Glory

He turned to another maid and said, "Go invite the Eldest Master and Second Master."

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jiaxing immediately realized his grandfather had seen through his thoughts and quickly added, "I know Grandfather is considerate of my father's injury and Second Uncle's travel fatigue. I truly didn't overthink it. Third Sister is capable—this matter can be discussed with her. I have no objections."

This was practically a case of "the more concealed, the more exposed." Ye Chongming couldn't bear to watch.

Why hadn't he noticed before how foolish his grandson was? And with not an ounce of subtlety—he hadn't even said half a word, yet the boy had already spilled all his inner thoughts.

He patted his grandson's shoulder and said, "No, it's not consideration. The moment I heard the name Meng Chengwei, my first thought was to summon your cousin for discussion. I, your grandfather, am afraid of falling into a trap dug by Meng Chengwei. In this entire household, only your Third Cousin has the sharpest eyes. None of Meng Chengwei's current schemes can escape her notice. Neither I nor your father can match that."

Well, that blunt statement shattered the slight discomfort in Ye Jiaxing's heart.

Wasn't it true?

Even Grandfather himself felt inferior to Third Cousin, and likely his father thought the same. What was he being so sensitive about?

Soon after, Ye Yaming and Ye Hongchang arrived one after the other. The eldest branch lived closer to the main courtyard, while the second branch was slightly farther, so Ye Hongsheng was the last to arrive.

Ye Chongming showed them the visiting card and asked Ye Yaming, "Ming'er, what are your thoughts on this?"

Ye Yaming replied, "Just find an excuse to refuse directly."

Meng Chengwei was already under Qi Zhifu's watchful eye—like a grasshopper after autumn, he wouldn't last long.

A cornered dog will still leap over a wall. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the day after, they must go to the Tea Monopoly Bureau to pay taxes and obtain the Tea Import Permit, then to the magistrate's office with the village chief to finalize the red contract. There was no need to confront him head-on at this time.

In the end, it all came down to a strategy of "delay."

Worried that Ye Jiaxing might not understand her meaning and foolishly jump into Meng Chengwei's trap, she patiently explained her analysis to everyone.

If the Ye family didn't encounter major turmoil, Ye Jiaxing would be adequate at maintaining their legacy. But compared to Meng Chengwei, three Ye Jiaxings wouldn't be enough to outplay him.

Ye Chongming shared the same view. Now that he had Ye Yaming's confirmation, he made the decision: "Let's proceed accordingly."

Though it was merely writing a reply, since the other party was Meng Chengwei, Ye Chongming didn't dare take it lightly. He personally drafted a response in Ye Jiaxing's tone, stating that he had caught a chill upon returning and had been coughing severely lately. Although he had visited the teahouse these past few days, he dared not interact with others for fear of spreading illness. He ended by thanking Meng Chengwei for his concern and promised to return the visit after recovering.

By including that last sentence, Ye Chongming merely intended to placate Meng Chengwei, with no real intention of letting Ye Jiaxing pay a visit.

After writing it, he had Ye Jiaxing copy the reply.

"Since it's already late, we'll send the reply tomorrow. Delaying for a day is a day gained," he said.

Ye Jiaxing nodded.

Seeing the two of them settle the matter, Ye Yaming said, "Grandfather, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Ye Chongming promptly set down his teacup and sat up straight. "Go ahead."

"Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the day after is reserved for tea orders. If Meng Chengwei intends to spread rumors, it will surely be tomorrow. I don't think we need to clarify these rumors."

Ye Chongming and Ye Hongchang were taken aback and asked in unison, "Why?""Because the rumors are circulating and you haven't clarified them, the behavior of those around you will inevitably change. As the saying goes: adversity reveals true friendship. We don't have to wait until we're in dire straits to see people's true colors. Taking this opportunity to distinguish good from bad can turn a bad situation into a good one."

As she spoke, Ye Yaming gave the two men a meaningful glance.

Not only Ye Hongchang and Ye Jiaxing, but even Ye Chongming had never experienced any major storms in life. Having inherited the family business from a young age and enjoyed smooth sailing, they had only received flattery. Unable to distinguish true friends from wolves in sheep's clothing, they would easily fall into traps set by others.

If Meng Chengwei spread rumors,

it might actually be a good thing for the Ye family. Just like how modern entertainment industries sometimes "torture" their fans - those who continue to believe in and support you when negative rumors are flying everywhere are your true fans. Similarly, those who still care about the Ye family and even offer support upon hearing the rumors are genuine friends. The Ye family members, especially Ye Jiaxing, particularly needed this kind of "education."

After understanding Ye Yaming's well-intentioned plan, Ye Chongming once again felt grateful that the Ye family had someone like Ye Yaming.

At this moment, he even particularly hoped that Meng Chengwei would spread rumors, and the wider the better.

As for whether these rumors would affect future business, he didn't even consider that possibility.

Without the Osmanthus Tea, he might have been worried. But once the Osmanthus Tea hit the market, countless people would flock to the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion for the tea leaves. By then, the Ye family's reputation would soar, business would boom, and the rumors would collapse on their own - why worry?

Moreover, even if there was some impact on business, the price was worth paying if it could help the younger generation experience adversity, improve their judgment of character, and weed out the villains around them.

"Good, let's do it this way," Ye Chongming said.

He glanced at his son and grandson, finally settling his gaze on Ye Jiaxing: "You'll come with me to the teahouse tomorrow."

Worried that Ye Jiaxing might fall into Meng Chengwei's trap, he had originally planned to keep Ye Jiaxing at home starting tomorrow until Meng Chengwei was brought to justice.

But now, Ye Chongming felt it necessary to let his grandson face the storm head-on, and he must be the first to experience the waves.

Seeing that they had finished discussing matters, Old Madam Ye called Ye Yaming to her room: "What are your plans regarding the broken engagement? Do you need your grandmother's help with anything? Just tell me whatever you need. Though I may not have much else, I do have some people under me who can help with gathering information or handling other matters."

Ye Yaming said: "I've been busy making tea these past few days and really had no time. Today, the loose tea is almost ready. I've sent Xia Momo to deliver some things to the Song family and incidentally gather information about the situation there..."

She had only discovered two days ago that the original host had been making autumn jackets for Yu Shi and Song Yifeng - though one was mostly finished but not completed.

Using the excuse of being busy with tea production and having no time to finish the clothes, she had asked a maid from Yin Shi's courtyard to complete the remaining work, then sent Xia Momo to deliver them today as Mid-Autumn Festival gifts.

She would rather not send anything to the Song family, but since Mid-Autumn Festival is an important holiday, not sending gifts would arouse suspicion. Since matters weren't settled yet, she couldn't alert the enemy.

Sending Xia Momo to deliver Mid-Autumn Festival gifts also served the purpose of allowing Xia Momo to gather information from Xiao Xiang, the Song family's maid.The Song household had few servants. The page was personally assigned to attend to Song Yifeng; the cook remained mostly at home, busy all day in the kitchen and also responsible for household chores; only Xiao Xiang, who usually served Yu Shi, accompanied her each morning to buy groceries and was frequently sent out on errands, had the most opportunities to venture outside.

Among the three servants of the Song family, the page was fiercely loyal to Song Yifeng; the cook remained detached, maintaining neutrality but occasionally swaying by personal interests.

Only Xiao Xiang, due to Yu Shi’s harsh treatment of servants—often resorting to scolding or beating—disliked both Yu Shi and Song Yifeng. She favored Ye Yaming.