However, the manager of Pinxianglou soon stepped forward and answered everyone's questions: "Your Highness has misunderstood. The real treasure of the store is called Penglai Wonderland, which has not yet been served."
“This Penglai Wonderland is even better than the Muzong you have appreciated before.”
Upon hearing the shopkeeper's words, a small commotion broke out in the room.
The "Wooden Trace" they had previously tasted was already the best in the world, but this shopkeeper said that the Penglai Wonderland was even better than that Wooden Trace.
Prince Ning laughed, his laughter somewhat frivolous, yet revealing a cute little canine tooth; his eyes sparkled.
"No wonder. I've grown accustomed to the scent of that day's wood fragrance. I feel that there is no fragrance in the world that can rival it. One of the reasons I came here today is to compose a poem and obtain those two ounces of incense."
"But since the shopkeeper says so, then I am truly looking forward to the Penglai Wonderland."
Looking at his reaction, Song Xizhi thought he was a wonderful person. He was probably just over twenty years old, and he was both charming and unrestrained, without any airs of an imperial uncle.
Upon hearing that everyone who wrote a poem would receive two ounces of "Mu Zong" incense, everyone at the scene perked up.
He Yunze was somewhat dismissive. Everyone could get two taels of something, so what good could it be?
It must be a poorly made, low-quality incense.
The rarer something is, the more precious it becomes. Take, for example, the plants and trees of the mortal realm. The materials used are incredibly precious. If Prince Xiu could obtain even one or two ounces of them, it would already be because Ruo'an had developed the entire process.
Seeing He Yunze's somewhat indifferent expression, Song Xizhi smiled and said, "I've heard that His Highness Prince Xiu has also obtained a unique and unparalleled incense?"
"Perhaps it's the incense in Prince Xiu's possession that can surpass the shop's prized possession. Prince Ning can have high hopes for it."
He Yunze was surprised to hear Song Xizhi's flattering words and assumed that his warning at the shop entrance had worked.
He felt a little smug as he listened to the admiration and praise in Song Xizhi's words.
It was rare that she still mentioned the incense developed by Ruo'an in front of everyone, which made Ruo'an look good and also saved face for the Marquis's mansion.
The Prince nodded, recalling the incense, his expression still somewhat intoxicated: "That's right, this incense is unparalleled in the world, made with extremely rare ingredients. I went to great lengths and only managed to obtain one ounce."
Prince Ning raised an eyebrow, also hearing about such rare incense for the first time: "What is it like to have only one or two ounces of this incense left in the world? With such a small quantity, isn't it even more precious than the prized possession of the Fragrance Pavilion?"
This dashing young prince was very skilled at studying incense. He traveled all over the country to study spices. Now that he could satisfy his curiosity about plants and plants, Prince Xiu was very happy.
He recalled He Yunze's introduction and recounted the preciousness of this incense in detail:
"This incense was crafted by a master craftsman. The artisan has devoted more than ten years to the study of incense making, and this is her most exquisite work. Only one or two pieces remain in the world because the raw materials are extremely rare. Now they are all in my possession. Since it is so precious, it can probably rival even the prized possession of the Fragrance Pavilion."
They actually have the confidence to compete with the store's prized possession!
Everyone became curious, and even the readily available two ounces of wood became unappealing!
And King Xiu continued speaking:
"This incense is one of the few remaining in the world. If it wins first place today, I will definitely present it to my father!"
It must have taken a lot of effort for Prince Xiu to obtain such precious incense, and the fact that he wanted to give it all to his father, the emperor, shows his filial piety.
Everyone's expectations for this incense were at their peak, and when they looked at the previously unknown King Xiu, they felt more admiration and respect.
Liang Cunning, the organizer of the poetry gathering, then spoke up at this moment:
"Since the incense in Prince Xiu's possession is extremely rare, and the Fragrant Pavilion is also launching its prized possession, let's set the theme of this poetry gathering as incense, and write poems based on incense. What do you all think?"
"You can write poems about anything related to incense, and after you finish writing the poem, you can get two ounces of wood ash. This is a win-win situation."
No one present objected to his words, so everyone took their seats on the soft couch in turn.
With a faint smile, Song Xizhi sat on the soft couch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw He Yunce sitting not too far from Prince Xiu, also looking very spirited.
He looked refreshed and radiant.
He felt that it would be a good opportunity to have Ruo'an's incense compared to the signature product of the Fragrant Pavilion in front of everyone.
Whether they win or lose, it will become a legendary tale, and Ruoan and his reputation can be reversed at this moment.
Of course, he believed that Ruan had a greater chance of winning.
Once everyone was seated, the incense that had been burning in the incense burner inside the building was taken out, and the remaining fragrance in the building dissipated instantly through the ventilation vents.
All eyes were on Prince Xiu, and even Prince Ning leaned back on the soft couch, looking very excited.
Prince Xiu turned his head and glanced at He Yunze. He Yunze nodded confidently at him, and Prince Xiu waved his hand nonchalantly.
At his command, a servant brought in an exquisite wooden box. The box, inlaid with gold and carved with delicate patterns, was about the length of an adult's forearm.
Everyone held their breath and watched as the King Xiu used a key to unlock the wooden box and took out a medium-sized wooden box.
When the King of Xiu opened the wooden box, everyone thought he was going to take out incense, but to their surprise, he took out a small wooden box that was only the size of a palm.
Everyone was on the verge of bursting out of their bladders.
King Xiu smiled apologetically at everyone: "Incense is so precious and rare that we have no choice but to preserve it this way."
"However, once you open this wooden box, you can smell its faint fragrance."
Seeing how much King Xiu cherished the box, everyone held their breath and focused their attention on the wooden box in his hands.
With a crisp "snap," the Prince Xiu opened the wooden box, inside which lay the rarest incense, one ounce of which was found in the world.
A faint fragrance gradually wafted into everyone's noses, instantly refreshing them as if they were in a forest or wilderness.
The eyes of all the literati present lit up suddenly, and some even stood up, sniffing the air.
Among them were scholars who couldn't resist the urge to write poetry, with thousands of words already surfacing in their minds.
Only Prince Ning, upon smelling the precious incense at the tip of his nose, frowned almost imperceptibly.
The other students of the Huaijia School exchanged glances, their eyes filled with confusion.
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