The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 120 Princess
Princess Guangning raised her eyebrows slightly, trying to appear approachable, but given her background, her words still carried an air of assertiveness.

"Is Chief Wen heading back to his ward? It's still quite a walk from here to Jingxing Ward. Get in the carriage, I'll take you there."

Wen Gu stepped back half a step and bowed respectfully, saying, "I dare not disturb the princess!"

Princess Guangning continued to stare at him: "No need to worry. I've heard that Director Wen is quite talented. I'm just curious and would like to hear about Director Wen's methods of studying abroad."

Wen Gu stepped back again, bowed, and looked very embarrassed: "I just came from the outer city and I am covered in dust. I dare not soil the princess's carriage."

"Just a little dust, nothing to worry about." Princess Guangning's smile faded. It seemed that this Head of the Wen Ward was not much different from the others; the rumors circulating were somewhat exaggerated.

She was about to end the conversation.

Wen Gu hesitated, looking as if she couldn't refuse, and then said helplessly, "Since that's the case, it would be impolite to refuse, so I'll trouble you, Princess!"

As he spoke, he walked toward the carriage.

From a distance, it seemed as if she was being coerced, but Princess Guangning, who was closer, looked at her as if she was somewhat impatient.

Before I knew it, the other person was over, and looked like they were about to board the carriage.

Princess: ? ? !
Wait a minute!
Stop right there!

Why not continue to uphold your self-discipline, propriety, caution, and humility?

She was just trying it out on a whim, and didn't really intend to let Wen Gu get on the carriage!

If she really gets involved with this guy, she'll probably get a glare from the Zhao family head!

But this guy actually took advantage of the situation!
Without the slightest hint of bluffing, he even lifted his foot, ready to step onto the car in the next moment.

What the hell!

Fortunately, Princess Guangning's trusted confidante reacted quickly. As expected of a highly trusted personal maid, she glanced at her mistress's expression, stepped forward to stop Wen Gu, and scolded, "You are not allowed to carry swords or other sharp weapons!"

It refers to the school badge that Wen Gu carries every day—the Cen Tai Sword.

Before Wen Gu could even unsheathe his sword, Princess Guangning arrogantly returned to her carriage, looking utterly bored, and lowered the curtain.

"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you today. I'm sure Director Wen has other matters to attend to, so go ahead and do your work."

Immediately afterwards, the sound of a teacup being set down could be heard from inside the carriage.

The coachman immediately spurred the carriage away, not wanting to wait for Wen Gu to say another word. The wheels seemed to move with increased haste.

Once the carriage had gone some distance, the other pedestrians and vehicles on the road resumed their original pace.

The guard beside Wen Gu hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but advise, "Manager, were you really going to get in the carriage with the princess just now? Think carefully! This is inappropriate!"

Wen Gu smiled and comforted him, "Don't panic, it's just a test."

But he genuinely wanted to get to know this princess.

I wonder how many of the royal family's intelligence agencies have survived? Could they have obtained more intelligence?
Let's review and recall the relevant information about this princess.

Princess Yin Zhen of Guangning was the eldest daughter of Prince An.

The Anwang branch of the royal family had a specific hereditary title and had an emperor who ascended the throne, so the treatment they enjoyed was different from other branches of the royal family.

The mansion has more guards than others, which is permitted by the imperial clan.

When chaos broke out in the capital, many members of the royal family failed to escape, but Princess Guangning, who lived in the Princess's Mansion, was one of the lucky ones.

She gathered the remaining guards and servants, and fled the capital region with the people of her household.

It is said, well, that in the streets, when the capital was in chaos and the people from the princess's mansion left, the prince consort was with his mistress and was injured by her. They both died from evil spirits.

The princess was kind and righteous, and she took her husband and his family and fled.

That's the rumor, but it's hard to know how much of it is true or false.

None of that matters. What matters is that everyone knows this princess played a role in the Zhao family's takeover of Xinzhou. Anyone with eyes can see that the Zhao family and this princess reached some kind of deal; they had a tacit understanding.

The mansions of the princesses in Xinzhou City were all more luxurious than those of other prominent families.

While Wen Gu was analyzing Princess Guangning and the royal family behind her, pondering whether he could uncover more information about this disaster and epidemic, the "benevolent" Princess Guangning had already returned to her residence.

Startled by the recollection, Princess Guangning lost all interest in strolling around and immediately ordered the coachman to drive her back to the mansion.

Before she had even finished a cup of tea in the room, a maid came to report, "Princess, your uncle has arrived."

The "uncle" mentioned by the maid was the younger brother of Princess Guangning's mother.

This uncle also brought his whole family to Xinzhou with Princess Guangning, and his fortunes and misfortunes were closely related to this royal princess.

He was taking a nap at home when his attendant suddenly rushed to tell him that Princess Guangning seemed to have, probably, apparently... provoked Wen Gu.

The old man was so shocked that his hair stood on end, and his face turned pale as he asked, "Really?!"

The attendant affirmed, "The claim that it was done in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, makes it highly credible!"

In Xinzhou City, there are many people eyeing Princess Guangning, but even more people eyeing Wen Gu. The two met on the road and I heard they chatted for quite a while!
It is also said that Princess Guangning seemed to be coercing him!
In short, all sorts of rumors had already spread, which terrified the uncle so much that he couldn't wait a moment longer and rode his horse at top speed to the residence of Princess Guangning.

A surge of horrified rage welled up within him, and he longed to confront the person directly!

Are you courting death?!

Their entire family's fate rests on this niece! They can't afford to do anything reckless!
The uncle strode into the mansion, and what he saw were elite guards in armor, armed with weapons. Even from a distance, he could feel the cold glint of their metal.

Uncle: "..."

Rage value -1, -1...

Consider the methods employed by this royal niece...

The old man's anger quickly subsided, his feverish mind calmed down, he slowed his pace, and adjusted his demeanor.

The bloodshot in his eyes had faded, and his complex emotions had settled.

When he looked up again, his gaze had become very clear.

His hair, which had been flying wildly in anger, was now perfectly straightened.

Once his reason returned, he felt it very clearly once again—the master of the Princess's Mansion was first and foremost a royal princess, and only secondly his niece.

He was led into the room by a maid, and dared not sit down immediately. He first bowed respectfully and said, "Princess!"

Princess Guangning, sitting at the tea table, said casually, "Uncle, there's no need for such formalities. We're family. Sit down and let's talk."

The uncle became even more nervous, sitting down with only half his buttocks on the ground, and said cautiously:
"The news that the princess stopped Wen Gu on the road today has already spread..."

He carefully considered his words.

"It's really... uh, a little... cough, I hope Your Highness will be a little more cautious!"

The incense burner was filled with swirling smoke.

The room fell silent for a moment.

As the uncle lowered his head, his anxiety growing, he heard Princess Guangning say calmly, "I was indeed rash today."

The uncle breathed a sigh of relief.

It's good that you're aware of it!

Princess Guangning toyed with the teacup in her hand: "Uncle, you meant well in reminding me, I understand."

The old man wiped the sweat from his brow. To be honest, his family was currently struggling to survive, walking on thin ice. He had secured a mediocre official position in the city, but it held no real power, let alone military authority. He valued his life above all else!
Their family's future depends on this princess. If the princess falls, their family will definitely not have a good ending, and they may very well be dragged out to be fed to the monsters outside.

Fortunately, she was a princess; if she had been a prince, she wouldn't be alive today. Even if she hadn't died for her country, she would have been "killed for her country."

We can only hope that the Zhao family will keep their promise; as long as they behave themselves, they can continue to live.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but raise his eyes and look at Princess Guangning.

After so much peace and quiet for so long, how could you not have resisted?
In today's harsh world, if you want to support actors or male concubines, there are plenty of people offering their services. Aren't there enough people in your household? This road is packed with men and women. If you call out, the line could stretch from the outer city to the center of the inner city!

Those rigid civil officials don't care about these things now; they might even hope that the princess will help support more people.

Anyway, this princess comes from a wealthy family and is aware of her situation, so she won't cause too much trouble. As for the rest, let it be; we won't dwell on the past.

but!

Why bother provoking Wen Gu?
That's someone the Zhao family trusts and values; are you afraid the Zhao family won't keep an eye on him?

Aren't you afraid that one day you might be inexplicably "killed in battle"?
The uncle remained silent, his mind churning. Several times he wanted to say something, but he opened his mouth and then chickened out.

Princess Guangning pondered for a moment and said, "Never mind, prepare a gift and send it to Jingxingfang."

She summoned a maid and had her select an incense burner and incense.

The warehouse mainly contains tribute items used by the royal family, and the set I just picked out is also a fine example of these tribute items.

Things of this caliber are becoming increasingly rare these days.

The uncle disagreed this time: "Although we should be mindful, given your status, why go to such lengths?"

It's tantamount to backing down!

Even if the royal family can no longer rise, a princess's status and class remain!
Princess Guangning ignored her and said, "Consider this an apology for my hasty actions today."

The uncle was still puzzled: "If you're worried about the Zhao family, you can just avoid provoking Wen Gu in the future. Why take this step back?!"

Princess Guangning impatiently threw her teacup onto the table:
"If we don't back down now, I'm afraid he'll stick to me!"

That would cause even more trouble!

This young master of the Zhao family is indeed a bit eccentric!

Consider it a lesson learned.

When her uncle heard her say that, he stopped trying to persuade her and began to worry again: "What if she doesn't understand after reviewing the material?"

Princess Guangning said, "He will understand."

……

Jingxingfang.

Wen Gu sighed as he looked at the generous gifts sent by the Princess's residence.

Ugh.

I understand the princess's intention to refuse further contact.

It's really a bit of a shame.

As expected of someone born into royalty, he is perceptive, suspicious, and decisive.

It doesn’t matter, there’s a long way to go.

Moreover, given his current status, it's indeed not appropriate for him to get involved with things like royal secrets or royal intelligence agencies.

After admiring the exquisite structure of the tribute incense burner for a while, praising the aesthetics and skills of the artisans of this era, I took out some incense and lit it.

"As expected of a royal tribute, the aroma alone is extraordinary!"

Calm your mind and spirit, and ward off evil.

Then he picked out another incense ball and had someone deliver it to the Taoist priest.

I wonder if Master Qingyi can analyze the components.

The original version of the offerings is definitely difficult to obtain, and even if it is deciphered, it is very likely that the raw materials will not be available.

However, given the Taoist priest's expertise in unorthodox methods, alchemy, and familiarity with medicines, with a little more effort, he might be able to find a suitable alternative with effects as close as possible.

In times of disaster and epidemic, incense is an essential commodity; more formulas mean more safety.

However, using only one incense ball as a test subject may not be enough.

Wen Gu then sent a message to the Taoist priest, urging him: "If you can make satisfactory progress within half a month, I will give you another one."

Qingyunfang.

Master Qingyi planned to set up a Taoist altar for warding off disasters and praying for blessings.

Nobody can stop me!
Especially that dog of a scholar!
He reviewed the refining lists he had been given before and spent his days figuring out ways to procrastinate.

It's not that I don't do these things; I'm just freeing up some space to do something else that's more meaningful. What can you do about it?

I was writing the plan when they sent me a ball of incense from across the street.

A top-quality tribute to the imperial family!

Master Qingyi was first delighted, then furious.

You bastard! You've got a clever plan!
I'm an alchemist! You should consult a perfumer or a pharmacist about detoxifying incense!

Why do you dump everything on me?

but……

A tribute to the imperial court!
Things used by royalty!
A masterpiece among masterpieces!
Use it a little, and it's gone; it's something you can only come across by chance, and it might just be a rare find.

If I could refine it...

It certainly can't compare to the original offerings in the short term, but as long as it's even three or five parts similar, it will be a great help to our business.

This will be used for publicity, with the added prestige of being a royal tribute...

Trying to extort money from someone of a higher class is tantamount to trying to elevate oneself.

A significant leap in sophistication!

You can do it!
only……

This...

He was still somewhat unwilling to give up. He looked at the notes Wen Gu had given him, analyzed the pros and cons, and made a careful choice.

Forget it, let's focus on cracking the incense first, and put everything else aside.

At the same time, I reassured myself and silently recited: "Sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood!"
Next time we hold a ceremony, we must make it even bigger and use the imperial tribute incense to further enhance our status.

Anger, inner conflict, compromise.

OK.

Start refining!
(End of this chapter)