Glory

A few days later, Ma Yun gathered some information and came to report to Ye Yaming: "They are trying to persuade those who bought the Dragon Well Tea formula to host a tea tasting event. Those people seem quite interested. Even those who didn't buy the formula are joining in the clamor."

Ye Yaming paused her hand and couldn't help but smile.

She handed the fruit plate in her hand to Ziyuan, took the damp towel offered by Qingzhi to wipe her hands, and said with a laugh, "It seems Wang Kuan has found out about the matter at Zhennan Wangfu. Since that path is blocked, and he regrets wasting Qin Sixiang's tea-making skills, he's taking an alternative approach by organizing a tea tasting event."

She instructed Ziyuan, "Send someone home to ask if Old Master Ye has heard any news about this."

If the tea merchants of Lin'an were to hold a tea tasting event, they naturally couldn't bypass Ye Chongming, the guild leader. However, this matter was quite a slap in the face to Ye Jia. It was likely that these people had already reached a consensus, planning to approach Ye Chongming together under the assumption that there's safety in numbers.

Just as Ziyuan was about to leave after acknowledging the order, the gatekeeper came to report that Old Master Ye had arrived.

"Perhaps it's about this matter," Ye Yaming said with a smile, standing up and heading to the front courtyard.

As soon as he saw Ye Yaming, Ye Chongming fumed, "Do you know? That bunch of scoundrels in the tea guild actually want to hold a tea tasting event. They bought our Dragon Well Tea formula and are now using it to compete with us. They really have no respect for our Ye Jia."

Ye Yaming personally poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Isn't this a good thing? If they hadn't come up with this move, all the effort I put into making the tea would have been wasted."

This was the truth.

If Wang Kuan and Zhennan Wangfu hadn't tried to trip her up, she would never have resorted to using the silver pot as her ultimate trick.

After all, even the officials of the Imperial Household Department dared not present the very best items to the emperor. They feared that if the emperor liked it and asked for more, they might not be able to find anything of comparable quality again, leading to failure and even execution.

Compared to the pressed tea that used to cause dizziness and chest tightness, her Dragon Well Tea was far superior. Even just stir-frying it casually in an iron pot would earn praise from the emperor.

Now that she had used a silver pot to stir-fry the tea, she would have to use a silver pot every year from now on.

Since she had brought out her ultimate trick, she naturally had to reap some benefits and gain fame; otherwise, it would be a great loss.

She said, "It's good to have a competition, so they won't feel dissatisfied and keep trying to cause trouble. After this competition, our reputation will grow even louder, and they will finally give up their schemes."

Ye Chongming thought it over and agreed, his anger turning to delight. "That's true."

"However, let's not use the tea I stir-fried. This year, whether it's for the competition with Wang Kuan or for sending to the palace, we'll use the tea my father stir-fried," Ye Yaming added.

The tea stir-fried by Ye Yaming and Ye Hongsheng was stored separately. After it was brought back from the mountain, Ye Chongming had tasted it and found that Ye Yaming's tea was, as always, slightly better than Ye Hongsheng's.

Ye Chongming had just come around to the idea and was hoping to make a stunning impression that would shock everyone. Hearing that Ye Yaming didn't want to send the best tea for the competition, he hesitated.

"But will the tea your father stir-fried be able to surpass Qin Sixiang's?"

"Don't worry, it's miles better than what he stir-fries," Ye Yaming said with a laugh.

She wasn't being blindly confident.

Families like Wang Kuan's were similar to the original Ye Jia—just ordinary wealthy merchants who hadn't incurred any life-or-death grudges. Living comfortably, their households weren't particularly strict.With Yi Wu and his associates, along with Ma Yun's band of petty thieves at her disposal, Ye Yaming informed the two men that she wondered if they could obtain some tea roasted by Qin Sixiang.

Within two days, both delivered tea to her.

Ma Yun was relatively modest, handing her a small oil-paper bundle containing just enough leaves for four or five infusions.

Yi Wu, however, went to extremes—presenting her with a porcelain caddy filled with nearly half a jin of tea leaves.

Curious, Ye Yaming asked Yi Wu how he had managed to acquire so much.

Yi Wu explained, "The Wang family's tea garden is largely unguarded, with only the detached courtyard enclosed by walls. That’s where Qin Sixiang and the other tea-making masters do their roasting. The finished tea is stored in two separate locked rooms—Qin Sixiang’s batch kept alone in one—and no one stands guard at night."

"Yesterday, I went up the hill and waited on the rooftop of that courtyard until dusk. I saw with my own eyes as Qin Sixiang finished roasting the tea and packed it into a large caddy. Wang Kuan’s son then locked it inside the room. Late at night, when everyone was sound asleep, I lifted the roof tiles, slipped in, and scooped out a full caddy of tea." He pointed at the container. "Rest assured—I witnessed Qin Sixiang roasting it and saw Wang Kuan’s son store it away from the roof. There’s no mistake."

Ye Yaming didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh at his account.

Yet she understood. For one, the Wang family’s vigilance was lax; moreover, who else had an expert like Yi Wu at their service?

The so-called manor guards of the Ye family were merely servants—slightly sturdier than average, but send them to steal from the Wangs, and they’d be caught one by one. A simple wall and lock were enough for the Wang family’s purposes.

She sampled the tea from both Yi Wu and Ma Yun and found their flavors identical—clearly the work of the same hands. Ma Yun had likely obtained his share by bribing a servant at the Wangs’ detached courtyard.

As for Qin Sixiang, whom Ye Hongsheng regarded as a formidable rival—he truly had talent. Had Ye Hongsheng been using an iron pot for roasting, Qin Sixiang could have matched him blow for blow, and the outcome would have been uncertain. Even a draw would have meant a loss for the Ye family.

But with the silver pot—a marvel of tool—Ye Hongsheng’s tea was far superior to Qin Sixiang’s.

Noting Ye Yaming’s confident tone and calm demeanor, Ye Chongming had a sudden thought and asked, "Could it be that you’ve already tasted Qin Sixiang’s tea?"

Ye Yaming turned to Ziyuan. "Fetch tea caddies number two and seven from my bedside."

Ziyuan left and soon returned with two tea caddies and a pot of boiling water.

Qingzhi, now quite skilled at brewing tea, deftly prepared two cups for Ye Chongming using lidded bowls.

Ye Chongming had tasted Ye Hongsheng’s tea as soon as it was made. Having commissioned the silver pot himself, he knew exactly why this year’s batch surpassed the last.

After the first sip, he declared, "This is your father’s."

Then he sampled the cup from Qin Sixiang’s batch, savoring it carefully before remarking, "It’s similar to what your father made last year."

Though advanced age had dulled his palate—his daily meals now required stronger seasoning—a lifetime in the tea trade had honed his ability to discern quality.

"Are you reassured now?" Ye Yaming asked with a smile.

Ye Chongming nodded, though he wondered how Ye Yaming had come by Qin Sixiang’s tea.

He didn’t ask."Alright, I've got a clear picture now. I need to stall a bit first, make them put up some stakes," he said with a lighthearted laugh.

"Everything else aside, I'm only interested in Qin Sixiang himself. You can use Wei Zheng to bet against Wang Kuan. If we lose, we'll give Wei Zheng's entire household to Wang Kuan; if Wang Kuan loses, he'll give Qin Sixiang's entire household to us."