Glory

Not to mention how the suddenness of the incident caught the Song mother and son off guard, even Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye were stunned upon hearing Zhou Xiang's report, and they all turned their gaze to Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming first recited a passage from the Jin Dynasty legal code and explained, "To completely crush Song Yifeng, merely tarnishing his reputation isn't enough. Even if he fails the Presented Scholar exam due to a damaged reputation, he would still remain a Recommended Man. So we must examine what unlawful acts he has committed."

"Originally, I intended to play a long game and have Zijin keep an eye out for any vulnerabilities in Song Yifeng's conduct that we could exploit. I never expected he would dare to write such treasonous poetry. Even without our intervention, he would eventually bring about his own downfall. We merely accelerated the inevitable."

Having lived a long life, Ye Chongming had never before schemed behind someone's back like this, and the thought frightened him. Now, with Ye Yaming's justification, he eagerly seized upon it to soothe his conscience.

"Right, right, right," he repeatedly agreed. "It's not as if we forced him to write such poems—he brought this upon himself. We can't be blamed."

"Indeed, we're actually doing the Emperor and the court a service by eliminating a threat," Old Mrs. Ye chimed in repeatedly.

After thus comforting themselves, the elderly couple finally felt at peace.

Old Mrs. Ye asked, "Will Yu Shi try to retaliate against us?"

No sooner had she spoken than a maidservant came to report: "Old Master, Old Madam, Yu Shi requests an audience with the Madam."

Worried they might not know who "Yu Shi" was, the maidservant glanced up at Ye Yaming and cautiously added, "She is the Yu Shi from the Song family."

Old Mrs. Ye and Ye Chongming exchanged looks.

Truly, "speak of the devil and he shall appear." The moment Yu Shi was mentioned, there she was.

Ye Chongming turned to Ye Yaming. "Ming'er, what do you think—"

"She is now a criminal's family member, and Song Yifeng's crime is deceiving the Emperor. Our family has severed ties with the Songs—there's no need for further involvement," Ye Yaming stated.

"Right, right, right," Old Mrs. Ye echoed promptly.

She turned to the maidservant. "Tell her we will not see her."

After the maidservant left, Ye Yaming rose to take her leave. Before departing, she said to Ye Chongming, "Grandfather, it would be best to have people monitor the movements in the capital's tea houses. If Da Bo has fully recovered, you could also send him there. The Meng family suffered a major loss because of us, and I'm concerned they might cause trouble for us in the capital. We must be prepared."

Ye Chongming grew serious and nodded. "Alright, I understand." Ye Yaming bowed slightly and left the main courtyard.

Watching her retreating figure, Old Mrs. Ye asked her husband, "What do you plan to do about what Ming'er mentioned?"

Ye Hongsheng had gone to the capital after the Mid-Autumn Festival and had remained there ever since.

Regarding Ye Yaming's broken engagement, Ye Chongming and the others, considering that Ye Hongsheng would surely worry and be unable to settle there if he knew, had discussed it with Ye Yaming and ultimately decided not to tell him anything.

Thus, he still had no idea that Ye Yaming had already called off her engagement with Song Yifeng.

Originally, Ye Hongchang's injuries had healed, and following past practice, Ye Chongming would certainly have sent Ye Hongchang to the capital to replace Ye Hongsheng.

However, the illicit tea incident, Ye Hongsheng's performance during the chrysanthemum tea procurement, and the fact that the business in the capital had run smoothly without any disruptions during his stay made Ye Chongming realize he had previously underestimated his second son. He had always thought Ye Hongsheng was dull and unremarkable, and by not giving him opportunities, he had unfairly held him back.Moreover, Ye Yaming had made such significant contributions to the Ye family that Ye Chongming would only place greater trust in the second branch, making it impossible for Ye Hongsheng to be neglected as before.

Therefore, after Ye Hongchang recovered from his injury, Ye Chongming never mentioned sending Ye Hongchang to the capital to replace Ye Hongsheng again.

As for Ye Hongchang, given Ye Yaming's outstanding performance, he understood that his father was rebalancing the status of the eldest and second branches within the family. Aware of Ye Yaming's capabilities, he had no desire to offend her over this matter and thus also refrained from bringing up the idea of going to the capital.

Unexpectedly, Ye Yaming herself brought it up.

Ye Chongming sighed with admiration, "Ming'er is a person of great magnanimity."

Old Mrs. Ye nodded in complete agreement with her husband's words.

Many wealthy young people only fixate on the family's limited assets, fighting among siblings like bitter rivals. What does the overall interest of the family mean in the face of personal gain? Yet Ye Yaming disregarded personal gains and losses, prioritizing the Ye family's collective interests. Such a broad-minded, reasonable, and far-sighted child—how could one not admire her?

"To be honest, I've also been uneasy about the capital, so I've been sending people to keep an eye on things there. Fortunately, nothing has gone wrong so far. Now that Ming'er has brought it up, I'll have the eldest prepare his luggage and set off for the capital," Ye Chongming said.

Old Mrs. Ye had never interfered in business matters before, but recently, due to Ye Yaming's influence, Ye Chongming had come to realize that women were in no way inferior to men. He now frequently consulted his wife on business affairs.

Thus, the old lady actively participated in the discussion: "Since the eldest is being sent, let the second son stay there as well. The two brothers have always been busy with their own affairs and rarely had time to sit down and communicate. It would be good for them to bond over there. Besides, there are no tea leaves to process now, so there's nothing for the second son to do if he returns."

Ye Chongming nodded, "I was thinking the same thing."

Unbeknownst to Ye Yaming, the elderly couple held her in even higher esteem because of her words.

Her suggestion to send Ye Hongchang to the capital wasn't as noble as Ye Chongming made it out to be. She simply thought that since Ye Hongchang had recovered, he could resume work. She was genuinely concerned about the situation in the capital. With years of experience managing business, Ye Hongchang was naturally far more capable than Ye Hongsheng.

As for her nominal father, he was a pure tech enthusiast. He was willing to devote his energy to tea processing and found joy in it. Forcing such a technical talent into management work, which he wasn't suited for—was that really feasible?

Although nothing had gone wrong in the capital recently, that was only because no major issues had arisen. If a real problem occurred, she doubted Ye Hongsheng would be able to handle it.

Everyone has their own strengths. The best leaders place people in positions that suit their talents, making the most of their abilities and unlocking their potential.

So, it was better to let Ye Hongsheng return and continue his work in tea processing.

In the future, she would teach Ye Hongsheng the methods for processing various types of tea. Tea processing techniques were core technologies and the most critical aspect of the tea business. Even if the second branch didn't compete for power, Ye Chongming and Ye Hongchang would never neglect them.

Moreover, with Ye Hongsheng overseeing quality control, she would feel more at ease.

As Ye Yaming mulled over these thoughts, she led Bai Rui toward the second branch's quarters. Suddenly, she heard a male voice calling from a distance, "Third Miss!"

Turning to look, she saw Ye Hongrong leaning on a crutch, supported by a page, standing at a fork in the path. Another page was running toward her—clearly, the one who had called out "Third Miss" was the running page.