Glory

Lu Guanyi frowned slightly, gazing directly at Ye Yaming as he said earnestly, "You've been busy making tea all this time, then made a trip to Huizhou, and now you're about to make Jasmine Tea. You're pushing yourself too hard."

After returning from Huizhou, Ye Yaming had thrown herself into intensive tea production, leaving no time for other matters.

Following their return, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji had discussed matters with Ye Chongming, ultimately deciding that Lu and Qi would each assign two capable housekeepers to accompany Ye Hongrong to Huizhou to establish teahouses and cultivate tea gardens.

Ye Chongming, concerned about Ye Hongrong's reliability, promoted Zhou Xiang to housekeeper and sent him along to assist Ye Hongrong in Huizhou while also keeping watch over him. If any irresponsible behavior occurred, Zhou was to immediately send word back.

Ye Hongrong, still burdened with guilt over the illicit tea incident that had nearly brought disaster upon the family, was eager to make amends. He felt deeply grateful that Ye Yaming had been willing to take him along on her travels.

Now entrusted with this responsibility, and with the housekeepers from Lu and Qi's households serving as benchmarks, he was determined not to disgrace the Ye family name. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the tasks, enduring hardships without complaint, and performed remarkably well.

After completing the Pre-Qingming Tea production in Lin'an and teaching Ye Hongsheng the craft until he reached a level where he could train apprentices, Ye Yaming traveled to Huizhou in disguise, accompanied only by Guan Canghai and his daughter.

She located the finest mother tea plants in the region, directed servants in propagating cuttings, and wrote detailed instructions on propagation and cultivation methods for Ye Hongrong to follow in caring for the tea plants.

Traveling on horseback both ways and heading straight to her destination, she completed the journey in less than half the time it had taken during her previous trip to Huizhou with Lu and Qi in the first month.

To prevent potential ambushes along the way, even Old Madam Ye remained unaware of this trip, believing Ye Yaming had been continuously working at the tea garden in Baiteng County. Meanwhile, those at the tea garden assumed she had returned to her home in Lin'an City during that period.

Though Lu Guanyi had returned to the capital after arranging matters in Huizhou, the housekeepers there regularly updated him via letters.

Thus, he was aware of Ye Yaming's back-and-forth travels, prompting his earlier remark.

After speaking, Lu Guanyi addressed Ye Chongming with a slightly joking tone, "In principle, the affairs of your Ye family shouldn't warrant commentary from outsiders like us. But Miss Ye's capabilities are extraordinary, and she's far too important to us. Old Master Ye, you mustn't take advantage of her competence by overworking her."

Before Ye Chongming could respond, Ye Yaming smiled and said, "My grandfather does care for me deeply and often urges me to rest more. But time waits for no one. If I slow my pace, we'd lose an entire year's profits. Producing Dragon Well Tea, propagating tea plants, making Jasmine Tea—these tasks all require my personal involvement. At least for this year, I must handle everything myself. Next year, once we've trained more people, things will improve."

Normally mindful of propriety between men and women, Lu Guanyi avoided prolonged eye contact with young women during discussions. But now, while Ye Yaming was speaking, he took the opportunity to observe her carefully and noted her vibrant energy, with no signs of fatigue or weight loss, which reassured him.

"Still, you must remember to rest," he said. "Nothing is more important than your health."

Under ordinary circumstances, Ye Yaming wouldn't have given such words much thought. After all, in their joint business ventures, her role was crucial—especially since she had just mentioned her ability to produce numerous specialty teas.Though aware of Lu Guanyi's intentions, Ye Yaming still sensed the underlying concern in his words.

Ye Chongming didn't overthink it and repeatedly agreed, "Yes, yes, rest more. I always urge her to rest more, but this child never listens. So stubborn."

Wanting to dispel the slight awkwardness brought by Lu Guanyi's remark, Ye Yaming changed the subject, "Have you finished your business in the capital?"

At the mention of the capital, the faint smile on Lu Guanyi's lips vanished.

He grew serious, "We rushed back to Lin'an because we have something to discuss with you."

As he spoke, he glanced at Qi Ji.

Lu Guanyi wasn't much of a talker,

while Qi Ji was rather chatty. Due to this difference in temperament, the two had developed a habit since childhood: lengthy explanations were always left to Qi Ji.

Qi Ji proceeded to inform Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming about Meng Chengwei's situation.

Upon hearing that after his release from prison, Meng Chengwei showed no intention of reflecting on his mistakes or turning over a new leaf but instead schemed against Ye Yaming's marriage prospects—even targeting someone like the Fifth Jiang Young Master—Ye Chongming trembled with rage.

"Scoundrel, beast! They tried to take the lives of our family's men and ended up in prison—that's karma. Instead of reflecting after his release, he still seeks to harm others. Utterly devoid of conscience!"

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji sat opposite Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming, observing their reactions clearly.

Ye Chongming cursed vehemently and grew agitated upon hearing the news. However, aside from venting his frustration, his outburst did little to help the situation.

In contrast, Ye Yaming merely furrowed her brows slightly before sinking into deep thought.

She was clearly contemplating how to resolve this problem.

"What do you plan to do?" Lu Guanyi asked, gazing intently at Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming tilted her head and shrugged slightly, "Finding someone to marry immediately would solve the problem. No matter how powerful the Duke of Ying's household is, they can't openly defy the law in broad daylight. If I remain unmarried, they might employ various means to force me into this marriage. But if I'm already married, they'll have no recourse."

"After all, the families of the Fifth Jiang Young Master's previous two wives are watching closely, waiting for an opportunity to drag the Duke of Ying's household down to hell. Therefore, the Duke's methods can only be used in secret, not openly."

"What about the Meng family? Are we just going to let them bully us like this?" Ye Chongming said resentfully.

"The Meng family..." Ye Yaming smiled faintly, took a sip of tea, and said nothing more.

Back when she had Meng Chengwei exiled, she knew the matter wasn't over. Once Meng Chengwei returned to the capital, there would inevitably be another wave of retaliation.

Therefore, after returning from Huizhou, she had sent Fang Xing to the capital to thoroughly investigate the Meng family.

The Meng family's standing in the capital was indeed unremarkable. Min Fei's reliance on Meng Chengwei was largely due to having no one else to use. Meng Chengwei and Min Fei's greatest backing was probably the Third Princess and her Imperial consort.

Knowing this, Ye Yaming felt somewhat reassured.

She had introduced Dragon Well Tea and would soon produce Jasmine Tea. With Huangshan Maofeng and the ambitious plans she had just outlined, her value and importance were evident.

Even so, if Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji allowed Min Fei and the Meng family to harm her, she would simply find another partner—one capable of protecting her.

Dragon Well Tea's reputation was well-established, and recently, many powerful figures from the capital had approached Ye Chongming expressing interest in collaboration.Based on their behavior during their last encounter with Princess Yu Ning and Imperial Consort Fan Yu, Ye Yaming believed that when she was being schemed against by Min Fei's faction, Princess Yu Ning and Fan Yu would still be quite willing to extend a helping hand to her.