It had been a whole month since Qin Fuhua's departure from the Kingdom of Qin. Suyin had been taking care of Princess Chuhua's declining health at the side.
At the royal's order, Wansun had been summoned to the Palace to help keep watch on the Princess as well. The two had been catching up on recent events.
Surprisingly, Suyin discovered that Wansun's family were the royal family doctors and that he had been working under Qin Fuhua the entire time.
However, Suyin had to be cautious when speaking with Wansun due to the numerous eyes that were watching her in the Palace, filled with jealousy and curiosity.
Suyin was sitting in her room, reading a book borrowed from Wansun about the variety of poison someone spoke behind the sliding doors.
"My lady. You have a visitor."
She suddenly heard a familiar female voice. It wasn't the voice of either Areum or Wu Fei, but Suyin couldn't quite place it. She didn't think too much of it at first, but a nagging feeling told her that something was off.
Suyin carefully turned her head towards the door, trying to get a better sense of what was going on. She looked around her room, scanning for any potential threats. As she did so, she remembered the escape powders she had been working on and decided to grab them, just in case.
Feeling a little uneasy, Suyin called out to the figure at the door. "I'll be coming," she said, her voice steady but cautious. She slowly opened the door, keeping her eyes fixed on the silhouette in front of her.
As the door swung open, Suyin found herself face-to-face with Zheng An, an unexpected visitor. She was so surprised to see Zheng An standing there that she almost threw the powder at her face. But at the last moment, she recognized her old friend and stopped herself. "Z-Zheng An!" she exclaimed, her relief palpable.
Zheng An and Zhelan were the siblings who took Suyin in when she almost died during the incident with Old Man Wu. Zheng An had uttered something about sneaking into the Palace, but how did she get here now?
Zheng An appeared to have mixed emotions when she saw Suyin and pulled her into a bittersweet embrace. However, Suyin's surprise turned into fear when she noticed a dagger placed at her neck. In an instant, Suyin reacted by throwing powder at Zheng An, but it was too late. Zheng An had already held her captive.
"What are you doing?" Suyin spoke, confused at her sudden action.
Despite being disoriented from the powder, Zheng An held Suyin closer to her,
"I knocked down your servants. You told us that you'd come and investigate but then you come here to become a part of the Kingdom's family." Zheng An's voice was cold and distant as if she never met Suyin.
"You don't know what they did to my family. My people."
Suyin was in a state of panic as she struggled against Zheng An's grip. She desperately tried to free herself, but her efforts were futile. All she could do was hope that the sleeping powder would take effect soon. She needed to buy some time to figure out what was going on.
"What do you mean? I don't know what they did," Suyin protested, trying to keep Zheng An talking. She had to keep her engaged, or she wouldn't be able to find out anything.
"Don't act stupid! If you're with them, you know what happened ten years ago!" Zheng An was getting more and more agitated by the second. She was swaying on her feet and struggling to stay conscious.
Suddenly, Zheng An's arms went limp, and Suyin was able to break free. She quickly stepped back, just as Zheng An collapsed to the ground.
Suyin could only sigh, looking at the sight of Zheng An. Maybe if she were to take her back to Zhelan, he would explain all of this to her. He was the more calm and composed one compared to Zheng An.
As she turned Zheng An over, she saw a tattoo behind her neck.
"T-Tengzhi?!"
It was the same emblem that Qin Fuhua and Weizhe had been discussing earlier. It was the emblem of the people who had been eradicated by the Prince of Qin.
Suyin was stunned. She never suspected that the siblings could be related to those people. She knew she had to keep a calm composure, though. She needed to send Zheng An to her brother before she woke up.
Just then, there was a knock on her door. Weizhe stood there, looking shocked at the sight of Suyin dragging an unconscious body into her room.
"I have..." Suyin started to explain, but Weizhe was frozen in shock. He didn't know what to think. Had Qin Fuhua's evil ways gotten to Suyin now?
"Weizhe! Don't just stand there, hurry and come in." Suyin snapped him out of his daze, ordering him to help her carry Zheng An to the bed.
"O-Oh okay." Weizhe listened obediently, hurrying in as Weizhe carried her body effortlessly to the bed.
They laid her down gently, and Weizhe couldn't help but ask, "First of all, who is this?"
Suyin didn't seem interested in answering his questions, though.
"We need to get somewhere with her. Is there a way for me to take her out of the Palace?" she asked urgently.
*************************************************************
"The Prince of Qin requested me to bring the lady a letter he wrote, but then I come to this? How am I going to explain this to him?" Weizhe was talking to himself, wearing civilian clothes as he guided the horse with a carriage.
Inside the carriage, Suyin was watching over Zheng An, who was sound asleep. She couldn't help but stare at the tattoo on her body, wondering what it meant and how it was related to the people who attacked her town. The concern about their identity had been haunting Suyin since she didn't believe they were the type to invade other towns, just like the incident she had faced.
Suyin had a million questions racing through her mind that she wanted to ask Zheng An. However, she was afraid that Zheng An might feel betrayed upon hearing the news of the Prince of Qin's newly wedded wife. It was plausible that she would consider Suyin as an enemy now.
Perhaps it was best to consult with Zhelan first.
Eventually, the carriage came to a complete stop.
"As you requested, my lady," Weizhe announced outside of the carriage. "We have arrived at the abandoned home."
"Weizhe, please take her," Suyin requested.
Without any hesitation, Weizhe carried Zheng An, and the two of them proceeded towards the house, with smoke emanating from the chimney.
Suyin hurried with Weizhe following closely behind. She knocked on the door as a person opened it.
As Zhelan laid eyes on Suyin, his face lit up, and he smiled at the sight of her. "Suyin! You're here." Without thinking, Zhelan embraced Suyin, and she hugged him back.
Weizhe observed the two, surprised at the shock of her actions, and he cleared his throat, loud enough for the two to stop their embrace.
"Ahem. I'm sorry. I thought that you had run off and would never return." Zhelan uttered, a bit embarrassed at what he had done without thinking.
Suyin laughed, "It's okay," She turned to look at the unconscious Zheng An, as Zhelan's face turned from happy to serious.
"What did she do this time?" He uttered.
***************************************************
Zheng An was placed back on the bed with the aide of Weizhe. Suyin caught up about what happened in the Palace, and her relation with the Prince of Qin.
Zhelan was patient and understanding, nodding his head.
Zhelan calmly spoke, "Ah, so that's what it is." He clasped his hands together and continued, "I know that she's always been hot-headed, but we have been through a lot during our childhood." He looked at the sleeping Zheng An and then turned back to Suyin.
Weizhe, who was standing on guard for Suyin and himself, quietly listened to Zhelan as he spoke.
"There was a time in a village when my family lived happily. We were farmers and we often got up early to do farm work. Zheng An and I were born at the same time. We did everything together growing up. Farming, playing, cooking...." His eyes seemed happy, yet the tone of his voice was sad. "And we ran away together as a pair. The whole town and village were burned down to the ground. In ashes." He looked up at Suyin.
"The Prince of Qin claimed that he had to kill all of us, to get rid of the people. That meant that the generation of the whole family. We didn't do anything wrong. We were just working farmers, but he took the opportunity to burn our whole village down."
Weizhe quietly listened, knowing what was going on now.
"And the people that you were with. Zheng An probably heard from the people speaking about it. The only woman that would be bold enough and had been described was none other than you to be wedded to the Prince of Qin. Zheng An must have felt betrayed and angry." He looked up at Suyin.
"You must have not known about our people, huh?"
Before Zhelan could finish, Suyin spoke up, her eyes darting at the ground.
"You were the people of Fanrong, weren't you?"
Zhelan was shocked. "How did you know?"
Suyin sighed, her eyes never staring at Zhelan. "I saw your sister's tattoo. I didn't know about the people of Fanrong until recently. But I understand your sister's anger."
Zhelan bowed to Suyin. "I know that I'm not a person who may be filled with revenge and anger, but when it comes to my sister... I apologize."
Suyin turned to him, "What is she trying to do here, then? What are you trying to do?"
Zhelan could only smile bitterly at her. "I'm sorry, but I'll let you go for now. I cannot say anything other than this. I vowed that I would never let anything happen to my dear sister. For the last time, as a friend, this will be the last time that I let you go. If you don't leave now, I won't promise your safety."
Weizhe understood the gravity of the situation and nodded to Suyin, indicating that they should leave. Suyin was frustrated but knew that she had to go, and she left with Weizhe.
As she turned around to take a final glance at Zhelan, she noticed that his eyes were filled with deep sorrow. His brows were furrowed, and his lips slightly parted, as if he was struggling to hold back his emotions. It was evident that this decision was not easy for him. Yet, he had to do it for his sister, who was the only family he had left.