After they left, Xu Changle asked Li Mai curiously, "Li Mai, why did you lock up the white wolf?"
“Give it a sense of security, otherwise I’m afraid it will howl like a wolf in the middle of the night because of too much mental stress.” Li Mai smiled.
Xu Changle still didn't quite understand, but she wisely didn't ask.
"Li Mai, may I call you that? You don't need to call me Chief Xu, just call me Chang Huan. I really like your personality, can we be friends?" Xu Chang Huan took the initiative to befriend Li Mai.
Li Mai smiled and nodded, "Of course, I don't want to make more enemies either. I have a question for Chang Le."
Upon hearing this, Xu Changle quickly sat up straight. "Go ahead and ask."
"The last time my husband and I stayed at an inn in Xiabei Town, when you came to see us, I smelled a bewitching fragrance on you. Can you tell me what happened?"
Li Mai was somewhat curious about this.
Based on what the two sisters had just said, they shouldn't know anything about the bewitching incense, but she could clearly smell the bewitching incense on her.
Xu Changle was momentarily confused and asked in surprise, "Are you sure you smelled the scent of bewitching incense on me?"
Li Mai nodded.
Xu Changle exchanged a puzzled look with An Nanyang, then said, "But I've never seen that thing before!"
"So, who did you see or where did you go during those days?" Li Mai asked.
Upon hearing this, Xu Changle stood up abruptly. "I saw my cousin the day before, and he brought me a box of calming incense. I've had the habit of burning calming incense before bed since I was little. My cousin's shop sells calming incense, and I've always used the ones from his shop."
Thinking of this, she said to An Nanyang, "When we came out, did you bring me the incense I use?"
An Nanyang nodded, stood up and walked out, "I'll go get it!"
Xu Changhuan also stood up, looked at Li Mai, and then at his younger sister, "What's wrong, Li Mai, Lele? Is there a problem? Is there something wrong with the incense from your cousin's place?"
Li Mai glanced at her and asked, "Is the incense sold in the Jiang family's incense shop made by your family?"
Chang Huan nodded, "Yes, our Xu family doesn't allow incense shops, and the incense we make no longer bears the name Tianxiang Pavilion. So my cousin opened an incense shop to help us sell incense."
"Do you know if your cousin goes to burn incense with other people at his shop?" Li Mai asked again.
“Yes, the Xu family has banned the production of agarwood, so the agarwood sold in his shop that contains added agarwood comes from the Yao family in Kunzhou,” Xu Changhuan said.
The Xu family of Yingzhou, the Yao family of Kunzhou, the Wen family of Hengzhou, and the Du family of Lanzhou were the four most famous incense makers within the last hundred years.
However, decades ago, the Xu family declined because they got involved in a case with the imperial court, and now the incense-making industry is dominated by three families.
People who want to open an incense shop can source their incense from those few suppliers.
Li Mai asked, "Does the Yao family not own an incense shop in Yingzhou City?"
“Yes, I don’t understand why they would sell their agarwood to my cousin.” Xu Changhuan suddenly thought of this question after Li Mai said that.
Li Mai nodded. "So, after the Xu family's downfall, the Yao family in Kunzhou is now the biggest player in the incense-making industry?"
Xu Changhuan nodded, looked at Li Mai, pursed his lips, and said nothing more.
Her grandmother came from the Yao family of Kunzhou, something she had heard her father tell her when she was young.
However, after the Xu family's misfortune, Grandpa and his two uncles were beheaded by the imperial court, his two aunts remarried, and Grandma was so angry that she fell ill and soon passed away. The Xu family could only be supported by Xu's father, who was only thirteen years old at the time. The Xu family and the Yao family also completely severed ties from then on.
When An Nanyang returned carrying a wooden box, he placed it in front of Xu Changle and said, "Lele, take a look."
Xu Changle took it and looked for his usual incense.
Today, since they came to pay their respects to Li Mai and apologize, they only brought guards and a white wolf with them, without any servants or maids, not wanting to make too much of a fuss and upset Li Mai's side.
She took out a square wooden box from inside, opened it, and immediately a fragrant aroma wafted out.
Both calming incense and mind-control incense have one thing in common: they can induce a state of deep sleep.
However, the biggest difference between them is that the fragrance ingredients in calming incense do not contain anything harmful to the human body, and even long-term use will not damage the nerves.
However, the incense of bewitching is different. It uses herbs that paralyze the nerves. Inhaling it will paralyze the nerves and cause unconsciousness. Inhaling it too often is harmful to the human body.
The calming incense is made from a blend of various incense powders, including agarwood, sandalwood, borneol, frankincense, and musk.
However, the incense used to numb the nerves is made from powdered herbs such as aconite and cassia, which have a numbing effect on the nerves.
These two types of incense represent two extremes: one is an elegant pursuit, and the other is vulgar.
Li Mai took it from her hand, smelled it, and found that the fragrance was normal and there was nothing bad added to it.
She shook her head at Xu Changle, "This incense is normal, it doesn't smell like a bewitching incense."
As she handed it back, her eyes fell on the wooden box in front of Xu Changle.
That's for putting incense to calm the nerves.
She walked over, picked up the box, and smelled it. "This box, is it the one that was originally delivered?"
Xu Changle nodded, subconsciously took it and smelled it, then asked Li Mai, "Does this have a scent? I only smell calming incense."
Li Mai pointed to the spot on the right and told her to smell it.
Xu Changle took it and smelled it, then shook her head. Her nose wasn't that sensitive, so she couldn't smell it. She then handed it to Xu Changhuan.
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