There are many important people in the capital, but if Manager Leng were to speak to her so earnestly, she must be no ordinary person.
Qin Yuan nodded and said, "Why don't you call a waiter over, Manager Leng? I'll just ask a few questions and then I'll leave."
Manager Leng quickly dissuaded him, "Ranxiangju is a shop of the Marquis's mansion, and I am also considered half a person of the Marquis's mansion. How can I wrong the owner? Today, the Prince of Qi has come. He is only here to inquire about the incense and will leave in a while."
Seeing his fear, Qin Yuan stopped refusing.
Ranxiangju is a very large shop, three or four times the size of an ordinary shop. The interior is spacious, with many cabinets made of nanmu wood standing against the walls. From the floor to the ceiling, they are neatly divided into many small drawers, each with a light-colored wooden label indicating the name of the spices.
Just by looking at the furnishings, you can tell that Ranxiangju makes only the finest spices.
Everywhere you look, there is a complete range of spices, stored in a regulated manner, so they won't mix flavors or spoil.
Seeing the approving look on her face, Manager Leng smiled and said, "The fragrances in Ranxiangju are all complete, including varieties from the Western Regions and overseas. If you want to make fragrances, just take the shop's list and order, and we'll make sure you can get everything you need."
Qin Yuan asked, "Manager Leng has managed Ranxiangju very well. I wonder where you found the perfume blender?"
For a spice shop to succeed, it needs two things: a sufficient stock of spices, a skilled perfumer who can create trendy and sought-after fragrances, and the ability to meet the diverse and unusual demands of its esteemed customers.
Although Qin Yuan was skilled in perfume blending, she mainly focused on medicinal perfumes. Seeing that Ranxiangju had a full range of perfumes, she couldn't help but feel itchy to try her hand at it. She wanted to ask the perfume blending master about his background so that she could learn from him from time to time in the future.
The shopkeeper chuckled dryly a few times and said, "I haven't been able to find a suitable perfumer, so I'm doing it on the side."
Qin Yuan immediately felt the urge to befriend him.
A shopkeeper who can both blend incense and manage the shop's affairs—you probably couldn't find many like him in the entire capital.
As the shopkeeper entered the private room, a cool and refreshing fragrance filled the air, instantly dispelling the summer heat and leaving one feeling refreshed.
"It smells so good," Qin Yuan praised with a smile.
Hongye and Cuiming couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
The shopkeeper smiled reservedly.
The waiter brought over fragrant tea and snacks, then stood aside and said, "Manager, the Chief Secretary of the Prince Qi's residence has arrived."
After Manager Leng took his leave, Qin Yuan sat in the private room and waited patiently. The room was simply decorated but not shabby. Several paintings and calligraphies, all by famous people of the time, hung on the walls, and several exquisite bonsai were displayed on the shelves for people to enjoy.
"Why did Manager Leng say that he was half a person from the Marquis's mansion?" Qin Yuan asked.
Gu Shiliu said, "Manager Leng is Rong Momo's son-in-law, so isn't he practically part of the Marquis's household?"
"oh?"
Qin Yuan was somewhat surprised.
Gu Shiliu continued, “Granny Rong is the most trusted person by the old lady’s side. Her son is also highly valued. No one in the mansion dares to disrespect her. Granny Rong used to be the old lady’s personal maid. After getting married, she became a head maid. After becoming a widow, she came back to continue serving the old lady. But to say she serves her is more like keeping her company.”
Qin Yuan nodded and noted it down.
Gu Shiliu said, "If Madam has time, she should spend more time with Rong Mama. She knows all the relationships in the mansion by heart."
“Hmm,” Qin Yuan lifted her eyelids and glanced at Gu Shiliu.
Looking into those clear, bright eyes, Gu Shiliu felt inexplicably awkward and said, "This was what the Marquis asked me to tell the Madam."
Qin Yuan chuckled and said, "I know that the Marquis meant well. He was worried that I was too young and had never managed a household before, so he was afraid that I would make a fool of myself and that's why he was giving me some pointers."
Gu Shiliu said in surprise, "Madam is truly exceptionally intelligent. You thought of everything without me even having to tell you."
That wasn't entirely flattery.
Lady Hou was beautiful, kind-hearted, and skilled at interpersonal relationships. She spoke eloquently and flawlessly. She was truly wonderful in every way.
Qin Yuan remained silent, listening intently to the sounds outside.
The private room was a separate partition and not very soundproof. A clear male voice drifted in, seemingly complaining about something.
Hongye, with her sharp ears, whispered, "Miss, the one speaking must be His Highness Prince Qi. He said that although the incense prepared by Manager Leng is good, it is not the incense he wants."
When Gu Shiliu heard Hongye address the lady as "Miss," he couldn't help but glance at her.
Hongye was so focused on listening that she paid no attention to anything else.
Cuiming, however, noticed this.
Qin Yuan couldn't help but wonder what kind of exotic fragrance His Highness Prince Qi was looking for.
In his previous life, this Prince Qi had the opportunity to ascend the throne, but he contracted some illness and gradually became weak, passing away before reaching the age of thirty.
She had met him as a court lady when he toured Jiangnan.
He was truly a handsome and refined gentleman, like a jade ornament.
Behind his back, Lin Ziqi also showered him with praise, saying that His Highness Prince Qi was as upright and gentle as a jade mountain about to collapse, a kind and gentle gentleman, and had the appearance of a wise ruler.
Who would have thought that such a person would end up like that?
Truly, the finest things in this world are not durable; colorful clouds easily disperse, and glass is fragile.
Hongye interrupted her thoughts: "The incense that His Highness Prince Qi is looking for must be able to make people sleep soundly and have fewer dreams, and also be able to invigorate them. Manager Leng said that he can't make this kind of incense, and I'm afraid there are only a few people in the whole capital who can make it."
Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
The Chen family's ancestral recipe for incense, which incorporates fragrance into medicine, includes this particular incense ingredient, which is not to be easily prepared or passed on to outsiders.
I don't know where the King of Qi heard this from.
In her previous life, she had tried to find out about the descendants of the Chen family and also tried to overturn her maternal grandfather's case, but she had to put it aside, which she deeply regretted.
A short while later, King Qi took his leave.
When Manager Leng re-entered the private room, he looked displeased and bowed apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, Madam."
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