Wen Zhuo’s expression grew more restrained before he raised his eyes again and turned his attention back to the stage.
“The first incense is the Jing Family’s Mian Incense! Its powder is as fine as soft snow. Light a single stick, and its fragrance will permeate the room, lingering for three days without fading!”
Six or seven attendants carried incense boxes and, one after another, approached the pearwood chairs, displaying the snow-white incense powder inside for the merchants to examine.
Some raised a hand to fan the scent from the box, closing their eyes as they inhaled, their faces showing contentment. Others pinched up a little of the powder and rubbed it carefully between their fingertips, appreciating its delicate texture.
As one of the four great incense merchants in Mianzhou, the Jing Family’s Mian Incense did indeed possess its own distinctive qualities. Quite a few merchants nodded repeatedly and had already reached for the silver pouches at their waists, considering how much to put down as a deposit.
Taking advantage of the merchants’ distraction, Wen Yingjing turned slightly toward Lou Changsui. Without shifting his gaze, he spoke in an extremely low voice. “Are you truly certain that the claim that Liu Kangren committed suicide out of guilt will pass scrutiny in the capital?”
Lou Changsui had already been fretting over this matter for the past two days. Wen Yingjing’s reminder immediately stirred up the ominous premonition in his heart once more.
But he was, after all, the prefect of a province. He could only maintain a composed expression and forcibly suppress his anxiety as he said, “As long as Duke Liu takes action, it will pass.”
Wen Yingjing wore the air of a seasoned schemer and slowly let out a breath. “And if he doesn’t?”
Lou Changsui’s heart sank. He said nothing further, but his bulging fish-like eyes continued to twitch violently.
Seeing him like this, Wen Yingjing neither grew angry nor complained. He merely stated the facts calmly. “I arrived a step too late and failed to stop you in time. That is what led to this disaster.”
Lou Changsui had no use for his courtesy. His fish-like eyes shifted as he said, “Master Wen, apart from Liu Kangren, there is another troublesome matter weighing on my heart. It has me feeling as though thorns are pricking my back.”
Wen Yingjing raised his brows slightly, signaling for him to continue.
“I wonder how much weight your words carry before Director Wen?” Lou Changsui’s voice held a faint, barely perceptible note of supplication.
Wen Yingjing’s pupils contracted sharply, and the composed expression he had always worn finally revealed the slightest crack.
He turned and, for the first time, looked directly at Lou Changsui. His voice was edged with danger. “What are you planning to do?”
“Director Wen has been ordered to oversee disaster relief. He holds an imperial edict and the authority to appoint and dismiss officials. If he decides to investigate what happened in Mianzhou, I fear I won’t have long to live.” Lou Changsui was determined to bind them together. “If Director Wen is willing to spare me for your sake, I’ll be seven or eight parts safe. And if I’m safe, the business in Mianzhou will be safe as well.”
Wen Yingjing remained silent for a long while. His eyes lowered as hazy fragments of memory flickered through his mind. Though he was loath to expose his own weakness, this clearly was not the time for pride.
Only after a moment did he raise his eyes and say mildly, “Even if he won’t do it for my sake, he should at least consider his mother and Wen Xu. Seven years may have passed since they last met, but they are still bound by blood. Even if the bones are broken, the sinews remain connected.”
Only then did a trace of color return to Lou Changsui’s face.
That was right. Wen Zhuo’s mother still lived in the Wen family, and Wen Xu was his only younger brother. With those ties between them, perhaps there really was room to turn things around!
Just then, the shop assistant at the front called out loudly, “One large box of Mianxiang, starting at three strings of cash!”
The moment the price was announced, several sighs rose from the crowd, and some people silently withdrew their hands. There were also wealthy merchants who did not care about the price. Without the slightest hesitation, they seized the wooden mallets beside them and struck the bronze basin on the table with a clang.
The shop assistants immediately hurried over, following the sound of the basin. They bent down to record the weight each bidder wanted and handed them wooden tokens engraved with the character “Jing” as proof of purchase.
There were twenty-four people who struck the basins this time. Seated motionless on the raised platform, the Jing clan patriarch’s expression eased slightly, and he lifted a hand to stroke his long beard.
A servant brought the box of Mianxiang to Wen Zhuo, but Wen Zhuo did not even lift his eyelids. He merely waved a hand, sending the shop assistant away.
“The second fragrance—Qi Family Wood Incense! This fragrance is refined from the suhe incense tree, yet takes on the appearance of ebony while possessing the texture of agarwood. Its aroma is gentle, slow, and subtle—reserved and understated!”
Another servant stepped forward carrying an incense box. Inside were square-cut blocks of wood, their texture dense as jade and their surfaces gleaming with a warm, honey-like luster. No one knew what secret method the Qi Family had used, but they had somehow transformed suhe incense into something like this.
“One block of wood incense, priced at one guan!”
This time, more than thirty people struck their bowls. The merchants hurriedly pulled out their silver, signed their receipts, and completed their purchases. On the platform, the Qi Family patriarch wore a knowing smile.
Behind the screen, anxious refugees and impecunious incense enthusiasts crowded together, all craning their necks to peer inside. They could only stand on tiptoe and gaze from afar at the expressions of the various incense merchants on the brightly decorated platform.
“Stop pushing!”
“What does that wood incense look like? I really want to see it for myself!”
“That’s too much! They’re only letting the people inside see it. Are ordinary folk like us not even worthy of a glance?”
“Hmph. What good would seeing it do? Can you afford to buy it?”
“Even if I had the money, I wouldn’t buy this! Once the open sale begins, I’ll definitely buy the Wen Family’s Rare Fragrance!”
“Hey, I saw the Wen Family’s Eldest Young Master bring over two carts of black chests earlier. I’d wager they’re filled with Bone-Piercing Fragrance!”
…
Six Monkeys was so anxious that he scratched at his ears and cheeks. Unwilling to sit around and wait for disaster, he muttered angrily, “This is infuriating! Those clueless fools have no idea how high the sky is or how deep the earth—they’re such a worry!”
Though he grumbled nonstop, his feet never stopped moving. He had to drag those fools out before Wen Xu discovered them. After all, there weren’t many good people left in Mianzhou.
He circled Suhe Fragrance House twice before finally accepting reality: with his status, sneaking behind the screen would be harder than climbing to heaven.
Then, inspiration struck. If he couldn’t drag those people out, why not trick Wen Xu into coming out instead? That young master looked rather foolish himself, anyway.
What could definitely lure Wen Xu out?
A beautiful woman? Unfortunately, he wasn’t one.
Western-region wine? Unfortunately, he had none.
So that left only… Six Monkeys racked his brains, wishing he could make them work faster. Then, just as he was pounding his head, he suddenly stopped, his eyes lighting up.
Use the clue Wen Xu wanted most!
Once he had the idea, Six Monkeys put it into action. Relying on his small frame and his still-childish appearance, he deliberately put on an earnest, guileless expression, hunched his back, and sidled up obsequiously to a patrolling constable.
“Big Brother Constable, I think I saw the two people wanted in that portrait!”
The constable had been impatiently shooing away the refugees gathered around. At those words, he immediately perked up. “What did you say?”
“The wanted notice posted by the prefectural yamen!” Six Monkeys stammered, waving his hands as he spoke. “One of them looks like a consumptive ghost, and the other always covers his face with a black cloth. I saw them with my own eyes just now—they looked exactly like the people in the portrait!”
“Tell us where they are!” The constable’s eyes bulged as he grabbed Six Monkeys by his thin arm.
Six Monkeys cried out, “Ow, ow!” from the pain, but stubbornly refused to say anything. Tilting up his dirty little face, he said, “I want to tell Young Master Wen in person! Take me to see Young Master Wen. Otherwise, how do I know you won’t keep the reward money for yourselves after I tell you?”
“You little brat—you’ve got some sense, after all!” The constable gritted his teeth in fury, wishing he could slap him across the courtyard. But the clue he had mentioned was of grave importance and could not be taken lightly.
The two constables conferred in low voices. Figuring that this skinny little beggar, thin as a stick, could not cause much trouble, they decided to take him to see Wen Xu.
“You’d better behave yourself!” the constable threatened viciously along the way. “Once you see Young Master Wen, if you dare utter a single lie to cheat us out of the reward, I’ll stomp your manhood flat!”
Six Monkeys hurriedly nodded like a pecking chicken.
The constables shoved him along the entire way and finally brought him into the inner courtyard of Suhe Ward. After passing through the bustling crowd, they were just about to head up the stairs to the second floor.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Six Monkeys craned his neck and looked around, trying to find Wen Zhuo and the others. But the layers of screens blocked his view so thoroughly that he could not catch even a glimpse of anyone.
“What are you gawking at? Are you looking to get yourself killed?” The bailiff kicked him hard. “Get upstairs. Stop dragging your feet!”
Six Monkeys endured the pain. Just as he placed a hand on the stair railing and looked up, he saw Wen Xu leaning halfway out of a window beside a private room on the second floor, watching the incense fair below with rapt attention.
That pretty face bore the ambiguous imprint of a woman’s lipstick, and a flamboyant peony was tucked behind one ear. He looked exactly like a vulgar, gaudy courtesan.
Bah. How tacky!
It was already noon, and the sun hung high overhead.
Wen Zhuo frowned slightly, clearly somewhat weary. Beyond the screens, many commoners had been standing until their legs ached. Some had simply sat down on the ground, yet their eyes remained glued to the decorated platform, afraid they might miss the main attraction.
Just then, a loud clang of the gong rang out again, making everyone’s nerves jolt.
On the platform, Wen Yingjing slowly raised his arm, straightened the hem of his gray Daoist robe, and settled back into an upright seated posture.
He had seemed somewhat distracted earlier, but now he gathered his focus and surveyed the area with renewed energy.
Wen Ze rose from beside him, a smile twisting across his face, and walked to the center of the platform. “For the next incense, there’s no need for anyone else to announce it. I’ll do it myself.”
He smugly shook out his long sleeve, revealing his hands. With a turn of his palm, an exquisite incense box had appeared in it. “I know that many people have come today for my Wen family’s Bone-Penetrating Incense. Since I’ve kept everyone waiting for so long, allow me to apologize first.”
There was not the slightest hint of apology in his words. Instead, he clearly understood the principle that rare goods command high prices, and carried himself with considerable arrogance.
“You have all doubtless heard that Bone-Penetrating Fragrance has the effect of preserving one’s youth. To say that it can restore youth and vitality would hardly be an exaggeration. The box I hold contains a cream made by blending one liang of Bone-Penetrating Fragrance powder. It can be applied directly to the skin.”
With that, he slowly twisted open the silver lid of the fragrance box. Reaching in with one finger, he scooped up a layer of snow-white cream.
The instant the box was opened, a strange fragrance spread through the room. It was neither strong nor pungent, yet it carried an indescribable air of wickedness—as though it could pierce through the skin and seep along the pores all the way into one’s bones.
“So this is Bone-Penetrating Fragrance? Its scent truly is unique!”
“It’s such a remarkable fragrance. Just breathing it in makes my whole body feel at ease!”
“The Wen family truly is capable of refining such an extraordinary fragrance!”
Simply inhaling the eerie scent was enough to make many of the merchants close their eyes, their faces intoxicated, as if their very souls had been hooked away.
Wen Ze smiled faintly. “What I intend to sell today is not this prepared cream, but the raw blocks of Bone-Penetrating Fragrance. The price is ten guan per liang!”
The moment those words fell, the merchants who had been lost in the fragrance seemed to be slapped hard across the face. They came to their senses at once, the intoxication on their faces replaced by astonishment.
“What? Ten guan per liang?”
“Was this fragrance melted from gold? How could it possibly be so expensive?”
“Even imperial dragon’s-blood incense might not command such a price!”
“Young Master Wen, surely we can discuss the price. Could you lower it a little?”
Wen Ze remained unmoved. His words carried an unconcealed arrogance. “You heard correctly. It is indeed ten guan per liang. Once you purchase the fragrance blocks, you may grind them into powder and rub it on your body, mix it with water and swallow it, or burn it as incense at night. The Wen family guarantees that no matter how you use it, its effects will not be diminished in the slightest!”
Stunned by the exorbitant price, the merchants were momentarily unwilling to make a commitment.
Some people rubbed the silver pouches in their hands, their faces filled with hesitation. Others leaned together and whispered, weighing the pros and cons. Still others gazed greedily at the box of incense in Wen Ze’s hands, their eyes burning with desire as they rubbed their hands in regret.
Wen Xu watched them with a giggle. He pointed casually toward the floor below and sneered, “Just look at how miserably poor they are. They’re wincing over a mere ten strings of cash as though someone were cutting out their flesh. If they knew what this Bone-Piercing Fragrance was made from, they’d probably be scared into wetting themselves!”
He was still mocking them when the door was slowly pushed open. Two constables bowed and saluted respectfully. “Young Master, this child says he has information about the criminal. He insists on reporting it to you in person.”
Wen Xu casually tossed the crisp grapes he had finished eating onto the floor, turned around, and narrowed his eyes at Six Monkeys. “Oh?”
Seeing that the merchants still showed no sign of bidding, Wen Ze was just about to provoke them a little more. “What, is no one bold enough to—”
Suddenly, from the inconspicuous corner behind the pillar, came a cool yet languid voice. Like a stream flowing into the sea, it drifted into everyone’s ears.
“If the Wen family can explain what this incense is made from, then I’ll take all of it.”
Wen Ze’s eyes were sharp as hooks, shooting straight toward the pillar. Unfortunately, the angle was awkward, and half the man’s face was hidden. Only the features on the other side were visible.
Those eyes seemed like a secluded pool that had been steeped in darkness for years, deep and chillingly cold. At that moment, they were watching him with keen interest.
They were undeniably beautiful, yet Wen Ze inexplicably shuddered.
Wen Xu had been questioning Six Monkeys, but upon hearing that familiar voice, his heart jolted violently. At once, a fine, tearing pain spread across his face.
“Wait!”
He could never mistake that voice! It belonged to the swindler who claimed to be from the Liu family!
A sinister glint flickered in Wen Xu’s eyes. He abruptly gathered up his robes, snatched the saber from the waist of the constable beside him, drew it, and charged down the stairs.
Six Monkeys’ heart gave a sudden lurch. Realizing that something was wrong, he forgot all about his own safety and hurriedly wrapped both arms around Wen Xu’s waist.
“Young Master Wen, listen to me! Those two people—”
“Go to hell!”
Already irritated by Six Monkeys clinging to him, Wen Xu suddenly exerted his strength and flung him aside, then kicked him to the floor.
Six Monkeys let out a muffled groan of pain, helplessly watching as Wen Xu charged downstairs with his saber in hand.
Wen Ze’s expression turned exceedingly grim. He gave the Wen family thugs beside him a meaningful glance, and they immediately understood. Quietly, they closed in, blocking the path behind the pillar.
Only then did Wen Ze speak in a sinister tone. “You certainly have some nerve, demanding the Wen family’s secret recipe the moment you open your mouth.”
Wen Zhuo gave a soft laugh, idly playing with the cord at his waist. “If you won’t tell me, then I’ll have to tell everyone myself. If I reveal the truth in front of the entire crowd, the Wen family will have no room left to salvage its reputation.”
His words were light and casual, yet they instantly drenched Wen Ze’s back in cold sweat.
The man’s confidence clearly wasn’t baseless. But Dongyazi had always acted so covertly—how could anyone have discovered the truth?
Wen Ze instinctively looked toward Wen Yingjing on the stage, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.
With someone suddenly crashing the incense gathering, even Wen Yingjing, who was usually as steady as Mount Tai, could no longer remain seated. His brows were tightly furrowed as he repeatedly twisted around to peer toward the figures behind the pillar.
That ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger. The voice and the tone sounded so familiar to Lou Changsui that he felt as though he had heard them before.
Just then, Wen Xu came charging down from the second floor with his saber in hand, shouting as he ran, “Father! Big Brother! He’s the one who beat me! I could never mistake that voice!”
His face was alight with the manic joy of revenge. The peony tucked by his ear slipped loose and fell, but the bright red corners of his lips remained stretched all the way to his ears.
He charged forward, but the moment he caught sight of Wen Zhuo’s face, he froze. His expression swiftly twisted into something vicious.
“So you were in disguise! You made a fool of me, Young Master! Men, seize them! I’m going to carve his face to pieces, one cut at a time!”
Wen Zhuo slowly lifted his eyelids. Seeing Wen Xu waving his blade and making a ruckus, he showed not the slightest trace of panic. Instead, he sneered, “You dare point a knife at me? I’d say you’re the one who doesn’t want to live.”
“Hahahaha! What a joke!” Wen Xu burst into wild laughter as if he had heard something utterly absurd. “Today, I’ll show you exactly who doesn’t want to live! What are you standing around for? Get him!”
He brandished his cleaver and charged at Wen Zhuo first, the blade aimed squarely at the face that was even more striking than his own.
Wen Zhuo remained seated, utterly still. He did not even blink.
Just as the blade was about to reach him, Jiang Mannü suddenly stepped forward and clapped both hands together, catching the blade firmly between her palms.
Wen Xu summoned all his strength and yanked at it twice, but the cleaver did not budge an inch.
He was still staring in stunned disbelief when Jiang Mannü gave a cold snort and abruptly twisted her wrist. A crisp crack rang in Wen Xu’s ears—
His entire arm was wrenched around at a grotesque angle and hung limply at his side. The cleaver fell from his hand with a clang, striking the ground with a jarring ring.
The viciousness froze on Wen Xu’s face. Excruciating pain swept through his entire body. Veins bulged along his neck, his face contorted and flushed red, and he let out a hoarse, anguished howl.
“Ahhh! My hand! My hand’s broken! Kill him! Hurry and kill him!”
Seeing this, the Wen Family’s hired thugs swarmed forward. Jiang Mannü immediately assumed a fighting stance, completely unafraid.
Six Monkeys finally clutched his aching stomach and came tumbling down from the second floor. Forgetting his own pain, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “You idiots! Run! The Wen Family has them outnumbered! You can’t beat them!”
Just as the melee was about to break out, Lou Changsui suddenly went white as a sheet. Beads of cold sweat streamed down his temples and over his cheeks. His knees gave way, and with a loud “thump,” he dropped straight to the ground. His voice cracked like a sugarcane stalk being snapped in two—
“D-Director Wen! This subordinate pays his respects to Director Wen!”
The words exploded through the chaos, instantly bringing everyone to a halt and turning the enormous Suhefang utterly silent.
