A Trial by Halves

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Six Weeks later

"Qian Qian.  Why don't you come with me?  You don't have to stay, just come for the day...." Ye Hua asked hopefully.  "Please......" he added with a a look that instantly had her heart clenching.

She had been dreading this day, and each day that Shifu deemed Ye Hua too unwell to travel felt like a gift from Heaven, a place that put him in the position he was in, so it also felt like blessing with a hidden agenda and one she was so opposed to, that for her sake alone, Mo Yuan had purposely held him back for as long as he could.  But being the Crown Prince, he knew he would have to release him eventually, and with pressure coming in from Haode and Di Jun, he eventually conceded.  And she would have outright denied him, having sworn she would never step another foot in that place, only the the look of apprehension on his face soon had her also giving in.

"Alright Ye Hua, but I won't stay.  I will return to Qing Qiu once the official talks are over." she warned him and she meant it.  This was the only contentious issue they had left between them, and neither seemed capable of finding common ground.

"Thank you." he merely replied with a rush of breath he hadn't realized he was hilding in.

"I'll also bring Er Li, after all they are his people too, but he will also be retuning with me." she added as his arms lifted to envelop her shoulders.

"Lord Ci Hang has already spoken to Grandfather about Er Lis place among them.  He was born a full Immortal, therefore, there are no hurdles for him to overcome in regards to him being the next Crown Prince so I do want him to spend some time among my people Qian Qian." he reminded her. 

"He is also a Prince of Qing Qiu and possibly the next reigning heir." she remind him and not so gently.

He knew exactly where this conversation was going.  It was still unchartered ground, because the Celesital Tribe deemed all children born into royalty as theirs and therefore subject to its laws of inheritance.  Unfortunately, so did Qing Qiu and to say one was more important over the other, would only start an arguement which he was not prepared to go into, not when he was moments away from leaving Kunlun Mountain with a very real threat that she might not come after all.

The fact was, Ye Hua was afraid of returning.  Everything that had happened was solely due to the life he had been forced to live and now, he was about to drag his small family back into the same rigid and uncompromising lifestyle that she was so opposed to, especially when it came to their son.  For himself, he knew the transition back into his old life would be easy enough, but as for his wife, whom they had yet to accept, he also knew it would be very difficult for her which only had the apprehension rising.

Bai Qian took orders from no one, she bowed to no one and she certainly did not abide by rules if she found them 'stuffy' which she was constantly reminding him of.   And this was where the fear lay.  His own position was precarious enough as it was, but hers would be even more so.  The people would not take to kindly to an Empress who did not fit in and seeing the way she was looking at him as if she were about to go to war, only had the fear rising for her.

But he needed her to come with him.  If he was to ensure she was accepted as his wife and his marriage to her authentic, then she had to be at his side.  To return without her, would only raise more questions seeing as her position was already unstable.  His people would not accept a Mortal Wedding as legitimate and legal, but without her at his side, would only add more weight to the already swirling gossip that she was unfit.  At least with her beside him, no one would dare to say anything and nor could she be deemed unworthy when her entire disposition was regal and stately.

To Ye Huas mind, she was a Queen and very worthy of her title, his only real fear was how she would react to the questioning of their marriage which he had yet to discuss with her, knowing she would instantly lose her temper and fly into a rage considering she had done just that at the mere mention of having Er Li schooled in the Nine Heavens.