She thought for a while but couldn't figure it out. The princess consort's absence suited her just fine. The long princess had arranged to meet her tomorrow, and she needed to prepare.

  At Prince Ping’s manor, the princess consort had just finished writing a letter to her maiden family. She let out a long sigh, her brows tightly knitted. "Who exactly is secretly working against the Fu family? Has the prince found out anything yet?"

  "No news has been received."

  "Is everyone under him a bunch of useless fools? The enemy has made moves several times. There must be some clues left behind. How can there still be no information?"

  Prince Ping’s manor had been in turmoil lately. Prince Ping had already been ordered to reflect in seclusion. It was said that Marquis Guangyang had spoken on his behalf in court, trying to defend him. The princess consort had no choice but to seek help from her maiden family to prevent the prince from leaning further toward forming an alliance with Marquis Guangyang through marriage.

  "And Yi'er? I haven't seen him for days."

  "The second young master has been staying by the prince’s side. It is said that the prince even praised him, saying that his thoughts were more meticulous and that he had improved a lot compared to before. Princess consort, you need not worry."

  At least this was some good news. The princess consort leaned back against her chair and closed her eyes briefly. "What a pity. I originally planned to use this prayer ceremony to build a connection with the long princess, but everything got disrupted."

  She had spent a great deal of effort finding out that the long princess liked incense. Although Bai Qingqing had not sent more Spring Delicacy, she still had some left and had intended to use it as an excuse to establish a relationship.

  "Princess consort, please don’t worry. Now that the second young master is proving himself capable, there will be opportunities in the future."

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  "I hope so."

  ...

  Bai Qingqing was organizing the incense she had brought, mostly scents that young ladies would favor. However, the long princess seemed more interested in those with special effects. She didn’t have any on hand now, but they had agreed that the princess would send someone to collect them from her manor later.

  After organizing everything, Bai Qingqing’s gaze landed on the storybook she had read last night. She couldn’t help but think of Ning Yan again, wondering if he was alright.

  Shaking her head, she decided to take advantage of her fresh memory from the previous night to try replicating the scent she had noticed on Ning Yan. However, after writing down a few ingredients, she stared blankly at the list on the paper.

  These...

  "Zidai."

  Zidai responded and entered. Bai Qingqing had her close the door before asking in a low voice, "Did you properly dispose of the failed incense I made before?"

  "Rest assured, Miss. They were all handled according to routine—soaked in water until they were ruined before being discarded. I made sure of it."

  "You disposed of them personally?"

  Zidai thought carefully before answering, "Aside from the period when you ordered me to stay in bed to recover from my illness, I handled all of them myself."

  Bai Qingqing rubbed her forehead. She needed to think. After a lifetime apart, past events had become distant and unclear in her memory. But yes, this did happen—about half a year ago. Zidai had caught a severe cold that came on fiercely. She had tried to persist but was ordered by Bai Qingqing to rest and recover.

  Without Zidai by her side, Bai Qingqing had no other distractions and had thrown herself entirely into experimenting with incense...

  Her pupils suddenly contracted.

  She remembered.

  No wonder that memory always felt hazy—because it was during that time that she had accidentally created an incense that even made her feel lightheaded!

  Bai Qingqing tried hard to recall. At first, she hadn't paid much attention, assuming that she felt dizzy simply because she had been cooped up in her room for too long. It was only later that she gradually realized the problem lay in the incense—she had unintentionally crafted a fragrance that could dull a person’s mind!

  The moment she figured it out, Bai Qingqing immediately ordered the incense to be disposed of. At the same time, due to her constant lightheadedness, she ended up creating the prototype of "Calm Yourself."

  But back then, she hadn’t been entirely clear-headed. Now, she couldn’t remember who she had entrusted to dispose of the incense.