Glory

As soon as Ye Yaming entered, she met a pair of sparkling eyes.

Princess Yu Ning couldn't help but laugh: "This is Princess Pingyang, and this is the Fourth Miss An from the Zhenbei Marquis Estate."

Then pointing at Ye Yaming, she said: "I suppose there's no need for me to introduce Madam Lu."

The three exchanged greetings, and Ye Yaming smiled: "I am deeply honored that Princess Pingyang and Fourth Miss An could grace the teahouse with your presence."

Just then, noisy sounds suddenly came from outside the door, followed immediately by Princess Yu Ning's maid entering.

She reported: "Madam Chen, Madam Yuan, and Miss Wan have arrived. They said if Madam Lu hadn't come, they wouldn't disturb the princesses' private conversation. But now that Madam Lu is here, there's no reason to hide away and let the princesses monopolize her. They wish to come in and have tea together."

Madam Chen, Madam Yuan, and Miss Wan usually socialized with Princess Yu Ning and the others. Madam Chen excelled at fine brush painting, creating remarkably lifelike depictions of birds, beasts, insects, and fish; Madam Yuan was a master of poetry; Miss Wan, though unmarried, was actually thirty years old and determined to remain chaste for her deceased fiancé, vowing never to marry in this lifetime - she had considerable accomplishment in calligraphy.

All three came from prominent families and had known Princess Yu Ning since before their marriages. Sharing similar interests, they had become close friends and had been spending time together all these years. Thus, everyone interacted with great informality.

Hearing this, Princess Yu Ning laughed and scolded: "They certainly have sharp ears. Yaming just stepped inside, and they already caught wind of it." She waved her hand, "Fine, fine, let them in."

Thus Madam Chen and her party entered, and everyone exchanged greetings again.

Princess Yu Ning said: "Alright, alright, we're all familiar with each other here - who doesn't know whom? Stop putting on airs and quickly find seats."

After everyone was seated, the tea master promptly served tea.

At the Gathered Fragrance House, the women's teahouse was attended by female tea masters, while the men's teahouse naturally had male tea masters; the front hall mixed teahouse also employed men.

Madam Chen, being older at around forty, accepted her tea and said: "You all chat, we'll listen. We know our place - we only brought our ears and won't disturb you."

Princess Yu Ning laughed and scolded her, then said to Princess Pingyang: "Pay them no mind. Weren't you just saying you had something to discuss with Yaming? Go ahead."

Princess Pingyang had also attended banquets organized by Princess Yu Ning and was acquainted with Madam Chen and the others. She knew their temperaments - they were the type who disliked following conventions.

She smiled at Madam Chen and the others, then turned to ask Ye Yaming: "With so many people earlier, how come you weren't the least bit afraid?"

Having been raised in utmost luxury surrounded by servants since childhood, and regularly attending royal banquets during year-end family gatherings or important court events, Princess Pingyang had witnessed countless grand occasions. Yet whenever she became the center of attention, she would still feel nervous and afraid.

But Ye Yaming, despite coming from the humblest background among those present, could remain neither haughty nor humble, completely composed and at ease, even speaking eloquently enough to earn looks of admiration from highly accomplished scholars and refined gentlemen. How could Princess Pingyang not admire this?

In her previous life, Ye Yaming had encountered all types of people and knew exactly what to say in any situation.

If she were to say something like "I'm self-reliant and don't consider myself inferior to others" at this moment, it would certainly offend everyone present.These people appeared quite friendly toward her, but deep down they still considered themselves of noble birth, something a merchant's daughter like her could never match—unaware that Princess Yu Ning regarded her as a celestial maiden descended to the mortal realm.

She said, "Perhaps I've always been rather recklessly bold."

"Pfft!"

"Pfft!"

Everyone present burst into laughter.

Princess Yu Ning affectionately patted Ye Yaming's arm and chided, "Silly child, one shouldn't speak of themselves that way."

Ye Yaming wore an expression of helpless innocence: "But I'm only stating facts. Shouldn't the truth be spoken?"

Her words provoked another round of laughter from the group.

An Jingning watched Ye Yaming with complex emotions in her gaze.

Such an amusing personality was yet another thing she couldn't compare to.

"I ask you, how do you know so much? You're not that old, are you?" Princess Pingyang inquired curiously.

Ye Yaming scratched her cheek: "Your Highness might not believe this, but all those tea-making methods came to me in dreams."

"Really? What kind of dreams? Tell me quickly!" Not only Princess Pingyang was curious, but the others were equally intrigued.

Princess Pingyang waved her hand, "No need for formal address. We're about the same age, like sisters. Just use casual pronouns with me."

"Very well, Princess," Ye Yaming complied readily, then proceeded to share her fabricated tale with everyone.

When she first started telling these lies, she had felt somewhat ashamed. But after repeating them a hundred times, she had come to believe them herself, now delivering them with remarkable fluency and vivid immersion.

Having heard this story first from Master Zhineng and later from Ye Yaming herself in Lin'an, Princess Yu Ning couldn't help asking, "Yaming, have you never considered your origins?"

"Ah?" Ye Yaming looked utterly naive, her beautiful large eyes turning toward Princess Yu Ning. "What origins?"

"Such as being a celestial official or maiden under the Jade Emperor or Queen Mother of the West who oversees tea cultivation."

"Uh..." Ye Yaming hadn't expected Princess Yu Ning's imagination to be so expansive, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Yes, yes! I think so too," Princess Pingyang clapped her hands. "That must be it. Otherwise, why would someone teach you these things in dreams? Clearly you're a celestial being experiencing mortal trials."

"Then wouldn't I have to endure eighty-one hardships?" Ye Yaming joked. "No, absolutely not, I won't allow it. I refuse to undergo tribulations."

Her firm, decisive tone that suggested she wanted nothing to do with such things made everyone laugh again.

Princess Yu Ning coaxed her like a child: "Alright, alright, no you're not. We won't undergo any tribulations."

Princess Yu Ning was currently thirty years old. Fond of amusement and youthful at heart, she could mingle with young girls as one of them, yet sometimes acted like a mother hen protecting her chicks, which people found deeply heartwarming.

Thus the matter of origins was set aside, and Princess Pingyang asked, "Now that you're married, will you continue making tea?"

"Of course I will," Ye Yaming said. "To be honest with you, I'm actually the next head of Ye Jia."

"Really?" This statement surprised even Princess Yu Ning.

Particularly Miss Wan. While she had been smiling politely during Ye Yaming and Princess Pingyang's conversation, her emotions had seemed largely unmoved. Now her eyes suddenly sparkled, gleaming with newfound intensity.

She couldn't help speaking up: "But you're married. How can you become the head of your maiden family? And aren't family heads usually men?""Who said that?" Ye Yaming smiled at her. "My grandfather said that the position of Ye family head should go to the most virtuous and capable. I know how to make tea and can continuously produce many fine teas. If the Ye family were to discard me like pouring out water..."

She playfully winked: "What do you think would happen?"