Heat Up the Stoves

“Speak human language.”

“You smell good!”

When Li Shouji finished saying those words, Jiang Danhe was just about to flare up. However, before he could do so, the smell wafted from his skin.

“Pfft, haha.”

Li Shouji quickly covered his mouth and looked at Jiang Danhe innocently.

Jiang Danhe looked like he had taken a dip in hot water—his entire body was flushed and the fragrance became more enticing.

Li Shouji quickly covered his nose and took a step back. “Calm down! I forgot to tell you that this fragrance has that kind of effect when it becomes intense. You have to calm down to stop it from diffusing.”

As he spoke, he opened the windows to ventilate the room. The cold was not a concern now. The worrying thing now was that he was about to faint. If he did anything out of line later, it would be embarrassing.

“It’s all your fault!” Jiang Danhe stood alone by the window, enjoying the cold wind. “If it weren’t for this soap of yours, I wouldn’t end up like this!”

“Hey, stop. Why are you blaming me? You took the soap yourself. I didn’t force you. Besides, I haven’t settled the score with you for taking my precious treasure!”

When Li Shouji thought about how Jiang Danhe had used his Fragrance Pearl, his heart bled. If he had known, he would have stopped him yesterday. He shouldn’t have continued sleeping at all. It was truly his fault.

Jiang Danhe was finding it hard to defend himself too. Yesterday, he had intended to take just one lightly scented soap, but who knew that every piece was so fragrant? After rummaging for a long time, he found a small piece of soap in a box. He opened it and thought that the scent was to his liking. It was faint and suited his taste, so he just took it after informing Li Shouji.

However, Li Shouji should still bear responsibility. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with sleeping yesterday, he wouldn’t have let Jiang Danhe pick out the soap himself. If Jiang Danhe hadn’t taken it himself, he wouldn’t have taken the wrong piece. If he hadn’t taken the wrong soap, he wouldn’t have embarrassed himself in the palace and the military camp.

“Did you just get off court?”

Li Shouji rubbed his head and looked at the remorseful man. “Isn’t it a good thing to smell good? Is there a need for him to feel so bitter about it?”

“… Yes.” Jiang Danhe did not look at him.

Li Shouji held back his laughter. “In that case, you must have left the court and gone straight to the military camp.”

“Don’t look at me. And don’t be angry.” Li Shouji covered his nose. If this guy got worked up and his body temperature goes up, Li Shouji would have to get out of the house.

“How do I make the scent disappear?”

Jiang Danhe clenched his fists. If this continued for the rest of his life, how was he going to face anyone?

“I’m not sure at the moment, because no one has used it. Congratulations. You’re the first.”

Li Shouji was prepared to follow Jiang Danhe for the next two days. Since the soap could not be restored, he could only observe its effects and longevity. This could be considered a blessing in disguise. He had gotten a test subject for free, there was nothing to lose.

Jiang Danhe wished he could tear Li Shouji apart. Products with unknown effects should be destroyed as soon as they are produced. Isn’t this hazardous to human kind?

No matter how angry he was, there was nothing he could do. Jiang Danhe was careful not to move unnecessarily. He even slowed down his usual walking speed.

Jiang Danhe was moving at a snail’s pace. Li Shouji was wearing his clothes unhurriedly behind him. After putting on his clothes, he slowly walked out of the door. As expected, Jiang Danhe had not even moved beyond ten meters.

“Brother, you are overdoing it.” Li Shouji caught up with Jiang Danhe. “It’s fine as long as you don’t sweat or get too heated up.”

Jiang Danhe ignored him and continued walking in small steps. He wasn’t deliberately walking slowly. He was just trying to cool down in the courtyard.

After the heat in his body subsided, he quickly returned to the house. Li Shouji wanted to follow the man, but before he could enter, the door was slammed in his face.

Li Shouji patted his chest with lingering fear. He was glad that he had dodged in time. Otherwise, his fine-looking nose would have been flattened.

“Boss, open the door. I need you under such special circumstances.” Suddenly realizing that he had blurted out his actual thoughts, he quickly tried to salvage the situation. “You’re the one who needs me!”

Moments after he started wailing, two words floated out of the room.

“Get lost.”

–

After he found out that he had used the Fragrance Pearl by mistake, Jiang Danhe stayed in the house and took seven or eight baths in warm water.

Initially, he was going to use hot water, but he remembered that high temperatures were a no-no, so he decided to use cold water instead. However, for the sake of his health, he took the middle path and ended up using warm water.

But the more he washed, the more fragrant he smelled. He almost rubbed his skin off during the process.

Before dawn the next day, Jiang Danhe woke up. The first thing he did when he woke up was to check if the fragrance was still there. In the end, he was disappointed. the scent was still on his skin!

Jiang Danhe remained feeling listless all morning. In order to keep his body temperature low, he was dressed only in a single layer of undergarments in the middle of winter. Over the base layer, he put on his summer official uniform. He did whatever he could to cool himself down.

Li Shouji was already waiting at his door. When he saw Jiang Danhe come out, he immediately followed closely behind.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Danhe was going to ignore him at first, but Li Shouji was shameless. He followed him wherever he went.

“I’m going to the military camp today!”

“Oh.”

Li Shouji’s lips twitched with laughter. “Oh? Is that all he can say?”

“Hey, hey, hey. You’re being too indifferent.”

Li Shouji complained unhappily. He was going to the military camp today. Shouldn’t Jiang Danhe give him some words of encouragement?

“You should have gone long ago.”

Jiang Danhe said without looking back. He exited the house and got into the carriage, stopping the man who was about to follow him.

“Let’s go.” The words were directed at the coachman.

Li Shouji was so angry that he jumped up and down. “How mean. You can’t even give me a lift. I hope you will sweat all day today.”

“Deputy General, do you need me to get you a horse?”

“Yes, please.”

Li Shouji could actually rest for a few more days, but he had nothing much to do. It was good to start work early.

“Your Majesty, three border troops have already received the cannons. Moreover, they all tried firing shots yesterday. The weapon was very effective.”

“…” Shao Zhan retracted his gaze and looked at the old minister who had spoken. “Very good!”

However, he was a little distracted. He kept thinking about the lunatic who was standing with his head lowered.

He wondered what Jiang Danhe was up to. Why was he wearing a thin official uniform in the middle of winter?

While the minister was discussing the matter, he called out to Eunuch Su and whispered in his ear, “Heat up the stove.”

“Yes.”

Eunuch Su quietly left and instructed the other eunuchs to carry out the task. After that was done, he returned to stand behind the emperor.

Below, Jiang Danhe was secretly delighted by his choice of attire. He was indeed thoughtful. It was just right to wear a thin official uniform in the hall so he wouldn’t get too hot. There would be no chance for the fragrance to evaporate.

But gradually, he felt his body temperature rise. He glanced around uneasily and saw a eunuch adding charcoal to the stove in front of him. He was alarmed!

As he looked around, he realized that there was a stove in the hall. Upon closer inspection, he saw that there were many stoves of this design in the throne room. It was a novel sight.

Seeing the eunuch throw in handfuls of charcoal, his heart started racing before the temperature in the hall rose.

With so much charcoal burning, things will surely get out of control.

Seeing that there was no other way, Jiang Danhe calmed himself down and recited the Heart Sutra silently. He kept reminding himself at all times that he would cool down if he remained calm.

Even so, a hint of fragrance still wafted out. The minister behind him had a sharp nose and instantly detected it. His heart started palpitating inexplicably.

At the thought of this, the minister blushed. At this ripe old age, he was still so easily affected by a fragrance. It just felt wrong. If his wife found out about this, she would definitely give him a piece of her mind.

When the court session finally came to an end, Jiang Danhe immediately got ready to leave when Shao Zhan stopped him.

Helpless, he could only wait there in torment. When all the ministers finally left the hall, he heaved a sigh of relief. With less people around, he could at least relax a little.