Qiu Ling sat down with a few scrolls of empty paper, ground his ink and started to write: 'Information on myself, Qiu Ling, and my beloved, the very beautiful Son of Heaven Jing He.'

'Myself: Dragon King Qiu Ling' he wrote. 'Notes: Very handsome' he continued. Then, he put down the brush and nodded.

Mn, this should be alright. Now he only needed to sort the information about his beloved.

He picked up the scroll Fu Min had written for him and once again read everything. His expression wavered from delight to anger to longing depending on what he read. In the end, he decided to start with writing down the most important facts about his beloved.

'My Beloved: The Son of Heaven Jing He' he wrote. Then he pondered a bit more and started on his notes:

'Notes:

Jing He is very beautiful. His hair is as dark as the fur of the Shadow Tiger but shimmers in the light like the wings of the Blazing Hearth Dragonfly. His eyes are an equally dark shade of brown and will most likely seem black if viewed in the shadows.

His skin, in contrast, is quite pale, although it’s a nice pale tone, not a sickly one. If I had to make a comparison, I might use the white jade of the mines from the Willow Isles. Naturally, it can’t compare to the softness of his skin at all. I had the immense luck to hold his hands already and can say that the softness of his skin is incomparable to anything I’ve ever touched. Mn, maybe I should touch it again to get a better feeling for it.

Writing about the softness of his skin I naturally can’t help but mention his lips. Now, I haven’t been able to taste them yet but just looking at them gave me an idea of how elevating that must be. They are colored like the blossoms of a cherry tree and seem incredibly supple. They are definitely a pair of lips worthy to be kissed!

Jing He isn’t just beautiful, though, but also possesses great taste. When I saw him for the first time he wore a white inner robe that highlighted his flawless skin combined with a blue, embroidered outer robe and a second layer that was probably meant to keep him warm although it was embroidered too and thus added even more charm to his already charming appearance.

His inner and outer robe were fastened to his body with a belt that picked up the same colors as the rest of his clothes. The same can be said for the crown that was used to hold up part of his hair. I failed to take note of his shoes that time but I’m sure they were chosen just as well.

Besides his visual appearance, Jing He’s voice is a point to take note of. It is clear and soothing and would probably be very suited to sing me a lullaby or read a story for me. I liked listening to him from the first time I heard him speak and I have to admit that it was his voice that first drew me toward him. This probably says a lot about how pleasant it is to hear. There isn’t any comparison to be made so I won’t even try.

One of my subjects managed to find out further information. He writes that Jing He is interested in flowers and books and knows how to play many instruments. The latter isn’t very surprising and is something to be happy about. Just imagine how it would be if Jing He played a tune and sang for me! I’d naturally be the happiest man in all the mortal and immortal realms. I also have no problem to imagine him reading books. Jing He seems to have a quiet disposition that is very suitable to such an activity.

I do have a problem imagining him tending to some plants though. Why would he do that? But, well, if my beloved likes them, I’ll naturally like them, too, and support him in his decision to raise some!'

At this point, Qiu Ling took a break and pondered. If his beloved liked plants, then maybe he could please him if he collected some rare plants and gifted them to him? Mn, what a great idea! He’d do that! He could even go and collect them while these two guys worked on giving the Heavenly Emperor that gift.

He nodded to himself but didn’t go immediately. No, for now, he still had to finish writing all these important notes and see what insights he might find from them.

'Fu Min further noted that Jing He likes profound conversation. At least it seems that when he appears publicly he’ll spend the most time with the people who know how to talk about a variety of things. So, he should be really interested in a lot of things. I’m not sure yet what kind of things they are but I’ll find out about that in further encounters.

Right, talking about the few times I’ve met Jing He until now I certainly have to mention the people surrounding him. First of all, there is my future mother-in-law. The two of them obviously share a lot of characteristics like their good looks and impeccable taste and even their temperament is similarly pleasant. His mother obviously likes me very much which she clearly displayed on our first meeting. I’m sure we’ll get along very well.

Unfortunately, Jing He also has a father. This father is quite the terrible person who begrudges our relationship. From the very first moment, he tried everything he could to separate us, even going so far as to ban me from entering the Nine Heavens so that Jing He and I couldn’t see each other.

It remains to be seen if it will be possible to bribe him with a present to at least lift the ban. Well, I still won’t like him. It’s imperative that I take Jing He with me to the dragon realm as soon as we marry to extract him from his father’s bad influence.

Another problem are the Heavenly Guards. I haven’t met that many of them yet but several of them seem to have a crush on my Jing He which naturally cannot be condoned. I’ll have to keep an eye open to identify the ones who dare to covet my Jing He and teach them a lesson. At least I’ve already found someone who can support me in doing so.'

Qiu Ling stopped writing again and nodded to himself. Fu Min had written a lot of notes but the really important points were actually only this. After all, there wasn’t much known about the crown prince of the Nine Heavens. And, well, the few other things Fu Min had noted had been ignored by his king. It couldn’t be blamed on him.

Qiu Ling got up and smoothed out his sleeves. He felt that he had done quite a few things right already. The only things he’d need to work at were what that An Bai and Xiang Yong had mentioned and the few other things that Fu Min had suggested as a possible 'code of conduct'.

Qiu Ling picked the scroll up again and once again read through them:

'1. Always observe the proper way of addressing His Highness as well as his family members.'

Qiu Ling tsked. Yes, he already knew that! What was so hard about that? They didn’t need to remind him this often!

'2. Behave like a gentleman. This means: No casual touching and at least one step of distance while walking, standing or sitting next to him.'

Qiu Ling frowned. What?! He was supposed to have that much distance between them?! This guy was kidding him! He wouldn’t do that!

'3. Observe your way of speaking. No cursing, no insulting, regardless of whether the person in question is there or not.'

Qiu Ling tightened his lips. Tch, they had already said that, too! There was no need to be like this.

'4. Behave in a mature manner. Do not blurt out everything you think and instead utter your thoughts in an organized manner. Try not to speak about inconsequential things and instead bring up profound subjects. Don’t show your feelings, especially your excitement in the face of His Highness, and instead keep calm and collected.'

Qiu Ling murmured some curses. What was all this?! He wanted to throw the scroll away when he noticed the last line Fu Min had scribbled:

'If in doubt how you should act, try to recall An Bai. He is probably the type of man His Highness would like to keep him company.'

Qiu Ling leaped up and stared at the door. An Bai. Whoever that guy was he would make him pay for coveting his beloved!

He clenched his fists and wondered whom to call to find out who that An Bai was when he suddenly remembered something. Wait! Wasn’t An Bai the guy he had sent to the Nine Heavens with the other one to bring that present to the Heavenly Emperor? In other words, he had just given his love rival a chance to meet his beloved?!

Qiu Ling ignored the fact that he was still banned from entering the Nine Heavens and hurried over as fast as he could. Ah, luckily he had planned for this case and knew exactly how he would be able to get in without being noticed! He really had such good foresight.