Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 140 The dust has settled
Upon hearing Zhu Wen's words, Tang Wenyi and the others' eyes gleamed with golden light.

Even a peerless beauty like Baihua Xiu completely lost her appeal to them.

At this point, in their eyes, Zhu Wen was no longer a young man in brocade robes, but a golden statue made of pure gold, a gold statue that could be piled up in carts and bushels!
"What does Young Master Zhu mean..." Tang Wenyi revealed a shrewd smile, gently twirling his slender fingers.

"If Mount Tai wins this incense gathering, the rose water produced in the Tang Dynasty will surely be available throughout the world," Zhu Wen said calmly, his eyes meeting Tang Wenyi's.

As Zhu Wen said, whether it is liquor or rose water, the victory of the Taishan Sect at the Five Peaks Incense Gathering is a necessary prerequisite for effective promotion.

If the critics are willing to do this favor, why worry about not getting the exclusive rights to the rose water?

On the second floor, Tang Wenyi retreated into the crowd, whispering and discussing with the other "judges".

They naturally guessed that Zhu Huanglangjun was Zhu Wen, the chief strategist of the rebel army, and they also knew that only Huang Chao, with his vast influence and connections, could have created such a terrifying industrial chain.

Not to mention the various factions in the martial arts world, most of them had connections with Wang Xianzhi and Huang Chao. Even if they didn't care about those connections, they couldn't resist the allure of gleaming gold and silver!
Baihuaxiu's eyes finally changed.

She suddenly realized something.

When she looked at Zhuoying with pride, Zhuoying, though ashamed of her own inferiority in talent, did not turn pale like the other female disciples of Mount Tai.

Like that rude kid, Shadow, as the one who went directly into the arena, knew from the beginning that the outcome would be a foregone conclusion.

"At this Wufeng Incense Festival, the Taishan dance and music won first place with its elegant and light fragrance."

An elderly man with a cane, acting as the leader of the "evaluators," slowly and methodically explained the results of the discussion.

Behind each "commendation" is a large family that requires enormous profits to support it.

Besides, with the huge profits earned from the rose water trade, what beauty couldn't they obtain?
Baihuaxiu's cheek muscles twitched slightly.

Her life was remarkably smooth. In the past, apart from the aloof and handsome young man Yang Xingmi, every man who saw her fell at her feet.

Zhu Wen, however, was not only unmoved by her beauty, but also used such underhanded tactics to make her experience the feeling of falling from the clouds to the bottom.

Baihuaxiu regained her composure in an instant, sweeping her charming eyes over the guests below the stage.

But Zhu Wen was close enough to see the twitching on her face.

"This is unfair! This is a rigged operation!"

"Go up and kill that brat!"

After a flurry of discussion, someone in the audience finally roared out.

They were clearly captivated by Baihuaxiu's alluring beauty.

A rotten orange, seemingly out of nowhere, came hurtling towards Zhu Wen's head, but he dodged it by slightly shifting his body.

The female swordswomen of the Mount Tai sect drew their swords, preparing to enter the arena to maintain order.

"Everyone, please don't get so worked up." Zhu Wen smiled gently. "To celebrate Fairy Zhuoying leading Mount Tai to the top spot among the Five Peaks, I, Zhu, have presented each of you in the Moon Palace with a bottle of the finest rose water. Whether you give it to a beautiful lady or bring it to your sisters or daughters at home, it is the best choice."

Don’t reach out to hit the smiling person.

Moreover, Zhu Wen also wanted to give them very precious things.

The surging crowd calmed down almost instantly.

Baihua Xiu suddenly realized that her beauty was utterly powerless.

There's a folk tale that when King Wu of Zhou attacked King Zhou of Shang, he ordered the execution of Daji. The executioner, captivated by her beauty, couldn't bring himself to do it and instead committed suicide. Finally, Jiang Ziya personally took the knife and killed Daji.

This must be a lie. There are many instances where, when righteous men faced execution, the executioners couldn't bring themselves to do it and chose to die alongside them.

Confucius said, "I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as he loves beauty."

The greatness of morality can exert a power that beauty cannot at crucial moments.

As the crowd orderly went up to collect their free gifts and casually bought a few bottles of rose water to put in their pockets, everything was settled.

Everyone knows the true quality of the dance, but no one questions the result itself anymore.

The long night passed, and dawn broke, with the first light of day shining through the green window into the Moon Palace.

Tian Jun was already half asleep in Zhu Wen's arms as he returned to the audience.

"It's dawn!" Zhu Wen grabbed Tian Jun's shoulders and shook her awake.

"We didn't sleep all night!" Tian Jun said angrily, "Besides, you usually sleep longer than me."

“You’ll die if you keep sleeping.” Tian Jun’s expression changed: “Die? We’ve already won…”

“Those who possess power, after losing a game of chess, will smash the chessboard over their opponent's head,” Zhu Wen said. “Have you forgotten that woman who called herself a strong person?”

"How strong is she?" Tian Jun asked.

"Even if we join forces, we might not be able to win."

Tian Jun's expression changed: "Zhizhen is too weak to even kill a chicken, what should we do?"

“Let’s run, leave Zhizhen to Zhuoying to take care of. This woman is coming for me, and when she flips the table, she only wants to kill me.”

Zhu Wen glanced at the crowd: "Everyone here could be an assassin planted by her, but I didn't bring a single assassin with me this time."

As Zhu Wen spoke, he pulled Tian Jun up and, while the crowd was still receiving rose water, quietly slipped out of the hall.

"If it has nothing to do with me, why should I run away?" Tian Jun asked, puzzled.

Zhu Wen flicked her forehead: "Do you want to be a widow?"

Tian Jun raised her spirited eyebrows, quite annoyed that Zhu Wen had hit her, and bit Zhu Wen's neck directly: "What do you mean? You want others to help you run away?"

"Think about that woman's dance moves. Does she seem to be inferior to me in terms of agility? Even on horseback, she might not be able to escape."

Tian Jun then understood Zhu Wen's meaning.

"Moreover, I, Zhu Liangyu, am not someone who enjoys being hunted down."

A murderous intent had already formed in Zhu Wen's eyes.

Tian Jun tacitly grasped Zhu Wen's hand.

Even the Flame General died at Zhu Wen's hands, so killing another peerless beauty wouldn't warrant the slightest pity from Zhu Wen.

This is a matter of life and death.

The best way to escape is to find an opportunity to eliminate the opponent and completely resolve the crisis.

More than a day had passed since Yang Xingmi issued his warning, and Zhu Wen had naturally made arrangements in advance.

Tian Jun trusted Zhu Wen's plans without any doubt.

The two walked hand in hand along the winding mountain path, and then entered a pathless thicket.

“I bet that woman who can smell all sorts of different fragrances has a nose that’s even more sensitive than a dog’s,” Zhu Wen said. “But I really don’t know how to erase our scent.”

Rather, even if he had the means, Zhu Wen wouldn't use them. He had already decided that as long as Baihua Xiu caught up with him, he would lure her into his predetermined battlefield and ruthlessly destroy her.

"Just running away is pretty boring." Zhu Wen felt the mountain breeze blowing coolly on his face and said to Tian Jun, "Guess how much we can make this time?"

"Quite a lot, isn't it? Even though you gave away a lot for free, you bought even more with your own money," Tian Jun replied.

"No, it's a huge loss. It was Zhizhen's idea."

Tian Jun was shocked: "Zhizhen's idea is unreliable?"

"No, it's too reliable. The distillation process of rose water is not exactly the same as that of spirits. In addition, the pharmacists under Master's command spent a whole year researching the formula before it was truly completed. The current production volume is far from enough."

"So most of what was sold to those people was still purchased from the market, repackaged, and sold at a loss."

Tian Jun certainly understood the significance of this loss-making sale. Once the sales channels were opened, profits would flow in, and the short-term losses would be quickly made up.

"But the fragrance is different, isn't it? The rose water on Sister Zhuoying and the others is noticeably more delicate and elegant..."

"It's very simple. Arabs all have a strong, pungent smell, while we Chinese generally don't. So the Chinese don't need such a strong rose water at all. If you add some water to it, the fragrance will be more pleasant."

It turns out that the so-called "refined elegance" was just watered down with the rose water from the Great Food Kingdom.

Tian Jun finally understood why Zhu Wen had previously brought up the fact that most Western Region Hu people had a strong, unpleasant odor.

Baihua Xiu must be a very powerful woman, and the two of them will surely face another life-or-death battle.

But no matter how terrifying Baihua Xiu is, she is not as terrifying as Yan Shuai.

Besides, Zhu Wen was with her.

Therefore, Tian Jun had nothing to fear.

(End of this chapter)