Glory

The other tea merchants also snapped back to reality and chimed in, "Yes, yes, let us have a taste as well."

Although three of those present were people they had invited—one being a prefectural academy instructor, another a prominent salt merchant from Lin'an City, and the third a retired third-rank official—now that the education official, the imperial family members, and Qi Zhifu were all involved in this matter, those three might be terrified out of their wits, seeking to curry favor with them and thus leaning toward Ye Jia.

While it was impossible to tamper with which pot of tea belonged to whom, the tasters were seated close enough to glance at how their neighbors scored and follow suit.

Moreover, Master Zhineng, Imperial Consort Fan Yu, and Qi Zhifu were all closely associated with Ye Jia. It was possible they had already tasted Ye Jia's tea and were familiar with its flavor. Cheating wouldn't be difficult.

"Very well," Master Zhineng signaled to the tea masters, "brew some for them."

If Ye Jia's tea were only slightly better than the others—discernible only to those with exceptionally sensitive palates—it would be hard to say for certain.

But Ye Jia's tea clearly had a flavor far superior to the rest, and there was no fear of these people scrutinizing it thoroughly.

Soon, servants handed out teacups to all the spectators present, and several tea masters stepped forward to pour tea for everyone.

Since Princess Yu Ning had come to Lin'an, Ye Yaming and Qi Furen naturally accompanied her.

The tea-tasting event focused on Dragon Well Tea, and as the "originator" of Dragon Well Tea, Ye Yaming couldn't be excluded from the event—she had already received an invitation.

Today, she was seated beside Princess Yu Ning.

Earlier, when the tasters were evaluating the tea, Princess Yu Ning had leaned over to ask Ye Yaming, "Are you confident?"

At that time, Ye Yaming smiled confidently and replied, "Naturally. Just think about who originally created this tea. Although the student may surpass the master, it's not something they can catch up to in less than a year with the tea formula."

Given Ye Yaming's response, Princess Yu Ning, never one to shy away from stirring up trouble, called out to the stage, "Since we're tasting, why not let us try all the competing teas?"

Fan Yu laughed upon hearing this and said, "Her Highness is right. That's exactly what should be done."

He instructed the tea masters, "Brew all of them for everyone."

By then, the tea merchants already had Ye Jia's tea poured into their cups.

They didn't bother with anything else and raised their cups to take a sip.

Normally, when evaluating tea, one should first smell the aroma and then observe the color of the brew. But they knew these aspects would undoubtedly be flawless, and the teas they had submitted for the competition wouldn't have any issues in these regards either.

The difference lay solely in the taste.

As soon as the tea entered their mouths, they were stunned.

Fresh, brisk, sweet, and mellow—this was the taste of high-quality Dragon Well Tea, and their own teas shared these qualities. However, theirs weren't as fresh and brisk, nor as sweet and mellow.

The only tea that could compare with Ye Jia's was the one submitted by Wang Kuan, made by Qin Sixiang. But even Qin Sixiang's tea fell slightly short in this regard.

If that were all, it might have been acceptable.

But besides the freshness, briskness, sweetness, and mellowness, this tea also carried a light, ethereal, and vibrant sensation.

Fresh, brisk, sweet, and mellow were flavors—the sensory pleasures ordinary tea offered. But the light, ethereal vibrancy was a feeling, one that could lighten the soul, making one feel as if floating like an immortal.

This sensation was like infusing an ordinary tea with a soul, irresistibly drawing people in, making them want to explore, only to lose themselves in the fairy mountains, unsure of the way back.

Everyone present fell silent, speechless for a long time.The tea masters of Jixiang Garden were individuals skilled in the art of tea, possessing both high intelligence and emotional intelligence. They poured a cup of tea for Master Wu, the instructor, and others.

Thus, whether on stage or off, everyone was immersed in the wondrous experience of the tea.

"Amitabha." Master Zhineng's Buddhist chant broke the silence in the garden. "This tea should only exist in the heavens; how rare it is to taste it in the mortal world. Marvelous, truly marvelous."

Master Zhineng had wanted to express this sentiment when he first tasted the tea, but as it was during the competition, he had to restrain himself. Now that he had spoken, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.

Still feeling it was insufficient, he stood up, faced Ye Yaming's direction, and clasped his hands together: "Thank you, young friend Ye, for this feast of flavors you have brought us."

His words snapped everyone back to reality, reminding them of the legends surrounding Ye Yaming.

The looks directed at Ye Yaming were complex. She was said to have received divine teachings, or even to be the reincarnation of the Tea God. They, mere mortals, had obtained her tea formulas yet arrogantly thought to surpass her—it was sheer folly.

Wang Kuan and the others broke out in a cold sweat from fear.

Ye Yaming stood up and respectfully returned Master Zhineng's gesture: "You flatter me, Master."

Not wanting the conversation to linger on this topic, she shifted focus: "Master, Princess Yu Ning, Imperial Consort Fan, Lord Qi, and all of you have worked hard. This year's Tieguanyin has been transported from Minzhou. It still cannot be mass-produced, so the quantity is limited. After tasting the other contestants' teas, the attendants will brew some for everyone to sample. Additionally, as a token of gratitude, each of the judges and those who traveled from the capital to attend this tea competition will receive half a catty of Tieguanyin."

At her words, the crowd grew excited.

Last year, the Tieguanyin Ye Yaming had gifted was scarce, and it was quickly consumed. Later, when Ye Yaming opened a teahouse, Tieguanyin was available, but the supply remained limited. After a few visits, they could no longer obtain it.

They had been craving this tea for over half a year.

Now that they could finally taste Tieguanyin again, who wanted to drink the six mediocre teas they had just sampled?

Unfortunately, the proposal had been made by Princess Yu Ning, so they had no choice but to patiently take six sips of Dragon Well Tea.

Had there been no comparison with the silver pot tea or the anticipation of Tieguanyin teasing their palates, they might have endured it. But now, it was truly unbearable. Qin Sixiang's tea was at least drinkable, but as they moved to the lower-ranked teas, their expressions grew increasingly grim.

What was this swill they were drinking? It was a waste of time and pure torture for their tongues. After drinking this, would they even be able to appreciate the exquisite taste of Tieguanyin?

By the fourth round, some left tea in their cups, and by the later rounds, they merely touched the rim of the cup to their lips, considering it tasted.

The participating tea merchants looked utterly disheartened.

They had initially thought their teas were quite good. But now, with such excellence presented before them, they could hardly stomach their own brews. Those ranked lower felt as if they were being publicly humiliated, wishing they could vanish into the ground.

What had possessed them to be swayed by scoundrels like Wang Kuan into joining this competition? Their teas were now compared to foul waste—would they even be able to sell them next year when mass production began?

Finally, after enduring the tasting of all seven teas, the attendants served everyone a cup of Tieguanyin.The judge on the stage quickly rinsed his mouth with plain water before carefully tasting the Teacup. Those in the audience without such means had to drink directly.