The fated ones

Chapter 35

"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."