"Ye Hua, please forgive Su Jin. She is your consort, there is no need to treat her so poorly" Consort Le Xu began "also she is practically your sister, you were both raised together"
Without turning to confirm, Ye Hua was certain he heard his third uncle chuckle. He should have know when his mother came in unannounced and insisted third uncle didn't have to leave that it had something to do with Su Jin. Part of him wondered if his mother would ever develop a close relationship with his wife. While Qian Qian did not seek out his mother or most of the inhabitants of the nine heavens, he'd been disappointed that his mother had not tried to build a relationship with her. He knew it bothered Qian Qian that his mother referred to the other woman as her daughter-in-law while referring to Qian Qian as goddess but she'd been flippant about it when they'd discussed it. Qian Qian had a good relationship with Donghua Dijun and the immortals of his palace, Lord of numinous treasures as well as his third uncle and Cheng Yu. But the rest of his family might as well be strangers to her and he didn't know if it would ever get better.
He forced his attention back to his mother.
"It's not about forgiveness, mother. It's a debt that needs to be paid." He said, drinking his now cold tea.
"I don't understand. What debt? After all, the soul gathering lamp belongs to her" Consort Le Xu continued.
"It does not. She traded the lamp to me."
"Traded?" She asked
Ye Hua did not respond to the cue for further explanation
"The lamp is in your possession and she has been punished for over a month now. Surely she has repaid her debt" His mother pressed on.
"She has not" Ye Hua replied curtly.
True, if he was simply punishing Su Jin for stealing the lamp knowing it didn't hold any soul, the debt would have been fully paid but if he was punishing her for losing Su Su's soul while he was waiting for it to be rebuilt or for framing Su Su and causing him to miss the birth of his son then the debt was far from paid. And in his mind, he knew he was punishing her for the last one while she would think it was the second. The only person who needed to know his reasons was Qian Qian and she hadn't asked.
"You're married to goddess Bai Qian. How do you think she feels about you burning the soul gathering lamp for your dead mortal wife" His mother asked.
Ye Hua smiled, Su Jin had tried the same approach in one of the many crying sessions she'd come to him with. "She..."
"Bai Qian doesn't mind, I admire faithfulness in a man" Bai Qian interrupted as she walked into the study carrying A-Li in her arms "Bai Qian greets Consort Le Xu and Third Prince"
They both replied her greeting and she walked up to join Ye Hua who took A-Li from her while she sat beside him.
"I'm sorry for interrupting but A-Li hasn't seen Ye Hua today and he's about to sleep so I brought him to say good night. I'll be out of here soon" Bai Qian said before picking Ye Hua's cup, drinking the rest of the tea and refilling the cup from the pot after she'd magically warmed it.
"Goddess, you mean you are okay with your husband pining after another woman?" Third prince asked.
"Of course not. I'm the only one he's allowed to pine for" She replied stroking her son's hair while his father held him over his shoulder. The boy was whispering something to his father.
"But you just said you were okay with him trying to piece together the mortal's soul" Consort Le Xu said.
"Yes" Bai Qian replied with a smile and refused to elaborate further.
Ye Hua could see the confusion in his mother's face and the wonder on third uncle's face at Qian Qian's comments and smiled to himself. His wife could hold her own, She was not a helpless mortal but a powerful queen who understood strategy, diplomacy and tact. And even though she tended to ignore the latter two most of the time, she knew how to wield them. He changed his son's position in his arms and looked down at the little boy struggling to stay awake in his arms and bent his head to whisper to him, ignoring the conversation.
"I was telling Ye Hua before you came in that Su Jin has paid her debt for taking the soul gathering lamp. Don't you agree?" Le Xu asked
"It is not my place to determine when the debt has been paid as I am neither the one owing nor the one owed" Bai Qian replied
"Goddess, Su Jin is my child as A-Li is yours. As a mother you know we would do anything to keep them safe and happy."
"A-Li is my biological son but you're right with the sentiment" Bai Qian replied
Le Xu looked even more confused but pushed on after a brief hesitation "This mother begs you to ask Ye Hua for leniency for her daughter, he would not turn you down."
"He will not, and for that reason I will not. Consort Le Xu, you are Ye Hua's mother and I know you love him as he loves you. I think you should know and trust that your son doesn't do anything without a reason or without considering the impact. There may be a time when I ask him to go against his heart but today is not that day"
"So we are all going to watch Su Jin suffer thunderbolts for 3 years?" Le Xu asked the room
The room was silent.
"Is he asleep?" Bai Qian asked her husband. When he nodded, she stood up and took the child from him. "Consort Le Xu, Third prince, I bid you both good night. Ye Hua don't work late" She said as she left the room.
Ye Hua watched his mother look around the room in confusion and resignation before excusing herself.
"I used to think that you'll never find your way out of Bai Qian's palm and that made me worried. Qing Qiu is peaceful and their royal family is not only powerful but very particular. After tonight, I find myself happy for you. You've found the most powerful heavenly empress and she happens to be in love with you." Lian Song said to Ye Hua as they walked out of the room. Ye Hua smiled in response.
"Better not keep her waiting" he said to his uncle before he cloud jumped to Peach palace.
A/N: So I spent almost 24 hours in flights and airports this week and used some of that time productively. I have a new (and complete) short story on YH/BQ that aligns with the drama timing and episodes but delves deep into the 3 years YH was dead. The title is Between two lifetimes. Please take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks!
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Through it all (a ten miles of peach blossoms fan fiction)
Fanfiction[Complete] Bai Qian has returned from her mortal trials with her memory and her newly elevated powers. She wants her son, she wants her eyes and she wants justice. This time, she has everything she needs to make it happen I recently watched the Chin...
