Glory

Qi Ji seemed very pleased that she asked this question and smiled at her, saying, "Extremely well. He has been promoted for his meritorious service and is now a fourth-rank military official. Once the situation in the capital stabilizes, Marquis Xuanwu will likely petition to have him designated as the heir."

Hearing this news, Ye Chongming was overjoyed: "Really? That's wonderful."

However, Ye Yaming frowned: "Has there been a conflict at the border? Was Lu Guanyi injured?"

Based on what Qi Ji had just said, the exposure of the Jin official named Bater would inevitably lead to desperate actions, much like Duke Wei's situation.

Since promotions are only granted for merit, and Lu Guanyi was directly promoted to the fourth rank, it was clear he had accomplished something significant. Supporting the Crown Prince in dealing with Duke Wei's faction couldn't be openly acknowledged, so it was likely that Lu Guanyi had engaged in a battle at the border.

Qi Ji looked at Ye Yaming with admiration and nodded in confirmation: "Indeed, there was a conflict. Bater caught wind of the situation and hastily raised troops to seize power. After failing, he fled to the border, intending to plunder villages for supplies and see if he could establish an independent state there."

"Zi Mo led troops to suppress him and successfully brought back Bater's head. The court immediately appointed him as a fourth-rank Mingwei General."

Ye Yaming asked, "Was he injured?"

"He sustained minor injuries but has long since recovered."

As he spoke, Qi Ji felt genuinely happy for Lu Guanyi.

During their journey to Minzhou, whenever Qi Ji mentioned Lu Guanyi, Ye Yaming showed no signs of shyness, speaking of him as she would anyone else. This made it clear to Qi Ji the nature of the relationship between Ye Yaming and Lu Guanyi.

Although they were engaged, it was entirely one-sided on Lu Guanyi's part, while Ye Yaming remained remarkably composed.

Now, seeing her concern for Lu Guanyi, he was relieved to know she wasn't completely indifferent.

He added, "After Zi Mo went to the border, he intended to write to you. But as you know, correspondence is restricted in border areas unless necessary. Written letters, in particular, are prohibited to prevent leaks of military secrets."

"However, on my return, I received a relayed message from him. He mentioned that you had previously brought up making tea bricks for the border tribes. Now that the Great Jin is renegotiating the reopening of the Tea-Horse Trade Market with the border regions, he asked if you could provide a few of those tea bricks for me to deliver to him. He has an important use for them."

Ye Yaming appeared delighted to hear that Lu Guanyi wanted the tea.

"I have some. But they're at home—I'll go fetch them for you now." With that, she stood up, ready to return home for the tea.

She could have simply sent a servant, but since Qi Ji mentioned it concerned border negotiations, the tea was likely intended for high-ranking Jin officials. Such tea couldn't afford any mishaps, as it might lead to conflict between the two nations—a responsibility she couldn't bear.

Thus, she decided to make the trip herself to retrieve the tea.

Not only Qi Ji but even Ye Chongming was curious about this so-called "tea brick." He had never heard Ye Yaming mention it before.

Before long, Ye Yaming returned with over a dozen brick-shaped tea blocks.

Seeing the tea resembling actual bricks, Qi Ji seemed hesitant to speak.

Ye Yaming, being perceptive, immediately understood his hesitation—both surprised by the tea's form and troubled by something else.

She smiled and said, "The court has just abolished compressed tea in favor of loose leaves, and now I produce this kind of tea. It’s bound to raise suspicions, right? That’s why I didn’t make tea cakes but instead shaped them into bricks."She unwrapped the packaging, revealing the dark and glossy tea inside. Using a tea needle specially crafted for this purpose, she gently pried loose some tea from the compressed brick and placed it into the lidded bowl before her.

"Chuyang, have you seen the border-trade tea sent from the Great Jin to the Great Jin people for them to drink?" she asked.

Qi Ji shook his head, puzzled. "Shouldn't it be the same as the tea we drink?"

"Then what do you think would happen if our tea, like the previous loose tea or the current Dragon Well, were transported to the Great Jin?"

Qi Ji had never really considered this question.

When Ye Yaming posed it, he was momentarily stunned.

Last autumn, when he traveled to Minzhou with Ye Yaming, he naturally brought tea to drink on the road and also stocked up to ensure he had tea to drink after arriving in Minzhou.

Since he started drinking Dragon Well, he could no longer tolerate other teas, always finding them overly bitter and lacking in fragrance.

However, the Dragon Well he had brought got soaked by rain during the journey, moldered and spoiled, and was eventually discarded. He was so distressed that he tossed and turned for a long time that night before finally falling asleep.

Fortunately, upon reaching Minzhou, the Tieguanyin tea crafted by Ye Yaming soothed his wounded heart.

His gaze fell upon the tea brick in front of him.

"Are you suggesting that these teas are made in this form for ease of transportation?"

Ye Yaming gave him an appreciative look. "Exactly."

When she entered, she had instructed Zan'er to boil water. At that moment, Zan'er knocked and brought in the boiling water. Ye Yaming took the kettle and poured the boiling water into the lidded bowl. After covering it, she left a small gap and quickly poured the water out through the gap into the waste water bowl.

Seeing Ye Yaming discard the water used for brewing the tea, not only Qi Ji but even Ye Chongming was perplexed.

Qi Ji, being straightforward, asked first, "Why did you pour out the water used for brewing the tea?" Wasn't this a waste?

"This is to rinse the tea, which also serves to moisten it," Ye Yaming explained.

"The raw materials for making Dark Tea are usually old leaves and stems, which are very durable. Rinsing once or twice won't affect the flavor of the tea broth. Instead, during this rinsing process, the tea leaves become moistened, resulting in a better infusion."

As she spoke, she rinsed the tea once more, then poured in boiling water. After waiting a short while, she judged that the tea broth had reached the perfect strength and poured it into the fairness cup.

"Is this tea called Dark Tea?" Ye Chongming asked.

"Yes," Ye Yaming replied, pointing to the tea brick from which she had just pried a small amount. "Look at how dark and glossy this tea is, so I call it Dark Tea."

The difference between Dark Tea and Pu'er lies in the tea varietals: the former uses small to medium-leaf varieties, while the latter uses Yunnan large-leaf varieties. Additionally, their fermentation and processing methods differ.

Ye Yaming couldn't go to Yunnan. In this era of inconvenient transportation and lack of security, traveling to the minority-inhabited regions of Yunnan was impractical. Without special reasons, she had no plans to develop Pu'er tea.

However, it was feasible to use the coarse old leaves and stems left after harvesting tea buds for green tea production to make Dark Tea.

She didn't know how far the border-trade tea in Yunnan and Sichuan had developed at this time. But if it followed the historical trajectory of the original timeline, Pu'er tea was not yet mature. She hoped that through the inspiration of Dark Tea production methods, she could spur the development of Pu'er tea.

As an experienced tea drinker, after tasting many varieties, she ultimately only preferred Pu'er and aged white tea. When spring arrived, she would drink a little green tea, and she also enjoyed some richly flavored Dark Tea, but she hardly touched other types of tea.The origin of Fuding White Tea is in Fuding City, Fujian Province. This was a project she planned to develop next and one of the reasons she endured hardships to travel to Minzhou.

Without Pu'er tea, Dark Tea became an essential category for her. Thus, shortly after her transmigration, during her first visit to the Tea Garden with Ye Chongming, she had coarse, old leaves and stems harvested and made some Dark Tea bricks for herself.

"Brother Shen!"

"Hmm!"

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

But no matter who it was,

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

To this,

Shen Changqing had 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 side endeavors.

It could be said

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

When one became accustomed to life and death, they would 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 who joined the Demon Suppression Division started as a low-level Demon Subduing Envoy,

advancing 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 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 imposing areas of 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, with people occasionally entering and exiting.

After only a brief hesitation, Shen Changqing stepped inside.

Upon entering the pavilion,

the atmosphere abruptly changed.

A mix of ink fragrance and a faint scent of blood assailed his senses, causing him to instinctively furrow his brows before quickly relaxing them.

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