Glory

Ye Yaming chuckled, "Alright, go ahead. When you return from your escort mission and feel like spending time with me, you can come find me. You're always welcome here."

Although Guan Ting was a bit of a gossip, she had a good heart. Moreover, after Bai Rui's guidance that day, she had come to understand and no longer went around inquiring about the Ye family's affairs.

As for making Jasmine Tea, Ye Yaming didn't handle it herself. Instead, she carefully selected four people under Sun An's supervision and taught them the tea-making process.

Since the jasmine flowers hadn't bloomed in large quantities yet, she first trained these four individuals. They would then act as masters, each teaching four others. Once all sixteen had learned the craft, and the jasmine flowers were in full bloom, they would be divided into over a dozen groups to work simultaneously. The original four would oversee several groups each, ensuring quality control.

...

"How was it? How was it?" Lu Bin's wife, Madame Liu, asked eagerly as soon as her son and daughter-in-law returned. "What is Miss Ye like?"

Lu Guanyi was determined to proceed with this marriage arrangement and wouldn't listen to any of their advice. Although Lu Bin had sent his son to propose as requested, he still felt uneasy. After some thought, he decided to have his daughter-in-law accompany his son on the trip.

After all, Lu Qingsheng had gone to Lin'an as an outsider and might not have been able to meet Ye Yaming. But with Madame Peng going, the women of the Ye family would have to receive her, and Ye Yaming would inevitably come out to pay her respects.

"She's quite impressive," Madame Peng said with a smile. "Young Master Guanyi's judgment is truly beyond reproach. That Miss Ye carries herself with grace and propriety, knows exactly how to handle herself, and is remarkably capable. The Dragon Well Tea and Osmanthus Tea that are publicly credited to Second Master Ye were actually made by her. Next, she plans to make Jasmine Tea. Even that tea set business that Guanyi and the young master of the Qi Family were tinkering with recently was Miss Ye's idea. She also wrote 'Tea Arrangement,' the book you treasure so much."

Lu Guanyi had sent Lu Bin one jin each of the Osmanthus Tea and Dragon Well Tea produced by the Ye family, along with the pressed tea and loose tea he had initially purchased from the Ye family's tea house.

Lu Bin was quite the tea enthusiast.

Not only did he send tea, but Lu Guanyi also had people deliver copies of "The Classic of Tea" and "Tea Arrangement" to Lu Bin.

"In my opinion, although Miss Ye comes from a merchant family, she surpasses many noble young ladies in the capital. Young Master Guanyi has excellent taste; there's no need for you to worry, sir," Madame Peng added.

In her previous life, Ye Yaming had been an exceptionally capable person. If she wanted to, there wasn't a merchant she couldn't win over.

Madame Peng, coming from a middle-class family, didn't have the habit of looking down on others. She was simple-hearted and kind-natured. With Ye Yaming intentionally building goodwill, it took only a day for Madame Peng to sing her praises.

Now back at the Lu residence, Madame Peng enthusiastically promoted Ye Yaming, continuously speaking highly of her.

Lu Qingsheng nodded in agreement beside her. "Old Master Ye and Second Master Ye are also very fine people. The Ye family has an excellent reputation in Lin'an; everyone praises them as 'benevolent and virtuous, a family that accumulates good deeds.'"

While his son and daughter-in-law were in Lin'an, Lu Bin hadn't been idle either. He went daily to the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion in the capital, quietly observing the conduct and methods of Ye Hongchang, the eldest master of the Ye family. He even hired some troublemakers to create minor incidents that wouldn't harm the tea house's reputation, just to see how Ye Hongchang would handle them.However, Ye Hongchang was personally trained by Ye Chongming, and his conduct and style were in the same vein as his father's. He also knew that a good reputation was the reason why the Ye family had been able to expand their business so extensively and for so long.

Therefore, his methods of handling matters left Lu Bin quite satisfied.

Thanks to the tea arrangements, tea sets, and Dragon Well Tea, the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion became highly favored by scholars and refined individuals, earning a very positive reputation.

Lu Bin was generally satisfied with this marriage arrangement. The only dissatisfaction was the disparity in social status—it was simply too low to match the Xuanwu Marquis Household.

Now, seeing that both his son and daughter-in-law spoke highly of the Ye family, and learning that Ye Meng, the author of his favorite book Tea Arrangement, was none other than the third daughter of the Ye family, the cultural refinement and intellectual depth revealed between the lines of the book clearly demonstrated the author's extraordinary qualities. His concerns about social status completely vanished.

He smiled and said, "In that case, I am reassured. You have worked hard; rest well now."

After resting for the night, Lu Qingsheng went to the main house the next day to have breakfast with his parents and asked, "Father, how are things with the Meng family?"

Lu Bin replied, "Well, the victims were already seeking justice but had endured silently due to lack of backing. Once we took action and Meng Chengwei was imprisoned, the victims immediately flocked to the authorities with their petitions. When the news reached the Duke of Ying's ears, his word alone rendered even Min Fei and the Third Princess's influence useless. Barely back from exile, he now faces multiple charges piled up against him—it's basically impossible for him to leave prison alive. Just two days ago, the Meng family's status as imperial merchants was revoked."

Sighing, he added, "For the Ye family, Guanyi mobilized quite a few connections; he really went to great lengths."

"He did this for his own benefit as well. Otherwise, Shi Shi might have arranged a marriage for him at any moment. Now that he's engaged, he can focus wholeheartedly on making his mark at the frontier."

"That's true."

What Lu Bin and his son didn't know was that Lu Guanyi's efforts went far beyond this.

Before leaving for the frontier, he had made two requests to the Crown Prince: one regarding the betrothal, and the other concerning tribute tea and the status of imperial merchant.

Of course, the matter of tribute tea and imperial merchant status also benefited the Crown Prince himself. When Lu Guanyi went to Jiangnan to seek a tea business partnership, he had done so under the Crown Prince's directive.

Though tea may seem insignificant, it relates to the peace of the frontier; and the tea trade indeed yields substantial profits. Although the Crown Prince did not compete with the court or the common people for profit, he aimed to control a portion of this trade, especially with merchants who possessed secret tea-making recipes. With such recipes, producing high-quality tea in large quantities would be easy.

Now, the Ye family had proven highly skilled in tea-making, consistently producing excellent teas. The Crown Prince held the Ye family in high regard.

Therefore, just as Ye Yaming finished producing the Jasmine Tea, the court dispatched officials to investigate the Ye family, their tea garden locations and sizes, and inspect their tea factory. They also had Ye Hongsheng and Ye Yaming demonstrate tea frying to confirm that the Ye family could consistently supply a certain quantity of high-quality Dragon Well Tea each year before returning to the capital.

By the time Osmanthus Tea could be produced, the court issued an imperial decree designating the Ye family's Dragon Well Tea as Tribute Tea.

"Crackle, pop!" Firecrackers sounded simultaneously in front of the Ye family's main gate and the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion.

As the firecracker echoes faded, a crowd of onlookers surged forward, scrambling for the copper coins the steward scattered on the ground.

"Wonderful, truly wonderful," Ye Chongming said, his voice choked with emotion.He had toiled his entire life, always hoping that the Ye family would prosper even more. Now, with the Ye family's tea leaves in his hands, they had finally become the royal tribute tea.

He looked up at the sky, clasped his hands together, and said, "Ancestors, bless us."

"Our Ming'er is also very capable," Old Mrs. Ye chimed in from the side.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, he would occasionally encounter acquaintances. They would greet each other or simply nod in acknowledgment.

But no matter who it was,

everyone's face bore no extra expression, as if they were indifferent to everything.

Shen Changqing was already accustomed to this.

Because this was the Demon Suppression Division, an institution responsible for maintaining the stability of Great Qin. Its primary duty was to slay demons, monsters, and supernatural beings, though it also handled some other side tasks.

It could be said

that every person in the Demon Suppression Division had their hands stained with a great deal of blood.

When one had witnessed life and death too often, they would inevitably become indifferent to many things.

When Shen Changqing first arrived in this world, he found it somewhat unsettling, but over time, he grew accustomed to it.

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who could remain in the Demon Suppression Division were either formidable experts or individuals with the potential to become experts.

Shen Changqing belonged to the latter category.

Within the Demon Suppression Division, there were two main roles: the Garrison Envoy and the Demon Subduing Envoy.

Anyone who joined the Demon Suppression Division started as the lowest-ranking Demon Subduing Envoy

and then advanced step by step, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Garrison Envoy.

Shen Changqing's predecessor was a probationary Demon Subduing Envoy in the Demon Suppression Division, the lowest rank among the Demon Subduing Envoys.

With the memories of his predecessor,

he was very familiar with the environment of the Demon Suppression Division.

It didn't take long for Shen Changqing to stop in front of a pavilion.

Unlike the other solemn and murderous places in the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, exuding an unusual tranquility amidst the pervasive bloodshed of the division.

At that moment, the pavilion's door was wide open, and people occasionally entered and exited.

After only a moment's hesitation, Shen Changqing stepped inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere abruptly changed.

A scent of ink mixed with a faint trace of blood assailed his senses, causing him to instinctively furrow his brows, though they quickly relaxed again.

The bloody odor that clung to everyone in the Demon Suppression Division was almost impossible to wash away completely.