Glory

Ye Yaming and Ye Hongsheng were making preparations for the opening of the new teahouse.

Following the usual practice, invitations were sent out on opening day to Ye Family's major clients for complimentary tea tasting.

The capital differed from Lin'an—it was filled with nobility and high-ranking women. Therefore, the Gathered Fragrance House in the capital was twice the size of the one in Lin'an, constructed at great expense.

The location of this garden was somewhat secluded, with flowing water deliberately channeled to mimic the style of Jiangnan gardens. The garden was divided into front and rear courtyards. The front courtyard featured a large hall capable of accommodating dozens of people for tea, along with several elegant private rooms suitable for mixed-groups.

The rear courtyard was split into two halves: one named Gathering Fragrance Garden, a teahouse for women; the other named Gathering Fragrance Pavilion, a teahouse for men.

Lu Guanyi said to Ye Yaming, "Tomorrow, Chuyang and I will also help entertain the guests."

Chuyang was Qi Ji's courtesy name.

Ye Yaming was surprised, "You two as well? Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?"

This business was a partnership, with shares held by Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, backed by the Crown Prince. Although this matter couldn’t be kept secret from the Emperor, it wasn’t suitable to be publicly disclosed.

Thus, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji had remained behind the scenes until now.

Even though both were in the capital for the opening, Ye Yaming and Ye Hongsheng had never considered having them personally entertain guests.

"Am I not your husband? This teahouse is opened by your family. Isn’t it only natural for me to help my father-in-law and wife entertain everyone?"

Ye Yaming glanced at him, "People will laugh at you."

She came from a tea merchant family, and it was well-known throughout the capital that the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion was a Ye Family enterprise. Now that the Ye Family was opening a new teahouse, even as the Madam Heir Apparent of the Xuanwu Marquis, it was perfectly normal for her to host guests.

After all, in the capital, whether princesses or noblewomen, managing their dowries was common practice. Inviting guests to visit one’s shop to support the business was seen as normal and not considered beneath one’s status.

But it was different for men. Especially for court officials, personally managing household affairs was viewed as neglecting their duties, degrading their status, and willingly stooping low—something that would invite ridicule.

Lu Guanyi waved his hand, "No matter. This business is our partnership after all. If Chuyang and I weren’t in the capital, that would be one thing. But since we’re here and have a pretext to show up, we can’t just stand by idly."

After a pause, he added, "Besides, in the past, my status wasn’t high enough—many knew my name but didn’t recognize me. Now is a good opportunity to meet people."

Ye Yaming agreed with this point.

Although Lu Guanyi wasn’t keen on pursuing power, expanding his network and making more friends was never a bad thing. More friends meant more paths. In times of trouble, having someone speak up for you could even save your life.

Ye Yaming then sent a message to Ye Hongsheng.

The next day, she and Lu Guanyi went to the teahouse.

Since the previous day, Ye Yaming’s senior maids had been replaced by Ziyuan and Qingzhi. Bai Rui and Lve E had arrived early in the morning with Xu Zan to conduct final inspections alongside the teahouse’s housekeepers, Zhang Tao and Wen Xiu.

Zhang Tao was a housekeeper under Lu Guanyi, in his forties. Wen Xiu was a housekeeper from the Qi Family, in her thirties. Both had previously served as assistant managers in the Lu and Qi Family shops—shrewd, capable, experienced in high-society affairs, well-informed about capital gossip, and familiar with many nobles.A place like the Gathered Fragrance House, frequented entirely by the nobility and influential figures, requires someone mature, steady, and adept at handling all situations to manage it. The young people trained by Ye Yaming were not yet capable of shouldering such a significant responsibility.

When Ye Yaming arrived, not only were Zhang Tao, Wen Xiu, Xu Zan, Bai Rui, and Lve E waiting for her in the hall, but Ye Hongsheng was also present.

"Father, you’re here so early?" Ye Yaming hurried forward to greet him.

"Father-in-law," Lu Guanyi also clasped his hands in salute.

Seeing Lu Guanyi, Ye Hongsheng was quite surprised: "Why is Zi Mo here too?"

He glanced at his daughter and smiled knowingly: "Alright, since you’ve brought Ming'er here, you can head back now."

"No, no, Father-in-law, I’m here today to entertain the guests," Lu Guanyi repeated the explanation he had given Ye Yaming at home.

Ye Hongsheng looked at Ye Yaming and, seeing his daughter merely smiling without objection, naturally had no objections himself.

Moreover, Lu Guanyi’s willingness to come showed that he cared for Ye Yaming and did not want his wife and father-in-law toiling outside while he idled at home. Ye Hongsheng was overjoyed—why would he refuse?

"You mean, Chu Yang will also be coming later?"

"Yes."

"Then we’ll trouble you both today. It’s only for today’s opening, as the guests are here to show their support, so we need to make an appearance. From now on, it won’t be necessary," Ye Hongsheng said cheerfully.

Once the father-in-law and son-in-law had finished their greetings, Zhang Tao and Wen Xiu stepped forward to pay their respects.

Ye Yaming raised her hand and nodded to them with a smile: "Manager Zhang and Manager Wen, you’ve worked hard."

Wen Xiu quickly replied, "Not at all, not at all. It’s our honor that Madam has entrusted us with managing such an important teahouse."

She was a hereditary servant of the Qi household, originally a maid serving Qi Furen. Recognized for her intelligence and capability, she was promoted to Housekeeper and gradually assigned to manage business affairs, becoming the deputy manager.

For people like her, in addition to a generous monthly salary, the master’s family would grant her descendants freedom, allowing her children to become commoners, in exchange for her lifelong loyalty and service.

But after being transferred here, besides her monthly salary, Ye Yaming also gave her a commission. The better the teahouse’s business, the more money she would earn. This filled her with motivation.

As for Zhang Tao, it went without saying. This teahouse was a joint venture between the heir and his wife, with their family holding two-thirds of the shares. As the Lu family’s manager, he naturally had to devote his utmost effort to the teahouse.

Ye Yaming asked Xu Zan, Bai Rui, and Lve E: "Have you checked everything? Is everything in order?"

The three nodded: "Everything is fine."

"It’s not just about checking the furnishings in each room, the tea leaves, and the tea sets. You also need to inspect the railings by the pond, the condition of the steps and floors, and carefully vet the staff," Ye Yaming said to Wen Xiu and Zhang Tao. "Every day when the teahouse staff arrive, they must be inspected. They are not allowed to carry unidentified powders, food, knives, weapons, needles, or any other dangerous items."

"The people who frequent this place are those who can shake the capital with a single stomp. If someone bribes a teahouse servant to harm them, we would face utter ruin. That’s why I must emphasize this repeatedly. Manager Zhang and Manager Wen, do you understand?"

"Understood, understood," Zhang Tao said. "I know the gravity of the matter. Madam’s reminder is timely, and I will remain vigilant and carefully inspect all safety matters every day."Ye Yaming placed great importance on security matters. Although the teahouse was managed by two shopkeepers under Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, she had assigned two men and two women to assist during yesterday's allocation.

A side note:

There's an extra update today, with more coming tomorrow. The third update will be slightly later. Continuing to seek monthly votes.

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