the happiness of a beloved aunt and uncle, before I made my decision. If I have your permission, I would like to consult the crown prince and princess."

"permission granted."

Ye hua felt stuck between laughing at the perfectly choreographed play in front of him and terrified at the prospect of being stuck in this perfectly choreographed play. At dijun's command, left with no choice, he stepped forward with bai qian and greeted dijun.

Fengjiu waited till the formalities were over then facing yehua, she began, "your highness, since you are the heir apparent, I would feel comfortable if you were to take over this weight of my shoulders. But I understand, this is your choice, one that should not be made in haste or in a swirl of emotion. So, please enlighten me with what you wish for to happen."

Ye hua had always known feng jiu was skilled in talking circles around anyone as he had heard all about it from his wife but it was his first time being witness to it. He understood the motive of this play and decided to go with the flow. "your majesties, you give me more honor than I deserve. Though I understand the requirement of this situation, I cannot in good faith accept the throne that I feel I am not yet completely ready for. At the same time, I do not wish to burden my young niece with the responsibility of two kingdoms. Since she is a bai by blood and the only granddaughter of the nine-tailed fox clan, she is the sole heir that stands to inherit the throne of the fox emperor, his majesty, bai zhi. It is a blood right that cannot be refuted. If I were to add the responsibility of the sky kingdom and the realms that come under its jurisdiction to the already full plate in the young fox queen's hands, I am afraid I will never be able to get a full night's rest ever again. With my lowly rank, I can only request your majesty to allow me a period of grace while I make myself competent enough to be able to sit on that throne." With that ye hua's part was done. He nodded his head a little at feng jiu, telling her to take over.

Understanding, feng jiu stepped forward and began again, "as far as my young mind is able to comprehend the sayings of the crown prince stand valid. If your majesty may allow, a solution to this predicament comes to my mind."

Donghua just nodded his affirmation.

"the crown prince asks for a period of grace but even with the current situation, the throne could never be left empty. So, in place of that, I suggest that the tianjun should be made the interim ruler while the crown prince trains himself. Though with the concerns your majesty stated earlier, the power and right to make all final decisions regarding everything that concerns the protection, safety, and development of the sky kingdom and the realms should rest solely in the hands of the crown prince. No decision that concerns the matters I stated before should be made without the crown prince's consultation, affirmation and final approval. This is the decision my young self has come to, your majesty."

Impressed and amused at the way feng jiu has handled this delicate matter, donghua finally declared, "I approve of what the fox queen has said and I declare that it comes into effect from this moment. However, I add one more condition to her decision. At any moment, that I or the fox queen feels that the crown prince needs to take over, all rights and powers of the interim ruler will be stripped off at that very moment and the title of tianjun will immediately transfer to ye hua." As he gave his edict, he faced ye hua, "do you accept?"

Ye hua bowed, "yes, my lord."

Then he turned his face down towards hao de, "you have just been granted the mercy that you sought, from none other than the queen you deemed to be below your rank, haode. You will be a fool not to accept the helping hand you have been given but with your track record, that still might happen. So, I ask, do you accept?"

Hao de knew the mercy he was being shown even though he did not wish to acknowledge it. He nodded, "I accept, my lord."

"then, get up and take your seat."

With that donghua faced the court filled with envoys from all over the realms, he declared, "with you all as the witness, I declare hao de as the interim ruler while the crown prince settles into his role. You have heard the conditions and henceforth, everyone must comply by it or find himself against my sword."

Scared at the mention of canghe, everyone spoke in unison, "yes, your majesty."

Donghua though did not settle down after that he remained standing in the middle of the court with feng jiu at his side. As everyone, noticed that the two hasn't moved from their places, they stared, waiting for the next explosion that was sure to come. And donghua did not disappoint.

"since that matter is settled, I have another matter to address for the court. The matter of my marriage contract."