Glory

Ye Yaming shook her head. "No, it's because of the brewing technique."

Ye Chongming was taken aback, recalling how Ye Yaming had been pouring water between two pots earlier. After a moment's thought, he addressed Granny Yu standing behind Old Mrs. Ye: "You brew the tea, using your usual method."

When Old Mrs. Ye married Ye Chongming, she specifically selected clever maids with sensitive palates and had them learn tea brewing so her husband could enjoy a satisfying cup of tea when visiting her quarters. Granny Yu had been the most outstanding among them.

Thanks to this tea-brewing skill, Granny Yu continued serving Old Mrs. Ye and was often kept by her side.

She had naturally observed and memorized Ye Yaming's brewing technique earlier, pondering why the young lady had done it that way, though she hadn't figured out the reason.

Now that the Old Master clearly wanted to compare teas brewed by different methods, she immediately dismissed what she'd seen earlier and brewed exactly as she normally would.

When she finished brewing, Ye Chongming took the teacup, first inhaling the aroma before tasting the tea, then frowned.

Old Mrs. Ye commented: "The fragrance is stronger than Ming'er's brew, but noticeably stuffier, lacking Ming'er's freshness. The flavor is worse - more bitter and astringent, with a distinct stewed yellow taste."

Granny Yu had brewed tea her entire life. Whether receiving guests or attending gatherings where no junior wished to demonstrate tea brewing, Old Mrs. Ye would always have her prepare the tea. Her skill had been widely acknowledged.

Some things only reveal their flaws through comparison. Previously, Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye had never found any fault with her tea brewing - on the contrary, they thought it quite good. But compared with Ye Yaming's, the difference was night and day.

Curious about Ye Yaming's tea, Granny Yu couldn't resist asking: "Third Young Lady, might this old servant taste the tea you brewed?"

"Certainly." Ye Yaming smiled and signaled to Bai Rui, who poured a cup from the pot and handed it to Granny Yu.

After taking a small sip, Granny Yu's eyes widened. She looked toward Old Mrs. Ye.

Knowing exactly what she meant, Old Mrs. Ye nodded. "Drink it, for comparison."

Granny Yu poured a cup of her own brew and drank it in one go, immediately sensing the disparity.

Hesitating briefly, she opened her mouth as if to speak, but ultimately closed it without daring to ask about Ye Yaming's technique.

This might become a secret method of the Ye family - how could a mere servant be entitled to know it?

Ye Chongming's thoughts ran deeper. At this moment, he deeply regretted having Ye Yaming demonstrate her unique brewing method publicly earlier.

He waved his hand. "Everyone out."

The servants quickly withdrew.

When only the three of them remained in the room, he asked Ye Yaming: "What was the principle behind pouring water and tea between pots earlier?"

"One moment." Ye Yaming went out to the corridor and brought in a pot of boiling water.

"I poured water into the pot without covering it because the tea leaves were picked very tender. Water that's too hot would create a stewed yellow flavor, so pouring it into the pot allows it to cool slightly."

She lifted the pot to warm both pot and cups: "Warming the pot and cups maintains their temperature and prevents the porcelain from cracking due to sudden heat...""Pouring the brewed tea back into this pot is to extract it at its optimal flavor, preventing overbrewing while also balancing the concentration, so the top isn’t too weak and the bottom too strong."

At this time, lidded bowls had yet to appear, and the vessel for brewing loose tea was white porcelain. After pouring in hot water, people tended to cover the teapot lid and not promptly pour out the tea. If steeped too long, the tea would not only taste bitter but also carry a stale, stewed flavor.

Moreover, fairness cups did not exist yet; tea was poured directly from the teapot for drinking. The first pours were light in flavor, while the later ones were strong. Without using the "Lord Guan Patrolling the City" technique to serve the tea, each cup would taste different. With such inconsistency in strength, how could the tea possibly taste good?

To achieve a delicious brew,

Water temperature, tea quantity, teaware, and timing of extraction—all are indispensable!

In this fictional dynasty, there was no Lu Yu, nor had anyone written The Classic of Tea. Although some had studied the art of tea and written articles about it, these were all composed by scholar-officials and literati who championed pressed tea. No one had researched brewing methods for loose tea.

Ye Chongming and Old Mrs. Ye were both astounded by what they heard.

Old Mrs. Ye thought, Is it really necessary to go to such lengths just to brew tea? But as soon as the thought arose, she dismissed it with disdain.

To enjoy good tea, one must not fear trouble. Hadn’t they seen how much effort it took to make pressed tea? Now, if they wanted to savor a fine brew of loose tea, what was wrong with being meticulous in its preparation?

Excellent flavor was what truly mattered!

Meanwhile, Ye Chongming’s expression grew excited.

After all, pressed tea didn’t taste particularly remarkable—so why was it so highly regarded? Simply because its preparation was steeped in ritual, each step pursued with exquisite precision, culminating in patterns that could even be displayed on the tea foam.

Wealthy families used it to showcase their refined lifestyles and elegant tastes, embodying a leisurely sophistication starkly opposed to the mundane struggles of those striving for daily sustenance—thus highlighting their nobility.

As for loose tea, it was merely tossed into a pot, scalded with boiling water, and ended up tasting overwhelmingly bitter. Therefore, loose tea had always been a thirst-quencher for the poor, and no one had ever studied how to brew it to bring out its best flavors.

Now, Ye Yaming had discovered this set of brewing techniques, elevating it to an art form. Could loose tea, then, also win the favor of scholar-officials and the leisurely wealthy?

Recalling the taste of Osmanthus Tea, Ye Chongming felt a surge of fervor spread through his heart.

With this Osmanthus Tea and these brewing skills, the Ye family was sure to achieve a prosperity and flourishing that their ancestors had never reached.

"Aside from you, who else knows this tea brewing method?" he asked.

Ye Yaming shook her head, looking slightly abashed. "I figured it out on my own, usually brewing it alone without teaching anyone."

"Good, good, good!" Ye Chongming repeated the word three times, his face flushed with excitement.

Yet, following his excitement, the sense of crisis that had long lingered within him grew even stronger.

And this foreboding had haunted him ever since Ye Jiaxing was born.They say wealth never survives three generations. Yet from his great-grandfather's rise to fortune down to Ye Jiaxing's generation, it had already been six generations—a life of comfort had lasted far too long. Not just Ye Jiaxing, but even he himself, having bathed in ancestral privilege while consistently upholding family principles of benevolent conduct to win hearts, had never faced truly cutthroat competition all these years. Everything seemed to follow a natural order, flowing effortlessly like water channeling its own course.

Now, merely the position of tea guild leader had invited a massacre upon his household. With Osmanthus Tea and its brewing technique added to the stakes, could he possibly protect them?