Returning to Cuiwei Garden at dusk, the golden sun had already sunk in the west, leaving behind a vast stretch of purple-red twilight in the sky.
Tomorrow would be a clear day.
Yun Wan sat cross-legged on the divan, gazing at the sky outside the carved window lattice as she mused.
Thinking of more pressing matters, she picked up a brush and wrote a few lines on a blank sheet of paper before summoning her maid, Yuezhi.
Handing the incense recipe to Yuezhi, Yun Wan instructed carefully, "Put the other incense preparations on hold for now. Have the perfumery purchase the ingredients listed here as soon as possible, prepare them according to the recipe, and then send them to Yunxiang Shop."
Yunxiang Shop had originally been one of the dowry shops Yun's Mother brought when she married into the Yun family. Later, when Yun Wan married, the shop naturally became part of her own dowry.
Located in the bustling East Market near Vermilion Bird Street, it occupied a prime and prosperous location. However, before Yun Wan took over, the shop had been poorly managed, barely scraping by with modest profits.
It wasn’t until Yun Wan meticulously revitalized it, updating the incense offerings and introducing several fragrances that became highly sought after by noblewomen in the capital, that Yunxiang Shop turned its fortunes around and became one of the renowned incense shops in the city.
"As usual, once the perfumery prepares a sample of the incense, have it sent to me for inspection. If there are no issues, produce three hundred incense pellets, one hundred carved incense pellets, fifty incense cones, and one zhu of powdered incense."
After a pause, Yun Wan added thoughtfully, "Package the incense pellets in boxes of ten, priced at twenty strings of cash per box. The carved pellets should be three to a box, priced at ten strings. As for the incense cones and powdered incense, let Hu Niang decide the pricing."
Yuezhi, who had been quietly taking notes, looked up in surprise. "Madam, isn’t this too expensive? What if they don’t sell well...?"
Wouldn’t that mean a loss?
Especially the carved incense pellets—though they were the same size and weight as the regular pellets, the only difference was the intricate carvings on their surfaces, yet they cost over a tael more.
Yuezhi was visibly worried.
Yun Wan shook her head. "They will sell."
Her tone was firm, as if she had absolute confidence.
Yuezhi had always trusted her mistress. As Yun Wan’s personal maid, her duties extended beyond just serving her—she also relayed Yun Wan’s instructions to the shop’s manager.
Turning a long-struggling shop profitable was no easy feat, and Yuezhi had witnessed firsthand the effort Yun Wan had put in over the years.
Reassured, Yuezhi glanced at the recipe in her hand and asked, "Then, Madam, what is this incense called?"
Yun Wan smiled faintly. "Yun Yin—named by His Majesty himself."
"His—His Majesty named it?" Yuezhi gaped, nearly doubting her own ears.
After briefly recounting the incident that had occurred in the palace that afternoon, Yun Wan thought for a moment before instructing,
"Find time to visit the shop and inform Hu Niang about this. Have her discreetly spread the news."
Hu Niang, also known as Madam Hu, was the shop’s manager. Yun Wan’s success in managing Yunxiang Shop so effectively over the years owed much to Hu Niang’s competence.
"His Majesty bestowed the name 'Yun Yin' on this incense."
This alone was enough to pique curiosity—after all, who wouldn’t wonder what kind of incense could earn such an honor from the Emperor? How rare must it be?
Once people’s curiosity was stirred, selling the incense would be no trouble at all.
Especially among the nobility and officials in the capital, many would seek to emulate the Emperor’s tastes as a gesture of loyalty. If His Majesty deemed the incense worthy, then surely it must be exceptional—buying more of it couldn’t hurt.
Even if the more reserved scholars and officials were too proud to purchase it themselves—lest they be accused of flattery—they would surely send their servants or have their wives and daughters buy it on their behalf.
Logically, Yun Wan could have priced the incense even higher. However, since the ingredients for Yun Yin weren’t excessively costly, she settled on a moderate price to preserve Yunxiang Shop’s reputation.
This would serve as an opportunity to elevate the shop’s prestige further.
Yuezhi quickly grasped the reasoning and beamed. "Madam, rest assured—this servant will see it done!"
Yun Wan nodded. "Remember to emphasize 'His Majesty’s bestowed name,' but be careful not to overstep. Maintain some mystery—it’ll have a greater effect."
Too much elaboration could backfire; a hint of intrigue worked better.
Yuezhi nodded vigorously, her spirits high.
She carefully folded the recipe, tucked it into her sleeve, and hurried out.
The room fell silent as the twilight outside gradually faded into night.
Yun Wan lit a candle, and the soft glow slowly swallowed the darkness around her.
Suddenly, the image of Emperor Jingxuan’s gaze from earlier that day flashed through her mind.
No one knew—though it had only been a simple inquiry, Yun Wan’s back had been drenched in cold sweat at the time.
Fortunately, no one had noticed anything amiss.
Shaking off the unwelcome thought, she began tidying up the books and calligraphy sheets Sui had left scattered about, carefully stacking them one by one.
......
The Imperial Palace, the Emperor’s chambers.
Jiang Fusheng hurried into the hall, his plump figure slightly cumbersome, beads of sweat forming beneath his hat.
"Your Majesty, this servant has completed the investigation."
Emperor Jingxuan did not look up, his attention fixed on the book in his hands.
Jiang Fusheng caught his breath and continued, "Third Lady Lu is from the Yun family—the legitimate daughter of Vice Minister Yun. Her birth mother, Lady Cen, had ancestors skilled in incense-making and authored the Cen Family Incense Recipes. This book was later brought to the Yun family by Lady Yun."
"Rumors say the Yun family’s legitimate daughter is indeed proficient in blending and crafting incense. She also owns a shop on Vermilion Bird Street called 'Yunxiang Shop,' likely named after herself."
"This servant left the palace after duty and visited Yunxiang Shop. The shop does sell various incenses, and according to the manager, most were created by their mistress—Third Lady Lu."
He summarized his findings before delivering the crucial point: "However, after sampling all the incenses available at Yunxiang Shop, this servant could not find a match for the scent on the handkerchief."
Just when it seemed there might be a lead, the trail had gone cold again. Jiang Fusheng couldn’t hide his disappointment.
Then Emperor Jingxuan asked, "Anything similar?"
He had closed the book and glanced at Jiang Fusheng before tossing him a handkerchief.
Jiang Fusheng wiped his forehead gratefully. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Shaking his head, he replied, "Nothing similar either."
Emperor Jingxuan remained silent, his gaze fixed on the lone sachet lying on the desk.
The candlelight cast shadows across his sharp, imposing features, his expression inscrutable.
His fingers, which had been idly tapping the desk, curled slightly as he picked up the sachet and brought it to his nose.
The faint, familiar fragrance he had detected that afternoon now seemed like an illusion. His lips pressed into a thin line.
Jiang Fusheng ventured cautiously, "Your Majesty, should we investigate Third Lady Lu further?"
"No need."
Rather than indulging in baseless suspicions, Emperor Jingxuan trusted his instincts—it had likely been a fleeting misperception.
That afternoon, the endless bickering of his ministers had given him a headache, nearly triggering his old ailment.
To think he had entertained doubts over a mere whiff of incense—his eyes flickered with self-mockery.
Since the sachet had proven useless to him, there was no reason to waste effort investigating an irrelevant woman.
With a flick of his fingers, the sachet rolled across the desk and dropped into an open book holder.
