Chapter 94: Inquiring About Second Brother Yuan’s Family

Han Yan’er was dressed in men’s attire, her hair tied up in a high ponytail, exuding an air of bravery and heroism.

Zhou Feng tightened the reins, startled by her sudden appearance. “Miss Han, why are you here?”

Han Yan’er sat beside him and said, “I originally planned to visit your shop to buy some incense, but I happened to see people from the Yuan family sent to kill you, so I followed them all the way here.”

Zhou Feng quickly expressed his gratitude, “Thank you, Miss Han.”

As he spoke, he turned his horse around, preparing to return to the capital.

Han Yan’er immediately stopped him. “Shopkeeper Zhou, what are you doing?”

Zhou Feng replied seriously, “I’m taking you back right now.”

Han Yan’er grabbed the reins from his hands and smiled. “No need to go back. I’ll go with you to Qingzhou Prefecture.”

Zhou Feng frowned slightly. “You want to go with me to Qingzhou Prefecture?”

Han Yan’er lifted her head and looked forward. “That’s right. Since Qingzhou Prefecture is not far ahead, I happen to have business there—I plan to visit Magistrate Zheng’s residence and see Miss Zheng.”

Seeing that she was heading to Magistrate Zheng’s home, Zhou Feng gradually relaxed. He turned the carriage around again and continued towards Qingzhou Prefecture.

By the time the sun rose, they had arrived in the city.

Zhou Feng dropped Han Yan’er off at Magistrate Zheng’s residence before hurrying back to Cheng’an County.

That day, Zhou Feng returned just in time for the grand opening of the Zhou family’s new incense shop.

Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan stood at the entrance with the Liu family’s daughter-in-law, welcoming guests.

Zhou Feng had only been passing by when Du Wanchun spotted him from afar. She immediately waved and called out, “Second Brother!”

Hearing her voice, Zhou Feng turned his head in her direction.

Du Wanchun took a few steps forward and called again, “Over here!”

Zhou Feng quickly urged his carriage forward, arriving at the shop’s entrance.

Looking inside, he asked, “Sister-in-law, is this the new shop our family opened?”

Noticing his travel-worn appearance, Du Wanchun welcomed him in with a smile. “Yes! Second Brother, you’ve come back at just the right time. Come in and see our new shop.”

The new shop was twice the size of the previous one. Zhou Feng looked around, unable to hide his joy, so much so that he even forgot to take the tea offered by the Liu family’s daughter-in-law.

Zhou Ruiyuan coughed lightly from the side. “Second Brother, have some tea first. You’ve traveled all night—you must be exhausted.”

Zhou Feng took the tea but continued to examine the shop.

Inside, there were already many finished incense products. He picked up a few, sniffing them carefully, and smiled. “Mother has made new incense again. I’ll take more with me when I return to the capital.”

Du Wanchun brought out some pastries from the back room. “Mother and I made plenty of incense, enough for you to take to the capital. But, Second Brother, we can’t keep having you run back and forth like this. We should start making money and hire an armed escort service to deliver it instead. Otherwise, it’ll be too risky on the road.”

As she finished speaking, her gaze landed on the carriage.

There were still fresh bloodstains on it.

Zhou Ruiyuan noticed it too. The two immediately pulled Zhou Feng into the inner room, leaving the Liu family’s daughter-in-law to tend to the shop outside.

“Second Brother, what’s with the blood on your carriage?” Zhou Ruiyuan asked directly.

Zhou Feng didn’t hide anything. He recounted the assassination attempt he encountered on the road in full detail, also sharing his suspicions. “I suspect it was the Yuan family. They act as if they rule the capital just because they are related to Imperial Concubine Wu. They bully the weak and fear the strong. Essentially, no one dares to open an incense shop in the capital except for them.”

Du Wanchun frowned in confusion. “The Yuan family? I don’t think I’ve heard of them before.”

Zhou Feng quickly explained, “The Yuan family used to learn incense-making from my maternal grandmother. Later, they used our family’s formulas to open their own incense shop in the capital. It became an instant success. When Imperial Concubine Wu gained power, they leveraged their connection to monopolize the entire incense business in the capital.”

Du Wanchun suddenly understood. She sat down slowly, her gaze darkening. In her heart, she thought that a family like this did not deserve such immense wealth and power.

As she finished thinking, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through the room, rattling the windows.

Zhou Ruiyuan turned to shut the window tightly, then looked at Zhou Feng with a serious expression. “The Yuan family is lawless. If you encounter them again, don’t hesitate.”

Zhou Feng nodded firmly. “Of course. Next time, even if Master Yuan himself comes, I’ll cut off his head without a second thought.”

If you weren’t ruthless, they would only become crueler. The four of them—mother and sons—had learned this lesson three years ago.

Du Wanchun pondered for a moment, then glanced towards the shop outside. “Second Brother, since the Yuan family is using our grandmother’s incense formulas, does that mean their incense has similarities to ours?”