Glory

Ye Yaming thought for a moment, then her worry turned to delight: "That's really possible. Then I'll send someone to inform my mother."

They had now moved to the villa, which was much closer to Ye Jia. Unlike before, when they were separated by nearly half the city.

The next day, they went to a hunting ground in the suburbs specifically reserved for noble families and officials in the capital.

Upon arrival, everyone would choose a spot at some distance from other tents to set up their own. This way, they could visit each other and offer mutual support while maintaining relative safety.

To put it plainly, this was a place that combined socializing with recreation. Setting up tents instead of building permanent structures meant there were no formal barriers, making it convenient for everyone to visit each other.

Not long after Ye Yaming and the others arrived, a group of officials came with their families. Naturally, they exchanged greetings before separating to choose spots and set up their own tents.

Just as the servants finished setting up the tents, Ye Yaming and Lu Guanyi were sitting in front of their tent drinking tea when a thirty-something official seemed to pass by casually.

"Oh, isn't this Lord Lu? What a pleasure to meet you." The man then looked at Ye Yaming, "This must be Madam Lu? Heh, are you two out for some leisure as well?"

"Is Lord Liu here with his family?"

"No, no, I came with two friends."

"Would Lord Liu care to sit down and have a cup of tea with us?"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony and will trouble you for a while." Lord Liu cheerfully took a seat.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lord Liu lowered his voice and said to Lu Guanyi, "My uncle mentioned that the matter you entrusted has been settled. Besides the fifth-rank Imperial merchant status, His Majesty also intends to bestow upon Madam the official title of First-Rank Tea Mistress."

Ye Yaming looked at Lu Guanyi in surprise.

Lu Guanyi returned her gaze, then turned to Lord Liu with repeated thanks.

After Lord Liu left, he said to Ye Yaming, "The matter you've been concerned about lately has been on my mind all along. That Lord Liu's uncle is Minister Liu from the Ministry of Personnel. I've had dealings with Lord Liu before, and he owed me a favor, so I asked him to make some inquiries."

At this point, he smiled: "I didn't expect His Majesty to be so generous, granting you a first-rank title."

Ye Yaming gave him a deep look, feeling touched: "Thank you."

The Dark Tea had been delivered to Chen Zhen in Lin'an. While this transaction with the imperial court seemed completed, it actually wasn't—they still had to wait for Chen Zhen to complete the trade with the Great Jin, and for the court to sell it at high prices and make substantial profits before the transaction could be considered successful.

That's why she had been preoccupied with this matter recently.

Although the tea quality was excellent, the Great Jin was short of tea, and the smuggled tea couldn't meet their demand due to the court's strict crackdown, plus the prices were high, so the batch of Dark Tea Chen Zhen transported would not only sell easily but also command premium prices.

However, without a definitive outcome, it still left one feeling uneasy.

Moreover, even if the tea transaction succeeded, how the Ministry of Revenue would grade Ye Jia involved too many human factors. Once graded as middle or lower rank, it would be difficult to advance further in the future.

Although Ye Yaming didn't operate in official circles and had her own methods to make Ye Jia a top Imperial merchant—wife diplomacy being one shortcut—she was unwilling to beg for favors in this matter and give people grounds for criticism. Lu Guanyi, being so young, had already achieved the third rank, which was enough to attract attention. If she were to jump around seeking official status for Ye Jia, someone would surely impeach Lu Guanyi the next day, thereby affecting his future prospects.If the court truly intended to treat Ye Jia unjustly due to human factors, she would make them understand her power—if they refused to grant appropriate treatment, then only 150,000 jin of tea leaves would be harvested annually, not a single jin more.

Thus, despite her underlying concerns, she neither sought solutions herself nor asked Lu Guanyi to intervene.

Unexpectedly, Lu Guanyi had quietly resolved the matter on his own.

She asked, "Did it cost a significant favor? I didn’t bother because I thought it unnecessary."

Lu Guanyi shook his head. "It didn’t require much."

Seeing Ye Yaming’s skeptical gaze, he explained, "Think about it—my future prospects are clear. Even if I didn’t bring it up, many would be willing to owe me a favor. Moreover, your family’s tea is high-quality and irreplaceable, and you introduce new tea varieties every year. Plenty of people are eager to curry favor with you." He gestured toward the direction where Minister Liu had disappeared. "That official approached me voluntarily during a banquet. After some conversation, he brought up the matter. When I learned his uncle was the Minister of Personnel, I casually requested his help, and then—" He smiled. "It was settled just like that."

In truth, even without the nephew’s update, he had already learned about the discussion between the emperor and his ministers that day.

As an ally of the Crown Prince, Lu Guanyi had access to palace informants. Besides, the affairs regarding Ye Jia’s tea and Ye Yaming were no secret—they had been discussed openly in front of palace attendants.

Given Lu Guanyi’s involvement, some attendants seized the chance to ingratiate themselves with the Crown Prince by relaying the information. The Crown Prince, in turn, passed the favor to Lu Guanyi.

Likely, that old fox Yuan Zhengwei had anticipated this and acted more proactively than Liu Shu to facilitate the matter.

That was how one discreetly traded favors—killing two birds with one stone. By merely speaking up in front of the emperor, Yuan had simultaneously indebted the Crown Prince and Lu Guanyi.

"I actually knew early on that Chancellor Yuan and Minister Liu spoke on our behalf. But until Chen Zhen’s confirmation arrived, the matter remained unsettled. There was no point in mentioning it prematurely, so I didn’t tell you. I hadn’t expected Liu Heng to be so impatient—he just had to seize the chance to flaunt his contribution before us."

Ye Yaming chuckled. "That’s fine. It shows they have high expectations of you."

"Not just me—you as well," Lu Guanyi said earnestly. "Perhaps in the emperor’s eyes, you’re far more important than I am. I’m replaceable; you are not."

Ye Yaming shook her head. "Without you, I wouldn’t dare step into the spotlight."

Lu Guanyi laughed. "Alright then, we elevate each other."

He took her hand and sighed. "With such a wife, what more could I ask for?"

Ye Yaming shot him a playful glare. "Then you’d better treat me well. And don’t ever cross me." She feigned a fierce expression. "Or else, you’ll regret it!"

Lu Guanyi burst into laughter.

Nearby, in front of a tent, an official in purple heard the laughter from afar and watched the couple sitting together, sipping tea, with a touch of envy.

He remarked to his friend, "Minister Lu is truly fortunate. He has a influential father and a harmonious marriage. The only pity is his wife’s modest background."

His friend shot him a sidelong glance. "If he’d married a noblewoman, would he have reached this third-rank position?"

The purple-clad official pondered for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right."If Lu Guanyi were to marry a daughter from a prominent family, not only would Lu Guanyi himself face consequences, but even Lu Zhongyong wouldn’t be able to retain his current position.

The Emperor is deeply wary of influential families.

His friend continued, "Moreover, though his wife comes from a merchant background, her tea-making skills are exceptional. By opening a teahouse, how many connections has she built for him? Now she’s even engaged in major trade with the court, with the tea she produces being sold to the Great Jin. Since her humble origins make it difficult to reward her directly, these achievements might eventually be credited to Lord Lu. Isn’t such a woman far superior to one from a powerful family?"

The official in purple sighed, "Ah, the more you speak, the more I envy Lord Lu’s good fortune."