When Hu Shi had first married into the family, she had remarked that the shop’s workers were rough and careless in their craft. She had patiently taught them one by one, and the person she had been most satisfied with was Master Li.

To think that this prodigal woman had driven away so skilled a craftsman — and then had the audacity to ask her husband to invite him back and clean up the mess she had made.

Ding Shi wept and wailed, making no mention of how shabbily she had treated Master Li. She only claimed that Su Luoyun had a honeyed tongue and had won over the workers.

One had never seen a family raise a daughter like this — undermining her own household, like a fat rat stealing grain from its own storehouse.

Su Hongmeng found some merit in this reasoning and immediately ordered someone to summon his daughter for questioning.

But the servant sent to deliver the message returned empty-handed, reporting that the young mistress was feeling unwell and could not go out for a few days.

Su Hongmeng could not possibly wait. Seeing that his daughter was putting on airs and refusing to come to him, he fumed and went to her himself.

When he entered the courtyard on Sweet Water Lane and was just about to call out, Su Hongmeng spotted Su Luoyun sitting against the wall of the study, rolling a pair of walnuts in her hand while leaning in to listen to the tutor inside giving her brother his lesson.

Though Su Hongmeng was angry, he knew better than to make a scene in front of a scholar, so he suppressed his irritation and stood to one side, listening for a while.

What he heard came as a surprise.

The boy who had once stumbled through reciting the Memorial on Sending Out the Army now answered questions with ease and fluency, composing verses and responses with sound reasoning and structure. By what Su Hongmeng could tell, the boy’s level had already surpassed even Su Jinguan by quite some margin.

When the tutor finally gave Su Guiyan leave to rest, Su Hongmeng let out a deliberate, heavy cough.

Su Luoyun pretended she had only just noticed him, quickly rose to greet her father, and at the same time introduced him to the tutor she had engaged.

Su Guiyan was, after all, the eldest legitimate son of the Su family, yet this tutor had been giving him lessons for some time and was only now meeting the boy’s father for the first time — the old man naturally had something to say about that.

The old tutor, never one to mince words, spoke with quiet deliberateness: “Since ancient times, merchants have ever chased profit. I trust that as Master Su’s wealth continues to grow, he will also spare some attention for his eldest young master — lest the day comes when the young master’s name is posted first on the examination rolls, and people know only the name of the top scholar’s elder sister, but not who his father is.”

Su Hongmeng felt the jab keenly. He could hardly admit that the very purpose of his visit today was to chase after profit — to extract money and silver from his daughter.

He had no choice but to adopt the dignified bearing of a family patriarch, exchanged pleasantries with the old tutor over tea, and respectfully saw him off to rest.

Once the tutor had gone, Su Hongmeng asked Su Luoyun how Su Guiyan had made such rapid progress.

Su Luoyun had been waiting for exactly this question. She smiled and said: “But Yan’er is not some child Father picked up off the street — he has always been this bright! It is only that after the First Madam entered the household, she was afraid of being accused of neglecting the legitimate son in her role as stepmother, so she spoke a few words to the family tutor over tea — something to the effect that legitimate sons require strict instruction. Over time, the tutor may have misread her intent, believing that the First Madam disliked Guiyan; and so at the slightest misstep, he would scold the child harshly, leaving the boy despondent and convinced he was beyond hope. Now that he has come out from under all that, without Su Jinguan and Su Jincheng alongside him to outshine him at every turn, he learns more freely — and naturally, his progress has been all the greater.”

This art of speaking malice in the guise of praise — she had learned it as a masterclass from her stepmother. In just a few sentences, she had laid Guiyan’s former concealment of his abilities entirely at Ding Shi’s feet, as though it were the result of deliberate suppression.

In the past, Su Hongmeng would never have been willing to hear his daughter speak ill of Ding Shi.

But now he already harbored no small measure of resentment toward Ding Shi, and had just witnessed with his own eyes his son’s astonishing progress. Listening to Su Luoyun’s words, he took in about seven parts of it as truth.

What a foolish woman — always making mischief like this!

Did she not understand that whichever child of the Su family succeeded, it was the Su family’s reputation that would be elevated?

Su Luoyun understood that in her father’s eyes, a son who could pass the examinations was like a shop with rising value — something to be carefully tended.

Only then did she ask, unhurriedly, why her father had come by so suddenly.

Su Hongmeng remembered his errand at last and asked with a darkened expression about the matter of Master Li.

Su Luoyun widened her eyes in deliberate surprise: “Oh? I thought Father already knew about this. Ah — Master Li is a quiet sort, not much of a talker, and it seems he had fallen out of favor with the First Madam. Growing uncomfortable in his work, he came over to my side. At first I thought nothing of it, but when the First Madam heard he intended to leave, she scolded and drove him out — docking six months’ wages and chasing him off like a beggar. He is now working well for me. You cannot very well demand him back, Father, can you?”

Su Hongmeng had been quite worked up by his eldest daughter, but hearing her justify poaching his workers so confidently, he could only knock his water pipe heavily against the stone table: “Don’t give me any of that — just call Master Li here and we’ll see whether he’ll give me this face or not!”

Su Luoyun smiled faintly and sent Xiangcao to the shop to bring Master Li back.

Su Hongmeng had assumed his position carried enough weight — that a few well-chosen words would be enough to bring the seasoned craftsman back.

But Master Li was, at that moment, working happily and contentedly at Slim Fragrance Studio.

The young Madam Su was very much in the mold of her late mother, Hu Shi — fair and measured with the workers, courteous and considerate in speech.

Working for an employer like this, one was willing to endure hardship. And what was more, the shop’s orders were fully booked, business growing more lively by the day. He held a two-percent equity stake and had twenty mu of modest farmland as a foundation — when he spoke now, he held his head straight and steady, nothing of the former timid nodding about him.

When he came to meet Su Hongmeng, Master Li — an honest man — recalled Ding Pei’s cutting and demeaning words, and his lips trembled with anger as he recounted them to Su Hongmeng word for word, then asked: “Old master, you have always treated me well. But I sell my craft — I am not selling myself into servitude! Had that Madam Ding shown even a little generosity and kindness, I would never have had cause to leave. The scolding is done, I have gone, and the wages I left behind — consider that my way of settling things in full, with nothing owed on either side. As for returning — please speak of it no more. As long as Madam Ding remains there, I would sooner go work the fields than set foot through the door of Preserved Flavor Studio again!”

There was nothing left to say after that.

Master Li, having spoken his piece, made his excuse that the shop was too busy and turned and walked away.

Su Hongmeng, unaccustomed to being treated this way, was just about to vent his ire on Su Luoyun when she smoothly changed the subject, mentioning that Princess Yuyang wished to order more sandalwood incense sticks for blessing ceremonies, but Slim Fragrance Studio’s order books were already packed — perhaps Preserved Flavor Studio might have the capacity to take on some orders?

Su Hongmeng’s shop had been doing poorly of late, and seeing that his daughter was willing to throw him a share of the meat, he was naturally inclined to accept.

Cursing his daughter for poaching at this moment would seem rather ungracious and would damage relations — best to endure it for now, take on some orders from Slim Fragrance Studio first, and figure out the rest later.

That day Su Hongmeng held himself in check time and again, and when he finally emerged from Sweet Water Lane, an unnamed fury was still leaping at the top of his head.

Ding Shi had long anticipated that Su Hongmeng would come back having hit a wall — that the craftsman would most likely not be recoverable. She had calculated that if so, his frustration would then be aimed squarely at Su Luoyun.

When Su Hongmeng returned, Ding Pei was waiting at the entrance, feigning eager attentiveness: “How did it go — was Yun’er willing to release the man?”

Seeing Su Hongmeng say nothing, she continued to fan the flames gently: “With such a skilled hand generating daily revenue, she is naturally reluctant to let go — and never thinks of her father’s difficulties with the old shop… Ah, if it truly comes to it, we could offer Master Li more money… Aiyou—!”

Before Ding Pei could finish, Su Hongmeng’s foot had already come down — a hard kick square into the small of her back: “Money! Money! Do you think everyone is as greedy as you? The man made it perfectly clear: as long as you are there, he will never set foot in Preserved Flavor Studio again — not for anything!”

Su Hongmeng had only now come to see what kind of foolish woman he had taken into his household.

The children of his late wife had not been raised well: one had lost her sight, the other had nearly been ruined entirely.

As for the shop — she had managed it into complete disorder, forever favoring sly men like Master Xiao.

To say nothing of her origins, which could never bear scrutiny and could at any time bring shame upon the Su family name, leaving them unable to hold their heads up in public.

The more Su Hongmeng thought on it, the more aggrieved he became, and his longing for his early-departed virtuous wife Hu Shi grew all the keener.

When Hu Shi had been alive, the household inside and out had run in perfect order, the shop’s business had grown steadily, and his days had been thoroughly comfortable. When had things ever been this chaotic — a scene of dogs and chickens in constant uproar?

Ding Pei had entered the household decades ago, and had always enjoyed the master’s doting affection — not once had he spoken a harsh word to her.

Now, in front of the servants, she had received a solid kick and been subjected to a public scolding. She was both humiliated and furious, no longer able to maintain any pretense of virtue. Clutching her side and rearing up, she raised her brow and shouted back: “Oh, so Master Su has grown tired of his old wife — and wants me to follow that Hu family sister of mine and die early to make room for someone new? I tell you, I am not like Hu Shi, meek and mild until she shrank into a cowering little quail! If I fare poorly, I will make sure no one fares well — do you think I don’t know you gave the Director a hundred taels of silver, and sold… mmph, mmph—!”

Before Ding Pei could finish, Su Hongmeng had already rushed forward to clap a hand over her mouth, frantically dragging her inside the room.

This deadly, venomous woman! She had actually dared to shout such ruinous secrets out in the courtyard! As a warehouse keeper at the Trade Supervisorate, there were naturally many benefits one could not speak openly of. He had always known how to manage relationships — when he first took up his official post, he had greased the Director’s palms with silver and engaged in certain private dealings.

In those days he and Ding Pei had been in perfect harmony, and he had naturally not kept it from her. Little had he imagined that this woman, now that she had worked herself into a fury, was actually threatening to expose such secrets.

Su Hongmeng was genuinely frightened, yet lacked the nerve to silence her permanently, and so could only lower his voice and apologize, saying things like he had spoken in a moment of blind rage.

Just like that, the old couple reconciled, their old grievances no longer spoken of.

However, Su Hongmeng used the pretext that the Lu family was privy to Ding Pei’s background, and that with Su Jinguan and Su Jincheng’s preliminary examinations approaching, to avoid any unnecessary complications Ding Shi would need to keep a low profile. The shop’s affairs no longer required her involvement — he would manage them himself from now on.

Ding Pei had a hold over Su Hongmeng’s secrets, but she was also well aware that Su Hongmeng had grown to resent her. With the shop’s business now in disarray, she decided she might as well bide her time until Su Hongmeng’s anger cooled, then find a way to reclaim control of the shop.

Yet she had enjoyed smooth sailing for so many years, and to suddenly be struck and cursed by someone — there was a belly full of seething resentment in her heart. That entire blaze of fury she piled squarely onto Su Luoyun’s head.

Did she think no one had figured it out? She had made inquiries — on the very days the midwife from Shu had set her seal to those documents, Hu Xuesong had been in Shu. The chances were good that the Lu family’s withdrawal from the betrothal had been engineered by the Hu family and that little wretch!

If she did not avenge this grudge, she would take that little wretch’s surname as her own!

* * *

Now, for the new shop’s opening, Su Luoyun wanted to start things off with good fortune. So beyond the specialty incense items supplied exclusively to the princess’s household, the very first batch of incense to go up on the shelves was to be an auspicious blend, pleasant-sounding and easy to sell, which she named Ever-Fragrant Incense.

This incense used clove as its primary note, pressed into small cone shapes. When burning it, no incense burner was needed — one could simply light it wherever one pleased. Even outdoors, or when nature called on a country outing, one could light a handful nearby, making things considerably more convenient.

From a full hundred sacks of dried cloves, the oil that could be extracted and separated amounted to no more than three small jars — yet it was an ingredient that could not be dispensed with in the making of incense.

Master Li’s hands were skilled, and once Su Luoyun had set the incense’s foundational notes, he directed the young workers through the process in an orderly and methodical manner.

With a skilled and conscientious master craftsman on hand, Su Luoyun suddenly found herself with far more ease. Many things she had not yet given instruction on, Master Li had already thought of and seen to.

The result was that the quality of the first batch of finished incense far exceeded what Su Luoyun had expected — it was exceptional.

When the first batch of incense was placed on the shelves, the rich, full fragrance of cloves could be detected from quite a distance outside the shop.

Though it was the common Ever-Fragrant Incense found everywhere on the market, within this osmanthus fragrance there seemed to float a sweetness reminiscent of green apple — and even after one had walked some distance away, the nose would linger on the memory of it involuntarily.

In no time, this scent became the shop’s signature draw, enticing no small number of passersby to step inside and purchase a bag to perfume their bed curtains.

Su Luoyun had priced the incense modestly — quite unlike the previous pale pear fragrance balm, which had been priced at a premium. Something so distinctive yet so accessible naturally moved people to scramble for it.

Even Princess Yuyang, who ordinarily favored only refined and elevated tastes, had sent someone to purchase some — she had grown tired of the pale pear fragrance of late, feeling that the whole of the capital had taken to it, which struck her as rather common.

But the incense from Slim Fragrance Studio was different. The Ever-Fragrant Incense prepared specially for the princess’s household, for instance, had been specially formulated by Su Luoyun: though it, too, used clove as the dominant note with fruit fragrance as the accent, she had additionally worked in a distinctive hint of wild thyme.

Even the princess consort remarked that the incense she was using these days was not nearly as irritating to the nose.

Princess Yuyang felt that the blind young woman’s mind was truly perceptive — even the incense made for the princess’s household showed particular care and consideration. And so she praised Slim Fragrance Studio to everyone she met, calling it a fragrance shop that stood apart from the ordinary, refined in character and elevated in taste.

These noble personages — wealthy and comfortable to excess — naturally pursued the unconventional. Moreover, having heard the princess speak of Slim Fragrance Studio’s intricate craft and meticulous process of satisfying every distinguished taste, they too made their way to Slim Fragrance Studio to place bespoke incense orders.

This newly opened fragrance shop had no shortage of customers, and its daily cash flow had become thoroughly lively.

* * *

Even as Su Luoyun was busy clicking her abacus and counting her silver, she arranged for craftsmen to carry out repairs on the courtyard — and did not forget to express her gratitude to her distinguished neighbor.

So she personally pressed powder in a mold, blended flower oil into face powder, and pressed it into a scented powder cake in the shape of a clove blossom. She placed it in a brocade box and had Xiangcao deliver it to the Shizi’s residence next door.

They were neighbors, after all, and the Shizi had given her no small amount of assistance.

She had nothing fitting with which to repay him, and so could only cater to his known inclinations — personally blending a box of powder for the Shizi to use before his mirror when grooming and adorning himself.

At the very least this fragrance was cool, light, and clear, not too overwhelming to the nose.

She thought it rather unbecoming for a man to carry so much of the feminine air about him.

* * *

Over in Azure Fish Lane, Han Linfeng looked up and saw several large boxes of face powder sitting on his writing desk, and could not help raising an eyebrow.

Qingyang said: “These were sent over from the Su residence on Sweet Water Lane. It seems that with their shop newly opened, they sent gifts of their own products to all the neighboring households, so that neighbors near and far might try something new…”

Han Linfeng listened, then set the powder box back down on the table and said mildly: “Ah — so everyone got one…”

Qingyang did not quite understand what the young lord meant by this, but such trivial matters were really of no great consequence.

What mattered far more at present was the young lord’s marriage.

While Han Linfeng had been in Liang Prefecture, Lord Beizhen had arranged for him a betrothal to Wang Xi, the granddaughter of the Marquis of Anqing.

The wedding ought to have taken place long ago, but the Wang family had continually cited Wang Xi’s poor health as a reason to delay — one postponement after another — so that by the time Han Linfeng came to the capital, the marriage had still not taken place.