Doctor Li said, "Bring this incense to me for a look."
Upon hearing this, Qin Yuan quickly passed it over.
Opening the box, inside lay a few incense pills quietly, emitting a faint fragrance. Doctor Li picked one up and sniffed it beneath his nose, his expression somewhat wistful.
Xiao Dong saw him sniffing for a while without speaking and asked, "Master, is there something wrong with these incense pills?"
"There’s nothing wrong; it’s just too right, which is not good."
Qin Yuan frowned and looked at him. Xiao Dong couldn’t hold back and asked, "Right but not good?"
"You’re still a child, not suitable for knowing now," Doctor Li looked at Xiao Dong with a smile, then said to Qin Yuan, "Madam, being able to create such incense pills and doing so well, as a teacher, I’m only happy, but..."
"But what?"
Xiao Dong asked eagerly again.
"She has a mental illness; the sicker she gets, the more suspicious and narrow-minded she’ll be. Even if you don’t say it, I can guess she has many disharmonies with you. As a doctor, it’s my duty to speak of her illness, but seeing her demeanor, she’s unlikely to believe it. You made this medicine, and she won’t use it. She might even suspect your intentions. Why do these thankless tasks?"
Qin Yuan lowered her eyebrows.
Sixth Madam not using this incense was no big deal.
Doctor Li seemed very unwilling for her to bring out these incense pills.
Qin Yuan probed, "This incense pill is appropriate for her condition; if she uses it, it could alleviate her illness. Isn’t that a good thing? Although I’m not harmonious with her, I don’t want her to be seriously ill and untreated. Besides, I originally prepared it to adjust Marquis’s health and incidentally shared some with her."
Doctor Li was taken aback, "You also prepared it for the Marquis?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
Doctor Li stared quietly at the crabapple tree in the corner, lost in thought.
Qin Yuan asked, "Master, is there some taboo with my incense recipe?"
Doctor Li finally turned his head, solemnly saying, "This incense recipe is your ancestral recipe, what taboo could there be? This fragrance was once designated by the late Empress Dowager as a personal health incense. Your maternal grandfather got embroiled in a court case because of it."
In her past life, Qin Yuan tried to investigate the case files. After looking, she only knew the rough story, not realizing there were these hidden secrets.
Remembering Prince Qi once sought this unique incense at Ranxiang Inn, Qin Yuan asked, "After my maternal grandfather, no one in the palace has concocted this fragrance anymore? I encountered Prince Qi at Ranxiang Inn looking for this incense."
Doctor Li asked urgently, "Did you reveal anything?"
Qin Yuan shook her head, "That day I was in a compartment at Ranxiang Inn, and didn’t encounter Prince Qi face-to-face. It was coincidental that I knew he was looking for this incense. Manager Leng even complained that nowadays nobody can concoct this incense; it was just Prince Qi’s whimsical thought."
Doctor Li chuckled proudly, "Manager Leng of Ranxiang Inn, though experienced in playing with incense, doesn’t understand medicine. He’s projecting his own feelings, thinking no one can concoct it. This is a Chen family recipe; who else can make it?"
To craft such an incense requires expertise in both medicine and incense, truly a difficult task.
This belongs to the Chen family’s legacy, cultivated from a young age with years of study to achieve.
He originally thought it was lost forever.
Who would have thought that among the Chen family’s descendants, there would be someone as gifted as Qin Yuan.
Doctor Li felt a mix of emotions.
At this moment, Qin Yuan looked at the incense pills in the box with a mixture of feelings and said, "Chen family was entangled in the case, ultimately sentenced to exile, showing it wasn’t critically linked to the case, why can’t these incense pills be revealed to the world?"
Doctor Li thought for a moment and said, "I’ve always been cautious. Your maternal grandfather was dragged into it, someone falsely accused him. In the Imperial Hospital, factions are abundant, and many are like that person."
Saying so, he gestured towards Doctor Liu’s room.
Qin Yuan understood; Doctor Li worried those enemies of her maternal grandfather might secretly sabotage, as the old case was linked to palace affairs, with complex forces involved.
In her past life, Doctor Li never mentioned this because she hadn’t spoken of clearing Chen family’s name nor shown her incense-making skills. Also, due to Lin Ziqi’s low official rank, they endured for over a decade before returning to the capital and entering the cabinet. Doctor Li could only carry these secrets to the grave.
Qin Yuan pondered deeply and smiled, "Master needn’t worry. Even if those who framed my maternal grandfather are still around, in their eyes, Chen family’s descendants are gone. Even if they pay attention to me, I’m just the daughter of a married-off woman; I can’t stir any major waves. I can make incense but lack formal apprenticeship, and Dingbei Marquis Mansion is my backing. Even if they want to do something, they’d need to reconsider."
She spoke lightly, but her heart had other plans.
Doctor Li also said, "Your marriage is fortunate; otherwise, I’d really not dare to tell you these."
Palace affairs mostly involve the struggle for succession, intricately tied to the one currently sitting on the throne.