Glory

If he hadn't tasted this tea, he would have considered Ye Jia's loose tea the finest in the world—fragrant, refreshing, and mellow. He believed no tea could surpass that flavor.

But without comparison, there is no realization of shortcomings. With one sip of this tea, he knew he was wrong. It turned out there could be even better tea in the world—far, far better.

It must be understood that pan-fired green tea inherently holds advantages over steamed green tea. What he was drinking now was Dragon Well Tea, renowned among pan-fired green teas for its "emerald color, elegant shape, rich aroma, and mellow taste"—the pinnacle of Chinese teas in later generations. How could this be compared to the underdeveloped and flawed steamed green tea processing techniques of the Great Jin Dynasty?

"Yes, Master Zhineng," Laonu replied respectfully.

"Was this made from the tea leaves of your family's tea garden?" Master Zhineng asked again.

"Yes."

Master Zhineng pondered for a moment before asking, "Did your young lady mention whether part of this tea's exceptional flavor comes from being first harvest?"

Having long assisted Ye Hongsheng in tea processing, Laonu understood that Master Zhineng's "first harvest" didn't refer to the conventional meaning but rather an unusually early harvesting period.

He shook his head: "My young lady stated that tea of this flavor can be mass-produced. Not only Pre-Qingming Tea, but even Pre-Rain Tea would not fall short of this tea's quality."

Master Zhineng drew a sharp breath.

With tea gardens behind his temple and being a seasoned tea connoisseur, he had always exclusively drunk Pre-Qingming Tea, never touching Pre-Rain Tea.

After all, Pre-Qingming Tea buds emerge with the first spring breeze after accumulating essence throughout autumn and winter, possessing the most nutrients and flavor. Their scarcity makes them particularly precious.

After the first harvest, as weather warms and Grain Rain approaches, tea buds proliferate. The mass-produced Pre-Rain Tea, in the eyes of veteran tea enthusiasts, neither matches the flavor nor the rarity of Pre-Qingming Tea.

Yet now Laonu claimed her pan-fired Dragon Well Pre-Rain Tea could rival Pre-Qingming Tea—this was truly remarkable.

Therefore, this tea's excellence stemmed not from the raw leaves but from processing techniques, and ultimately, the tea master's skill.

Recalling Ye Yaming's divine inheritance from ancestors, he took another contemplative sip before sighing: "This tea should only exist in heaven. For mortals like us to taste it is truly heaven-sent."

Hearing Master Zhineng's exalted evaluation, Fan Yu and the two others immediately cast aside all else and hurriedly sampled their tea.

Upon tasting, the three remained speechless for a long while.

Having recently immersed themselves in tea artistry, they not only regularly held tea arrangements but had thoroughly studied brewing techniques. Each had transcribed and meticulously studied the Classic of Tea, some even memorizing it entirely.

Thus, they were quite familiar with loose tea flavors, particularly Ye Jia's premium loose tea.

This tea's vibrant, elevated aroma and refreshing, sweet mellowness created stark contrast with the original loose tea. Even with less sensitive palates than Master Zhineng and novice monk Jingchen, they could distinctly discern the vast quality difference.

Fan Yu asked incredulously: "What did you say earlier? This is a newly created tea by your third young lady?"

He emphasized "created" with particular weight, ensuring Laonu couldn't miss his meaning.

"Indeed created by my third young lady," Laonu reiterated, equally stressing "created.""Your Highness must know that it is not yet the season for making Pre-Qingming Tea, and there are very few tea leaves on the mountains. Since this tea did not appear in Great Jin last year, it must have been freshly made. Because it was processed today, it still carries some 'fire energy'. My young lady said it needs to be set aside for a few days until the 'fire energy' dissipates, and then the flavor will be even better."

Upon hearing this, Master Zhineng immediately waved to Jingchen: "Bring it here."

Jingchen promptly picked up the tea caddy from the table and handed it to Master Zhineng.

Master Zhineng treasured it and placed it in the cabinet by the armrest, instructing Jingchen: "Do not let anyone touch this tea. I will save it to drink in a few days." Master Zhineng had always maintained the image of a venerable monk—seldom receiving guests, speaking sparingly when he did, and always solemn and dignified when he opened his mouth. His current childlike demeanor left Fan Yu and the others utterly astonished.

Seeing that Master Zhineng had hidden the tea and resumed his usual aloof demeanor, Fan Yu cleared his throat and said to Laonu, "Go back and ask your master if he still remembers the Lin'an agreement. If he does, tell him I have arrived."

Now that he had come, how could the Ye family's fine tea be lacking for him?

Laonu smiled and replied, "How could my master dare to forget? He often says that while in the capital, he received much kindness from esteemed individuals like yourself and had no way to repay it, except to invite you all to Lin'an to see the tea gardens and observe how tea is made. Knowing you have arrived, he is overjoyed."

"Haha, you certainly know how to speak well," Fan Yu said.

From Fan Yu's words, Master Zhineng immediately understood what the young man was scheming.

However, if the Ye family had good tea, they would never forget an elder like him, so he was not worried.

Seeing that it was getting late, he said to Laonu, "Very well, you may return."

Laonu bowed respectfully to everyone and withdrew.

As soon as he left, Princess Yu Ning could not contain her curiosity and asked Master Zhineng, "How old is that Third Miss Ye this year? How is she so remarkable?"

Since Fan Yu and his party had come to Lin'an specifically to see the tea, Master Zhineng had intended to speak to them about Ye Yaming.

A needle in a bag will always stick out.

Ye Yaming's talent in tea making was outstanding throughout Great Jin, impossible to conceal. Master Zhineng wanted her to go further and smoother on her path and hoped she would gain more protection.

Princess Yu Ning's inquiry was exactly what he wanted.

He then recounted how Ye Yaming had received divine inspiration in a dream.

"I am nearly seventy years old and have encountered countless people in my lifetime. But a child as gifted and extraordinary as Little Friend Ye, I have never seen before. Her intelligence is one thing, but what I admire most is her character."

He smiled and added, "However, for a child favored by heaven and earth, who received the tea classics in a dream, it is no surprise that she excels in every aspect."

Hearing that Ye Yaming had been guided by a deity in her dream, Princess Yu Ning and the other two were astounded.

"No wonder, no wonder," Fan Yu clapped his hands and said. "At such a young age, to be able to make such tea and write a book like 'Tea Arrangement,' I always felt a sense of incongruity, thinking it shouldn't be possible. Now that you, venerable sir, have explained it this way, I understand."

"Such marvels in this world—we have always heard of them but never encountered them, so we thought they were mere rumors. Now, we are fortunate to witness it with our own eyes," Princess Yu Ning said.Ye Chongming always said Ye Yaming was "blessed by the Ye family ancestors," but in Master Zhineng's view, the Ye ancestors were nothing special. How could Ye Yaming's extraordinary fortune possibly be bestowed by mere family ancestors? She must have received divine enlightenment from gods or buddhas.

That was why he had earlier claimed Ye Yaming "received immortal teachings in her dreams."

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