EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN PROVINCE 2
So, this was Yunnan! Ming just conquered this area not long ago, therefore the inhabitants of Central Plain * , including Zhu Su as well, did not fully understand this area. The Han could never make Yunnan as part of their territory during Tang and Song Dynasty, and only at the moment when Yuan conquered most parts of Asia then Yunnan was not an independent country anymore. Until now, it was similar to the other provinces - as a part of the Chinese Dynasty. Thereby, for those people who lived in Central Plain, Yunnan was a mysterious border area. To be more precise to say, scary. Thence, although the Hongwu Emperor had conquered Yunnan many years before, Yunnan could not be managed optimally by the Ming.
On the other hand, it turned out that Zhu Su was truly amazed by the natural beauty of Yunnan. Yunnan was largely dominated by trees and various kinds of plants - it was still very natural and untouched by civilization. The air in Yunnan was also different from in Kaifeng. The air in Yunnan was humid, and the temperature was warmer. There were many types of plants Zhu Su had never seen in Kaifeng, he found them here.
"Yunnan is incredibly beautiful," Zhu Su could no longer hide his amazement. "It's really different from what I've heard for years."
Wu Qi smiled. "Thank you for your appraisal, Your Highness. All residents in Central Plain must perceive Yunnan as an outlandish area. That kind of perception then makes you stay away from Yunnan, and assume that limiting the relationship with us will make all of you feel more comfortable. But, after you get into Yunnan more closely, you are falling in love with it, aren't you?"
Zhu Su smiled back at him. "By the way, Bai people are the natives of Yunnan, right?"
"Not only Bai. There are many minority ethnic groups here, for example, Hani, Miao, and Li."
"How about you?..."
"I am Bai, Your Highness."
"But your Chinese pronunciation is perfect, just like Han people!"
"I am capable to learn new languages quickly. Besides, I'm positive that Chinese language is very important, as Yunnan has become a part of Ming. That's the main reason why I have to study Chinese more seriously."
Zhu Su kept nodding. He looked around. A lot of farmers were planting at the fields. He promptly found that the plants here were far better and fresher than in his hometown.
"In some aspects, Yunnan is really different from the Central Plain. Here the plants are much fresher. And many kinds of plants that I've never seen in Kaifeng grow here."
So interesting. Maybe... I can get more knowledge about herbal medicine I can't get in Kaifeng!
Zhu Su approached one of the plants most appealing to him and was about to observe it, but just right when he touched the flower stalk, a loud cry came to his ears. Not only Wu Qi and he who soon looked for the source of the cry. The entire farm also did the same.
They ran towards the source of the cry, which evidently originated from a woman. She was squatting, embracing a little boy.
"That boy died because of severe illness." Wu Qi noticed that Zhu Su did not understand the vernacular in Yunnan, thence he fast translated it to Chinese. "He has had a fever for three days, and finally today he passes away."
Zhu Su looked at the other people who immediately helped the woman to cremate his son, but they did it without showing shock or mercy on their faces. As if the burial funeral was a common activity for them to do.
"How many children have died here?" Zhu Su asked.
"Adding this little boy, the total number of deaths reach 80."
"How can so many people die? No war here, right?"
"Many people get sick here, Your Highness. And the disease is incurable, as the result the mortality rate is high. If you walk further, you'll find more sick people."
Zhu Su kept staring at the woman, she was still crying in pain as his son was being swallowed by a burning flame. "From my observation, there are so many kinds of plants here, they must be the very useful medicine, but why is the mortality rate so high?"
"Rumors say, this disaster is caused by the Witchcrafts of Xie Wang."
"Witchcrafts of Xie Wang? What is it?"
"You must have known, before Yunnan becomes the part of Ming, Yunnan was ruled by Liang Wang - Basalawarmi. Basalawarmi has been defeated after all and he, his wife, and his ministers committed suicide, and his other family members have been exiled to Tamna Island. However, one of his sons managed to flee. He remains to live here, thus spreads a curse that has caused a lot of Yunnan people to suffer from severe illness, because he hates Yunnan people who are now loyal to Ming. Yunnan people hate him so much, then call him "Xie Wang" - King of Disaster."
"Basalawarmi's son can be such terrific?"
"But it becomes substantial evidence, Your Highness."
"If he masters such powerful witchcrafts, Ming won't be capable to defeat Basalawarmi, instead, it is Ming which would be defeated by Witchcrafts of Xie Wang."
"So... do you mean?..."
"All of these happen not because of witchcraft, I'm sure of it. This can happen because there is an outbreak in Yunnan. And we should find the treatment so that no more people become the victims!"
Wu Qi stared at Zhu Su thoroughly. Zhu Su seemed very energetic as if he was being challenged to solve an interesting game. He then asked himself confusingly, All government officials are scared to death with the curse from Xie Wang, why on earth does His Highness seem to be excited anyway?
...
* Central Plain = or Zhongyuan in Chinese, is the area on the lower reaches of the Yellow River which formed the cradle of Chinese civilization. In its narrowest sense, the Central Plain covers modern-day Henan, the southern part of Hebei, the southern part of Shanxi, and the western part of Shandong. A broader interpretation of the Central Plain's extent would add the Guanzhong plain of Shaanxi, the northwestern part of Jiangsu, and parts of Anhui and northern Hubei. (Wikipedia)