Chapter 645 - 237: Half the Shares of Kangning Fragrance Workshop
Chapter 645: Chapter 237: Half the Shares of Kangning Fragrance Workshop
She had it relatively easy, only responsible for managing sales. That task could easily be handed over to a trusted Shopkeeper. But Xu Su Ying’s duties? No one could replace her.
After all, she was full of ingenious ideas, and the incense formulas she developed were genuinely popular.
Even now, her incense formulas maintained impressive annual sales, earning the two of them a massive fortune.
Back then, her good friend would often sigh, complaining that she had taken a huge loss. "You’re buried in the house all day like a Fragrance Lady. You don’t even look like a noble young lady," her friend would say, adding, "Even beggars live more freely than I do!"
Unfortunately, with the allure of Silver dangling in front of them, they couldn’t bear to watch their hard-built business decline. They had to hire new Fragrance Ladies to develop new formulas while ensuring they released at least one or two of Xu Su Ying’s original formulas each year.
After Xu Su Ying went missing, the Fragrance Workshop’s business remained unaffected in the short term. Two years later, however, it began to steadily decline. Not wanting her good sister to return to such a mess, she tried every possible way to salvage it.
It was then that they imported spices from the Western Regions and purchased many precious aromatics from overseas, finally managing to uphold the reputation of the Kangning Fragrance Workshop.
Xu Su Ying had been unaware of all this. Hearing it now filled her with guilt.
"It’s all my fault..."
"How could it be your fault? If anyone is to blame, it’s Yan Cheng and Third Ms. Bai. By the way, Third Ms. Bai has been sentenced. Did you know?"
"No, when did that happen? I told you, I’ve been so busy these past two days that my feet haven’t touched the ground. I really haven’t paid much attention to Third Ms. Bai’s case."
"Actually, the verdict was reached the very day you entered the Capital City. But because this case spanned so many years and sparked tremendous public outrage, the Capital Governor reported it to the Ministry of Justice, and they, in turn, reported it to His Majesty..."
In short, the nature of this matter was far too heinous, so His Majesty had to be informed. Usually, His Majesty would handle such cases with strict severity to "manifest heavenly justice" and "serve as a warning to others."
Because of these two extra procedures, the verdict wasn’t officially announced until today.
Princess Kangning continued, "The sentencing happened not long after I arrived. She premeditated your murder. Although it was an attempted murder, she also instigated others to commit perjury, deceived the government, and obstructed justice, which constitutes the crime of ’fraud and forgery.’ Punished for both crimes, she was sentenced to hang. The execution will take place in three days."
Xu Su Ying clapped her hands and laughed aloud. "Evil brings evil returns. She deserves it."
Princess Kangning reminded her, "It’s enough that you know about this. Just make sure you don’t go out for the next few days. Although the commoners are mostly reasonable, it’s human nature to sympathize with the weak. If someone with ulterior motives fans the flames, things won’t end well for you either."
"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."
Before Princess Kangning left, she agreed with Chen Wanqing and Xu Su Ying to complete the procedures for transferring the shares together that afternoon.
They didn’t have to show up in person; they could have easily let their stewards or trusted aides handle it. However, since the agreement had been reached, it was best to settle the matter properly as soon as possible.
That way, they could go all out and properly prepare an ample supply of incense pills in advance for next year’s Imperial Examination.
In the afternoon, Zhao Jing and De’an went to the Imperial College.
Xu Yanhe was studying at the Imperial College, and Xu Yanlin was the Dean there. Speaking of Xu Yanlin, one couldn’t help but mention Gong Yuanxiu.
Gong Yuanxiu had instigated Fan Ju to travel to the Capital City and formally accuse Sheng Mingchuan and Xu Yanlin of having a massive hand in Zhao Jing becoming the top scorer in the provincial examination. The accusation hinted at unfairness in the exams, implying they had used their authority to organize cheating.
The truth was exposed by Fan Ju, and Gong Yuanxiu was imprisoned. Of course, his imprisonment wasn’t just due to his abuse of power and instigating false accusations, but also because, while burdened with imperial orders, he had spent the night at the Red House, patronizing prostitutes.
After the incident, Gong Yuanxiu was temporarily imprisoned in Xinghuai Prefecture. The detailed reports of the entire affair were submitted in individual memorials for His Majesty’s final judgment by Mr. Zhou, the governor, Mr. Sheng, the Magistrate, Xu Yanhe, and Yuan Shixin.
Just as Xu Su Ying and the others were heading to the Capital City, the Holy Decree handling Gong Yuanxiu’s punishment had already been dispatched to Xinghuai Prefecture.
Without a doubt, Gong Yuanxiu had betrayed the Emperor’s grace. As an official, he knowingly broke the law, sowed discord, manufactured conflicts, and attacked his colleagues—actions that were truly despicable. Consequently, he was ultimately stripped of his official post, banned from civil service for life, had his family property confiscated, and was exiled three thousand miles away.
In other words, Gong Yuanxiu was completely finished.
As for Xu Yanhe and Yuan Shixin, they had handled their duties well and reasonably should have been promoted upon returning to the Capital City. However, the current court was tightly packed; every position was filled. Promotions weren’t handed out just because one wanted them.
They had to wait for the year-end evaluations, where their performance over the past few years would be comprehensively assessed before deciding whether they would be promoted or demoted.
Since he had not yet been promoted, Xu Yanlin was still working as the Dean at the Imperial College. With his invitation, Zhao Jing and De’an could naturally enter and exit the Imperial College freely.