Glory

"Alright, let's set this matter aside for now and see how Magistrate Qi responds. If there are no other developments, I'll accompany you to the teahouse tomorrow morning to meet with them."

Ye Yaming said this to Ye Chongming, then instructed Zan'er: "Find a way to inquire about the background of the Third Prince's soon-to-be-wedded consort."

"Yes." Seeing Ye Yaming wave her hand, Zan'er took his leave and withdrew.

When gathering intelligence, Ye Yaming required Zan'er to report exactly what he saw and heard with complete objectivity, without any personal interpretation.

Now that she had formed her own conclusions, she had no intention of sharing them with Zan'er to avoid influencing him.

Only after Zan'er had left did she lower her voice and say to Ye Chongming: "Grandfather, this matter appears quite complex. That Xiao Lizi appears to be from the Third Prince's household on the surface, but internally he's likely an agent of the Second Prince or another prince. His purpose is to use the Third Prince's banner to test us."

"If we show willingness to cooperate, it would indicate we have no patron, and his true master would then seek to absorb us. Such a lucrative prize would be extremely tempting."

"If we directly reveal our connection to the Crown Prince and warn them not to provoke us, they lose nothing and instead clarify our relationship with the Crown Prince. Whatever schemes they might devise afterward would be beyond our discernment."

At this point, she shook her head and sighed: "It seems the Third Prince truly lacks substantial backing and capability. Others clearly aren't afraid of offending him, hence they so brazenly use his name for their operations."

"That Xiao Lizi dares to act this way because he undoubtedly has powerful protection. Even if the Third Prince knows he's being used as a pawn, he can do nothing about Xiao Lizi. In the end, he can only swallow his resentment."

Her gaze fixed intently on Ye Chongming as she spoke, her words deliberate. Though softly spoken, their weight was immense: "If we hadn't partnered with Lu Qi and lacked the Crown Prince's backing, what fate do you think would await us? Who would respect us as Lu Qi does? Who else possesses the Crown Prince's authority, commanding fear from all but the Emperor?"

"We'd ultimately be devoured, leaving not even bones behind. First Meng Chengwei, now this unknown adversary—unless we remained obscure like Old Master Jin or Wang Kuan. But then how could we bring honor to our ancestors? How would titles like Tribute Tea and Imperial merchant ever come to us?"

Ye Chongming's pupils contracted sharply, a cold sweat breaking out instantly.

Half this cold sweat came from Ye Yaming's words, half from her piercing gaze and brutally insightful speech.

When Xiao Lizi stood before him and uttered "Third Prince," in his panic, he had indeed felt a flicker of resentment and regret. He resented Ye Yaming and regretted following her advice to expand their business, thus inviting disaster.

Later, when Ye Yaming returned and analyzed the situation, claiming the trouble wasn't serious, he felt irritated, wondering if avoiding business expansion would have kept these troubles at bay, allowing him peaceful days as in decades past.

But these negative emotions lasted only a moment before he suppressed them.There is no such thing as a pill for regret in this world. Since things have come to this, regretting is useless. Rather than blaming Ye Yaming, making her unhappy, and letting the situation develop in the worst possible direction, it’s better to suppress this emotion, face it positively, and strive to solve the problem.

Yet even such a slight emotion was detected by Ye Yaming. She even pointed it out directly in front of him.

At this moment, Ye Chongming felt both relief at the meaning behind Ye Yaming’s words—relieved that he had listened to her and found two good partners—and shame and annoyance at having his guilty conscience and dark thoughts exposed.

Ye Yaming naturally noticed the change in Ye Chongming’s emotions from his micro-expressions.

She didn’t give him much time to dwell on these feelings and continued, "Grandfather, I’m telling you this because I want you to understand that once Meng Chengwei set his sights on us, we had no way back. We could only move forward. We must climb higher, reaching a height that others cannot attain, so that we can compete with others and even negotiate with the court and imperial power."

"And we have achieved that now. No matter who comes, we have Tribute Tea Dragon Well and the upcoming Dark Tea collaboration with the court. There’s nothing to fear. You don’t need to regret anything, nor do you need to be afraid. Let me tell you, even the Crown Prince cannot take us under his control and make us his private property. Because we have caught the Emperor’s eye and the court’s attention."

The guilt and shame in Ye Chongming’s heart completely dissipated with Ye Yaming’s words, replaced by excitement, exhilaration, and a sense of security.

"Really? Can we truly fear no one?" he asked.

Ye Yaming nodded, "Of course, there will be many troubles along the way. After all, there are always self-righteous fools who misjudge the situation and try to take advantage of us. But once our Dark Tea collaboration with the court is confirmed, such troubles will largely disappear. So don’t worry, I assure you, everything will be fine."

"Good, good, good." At this moment, Ye Chongming felt not only joy but also deep shame.

He was ashamed of the resentment he had briefly harbored.

After a moment of thought, he asked again, "Does Qi Zhifu know about this? He won’t make a mistake, will he?"

Ye Yaming smiled, "Don’t worry. If someone in the official circles can’t see through something like this, how could they climb the ranks? If he truly couldn’t see it, staying at the fourth rank wouldn’t be so bad. As merchants, we don’t need to worry about a fourth-rank official."

Ye Chongming thought it made sense: Aren’t all officials shrewd and astute?

"Then we’ll wait for news from Qi Zhifu before deciding how to respond tomorrow?" he asked.

"Exactly."

Ye Yaming rubbed her growling stomach, "Alright, it’s getting late. I’m going back for lunch, and you should eat soon too. No matter how urgent Qi Zhifu is, it wouldn’t be appropriate to disturb others at noon, especially since they still need to go out for purchases. News from Qi Gongzi will likely only arrive in the evening. After lunch, you should rest peacefully."

She had rushed back on horseback as soon as she received the message, and it was just past noon then. Judging by Ye Chongming and the others’ state, they had probably been too worried to even eat lunch.

Ye Yaming’s metabolism was fast, and she was already starving, feeling as though her stomach was touching her back. She just wanted to return to her courtyard and enjoy a meal that suited her taste.

Hearing this, Ye Chongming felt reassured.He also knew that whenever his granddaughter dined with them, she always took their tastes into consideration. Even the portions sent from the kitchen for her would be adjusted to suit their preferences.

He waved his hand: "Go quickly, go quickly. Don't let yourself go hungry."

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