Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 154 The Incense Shop Launches New Products
News came from the palace that Shentu Zhuo had passed the recommendation examination. He not only achieved an excellent evaluation in the first-class examination of the imperial examination, but also won the emperor's praise for his answers to the policy questions.

However, he was not appointed as a court official. According to His Majesty's decree, the Grand Master of Ceremonies appointed him as the Grand Master of Ceremonies, an official under the Grand Herald, mainly responsible for receiving foreign delegations, coordinating etiquette details, and drafting specific rules for opening up border trade routes and expanding foreign trade in Da Xuan.

Today, Yanzhisi is even more bustling than on its opening day.

The host family was celebrating a joyous occasion, offering half-price deals on all food and drinks, which drew cheers and congratulations from the diners.

Four people were seated in the private room.

Tan Huaike joked, "I thought that everyone who passed the recommendation examination would be appointed as a court official. I even used Langguan incense when I scented his clothes, but it seems it was of no use. What kind of official position was he given? It has nothing to do with him at all."

Zhou Wenzong said, "That's not how it works. The Langguan are just close officials in the palace, with no official positions. They are mostly reserved for Mingjing students from the Imperial Academy. Zhongqi, on the other hand, is the Grand Master of Ceremonies, but he holds real power and can directly participate in the implementation of the most important policies in the court. He is highly valued."

"Oh dear, please stop teasing me..." Shen Tu Zhuo was so drunk that his cheeks were flushed, and he spoke slowly, completely unable to withstand their teasing.

"Really? Is this considered giving him an important position? I don't think he's here to receive me, the envoy from Mohe." Aisha filled his cup with fruit wine again and said, "By the way, the bedding at your inn is really too rough and itchy. I've mentioned it several times. Could you have someone change it to silk?"

“You even find the finest brocade too… coarse? How precious are you?” Shen Tu Zhuo slurred. “You Mohe nobles wear so many gold and silver ornaments all over your bodies, jingling and clanging… hiccup. The silk gets scratched with the slightest touch. It’s such a waste. Give up, I’m not going to change your bedding.”

"I also want a few bolts of silk to take back to the Weaving Cloud Cloth Workshop." Tan Huai Ke didn't let him off the hook either. "What, what Grand Master... Chief of Ceremonies? I'm also a Mohe person. Shouldn't you treat me well too?"

“Yes, she is my sister, and she is a member of the delegation,” Aisha said.

“I can testify that she came to marry me,” Zhou Wenzong said.

"Don't talk nonsense, it has nothing to do with any of this..." Shen Tu Zhuo was just slow to react, but his mind was still clear. "She is my... sister-in-law. She went through a lot of trouble to help me get recognized and promoted. If she wants silk, I will use my salary to buy it for her. It has nothing to do with any of you!"

After arguing for a while, the four of them cleared the table and replaced it with hangover tea.

Zhou Wencong sighed, "Grand Master of Ceremonies... I never expected that Father would be so open about making you an official under the Grand Herald. It's clear that he still cares about your grandfather."

Shen Tu Zhuo scoffed: "Think about? How do you mean you're thinking about me? The kind of thinking that comes from banishing my father-in-law three thousand miles away?"

Zhou Wenzong patted his shoulder: "But the Emperor granted you this official position and asked you to draft the details of opening up trade routes in the western border and foreign trade. This is equivalent to giving you the right to interfere in the selection of imperial merchants. It is obviously an intention to control the Grand Minister. As for that matter back then, I'm afraid the Emperor had no choice."

Tan Huaike looked at Aisha: "If that's really the case, can the eldest prince also use the opening of trade routes to get closer to the Crown Prince? Weren't you always constrained by the Grand Minister of Works, unable to reach an agreement on many things?" Aisha disliked the taste of the hangover tea and pushed it away, saying: "It involves the interests of both countries, so we must be cautious in our negotiations. Having another entry point is a good thing for us, Mohe. If the Grand Herald and the Crown Prince can offer us better conditions and prices, Mohe will naturally give its full support."

Having said all that, it's already a tacit alliance.

Tan Huaike drank a cup of sobering tea and suddenly felt a golden light flash across his future, as if he were already walking on the bustling trade route between Da Xuan and the Western Regions, without the threat of the Ti Nu Iron Cavalry or the rampage of the sand bandits.

And it seems that the revenge for the wrongful deaths of his father and brother can finally be achieved.

Having a younger uncle who's an official is really great.
-
After Shen Tu Zhuo was appointed to an official post, the business in front of the market flourished even more, but the business of Wangchen Incense Shop remained dismal. Tan Huai Ke secretly visited and inquired about other incense shops in Andu, wanting to see how they operated.

This exploration actually led her to discover some secrets.

The spices in those incense shops had all been resold multiple times, resulting in mediocre quality, high spoilage rates, and extremely limited supply. Therefore, they never intended to serve the common people. The reason for the exorbitant prices wasn't because the incense balls themselves were particularly valuable, but rather because they were specifically priced for the powerful and wealthy of the capital. A high price was necessary to demonstrate their distinguished status.

Moreover, the elites of Andu were prone to following trends. It seemed that they didn't really care about the effects of various spices, whether they smelled good or not, or whether they liked them or not. As soon as a new fragrant pill or balm became popular among the nobles in the palace, the women in the official residences or wealthy merchants' homes would want to have a box of it. Even if it didn't suit them, they insisted on following the trend.

Tan Huaike thought that if he wanted his spice business to stand out, he had to both follow the extravagant and trend-following habits of Andu and differentiate himself from others, expanding his sources of goods and customers.

She analyzed the situation carefully and realized that people's tendency to follow trends in buying incense stemmed from a lack of understanding of the spices from the Western Regions and the limited variety available. Following the palace's preferences was the safest option. Therefore, if she wanted to get her incense balls and balms under the noses of these powerful figures, she needed to give them more prestigious titles to attract their attention and provide them with more choices.

So Tan Huaike put his mind to rearranging the Forget-Dust Incense Shop.

The original names of spices from the Western Regions were all direct transliterations of their pronunciations, and because they lacked meaningful connotations, the people of Da Xuan always struggled to remember them. Inspired by "Langguan Fragrance" and "Langguan," she changed the names of various spices from the Western Regions into meaningful Da Xuan characters, subtly adding a sense of prayer and blessing.

She then made detailed labels for each of her perfume balls and balms, such as what herbs were used, what their effects were, what the initial scent was, what the middle scent was, and what the final scent was. This not only gave customers a clearer understanding of which perfume suited them, but also allowed them to share more experiences about using perfumes.

Other incense shops are just resellers, and the owners themselves don't really understand these things. Her advantage lies in her knowledge of incense and her ability to blend and make incense, which allows her to provide customers with more added value.

Finally, Tan Huaike asked Shen Tuzhuo for help, and asked the local music bureau to compose and perform some bizarre stories about the western border, and to incorporate their own rarest and most precious spices into them. After two or three prime ministers and songs were circulated, the business of Wangchen Incense Shop improved.

However, something unexpected happened to Tan Huaike.
-
Next chapter: This fragrance... can it really inspire love?