[Editor: Author and Sapling Grammar Checker]

“Jin, Brother Fu!” Mei Hua soared through the sky and landed next to Fu Jing and Lu Fan. When she saw Jin lying peacefully on the mossy floor she walked over to him, her face filled with worry. “Jin is like this too? What on earth happened?!”

“What do you mean ‘too’?” Lu Fan asked, eyebrows raised.

“All my babies just passed out on me! I called out to Jin but—” She gently touched her husband’s face, “—what happened?”

“I…I’m not sure…” Fu Jing held up the journal. “I gave this for Huang Jin to read and… and I think a bit of my wife’s spirit was hiding inside it…”

“The Empress’ did something and it made the Emperor sleep. I haven’t seen him like this in a long time.” Lu Fan explained and then tilted his head. “Perhaps whatever she did affected the boys too? She’d have no way of knowing there were nephews…”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Fu Jing apologized.

Face slightly anxious, Mei Hua slid her thumb across Jin’s forehead, her eyes flashing blue. After a moment her face relaxed.

“No, no need for apologized. He really is just asleep.” She stood up and smiling slightly. “This is a good thing… hn… it’s good. I just didn’t expect it right now and to influence my boys too.”

Glancing at Lu Fan she asked, “Do you have any idea how long he’ll be like this?”

“Well….” Lu Fan scratched the side of his head. “...when the Empress was around, he’d usually sleep through the later part of autumn and most of the winter.”

“...that long…”

“It’s not like he slept every year. I don’t know the exact timing, since back then I only took note of the seasons changing and only barely at that. But he’d stay awake for years at a time and then go into a deep slumber. The only thing I’m not sure about is, seeing as he’s been awake with only light napping for hundreds of years already, how long he’ll sleep this time…”

Mei Hua rubbed her forehead, frowning.

“Further, when he sleeps, the winters are severe and illness is more common. On the upside, when he wakes up, the mountains are… particularly verdant.”

“I suppose that makes a kind of sense…” She lowered her hand and her shoulders slumped, “And our sons? Will they sleep the same amount of time?”

Lu Fan shook his head. “I don’t know. But they’re half-human, my guess would be that the effect should be lessened?”

“What am I going to tell my daughter-in-law… ah! And those dignitaries still need to be dealt with… the army will need someone to replace Yan Li...” Mei Hua looked at her peacefully sleeping husband with exasperation, “...your timing is terrible.”

“If… if there’s anything I can do…” Fu Jing offered, feeling responsible even though he was also taken off guard.

“What? Put our honored guest to work? That won’t do.” Mei Hua smiled at him in good humor.

“No, no, I’ve got quite a bit of experience working in government and the military. Even if the laws are different, I can learn. Please let me make this up to you.”

Seeing his sincerity she gave a small sigh. “If you insist I won’t stop you. But there’s no reason to feel responsible. Who would have expected the Empress to do this?”

Fu Jing said in a small voice, “I really didn’t know.”

“Of course you didn’t. Even Jin didn’t notice and he would be the one who would. She really is remarkable, the Empress, being able to sneak things past him like that…”

“She has always been good at being sneaky.”

“...really?”

“I would say that it was her top talent.”

Mei Hua blinked several times. The Empress did have an entire cave filled with scrolls proving she spied on people regularly….

She snorted in amusement at the thought and then rubbed her chin as she stared down at her husband. “Well, there’s no way I’ll be able to wake him or my sons up. Not that I want to wake Jin up, he deserves a good long rest at this point. As for my sons... I don’t think Shuya could wake them and she would be the only other—” She stopped and blinked, “Where IS Shuya?”

Lu Fan cleared his throat, expression awkward. “She is unavailable at the moment.”

Mei Hua’s mouth dropped open, “What do you mean ‘unavailable’?”

“Basically, she acted foolishly and now she’s so embarrassed she doesn’t dare show her face.”

“Since when did being foolish ever stop her from showing her face?”

Lu Fan glanced Fu Jing, which caused Mei Hua to look at him too.

“Oh….” Mei Hua seemed to understand something and rubbed the side of her nose in amusement. “I suppose even with all her shamelessness, she has times when she’ll be shy too.” She then gave a wry chuckle. “No husband, no sons, no big sister… Only a random in-law to help… the heavens are conspiring against me…”

Lu Fan said sincerely, “All us Beasties are here for you, so you are not alone.”

She paused and then laughed heartily, “That’s true, isn’t it? I’ve got the fairies and the officials too…. What right have I to complain? I’ll muddle through it somehow...” She looked down at Jin again, “Let’s start with getting everyone home first.”

Lu Fan nodded, “I’ll bring people to help move everyone.”

He gave his body a great shake, leaves seeming to burst from him and blur his form. The next moment, where there was once a man, a large blue buck stood with tangled vines in its massive antlers. He flicked his ears and then immediately turned around and took a giant leap and was gone.

“Amazing.” Murmured Fu Jing despite himself. Even though he knew the man was the deer, until he’d seen it himself, some part of him had remained skeptical.

Mei Hua nodded, “It’s a bit startling the first time you see it, isn’t it? But you’ll get used to it after a while, just like I did. Would you help me move Jin over to our sons? Nothing would happen if I left him but…”

“Of course, of course.” Fu Jing bent down and lifted Jin up in one smooth move. His body lay across his shoulders and hooking one arm around Jin’s leg, he used the same arm to hold the unconscious man’s arm*. Holding him this way made the size difference less of a problem and prevented Jin from sliding off his back.

[Note: Otherwise known as a “fireman’s carry”.]

Mei Hua raised her eyebrows in appreciation. Honestly, she’d meant to have him hold Jin’s feet while she held her husband’s upper body. Jin was awkward for her to carry due to the size difference. Seeing this shortie relative lift Jin so easily, she felt a little ashamed for asking for help. But it was too late to take back her words so she remained silent.

They walked back to the trunk of the tree. Scattered like fallen leaves were all the Emperor’s sons, sleeping deeply. Some laid sprawled out on their backs, while others curled up in a fetal position. They all looked remarkably comfortable despite lying on a rooty, mossy floor. De Ming Yu’s ever-present bird hadn’t left but instead moved it’s roosting place to his chest. It’s twittered a greeting to Mei Hua when it saw her.

“Oh? Shuya must have rearranged them after I left.” Mei Hua said in amusement to Fu Jing. “Originally they collapsed right where they were standing. Other than checking to make sure they weren’t in any obvious harm, I didn’t have the time to move them into a more comfortable position.” She narrowed her eyes at the tree trunk and clucked her tongue, “Big Sis, are you really going to be like this? Hm? Brother Fu Jing definitely won’t look down on you for being silly. Isn’t that right Brother?”

When she turned to Fu Jing and gave him a knowing stare, he quickly nodded.

“See? Since he married your Master, how could he not be a good person? How could you treat him like an arrogant person? Isn’t acting like this disrespecting her? So come out and introduce yourself like a respectable person.”

There was silence for a moment and then the breeze swept past them that sounded like a sigh. In front of the trunk, a flurry of flower petals erupted. The woman from earlier appeared there, though this time she was much more composed and graceful looking.

Her brown cheeks were flushed slightly and she didn’t seem able to meet Fu Jing’s gaze. She didn’t move from the trunk, causing Mei Hua to roll her eyes. She walked over and forcibly dragged Shuya to Fu Jing.

“Go on.” Mei Hua encouraged.

Shuya took fugitive glances at Fu Jing before giving a proper curtsy, hands to her side and knees bent. “Greetings to Lord Shu Fu Jing. This tree goes by Shuya, originally the servant of the Empress Xuiying and now under the care of the Imperial Quee—”

Mei Hua immediately pinched her side.

“ —Mei Hua.” Shuya corrected pursing her lips and sending a quick annoyed glare at the particular person in question. “This tree hopes your stay at Blue Flower Mountains will be most excellent. If there is anything at all your Lordship needs, simply ask a nearby Blue Flower Tree. Though we’re but humble vegetation, we will work hard to accommodate your Lordship’s desires.”

Fu Jing bowed in return. “This one returns the Venerable Shuya greetings and thanks to your Venerable self for offering herself and the other trees services. This one is a lowly junior and hopes that the Venerable Shuya will treat him as such, without any formality or titles.”

“Yeah,” Mei Hua persisted in her informal way of speaking. “Why are you being so polite to him? You don’t even give Jin this much face, and isn’t Jin your Master’s brother? And look, Brother Fu Jing isn’t even a tenth of your age. Of course, he’ll feel awkward at you being this courteous!”

Shuya laughed in strained politeness, “Little Sister, even if he’s as fresh as a nut fallen from a bush—”

Fu Jing lips twitched at this analogy.

“—since Master chose him, that makes him special. As for Master’s Brother,” Her nose wrinkled, her real personality instantly surfacing at the mention of Jin, “Isn’t it enough I don’t find trouble with him all the time? That punk, especially after today! He better be thankful I don’t put itchy burrs in his underpants and trip him every time he walks outside!”

Mei Hua looked more amused than angry when she asked, “What on earth did he do to make you so angry?”

“What did he do—?!” Shuya had completely lost all pretense of politeness. “Master left him a personal message, just for him!” She started to tear up, stomping her foot. “Why does he always get special treatment?! He got you, he got all these brats of his—”

“Hey, hey, those are your nephews too—”

“ —and a whole nation to stroke his ego! He even got to meet Master’s husband— isn’t that enough? Why does he still get more? Haven’t I been loyal this whole time? Haven’t I mourned for her? Haven’t I searched for her? But did she think of me at all?!” The otherwise elegant woman burst into tears in front of Fu Jing for a second time.

Mei Hua looked at Shuya helplessly. She wrapped her arms around the other woman and hugged her. “You know it’s good for everyone that Jin is getting some real sleep.”

“I know!”

“Then why are you still angry?”

“Because she could have left me some kind of message too! Master doesn’t care about me! I’m just a decorative tree to her! If I withered and died she wouldn’t even care!”

“Shh, there there.” Mei Hua began patting Shuya’s back. “I’m sure it’s not like that.”

“I’m not a child!”

“Mmmm, of course you’re not a child, you’re jealous.”

Shuya sniffed loudly, “Who’d be jealous of that punk?”

Fu Jing watched this and felt that you really couldn’t judge a being by their appearance. Who knew such an ancient tree could still be so childish? But he wasn’t one to talk. He understood very well where this age-old tree was coming from.

Fu Jing thought for a moment and then said kindly, “I understand what you mean, I’m jealous too.”

Both women looked at him in surprise.

Fu Jing held up the source of the problem, the journal. “Neither my son or I knew there was anything special about this book, other than what’s written inside. Though she left this to us, she left a… I don’t know… a piece of herself for her brother.” His face dropped slightly. “I wish it had been me.”

Shuya suddenly brightened and, breaking free of Mei Hua’s embrace, went over to Fu Jing and grabbed his hand. “Right? Isn’t it just like that?! That Punk always gets the best without realizing it, and we always get the leftovers.”

Mei Hua rolled her eyes again but didn’t say anything. Trees shared everything, to the point of oversharing, with those they counted as friends or family. If they were really truly sad or angry, they wouldn’t speak at all. Getting the silent treatment from a tree was, humorously, the worst possible outcome.

That Shuya was still talking showed she was hurt but not catastrophically so. As long as she got a chance to express her silly or ugly feelings, she’d settle down afterward.

Fu Jing, however, didn’t know how to deal with Shuya’s resentment for the Emperor. Thinking it was better to avoid that subject, he took out his wife’s journal.

“I know it’s not the same but,” Fu Jing held it out to Shuya, “would you like to read it?”

Shuya’s teary eyes blinked and then shone. “Really?”

“Hm, just take good care of it.”

She took the journal reverently, hands gliding on the aged surface. She sniffled again, “Thank you.”

“Little Sis,” Shuya looked at Mei Hua and hesitated, holding up the journal.

Mei Hua put her hands on her hips and quirked her lips. “Oh, just go and read it! But you better seriously help me later! Don’t leave all those dignitaries for me to deal with alone!”

“Of course, of course!” Shuya grinned broadly and hugged the journal to herself. There was a burst of bright blue petals and then she was gone.

“Ah!” Fu Jing had taken a step forward.

“Hm?”

“I didn’t expect her to disappear with it…”

Mei Hua sensed his unhappiness and immediately appeased, “Don’t worry, that journal is more valuable than all the precious gems and metals in these mountains at this point. It will be returned in the exact condition it left you.”

Fu Jing made a face. He really did not want that journal taken out of his sight but it was too late now. After a quick internal struggle, he exhaled and put his anxiety aside.

“Mmm… also, thank you for being kind even though she really was being silly.”

“It was nothing. I understand a little about how she feels.”

Mei Hua gave him a searching stare. “Do you dislike Jin for what he did to the Empress?”

In his heart, Fu Jing was indeed unhappy with Huang Jin. A part of him never quite forgave Jin for beating Xui in a rage. If Fu Jing didn’t at least punch him once for that, his heart just didn’t feel settled about the issue. But how could he say that to either Jin or his Sister-in-law? He had come here to ask Jin for a favor. And obviously telling his Sister-in-law he wanted to beat her husband was definitely not going to work.

Seeing Fu Jing hesitating, Mei Hua sighed. “He knows what he did was wrong. No matter how powerful he is, he can’t undo the past. He can only change so as not to repeat his mistakes. I and my sons are proof he changed. Won’t you consider forgiving him?”

Fu Jing saw how earnestly Mei Hua spoke on behalf of the Emperor and couldn’t help thinking Shuya had been right. Huang Jin was indeed very fortunate.

“Truthfully, my wife had already forgiven him, I’m the only one keeping a grudge.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Imagine if someone beat your son, it’d be difficult to let that go even if later they were sorry for what they did and changed.”

Mei Hua heard this and couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“But it’s true that there are you and your sons. I, at least, won’t hold his past actions against him for your sakes.” He paused, “And Xui wouldn’t like it…”

“Xui?”

“Ah, my wife’s human name was Xuilan, but when I met her she went by Xuiying, so—”

“I see! I always imagined she was very beautiful, so Xui is a fitting name.” Mei Hua gave a wistful sigh. “I wish I could have met her…”

“You will, someday.” Fu Jing’s eyes were sharp with determination, “I’ll make sure of it.”