Glory

This was also the reason why Lu Guanyi had proposed to marry her, and the emperor had so readily granted the marriage.

Lu Guanyi naturally understood this logic.

However, it did not diminish his genuine feelings for her. Whether someone truly cares for you and holds you in their heart is something you can sense. Ye Yaming never spoke of these matters to anyone—not even her grandfather or father—as she did not want to tarnish the sincerity of Lu Guanyi's affection.

An Jingning's pupils contracted sharply, and she stared wide-eyed at Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming took two steps back, creating distance from the overly close proximity. Seeing An Jingning's reaction, she couldn't help but feel puzzled: "Haven't your parents ever told you this?"

An Jingning bit her lip tightly: "They have."

"Then you..."

"I... I..." An Jingning stammered twice, then stamped her foot, "Anyway, I don't want to think about it now." With that, she turned and dashed out quickly.

So what if she had acted foolishly?

Ye Yaming couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head with a sigh: "She's quite adorable."

She turned and signaled to Ziyuan and the other: "Let's go."

When they reached the front courtyard, she saw off two more groups of guests before finally noticing Princess Yu Ning and Princess Yu'an approaching slowly.

Ye Yaming went up to greet them: "Your Highnesses, why not stay for lunch? I'll have the cook prepare some exquisite and delicious dishes to serve."

Although Gathered Fragrance House was a teahouse, one couldn't be too rigid in business.

The location was remote—it took over half an hour by carriage from near the imperial city to get there. However, the environment was tranquil and the scenery unique, making it a perfect place for guests to invite friends over for tea, fishing, and spending the day. If they didn't serve meals, they wouldn't be able to retain customers, so it was feasible to prepare some refined dishes.

For tea snacks, Ye Yaming had prepared Western-style desserts like cakes and bread; for meals, she offered convenient, easy-to-make, and delicious foods she had enjoyed in modern times from various countries, such as fried chicken and sushi, served in elegant bowls and plates to ensure guests would praise them highly.

Princess Yu Ning smiled and said, "We'll visit often in the future, but not today. You've been busy for half the day—hurry back and rest soon."

If they stayed, Ye Yaming would have to keep them company the entire time. Princess Yu Ning didn't want her to exhaust herself.

She pointed to Princess Yu'an and said, "My second sister here is usually quiet and doesn't like going out. But staying cooped up at home all the time isn't good, so I've been encouraging her to get out more. Earlier, your attendants prepared fishing rods for us, and we fished for a while. The Second Princess found it quite enjoyable. Please issue her a membership card—I'll bring her here regularly from now on."

While gathering intelligence in the capital, Ye Yaming had paid special attention to Princess Yu'an, who was newly widowed and likely to become her future mother-in-law.

She knew that Princess Yu'an's experience was very similar to Yin Shi's: she had only given birth to two daughters, and during the delivery of her younger daughter, she had suffered a difficult birth that damaged her health, preventing further pregnancies.

Yet, despite her noble status as a princess, she was far less fortunate than Yin Shi. Her imperial consort was despicable—though he didn't dare bring concubines into the princess's residence, he kept two mistresses outside the home, who bore him several children.

If it had been Princess Yu Ning, she would have caused such a scene as to secure a divorce and crush the scoundrel beyond recovery. But Princess Yu'an was gentle and compliant, and for the sake of her two daughters' dignity, she chose to suffer in silence.The emperor, being a man, could particularly empathize with the suffering of men who had no sons yet were forbidden from taking concubines. Moreover, Princess Yu'an was not his favorite daughter, and the scandal would bring shame to the imperial family. Thus, he turned a blind eye and pretended not to know.

Seeing this, Princess Yu'an's imperial consort grew even more brazen, spending twenty days a month living with his mistress.

When Princess Yu Ning learned of this, she was furious. After scolding Princess Yu'an failed to change her situation, she set various traps for the scoundrel, not only suppressing him but also targeting his family. Eventually, the man restrained himself, no longer daring to frequent his mistress's residence.

Now that the scoundrel had died of illness and both daughters were married off, the vast princess manor was left with only Princess Yu'an as its sole mistress, inevitably leaving her lonely.

This was likely the reason Princess Yu Ning had dragged Princess Yu'an here by force.

Ye Yaming was grateful for Princess Yu Ning's protection and wished to return the favor. Unfortunately, Princess Yu'an lacked nothing. Now that Princess Yu Ning wanted to help her widowed sister, Ye Yaming naturally spared no effort.

She smiled and asked, "How do you both find the tea snacks at our teahouse?"

Princess Yu Ning's eyes lit up instantly. "Oh, I adore them! As a princess, I've sampled delicacies from across the Great Jin, but the pastries here—I haven't even seen them before, let alone tasted them. Where on earth did you find such a skilled chef?"

"The recipes were provided by a reclusive Taoist priest. He needed funds to renovate his temple, so he partnered with us using the recipes as his contribution."

Speaking casually, Ye Yaming mentioned how Madam Li, the Prime Minister's wife, had tried to buy the recipes. She apologized, "Actually, the recipes aren't ours. We agreed from the start that it was a partnership and the recipes couldn't be disclosed. That's why I specifically selected the most loyal servants from those bound by life contracts and spent two years training them to make these pastries. The same goes for the teahouse's meals—we didn't dare hire ready-made chefs from outside."

Princess Yu Ning was immediately angered. "Pay her no mind."

Lowering her voice, she added, "Since the Prime Minister is valued by the emperor, he is undoubtedly a pillar of the state, and his character and ability are beyond reproach. But his wife comes from a humble background and has shallow vision. Over the years, relying on her husband's status, she has demanded countless things from others. At first, she asked outright, but after the Prime Minister reprimanded her, she switched to hinting."

"Really?" Ye Yaming feigned surprise. "Is that so?"

"Absolutely," Princess Yu Ning said with a dismissive wave. "Once you've been in the capital longer, you'll realize there are plenty of people like her."

The Great Jin emperor was deeply wary of influential families. Thus, not only were the women in his harem from minor official backgrounds, but he also preferred to promote officials from humble origins.

As a result, most court officials came from common families, and their wives and relatives were similarly low-born. This often led to embarrassing incidents involving officials' family members.

Ye Yaming blinked and smiled at Princess Yu Ning. "Then I feel relieved."

She glanced at Princess Yu Ning and then at Princess Yu'an, saying, "My mother had nothing to do at home and was bored, so I encouraged her to open a pastry shop in Lin'an. The business is thriving. Since she started working, she's become much more energetic, and her health has improved significantly."She said to Princess Yu'an with a smile, "I see that Your Highness Princess Yu'an has nothing much to do either. Why not open a pastry shop in the capital with my mother? I know Your Highness doesn't need the money—it's just for fun. You could occasionally check on the pastry chefs, inspect the hygiene and flavors, and go over the accounts, all without exerting too much effort."