The Magnolia Beauty

"Miss Suyin." A voice muttered through the window near the bed. Suyin had grumbled and tossed her body up, awake from the voice. She was half-conscious at the moment.

"Miss Suyyyin."

Suyin unconsciously walked to the window to see Weizhe"s face emerge in front of her.

"Whoa!" Suyin sprang up at the sight of his face in front of the window, surprised. "Weizhe! What the heck are you doing at the window?!" She stated, recognizing that it wasn"t the door that she slid open. It was the window that she slid open without any hesitation.

"Miss. The Prince is antic.i.p.ating for you in the carriage. Didn"t you agree on it yesterday that you will go with us?" Weizhe spoke. Suyin ceased to think for a second, pondering about what had happened the day before.

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*Yesterday Night*

"Alright! I"ll go with you since you asked personally." Suyin spoke with a proud tone.

"If you do go, just remember that you do not provoke those people."

"Yeah, yeah. I understand, "your highness"" She mocked, rolling her eyes.

The one who always gets aggravated the most would be Qin Fuhua himself. Why would she disturb anyone else besides the grumpy Prince?

"Now, we will meet BEFORE the sun rises tomorrow. We set off from then on." Qin Fuhua commanded. Suyin brushed it aside as she agreed.

She was already falling asleep by the time that Qin Fuhua had purposed for her to go with him.

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"Oh c.r.a.p! I"m late, aren"t I?"

Weizhe nodded his head, causing Suyin to make a ruckus as she paced around the room.

"The Prince seems to be bothered. His face is getting gloomier as the second goes by." Weizhe remarked, giving her a concerned look before he ran off back to the entrance of the manor.

Suyin had to get ready as fast as she could. First by fixing her hair and slipped on a better-looking robe. During their stay at the manor, the Prince had been generous enough to pay Areum and Suyin for taking care of the Princess, so they had the opportunity to buy clothes, food, and things for themselves when needed.

Suyin raced off to the entrance of the gates after speaking to Areum that she would be out for a couple of days. Weizhe was standing outside of the carriage, giving Suyin a big, fake smile as he aimed inside with his eyes.

Suyin nodded her head, hopping inside the carriage. Qin Fuhua"s eyes were closed as if he was angry. Suyin had slapped herself in her imagination for not paying attention to what he had said the night before. He was probably waiting for more than two hours! Suyin didn"t say a single word, as they began to travel along the route to the village.

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In the middle of the travel, Suyin had felt an intense sense of gloominess from Qin Fuhua. He didn"t speak a single word beside silence in the air.

"Um...Sorry." Suyin uttered beneath her breath.

She knew that it was her fault and she was astounded that Qin Fuhua did not leave her behind. Of course, maybe it was because he needed her to go with him, so he would have no choice to remain anyway.

Qin Fuhua did not speak, only the sound of his breathing could be heard.
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"I didn"t mean to come late... I honestly forgot about--"

"Quiet. I am meditating." Qin Fuhua hushed Suyin with a firm tone. She bit her lips. From the tone of his voice, he didn"t appear to be angry at her. Qin Fuhua opened his eyes, with Suyin doing the same thing.

"What are you doing?" Qin Fuhua inquired, looking at her.

"Shh. I"m trying to meditate too." She imitated him. He furrowed his brows and gazed away, avoiding her.

"Hmph. How do you like that?!" Suyin said to herself in her voice. With Suyin"s eyes closed, Qin Fuhua scoot in closer to her, sensing his presence near to her. The male brought his head close to hers, and due to this, Suyin opened her eyes, observing his face right in front of her.

"What are you doing--"

Qin Fuhua tugged in her robe, tightening it.

Suyin"s robe was loose and exposed the skin of her neck and middle chest.

"An attempt to entice someone like me is not going to work."

The horse stopped, which signified that they had stopped somewhere.

Qin Fuhua turned his head away, unaffected and got out of the carriage, leaving Suyin behind.

"Wha?!" She brushed herself as her face got as pink as a peach. She hurried to follow the Prince, moving the curtain behind.

A view of endless paddy fields stood in front of Suyin, and the mountains and trees were so green, the sun reflected against it made it brighter than ever.

Suyin shifted her attention to a group of men outside, investigating the Prince and their group.

"What about her?" One of the men questioned. They seemed to look bigger than Qin Fuhua"s men, and most of them had a unique tattoo at the pit of their elbow. It appeared to look like a special Chinese character colored in blue, indicating that they come from a specific group of people.

"That"s n.o.body--"

"Ah, yes. That"s my fiance." Qin Fuhua cut off Weizhe, grinning at Weizhe as he lowered himself.

"Y-Yes. It is his Highness"s lady." Weizhe spoke.

"Wait! M-Me?!" Suyin pointed at herself. Qin Fuhua moved closer to Suyin and held her shoulders, pulling her into his chest.

"She"s a bit groggy from the ride. She didn"t get any sleep last night." Qin Fuhua stated, gripping on Suyin"s shoulder as if he told her to follow along.

"Ah. Yes, I couldn"t sleep in the carriage either. I didn"t feel well this morning." Suyin put her hand over her head as if she was some damsel in distress because she didn"t get her beauty sleep.

Maybe she was exaggerating too much, because Qin Fuhua turned to her and forced a smile on his face, frightening her in the process because of how horrible his "fake" smile was.

"Haha! No wonder the Prince of Qin had been so grumpy coming here the past few days! He didn"t even let his woman sleep or rest at all!" One of the men roared out, shouting as they proceeded to let Qin Fuhua and his men in.

Suyin"s face was burning, turning bright red because of what they had said.

What kind of men were they?! Qin Fuhua and Suyin went back into the carriage, sitting in there with utter silence again.

"Really? Fiance?" Suyin spoke out, breaking the awkward atmosphere between the two.

"It"s either that or let you become a corpse." He mentioned, leaning on his hands as he peered outside. Okay. Correct. He was right on that.

Suyin didn"t want to argue back since there was nothing more than she could say.

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After Qin Fuhua, Suyin, and his men reached to the gate checkpoint where the villagers had verified who they were, it took another hour or two into the forest and mountains to reach to the village.

Qin Fuhua had to tutor Suyin about the villagers, who are specifically called Jiaoshu(s). They had persevered through plenty of wars and are the only force that has been in peace for more than fifty years.

Although the people wore similar clothing like theirs such as a hanfu, they also wore knee-high skirts for women for easier cultivating and movement.

They all are born with a special tattoo at the elbow pit on their right side with a special character of "Jiao" with a symbol of a bird. This was a n.o.ble tattoo to have because it is only given at their age of ceremony presenting their skills and commitment of their culture. They usually would have to go through a series of trials in order to get the tattoo.

The village leader was always known as Shì zhǎng, which was the term for "mayor" and was pa.s.sed on from their ancestral family line. They were similar to a King, but the only difference was that the Shi Zhang had processed written freedom to his people as long as rules aren"t broken. The village never accepts any newcomer or people from out of the village due to the bloodline of the Jiaoshu and influence of outsiders, so most of the time, the Prince of Long or Qin were always unwelcomed, except this time, they were desperate enough to allow them to come help find to cure the disease.

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"We have arrived at Jiaoshu village, your Highness" Weizhe announced outside of the carriage. Suyin had to absorb as much as she knew and followed Qin Fuhua out. Houses were made out of stones, and some of the homes stood on top of the hill. Suyin could tell that out of all of the homes, the biggest one was all the way at the top of the village.

"Is that Shi Zhang"s home?" Suyin had guessed, pointing at the top. Qin Fuhua nodded.

"Just stay near me." Qin Fuhua commanded.

From where they stood at the entrance to the village, it was big and beautiful, with their forest and plot land surrounding them. The mountains looked like ancient paintings, beautiful tall mountains with rocks and trees combined to make it look like a wuxia movie.

It appeared that the climate and environment was an ideal place for agriculture and taking care of animals. No wonder rulers had been trying to take over the Jiaos or at least attempt to have their influence fall on their side.

Not many people were out in their fields and those that were seen plucking their vegetables and fruits off and placing it in baskets. Suyin could hear coughs and cries from afar which made her wander off without Qin Fuhua"s request. Her footsteps led to the sound of the coughs in one of the homes. She leaned at the edge of the opened door to the home, to see who was sick.

A child around the age of ten laid on his mother"s lap, hacking sickly with rashes that appeared on his face, arms, and legs. The mother turned around to see Suyin at the door and glared.

"Who are you?!" She called. The boy began coughing harder. "Son!" She glanced at him, then gazed at Suyin. "What business do you have here?! I"ve never seen you before?!" The lady delivered with an unfriendly tone.

"Your child... He has been sick for a while isn"t he?" Suyin noted.

The lady"s eyes relaxed as soon as she turned to her son, who was sleeping on his lap. She caressed his head and hair. "What does it have to do with you?" she suggested.

Suyin grinned with a gentle and kind, sincere smile. "I"m here to help you guys." Suyin didn"t get to finish her conversation because she felt someone pull her back, spinning her around in the process.

"What did I just say?! Do you not listen?" Qin Fuhua scowled at Suyin as he held her elbow.

"I know! I just wanted to see what was wrong" Suyin then let go of his grip as he headed straight to the Shi Zhang"s residence.

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"Shi Zhang, the Prince of Qin has arrived, again." One of the servants spoke.

"Does he not know how to stop?" Shi Zhang uttered.

"Although the Prince came last time with one of his men, it seems like he brought his fiance with him." The servant added. Shi Zhang raised his eyebrows, sparking interest.

"Let him in then." Shi Zhang was interested as to why he would bring his fiance to the place. The last time that the Prince of Qin was here, he had mentioned about someone who would be able to help his villagers.

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Qin Fuhua, Suyin, and Weizhe waited at the front entrance of the Shi Zhang"s residence. The gates were pulled open, allowing them to enter. Suyin had to stay by Qin Fuhua"s side, with Weizhe following behind them.

They entered in the main residence and sat down on the chairs as they waited for Shi Zhang to enter in.

"It seems like you have brought someone in here, this time." Shi Zhang uttered, coming in with a cane. He was an elderly man around the age of sixty. The man slowly stepped in and sat down in the center with Suyin, Qin Fuhua, and Weizhe sitting at the side of him.

"Yes. I have brought the person who will cure the village." Qin Fuhua stated. Shi Zhang sat at the edge of his chair, leaning on his cane as he gazed at Suyin.

"Is she the fiance? Are you sure that she will be able to cure than rather than hurt them?"

As soon as Shi Zhang finished, a group of his army gathered around the three of them.

Suyin gripped the side of her chair, startled by the ambush.

Qin Fuhua tugged Suyin with his elbow to make it oblivious.

Qin Fuhua grinned, "Yes. I"m sure she can help you." The soldiers then grabbed Qin Fuhua and Weizhe"s arms.

Although Weizhe was alarmed and wanted to protect the Prince, Qin Fuhua was as calm as water. Although he may be alarmed, he does not show fear in any condition.

"In case she does harm my people, would you trade your life in exchange for her trust then?" Shi Zhang purposed.

Suyin turned to Qin Fuhua, who shifted to gaze her as he nodded his head, looking at her straight in her eyes.

"Yes."

Qin Fuhua was a cold, selfish man who only thought about himself in the world, but when it comes to Suyin saving someone, who would have thought that he gave her a glance full of confidence? The men carried Qin Fuhua and Weizhe away as the two abided.

Shi Zhang let out an evil laugh, with both of his hands still leaning on the cane. "Say, young miss. Do you think you can do it? It is a wonder that the Prince of misfortune had placed his bet and life on you." The elderly man chuckled, shaking his head.

"Do you think I can not do it?" Suyin challenged, "And if so if I can do it, what do I get?"

He grinned at her. "Only time can tell until then." Shi Zhang stood up and left, still laughing.

"Is he crazy?!" Suyin thought to herself. For once, Qin Fuhua had placed his life for her and gave her a firm look. But how would she be able to figure this out alone?

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She walked down from Shi Zhang"s residence, defeated. Could she really do it? She didn"t expect Shi Zhang to just sweep Qin Fuhua and Weizhe away like that. Qin Fuhua"s men stood at the side of the residence of Shi Zhang as if they already knew what was going on already. Had the Prince really antic.i.p.ate this to happen already?

As Suyin walked down the road, she could hear coughs and cries of people.

Some adults sat at the edge of their home with red rashes on their bodies.

That was when a lightbulb lit on Suyin"s head.

"The child!"

Suyin rushed off to the first house that she had stumbled upon. It would be easier for Suyin to figure out what was wrong with the child, first. Since the adults, as well as the children all, have similar symptoms, it could only mean that there was one disease spreading around the village.

She rushed to the same house, with the mother now alone.

"What are you doing?!"

The lady was in the middle of washing her clothes outside of her house, hanging the clothes on a clothesline.

"It"s you." She vaguely said.

Suyin had to bend down, placing her hands on her knees as she gasped for air.

"Your child. How long as it been since he was sick?"

The lady was reluctant to say anything, pinning her last shirt on the clothesline.

"About a couple of days ago."

Although the lady was suspicious of Suyin, she could feel Suyin"s sincerity and trust. Suyin ran up to her and held the mother"s hands, hoping that she could take a look at the child.

"Do you trust me to see how your child is doing?" Suyin asked.

The mother flinched but gazed at Suyin"s eyes.

Her eyes were beaming with hope and sincerity. The mother didn"t want her to hurt her son, but the faith and expression of hope had caused her to nod her head.

"He"s sleeping right now, so please be mindful with my child." She declared.

The mother had already seen some people die from the disease and was frightened to lose her son from the illness.

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The little boy was sleeping in his room, breathing heavily as he coughed. Suyin delicately sat next to him and glimpsed at his red rashes.

"Just like the others..." Suyin validated. Suyin turned to the mother who held her child"s hand as he slept.

"Did you know what happened before he got those marks on his body?" Suyin needed to settle what the disease was.

"He complained about having head pains. Before all of this, he went out with the neighbor"s kids, playing."

Suyin modestly listened, staring at the kid"s rashes.

Was it chickenpox?

Although there are many types of diseases related to rashes, Suyin remembered that chickenpox was a disease that was deadly back in the days.

"Would it possibly be chickenpox?"

The lady glanced at Suyin and shook her head. The mother let out a heavy sigh, slouching. "We"ve had all kinds of doctors. They said the same thing, but whenever we take their prescribed medicine, they would seem worse than before."

It was impossible. Somehow, there should be a cause behind the sudden illness. A mosquito had lingered around the room for a while, with Suyin"s eyes on it once it came inside the room. It sat on the corner of the wall, trying to get out of the room to get outside.