Glory

Yin Shi and Zhang Shi were pleasantly surprised.

"Really? Then it seems the good days are coming soon," Zhang Shi said.

After her initial delight, Yin Shi felt reluctant: "Then after you marry, will you have to move to the capital?"

Tao Shi immediately perked up.

If Ye Yaming went to the capital and then had children, wouldn't she be beyond reach, with no time or energy to manage the Ye family's business affairs? It wouldn't matter if she didn't manage things for two or three years, but if she didn't for eight or ten years, no matter what, she couldn't continue as the family head, right? By then, perhaps the position would go to her husband and son.

Ye Yaming said, "Zi Mo still has to go to the border, and I can't just abandon the family's affairs. After he leaves for the border, I'll return to Lin'an. But I won't be living at home then. Zi Mo has a residence near the government office, and he wants me to stay there."

At this, Yin Shi was truly overjoyed.

Her daughter wouldn't be far away after marriage, living just a short distance from home. If she wished, she could even have lunch and dinner at home. It was almost as if she hadn't married out at all.

Moreover, Ye Yaming had only just come down from the mountain less than half a day ago, and they had just received an imperial decree. Yet Lu Guanyi had found time to discuss these matters with her, even planning their post-marriage arrangements, showing how much he valued her.

It seemed Ye Yaming's wedding day was just around the corner.

Tao Shi interjected inappropriately again, "Will your father-in-law and mother-in-law agree to you returning to Lin'an?"

Previously, she had thought Ye Yaming's engagement was fictitious and hadn't connected her fiancé to Lu Guanyi, so she hadn't inquired about the Lu family's situation. The political turmoil in the capital wasn't something a provincial woman confined to the inner quarters could know about.

Ye Yaming replied, "I have no mother-in-law, and my father-in-law is stationed at the border year-round. Zi Mo is the legitimate eldest son. After marriage, our arrangements and where we live are entirely up to us. As long as Zi Mo has no objections, I could even live at home without issue."

Seeing Tao Shi's embarrassment, Zhang Shi couldn't help but chuckle.

Tao Shi, who had initially tried to curry favor because Ye Yaming was marrying into a powerful family, now couldn't resist making sarcastic remarks due to her own resentment. Zhang Shi felt that Tao Shi was becoming increasingly foolish.

Zhang Shi said to Yin Shi, "I'm truly happy for Ming'er. Second sister-in-law, Ming'er is so fortunate to marry into such a good family."

...

With Ye Yaming's persuasion and the rock-bottom price set, Ye Chongming withstood Chen Zhen's various threats, inducements, and pressures during the negotiations the next day.

But in the end, Chen Zhen dangled the temptation of "Imperial merchant": "Although your third granddaughter has been granted a marriage, her status is still low. When she goes to the capital in the future, those noble ladies and daughters might bully her. Don't you want to elevate your family's standing?"

"I may be untalented, but I still have some influence with the Emperor. If you show more sincerity in the price of Dark Tea, I will submit a proposal to include you in the 'Imperial merchant' roster. Old Master Ye, this is a matter that will benefit generations to come, something that can't be bought with just a few hundred thousand taels of silver. Don't make a foolish mistake."

If Ye Yaming hadn't analyzed this for Ye Chongming beforehand, he would have certainly given in by now.

Age brings cunning, and Ye Chongming had his share of acting skills.

He first showed an expression of surprise and desire, then his face fell, and he sighed wearily with a pained look: "Imperial merchant is the dream of many merchants. If the Ye family could become Imperial merchants, I could face our ancestors in the afterlife with pride."He shook his head and sighed, "But I cannot push my descendants to the brink for the sake of this empty reputation. What I'm offering you is the cost price. If we lower it further, we'll incur losses every year, amounting to tens of thousands of taels each time. No matter how substantial the family fortune is, it won't last more than a few years. When people can no longer survive, what use is this empty reputation? I don't want to be cursed by my descendants."

With that, he turned the tables on Chen Zhen: "Throughout history, emperors have always been wise. The Great Jin is prosperous and its people are strong. I believe the court wouldn't care about a difference of a few coins, would it? A few coins mean nothing to the court, but for our Ye family, it's a matter of life and death. Minister Chen, with your great wisdom and talent, surely you wouldn't do something as short-sighted as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, would you?"

Chen Zhen found himself at a loss with Ye Chongming and couldn't help but glance at Ye Yaming sitting behind him.

He had naturally investigated the Ye family before coming to negotiate this deal.

In fact, after Lu Guanyi presented the Dark Tea, they sampled it and witnessed how high-ranking officials and nobles of the Great Jin were astonished by it, cherishing it dearly and persistently asking how to purchase it. They then decided to use this tea as the main export product for trade between Great Jin and Great Jin.

Immediately, they sent people to investigate the Ye family.

The findings astonished them.

The Ye family had actually replaced the eldest son as the next head of the family with the third granddaughter. Dragon Well, Dark Tea, Camellia, Jasmine Tea, and even the recently released stunning Tieguanyin, as well as the books "Tea Classics," "Tea Arrangement," and the recently popular "Tea Art" and "Tea Way" in the capital, all turned out to be the work of this young girl, Ye Yaming. It was said that she gained such skills after being enlightened by a deity in a dream.

Since Ye Yaming's divine enlightenment, the Ye family had not only introduced many famous teas, making Dragon Well a Tribute Tea, but also expanded extensively, purchasing vast tea plantations in Huizhou and Minzhou.

If not for discovering this last point and knowing that the Ye family had the capacity to supply hundreds of thousands of catties of Dark Tea to the court annually, no matter how excellent the Dark Tea tasted, Chen Zhen would never have come here to negotiate prices, nor would the emperor have arranged a marriage between Ye Yaming and Lu Guanyi.

Upon learning all this, he was deeply impressed, feeling that Lu Guanyi, having grown up by the Crown Prince's side, indeed had a sharp eye.

As soon as Lu Guanyi arrived in Lin'an, he discovered Ye Yaming, this pearl hidden in the dust, and quickly secured her as his fiancée.

Tea is a highly profitable commodity and a crucial source of tax revenue for the court, vital both domestically and internationally.

With Ye Yaming's extraordinary tea-making skills, she could transform worthless leaves into a beverage everyone clamored to buy. The Dark Tea she produced could even impact border stability. How could she be compared to those noblewomen confined to inner courtyards in the capital?

Thus, Ye Yaming thought she was merely an ordinary girl in the eyes of Chen Zhen and others. For this reason, although she attended today, she remained silent, acting as a background presence. Little did she know that Chen Zhen was already fully aware of her significance.Chen Zhen spoke up: "Third Miss Ye, this Dark Tea was made by you, wasn't it? Although you haven't married Lu Zi Mo yet, with the imperial marriage decree granted, you are practically a fourth-rank Imperial Mandate holder. As an official's wife, you should also contribute your modest efforts to the court, right? Could you improve the production process of this Dark Tea to reduce its cost? You must understand, the court is facing difficulties—maintaining troops and building defenses at the borders, constructing cities and dams locally—all require funds, don't they?"