In the evening, Yun Chang had dinner with Li Mai and Zhou Quan again, and shared some of the information she had received with Li Mai.
It turned out that the Xu family head had fallen into a trap set by the Yao and Jiang families before returning to Yongzhou City. However, he was tricked after entering the city and captured by the experts who had been lying in ambush.
After that, they kept putting muscle-softening powder in his food. If he didn't eat, he would just starve to death. If he ate, he would lose all his internal strength and become so weak that he couldn't escape at all.
He was imprisoned there for three months, completely unaware that his apprentice was in another basement not far from him, separated by a distance. Even if they were tortured, the other would not hear their screams, which is why the two of them were constantly worried about each other.
Furthermore, the people behind this are not only the Yao and Jiang families, but also three other families.
Moreover, during the investigation, Yun Chang also discovered two secrets.
When Xu Yaoshi, the mother of the head of the Xu family, married into the Xu family, it was a scheme by the Yao family to allow her daughter to obtain the Xu family's incense manual.
Unfortunately, their wish was not fulfilled. After Xu Yaoshi married into the Xu family, her heart turned to the Xu family. When she failed to steal back the Xu family's incense manual, they turned against their daughter and secretly plotted to murder the Xu family.
As for Madam Xu Yao, who is Xu Xing's mother, she returned to the Yao family and made a scene after Madam Xu's major accident and the death of her husband and two sons. Her stated reason was that the Yao family did not help the Xu family when they encountered trouble, and she completely severed ties with the Yao family.
But what Yun Chang found out and guessed was that Xu Yaoshi went back to question the Yao family about their actions, and soon after returning, Xu Yaoshi fell ill, which was obviously caused by anger.
This same thing happened again with Xu Jiangshi, the wife of the head of the Xu family.
Jiang married Xu Xing, the head of the Xu family. It was a scheme by the Jiang family to obtain the Xu Family Incense Manual through her. However, Jiang failed to obtain the manual and died after giving birth to twin daughters for Xu Xing. Yun Chang suspects that Xu Jiang's death was not a natural one.
This is also why, after Yao and Jiang passed away, their maternal families stopped having any contact with Xu. They hadn't achieved their goal yet, and they had also dragged their own daughters into it, so it would be strange for them to continue their relationship.
However, Yun Chang has not yet told Xu Changhuan and Xu Xing the truth. He has decided to wait until he has thoroughly investigated the matter before telling them.
Li Mai shook his head after listening. "Those people don't work hard to study incense recipes themselves, but instead use their minds to steal other people's things. It's laughable. How dare they call themselves the four great families of incense makers?"
"Big brother, what are you going to do?" Li Mai asked Yun Chang.
Yun Chang shook her head. "Let's see what the Xu family thinks. Let's clear their name first, and then we'll see what happens next. As for those other families, whatever their mistakes, the law will punish them. I don't plan to involve the Xu family in this matter. Even if they know in their hearts that the Xu family might be seeking revenge, I won't let them find any evidence on the surface."
"So, is Big Brother planning to make a move from within the court?" Li Mai asked with interest.
Is this a case of brotherly love gone wrong, driven by a sense of impulsive anger?
Yun Chang smiled, raised an eyebrow, and asked Li Mai, "If the Emperor finds out that those people used that incident to target their competitors, what do you think will happen to those families?"
Li Mai understood: use someone else to do the dirty work!
Big brother's move was ruthless, and also quite effective!
"Then you should be careful, brother. After all, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger," Li Mai said in a low voice.
"Don't worry, what the Emperor asked of me was that I go to guard the frontier, and that's exactly what I'm thinking too. So, this is just something I mentioned casually. You don't need to worry about it. Just live your lives well." Yun Chang told her and Zhou Quan not to worry.
After the meal, Xu Changhuan carried a box to the east courtyard where Li Mai lived.
“Xiaomai, this is something my father gave you, as a token of gratitude for the help you and your husband have given to the Xu family this time.” Xu Changhuan placed the box in front of Limai.
Li Mai asked in confusion, "What?"
"Open it and take a look!" Xu Changhuan said with a smile.
Li Mai opened it and found a blue book with no words on it.
When you open it, there isn't a single word inside—a wordless book?
No, this should be the Xu Family Incense Manual passed down from the Xu family ancestors.
"Yes, it's that book. My father said that with the current capabilities of the Xu family, there's no way to protect this book. Moreover, we haven't inherited the method of reading it. My father said that you're so smart, maybe you'll have a way. This book might be more useful in your hands than in ours. So, my father is giving this book to you."
"As for how you use it in the future, we will not interfere. The Xu family will no longer open incense shops or make incense. My father said that since the glorious era of the Xu family has passed, let's go with the flow!"
Li Mai asked in surprise, "If you stop making incense, how will you support your people?"
Xu Changhuan smiled and said, "My father said that since they don't want to live a hard life in these mountains, let them be free. We will distribute the family genealogies to each family. From now on, they can go wherever they want to live. Let them live by their own efforts. Whether it's good or bad, it's all the result of their hard work."
"As for my family, my dad said that he will follow me wherever I go in the future." She blushed slightly as she said this.
Li Mai immediately understood; it seemed that the Xu family head had agreed to her marriage with her elder brother.
Thinking about what Huanhuan said carefully, it actually makes some sense. When Chief Xu returned and learned that his apprentice and so many elders and clansmen had betrayed the Xu clan and no longer wanted to hide in the mountains with them, their previously firm beliefs suddenly collapsed. How heartbreaking that must have been.
It's no wonder they made that decision.
If this is the outcome, it may not necessarily be bad.
However, this Xu Family Incense Manual is a hot potato. Now that it's in my hands, should I hide it or try to unravel it and see what's inside?
“This book is something left by your ancestors, so I can’t accept it. How about this, I can help you figure out how to make the contents of the book appear when I have time, and then you can decide what to do with it!” Li Mai said to Xu Changhuan after she had thought it through.
Xu Changhuan smiled helplessly. She knew this was a hot potato, and she could understand why Li Mai didn't want it. She nodded and said, "Alright, you really did as Young Master Yun said."
Li Mai chuckled, "My older brother is smart, so it's normal that he can guess what I'm going to do. Since he's not stopping you from giving me this, it must be so that I can help you find the secret to this book. So naturally, I'll do my part to help my brother and sister-in-law."
Xu Changhuan blushed again at her words. "Luckily he mentioned it, otherwise I would be embarrassed now. Xiaomai, look down there, there are other things."
Li Mai picked up the papers below and was genuinely surprised this time.
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