Glory

Upon returning from the teahouse, Ye Yaming set the matter aside and went to the Tea Garden in Baiteng County to teach the people selected by Sun An how to make Dark Tea.

Meanwhile, Ye Chongming and Qi Zhipei remained on edge for some time. It wasn't until half a month later, when the Imperial Household Department officials had completed their purchases and Xiao Lizi returned to the capital with them, that the two finally felt at ease.

The pace of life in this era was inherently slow, and the efficiency of government affairs left much to be desired. Ye Yaming had assumed the Dark Tea matter wouldn't see results until after the New Year.

Unexpectedly, just as she had trained her apprentices to independently produce Dark Tea, envoys arrived from the capital. Alongside several officials from the Ministry of Revenue were Lu Guanyi and a few palace eunuchs.

Qi Zhipei, notified by guards at the city gate, hurried to greet them. Amid the bustle, he sent word to the Ye family.

At that time, Ye Yaming was still up in the mountains of Baiteng County. Ye Chongming immediately dispatched a messenger on horseback to summon her.

Fortunately, since "learning" to ride, Ye Yaming had grown less fond of carriages and often traveled up and down the mountain on horseback.

Thus, in less than half a day, Ye Yaming returned to the Ye residence on horseback with her entourage.

The Gatekeeper spotted her and hurried over, taking her horse's reins while reporting, "Miss, officials from the court have arrived. They and Young Master Lu are waiting for you in the main hall. They say they have an imperial decree to announce."

Bai Rui and the others were startled by this news, all turning to look at Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming asked, "When did they arrive in Lin'an? And when did they come to our house?"

The Gatekeeper, being sharp-witted, had made inquiries knowing the Third Miss would return soon.

He replied, "Their party arrived just at noon. Lord Qi hosted them for a meal before they came here. Judging by Lord Qi's demeanor, along with Old Master Ye and Young Master Lu, it doesn't seem to be bad news."

Ye Yaming nodded, gestured to Lve E, and entered the main gate, heading straight toward the study.

Lve E took out money to tip the Gatekeeper, while Bai Rui quickly caught up and tugged at Ye Yaming's sleeve. "Miss, shouldn't you return to your room to freshen up and change clothes first?"

Ye Yaming glanced down at herself and shook her head. "No need."

The idiom "travel-stained and weary" existed in ancient times precisely because roads were unpaved and extremely dusty. Unless one rode at the very front, horseback travel meant literally "eating dust"—after just half an hour, one would be covered in grime.

Because of this, during her trip to Huizhou, she had developed a habit: wrapping her hair, wearing a self-made face mask, and donning a dust-proof overcoat before riding. After dismounting, she would remove the headscarf and overcoat, take off the mask, wipe her face with a damp cloth, and pat down her trousers and shoes—emerging presentable again.

There was no other way; while traveling, changing clothes multiple times a day wasn't feasible.

Since then, she had consistently dressed this way for horseback rides.

At this moment, she felt her appearance was acceptable. Walking to her courtyard would take time, and freshening up and changing clothes before returning would easily consume twenty minutes.

She suspected the court officials wouldn't patiently wait that long.

She said, "Once we reach the shade of those trees, you can help me tidy up."

Under the trees, Bai Rui dampened a cloth to wipe Ye Yaming's face and patted her clothes front and back. Seeing nothing amiss, Ye Yaming proceeded to the front courtyard.

News of Ye Yaming's return had already been relayed to the front courtyard by another gatekeeper.As soon as Ye Yaming entered, she saw an incense table set up in the courtyard, with seven or eight people standing in front of the main hall's corridor, chatting and laughing about something. Meanwhile, female members of the Ye Family stood in the side rooms to the left and right.

Ye Jiaxing was already waiting for her at the entrance. Seeing her arrive, he gestured and said, "Hurry over to receive the imperial decree. We've been waiting for you."

Ye Yaming followed him down the path and stopped before the steps of the main hall.

The group that had been talking now caught sight of Ye Yaming, clad in a striking red riding outfit, looking spirited and valiant.

Ye Jiaxing bowed to the officials and announced, "Honorable officials, my younger sister, Ye Yaming, has arrived."

"Is this Third Miss Ye?" asked a man in his fifties, the leader of the group, eyeing Ye Yaming with interest as he turned to Ye Chongming.

"Indeed, this is my third granddaughter, Ye Yaming."

"Your humble servant, Ye Yaming, greets the honorable officials," Ye Yaming said, bowing to the assembly.

The elderly man nodded and called out loudly, "Set up the incense table."

Immediately, someone stepped forward to light the incense and candles, while others directed the female relatives and elders of the Ye Family to gather in the courtyard.

In no time, the entire Ye Family knelt in rows before the incense table, with Ye Yaming, at the officials' indication, kneeling at the very front.

It seemed this imperial decree was related to her, not to the Ye Family as a whole. Could it be about marriage?

As Ye Yaming pondered this silently, a tall figure moved to her side and knelt beside her. Turning her head, she saw a tall, handsome man—none other than Lu Guanyi.

Lu Guanyi also turned to look at her.

But before Ye Yaming could get a clear view of his face, a slightly sharp voice rang out from above. She quickly lowered her head and focused on listening to the contents of the imperial decree.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: We have heard that Ye Yaming, daughter of the Ye Family, is both talented and beautiful, modest and astute. We hereby decree her betrothal to Lu Guanyi, heir of the Xuanwu Marquis Household. Furthermore, an auspicious date shall be chosen for the wedding. So it is decreed."

Sure enough, it was a concise and straightforward imperial decree of betrothal.

After a moment's reflection, Ye Yaming understood the court's intention.

The court wanted to negotiate the Dark Tea business with the Ye Family. If the Ye Family were merely merchants, or if there were clear evidence of their collaboration with Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, the matter would be straightforward.

Merchants held low status and would naturally comply with whatever the court demanded; if the collaboration with Lu and Qi were out in the open, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, as court-appointed officials, would have to yield benefits to the court or face impeachment by the censors.

However, their business was, in essence, a case of collusion between officials and merchants. The contract they had signed initially was never registered with the authorities, leaving the court with no evidence to prove Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji's involvement.

Lu Guanyi had participated in border negotiations and knew how crucial the Ye Family's Dark Tea was for stabilizing the frontier. Thus, the Ye Family might have received instructions from the Lu and Qi Families to raise prices or set conditions.

On the other hand, the court wanted to lower the price and control the Ye Family but had to consider the backing of the Xuanwu Marquis Household and the Crown Prince behind them.

This situation made it particularly tricky for officials aiming to secure the Dark Tea at a low price and gain leverage over the Ye Family.

The solution lay in her betrothal to Lu Guanyi. Since they were already engaged, the Emperor issuing a decree to formalize the marriage would directly make her a member of the Lu Family. As a result, the Ye Family, now the in-laws of a court official, would shift from an active to a passive role in negotiations. They would have to consider Lu Guanyi's future prospects, not daring to raise prices or impose conditions.

Realizing this, Ye Yaming couldn't help but think that the court was truly cunning.She calmly analyzed the pros and cons here, calmly expressed gratitude for the imperial favor, and received the imperial edict together with Lu Guanyi. Behind her, aside from the few who were aware of the situation and Ye Hongchang who had guessed the inside story, everyone else was nearly dumbstruck.