Glory

Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming reviewed the conversation records, noting that many people had echoed Wang Kuan's remarks, declaring they would not purchase the secret tea-making recipe.

Yet the very next morning, not only did Jin Baoshan and Zhang Zhiyi show up, but everyone else—except for Wang Kuan—flocked to the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion to pay and register for tea-making lessons.

No one was foolish.

As fellow tea merchants in Lin'an, all operating within the same trade circle, they crossed paths frequently. Ye Chongming would have to be insane to deceive them by selling a fake secret tea-making recipe for fifty thousand taels of silver.

The Ye family was already wealthy and influential, hardly in need of a few hundred thousand taels. Moreover, with the emergence of Dragon Well Tea, their profits were overflowing.

Though Ye Chongming turned away those on the list, he still collected over four hundred thousand taels in silver that day.

"More will sign up in the coming days. We can expect to receive at least this much again," he remarked.

Having been in business his entire life, Ye Chongming was no stranger to large sums of money. However, while pre-ordering tea involved substantial outlays, the returns came in steadily over time. Earning hundreds of thousands of taels in a single day was an unprecedented experience.

He handed the silver notes to Ye Yaming and asked, "Are we truly making no mistake by selling this secret tea-making recipe?"

"Rest assured, there will be no issues," Ye Yaming replied with a smile.

She was not one to act rashly and had previously consulted Lu Guanyi on this matter.

According to Lu Guanyi's analysis, he believed that for the court to abolish pressed tea and promote loose tea, the prerequisite was for loose tea to flourish and its flavor to improve continuously, enticing those who traditionally drank pressed tea to willingly switch.

Abolishing pressed tea and promoting loose tea was not something that could be accomplished merely by an imperial decree from the Emperor.

While issuing an edict was simple, if the imperial consorts and concubines still preferred pressed tea, then his directive to cease tribute offerings of pressed tea and only present loose tea would be meaningless.

The same held true among the common people.

Thus, in Lu Guanyi's view, the court would be pleased to see advancements in the production techniques of loose tea.

Nevertheless, to be cautious, he specifically sought out the Crown Prince for confirmation after returning to the capital. Only after receiving the Crown Prince's affirmation did he write to Ye Yaming, who then dared to spread the word about selling the secret recipe.

Ye Chongming was aware of this. His inquiry today was merely to seek reassurance.

Ye Yaming took one hundred thousand taels from the stack of silver notes and pushed the remainder back to Ye Chongming. "You've witnessed the hard work my father and I have put in during this period. Our branch will keep these one hundred thousand taels; the rest can go into the family accounts."

"Ming'er..." Ye Chongming was deeply moved.

Thanks to Dragon Well Tea, the Ye family had already reaped substantial profits during the spring, summer, and autumn seasons. Moreover, Dragon Well Tea had become a Tribute Tea, significantly elevating the Ye family's status and prestige. Although these hundreds of thousands of taels were a considerable sum, if the second branch kept it, while other family members might privately grumble, none would dare voice complaints openly.

This was because, prior to this, whenever Ye Yaming presented a secret tea-making recipe, the proceeds from its sale had always been retained by her personally.

Yet now, Ye Yaming was taking only one hundred thousand taels.

Although the second branch was entitled to sixty percent of the final revenue regardless of the total amount, given the large base sum, the forty percent allocated to others would still be a substantial figure. Had it been the first or fourth branch, they would likely have struggled to be so generous. Even Ye Hongchang and Ye Hongrong would have hesitated, let alone Tao Shi and Zhang Shi.

Despite being a woman, Ye Yaming conducted herself with greater decisiveness and magnanimity than most men.

"Shouldn't you discuss this with your father and mother?" Ye Chongming asked.Ye Yaming shook her head: "I don’t think they’ll mind. We are one family. Harmony in the family leads to prosperity in all endeavors; only when the family works together can the Ye family thrive. Money is ultimately an external possession—there’s no need to be overly concerned about it."

These were her sincere thoughts.

If the Ye family were in dire poverty, struggling to make ends meet, where one person’s extra bite meant another’s hunger, she might have valued money more and been calculative with others. That would have been driven by poverty.

But at their current level, money was truly just a number. People were what mattered most.

Without Ye Hongchang managing affairs in the capital, Ye Hongrong overseeing matters in Huizhou, Ye Jiaxing handling the tea utensils division, and Ye Chongming commanding the overall situation in Lin’an, even if she had three heads and six arms, she wouldn’t be able to sustain such a large operation. Although they could hire managers and housekeepers, how could outsiders be as trustworthy as family? This was an era with underdeveloped legal systems and no surveillance cameras—if those people took the money and fled, recovering it would be extremely difficult.

Taking these hundred thousand taels of silver was merely to ensure the efforts of the second branch were not overlooked.

Ye Hongsheng had never placed much importance on wealth, and Yin Shi always deferred to her daughter and husband. Once she explained these reasons to them, they would undoubtedly support her approach.

After returning from the main house, Ye Yaming went to Yin Shi’s courtyard and told her about the matter. Upon learning that the second branch had received a hundred thousand taels of silver, Yin Shi was so stunned she couldn’t gather her thoughts for a long while, leaving no room to ponder anything else.

"Mother, I’ll purchase a manor and a few shops for you as dowry. They’ll be registered under your name and properly documented at the government office," Ye Yaming said.

Apart from having no sons, Yin Shi also lacked a dowry, which made her sensitive and insecure. Now that the second branch had money, Ye Yaming felt it was appropriate to acquire some assets for Yin Shi, giving her more confidence and a sense of security.

"No, no, this is your money. Keep it for your own dowry," Yin Shi hastily waved her hand in refusal.

"What do I need a dowry for? I’m the next head of the Ye family. Even after marriage, that won’t change."

Ye Yaming spoke decisively: "It’s settled. Whether these manors and shops are under your name or Father’s makes no difference to me or Yin’er. Having them under your name will give you more confidence, and no one will ever again criticize you for lacking a dowry. Aunt and Fourth Aunt enjoy their parents’ blessings, but you—you enjoy your daughter’s blessings."

These words made Yin Shi beam with joy.

"Don’t worry, I’ll also arrange a dowry for Yin’er. The family will provide one portion, and we’ll prepare another for her ourselves, ensuring she marries with great honor."

"Don’t forget about yourself," Yin Shi reminded her. "Although you are the next family head, you are still a woman who will marry. Once your grandparents and father are no longer here, who knows if the Ye family will acknowledge you or if you’ll inherit the family assets? A dowry is something no one can take from you, so you must prepare a generous one for yourself."

Ye Yaming nodded: "Mother, don’t worry. I’m not foolish—I’ll plan for myself."

In ancient times, the only legal way for a woman to inherit and retain property was through her dowry. It belonged solely to her—neither to her natal family nor her husband’s. After her death, it would be inherited by her biological children.

Naturally, Ye Yaming would prepare a substantial dowry for herself."Take these hundred thousand taels, purchase ten thousand taels' worth of manors and shops for me, and five thousand taels' worth for Yin'er. Keep the rest for yourself." Yin Shi declared with an unyielding attitude.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

As Shen Changqing walked along the road, he would occasionally encounter acquaintances. They would either greet each other or exchange nods.

But regardless of who it was,

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

Regarding this,

Shen Changqing had long grown accustomed.

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 copious amounts of blood.

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

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

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: one was the Garrison Envoy, and the other was the Demon Subduing Envoy.

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

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 areas of the Demon Suppression Division, this pavilion stood out like a crane among chickens, exuding an unusual tranquility amidst the pervasive bloodiness of the division.

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

Shen Changqing hesitated only for a moment before stepping inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere abruptly changed.

The scent of ink mixed with a faint trace of blood assailed his senses, causing him to instinctively frown, though his expression quickly relaxed.

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