A Crown for a Tail

An Interlude

With one month left until the wedding and most of the major tasks completed, including the invitations sent out, Bai Qian and Ye Hua still had the dowries to deliver and  their personal after wedding gifts to select which they would select together having already decided on simple wooden hair pins and a selection of nuts and dried fruits for everyone else, Ye Hua felt a break was needed and as they had only managed to snatch private time when they could get it, by meeting at The Peach Tree Woods every other day, he was anxious to get in a week or two of alone time.  They could also use the time to select their gifts in private, because according to Bai Qian, her mother had wanted to assist them with it, to ensure the right gifts were selected, but her meddling was already grating on his nerves.

Not only had she completely taken over the hanging of the banners within his own Palace forcing his mother out, she had also insisted on decorating their matrimonial chamber, and on top of that she had also taken over the role of overseer to Qian Qians maids, installing them in his maids quarters, which was fine, but that she would be there regularly to coach them in Palace etiquette just wasn't necessary, her maids would not be a part of Palace life, they were merely there to serve Qian Qian and would come and go as they pleased, so anything they needed to learn they could learn from him.

She had also arrived unannounced on Kunlun mountain to not only go through everything he himself had completed, she made changes to many of them, including his own gowns, the gowns he had selected for the bridal party as well as the seating arrangements.  And though Mo Yuan could see Ye Hua was beginning to lose patience, he held back on saying anything.  The woman was his mother in law and he had to learn to deal with her himself, any interference on his part would only create friction if they both jumped on her.

But he said nothing, instead he fumed quietly, while changing everything back to their original status before she arrived, because the last thing he wanted was friction with his soon to be wife.  Now ready to take Qian Qian away, having also completed all of her tasks, they met at Zhe Yans Grove as planned, because he refused to stay in Qing Qiu with the very real threat of her mother hovering outside their chamber 'listening.' and after the previous month, he wouldn't put it past her.

Now on Mount Jun Ji, he had only one thing on his mind.

And immediately throwing her mother out of his mind, his arms reached out for her to pull her in.

"Ye Hua, I can't believe that in just one month, we are going to be husband and wife.  So much has happened for us in such a short time, it seems so surreal." she said softly against his chest as his hands reached up to pull the pin from her hair.

"Yes it does doesn't it?" he replied though more in wonder than a question as he watched her hair topple about her shoulders and over his arms.  He loved her hair out that way, messy untamed and wild looking, just like her.  

Pulling herself from his embrace, she suddenly smiled brightly up at him.  "Ye Hua, Princess Mei gave so much to us, if it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be High Gods, and she brought out the best in us both too."  She said as a sly smile, drifted across her face. Then before he could think about its meaning, she raised a hand and opened it, then with a quick spell she conjured 2 small items which only earned her a blank look.

"That day when we arrived at your palace to find her redecorating it, I discovered these, which I thought were perfect for us and seeing as they hold some meaning, I took them." she said with a the same sly smile.

Then handing him one of them while she held up the other, he burst into roaring laughter.  In their hands were two miniature trolls, one King and one Queen. 

"These are my wedding gift to you Ye Hua, but I wanted it to be given personally and privately.  I also want them kept here."she smiled up at him, as he admired them, and for her to have stolen them from Princess Mei was just too funny, he couldn't stop the chuckling.