"What could he have encountered...?"

  She suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Could it be that the Bai family girl said something to him?"

  "Perhaps so. Young Master has a strong sense of pride. If he keeps suffering setbacks from Miss Bai time and again, he’s bound to feel disheartened. You shouldn't push him too hard, Your Highness."

  "I'm pushing him? Everything I do is for his own good! Or should we wait until Fu Xiao becomes the heir apparent and lords over him? Will that make him happy?"

  The princess consort's chest heaved violently. "And Qingyun—she grew up with him since childhood. Can he really not see her feelings for him? How could he say such heartless words, telling her to marry someone else?"

  "Please, Your Highness, don’t be angry. The young master is upright and self-disciplined. He doesn't even keep a single concubine by his side. He knows little about matters between men and women. Once he gets married and experiences it for himself, he'll come to understand."

  "Let’s hope so!"

  ...

  After reaching an agreement with her mother, Bai Qingqing no longer concerned herself with the affairs of Prince Ping's residence. Instead, she sat in her room, carefully considering her next steps. After some thought, she sent someone to pass a message to Ning Yan—she had made progress on the matter of the incense.

  Originally, she had pnned to meet him in person and expin everything at once. But to her surprise, when Xue Yue returned, she said, "Lord Ning said he’s busy these days. He asked to meet you at Yani Tower in three days."

  "Yani Tower?" Bai Qingqing straightened in her seat, feeling an instinctive resistance. The st time she met him there, the experience was far from pleasant. Was he doing this on purpose?

  "Did he say anything else?"

  Xue Yue shook her head and lowered her gaze. "Lord Ning... is rather intimidating. I didn’t dare to ask too much."

  "…You've worked hard."

  Fine then. Yani Tower it is. After all, he was the one who needed something from her—she had nothing to fear!

  At that moment, Ning Yan was listening to Mu Shu's report.

  "That woman confessed quickly. She bought the incense from someone else. That was the st bit of it. As for the seller, I looked into him too. Funny thing—just a few days ago, he was walking down the street, perfectly fine, when a shop sign fell on him and killed him. There was even a wsuit over it."

  Ning Yan lifted his gaze. "So?"

  Mu Shu's eyes darted around uneasily. "So… we couldn’t trace the incense’s origins. But we did find something else. Yan Rou was afraid the incense wouldn’t be potent enough, so she hired a perfumer from the Western Regions to enhance it. That perfumer secretly made extra batches to sell for his own profit. We managed to seize some. Wen Jiang examined them—they’re not as strong as the one Yan Rou used on you, but they can still cause dizziness and disorientation for a time."

  "…And you call this a breakthrough?"

  Mu Shu lowered his head. "I accept my punishment."

  What could he do? The key witness was dead. The man had been a vagrant, living from day to day with no family. Once he died, all leads vanished, turning this into a dead-end case.

  "Go receive your punishment. Keep investigating the Western perfumer. Do not let this matter spread any further."

  "Yes, my lord!"

  After dismissing his subordinates, Ning Yan unconsciously reached for his waist. Where once hung a jade token, there was now a simple sachet. It had no embroidery, just pin silver fabric—utterly unremarkable.

  A faint, cool fragrance drifted from it, subtle yet refreshing, unexpectedly soothing rather than cloying.

  It was a gift from Bai Qingqing at Yani Tower, a token of gratitude. When Ning Yan brought it back, he realized he actually liked its scent and began using it. Whenever he felt irritated, he would take a whiff, and it seemed to clear his mind. Over time, he had developed a habit of reaching for it.

  That day, Bai Qingqing had left Yani Tower in a huff, barely touching the table full of refreshments she had ordered—she must have been truly upset.

  Since even Mu Shu couldn’t uncover the truth, Ning Yan didn’t expect Bai Qingqing to have any significant findings either. Inviting her to Yani Tower was just an excuse to make up for that uneaten table of pastries.