Gu Jinghui laughed and said, "You said it's a rare fragrance, so it's natural that Manager Leng can't make it. Besides, the fragrance you want might not even exist in the world; it's just your imagination."

King Qi said solemnly, “No, the incense I want already exists in the world, but the person who made it is no longer here. I smelled it with my mother when I was young. She used it to nourish her body. It is said that it was a gift from the late Empress Dowager.”

"Queen Mother?"

Gu Jinghui asked in surprise.

The mother mentioned by the King of Qi was the late Empress. When the late Empress is mentioned, everyone would say that she was unfortunate.

The late Empress Dowager is rarely mentioned.

King Qi said, "Yes, the fragrant pills bestowed by the late Empress Dowager were treasured by my mother. Every time she used them, she would sigh that each pill was one less to use."

Gu Jinghui said, "If this person has no descendants or successors, then it will indeed be difficult to find him."

King Qi said, "We have no choice but to search for it."

At this moment, his gaze toward Gu Jinghui was devoid of sorrow or joy, carrying a hint of indifference, helplessness, and unspeakable pity, making him appear even more otherworldly.

Gu Jinghui's heart skipped a beat, and he changed the subject, saying, "I must thank His Highness Prince Qi for helping my wife that day."

A smile appeared on King Qi's face, and he tilted his head slightly.

"Oh? I thought Third Brother was going to keep this to himself and never speak of it again."

"So that means you were the one who tampered with things that day?"

Gu Jinghui looked directly at the King of Qi.

King Qi sneered, "What, feeling sorry for her? Would I do anything inappropriate? Third Brother, are you trying to get justice for your little wife?"

Gu Jinghui clenched his fists, his face cold, and asked, "What if something happens? Shouldn't I seek justice? Besides, she did injure her cheek that day. If it weren't for the Jade Face Cream, I would have punched you."

God knows how nervous he was when he heard the news that day.

King Qi said calmly, "If anything happens, I will take my own life to accompany you; it will simply be a life for a life."

These words left Gu Jinghui speechless.

King Qi said quietly, "How could I let anything happen to my third sister-in-law? It was just a test. Besides, my third brother has always kept his distance from me, so I had no other choice but to resort to this."

Gu Jinghui turned his face away, not looking at the Prince of Qi, his voice cold and hard: "Since you know I'm keeping my distance from you, why do you do this?"

King Qi sighed, "There's no other way. Do you think I enjoy seeing my third brother's cold face?"

"Then aren't you making things even further away for me now?"

King Qi was not angry. He said slowly, "Even if I do nothing, the friendship between my third brother and me will never be restored."

He turned and walked towards the window, looking at the small pavilion in the courtyard.

In the distance, in a pavilion, sat Master Gu, dressed in white, painting a picture in front of a weeping willow.

King Qi said, “When I was young, I thought that the people and things I liked would always be there. But as I grew up, I realized that being forced to do things and losing things are the norm. This applies to my mother, brothers, and friends. Now, all that can bind us is self-interest.”

Gu Jinghui also sighed.

King Qi turned to look at him, his gaze resolute: "Third brother, if you want to keep to yourself, I'll let you. I'll let you slowly realize that you can't keep to yourself. If it were anyone else, would they cherish the bond of growing up together as much as I do?

Gu Jinghui's eyelids twitched: "Why are you doing this? Wouldn't it be better to leave the capital and live a good life in your fiefdom?"

King Qi chuckled and said, "Whether I fight for it or not, the outcome won't be good. Now that I have the chance to fight, not fighting means certain death. Does Third Brother think that by not getting involved in the succession struggle, he can live a carefree life? Otherwise, why would Old Madam Gu be in such a hurry to change her allegiance? Even the ancestors of the Gu family knew that wealth and honor are hard to come by."

"Everyone says that if you learn both literary and martial arts, you can sell yourself to the emperor, but there are many who will have their entire family wiped out. If you become a farmer or merchant, you will freeze or starve to death, but that will only affect your family. But how can people not seek wealth and status? As for your descendants, that is entirely up to fate."

Towards the end, he seemed to have seen through the illusions and become disillusioned with the world.

Lord Gu hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "You know me. I endured ten years of hardship in the northern frontier to preserve the legacy left by our ancestors, all for the sake of my family's well-being. The Gu family cannot afford any more setbacks. Moreover, my Dingbei Marquis family has been stationed in the northern frontier for generations, rarely involved in matters of the capital. Today, I, Gu Jinghui, declare here that the Dingbei Marquis family has been loyal to the Emperor for generations, showing no favoritism towards anyone else."

This means becoming a loyal and devoted minister.

King Qi laughed and said, "Third Brother Gu, I value our friendship, the prestige of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion, your abilities, and especially your power. I also want to say this: whenever you come to me, I will welcome you with open arms."

Just as Lord Gu was about to speak, Prince Qi raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "Third Brother, right now, I only hope that you won't ruin my plans. If there's any small favor that doesn't violate the law or human sentiment, I hope you can help me out of our past friendship. Among the princes, just don't show favoritism towards others. No one can predict what will happen in the future, so it's not too late to speak after you've thought it through. Just don't shut me out."

Lord Gu said, "Alright."

King Qi smiled gently and said, "Now I shall take my leave."

Lord Gu hurriedly escorted the man to the outside of the mansion, standing respectfully at the gate until he boarded his carriage and left.

Inside the car.

The chief clerk of the Prince of Qi's residence asked, "How did Your Highness's discussion with Lord Gu go?"

The King of Qi smiled, his jade-like fingers gently touching the sachet at his waist, and sighed, "He's a blockhead, what can he possibly discuss?"

The chief secretary said, "Now that His Majesty intends to promote Lord Gu, the capital inspection is a perfect opportunity to seize power. Everyone wants to take advantage of this opportunity to cut off a piece of someone else's flesh in order to expand their own power. If His Highness can get his help, His Highness's great cause can be accomplished."

Prince Qi gave a faint snort from his nose, and after a long while said, "I didn't know that Lady Gu was a master of incense and was deeply favored by Marquis Gu. You saw it when you entered the manor today. Now the entire manor is under the control of Lady Gu. Marquis Gu is now enjoying the company of beautiful women and has made unparalleled contributions. He is in charge of the military camp outside the capital. My father is still in good health, so he naturally won't get involved in this mess."

The Chief Secretary was completely baffled by what he had just heard.

I understood what he said next.

He then said, “Since ancient times, even heroes have found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman. The Lady of Dingbei is young, beautiful, and capable. No wonder Lord Gu is so infatuated with her. Besides, military generals are different from civil officials. They fight and kill only to secure titles and honors for their wives and children. When there is no war in the court, they can rest, but civil officials are constantly scheming and fighting.”

The King of Qi did not respond, but said to him, "Have the carriage go to Ranxiangju in the West Market to take a look."

"Ranxiangju in the West Market?"

The chief clerk couldn't understand the King of Qi's thoughts, but he would never say a word. He immediately leaned forward and instructed the coachman in front to turn around and go to Ranxiangju in the West Market.

The two remained silent the entire way. The long, dark-colored carriage with a green canopy soon stopped at the entrance of the alley. Looking out the window, one could see people coming and going in front of Ranxiangju, indicating that the business was thriving.

The chief clerk thought that the King of Qi wanted to go to Ranxiang Residence to take a look, but the King of Qi did not go down. He only instructed him: "Have someone buy some of the incense balls that the Lady of the Marquis has prepared."

The chief clerk thought to himself, "Why bother coming all the way to Ranxiang Residence when I could have just found someone else to do this?"