13 The Sweet Fragrance (1/2)
Weizhe's POV
The plates of rice with stir-fried vegetables, rice, and broth were left with bits of crumbs by the time the dishes returned from the lobby. Weizhe would offer a drink (which was poisoned with scorpion powder that would temporarily paralyze everyone) to the workers around the house in disguise as the chef.
He was able to knock the original cook unconscious and ”borrow” his clothes to be in disguise so he wouldn't stand out from the crowd. It was a perilous, yet simple mission that Weizhe was ordered to do.
It was wise of Qin Fuhua to recognize Suyin in the attire of a man (and her fragrance) when she stepped into the inn. He detected her from their roof but didn't attempt to make a move to cause a commotion. He ordered Weizhe to keep an eye on the troublesome girl in case anything goes down.
Suyin's sleeping powder was effective, but it wasn't sufficient enough for them to sleep so long. Without the aid of Weizhe's scorpion powder blown with a pipe into all of the rooms, they would have already been up and running. It was planned for the guards hiding in their secret den to not use the scorpion powder, thus the chaos of the guards chasing to find the culprit.
Besides that, the customers were practically frozen stiff in their sleep (sleep paralysis) for a good 30 minutes. With all of the guards and Huang Liwei out of the inn to find the criminal, it was accessible for Weizhe to finish his mission that was entrusted by Qin Fuhua.
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Suyin's POV
After Suyin retrieved the Jade of the dragon from her room, she casually skipped outside of the inn, wearing a plain attire. A peach white pure robe with a bun bouncing on top of her hair as small strands of hair fell at the side of her face. She stuck out her hand, revealing her right palm to show the jade of the dragon lying in the middle.
”Here,” Suyin leaned in closer to the Qin Fuhua, ”did the Prince not come with you?” She asked Qin Fuhua, who took the jade out of her hand immediately right after. He disregarded her, marching back down the road in the dark.
”W-Wait!” Suyin took one step, her words stuttering because she wanted some answers from him. Qin Fuhua turned to Suyin. His presence and gaze could stare through her soul. She halted, stiff as a stick. Qin
Fuhua then spun to head back to Weizhe.
”T-Thank you!” Suyin blurted out.
It felt that every time she was in trouble, this man would come and save her miraculously. Call her lucky, but without him, she would have been dead already.
Qin Fuhua paused for a second to glance at her from the corner of his eyes. He didn't respond to her, only raising his left hand with the jade of the dragon. ”I only came for the jade of the dragon. More than ever, you were practically in the way.” Qin Fuhua responded.
Suyin furrowed her eyebrows with a pouted expression.
”In the way?!” She could only hear all the excuses that he could make up if he lingered. It was good that he wasn't there anymore, otherwise, she would have been annoyed by him.
It did bother her that he appeared out of nowhere, but Suyin was not in the right position to be nosey and get her nose into something that wasn't her problem. Annoyed, she stomped off back into the inn to stay with Areum.
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Qin Fuhua's POV
Qin Fuhua rested on top of the rooftop back at the Xinyu brothel, patiently waiting for Weizhe to come back with the items that he had requested him to ”borrow.” It was impressive enough for the male to find Suyin at the brothel of all places. He leaned back under the night stars. The moon appeared to look bigger in the dark skies as the stars dimly lit. With a cup of rice wine held with his right hand, he calmly sipped once or twice, appreciating the taste and flavor.
”A Bit Of Fragrance Clings To The Hand That Gives Flowers*”
***In life, the art of giving is important. It is often said that by helping others, the person on the giving end will feel a little of what the person on the receiving hand feels.
His mind was filled with Suyin, who risked her life to save others. Even his men in the battlefield wouldn't be daring like her, who was hard-headed and determined.
”Master.” Weizhe hopped to the rooftop, kneeling with his hands cupped in front of him. At the corner of Qin Fuhua's eyes, he could see that Weizhe came back with nothing but a mere face of defeat. ”I apologize for failing. There was no sight of the key shaped like a rose anywhere in the brothel.” Qin Fuhua lowered his cup and then placed it on the tile, reflecting on the location of the key.
”While the commotion with Suyin's presence and the girls running away, do you think that one of those ladies was actually an agent?” Qin Fuhua muttered. Weizhe paused at Qin Fuhua's words, absorbing in his theory.
”Maybe you're right. The last time we came here, I remember seeing Liwei holding a key to his waist when he traveled to the brothel, but when he came back out that day, the key wasn't with him anymore.” Weizhe agreed, rubbing his chin with his index finger. ”Your Highness, do you think that Suyin has anything to do with the key?” He speculated that Suyin may have known that the key shaped like a rose led to one of the most precious and rare herbs known in the territory of Qin.
This herb was known as the 100-year-old- Hong Teng. The herb was a Sargentodoxa vine that would be used to temporarily cure the Princess's muscle pain that she had been enduring for two years now and Qin Fuhua had been desperate to find the cure to save her. She was his precious little sister that was the only light in his life. He was prepared to risk his life to save hers if he had to.
”No. I don't think she understands how dangerous the brothel is, for her to go in as a man defenseless.” Qin Fuhua gripped the cup of rice wine tighter this time, angered that he didn't find what he needed. It was a waste of his time and was a hassle to go through all of this to figure out that someone had stolen it. Although Suyin was smart, she wasn't someone who would just go in head-on. Having the key in your possession was dangerous, and Qin Fuhua understood how dangerous the location of the 100-year-old Hong Teng would be.
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