Glory

"It's different," Ye Yaming said. "The tea plants here are of the small-leaf variety, while those used for Tieguanyin are medium-leaf. They could probably survive if planted here, but the flavor would differ. After all, soil and growing conditions affect the taste of tea leaves."

"Like how oranges grown south of the Huai River are sweet, but turn bitter when planted north of it?" Ye Hongsheng asked.

Ye Yaming gave him an approving smile. "Exactly."

"What is 'yaoqing'?" Ye Hongsheng inquired further.

Seeing that father and daughter were about to launch into an academic discussion, Ye Chongming quickly interjected, "Alright, let's pause this for now. Drink your tea first—we have matters to discuss."

The two exchanged an amused glance and began sipping their tea.

Everyone had tasted this tea when it first arrived, but the version brewed by Ye Yaming was exceptionally distinct, earning murmurs of admiration.

Ye Chongming asked, "How do you plan to sell this Tieguanyin?"

Ye Yaming replied, "I discussed this with Qi Gongzi on our journey. Since the quantity of Tieguanyin is limited, we'll offer it as gifts rather than sell it. We'll give it exclusively to major clients who spent over five hundred taels in our teahouse last year. This will build its reputation before we launch it commercially next year."

During her time in Minzhou, Ye Yaming had processed two months' worth of spring tea. However, with limited mature tea plants and sparse daily harvests, she only produced about two hundred jin of dried tea in total.

The newly purchased tea mountains had just been planted with cuttings, which would need two to three years to mature—meaning a temporary shortage was inevitable.

Ye Yaming intended to gift the tea this year, begin sales next year, employ a scarcity marketing strategy for two years, and then mass-release it. This approach would elevate Tieguanyin to the status of a premium tea rivaling Dragon Well Tea.

Ye Chongming had full confidence in Ye Yaming's marketing tactics. Upon learning she had already consulted Qi Ji, he nodded, "Very well, we'll proceed as you suggest."

With this rare shareholders' meeting convened, Ye Yaming aimed for efficiency. She took charge as the facilitator.

"In the past, we should have met regularly to update each other on our respective responsibilities and foster mutual understanding. But everyone was preoccupied with their own tasks. Now that we're finally gathered, let's take turns summarizing our areas of oversight."

She turned to Ye Chongming with a smile. "Grandfather, would you like to start with the situation in Lin'an?"

Ye Chongming agreed. "Certainly."

Since Ye Yaming and Ye Hongsheng trained tea-making masters last year, Ye Chongming had dispatched them this spring to estate holders contracted for crude tea, overseeing the on-site production of Dragon Well Tea. Consequently, this year's output reached new heights.

However, after Ye Jia sold the Dragon Well Tea processing method, other tea merchants began mass-producing it, leading to a significant price drop.

"Overall, our profits remain substantial. As the originators, tea drinkers still prefer our product," Ye Chongming noted.

"Initially, I didn't understand why Ming'er insisted on selling the secret tea-making recipe. Now it's clear."

Ye Chongming sighed reflectively. "If we hadn't sold it, our Dragon Well Tea would have flooded the market this year at steep prices, generating excessive profits. That would have provoked intense envy among tea merchants and attracted covetous attention from powerful figures."

"By selling the recipe, we encouraged merchants to produce Dragon Well Tea instead of pressed tea. This not only promoted loose tea's growth, suppressed pressed tea in line with court policies, but also boosted Dragon Well's renown. And as the authentic source, our reputation has only strengthened."This was precisely why he had agreed without hesitation, even if he didn't fully comprehend the intricacies of Ye Yaming's sales strategy for Tieguanyin tea.

Ye Yaming's sale of the tea formula had not only earned the Ye family hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in one fell swoop and averted the disasters that could have arisen from others coveting the formula, but it also carried such profound implications.

Aligning with the imperial court's intentions and gaining the emperor's favor were of utmost importance for the Ye family, who aspired to become imperial merchants.

This realization became even clearer to Ye Chongming as he listened to reports from Ye Hongchang, who managed teahouses in the capital; Ye Hongrong, the housekeeper in Huizhou; and Ye Jiaxing, who oversaw the tea utensil business in Xinping Town.

Coupled with Qi Ji's insights into the future of the tea industry in Minzhou, Ye Chongming gained a sharper understanding. Reflecting on just over two years ago, the Ye family had been merely ordinary tea merchants in Lin'an City, struggling to manage the limited tea production from the hills in Baiteng County while facing schemes and hardships.

Then, after Ye Yaming revealed her brilliance and received ancestral divine guidance, in just two short years, the tea enterprise collaboration between the Ye family and Lu Qi had expanded to cover nearly half of the Great Jin. They now owned hundreds of thousands of mu of tea mountains and had established numerous teahouses in Huizhou, Minzhou, and other regions. Dragon Well Tea had become a tribute tea, and the Ye family had caught the emperor's eye.

All of this was truly unimaginable in the past.

The others reported on the status of their respective projects and raised some challenges they were struggling to resolve. Ye Yaming facilitated discussions on the spot and provided decisions for the meeting.

Regarding the situation in Minzhou, Ye Yaming had Qi Ji elaborate, with Ye Hongadding supplementary details.

Finally, she stated, "With Lin'an, Huizhou, and Minzhou largely stabilized, I plan to open two new teahouses in the capital and Lin'an. These will be more elegant establishments dedicated to promoting the art and philosophy of tea."

As she spoke, she retrieved two books from a nearby box and placed them on the table.

One book was titled "The Art of Tea," and the other "The Philosophy of Tea."

Seeing these two books, everyone present grew excited.

Two years prior, Ye Yaming had published a book titled "Tea Arrangement," which had tremendously boosted their tea utensil business.

After recently witnessing what Ye Yaming referred to as the "Oolong Tea Brewing Method," everyone sensed a new business opportunity.

At the time, they only had a vague idea, but now, with Ye Yaming's announcement of new teahouses and the presentation of these two books, their understanding became clear.

"Ming'er, are you planning to set up tea arrangements in the new teahouses? And have people brew tea using your methods?" Ye Hongchang asked.

He had observed the fascination of literati and scholars in the capital with tea arrangements, but such interests could wane over time. Now, he felt that Ye Yaming must have devised a new approach, one likely connected to the newly introduced Tieguanyin tea.

Ye Yaming nodded. "Yes, Da Bo, your guess is spot on."

Ye Hongchang smiled with satisfaction.

The meeting lasted the entire morning before concluding.

After adjourning, Ye Yaming boarded Ye Chongming's carriage and said to him, "Grandfather, you've shown the accounts from the past two years to Young Masters Lu and Qi, right?"

She had reminded Ye Chongming early in their collaboration to regularly share the accounts with Lu and Qi.

Of course, she also required periodic reviews of the projects managed by the stewards under Lu and Qi.

Ye Chongming nodded. "Yes, I have."

The three collaborating parties had profited significantly over the past two years. However, all earnings were reinvested into Huizhou and Minzhou. As a result, there had been no dividends distributed, and they had even pooled additional funds to continue investments.Huizhou will have a small quantity of tea available on the market next year, while Minzhou will follow a year later. By the end of this year, they will receive their dividends.

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