Chapter 300: Chapter 123: The Prefectural Examination (Part 1)

Zhao Jing’s lips were pressed into a thin line, the muscles in his jaw twitching slightly. His deep eyes were fixed intently on Mr. Xie.

With the slightest of expressions, he betrayed his immense caution and apprehension about what Mr. Xie was going to say next.

De’an, on the other hand, was far more expressive. He had shot up from his chair, his hands balled into fists, and was leaning so far over the table he was practically lying on it.

He impatiently urged Mr. Xie, "And then? What happened? Moonlight Fragrance is being sold in the Prefecture now, which means even if there was trouble, my sister must have resolved it smoothly. Right, Mr. Xie?"

Mr. Xie nodded slightly, smiling at Zhao Jing and De’an. "Right."

The moment he said that, not only did the tense muscles in Zhao Jing’s jaw relax, but De’an also plopped back down into his chair.

But both were clearly still worried, their eyes remaining fixed on Mr. Xie. Their gazes seemed to urge him on: ’Just get on with it! Keeping us in suspense like this is just cruel.’

Mr. Xie let out a couple of hearty laughs and stopped deliberately teasing them. He then began to recount what Chen Wanqing had experienced, from beginning to end.

「It happened more than half a month ago.」

At that time, after smelling all the various spices, Chen Wanqing felt something was off. But rack her brain as she might, she couldn’t pinpoint what the problem was.

With Mr. Wang pressing her urgently for the shipment, Chen Wanqing had a moment of weakness. She considered just going ahead with it, consequences be damned, and making the Moonlight Fragrance to ensure the delivery was on time.

But her sense of caution prevailed, and late that night, she made a test batch of incense pills. Just as she suspected, when the pills burned halfway through, they released a pungent, acrid smell.

If burned in an open area, it might only give someone a mild headache. But if used in a small, enclosed space, the user would likely become dizzy, vomit, and possibly even pass out from the head pain.

Chen Wanqing had initially intended to investigate the matter secretly. However, the situation was urgent, and she worried someone might try to sabotage the incense-making process again. After some thought, she decided to report it to the government office.

This was the second time Chen Song had received a report from his family, and it concerned his daughter’s business. How could he not take it seriously?

He immediately returned home with several constables.

After a thorough inspection, they still found nothing. Finally, they called an old physician to the house. It was he who discovered that the burlap sacks used to hold the medicinal herbs had been deliberately soaked in Aconite Liquid.

Aconite Liquid is highly toxic, and the sacks soaked in it carried a faint, bittersweet smell.

The mastermind behind this was very meticulous. Fearing they would be exposed before their plan came to fruition, they had deliberately used that specific sack to hold Stone Calamus, one of the spices Chen Wanqing needed to make Moonlight Fragrance.

Stone Calamus has a bittersweet taste and a cooling nature, and its fragrance helps dispel impurities. It was an essential ingredient for Chen Wanqing’s Moonlight Fragrance.

With the scent of the Stone Calamus as a cover, the smell of the aconite was almost completely masked.

But there was still a difference between the two.

Having made Moonlight Fragrance for many years, Chen Wanqing could sense even the slightest discrepancy.

That was why she had felt so uneasy.

As for the sack soaked in Aconite Liquid, it had been filled with Stone Calamus. With all the friction during transport, how could the Stone Calamus possibly not be contaminated by the liquid?

Aconite is a potent poison; even a tiny amount is enough to cause discomfort.

The people behind this weren’t aiming to kill anyone. All they needed was that small amount of discomfort.

As long as the students who bought Moonlight Fragrance experienced symptoms like dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, the culprits could bring people to storm the shop and smash Qingxiang House to pieces.

Then, taking advantage of the crisis, it wouldn’t be a problem to extort the formula for Moonlight Fragrance.

"And then? Did they find the person behind it?" De’an asked impatiently.

Although Zhao Jing didn’t ask, his brow was tightly furrowed as he stared intently at Mr. Xie.

Mr. Xie nodded with a smile. "Of course they did." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The culprit was connected to one of the spice shops; he was the legitimate younger brother of that shop’s owner.

This younger brother had heard about this "God of Wealth" from his older brother and had become fixated on the idea.

He even bribed the employees at the other two spice shops to get a detailed list of the spices Chen Wanqing purchased each month.

By combining the lists he had, he had figured out most of the spices Chen Wanqing needed to make Moonlight Fragrance.

However, with something like an incense formula, the slightest deviation can lead to a world of difference.

Never mind a layman; even someone who has studied incense-making since childhood would need an immense amount of time and extraordinary talent to replicate another person’s fragrance without the formula.