Glory

She said, "Well, although the matter of the Fifth Young Master Jiang isn't widely known, only a small circle is aware of it. But now that the Ye family has aligned themselves with the Crown Prince's faction, they might get wind of the news and reject this marriage proposal."

The Duke of Ying had achieved illustrious military merits; even the Emperor wouldn't lightly disregard his dignity, let alone a mere merchant family.

But ignorance breeds boldness—perhaps the Ye family would dare to refuse this match.

"If they refuse, that's fine too," Meng Chengwei said with a cruel smile. "A petty merchant daring to reject a marriage proposal from the Duke of Ying's estate—that takes some nerve."

Madam Meng also laughed. "Exactly. Even if the Ye family has connections to the Crown Prince, so what? The Crown Prince wouldn't disregard the Duke of Ying's dignity for the sake of a merchant's daughter, would he?"

"The Duke of Ying's estate may seem powerful, but they're actually short on funds. Marrying the daughter of a Jiangnan tea merchant would bring them immense wealth. The Duchess of Ying would likely be very pleased," she added.

"Alright, then it's settled," Meng Chengwei stood up. "I'll go visit my cousin now and have her suggest this to the Duchess of Ying."

...

In the northern part of the city, at the Lu family's villa, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji sat facing each other, drinking tea.

Qi Ji remarked, "Miss Ye's tea is truly exceptional."

Lu Guanyi asked, "Is this tea selling like crazy at the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion?"

"Absolutely," Qi Ji nodded. "Once people heard that the Emperor's proposal to abolish brick tea and promote loose-leaf tea was inspired by this tea, curiosity took over, and everyone wanted to try it."

He then snorted coldly. "Fortunately, Miss Ye is cautious and remembered to go through the proper procedures at the Tea Monopoly Office to obtain the Tea Import Permit. Otherwise, the Fourth Prince's faction could have used it against her."

Lu Guanyi nodded but remained silent.

Qi Ji glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong? You seem distracted."

Lu Guanyi said, "Meng Chengwei has been released, hasn't he? Given his temperament, he's likely to seek revenge against the Ye family."

At the mention of this, Qi Ji grew frustrated.

They had intended to have someone eliminate Meng Chengwei at the border to prevent him from targeting the Ye family upon his return. But the Meng family had taken strict precautions, sending many people to protect Meng Chengwei in secret, and their agents never found an opportunity to act.

"What should we do then? Should we each assign a guard to Second Master Ye and Miss Ye?" Qi Ji asked.

"That works," Lu Guanyi said. "The Ye family's manor guards are just household servants with no martial skills; the security company's personnel are too unreliable and easily bribed, making them risky to use. I plan to assign Yi Wu and Chen Xiu to Miss Ye as manor guards."

Qi Ji looked at him. "Yi Wu is your most skilled guard. If you transfer him away, won't your stepmother have more opportunities to harm you?"

"Yi Wu is no match for me," Lu Guanyi said. "I can protect myself."

Qi Ji simply fell silent.

Lu Guanyi was indeed formidable, but even the best fighter is no match for multiple opponents. If he encountered several skilled fighters, what use would his individual prowess be? Without a capable guard by his side, the risk would increase significantly.

But Ye Yaming was the woman Lu Guanyi loved, and he was willing to place himself in danger to assign Yi Wu to her. He truly valued her above himself.Not to mention that Lu Guanyi always had firm opinions of his own. Just from their trip to Huizhou, Qi Ji already considered Ye Yaming a friend. If, due to his persuasion, Lu Guanyi kept Yi Wu, and Ye Yaming ended up suffering a tragic fate, not only would Qi Ji feel terrible, but he imagined his friendship with Lu Guanyi would also come to an end.

"Sigh, if only I had skilled manor guards too. It would be good whether I kept them for myself or sent them to Miss Ye," he sighed.

The Lu family were military nobles. Yi Wu was trained by Lu Guanyi's grandfather and had been taken to the border to gain experience by killing enemies. The Qi family were civil officials, and their manor guards were about the same level as the Ye family's.

"But since you've already given one, I'll also send a manor guard to Second Master Ye," he said.

"Alright."

Qi Ji glanced at Lu Guanyi: "Actually, Miss Ye's dangers aren't just limited to personal safety."

"Now that Dragon Well Tea has become famous, and it's publicly said that Dragon Well Tea was made by Second Master Ye, who has no sons yet, and Miss Ye herself has quite a reputation and remains unmarried, there are probably many people scheming about her marriage." To protect Ye Yaming, it was publicly claimed that Dragon Well Tea was made by Ye Hongsheng.

Lu Guanyi remained silent for a long time before saying: "Chuyang, it won't be long before I might have to go to the border."

Qi Ji was greatly surprised: "Go to the border? For what?"

"To join the army," Lu Guanyi said. "Under the command of the Great General Who Guards the North."

"This..." Qi Ji's eyes widened. "How could this be?"

Speaking of which, as the grandson of old General Lu Min and son of Marquis Xuanwu Lu Yongzhong, Lu Guanyi should have gone to the border at fifteen or sixteen to follow his father and build military achievements.

However, there was a reason why he came south alone to engage in merchant activities.

Lu Guanyi's birth mother, Lady Fang, died in difficult childbirth. Duke Wei Shi Yi, claiming to cherish his beloved general and share his burdens, requested the Emperor to bestow his fourth daughter in marriage to Lu Yongzhong to care for his infant son.

Fortunately, Lu Guanyi's grandmother, Lady Qiu, didn't trust Shi Shi to look after her grandson and raised him personally, which allowed Lu Guanyi to grow up safely.

Over the years, Shi Shi's true nature gradually emerged. Not only did his grandparents and Lu Guanyi himself suspect that Lady Fang's death was related to Shi Shi, but even Lu Yongzhong had his doubts.

After all, Lu Yongzhong was handsome and imposing, brave and skilled in battle, achieving numerous military successes. Within a few years, he became a general. When he returned to the capital, many young women secretly went to see him because of his handsome appearance.

Perhaps Shi Shi had taken a liking to Lu Yongzhong's looks and capabilities. Moreover, Duke Wei wanted to make Lu Yongzhong his own to consolidate his position, so he might have arranged for Lady Fang to be harmed during childbirth. Knowing that Lu Yongzhong and Lady Fang were deeply in love and he wouldn't remarry easily, he sought the Emperor's decree for the marriage.

Over the years, the Lu family investigated extensively and finally tracked down the family of the midwife who attended Lady Fang's delivery. They confirmed that someone had bribed the midwife to cause Lady Fang's death during childbirth.

Whether it was Duke Wei or Shi Shi who did it remained unknown.

Lady Fang was the daughter of Old Marquis Xuanwu Lu Min's comrade-in-arms. The old couple treated her as their own daughter, and Lu Yongzhong grew up with her since childhood, their bond very deep. Everyone wanted to avenge Lady Fang.Helpless against Duke Wei's formidable power, they could not seek revenge and even feared that Shi Shi, in her madness, might recklessly attempt to take Lu Guanyi's life. Lu Yongzhong dared not openly show affection for his son, nor could he petition to have him designated as the heir. Lu Min and Qiu Shi constantly kept their grandson by their side, not daring to send him to the military for training.

After all, the military was filled with Shi family loyalists.

For many years, Lu Min and Lu Yongzhong had been committed to overthrowing Duke Wei and ensuring Lu Guanyi's safety. Now that Lu Min had passed away, how could Lu Yongzhong feel at ease sending his son to the border? Moreover, to place him under the command of the Great General Who Guards the North?

Currently, the military forces of Great Jin were divided into two factions: one led by the Great General Who Guards the North, and the other by Shi Kun (Duke Wei's son) and Lu Yongzhang (Duke Wei's son-in-law). The two factions had long held conflicting political views.

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