Upon hearing this, He Yunze understood what the Prince of Xiu would choose. He suppressed his wildly beating heart and spoke to the Prince of Xiu in a humble yet assertive manner.
"Incense is like a person, and a person is like incense. If you don't savor it carefully, you won't know the various flavors and effects it contains."
"Your Highness just now said that I surprised you because I have a long history of misdeeds in the capital. The tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. The unfounded rumors in the capital are entirely aimed at my talent and are intended to suppress me. I have taken advantage of this opportunity to conceal my brilliance."
He Yunce spoke with absolute certainty, his calm and composed demeanor as if his reputation for chaos in the capital was something he had deliberately orchestrated.
As he spoke, he looked up again, his eyes revealing both profound understanding and mutual appreciation as he gazed at King Xiu:
"And Your Highness, it just so happens that you and Consort Zhen are also such people. You clearly have talents far surpassing others, yet you conceal your brilliance and even prevent others from discovering your abilities."
“You are the same kind of person as me. A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on. Your future is limitless. I have some incense that will make you neither feared by others nor fail to make you stand out. We are a perfect match, so I will choose you without hesitation.”
He Yunze's words were very blunt and straightforward. He understood the Prince Xiu's thoughts, which might make the Prince Xiu wary, but he was not afraid. He simply waited calmly for the Prince Xiu's reply.
As expected, Prince Xiu listened to everything he said without expression. After a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed and said, "Lord He, you and I are indeed kindred spirits."
“There are many rumors about you in the capital. Before you entered officialdom, they said you were cowardly, weak, and incompetent, not even as good as your elder brother. But after you entered the court as an official, they said you were of low character, deceitful, and fraudulent.”
"But after seeing you today, I can tell you are not that kind of person. You are polite and have a wealth of knowledge, just like that incense, unique and capable of bringing me surprises and assistance."
He Yunze simply cupped his hands in a humble gesture: "As long as Your Highness is pleasantly surprised and finds it useful, then all the suffering I have endured will be worthwhile."
He presented the exquisite wooden box to the Prince with both hands, saying, "Below the wooden box is an ounce of herbs and plants from the human world. The raw materials for this incense are not easy to obtain, and this ounce is all that remains in the world. Now I hand it all over to you."
Upon hearing this, Prince Xiu, inhaling the lingering scent of incense, narrowed his eyes in enjoyment and said, "Then I will not refuse."
"But...you've suffered a lot these days?"
He Yunze merely twitched the corner of his mouth, his tone somewhat troubled: "That's nothing."
Prince Xiu shook his head, stood up again, and solemnly patted his shoulder: "I know that you just said that there were villains who harmed you. It must be because of that quack doctor who harmed Prime Minister Lin's only daughter and made your life in the Secretariat difficult."
"Don't worry, since you've given me such a unique incense, allowing me to capture the attention of all the literati at the poetry gathering, I will secretly help you in return."
Prince Xiu had previously believed the rumors in the capital, but now that he had met He Yunce in person, he saw that He Yunce's demeanor, insightful eyes, and the unique incense in his hand were not something that could be faked.
This also proves that all the rumors in the capital were nonsense.
He Yunze finally heard what he wanted to hear, and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief, his heavy heart instantly feeling a little lighter.
Although Prince Xiu is currently unremarkable, future developments will prove that His Majesty is not as devoid of feelings for him as outsiders believe.
Although the emperor was still alive when he died, Prince Xiu was gradually gaining the emperor's favor and was able to rival Prince Yu.
As He Yunze pondered this, he bowed slightly to Prince Xiu and said, "Then everything depends on Your Highness's arrangements. If Your Highness needs anything in the future, I will do my utmost."
As the two were talking, a servant outside announced, "Your Highness, someone has come to visit."
"It is Su Mingli, the Left Censor, who has come to visit you with Madam He from the Marquis of Anding's residence. He also said that he brought incense for you to enjoy together."
Upon hearing this, Prince Xiu lifted his eyelids and looked at He Yunze with great surprise: "What a coincidence, the Su family has brought Lord He's sister-in-law to visit me as well."
"I have heard of Lord Su's character. Now that the important matters have been discussed, why not invite him in so we can appreciate the incense together?"
"...Of course, it's to appreciate the unique piece you brought to me. Before the poetry gathering, I was reluctant to show it to anyone."
Prince Xiu spoke with great interest, but to his surprise, He Yunze's face darkened instantly upon hearing this: "Lord Su's character? My sister-in-law? Your Highness has misjudged her this time!"
"Your Majesty's terrible reputation in the capital is due to that wicked woman stirring up trouble, and the Su family is an accomplice. I have no feelings for them whatsoever."
Upon hearing this, Prince Xiu was extremely surprised: "Was it your sister-in-law He Su's family that caused you to be like this? This is different from the Su family in my memory."
He Yunze simply shook his head with shame: "You can know a person's face but not their heart. This woman is good at acting and deceiving. You must be very careful."
"And her sudden visit today to deliver incense to you must be because she heard from her grandmother that my wife is skilled in making incense, so she became jealous and wanted to compete with me to steal your favor."
He Yunze said, his voice filled with disgust for Song Xizhi: "It's a pity that she doesn't know that the incense I gave you is a unique product, developed by my wife. It's not something you can buy with money outside."
"I'm afraid her hopes will be dashed."
Upon hearing this, Prince Xiu clearly sensed He Yunze's disgust for Song Xizhi, and was quite amazed.
He wouldn't have believed it if it were just someone else's word, but now that he saw He Yunce's demeanor and abilities, and witnessed his genuine disgust, Prince Xiu had no choice but to believe it.
Even if he was somewhat interested in Su Mingli, he had just accepted the rare incense sent by He Yunce, and seeing his disgusted reaction, his impression of Song Xizhi was greatly diminished, making it really difficult to see him.
"In that case, I will let him go back first."
As he spoke, Prince Xiu summoned a servant boy, intending to refuse Su Mingli's request for an audience.
Upon hearing this, He Yunze snorted coldly in his heart and said directly, "It just so happens that I am also taking my leave. Let me convey this message. It would be best to restrain my sister-in-law and prevent her from making a fool of herself again."
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