69 Wilted Plant

Suyin raced as fast as she could without slipping on the mud down the dirt pathway. Puddles were forming while Suyin dashed back to the house. Her right shoulder was doused with water, most of the umbrella shielding her left arm and the bag of medical herbs she grasped onto her chest.

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Suyin stirred the pot of hot water and the medical herbs, combining a couple of them as she turned around to check on the siblings.

"Zheng An." Zhelan's voice softened, sitting next to his sister who was resting on the hay bed near the fireplace.

"Didi." Zheng An called Zhelan. Aroused by his sister's voice, he diverted to her quickly. "Sorry I got injured. I stumbled upon the wrong people..." Zheng An noticed Suyin, who poured the medical tea into the bowl so that Zheng An could take the medication. "Thank you, Miss Suyin."

Suyin lit a small smile back to the two. The two didn't bother to doubt her capability as a medical specialist or had any fear of her knowledge. Suyin was lucky and thankful to meet both of them.

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[Qin Fuhua]

After the rain had ceased, there had been a ruckus going on in the Palace. Servants and maids scampered around everywhere, in fear that the Prince of Qin had returned to the Palace.

"The Prince of Qin has finally arrived back home!" One of the servants proclaimed.

The Palace of Qin is defined as one of the greatest that was documented in history. They were wealthy, powerful, and intelligent. Military soldiers feared the Qin because of their affinity with many substantial lineages and their quick-wittedness when it came to warfare.

Qin Fuhua arranged to send his people (including Areum, Wu Fei, and the others) to his courtyard to help organize his courtyard. Of course, Areum and Wu Fei were confused about what they meant about "organizing" his home, but they quickly attended to the Prince.

Strolling down a long pathway filled with statues, pottery, and scrolls of paintings on the walls, the large pillars were made out of strong, concrete stone, embroidered in gold, red, and blue. Maids were working on flowers at the side, decorating the hallway as they dropped their heads and bowed insight of Qin Fuhua.

"The Prince has arrived to greet the Emperor and Empress!" the eunuch declared proudly. In front of Qin Fuhua stood the two thrones of his parents. Even with the report, there was no reply to the announcement.

As predicted, Qin Fuhua already knew what was going to happen, but consideration to greeting his parents foremost was a typical routine that Qin Fuhua used to do when he had lived in the Palace a long time ago.

It was the same response, such as the response of the King, his father.

Their desire filled with superficial satisfaction, manipulation, and greed was their blinded view of the people of Qin. Despite it being a powerful kingdom, the emperor did everything he could to his power so that he was always at the top.

Qin Fuhua lightly bowed, in greetings to the vacant throne of his parents and hastily walked out of the throne room, heading back to the Orange blossom courtyard.

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[ORANGE BLOSSOM COURTYARD]

In the courtyard of Qin Fuhua, the Prince's area was named the Orange blossom courtyard, appointed by his grandmother, who adored Qin Fuhua like her own child. Qin Fuhua was born in mid-spring when the orange blossom trees began to flourish in the Palace at that time of the year.

The rain had halted as the grey clouds lingered in the sky. Orange trees were grown at the side of a little pond at the corner of the courtyard, and the pavilion was in the middle of the courtyard. The lily pads gradually floated in the pond, bumping into each other as the breeze moved them to each other.

Qin Fuhua strode into his courtyard, treading down the pathway made out of stones. Flowers had thrived at the side of the path, water sitting beside the bud of the flowers.

The Prince of Qin didn't reveal any emotions after his greeting with his parents. He had gotten used to their attitude, ever since he was dethroned as the Crown Prince.

Although, it didn't matter to him at all.

His mind had wandered off for a moment, only to wake up to reality when he halted in front of a small, lifeless tree next to the corridor of his bedroom chamber.

It was as small as the size of a closed fan, dried golden yellow as the roots were all webbed and parched. Weeds had developed around the small plant.

Qin Fuhua stared at the dead plant, as Weizhe calmly walked by his side to put an umbrella beneath him, in case it rained again.

"There's no possibility in that type of flower ever developing here. I have investigated at the Long Palace and it seems like there were no such thing as a magnolia tree cultivating." Weizhe responded the Prince, gazing at the dead plant. "We have endeavored to produce all various types, to what we can find, even from foreign trade but none had ever prospered."

What was the answer to his Master's saying? (Referred to chapter 12.)

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[Qin Fuhua's past]

Qin Fuhua had been declared the Crown Prince ever since he was born. During this time, the current emperor Zhixin (who is his father) had just become the emperor just a couple of months ago.

The late King treasured his grandson (Qin Fuhua) before his death from an illness, giving Qin Fuhua the jade of the Dragon, blessed by himself and the Gods before he had passed, vowing that he would protect the Prince at all cost.

During this time, Qin Fuhua was pampered and loved by his parents. Both of his parents had valued and cared for him, giving the world to him. Then, a sudden change of wind had transpired ever since the announcement of the death of the young Prince.

Qin Fuhua was only seven at that age. It was his little brother, one of the concubine's children, who passed after the carriage slipped at the edge of the cliff. And then, everything fell from there.

The Emperor began to have a new favorite: one of the concubines in his harem. The concubine was a beauty and the Emperor could not help but fall for her beauty and her elegance.

Following the death of one of his younger sons and a new favorite instead of Qin Fuhua's mother, the King acknowledged that Qin Fuhua was too gentle and forgiving, reprimanding himself at a certain point for his incapability to raise him to be the King in the future.

The King declared the child of the concubine to take Qin Fuhua's place as the Crown Prince. The Emperor arranged to title Qin Fuhua, "the Prince of Qin." This was to protect Qin Fuhua from such humiliation and this title permitted him to remain in the Palace and have his courtyard.

The people in the Palace quickly isolated Qin Fuhua, not wanting to interact with him, and called him "bad luck" by his other siblings. His father never cared for him ever since he laid eyes on his new concubine and new son and Qin Fuhua became the dark shadow in the corner of the room. His heart and personality quickly became as cold as ice. The young, soft Qin Fuhua evolved as a person of a shadow.

Qin Fuhua, at the age of eight, was determined that he wanted to leave the Palace to embark out into the world to discover new things and adventures. This was where Qin Fuhua stumbled upon his Master, who guided him through most of his martial arts, wisdom, and the power to "mask" his face to have two identities.

His Master was unknown to many, but he briefly mentioned that he knew the late King, and was a very close friend of his. Despite the late King's passing, he grieved the loss of his best friend, and noticing that Qin Fuhua had the Jade of the Dragon, conveyed that the late King had treasured Qin Fuhua.

The Jade of the Dragon was bestowed by the late King to protect Qin Fuhua from any misfortune.

The Master could see the future, at the cost of shaving off his life force.

He had done it once and only once before--- with the late King.

Of course, the only reason why he had done it was because of Qin Fuhua, his precious grandson. The Master knew and saw Qin Fuhua's forthcoming when the late King requested, soon before his passing, which was why the Jade of the Dragon was presented to protect him.

During this time, the Master swore to teach the young Qin Fuhua his martial arts, but at the cost of staying with him in the Jixin Mountains.

Jixin mountain was a treacherous location, and only one person had ever survived there (which was the Master). It consisted of a place that consistently snowed and those that couldn't make it often succumbed to death from freezing or plunging off the mountains.

Only those with a pure heart, mind and a strong will mentality would survive there, and with the help of the Master, Qin Fuhua was able to make it to the top of Jixin mountains, where the Master remained, away from the civilians and war.

Qin Fuhua was raised up here, promising his mother back at the Palace that he was doing fine by letter, informing her that he had a mentor who would take care of him.

Qin Fuhua learned how to cook, and clean, and became a normal person thanks to his Master.

His Master granted him a gift of parting when Qin Fuhua turned fifteen, a coming of age and completion of his training. It was the gift of the mask that Qin Fuhua uses to this day.

"It will help you one day. Learning how to utilize this without manipulating its power can bless you with many things. I've instructed you more than enough." Qin Fuhua's Master declared, "But there is one thing that you must know before you go."

"Flowers of magnolia will guide you for a better future."

Qin Fuhua had to come back home to be with his mother. This was where he first met Weizhe (who was training to be the bodyguard of Qin Fuhua). After the death of his mother a couple of years after, he decided to live out of the Palace, in disgust of the greed, politics, and manipulation that roamed there.

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[PRESENT]

The flowers of Magnolia couldn't be grown in the Palace, or anywhere. Qin Fuhua could only glimpse up at the clouds as he thought about his Master's last word before coming back home.

"Miss Suyin. Are you the answer?" He thought to himself.