A Guide to Raising a Wild Daji

Ji Qianyu once saved a fox. That fox later became her stepmother.

Ji Qianyu didn't recognize her. The first time they met, she was a filthy fox covered in wounds. The next time, the woman was dressed in a dazzling phoenix coronet and bridal robes, her black hair paired with red garments. Holding a long sword, she raised an eyebrow at Ji Qianyu with a rakish air.

What could possibly be the highest level of repaying kindness with betrayal?!

Everyone said the new Empress of Chu was cold, as if she were ice that would never melt.

Only Yan Yao'an knew that the ice beauty, holding her phoenix coronet and bridal robes, had a faint, embarrassed flush on her face, usually as frosty as ten thousand years of snow.

Yan Yao'an found it amusing. She blew gently against the woman's ear. The soon-to-be enthroned emperor flushed red and gritted out, with great difficulty, "Noble Consort, please behave yourself."

On the day Noble Consort Yan married, the ten-mile procession of red bridal gifts and blazing peach blossoms made for a spectacle seen only once in a century. Unfortunately, Emperor Chu Zhuang was gravely ill, so his heir, Ji Qianyu, stood in for him at the wedding, donned a red robe as the groom, and led the noble consort through the three matchmaker visits and six betrothal gifts.

When they met again, Yan Yao'an happened upon the scene of the first two empresses' deaths and stared blankly at the white silk they had left behind.

Tasked with bringing ruin to the nation, Yan Yao'an knew all too well what would happen if she failed to fulfill her duty: her entire family would be wiped out.

She had come to Great Chu with the mission of bringing down the nation. Now that Emperor Chu Zhuang was dead, her great endeavor for Qingqiu had become an unsolved case.

She glanced aside and saw a pair of cool, unblinking eyes. Her "new stepdaughter" was standing there with her arms folded, watching her.

"There are countless palace intrigues, but this is the first time I've seen a consort hang herself. How novel," said the unparalleled, noble princess.

How could this be!

Her heart sank, and she closed her eyes in despair. "Please, Your Highness the Grand Princess, lift your foot. You're standing on my tail."

Ji Qianyu hadn't heard her clearly. Standing on what? But she lifted her boot anyway, only to see Yan Yao'an make a beeline for the white silk.

In the end, Yan Yao'an didn't have the nerve. Under Ji Qianyu's cold gaze, she jumped down, only to land on top of her, and they both fell to the ground.

Yan Yao'an was finally exhausted.

Perhaps her conscience had stirred. Ji Qianyu stroked her damp black hair. "Your Highness, ghosts who hang themselves are all ugly."

Yan Yao'an raised her head, barely alive. As the ruler of Qingqiu, the pressure was immense, and her bright red tail thrashed sadly in the air of its own accord, accidentally smacking Ji Qianyu's dangling hand.

Ji Qianyu paused. "Your fox tail is showing."

"Mother."

From then on, the noble consort visited the princess's palace every day, waiting to be fed.

The Grand Princess had a kind heart and couldn't bear to see a poor little animal trying to end its life. Every now and then, she would visit her father's widow. The little fox was very polite: every time she came, she would voluntarily show off her fluffy red tail, lift her head, and wait to be petted.

Ji Qianyu stared at the fiery tip of her tail and silently thought: That could work.

On the eight-hundred-something day of slacking off and refusing to do her job,

Yan Yao'an's once-dry, scruffy fox fur had become sleek and shiny. She didn't even need Ji Qianyu to come over anymore. Yan Yao'an would happily leap up and trot over on her own, her fox ears perked high as she waited to be fed.

She'd thought that once she'd brought disaster upon the nation, there'd be no undoing it. So why did her merits keep piling up, while the world grew more and more peaceful?

Another day of hoping for world peace.

*Cool, aloof white-robed Emperor Lord, bottom, x mature fox top who plays the pig to eat the tiger and lures her in before striking

Theme: For love and peace.