I became a prince in a martial arts world.

Three days later, Li Yunxiu, Qianqian, and Zhao Yingjie stared blankly at the ten bottles of orchid perfume, ten bottles of peony perfume, and ten bottles of peach blossom perfume in front of them.

"Is this... perfume?" Qianqian asked softly.

"How did you manage to produce such a strong orchid fragrance?" Li Yunxiu opened the small bottle, took a gentle sniff, and asked incredulously.

Zhao Yingjie blinked his small eyes, "Brother Yu, you're amazing!"

"You shouldn't have said that!"

Wang Yu pushed away Zhao Yingjie's chubby face and said proudly, "This stuff is quite difficult to make. We started from scratch. I first asked the craftsmen in the manor to make distillation equipment to extract flower essential oils, and then purified the liquor again. That's how we made a few trial bottles."

Although distillation equipment is a new term, its general meaning can be understood from the literal meaning, but...

"Is there oil in the flower?" Li Yunxiu asked.

"Very few, but there are some." Wang Yu pointed to Zhao Yingjie. "You can ask him how many flowers I used to fill these thirty bottles of perfume."

Zhao Yingjie immediately said, "I hauled a whole truckload of each type of flower, weighing at least a hundred pounds."

"That includes the flower branches. As for the petals alone, different flowers have different effects. Generally, one hundred catties of petals can only extract one catty of essential oil. One catty of essential oil mixed with three catties of alcohol will produce the strongest fragrance, which can last for almost three hours," Wang Yu said.

Qianqian is good at math and knows the market price, "so each bottle of perfume won't cost more than one tael of silver."

Li Yunxiu said, "It was transported all the way from the West, and the price is only increased tenfold, which is already very reasonable."

The two women exchanged a glance and immediately thought about how profitable it would be if the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion could produce perfume. After all, just a few days ago, the Wang family had bought out all the perfumes brought in by merchants from the Western Regions, and a hundred bottles would cost a thousand taels of silver.

Zhao Yingjie's heart turned even darker: "If we could impersonate a Western Regions caravan..."

Li Yunxiu shook her head in rejection, "That would seem like it would be expensive, but we can't sell too many, otherwise it will be exposed sooner or later."

"Then we'll do it ourselves." Wang Yu nodded. "I'll leave it to you. Build your own perfume workshop. As long as you keep the details of the core essential oil extraction equipment a secret, no one else will be able to extract a way to preserve the fragrance for so long."

Li Yunxiu's eyes lit up. "Besides selling them to various parts of the Central Plains, we can also sell them back to the Western Regions. Just this alone can earn the Prince's Mansion at least another 100,000 taels of silver every year!"

Wang Yu pointed out, "The ratio of essential oils to alcohol can affect the fragrance and its duration. You can adjust it to different concentrations. For the lowest-end, you can add some water and then differentiate the prices. Make the low-end cheaper and the high-end more expensive. Remember to differentiate the packaging as well. The top-of-the-line product can even be made in only 100 bottles a year and auctioned off once a year, with the highest bidder winning. This stuff is a symbol of status."

The three looked at Wang Yu with a mixture of surprise and bewilderment, as if they were looking at a cunning businessman.

Wang Yu asked calmly, "To do it or not?"

Li Yunxiu nodded decisively, "I'll do it!"

Wang Yu waved his hand and then prepared to leave.

"where did you go?"

"Go and rest. Is there anything else?"

Li Yunxiu and Qianqian were fine, but Zhao Yingjie was really in trouble. "In two days, it will be the wedding of the son of the Thousand Willow Manor Master. The Ding family of Thousand Willow Manor is a local family in Longshan Prefecture, and their willow leaf knife technique is quite good."

Master Ding sent the invitation a month ago. It was originally just for me, but I thought, Yu-ge'er, you just got back, why don't you go and join in the fun?"

Of course, the Zhenxi Prince's Mansion is not the only martial arts force in the three prefectures of the Northwest. Small sects, gangs, and families are scattered throughout the region, and Qianliu Manor is one of them.

They certainly couldn't compare to the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion, but they sent gifts and tributes to the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion every year, and they also had business dealings with the Prince of Zhenxi's Mansion in terms of land, shops, etc., so they could still keep in touch.

The wedding of the lord's son was a major event, and many guests were invited. However, they were not qualified to invite the Prince of Zhenxi. Being able to invite even a steward from the Prince's manor was already considered a great honor.

Zhao Yingjie was the son of Zhao Rong, the head steward of the Prince's Mansion. He was also a steward in the Prince's Mansion, handling matters such as welcoming and sending off guests. He knew the Ding family, so the invitation was delivered to him.

"A wedding banquet? Sure!" Wang Yu agreed.

These past few days, Wang Yu has been practicing martial arts and making perfume. Without a cell phone or internet, it's fine when there's something to do, but once he's idle, he gets very bored because there's a severe lack of entertainment.

No wonder restaurants and teahouses are packed with customers, and theaters and casinos are bustling with noise; there's simply too little entertainment available.

Qianqian raised an eyebrow, took Wang Yu's hand, and glanced quickly but clearly at Li Yunxiu. "I'll go with Brother Yu!"

Li Yunxiu smiled softly, "The ten-day break is in two days. I'll be free then, so I'll accompany my husband and take a break."

Qianqian smiled gently, Li Yunxiu's lips curled up slightly, Wang Yu didn't care at all, only Zhao Yingjie shivered, suddenly wondering if his suggestion to invite Wang Yu was a mistake.

……

February 18th is an auspicious day for marriage.

The setting sun casts its golden rays across the sky.

The spring breeze during the day carried a hint of coolness, stirring the willow branches throughout the village.

Qianliu Manor, as its name suggests, is filled with willow trees both inside and outside the manor. It is springtime, and the green willows sway in the wind without the willow catkins obscuring the view. Under the glow of the sunset, they are tinged with a golden light, making it the most beautiful time of year.

At this moment, Qianliu Village is adorned with red silk ribbons stretching for miles, flowers carpeting the ground, bustling with carriages and horses, and melodious music. It is a place where guests fill the gates and gongs and drums resound.

"What? The Prince of Zhenxi is here in person?"

Ding Jianshen, the owner of Qianliu Manor who was entertaining guests, was startled. He hurriedly apologized to his friends and went to the back hall, asking the steward, "What happened?"

The steward replied, "Steward Zhao from the Prince's Mansion just arrived, traveling light and with one man and two women. They are the newly appointed Prince of Zhenxi and his two betrothed consorts."

Ding Jianshen nodded hurriedly, "I'll go pay my respects to the Prince of Zhenxi first. You go and adjust the seating, arrange three more seats at the main table, and remember to remind Xian'er to offer a toast."

Ding Jianshen gave an order and then went to the front yard, where he saw Zhao Yingjie accompanying three young men strolling around the manor.

The man was imposing and the two women were dignified, elegant, charming, and indeed extraordinary. Ding Jianshen hurriedly stepped forward to greet them, saying some polite words of honor, and then respectfully invited them into the main hall and to sit at the head table.

The son of the owner of Qianliu Manor was getting married. There were at least a hundred guests in the manor, but the main hall had limited space, so only one main table and two secondary tables were set up for the banquet. The rest were arranged in the courtyard.

"Who are they? Four young men, actually invited to sit at the main table. Aren't they rising stars from some major martial arts sect?"

"The young man sitting in the middle looks very arrogant. If he didn't not be without a sword, I would have thought that the little sword immortal from the Taihua Sect had arrived."

"Be careful what you say. See that fat man? He's the son of Zhao Rong, the head steward of the Prince of Zhenxi's mansion. He's also a steward in the mansion now. He's quite skilled in the Fiery Cloud Blade Technique. Qianliu Manor makes a living in Longshan Prefecture, so naturally they have connections with the Prince of Zhenxi's mansion."

"But he seemed quite obsequious to that young man, could it be...?"

"hiss--"

Those sitting in the courtyard realized what was happening. The martial arts practitioners in the hall were not stupid, and many of them knew Zhao Yingjie. They all paid their respects.

Wang Yu, accompanied by Li Yunxiu and the other two women, responded with smiles and showed no impoliteness. In doing so, he also made the acquaintance of several local martial arts figures, some of whom were highly respected and others of some influence.

Not long after, the wedding officially began.

Amidst the joyous sounds of drums and music, the bride and groom walked in from outside the door. The groom had striking eyebrows and bright eyes, while the bride wore a red veil over her head. They walked slowly with the help of their maids.

As we walked along, the guests in the courtyard cheered and applauded.

May you have a long and happy marriage!

May you have a son soon!

As the two entered the main hall, the manor owner, Ding Jianshen, and his wife sat in the main seats with smiles on their faces.

Light candles and burn incense.

The officiant chanted, "In the fragrant smoke and brightly lit candlelight, the bride and groom ascend the flower hall together to bow to heaven and earth!"

But just as the bride and groom were about to perform the wedding ceremony, a woman's voice suddenly rang out, "Ding Xian, do you remember me?"

There is gossip!

Everyone looked at the woman who had suddenly spoken in the courtyard. She was wearing a green dress and a veil. She sounded young, but no one knew what story she had with the groom.

Upon hearing the woman's voice, the groom, Ding Xian, was clearly startled. He looked at the woman with disbelief and blurted out, "Yuan Feifei, you're still alive?"

Ding Xian was startled, and Wang Yu and the others were also somewhat surprised, because this woman was the same girl who had been with Mr. Gu Tong that day.

Seeing the strange expressions on Wang Yu and the others' faces, Li Yunxiu asked, "Do you know her?"

Wang Yu nodded. "She's the one you don't know."

Li Yunxiu understood immediately and looked around. "It seems their purpose in coming to Longshan Prefecture is the Ding family. Now that this woman has arrived, Mr. Gutong and Madam Ziyu must be nearby."

"Of course I'm still alive!" Yuan Feifei's laughter was tinged with pain. "You used sweet words to ruin my family and drive me to jump off a cliff. By sheer luck, Heaven has spared my life, and this is your retribution!"

At this point, Yuan Feifei pulled off her veil, revealing three or four crisscrossing scars on her face. Although they were not deep, they were very noticeable.

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Ding Xian was somewhat flustered, perhaps realizing he had unintentionally made a mistake. He could no longer deny knowing Yuan Feifei, so he could only forcefully say, "The Yuan family was destroyed by the Thirty-Six Strongholds of Taiheng. I don't know anything about you jumping off the cliff or anything like that. I only know that the Yuan family was destroyed, and your fate is unknown..."

Ding Xian was flustered, but Ding Jianshen, a seasoned veteran, didn't bother arguing with Yuan Feifei. He simply ordered his men, "Take her down!"

Two servants rushed forward, one revealing his calloused hands, the other striking a tiger's claw pose, clearly also skilled in martial arts.

But before the two servants could get close, they each screamed and fell to the ground.

By the light of the courtyard lamps, all that could be seen were the two men's trembling hands, covered in blood, but no one could see how they had been injured.

Ding Jianshen's heart skipped a beat. He knew that this woman had a powerful backer. Just looking at her invisible hidden weapons, he knew he was no match for her.

Ding Jianshen slammed his fist on the table and stood up, shouting, "Who are you, treacherous villains, launching this sneak attack! Show yourselves if you dare! Prince Zhao, the Prince of Zhenxi, is here; how dare you act so presumptuously!"

Wang Yu: ? ? ?