Glory

"Oh my, Dragon Well Tea has become a Tribute Tea."

"Come on, let's go try it."

Upon hearing the news, the citizens of Lin'an City flocked to the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion to sample Dragon Well Tea.

This tea had only been sold at two locations—the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion in the capital and the one in Lin'an City—with a purchase limit of two jin per person. Even compared to other loose teas, whether summer or autumn harvests, its price remained quite steep.

Thus, aside from those with ample wealth and leisure or true tea enthusiasts who went to taste it, most people merely listened to the news without acting.

With that amount of money, wouldn't it be better to buy several jin of meat to eat?

But once the title of Tribute Tea was announced, those with a bit of extra money all wanted to try it, so they wouldn't appear ignorant when others asked about it.

As a result, the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion was once again packed to the rafters, even more so than when Osmanthus Tea was first launched.

The tea merchants of Lin'an City grew distressed.

"Ye Family's Dragon Well was only presented to the Emperor's desk this spring. I thought that, no matter what, it would at least wait until next spring for another tribute offering. Only if the Emperor still enjoyed it after drinking would it become a Tribute Tea, right? How did it become one so quickly? It doesn't make sense."

"What does this mean? It means the Ye Family has connections in high places."

"Haven't the Ye Family struggled for years to find any backing? How did they suddenly rise to prominence now?"

An elderly man named Jin Baoshan, who had previously been on good terms with Ye Chongming and wished to deepen ties with the Ye Family, spoke up: "Isn't it out of desperation? You all know how much the Ye Family went through last year, don't you? First, a man named Meng came from the capital, intent on killing all the male members of the Ye Family; later, the Yang Family opposed them. Just when both families were imprisoned, their Recommended Man grandson-in-law caused a scandal by breaking off the engagement and was jailed for writing banned poetry?"

"After going through so many ordeals and creating a tea like Dragon Well, which is as stable as a settled basin, wouldn't any family seek a patron? Last year, not only Elder Ye but also Second Master Ye spent a long time in the capital—likely to find backing."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Do you know what kind of backing they found?" someone asked.

Jin Baoshan shook his head: "I don't know that. The Ye Family isn't one to boast; they didn't say, and I didn't feel right pressing them."

He had asked Ye Chongming, but Ye Chongming only smiled and changed the subject. Realizing the matter was private, he naturally didn't push further.

"Do you think their backing might be related to the Third Miss Ye's marriage arrangement?"

Hearing this, everyone had a sudden realization: "Yes, yes, it must be."

The marriage of the Third Miss Ye had sparked immense curiosity, yet no one had managed to uncover the details. This fueled public speculation to the point where some in Lin'an City even started betting on the nature of the match.

A fifth-rank official, a noble—given the Ye Family's reputation and Second Master Ye's doting love for his daughter, the groom should be quite suitable. Yet, the entire Ye Family remained tight-lipped and evasive, as if the match were somewhat embarrassing. How could this not pique everyone's curiosity?

However, despite repeated discussions, no conclusion was reached. Even if they now suspected the marriage might be linked to the Tribute Tea status, it didn't bring them any closer to the truth."Let's set that aside for now. The Ye family's marriage alliance and Tribute Tea have nothing to do with us. I'm only worried that with this powerful backing and the Tribute Tea prestige, the Ye family will place massive orders for Crude Tea this year. When that happens, our quotas will surely be squeezed."

Hearing this, everyone jolted in alarm: "Surely not?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

Silence fell over the group.

If they were in Ye's position, they'd do the same. If not now, when would be the time to expand? No matter how benevolent the Ye family might be, they weren't running a charity. Businessmen naturally pursued profit—why should they consider others and make way for them?

One of the more timid merchants reddened around the eyes: "Business keeps getting harder. Everyone knows this trade yields fat profits, so they're all rushing in—they're just hampered by lacking tea-making recipes. When the Ye family recently spread word about selling the secret Dragon Well Tea recipe, didn't it draw crowds from the capital to Lin'an? Do we even have a path to survival anymore?"

"Exactly, exactly." His words drew immediate agreement from many.

Another voice rose in indignation: "Benevolent, my foot! The Ye family is blocking our way completely, leaving us no path forward."

Just then, a familiar voice sounded from the doorway: "Are you all here to condemn me, Ye Chongming? If you hadn't sent people with all manner of underhanded tricks trying to steal my family's tea recipe without spending a single coin, would I have been forced to sell the secret formula?"

All eyes turned to see Ye Chongming entering with a dark expression, followed by a striking sixteen- or seventeen-year-old girl whose dress marked her as nobility, not a servant.

Why had Head Merchant Ye come? And who was he bringing?

"Chongming, what brings you here?" Jin Baoshan hurriedly rose with an awkward smile.

They'd deliberately avoided Ye Chongming by gathering not at Gathering Fragrance Pavilion or the tea guild's courtyard, but at a teahouse owned by another merchant named Ma, specifically to discuss how to counter the Ye family.

They never expected Ye Chongming to be so well-informed—or to confront them directly.

Over the years, Ye Chongming had always treated everyone fairly, helping those in difficulty when he could, maintaining good relationships. Even during his financial troubles, though everyone had their own calculations, none had openly opposed him.

Now facing him directly, even those who hadn't participated in scheming to steal the Ye family's recipe felt uncomfortable.

As Jin Baoshan stood, everyone else rose too, faces plastered with smiles.

Regardless of their private thoughts or the harsh words they'd just uttered, none dared offend the Ye family to their faces.

This wasn't the Ye family of old, when Yang Hong might have replaced Ye as head merchant. Now with their influential position, Ye Chongming's leadership was secure.

As long as he lived, the Tribute Tea prestige would keep him in that seat for years.

Ye Chongming moved toward the head seat as he spoke: "Why am I here? If I hadn't come, some would still be skulking in shadows—the very ones who forced my family to sell our secret recipe—while grandstanding from moral high ground to condemn me."

Back when Ye Yaming proposed selling the recipe, they'd held back until Lu Guanyi came for marriage discussions. Only then did she have people spread word about selling the secret formula.Later, when Lu Guanyi invited Master Zhineng to deliver the betrothal gifts, it indeed intimidated many petty troublemakers, and the timid ones dared not act. However, a few bold ones persisted. Had Ye Yaming not hired loafers and ruffians as informants and engaged the Security Company to stand guard, someone might have succeeded.

At that time, the secret recipe had not yet been released for sale. Besides having Ye Hongchang teach the apprentices collaborating with Lu Qi to master tea-making—allowing both parties to profit further from the summer and autumn tea harvests—Ye Yaming was also using the opportunity to investigate who exactly was so audacious. Despite Ye Jia having demonstrated powerful backing, these individuals refused to relent and clung on tenaciously.

And these very people were all present today.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, he would greet or nod to acquaintances he encountered.

But no matter who it was,

everyone's face bore no superfluous expression, as if 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 side operations.

It could be said

that every person in the Demon Suppression Division had blood on their hands.

When one becomes accustomed to life and death, they grow indifferent to many things.

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

The Demon Suppression Division was vast.

Those who could remain in the Demon Suppression Division were either powerful 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 joining the Demon Suppression Division started as a Demon Subduing Envoy at the lowest rank,

then advanced step by step, with the eventual hope of becoming a Garrison Envoy.

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

Possessing 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 before a pavilion.

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

At that moment, the pavilion's door was wide open, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

After only a brief hesitation, Shen Changqing stepped inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere abruptly changed.

The scent of ink mixed with a faint odor of blood assailed his senses, causing him to instinctively frown, but he quickly relaxed.

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