There were people guarding the entrance to the courtyard. When they saw the two of them arrive, they looked at the visiting card on the quinoa field and politely led them inside.
The courtyard is small, but it is decorated in a simple and elegant style, exuding the charm of a scholar.
Li Mai raised an eyebrow. Was this Jiang Wenhan's villa in Qingshi Town?
Li Mai felt that a businessman like Jiang Wenhan shouldn't have such tastes.
As they went inside, they saw another person sitting opposite Jiang Wenhan, playing chess, and they understood.
This is Mr. Yang's residence.
Mr. Yang was the same skilled painter that Lu Qian had found for Li Mai's shop, the one who had helped her paint several pictures.
Their eyes met, and they both smiled.
Mr. Yang stood up and bowed to the couple, saying, "Young Master Zhou, Madam Zhou, please have a seat. I never expected you two to be friends with my cousin."
Li Mai glanced at Jiang Wenhan, who was looking at her with a faint smile, and asked, "Is Patriarch Jiang Mr. Yang's cousin?"
"Yes, my aunt is Wenhan's mother." Mr. Yang smiled and invited the two of them to sit down at the tea table. He then washed his hands and personally brewed tea for them on a small tea stove at the tea table.
Li Mai glanced around the room. This must be the hall used to entertain guests, and the whole room was filled with a faint fragrance.
What does it taste like?
It smells like sandalwood!
She remembered that in the incense manual that was given to her family, it was mentioned that throughout history, scholars, nobles, and the wealthy have all loved incense.
Among them, agarwood, sandalwood, ambergris, and musk are symbols of status and knowledge.
Li Mai also became acutely aware of this issue during her last trip to Beijing.
From the moment you step into those noble residences, you are constantly greeted by a fragrant aroma.
From the fragrance of flowers and dried flowers lingering in the corridors, to the aroma emanating from various incense burners in the halls, and the wafts of incense from the bedding and clothing rooms when using them, all these things showed the difference between the lives of the nobles and those of ordinary people.
And you know what? Incense really is a symbol of status and wealth.
Now, Li Mai smelled the sandalwood scent here with Mr. Yang. She smiled and thought, "It seems that some people say that incense can purify the mind. It seems that this is true. Refined scholars also love to burn incense!"
The sudden scent of sandalwood reminded Li Mai of something: Tianxiang Village.
Because she had previously discovered that An Nanyang's wife might have connections with the people of Tianxiang Village, she didn't investigate the matter any further.
However, the bewitching incense might have originated from Tianxiang Village, but she hadn't yet investigated what kind of place Tianxiang Village was.
It wasn't that she intended to let Tianxiang Village go, but rather that she had more important things to do at the moment. She planned to visit Tianxiang Village after her pomegranate orchard had stabilized.
Jiang Wenhan happens to be here now, so Li Mai plans to ask him.
He was from Yongzhou, and Tianxiang Village was located in the mountains outside Yongzhou City. She felt that Jiang Wenhan couldn't possibly not know about it.
After exchanging greetings, the four sat down at the table, drank tea, and chatted for a while.
Li Mai started the conversation, "I wonder if Patriarch Jiang has summoned my wife and me here this time to give us some instructions?"
Jiang Wenhan quickly waved his hand, "Madam Zhou, you're too kind. I wouldn't dare to give any orders. I just happened to come to Qingshi Town to visit my cousin. Speaking of which, he painted for you, so I thought I'd meet you. I heard that your Red Pomegranate is the clothing shop you own?"
Li Mai smiled and nodded, "Yes, thanks to the kindness of our fellow business owners, we've been able to do business for the past few days."
"Hehe, Mrs. Zhou is very good at talking. It's not that her peers don't mind, but that Mrs. Zhou is very good at doing business. It is said that Mrs. Zhou made Zhang's pomegranate red dye a hit in just a few days."
"I also heard that Zhang's warehouse has sold out of pomegranate red dye these past few days and they're working hard to dye cloth!" Jiang Wenhan said, while observing Li Mai's expression, his face beaming with smiles.
This is his usual approach when negotiating business deals.
Li Mai glanced at him indifferently, "Patriarch Jiang still knows the Zhang family so well."
It seems that Zhang Ji still hasn't gotten rid of this inside man, or maybe there are several?
Li Mai was speechless. Zhang Ang might be one of the better men of the Zhang family, but he couldn't outmaneuver some old foxes.
She can remind you once, but not a second time.
It will backfire.
It seems that my decision was right.
Jiang Wenhan smiled and said, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. Madam Zhou, I would like to ask you, after you stop cooperating with the Zhang family next year, would you consider our Jiang Family?
Li Mai smiled and said, "With Patriarch Jiang's excellent information network, surely you know what I'm planning?"
Jiang Wenhan paused, "I don't know. I've been waiting for you to come and talk to me about the fabric collaboration. I also believe that Mrs. Zhou won't just open this one Red Pomegranate store in the future, right?"
Li Mai and Zhou Quan exchanged a glance. "Xiaoxiao, let's focus on stabilizing this shop first!"
Jiang Wenhan looked at Li Mai with a regretful expression, "So, it seems that Brother Jiang's wish to cooperate with you two in business is no longer possible?"
Li Mai shook her head. "No, that's not true. If we want to cooperate, we don't necessarily have to cooperate on fabrics. As far as I know, your Jiang family has more than just dyeing businesses."
Jiang Wenhan sat up straight instantly. "Do you two have other ideas? Tell me?"
"Is the Jiang family head familiar with Tianxiang Village?" Li Mai suddenly asked.
Jiang Wenhan's eyelids twitched. "Tianxiang Village? Why are you asking about Tianxiang Village?"
Seeing his expression, Li Mai was certain that Tianxiang Village was related to him, but she didn't know what that relationship was.
“Because Tianxiang Village sent people to assassinate us, I want to go and see Tianxiang Village when I’m not busy. However, I don’t know much about the place, so I would like to ask Brother Jiang if he knows anything about Tianxiang Village and could tell me a thing or two?” Li Mai said calmly.
Jiang Wenhan's eyebrows twitched violently. "Tianxiang Village sent people to assassinate you two? That's impossible, isn't it?"
Seeing that he didn't believe him, Zhou Quan recounted what had happened that day when they stayed at the inn in Yongzhou City.
After listening, Jiang Wenhan frowned. "This is something the chieftain would never allow. Someone must be trying to gain personal benefits and sent someone to do it."
After speaking, he thought for a moment and then told Li Mai and Zhou Quan about the origins and current situation of Tianxiang Village.
It turns out that the so-called Tianxiang Village was actually a bandit stronghold, a claim that was spread by the people.
In fact, Tianxiangzhai is a place where the descendants of a family that made incense a hundred years ago lived together.
The chieftain is the heir of that family.
The chieftain of Tianxiang Village was surnamed Xu and named Xu Ruhuan. The incense pavilion of the Xu family used to be called Tianxiang Pavilion.
However, decades ago, a type of agarwood produced by Tianxiang Pavilion caused the death of a first-rank official. As a result, the imperial court ordered the closure of Tianxiang Pavilion's shops in various places, and the head of the Xu family and several managers were beheaded.
Furthermore, the emperor decreed that the Xu family could not open any shops or produce agarwood for a hundred years.
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