Two weeks had elapsed since the incident involving Lu Ruo, and Concubine Li was growing increasingly agitated with her aunt and cousin, holding them accountable for the fact that the King had not paid her a visit since then. This was highly unusual since the King would typically visit her at least once a week. Meanwhile, rumors about the Prince of Qin had been spreading like wildfire, and people who didn't belong to the Orange Blossom Courtyard were trying to catch a glimpse of the "beautiful woman" residing there.
One of the Palace's maidens was holding some folded laundry in her hands, discussing the Prince of Qin's secretive nature.
"It's no wonder that the Prince of Qin is so secretive about her," she remarked.
"I would be too. Don't you think that's why he demanded soldiers from his father?" whispered another maiden next to her.
Since Qin Fuhua had offered Suyin the use of his study room, he had been out, and it had been a while since she had seen him. Suyin would often visit Princess Chuhua to check on her health, hoping to run into Qin Fuhua. During her breaks, she would go to the scholar's courtyard to learn more about medicine and help the other students. Despite the rumors, Suyin had been able to reveal her true identity in the scholars' courtyard, although some students still did not accept her because of her gender.
Qin Fuhua had assigned Suyin a stack of books to read per his father's request for her to take some classes beforehand. Topics included their culture, history, and etiquette. Suyin was studying in Qin Fuhua's study room from morning until evening, nodding off while reading about their history. Although Suyin enjoyed reading and knowledge, history was not her strongest subject, and she was struggling to stay awake. Her head was dropping down from the palm of her hands, about to hit the desk, when Qin Fuhua witnessed and quickly supported the weight of her head with his palm.
He had been quietly observing her from behind for a few minutes until she started to fall asleep. Qin Fuhua supported the weight of her head with his left hand, while his right hand was behind his back. Suyin muttered for a second until she felt Qin Fuhua's cold hands on her skin.
"Wha--" Suyin immediately shifted to her side, seeing that Qin Fuhua was watching her. Qin Fuhua moved his hands back, now observing her from behind.
He leaned near her, his face next to her right ear, glancing at the desk, and then shifted to her attention. "What are you reading there?" he asked, his voice soft and delicate. Suyin was surprised to see him and felt a shiver run down her spine as she peeked into his deep, sharp eyes. Despite feeling exhausted, she was abruptly wide awake, her heart beating faster as she tried to respond to his question.
"I'm trying to understand the history of the Royal family," Suyin said, holding up two historical books. "But there's a gap between this age here, and here."
The book missing from the collection was "The Battle of Zhengzhi Mountains," which Weizhe had taken upon request from Qin Fuhua.
Qin Fuhua took a glance at the timeline and saw that it was the battle camp that the soldiers of Qin overtook before they reached the Zhengzhi mountains and "the Qin crisis."
Suyin had noticed the big year gap between it and was unsure about what had occurred before the crisis had ensued.
Qin Fuhua was pleased with her insight and surprised by how she had connected the dots by herself, without any explanation from him. He relaxed his eyebrows and lit a small smile, looking at her from behind as he straightened himself up again.
"You always amaze me, time after time," he said, impressed by her intelligence and perseverance. He leaned in, the palm of his hands on the desk as he leaned closer to her. "There's a gap between them because one of the books is missing."
He took the books and attempted to put each one in chronological order. "Specifically." There was a blank spot between the two books that Suyin had mentioned earlier before. He put his hand in the middle.
"I had Weizhe investigate what was going on with what had happened in between the two. There was a war years ago before I was born, called the Battle of Zhengzhi Mountains."
Ah. It was the correct thing that Suyin had guessed. Maybe because of that specific battle, caused the great crisis in the Qin dynasty.
"There was a large land that was neutral between the Long dynasty and our dynasty." Qin Fuhua moved all of the books aside and drew on the empty table in front of them. His index fingers slide from the left side to the other side, before putting his finger in the middle. "That specific village was large enough to probably start their own Kingdom if they wanted to."
It was the village of Fanrong. Before it was the village of Fanrong, though, it was a different name: Zhengzhi Mountains. They were people of their kind and lived off of their land and animals. The Long Dynasty and the Qin Dynasty had been in disputes over their trades and the potential of spies coming in and out of the village, causing tensions to rise. Thus, war broke out there, after warning the mayor that they wanted to overtake the village.
The defeat of the Qin Dynasty had far-reaching and disastrous consequences. Losing the battle against the Long Dynasty to take over the village meant that they couldn't use it as a trading post, leading to widespread famine among their people. This was a significant event in the history of the Royal family, with long-lasting impacts on the lives of its members.
"Enough of this, though." Qin Fuhua was leaning so close to Suyin that his chest was touching her shoulders whenever he leaned in to talk about the war. Luckily Suyin was able to keep calm despite her heart racing the whole time. He was so close to her, that his chest was touching her shoulders whenever he leaned in to talk about the war.
He then walked a few steps away and sat next to her, clasping his hands together and taking a long glance at her. His movements were deliberate, his demeanor serious, as if he was about to share a secret. "We didn't get to finish our conversation last time because I had some business that I needed to take care of."
"You know why I made you read these books, right?" he asked her, his voice low and serious. He was trying to understand why she wanted to tell the King the truth. He wasn't worried about the fact that Suyin was telling him the truth and that he had to take responsibility. Rather, he was concerned about the potential damage to her reputation if the King found out they had been "intimate" before marriage. He didn't want her to lose face and suffer consequences for his actions.
That enough would cause the royal families besides the King to be upset at the fact that the Prince decided to take someone in because of that. Since people may think that Suyin lost her womanhood because of him, it would make her look bad rather than the Prince, himself.
Qin Fuhua was more worried about Suyin's well-being than anything else. He wanted to tell the truth that nothing had happened, but Suyin had already offered to tell the King the truth, even if it meant facing the consequences.
Despite not seeing each other for a few days, the thought of Suyin telling the King how it had occurred bothered Qin Fuhua, as he knew that something like this could cause trouble for both of them.
Wouldn't she know what was going to happen because of that?
Qin Fuhua frowned, his eyebrows crinkled. He didn't want Suyin to be wedded to him if she didn't want to. He respected her decisions and because of what she had done, she'd have to marry him.
He slammed his hands on the table due to all of the reflection about her, surprising Suyin. Her eyes enlarged, a bit surprised at his hasty action.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Qin Fuhua questioned her again. The frustration in his voice was palpable. "Why are you so dedicated to this when you know that you'll have to be tied down by me?"
Suyin frowned at his statement at first, trying to comprehend what he was thinking. He seemed angry at the fact that she confessed to the situation to the King, but then she noticed that he wasn't angry at her. It seemed as if he was more frustrated than anything else. She looked at him with a firm expression, directly meeting his gaze, and said, "I know what I'm doing. I know what I'm responsible for..."
She paused for a second, trying to find the courage to talk, "I don't mind being with you, at all."
As the conversation continued, Qin Fuhua's facade began to crumble, revealing a softer, more vulnerable side to him. His eyes relaxed as he looked back at her. He turned around, unable to hide the amount of happiness and warmth that he heard from her. Attempting to fix his emotions so that he seemed calm, he gradually stepped next to her, sitting down next to her.
His cold, large hands unhurriedly grasped Suyin's hand. Her small, tiny hands were wrapped by Qin Fuhua's, as he brought it to his chest.
"In all my life, everyone always turned me away because I was a child of misfortune. There's going to be a lot in the pathway with me. Are you sure about this?" he said softly, his voice cracking with emotion.
Suyin couldn't bear to fall deep into his eyes, nodding her head as she felt like her heart was about to burst out. Suyin nodded her head, feeling a deep connection to him that she couldn't explain. She looked into his eyes, seeing the pain and loneliness that he had carried with him for so long. "You're not a bad person like what the others have said. You were always there for me," she replied softly, gently smiling at him as she lowered her chin.
Qin Fuhua slowly reached out to grab her chin softly so that he could look at her face. His eyes were sparkling in Suyin's eyes, seeing the reflection of herself in his eyes, like a Prince in the stars that the Gods had bestowed upon him. He leaned in closer, and Suyin felt her heart skip a beat.
"With all my life, I'll protect you the best that I can. If I need to give my life so you can have yours, I would," he said with sincerity, his voice barely above a whisper.
Suyin couldn't help but smile shyly because she knew that this was practically a confession between the two. She was feeling a rush of emotions that she had never experienced before.
Qin Fuhua leaned in even closer, and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. Instead, he pulled her right hand as his lips softly pressed onto the back of her palm. "You are as precious as the moon in the sky. I want to treasure you like the heart of my own."