Xu Su Ying’s expression was even darker than her daughter’s. "It must be because you’ve been making so much money lately, and it’s made people green with envy. Someone is deliberately trying to sabotage your business. Oh, Qing’er, thank goodness your senses are sharp. You realized something was amiss and decided to make the incense on the spot, which saved us from a major loss. Otherwise, if this entire batch of spices had been made into incense pills and reached the market... forget our hard-earned reputation being ruined, just the students who bought our Moonlight Fragrance for its effects coming back for compensation would be enough to bankrupt our family."

Chen Wanqing nodded. "The most important thing now is to figure out where the problem is coming from. We also need to find another supply channel."

"I’ll handle the sourcing. I promise I’ll bring you a new batch of spices before tonight. As for where the problem with the spices came from and who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes, I’ll leave that to you. If you can’t handle it, go find your father."

"Yes, Mother. I understand."

The mother and daughter went their separate ways, both too busy to catch their breath.

The figures of Zhao Jing and Chen De’an occasionally flashed through their minds, but because they were so busy, the images would vanish in an instant. Then, they would reappear when the two women were drinking water, eating a meal, or just before falling asleep.

Meanwhile, after several days of arduous travel, Zhao Jing and Chen De’an were now only forty li from the Prefecture.

Forty li would still take a carriage the better part of a day, so reaching the Prefecture today was impossible. They could only stop at the post station for the night and enter the city first thing in the morning to get settled as soon as possible.

They had been on the road for six days now.

Even De’an, who was usually all smiles and mischief, was too exhausted to smile.

He thought back to the third day of their journey, when he had been as carefree as a rabbit frolicking in the woods or a bird soaring freely in the sky. Now, De’an truly missed the comforts of home.

At home, he could lie down whenever he wanted, sit whenever he wanted. When he got into a mood, he could do a handstand, and his mother would just watch him like he was a monkey, guaranteed not to say a single word of disapproval.

But the carriage was cramped. A small, fixed square table sat in the middle, holding a teapot and cups. There were couches on either side, each only big enough for one person. The spot facing the carriage door was slightly more spacious, but it was just barely enough for two people to sit side-by-side.

If they wanted to be more comfortable, one of them had to go hang out in another carriage. But they couldn’t always stay with Chu Xun and Wang Jun, so their own carriage remained crowded for the most part.

It was crowded, the air was stuffy, the food was bad, the sleep was poor, and their bodies ached all over.

In just six short days, De’an felt like he had endured a lifetime of suffering.

He was truly suffering, not just being dramatic. The clothes that had fit him perfectly when he left were now loose by more than four fingers’ width. He couldn’t imagine how heartbroken his mother would be if she saw him like this.

As De’an rambled on about how his mother would feel sorry for him, Zhao Jing thought to himself, ’I’m having an even harder time adjusting than De’an. I’ve lost even more weight. If my sister saw me, she’d definitely cry her eyes out.’

’My soft-hearted sister is the easiest to handle. As long as I pester and wheedle, she’ll agree to anything.’

That night, just as they were about to fall asleep, a commotion erupted outside the post station.

Zhao Jing was still wide awake, but he didn’t go out to look despite hearing the noise.

De’an, however, was feeling terribly cooped up, so he simply opened the main door and stood outside to watch the excitement.

The commotion died down quickly. De’an came back inside and said, "You’ll never guess what just happened."

Before Zhao Jing could even ask, De’an eagerly launched into the story. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Remember on our third day, when we were staying at that post station? As we were leaving the next morning, we saw a Scholar who was on his way to the Provincial Examination. You remember him, right?"

’Remember him? It was hard to forget.’

After all, in their minds, anyone who could pass the exam to become a Scholar was a well-read man. If not refined and elegant, or scholarly and gentle, they should at least be impeccably dressed and look like a person of substance.

But the Scholar they saw that day was dressed in coarse hemp clothes, his hair a disheveled mess covering his face. He acted erratically and even drooled when he laughed.

If he hadn’t been carrying a book box on his back and constantly spouting classical prose, they would have almost mistaken him for a beggar.

But this "beggar" not only spoke eloquently, he also berated the station clerk with lofty, literary language. When he cursed the man for looking down on people, he did it all without uttering a single profanity, which was a sight to behold.

When they left, that Scholar was still eating a bowl of plain noodles.

They hadn’t paid it much mind, nor did they ask how the Scholar planned to get to the Prefecture, since besides their own horses, there were no other animals in the stables.