After the Fragrant Competition ended, Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua took the lead, while Lord Shi went to find the receptionist at the Fragrance Collection Pavilion to discuss the purchase of spices.
The Fragrance Collection Pavilion is located in the most prosperous area of Liang Capital City, right outside of the commercial district.
Although it was early winter and the temperature in Liang had already dropped below zero, today was a rare sunny day that brought a hint of warmth to the cold winter.
Taking advantage of this beautiful weather, the people came out in groups to enjoy themselves. The streets were bustling with pedestrians and busy with traffic.
On both sides of the street, there were various tea houses, taverns, pawn shops, workshops, and fragrance shops. There were also many small vendors on the open spaces, selling a variety of items such as rouge and powder for women, various trinkets, sachets, hair accessories, and more.
As they walked towards the bustling center, they could also see various street performers, including wrestlers, musicians, and magicians.
The sounds of vendors calling out, shouting, and applause filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua walked side by side, leisurely strolling along the street.
However, as they continued forward, the crowd became denser, and occasional friction and clashes were inevitable. Some ill-tempered individuals would curse and complain right on the spot.
Qin Chuyuan walked by Gong Xiaohua's side, constantly making sure she wouldn't be bumped into by others.
But it was of no use. With his charming and attractive appearance, more and more people gathered around him.
In the end, due to a push from an unknown person, Gong Xiaohua stumbled forward, but Qin Chuyuan quickly grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.
"Are you okay?" Qin Chuyuan asked with concern.
Gong Xiaohua looked up at him, and their eyes met. Everything happened so suddenly that her face started to blush. Her face turned visibly red, even though she couldn't see it. Her heart was pounding faster and faster. Just as it was about to burst out, she reached out to push him away.
Unfortunately, Qin Chuyuan seized the opportunity and held her hand firmly. The expression on his face showed his joy.
He held her hand tightly, no matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free. He confidently said, "It's crowded here, let's be careful not to get separated."
Gong Xiaohua looked at their hands intertwined under their sleeves, lowered her eyelids, and concealed her emotions. She went along with it.
"Husband, buy a hairpin for your wife. Look at this night-blooming flower hairpin, it's intricately carved and looks just like the real thing. Moreover, the night-blooming flower symbolizes eternal love. If you buy one for your wife, it guarantees a lifetime of happiness and togetherness." A well-dressed and smiling woman stopped Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua at her stall, holding up a hairpin and enthusiastically promoting it.
The mention of eternal love and a lifetime of happiness caught Qin Chuyuan's attention, and he stopped in his tracks. He took the hairpin from the woman's hand and pulled Gong Xiaohua to her stall.
The woman was overjoyed. Just by looking at them, she knew they were not short of money.
She took out her other exquisite items one by one, introducing them, "Husband, take a look. In addition to this hairpin, we also have hair accessories, sachets, and bracelets, all of which are crafted by our family with exceptional skills. You won't find a better store with such exquisite craftsmanship in Liang Capital City."
Gong Xiaohua looked at the woman's stall, and the items on the booth were indeed more finely crafted and exquisite than those on other stalls. However, it was an exaggeration to say that the craftsmanship was better than that of regular shops; it was just more novel.
The woman noticed that the man's eyes were only focused on the night blooming jasmine hairpin in his hand, unaffected by the other ornaments she had taken out. She understood in her heart, "Sir, take a look at the craftsmanship of this hairpin, and then look at the material. It is carved from sandalwood and naturally carries a fragrance. Take a whiff, can you smell a faint sandalwood scent lingering around you?"
"What's more important is the meaning of this night blooming jasmine. Everyone in our Liang Capital City knows its significance. Are you two not from our city? When the men from our city give gifts to their beloved, they like to give night blooming jasmine hairpins."
Qin Chuyuan turned to look at the white magnolia hairpin on Gong Xiaohua's head, took off the jade flower hairpin, and replaced it with the night blooming jasmine sandalwood hairpin.
"Oh, my, you look even more beautiful with this night blooming jasmine sandalwood hairpin, and you and the young master are truly a perfectly matched couple, very compatible."
The woman specialized in women's business and was a shrewd person. She said what Qin Chuyuan wanted to say, with a smile on the corner of her mouth. She took out a silver ingot from her body and threw it to the stall owner, pulling Gong Xiaohua away.
The woman picked up the silver and immediately bit her lip, smiling so much that her teeth could not be seen as she shouted loudly at Qin Chuyuan and Gong Xiaohua's backs, "Wishing the young master and the young lady a harmonious union for a hundred years, growing old together. Come again when you have time!" She kept shouting until the two of them disappeared.
As soon as Gong Xiaohua and Qin Chuyuan left, someone secretly followed them in the crowd. When the crowd thinned out, Gong Xiaohua suddenly said, "This restaurant looks good, let's have lunch here before we go back."
Qin Chuyuan was somewhat surprised but didn't ask much, only saying, "Alright."
The two entered the restaurant, and immediately a waiter came out to welcome them. They found a private room where they could see the entrance of the restaurant.
As soon as Gong Xiaohua entered the private room, she opened a corner of the window and looked towards the surroundings of the restaurant's entrance. Two people were crouching behind a locust tree to the left of the entrance, occasionally peering towards the restaurant.
"We're being followed?"
"Yes." Gong Xiaohua signaled Qin Chuyuan to look at the locust tree.
Qin Chuyuan followed her gaze and happened to see someone poking their head out from behind the tree, constantly looking towards the restaurant.
"Someone has been following us ever since we left the Fragrance Collection Pavilion." Gong Xiaohua said.
"Somebody wants to investigate us, but I wonder if it's the Runan Principality Consort or Lord Gao? Currently, we've only come into contact with these two individuals."
"Let's have our meal first, and we'll find out later."
"Okay."
After the two finished their lunch and walked a short distance from the restaurant, they noticed that the two people were still following them. They then turned into a small alley, and the people following them waited for a while before following them into the alley.
There was a crossroad in the alley, and the people following them followed them to the crossroad. A voice of a young lady came from the left, "Are you two looking for us?"
The person who was tracking them was surprised to see two seemingly powerless individuals daring to wait for them here. He spoke maliciously, "You're not afraid of death, huh? You've willingly come to us. If you're smart, you'll cooperate and provide us with all your information willingly. Otherwise, my brother and I won't show any mercy."
"Oh? I'm curious about this lack of mercy you're talking about. Is it like this?"
Before he finished speaking, his left hand had already grabbed the wrist of one of them, twisted it behind their back, and pressed them against the wall.
The person grimaced in pain and struggled, but no matter how hard they struggled, they were held firmly and couldn't move.
At the same time, the other person threw a punch towards Gong Xiaohua's neck.
Gong Xiaohua leaned back and swiftly kicked the person, sending them flying and causing them to writhe in pain on the ground.
The two individuals were filled with fear. It was the first time they had encountered such a fierce woman. They were too scared to speak properly, stammering, "You, you dare..."
"Alright, if you don't want to suffer any more, be honest and tell us everything about the person behind you and the purpose of tracking us."
The two men fell silent. Compared to their boss, they would rather endure some pain under this ferocious woman.
"You won't talk?"
"Very well, how about this?" As she spoke, she took out a dagger from under her foot and waved it in front of them.
"Let me tell you, I have killed not just hundreds, but thousands of people. If you want to die, I don't mind granting your wish." After saying that, she raised the dagger in her hand, preparing to stab the man in front of her.
At the critical moment, the man compromised and shouted, "I'll talk. I'll talk."
Gong Xiaohua stopped and waited for him.
"Lord Gao ordered us to track you and gather all the information about this young master." As he spoke, he looked towards the man behind Gong Xiaohua.
Gong Xiaohua and Qin Chuyuan exchanged glances. They didn't expect that their target was him.
"Why are they investigating him?"
"We don't know either."
Seeing that the man still wasn't being honest, Gong Xiaohua swiftly cut his palm with the knife, threatening him, "Still not telling the truth?"
Intense pain shot through the man, and he was frightened into confessing, "This may have something to do with our lord's niece, the Jianan Principality Princess."
"What do you mean?"
"The princess has reached the age of marriage, and our lord dotes on her. Recently, he has been looking for a suitable husband, and it's possible that he has set his sights on this young master."
The two furrowed their brows. If this matter was true, then it would become quite troublesome.
"Let's go." Gong Xiaohua put away the dagger and spoke to the two men.
