Last night, the scent on Ning Yan felt strangely familiar to Bai Qingqing. Now that she thought about it, it was astonishingly similar to the fragrance she had once concocted herself!

A chill ran down Bai Qingqing’s spine. “Find out who was handling the incense back then. Don’t ask outright—just discreetly inquire.”

“Yes.”

After Zidai left, Bai Qingqing fidgeted restlessly in the room. Sitting or standing, neither felt right. “It must be a coincidence. Yes, maybe it just smells similar.”

She muttered to herself, trying to find comfort in the thought. Sitting down on the soft couch, she reassured herself that this hadn’t happened in her previous life—surely, she was just overthinking it.

But… should she tell Ning Yan?

…

Bai Qingqing decided to leave the matter until after the prayer ceremony.

These days, she paid her respects to Princess Huai Fu every morning, much to the astonishment of the women in Xuancheng. They openly remarked that Bai Qingqing was truly fortunate—to win the favor of the esteemed princess upon their very first meeting was unheard of.

With the princess’s favor, Bai Qingqing’s status was bound to rise.

“This one smells lovely too. It’s not overpowering, but there’s a sweet undertone that makes one’s heart itch, utterly tantalizing—better than any fragrance in the palace.”

Huai Fu no longer doubted Bai Qingqing’s skill in perfumery. Every scent she had presented seemed to strike a chord with her, whether sweet or elegant, cool or alluring—each unique and unmistakable, standing out from all the rest.

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“Are you really giving all of these to me?”

Bai Qingqing smiled. “It’s my honor that Your Highness likes them. The palace fragrances are crafted by renowned masters, while mine are merely playful little experiments—just something novel.”

“There’s no need to be modest. It’s precisely because I’ve encountered so many fine things that I can recognize true quality.”

Huai Fu had a good impression of Bai Qingqing. With no other attendants present, she twined the tassel of a scented sachet around her fingertip, speaking as if to herself, “I never imagined fragrance could serve so many purposes—it can make one cry, laugh, delight, or despair. Truly fascinating.”

“The palace enforces strict regulations on medicinal ingredients, but not on incense. Your fragrances could be of use to me.”

Bai Qingqing was stunned. She hadn’t expected Princess Huai Fu to speak so plainly. Caught off guard, she also felt a quiet pang of sympathy. A princess, born to privilege and showered with imperial favor, did not seem to lead a life free of hardship.

“If Your Highness has need of me, you need only give the word.”

Huai Fu smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons. “Aren’t you afraid of being implicated? Do you even know what I intend to do?”

“I am ignorant in many things, but I do know this—if something compels Your Highness to take such a risk and speak so openly here and now, then it must be a matter of great difficulty. I may not have much experience, but I understand one thing: women should stand by women, regardless of rank or status.”

A flicker passed through Huai Fu’s gaze. Only after Bai Qingqing had left did she lean back against the soft cushions, running her fingers over the rows of incense boxes, one by one.

“The world calls me twice blessed, and perhaps they’re right. My luck is truly remarkable.”

After returning home, Bai Qingqing sought out her mother to ask about Princess Huai Fu. “Everyone envies the princess for her noble birth and the favor she enjoys, but I can’t shake the feeling that her life is not as carefree as it seems.”

Madam Qiao pulled her close and whispered, “The emperor has many sisters, yet in the entire palace, only Princess Huai Fu remains unmarried. She wasn’t even the youngest daughter of the late emperor—her younger sisters have already been betrothed.”

“Isn’t it said that the emperor dotes on her deeply? Perhaps he simply wishes to keep her by his side a little longer, reluctant to send her away in marriage?”