By the time she returned to Cuiwei Courtyard, dusk had fallen. The golden sun had sunk in the west, leaving behind a vast expanse of purple and crimson twilight in the sky.
Tomorrow will be a clear day, Yun Wan thought as she sat cross-legged on the square couch, gazing at the sky beyond the carved window.
Remembering more pressing matters, she picked up a brush and wrote a few lines on a blank sheet of xuan paper before summoning her maid Yue Zhi.
Handing the incense formula to Yue Zhi, Yun Wan carefully instructed: “Put other incense preparations on hold for now. Have the incense workshop purchase the ingredients listed here as soon as possible, prepare them according to the formula, and then deliver them to Yunxiang Shop.”
Yunxiang Shop was originally one of the dowry shops that Yun Mu brought when she married into the Yun Family. Later, when Yun Wan married, this shop naturally became part of her dowry.
Located in the East Market near Zhuque Street, the shop occupied an extremely prosperous and sophisticated area. However, before Yun Wan took over, the shop had been poorly managed with mediocre profits, barely surviving.
It wasn’t until Yun Wan’s meticulous management, with continuous updates and iterations of incense products that produced several fragrances highly sought after by the noblewomen in the capital, that Yunxiang Shop turned losses into profits and became one of the famous incense shops in the capital.
“As usual, after the incense workshop prepares the sample and sends it to me for inspection, if there are no issues, produce three hundred Scented Pills, one hundred Carved Scented Pills, fifty Scented Cones, and one zhu of Powdered Incense.”
After speaking, Yun Wan paused for a moment, then added after some thought: “Package ten Scented Pills per box priced at twenty guan, and three Carved Scented Pills per box at ten guan. As for the Scented Cones and Powdered Incense, let Hu Niang decide the pricing.”
Yue Zhi, who had been quietly listening and taking notes with paper and brush, expressed surprise upon hearing this: “Madam, isn’t this too expensive? What if they don’t sell well…”
Wouldn’t we incur losses?
Especially the Carved Scented Pills – they were the same size and weight as regular scented pills, only with additional intricate carvings on the surface, yet they were over one guan more expensive.
Yue Zhi was filled with concern.
Yun Wan shook her head: “They will sell.”
Her tone was firm, as if she had complete confidence.
Yue Zhi always trusted her mistress. As Yun Wan’s personal maid who came with her as part of her dowry, her main responsibilities besides caring for her mistress included conveying her instructions to the shop managers outside.
Turning a shop that had been losing money for years into a profitable business was no easy feat, and Yue Zhi had witnessed all the hardships her mistress had endured over these years.
Seeing this, Yue Zhi stopped worrying and glanced at the incense formula in her hand, asking: “Then, Madam, what is this incense called?”
Yun Wan smiled: “Yun Yin, named by The Emperor himself.”
“Na-named by The Emperor?” Yue Zhi stared wide-eyed, almost doubting her ears.
After briefly explaining the incident that occurred in the palace that afternoon, Yun Wan looked thoughtful and instructed:
“Find time to go to the shop and inform Hu Niang about this. Have her arrange for some people to spread this news.”
Hu Niang, also known as Hu Niangzi, was the shop manager of the incense shop. Yun Wan’s successful management of Yunxiang Shop over the years owed much to Hu Niang’s capability.
“The Emperor bestowing the name Yun Yin Fragrance”
This alone was enough to make people stop and take notice. After all, everyone would be curious about what kind of incense could receive a name personally given by The Emperor? How rare must it be?
Once people’s curiosity was piqued, selling the incense would no longer be a concern.
Especially for the nobility and officials in the capital, they would inevitably want to follow The Emperor’s preferences in various aspects to show their loyalty. If The Emperor considered an incense good, then it must be good – buying more of it couldn’t be wrong.
Even though scholars and officials, concerned about their reputation, might not personally purchase it to avoid being criticized for flattering the ruler, they would certainly send their servants or have their female family members make the purchases for them.
Logically speaking, Yun Wan should have set a higher price, but unfortunately the ingredients used in Yun Yin Fragrance weren’t particularly expensive. Considering the reputation of Yunxiang Shop, she settled on a moderate price.
She would treat this as using Yun Yin Fragrance to elevate Yunxiang Shop’s fame to new heights.
Yue Zhi clearly understood the reasoning as well, immediately breaking into a cheerful smile: “Rest assured, Madam, this servant will definitely handle this matter properly!”Yun Wan curved her lips: ‘Remember to let slip that ‘the Emperor bestowed the name,’ but be mindful of the appropriateness, don’t make improper connections.'””
The more one says, the more mistakes one makes—maintaining appropriate mystery would have the reverse effect.
Yue Zhi nodded emphatically, her entire body filled with motivation.
She folded the scent recipe carefully and tucked it into her bosom, then went out.
The room quieted down, the sunset glow at the horizon gradually fading, replaced by twilight.
Yun Wan lit a candle, the surrounding brightness slowly devoured the darkness.
Suddenly, the Jing Xuan Emperor’s gaze from earlier today surfaced in her mind.
No one knew that, despite it being just a simple questioning, Yun Wan’s back had gone completely cold at that time.
Fortunately, no one had noticed anything amiss.
Setting aside irrelevant thoughts, Yun Wan began tidying up the books and calligraphy copies A Sui had left unfinished when she departed, carefully stacking them one by one.
………
Imperial Palace, the Son of Heaven’s bedchamber.
Jiang Fusheng hurried into the hall, his round figure somewhat heavy, a fine sweat beading on his forehead beneath his hat brim.
“Your Majesty, this servant has already investigated thoroughly.”
The Jing Xuan Emperor didn’t look up, his attention remaining on the book in his hand.
Jiang Fusheng caught his breath and continued: “The Third Lady Lu comes from the Yun Family, she is the Yun Family’s eldest daughter. The original wife of Minister Yun was Cen Shi, whose ancestors included those skilled in scent-making, having written ‘Cen’s Scent Recipes.’ This book was later brought to the Yun Family by Lady Yun.”
“Rumors in the marketplace say that the Yun Family’s eldest daughter is indeed skilled in blending and making scents, and she owns a scent shop on Zhuque Street named ‘Yunxiang Shop,’ likely named after Third Lady Lu’s personal name.”This servant went to Yunxiang Shop after leaving duty at the hour of You.” The shop does sell various scents, and according to the shopkeeper, most of these scents come from their master’s own hands—that is, Third Lady Lu.”
“………”
After briefly recounting what he had uncovered, he came to the key point: “However, this servant tested all the past scents from Yunxiang Shop and couldn’t find the scent from that handkerchief.”Thinking they had gained some clues, only to find it was another dead end, Jiang Fusheng felt somewhat discouraged.” Then he heard the Jing Xuan Emperor ask:
“What about similar ones?”
The Jing Xuan Emperor had already closed his book, lifting his eyelids to glance at Jiang Fusheng before casually tossing him a handkerchief.
Jiang Fusheng was overwhelmed with gratitude: “Thank you, Your Majesty!”
After wiping the sweat from his face, he shook his head: “This servant didn’t find any similar ones either.”
The Jing Xuan Emperor remained silent, staring at the solitary sachet lying quietly on the desk.
The candlelight illuminated his sharply defined, imposing face, his aloof expression making him difficult to read.
His casually tapping fingers curled, picking up the sachet and bringing it to his nose.
The familiar, subtle fragrance he had smelled this afternoon seemed like an illusion; the Jing Xuan Emperor’s lips straightened.
Jiang Fusheng ventured nervously: “Your Majesty, should we continue investigating that Lady Lu further?”
“No need.Rather than clinging to vague suspicions, the Jing Xuan Emperor preferred to believe it was a momentary illusion.
He had been plagued with a headache from those people’s noise this afternoon, nearly triggering his old ailment.
To become suspicious just from catching a whiff of some scent—the Jing Xuan Emperor’s eyes held a trace of self-mockery.
Since it was confirmed that the sachet was useless to him, the Jing Xuan Emperor had no intention of wasting effort to investigate unrelated individuals.
The sachet between his fingers was casually placed on the desk, rolled a few times, and fell into the hollow book cylinder.