On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2171 Incense Chaos

"It's just a guess," Dr. Cao said cautiously. "After all, neither the pulse nor acupuncture revealed anything abnormal, which is really illogical."

I'll prescribe another calming and regulating formula for the First Madam to take for a few days to see if it alleviates her drowsiness. As for the matter of her sense of smell, we still need to find more clues.

Huo Changxu nodded; this was the only option for now.

He instructed the maid to take good care of the unconscious First Madam, thanked Doctor Cao and the Abbot, and then turned to leave.

"Where is the Second Young Master going?" the abbot asked.

“I’ll go to the spice shop again,” Huo Changxu said firmly. “My mother’s symptoms and the strange things that happened at the spice shop are too suspicious. Maybe we can find some connection there.”

Outside the palace, the streets of Youcheng were bustling with activity.

The afternoon sun shone warmly on the bluestone road, and pedestrians came and went in an endless stream, with shouts of vendors and laughter rising and falling.

Huo Changxu walked along, his mind preoccupied, when he suddenly caught sight of a new shop on the street corner, brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful ribbons hanging from the door frame. A large crowd had gathered at the entrance, and the sounds of gongs and drums created a lively atmosphere.

He paused for a moment, his mind preoccupied with the spice shop, and didn't pay much attention before turning around and continuing on his way.

Just like yesterday, the spice shop was packed with people, and the noisy complaints could be heard from afar.

Customers were crowding around the shelves and counters to return their purchases. Several opened sachets were still scattered on the floor, the spices mixed with dust, creating a messy scene.

Huo Zhongmao was standing behind the counter, patiently explaining to customers while refunding them. Beads of sweat streamed down his face, and his long shirt was soaked with sweat, indicating that he had been busy for a long time.

Huo Changxu stood at the door for a moment, but did not go forward to disturb them.

He wouldn't be of much help if he went forward now, so he might as well go and check out the Qian family's spice shop.

The Qian family's spice shop has been in Youcheng for over twenty years, longer than Huo's, and has a larger storefront. It is filled with goods, ranging from common incense and calming incense to precious ambergris and musk.

But at this moment, the scene here is even more chaotic than Huo Ji's.

A long queue had formed in front of the shop, all people returning goods. There were old and young, men and women, and their chattering complaints almost lifted the roof off.

Behind the counter, Manager Qian and his several assistants were so busy that their feet barely touched the ground. Their abacuses clicked loudly as they refunded money and collected sachets, never stopping for a moment.

Huo Changxu squeezed through the door, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. Suddenly, he noticed a detail—among the people in line, many were dressed in fine silk clothes, clearly servants and maids from wealthy families.

The sachets and incense boxes they carried were quite exquisite, clearly purchased for the master of the mansion.

"My wife bought some incense the other day, saying she wanted to fumigate the house, but after lighting it for a short while, the whole house smelled strange. My wife almost vomited and asked me to come back and return it right away!"

A maid wearing a blue satin jacket was speaking to the waiter, her tone somewhat urgent.

"My young master bought mosquito repellent incense, which was supposed to calm the nerves and repel mosquitoes, but it smells terrible and didn't even drive away the mosquitoes. In fact, it gave my young master a headache!" A servant chimed in.

Huo Changxu's heart skipped a beat.

Yesterday, he registered the returnees of his shop. They were all ordinary people with scattered addresses. However, there were so many servants from various households in Qian's shop. This shows that this matter not only affected ordinary people, but also the wealthy families in the city.

Without further hesitation, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Manager Qian, I apologize for disturbing you."

The shopkeeper was wiping his sweat when he looked up and saw Huo Changxu. A wry smile appeared on his face: "Second Young Master, what brings you here? Your shop must be incredibly busy, right?"

“That’s true,” Huo Changxu nodded, his gaze sweeping over the queue. “I see that you have more people here returning goods, and… it seems that quite a few of them are servants from various households?”

The shopkeeper sighed, "Since we opened this morning, there hasn't been a stop. It's not just ordinary people; even servants from wealthy families have come, all saying that our food smells bad. I'm so anxious, but I have no clue what to do."

"Shopkeeper," Huo Changxu leaned closer and asked in a low voice, "do you have a record of the names, addresses, and residences of those who come to return goods?"

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then shook his head somewhat blankly: "Why record this? In the past, returns didn't require this much trouble; we just refunded the money and took the incense back."

“This matter is by no means simple,” Huo Changxu said solemnly. “My shop recorded all the information of those who returned goods yesterday, thinking that perhaps we could find some patterns in them.”

If we could record all the information about these people, we might be able to find commonalities among them and thus pinpoint the root of the problem.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh: "That's right! How come I didn't think of that! The Second Young Master is so meticulous!"

He immediately turned to the shop assistant beside him and ordered, "Quickly, get a register and pen and ink, and register every customer who comes to return goods, including their name and address. If they are servants from the manor, find out which manor they are from and who their master is. Don't miss a single detail!"

The shop assistant quickly responded and turned to fetch the booklet and writing materials.

Huo Changxu felt a little more at ease looking at the busy workers.

He felt that the key to solving the mystery must be hidden in the information of these return customers.

By comparing the records of the two shops, we might be able to find the reason.

……

Yan Ruyu gave Su Jingzhuo a final check-up. The poison in his body had been completely eliminated, but the long period of poisoning had inevitably damaged his body. However, as long as he rested and recuperated properly, there would be no problem.

Both the father and son of the Su family had to kneel down to pay their respects.

Huo Changhe reached out to support him.

Yan Ruyu smiled and said, "Envoy Su, there's no need for that."

Su Zhenhai said with shame, "I was unaware of the Princess's identity before and was quite negligent. Not only did the Princess not blame me, but she also treated my son's illness and detoxified him, and even helped me resolve matters in the city. It is truly..."

Su Jingzhuo said earnestly, "Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life. I will never forget it."

Yan Ruyu solemnly said, "I am a physician, and it is a physician's duty to heal the sick and wounded."

“Young Master Su, you are kind-hearted and intelligent, which is a good thing, but sometimes you are too thoughtful, which is a shortcoming of a sentimental person.”

"In this life, you will meet countless passersby. Some will accompany you to the end, while others will only accompany you for a short while. But no matter what, you cannot stop others from leaving."

"It's better to learn to accept and let go. This doesn't mean forgetting, but rather looking forward."

Su Jingzhuo's heart skipped a beat, and tears welled up in his eyes.

He bowed deeply and said, "Yes, thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."