The Third Prince, Zhao Feng, did not enter the Su Manor; he invaded it.
His guards, dressed in the imperial gold and blue, pushed aside the broken gates, and a lavishly decorated carriage pulled into the dusty courtyard. When the door opened, a man in his late twenties stepped out. He was handsome in a cold, artificial way, with eyes that looked at everything as if it were a chess piece.
In the original novel, Zhao Feng was the one who orchestrated the Su family's fall to seize their hidden assets for his bid for the throne. He was a snake in silk.
Su Wan stood on the porch, waiting. She didn't bow low. She simply nodded.
"To what do I owe the honor, Your Highness?" she asked, her voice steady. "My home is in ruins. I'm afraid I have no tea worthy of a Prince."
"I don't care for your tea, Matriarch," Zhao Feng said, his eyes scanning her rejuvenated face with suspicion. "I care for the rumor that reached the palace. A fragrance that heals the spirit? A Matriarch who was dying on Monday and is walking on Wednesday?"
He stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "The Empress is unwell. If you are hoarding a miracle, it is considered treason against the Crown."
Su Wan didn't flinch. "It is not a miracle, Your Highness. It is chemistry. And treason is a very heavy word for a woman who is simply trying to pay off her late husband's debts."
"Then sell me the formula," the Prince commanded. "Five thousand gold pieces. You can move your family to a villa in the capital tonight."
It was a trap. Su Wan knew from the book that if she sold the formula, he would kill her to ensure no one else could ever have it.
"Five thousand is a lot of gold," Su Wan mused, tapping her cane. "But I'm afraid I can't sell it. You see, the formula requires a specific lunar alignment to stabilize. Without me, the mixture becomes a deadly poison within three days."
Zhao Feng's eyes narrowed into slits. "You're lying."
"Am I?" Su Wan smiled. "Your Highness, you shouldn't be worried about my perfume. You should be worried about the North River flood."
The Prince froze. His hand, which had been reaching for his sword hilt, stopped mid-air. "What did you say?"
"The rain has been heavy in the north for weeks," Su Wan said, using her knowledge of the novel's timeline. "In three days, the levee will break. The granaries you've been secretly stocking there to fund your army will be swept away. You'll lose everything."
Zhao Feng's face went pale. The North River project was his biggest secret. Not even his father, the Emperor, knew he was hoarding grain there.
"How do you know about the granaries?" he hissed, stepping so close she could smell the incense on his robes. "Who are you spying for?"
"I don't spy, Your Highness. I calculate," Su Wan replied coolly. "I'm a woman who has lost her youth and her fortune. I have nothing left but my brain. Now, here is my deal: I will give the Empress a bottle of my fragrance every month for free. In exchange, you will grant the Su family an Imperial Merchant Tablet."
The Merchant Tablet was a "Get Out of Jail Free" card. It meant her family couldn't be arrested or taxed by local officials. It was the ultimate shield.
"You're gambling with your life," Zhao Feng whispered.
"I've already died once, Your Highness," Su Wan said, her eyes flashing with a 21st-century grit. "A flood is nothing compared to a woman with nothing left to lose. Do we have a deal? Or should I send a letter to the Ministry of Works about those granaries?"
The Prince stared at her for a long minute. For the first time in his life, he felt genuine fear toward a woman—especially an "old" one.
"One month," he snapped, turning back toward his carriage. "If the levee doesn't break in three days, I will return and burn this manor to the ground myself."
"Make sure you bring a boat," Su Wan called out as the carriage rattled away.
As soon as they were gone, Su Wan slumped against the pillar. Her heart was racing. She had just threatened the future Emperor.
"Madam," Yan appeared at her side, his eyes wide. "How did you know about the flood?"
"I read it in a very... expensive book, Yan," she sighed, clutching her jade bracelet. "Now, forget the perfume. We need to buy up all the timber in the city. When that levee breaks, everyone will be looking for wood to build rafts and I intend to be the only one selling it."