Feeling Song Xizhi's smile, Song Ruoan felt very resentful. She gritted her teeth and returned to the desk.
Holding her breath, she carefully moved the incense burner, which was tightly wrapped in a handkerchief, from the table to outside the incense pavilion.
Move it far away.
Looking at her unwilling expression, Song Xizhi couldn't help but want to laugh.
Once Song Ruoan had everything ready, the waiter from Ruoanlou prepared the incense burner and other tools again. After carefully checking that everything was in order, they started making incense again.
This time, Song Ruoan was much more cautious than before. Whether it was frying, steaming, mixing, grinding and chopping, or even the final mixing, he thought carefully before taking any action.
Watching Song Ruoan's skillful movements, He Yunze admired her beautiful face. Her eyes were still red, and she was biting her lip with a hint of stubbornness and melancholy.
He Yunze inevitably became engrossed in her actions, and his initially tense heart gradually calmed down as he waited.
Many things slowly flashed through his mind, and for a moment it felt like he had returned to his past life.
Everyone waited patiently for a long time before Song Ruoan finished making the incense on the spot.
When the final step was completed, the foul odor did not return as it had last time. Instead, the incense burner emitted various fragrances, which were exactly the same as the incense purchased from Song Xizhi's Incense Shop.
Upon realizing this, everyone looked somewhat surprised, and whispers began to circulate among them.
He Yunce and Song Ruoan breathed a sigh of relief.
"I made many kinds, and you should be able to tell if they look somewhat familiar, right?"
The panic on Song Ruoan's face had vanished. When she looked at Song Xi, she smiled and became more confident: "What happened just now was a complete misunderstanding. Although I don't know what happened, I will prove myself."
"I also request that Your Highness Prince Ning come and judge for yourself, and give this humble woman a full judgment, so that we may see who the Prefect of the Capital will take away when he arrives!"
Even after Song Ruoan finished speaking, Song Xizhi's smile remained unchanged.
Looking at Song Xizhi's reaction and attitude, Prince Ning found the matter increasingly interesting.
Without waiting for Song Ruoan's repeated requests, he took a step forward and began to savor the various incensees that Song Ruoan had made.
After approaching the desk, Prince Ning did not lower his head decisively as he had last time, but instead fanned himself with his breath from a distance.
Upon smelling the fragrance, for some reason, his eyes changed, and he suddenly became serious.
Everyone watched as he picked up each incense stick, smelled it, then cut off a small piece, wet it with water, and finally burned it in the incense burner.
Each type of incense repeats the above steps.
Prince Ning took quite a while to ponder, and everyone could see the seriousness and focus in his furrowed brows.
Seeing Prince Ning's expression, Song Ruoan felt even more smug.
It was unclear how much time had passed before the crowd saw Prince Ning slowly straighten up, take the handkerchief offered by a guard, wipe himself casually, and then toss it back onto the table.
Knowing that the Prefect of the Capital would be arriving soon, He Yunze couldn't wait to ask, "Your Highness, you've really had a long journey..."
"What was the outcome? Was it possible to clear Ruo'an and Yong'an Tower of their innocence?"
Madam Xin had someone serve her tea, and then glanced at Song Xizhi, her heart tightening at that moment.
Prince Ning took a sip of tea, paused for a moment, and looked at He Yunce, a faint smile still on his lips: "I have already made up my mind."
He Yunze was overjoyed, and Song Ruoan was delighted.
Everyone craned their necks and pricked up their ears, eager to hear what Prince Ning would say next.
Then they heard Prince Ning speak calmly: "Although the incense made by Song Ruoan smells very similar to the incense sold at Pinxianglou, they are actually not the same thing."
"The ingredients used in Song Ruo'an's products are relatively inexpensive, and the scent is also somewhat altered. You can feel the difference in the lasting power and gentleness of the fragrance, but the effects on the human body are not as good as those from Pinxianglou."
Prince Ning spoke very politely, but it was almost as if he was implying that the incense made by Song Ruoan was counterfeit.
The crowd erupted in uproar. Song Ruoan's eyes widened instantly, and even her heart stopped beating.
He Yunze looked up in disbelief: "Impossible! Impossible! Your Highness, are you mistaken?"
Prince Ning looked at him with good temper and explained, "A small difference can lead to a huge discrepancy. It's a problem with the recipe. If it's not someone knowledgeable who can appreciate it carefully, they won't be able to find the problem. It can only be said that the copy is extremely similar."
As Prince Ning spoke, he looked up at Song Xizhi's direction again, his bright phoenix eyes filled with admiration: "If I had met Boss Song before, this incense would have been one in a million, but after smelling the incense from the Fragrant Pavilion, I would feel that it is a gem in comparison."
Upon hearing this, He Yunze felt his body go limp and almost collapsed to the ground, his eardrums ringing.
Song Ruoan also looked bewildered. Her mouth was agape, and her small face was deathly pale.
Lady Xin quickly grasped the meaning behind Prince Ning's words. She grasped Song Xizhi's hand and asked impatiently, "Does Your Highness mean that Song Ruo'an is ignorant?"
"She doesn't know the difference between the two types of incense, and it is precisely because she doesn't know the difference that she insists that our Pinxianglou plagiarized her, based on just a few recipes."
Madam Xin's words caused a great stir, and everyone realized the crux of the matter!
That's right! Only Song Ruoan is ignorant! That's why she's so arrogant, bringing such inferior incense to try and cause trouble for the incense shop.
If she had even a little bit of knowledge, things wouldn't have turned out so ugly!
Prince Ning nodded solemnly: "It seems that way so far. Although her incense-making movements are smooth, she is not an expert. Otherwise, she would not have failed to notice this subtle difference."
Prince Ning's words were like a bolt from the blue, shattering He Yunze's entire being.
His eyes emptied instantly, and upon hearing Prince Ning's last words, he screamed in utter despair:
"Impossible! How could this be!?"
"All the incense I use was made by Ruo'an! I've used it my whole life! This is the incense I've used my whole life!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
