Glory

At this moment, in the inn, Meng Chengwei was listening to Liu Qilin and his companion pour out their grievances, his face growing increasingly dark. His page had already retreated to the doorway, wishing he could shrink his entire body outside.

"...We've worn out two pairs of shoes visiting several villages, but those villagers all said they've signed contracts with the Ye family—red contracts at that—and stubbornly refuse to change their minds. Even when we offered three times the price the Ye family gave, they wouldn't agree, saying they're afraid of being arrested and taken to the magistrate's office."

Liu Qilin was also trembling with fear, every nerve in his face tense, terrified that Meng Chengwei might throw a teacup or inkstone at him. The former would be bad enough, but if the latter hit a vital spot, it would truly be the end.

Unexpectedly, although Meng Chengwei's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, he did not resort to violence.

He sat in silence for a long while before finally speaking: "Summon Meng Liang."

Liu Qilin and his companion hastily acknowledged the order and withdrew, wiping the sweat from their foreheads before sending someone to find Meng Liang.

Meng Liang had spent the past few days waiting in vain for any of the Ye family's young women to leave the house. Not only were the Ye family's daughters absent, but aside from Ye Jiaxing, who daily took his manor guards and attendants to the teahouse, no one from the Ye family had stepped out—not even the pages or maidservants stayed home.

This situation deeply frustrated Meng Liang.

Fearing Meng Chengwei's anger, he had avoided appearing before him these past couple of days, instead personally staking out the Ye residence in hopes of gathering some information.

The Ye family's behavior was, of course, due to Old Madam Ye heeding Ye Chongming's advice to restrict the family's comings and goings. Not only were the Ye womenfolk, maids, and servants confined—even the daily procurement staff hadn't been dispatched—for fear that Meng Chengwei might resort to madness and tamper with the Ye family's food supplies.

The Ye family owned farmlands and manors. The rice, flour, vegetables, pork, and mutton produced at their manors were delivered to the residence every three to five days. The Ye residence was spacious, with a vegetable garden by the pond where chickens and ducks were also raised. Even without external procurement, the Ye family wouldn't starve.

Thus, the Ye family had effectively placed themselves under self-imposed quarantine.

This situation made it impossible to report anything satisfactory to Meng Chengwei. When Meng Liang received the page's message that Meng Chengwei wanted to see him, his heart filled with panic.

Fortunately, when Meng Chengwei heard that the Ye womenfolk hadn't left home at all, he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he handed him a name card: "Deliver this to Ye Jiaxing."

Meng Liang was taken aback. He took the card and glanced at it—sure enough, it bore Ye Jiaxing's name.

"Young Master, why are you...?"

He had already inquired with the page upon returning and learned that Liu Qilin and the others had hit a wall trying to poach the estate holders, and that the Ye family had preemptively signed contracts with them.

Under these circumstances, the Ye family must be aware of their presence and know that the Meng family was trying to snatch their estate holders—Liu Qilin and his men were with Meng Chengwei daily, and he didn't believe the Ye family could be so foolish as not to recognize Liu Qilin as Meng Chengwei's man.

Since both sides had already torn off all pretenses, why would Meng Chengwei still send a name card to Ye Jiaxing? Was it to declare war openly? What would be the point?

He weighed his words carefully before voicing what he had long wanted to say: "Young Master, since the Ye family is so ungrateful, why must we cling to that crooked-neck tree? These past few days, hasn't the Yang family's young master Yang Tai been trying every means to curry favor with you? Why not engage with the Yang family instead?"

Ever since Meng Chengwei arrived in Lin'an City, he had spread the word that he was the young master of an imperial merchant family—Min Fei's own nephew.As soon as this news spread, some people in Lin'an City began to curry favor. When Meng Chengwei went to teahouses for tea, people would occasionally approach him to recommend themselves and chat with him for a while.

However, Meng Chengwei remained aloof toward these individuals, maintaining an air of superiority.

Yet, the more he acted this way, the more people flocked to flatter him.

Meng Chengwei wasn't entirely indifferent to these people. Instead, he had Liu Qilin and others investigate them to understand their social status, positions, and wealth, hoping to identify any potential usefulness.

According to Meng Liang, the Yang family held the highest status among them.

The Yang family were also tea merchants. Though they were latecomers, having risen only in the previous generation,

their luck was exceptionally good, and their momentum was fierce. Their family business had expanded several times over, and the current head of the Yang family could now sit as an equal with Ye Chongming in the tea trade. In Meng Liang's view, rather than investing so much effort in the Ye family only to be ignored, it would be better to directly choose to cooperate with the Yang family.

Of course, he wouldn't admit that Yang Tai had spent a fortune flattering him, and that he had also taken a liking to Yang Tai's sister, Yang Shu.

"Can the Yang family compare to the Ye family?" Meng Chengwei said impatiently.

The reason he had invested so much effort in the Ye family was that Ye Chongming was not only the head of the tea trade, but the Ye family also had an excellent reputation, and their tea-making techniques were first-rate. With such a partner—well-connected, reputable, and skilled—the Meng family could achieve great success in the tea business.

As for the Yang family, despite their years of bustling around in Lin'an, they had failed to pull Ye Chongming down and take his place as head of the trade. This clearly showed they were inferior to the Ye family in every way. Why would he abandon the best to mix with second-rate partners? What could possibly be accomplished that way?

Meng Liang noticed that although Meng Chengwei's expression was unpleasant, there was no sign of anger. Gathering his courage, he continued to persuade him: "If we had time, we could take it slow. But the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and we'll soon need to place tea orders. If we don't settle on a partner soon, this year's tea business..."

Meng Chengwei's expression suddenly changed: "Stop giving me such terrible advice. The Ye and Yang families have always been at odds. If I mingle with the Yang family, will the Ye family still cooperate with me?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Tell me, how much did Yang Tai pay you to recommend him so strongly? And don't tell me you've also taken a fancy to Yang Tai's sister?"

Meng Liang broke out in a cold sweat.

He hadn't expected that Meng Chengwei would discover his secret meeting with Yang Tai—just one discreet drinking session behind Meng Chengwei's back—and know everything. His clansman, despite his youth, was already capable of handling major responsibilities alone and was truly fearsomely sharp.

"I... I didn't..." He wouldn't dare admit it even under threat of death, "He just treated me to a drink and asked me to put in a good word for him."

"I just think that eagerness isn't good for business. The Ye family ignores us, while the Yang family is so eager to please. Moreover, they have the connections and tea-making skills we need. Wouldn't it be better to cooperate with them? This is my genuine opinion, not something I'm saying because the Yang family paid me. I really didn't take their money."

Meng Chengwei narrowed his eyes and stared at Meng Liang for a while, until Meng Liang was drenched in cold sweat, his face pale, his eyes shifty and afraid to meet Meng Chengwei's gaze. Only then did Meng Chengwei look away."Water that is too clean harbors no fish. Since he intended to employ this clansman, as long as Meng Liang's petty schemes and tricks didn't cross his bottom line, he would turn a blind eye."

He said, "Enough, I'll let it slide this once. If anything like this happens again, not only will you be sent packing, but I'll also spread the word within the clan to ensure no one dares hire you."

Meng Liang's face grew even paler. "I wouldn't dare," he replied.