Chapter 47 Tianxiang Pavilion
The book describes Xue Han in a vague way, emphasizing his background as a beggar and his adoption of a eunuch as his father. He saved the crown prince and killed the Prince of Fu, earning both praise and condemnation, with the latter outweighing the former.
The Xue Han she knew was somewhat eccentric and unpredictable. He was generous in helping her, but this kindness had a strange quality to it, as if it was reserved only for her.
Today, I inadvertently discovered that Xue Han is not bound by his identity as the Imperial Envoy and can also do passionate things.
His adoptive father was the eunuch Xue Quan, one of the Five Traitors, and she would inevitably have to deal with him in the future. Understanding what kind of person he was would make things easier.
Qiu Heng pondered for a moment, but her feet never stopped, and she arrived at the haunted house with practiced ease.
Birdsong filled the air, and the door opened gently.
"Brother Magpie, you've arrived!"
When Chen San saw Qiu Heng again, he was much more enthusiastic.
Qiu Heng slipped in and quickly looked around.
There were no lights on inside, only moonlight streaming in through the wide-open windows, so it wasn't completely dark and it was clear that there were no signs of habitation.
"The three of you, please tell us what's going on."
Chen San spoke first: "As planned, I disguised myself as a peddler going from street to street, passing by the front street at the agreed time every day. Yesterday, San Niang went out with several guards, stopped by my place and bought some trinkets, secretly giving me this."
He handed a crumpled piece of paper to Qiuheng.
Liu Er continued, "Later, Third Sister went to a clothing shop and an incense shop..."
Liu Er wasn't as talkative as Chen San, but he was more skilled and meticulous, making him suitable for stalking.
Qiu Heng silently memorized the names of the clothing shop and the incense shop.
Nie San Niang entered the Yuan residence and lost her freedom; her whereabouts must have a purpose.
"I asked a hoodlum to rent me a place to stay, and I set up a cheap tea stall nearby..." Tao Da explained the situation.
Fish have their paths, and shrimp have theirs. In bustling cities, as long as you have money, you don't have to worry about concealing your tracks.
The three men wanted to survive in the capital city long-term, but living in a haunted house was not a sustainable solution. They needed a legitimate identity and a place to easily communicate, and an inconspicuous tea stall was the perfect fit.
After listening, Qiu Heng handed the money bag to Tao Da: "You three have worked hard, I'll head back now."
The money bag contained silver ingots, which would need to be exchanged for copper coins later, amounting to a considerable sum.
Tao Da was a little embarrassed: "Brother Que gave me more than I could have saved."
"Brother Tao, just take it. It'll be inconvenient if you don't have the money when you need it. Compared to what we're planning, what is money?"
Upon hearing this, Tao Da no longer declined.
Yes, if it's just about money, with their skills, they have plenty of ways to make money.
"Brother Magpie, be careful on the road."
Qiu Heng waved her hand and left gracefully.
Because of the summer heat, many people flocked out at night to find food and entertainment. Qiu Heng deliberately chose to go to secluded places and successfully returned to Lengxiang Residence.
Fangzhou waited as usual.
"Fangzhou, turn the lamp up a bit." Without even washing up, Qiuheng unfolded the crumpled paper.
The writing on the crumpled paper was very small, but because the paper itself was also small, the words were concise and to the point.
The main people in the Yuan residence were two beautiful concubines, a steward, and a head guard.
The steward was greedy for money, the head guard was a gambler, one of his concubines loved fine clothes, and the other loved perfume.
Qiu Heng quickly turned his attention to his two beautiful concubines. One was named Liniang, and the other was named Huiniang. The paper specifically mentioned that the two concubines were vying for the emperor's favor, and they made no attempt to hide it.
In this way, it becomes clear that the clothing shop and incense shop that Liu Er mentioned Nie San Niang frequented were places that his two beautiful concubines often went to.
Qiu Heng decided to go and take a look tomorrow.
Nothing was said that night.
After breakfast, Qiu Heng made a list and asked Wang Mama to arrange for someone to deliver the prepared incense pendants to the homes of the noble ladies with whom she had arranged to exchange gifts the day before. She then went out under the pretext of buying incense.
The clothing shop Liu Er mentioned was called Yunxiafang, and the incense shop was called Tianxiangge. They were not only on the same street, but also right next to each other.
Qiu Heng went to Yunxia Fang first.
Yunxiafang has two floors, and the layers upon layers of fabrics are dazzling, with none of them being cheap.
The saleswoman took out a catalog and introduced the latest popular styles to Qiuheng one by one. Qiuheng didn't plan to have her clothes taken here, so she bought a handkerchief and went out.
Then we went to the Tianxiang Pavilion next door. Not to mention all kinds of spices, they also had a full range of finished incense balls, powders, and sticks, as well as several incense pendants.
Qiu Heng pointed to a round incense pendant: "Let me see."
"Young lady, you have excellent taste! This is the most popular scented pendant lately. It has a long-lasting fragrance and is easy to wear. It is said that it was originally made by a noble lady..." The shopkeeper talked on and on. Although he could not see the female customer's reaction through the veil, he was confident that such a young girl could not resist buying it.
Sure enough, the girl reached out and picked up the sachet, looking quite delighted with it: "The craftsmanship is quite good."
"That's right. Don't be fooled by the fact that there are many shops selling scented pendants nowadays. In terms of craftsmanship, design, and fragrance, Tianxiang Pavilion is second to none."
"There must be quite a few people coming to buy them, right?"
"Of course, many ladies and young women from wealthy families come here in person..." the shopkeeper boasted excitedly. "You know Lord Yuan, everyone's been talking about lately, right? Lord Yuan's women especially love to shop at our store. The last time they came, they even said they'd like to buy some new styles of incense pendants these next few days."
"I'll buy this pendant."
The shop assistant smiled broadly: "I'll install it for you right away."
"By the way, how often do you restock your perfume pendants?"
The waiter blurted out, "We usually get new arrivals every ten days or so, and today is the perfect time for them, young lady."
After leaving Tianxiang Pavilion, Qiu Heng wandered to the vicinity of Tao Dabai's tea stall. After observing for a while, she randomly picked up a hoodlum, gave him some money, and sent him to drink tea.
With money to be made and tea to drink, the scoundrel was naturally overjoyed. After finishing his tea, he followed Qiu Heng's instructions, placed the folded note under the teacup, and left as if nothing had happened.
After a while, Tao Dalai tidied up the table, picked up the bowl, saw the note underneath, and quickly hid it. When no one was around, he read it and contacted Liu Er and Chen San.
Liu Er secretly kept an eye on the Yuan residence. The next day, he saw a beautiful concubine go out and immediately notified Chen San as planned.
"Needles and thread, wooden combs and hair ties—" The young peddler walked down to a teahouse and started shaking a rattle drum.
Thump, thump, thump—
Inside the elegant teahouse facing the street, Qiu Heng heard the rhythmic sound of a rattle drum. She turned to the window and glanced outside, seeing Chen San slowly walking forward.
I waited until evening yesterday, and I've been waiting until now. Finally, it's here.
"Fangzhou, have you remembered everything I said?"
"Don't worry, young lady, I'll remember."
Fangzhou put the veil on her head and headed towards Tianxiang Pavilion.
She arrived before Yuan Chenghai's beautiful concubine Huiniang, who loved fragrances, and the waiter greeted her upon seeing her.
"What would you like to see, young lady?"
"I've heard that the perfumes and incense you have here are very good. Let me take a look."
The shopkeeper placed a box of fragrant pendants in front of Fangzhou: "Please take your time looking at them, young lady."
Fangzhou was indeed observing very carefully. Just as the waiter was getting impatient, Huiniang came in.
Hui Niang was not wearing a veil, and two waiters immediately went up to greet her warmly.
Hui Niang glanced at the crowd and pointed to the waiter serving Fangzhou: "This waiter has been serving us before, let him do it again."
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