“What could possibly have happened...?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Could it be that Bai family girl said something to him?”

“Perhaps. Young Master holds himself to high standards—if he’s faced rejection time and again from Miss Bai, it must’ve hurt his pride. You shouldn’t press him too hard.”

“Press him? Everything I’ve done is for his own good! Or shall we wait until Fu Xiao becomes the heir and lords it over him—will that make him happy?”

The princess consort’s chest heaved with fury. “And what about Qingyun? She grew up with him. Could he really not see her feelings? How could he say something as heartless as letting her marry another?”

“Your Grace, please calm down. The young master has always been upright—he doesn’t even keep a single serving maid. He knows little about the ways between men and women. Once he’s married and tasted sweetness, he’ll come to understand in time.”

“I hope you’re right!”

...

Once Bai Qingqing and her mother had reached an agreement, she put the matter of Prince Ping’s residence behind her. After carefully considering things in her room, she sent someone to deliver a message to Ning Yan—she’d found a lead on the incense.

She had originally planned to meet him in person and explain everything in one go. But when Xueyue returned, she said, “Lord Ning said he’s been occupied lately and asks to meet you three days from now at Yanlai Tower.”

“Yanlai Tower?” Bai Qingqing sat up straight, instinctively uneasy. Their last encounter there had ended poorly. Was this man doing it on purpose?

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“Did he say anything else?”

Xueyue shook her head and lowered her eyes. “Lord Ning... is rather intimidating. I didn’t dare ask much.”

“...Thank you.”

Fine, Yanlai Tower it is. After all, he was the one who needed her help. What was there to be afraid of?

At that moment, Ning Yan was listening to Mu Shu’s report. “The woman confessed quickly. She bought the incense from someone else—just a small stash. I tracked down the seller too, but oddly enough, just a few days ago, the guy was walking down the street and got crushed by a falling signboard. Dead on the spot. It even turned into a legal case.”

Ning Yan glanced over. “So?”

Mu Shu’s gaze flickered. “So... we couldn’t trace the origin of the incense. But there is some progress. Yan Rou was worried the incense wouldn’t be potent enough, so she hired a perfumer from the Western Regions to enhance it. That perfumer secretly made a few batches on the side to sell for profit. We confiscated some—Wen Jiang’s examined them. They’re not as strong as the one Yan Rou used on you, but still potent enough to daze and confuse.”

“...And you’re calling that progress?”

Mu Shu drooped his head. “I’ll accept my punishment.”

How was he supposed to know the key figure would die? The guy had no family, drifted around alleys and markets, living day by day. Once dead, all leads vanished. No one knew where he got the incense—it became a dead-end case.

“Go take your punishment. Keep tracking that Western perfumer. We cannot let this spread any further.”

“Yes, sir.”

After his men left, Ning Yan’s hand drifted to his waist. Where a jade pendant used to hang, there was now a simple sachet—plain silver fabric, no embroidery, utterly inconspicuous.

It gave off a faint, cold fragrance, subtle and not at all cloying. Surprisingly, he didn’t mind it.

This was Bai Qingqing’s thank-you gift at Yanlai Tower. Ning Yan had taken it back somewhat absentmindedly, only to find it suited him. He began to use it, and whenever his mind grew restless, a whiff of the scent would bring clarity. Over time, he developed the habit of touching the sachet whenever his thoughts wandered.

That day, Bai Qingqing had left Yanlai Tower fuming. The table full of tea snacks she'd ordered was barely touched—she must’ve been furious.

If Mu Shu couldn’t uncover the incense’s origin, Ning Yan doubted Bai Qingqing could do better. Asking her to meet at Yanlai Tower was just an excuse—to make it up to her with a full table of pastries.