Feng Jiu was happy to spend time with her big brother. After putting an all-nighter, she was tired. She laid down on the bench hut and fell asleep.

"Where is Xiao Jiu?" Bai Yi was looking for her all over the fox den. "Migu where is Xiao Jiu? I went to her room and her bed was intact, where did she spend the night?"

Migu saw her sleeping at the bench hut but decided not to wake her up, he just put a blanket over her. He taught she was cold by the way she was sleeping. "She is at the bench hut your highness. She is sleeping there." Migu carefully said.

"Why did she sleep there? Did she picked up weird habits now? Xiao Jiu, what would I do with you? A queen sleeping outside is unacceptable! She needs to learn manners!"

Feng Jiu's mother heard Bai Yi scolding Migu and decided to go to the bench hut at the lake ahead of Bai Yi to prevent an argument. When she got there, Feng Jiu was already up meditating.

"Xiao Jiu my dear, you are up so early. Your father is on his way here to see as to why you spend the night outside."

"Mother, I just needed some air and it was late, I fell asleep here without noticing."

"I know dear, but you need to be more careful with your health. We care about you my love."

"Mother thank you." Feng Jiu snuggled at her mother's lap. Her mother hugged her and kissed her forehead.

Bai Yi from a distance saw that his wife was with Feng Jiu and his anger subsided. He sighed and decided not to scold his daughter. He continued walking toward the bench hut and saw his wife and daughter and smiled at them.

"Xiao Jiu, father would like a hug too." Bai Yi claimed.

"Father." She got up and embraced her father. Asking for a hug, was rare from him, so she happily hugged him.

"Father, I'm sorry if I caused you to worry about me. I just needed some air and felt asleep here without thinking about it."

"Please be more careful Xiao Jiu, the air at night is colder and we won't like to see you sick. We value your health daughter."

"I promised to be careful, please forget your unfilial daughter." She curtsied.

"No need for that. Would you please come with me I need to discuss something important with you."

"Okay." Feng Jiu sensed that the something important was the marriage agreement with Cang Yi.

Feng Jiu's mother gave a firm stare to Bai Yi, causing him to clear his throat. "I will leave you two to talk. I will be serving breakfast soon. Don't make me come for you too."

"Yes ma'am." Bai Yi said and gave his wife a kiss on her cheek. He was being extra sweet for some reason.

Feng Jiu saw her parents exchange of feelings and smiled at them. "How sweet, even they care of each other despite their differences." Feng Jiu taught.

"Isn't mother so beautiful father?" Feng Jiu was admiring her mother's beauty.

"Indeed, she is. I don't deserve her. Sometimes I think she will grow tired of my tantrums and leave me." Bai Yi confessed.

"So what is it that you need to talk to me father?" Feng Jiu directly asked her father, preparing mentally for a plan.

"Xiao Jiu, as your father I am looking for your wellbeing. After your coronation you became depressed. I didn't knew how long you were going to be at stage. Our molting cycles are different for each fox. I didn't expect yours to be so hard. I was truly worry about you. But when you decided to go to Kun Lun Mountain for training, I was a bit doubtful to see how much learning you were going to achieve, with your mischievous nature. Your aunt spent a long time there and she didn't achieve half of what you were able to gain. I am so proud of you for your improvement. You are now the new queen of Qing Qui and being so young, your grandfather and I were thinking that is time for you to choose a prince consort to assist you in your duties. We have received several marriage proposals and..."

"Father, before you continue, let me just say that I am not ready for marriage. I want to continue my learning and grandfather promised me that he will assist me with my queen duties. That is all I need for now."

"For how long you will be opposing to marry? We just want you to be happy. Plus, your family would love to see our daughter bearing us future rulers."

Feng Jiu carefully considered how to approach this subject without getting into an unnecessary argument with her father. It was not easy for her to manage not to infuriate him. She prudently chose her counterpart went for it: "For now, I can't promise you when I will be ready to face that phase of my life. I just inherit the throne of Qing Qui and would like to demonstrate to you and the council elders that I am capable and responsible with this task first. I was brought up to be an independent individual so let me experiment this phase first before I learn to depend of another and start a family of my own. I have some ideas for Qing Qui's development in several areas that I feel that we are lacking. I want to take Qing Qui to another level of prosperity. Let me achieve this. It will be my way to repay the kindness of the people for their service to our family for many generations. I want to earn my subjects trust and start full hands on this project. Qing Qui will put to shame many of the existent realms including the heavenly realm.

Bai Yi was flabbergasted at Feng Jiu's maturity. She was talking to him in another level. His level. Business mindset was his ballpark. He felt proud of his daughter. He brilliantly smiled at her and said: "Alright Xiao Jiu. I am delighted to hear your plans. Let's meet with your grandfather and the council members to discuss your ideas. I want the same for Qing Qui, our reputation will be the envy of all the realms."

"I promised you father, this is what I want. She smiled at her father." Her strategy worked, she felt proud. All the gained knowledge on war strategies paid up, she internally smiled at herself. She mentally thanked her laoshi: "Thank you Mo Yan!" She internally was doing her own victory dance.

"Now let's go and eat breakfast before we make mother upset." Bai Yi agreed and went back to the fox den to peacefully eat their breakfast.

Later in the week, Feng Jiu met with Qing Qui's council member to present them with her proposal. At first there were hesitant to extend their support. No ruler before her had the interest to develop Qing Qui nature resources. What Feng Jiu proposed was to equally extend their export and import goods to other realms. That meant more production and jobs that entailed tasks and processes to develop and implement growth opportunities within and between various organizations. Feng Jiu wanted to create a subset of the fields of business, commerce, and organizational industries. Proposing long-term value for an organization from customers, markets, and relationships from other realms. Including any activity by either a small or large organization, of every possible trade to serves the purpose of 'developing' prosperity to Qing Qui kingdom including arts and tourism. In addition, she planned to oversee these activities personally with the aid of a consultant which she directly will appoint. Gaining the sufficient and reputable knowledge to help facilitate future business development partnerships. She was applying strong ethics at her presentation. The council members were surprised at her confidence and were eager to start their support.

Bai Yi saw how their faces were lit when their queen finished her proposal. Bai Zhi was even proud when he heard them congratulate her for this initiative. Everyone was in good spirits. Never in their minds thought that Feng Jiu was even capable to come up with all these ideas. It was never heard of. Bai Zhen stopped Feng Jiu at her way out of the council hall. "Xiao Jiu, I'm proud of you kittling, you have proved your father and all of us wrong. Are you really doing all of this for Qing Qui?"

"Of course, uncle. A queen's word is her life." She told him and with a bright smile she padded his shoulder and left him behind.

Zhe Yan was surprised too. "I don't recognize her any longer. What is she up too?"

"Let's give her credit for what she is and wants to do for the kingdom." Bai Zhen said.

"Yes, but at what price?" Zhe Yan worried that Feng Jiu was trying to burry herself with work for an obscure reason. "I don't want to discourage her but.... never mind is just my old phoenix nature being overprotective. Let's have something to eat, I'm hungry!"

Time has passed by and Feng Jiu was buried with agendas, schedules, design plans, pictures, scrolls and more in her study. She was looking forward to going to her aunt upcoming wedding but didn't have time to properly visit her aunt to aid her with the wedding preparations. Luckily, she planned ahead of time and sent her a group of well-trained maids to help her out. She sent Bai Qian some wedding dresses designs sketches drawn by her. She didn't know if her aunt was going to be allowed to wear them in the heavens since they had many restrictions. It was worth to try. If not, she taught her designs cannot go to waste. So, she implements some of her designs and made some of them to wear herself. She chose one to wear to her aunt wedding.

Then a bright idea came to mind. We are known to be the number one silk and fabric production. Why not create a fashion show for all the royals to attend. It would create a great opportunity to see her designs. She immediately added that task to her agenda.

Feng Jiu was exhausted. She didn't realize that she has lost weight due to all the work she was doing. She needed to train and take better care of herself. Another idea came to mind. She wanted to make spa houses available to all her people instead of the high class only. Some of her subjects have worked so hard that they will appreciate to have access to this kind of treatment. Another idea added to her agenda. There were some hot springs at Qing Qui that she wanted to make a list of strategic spa houses near the hot springs to attract tourism. Her brain was overloaded with bright ideas. She couldn't stop thinking.

Migu saw her straining herself.

"Your highness you need to be away from this paperwork for a bit. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday. Your mother wants to make sure that you eat these cakes. She made them especially for you. Please take a break and sit outside I will place them with a fresh pot of tea out in your terrace. Would that pleases your highness?"

"Migu, you know me so well. Thank you, I will be out there shortly." Feng Jiu stretched out. "Ouch, I need a massage; my neck is stiffed. Uhhh oh well, I must wait for one."

Feng Jiu sat at peace eating and drinking her tea. "This must be Su Mo Ye new tea. It is great. I must send him an invitation to come and see if he is interested in a partnership with us to import his famous teas." "Ok, ok, I need to stop, my brain is nonstop! Feng Jiu, Feng Jiu you need to relax."

But every time she had some free time, her emotions will taunt her to think about her beloved. "I promised him to live and I that is what I'm trying to do."

"Dijun, there will never be anyone who can fill the emptiness that you left in me. You have changed my life; you have made me grow. I am not the same as yesterday. A thousand and one stories I have invented to show you that I have changed. What happened? Let's rescue what brought us together. I only ask you to give me a chance. Nobody told me how difficult is to live. One day is a century without you. I apologize in the only way I know by opening the doors of my heart for when you decide to return. Oh how much I miss you. How much I love you."

Feng Jiu was speaking with all her love, the pain that was in her heart for her lover. Her yearning after all was as real as her breath. Each word spoken to the air was delicately carried over. Soft waves of love were traveling up to the heavens until it reached the desired destination.

Dong Hua was in his pagoda looking up at the clouds when he felt a soft breeze that caressed his face. He closed his eyes and then received each word that his beloved fox said. It filled his heart with yearning. He was hearing her love in each spoken word. His cold heart was defrosting, he felt it.

"Ah my Jiu'er yearns for me." His eyes were teary. He was hurting for her. Her love was the brutal force that was beginning to create a chain reaction within himself. Who would have known that his cold rock heart was able to feel warmth? He decided to write each word in a scroll. "My beloved I will make sure that your words don't go to waste. My Jiu'er please wait for me, I will find a way for us to be together."

The wind picked up in his pagoda and purple flowers began to fall like rain and formed a fox image in front of him. He heard Jiu'er giggle disappear with the wind. "What was that?"

Fate was cruel, playing with both of their emotions.

Dong Hua stood up, he knew she was going to be at her aunt's wedding soon. He needed to be ready to see her again face to face. Would he refrain to touch her, kiss her?