Chapter 133: An Unusual Scent

The Third Prince grew suspicious of the Liu sisters and immediately sent his trusted men to investigate them.

Since Cheng’an County was quite a distance from the capital, it would take at least ten days before any information could return.

Madam Zhou was also concerned about the matter. Whenever she saw Du Wanchun heading to the shop, she would have her bring eggs and duck eggs to Liu Niangzi and Madam Xu.

Over time, Du Wanchun became well-acquainted with Liu Niangzi.

Liu Niangzi was stunningly beautiful, with slightly upturned apricot-shaped eyes and a graceful figure. Even though she was getting older, she still retained her charm. Middle-aged men passing by her shop couldn’t help but steal glances at her.

That day, after Lady Li left Zhou’s incense shop, she immediately went to confront Magistrate Li.

She never expected that once Magistrate Li learned she was the one responsible for the tragic death of the Liu family, he would grab his sword and try to kill her. If it hadn’t been for their eldest son stopping him, Lady Li might have lost her life that very night.

Perhaps because he still held some remnants of their past relationship, Magistrate Li didn’t kill her. Instead, he handed her a divorce letter.

Lady Li spent the entire night crying in her room over the letter. By the next morning, news of Magistrate Li divorcing her had spread like wildfire throughout Cheng’an County.

It wasn’t long before word reached Lady Li’s maiden family.

Her family, the Sun family, was a wealthy merchant family from Qingzhou Prefecture, specializing in the rouge and cosmetics trade.

Unlike Liu Niangzi’s small shop, the Sun family’s business extended across the entire Xuanyue Kingdom.

A few days later, Lady Li’s eldest brother and sister-in-law arrived at the Li residence.

During these days, Du Wanchun had been busy at her shop. Just as she finished tallying the accounts from the past few days, she saw a large group of people rushing into Liu Niangzi’s rouge shop across the street.

Moments later, all the rouge and cosmetics inside were thrown out onto the street.

It wasn’t long before Liu Niangzi’s cries echoed from within the shop.

A shrill female voice shouted, “Just a lowly wench, and you dare go against the Sun family?! Do you even know our family’s status in the capital? The rouge used by the Noble Consort herself comes from our family!”

Consort Wu frequently used rouge from the Sun family, which emboldened them to act arrogantly and oppress people in smaller counties.

In the past, Magistrate Li had often been pressured by this family.

Zhang Qiuhua poked her head out and exclaimed, “Wanchun, we need to go over there now! Otherwise, someone might get killed!”

Du Wanchun nodded firmly, and the two hurried toward Liu Niangzi’s shop.

Other shopkeepers nearby also rushed over.

“In broad daylight! How can you bully someone like this?” The teahouse owner, Madam Xu, quickly stepped forward to help Liu Niangzi up.

Liu Niangzi had bruises on her face—it was clear she had been beaten.

Yet, Lady Li’s elder brother and sister-in-law were relentless. “She deserves it! Seducing another woman’s husband—she ought to die for it!”

Madam Xu was infuriated upon hearing this and snapped, “It wasn’t her who deserved to die—it was your dear little sister! That young couple had already been engaged, their marriage was set in stone. If your Sun family hadn’t ruined her family and left her destitute, your sister wouldn’t have had the chance to become the magistrate’s wife!”

The other shopkeepers joined in agreement. “That’s right! No matter what, you can’t just smash up a store and assault people!”

Most of the shopkeepers on this street came from humble farming backgrounds. They worked hard for a living, scraping by with just a few silver taels, so they usually maintained a harmonious relationship with one another.

Especially ever since the Zhou family opened a shop here, business on the street had flourished, and the sense of community among the neighbors had only grown stronger.

As a weak and vulnerable woman, Liu Niangzi gradually earned their support and protection.

Seeing themselves outnumbered, the eldest son and daughter-in-law of the Sun family found themselves at a disadvantage.

Seizing the opportunity, Madam Xu rallied the shopkeepers and drove the Sun family’s people out.

During the commotion, the situation escalated, and both sides began to physically fight.

Zhang Qiuhua quickly pulled Du Wanchun aside to take shelter, exclaiming, “The Sun family sure is brazen! Not only are they pressuring Magistrate Li, but they even dare to assault people in broad daylight with so many witnesses around!”

At that moment, someone in the crowd muttered, “Isn’t it because they have Noble Consort Wu backing them up?”

Du Wanchun frowned upon hearing this. She immediately turned toward the crowd and spotted Madam Xu.

She asked, “The Sun family is just a cosmetics merchant—how could they possibly be connected to Noble Consort Wu?”

Madam Xu lowered her voice and whispered, “Wanchun, you don’t know this, but years ago, I heard from some villagers that the eldest Sun brother had some… history with Noble Consort Wu.”

“History?” Du Wanchun was puzzled. “What kind of history?”

Madam Xu shook her head. “I don’t know the details. I only heard a servant girl from the Sun family mention it back when we lived in Lin County. She said that the eldest Sun brother had a rather close relationship with Noble Consort Wu, which is why she favors using their cosmetics.”

Hearing this, Du Wanchun couldn’t help but sense that something unusual was at play.