Glory

Although Qi Ji had no prospects for an official career and had turned to commerce, the Qi Family was an established official lineage with deep roots, making their family circumstances far superior to those of Lu Yanlin, who came from a minor landowning background. Moreover, Qi Ji's elder and second brothers were both accomplished.

With the support of his two older brothers and a solid family foundation, even if Qi Ji didn't achieve great success in the future, his life would undoubtedly be comfortable.

Furthermore, after conversing with Qi Ji, Lu Yanlin found him logical, quick-witted, well-read, and willing to endure hardship—evident from his venturing out to trade in the bitter cold. Such qualities were rare among scions of prominent families.

Most importantly, their beloved daughter was nearly seventeen and had yet to take a liking to any promising young man. Madam Lu had been deeply worried about this.

Now that their daughter had finally shown interest in Qi Ji, and given that Lu Yanlin's official rank was comparable to Qi Zhibei's, with their daughter being virtuous and attractive, Lu Yanlin felt there was a seventy percent chance the marriage proposal would succeed.

But he hadn't anticipated that upon meeting Lu Guanyi, Lu Yan would immediately shift her affections. Lu Guanyi was indeed more handsome and imposing than Qi Ji. When Qi Ji was with him, he clearly deferred to Lu Guanyi, playing the role of a subordinate. Lu Yan, who admired strength, naturally found Lu Guanyi more appealing.

Although neither Lu Yanlin nor Lu Yan had explicitly mentioned marriage to Qi Ji or Lu Guanyi, after Madam Lu and Lu Yan met Qi Ji, they began inquiring whether he was married or betrothed. Learning that he was neither, not only Madam Lu but even Lu Yanlin's attitude grew warmer.

When Lu Yan saw Lu Guanyi at noon that day, her infatuated gaze was impossible for Qi Ji and Lu Guanyi to ignore. Lu Yanlin and Madam Lu then proceeded to ask about Lu Guanyi's marital status.

Reading between the lines, if they didn't understand the Lu family's intentions by now, they would be fools.

Ye Yaming was a young woman, and their acquaintance wasn't deep enough for Qi Ji to complain about Lu Yan in front of her. He merely hinted vaguely before falling silent, trusting that Ye Yaming's intelligence would allow her to read between the lines.

Without him explaining, the moment Ye Yaming saw Lu Yan, she understood the situation.

She said, "We've already analyzed various scenarios. The worst case is simply buying the tea plantation without building a teahouse. Our original plan was to purchase the tea plantation anyway, so even if we don't build the teahouse, the loss isn't significant. Xin'an isn't particularly prosperous, so the profits from a teahouse here wouldn't be substantial."

Qi Ji was touched that Ye Yaming grasped the situation immediately and was so understanding without a hint of complaint.

"Things haven't reached the worst point yet," he said. "Magistrate Lu has invited us to a banquet tonight. I'll discuss our cooperation proposal with him then. If he insists on some other form of exchange, we can always abandon the teahouse plan."

After all, neither he nor Lu Guanyi would ever trade their lifelong happiness just to build a teahouse.

Quite apart from Lu Yan's fickle nature being off-putting, even if she were perfect in every way, Qi Ji and Lu Guanyi wouldn't agree to such a marriage.

Were they really worth only a teahouse?

Ye Yaming nodded. "As long as you know what you're doing."After leaving the courtyard where the Ye family resided and returning to their own quarters, Qi Ji asked Lu Guanyi, "What are your plans regarding marriage?"

His own situation was manageable. Although his mother had been continuously arranging potential matches for him over the past two years and urging him to settle down, his parents would listen to his opinions and wouldn't force an unsuitable marriage upon him.

Lu Guanyi's circumstances, however, were different. His family situation was complicated, and he had a hostile stepmother, Shi Shi, who deeply resented him. Shi Shi constantly worried that Lu Guanyi would marry a woman from a prominent family and produce an heir early.

If that happened, her own son would have no chance at inheriting the title.

After being reminded by someone, Lu Guanyi's grandfather realized this as well and immediately arranged a marriage for Lu Guanyi with the daughter of a lesser branch of the Duke Wei's household.

Unfortunately, the girl died after falling from a horse just after her coming-of-age ceremony.

The Duke Wei's household naturally suspected Shi Shi, but despite thorough investigations, no evidence of foul play was found. The incident appeared to be purely accidental. Thus, both the Duke Wei's household and Lu Guanyi had no choice but to let the matter rest.

However, this incident had a profound impact on Lu Guanyi.

From then on, he refused to consider any further marriage arrangements, fearing he would bring harm to another young woman.

Moreover, rumors began circulating in the capital that Lu Guanyi was fated to bring misfortune to his wives.

As a result, Lu Guanyi was nearly eighteen years old and still unmarried.

As the legitimate eldest son of the Marquis of Xuanwu, his stepmother's son, Lu Guanyu, was only two years younger than him. Since Lu Guanyi remained unmarried, Lu Guanyu could not marry either. Noble families in the capital would criticize the Marquis of Xuanwu and gossip behind Shi Shi's back.

To prove she wasn't a malicious stepmother, Shi Shi would inevitably arrange a marriage for Lu Guanyi within the year. After all, Lu Guanyu was already sixteen and eligible to marry.

As for Lu Guanyi's future wife, she would likely appear respectable on the surface but have significant flaws. The fact that no marriage proposal had been made yet suggested that Shi Shi hadn't found a suitable candidate.

In other matters, the Crown Prince could assist Lu Guanyi. However, when it came to marriage, he couldn't override the authority of Lu Guanyi's parents.

As a close friend, Qi Ji was naturally concerned for Lu Guanyi.

Seeing that Lu Guanyi remained silent, he said, "Although this Miss Lu is a bit reckless, she's quite straightforward—her thoughts are always written on her face. No matter what, she'd be a better match than anyone your stepmother arranges for you."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have followed them to visit as soon as she heard there was an unrelated young lady traveling with them.

In the end, Ye Yaming's imposing presence scared her away.

Though she might be a bit impulsive when it comes to appearances, she was still a good girl.

"Prefect Lu may not come from a prominent background, but he's capable enough to have reached his current position. Having such in-laws would earn you even more favor with the Crown Prince."

Lu Guanyi found his friend's words increasingly inappropriate and glanced at him sideways. "Setting everything else aside, just considering Miss Lu's temperament, how many rounds do you think she could last against Shi Shi?"

Qi Ji was left speechless.

After a moment's thought, he shook his head helplessly. "She really wouldn't stand a chance." She wouldn't even survive half a round—who knows how Lu Yan would meet her end?

"Enough, we've been busy all morning. Let's rest for half an hour. We'll visit the Tea Monopoly Bureau this afternoon." Lu Guanyi stood up, preparing to return to his room.

"Hey, you—" Qi Ji started to call out to him but changed his mind mid-sentence. Instead, he followed Lu Guanyi into his room.Lu Guanyi paid him no mind, taking the damp towel handed by the page to wipe his face and hands before sitting down, quietly watching Qi Ji.

Qi Ji waved at the servants: "You may leave."

Once all the pages had withdrawn, he leaned close to Lu Guanyi and whispered: "What do you think of Miss Ye?"