Glory

Though Ye Hongchang and Ye Hongrong were unable to attend tonight due to injuries, with only his second son, eldest grandson, and two young boys from the fourth branch present—fewer male descendants than before—the melancholy in Ye Chongming's heart had strangely vanished.

His granddaughter outshone a whole brood of grandsons from other families. With the Ye family's prosperity imminent, what reason had he for sorrow? He eagerly anticipated the astonishment on people's faces tomorrow when he placed his tea order and when the Osmanthus Tea hit the market.

The thought alone lifted his spirits.

The next day, around mid-morning, Ye Chongming finally arrived at the Tea Monopoly Bureau with Ye Jiaxing.

It was time to pre-order Spring Tea.

Many, more impatient than Ye Chongming, had come early. They either queued outside the bureau or gathered in small clusters, chatting idly.

The most popular topic of conversation was the rumors about the Ye family.

A tea merchant spotted Ye Chongming, his eyes lighting up as he hurried over, attempting to pull him aside for a private word.

Ye Chongming's expression darkened. "Speak here if you have something to say. I, Chongming, have no secrets."

Reluctantly, the man lowered his voice. "Brother, how much tea are you planning to order today? If you have any surplus Crude Tea, could you spare some for me? I'll pay fifty coins per jin. How about it?"

Ye Chongming shot him a cold glance, never breaking stride. "No."

"Wait, Brother Ye! We can negotiate the price!" the man called out.

Ye Jiaxing stepped in to block him. "Old Mr. Wang, enough. The tea we originally ordered isn't even enough for us. If you have any extra, we'd gladly take it off your hands. We'll pay you a hundred coins per jin. What do you say?"

Old Mr. Wang was taken aback, then scowled reprovingly at Ye Jiaxing. "Don't joke with your elders, young man."

Ye Chongming halted. "This is no jest. Though our family has suffered minor losses, our foundations remain solid. We can easily afford the deposit for pre-ordering tea. If you have extra, we'll pay a hundred coins per jin in ready silver."

Old Mr. Wang's face stiffened, then took on an awkward expression as he forced a dry laugh. "N-no, I don't have any extra. None at all, haha."

He looked at Ye Chongming with mixed emotions. "Your Ye family's resources truly run deep."

Disdainful of such opportunists, Ye Chongming snorted coldly and led his grandson forward without another word.

These past few days had taught him much about the fickleness of human relationships.

Ordinarily, pre-ordering tea required queuing. But each family would send servants to queue early, while smaller merchants, not daring to compete with the major ones, naturally fell to the back. Over time, Ye Chongming, as the head of the tea guild, always took the first spot.

Since each family pre-arranged orders with their trusted Estate Holders anyway, being first or last made little difference.

Seeing Ye Chongming standing proudly at the front, radiant and full of vigor, with no trace of a family in decline, the tea merchants who had avoided him lately—fearing he might ask for loans—exchanged surprised glances.

Some, emboldened by the distance, whispered among themselves, speculating on how much tea Ye Chongming would order. A few even placed bets on it.

The officials of the Tea Monopoly Bureau were equally curious about the Ye family's impending order.Since yesterday, many people had approached him, hoping he would allocate the Ye family's surplus tea to them. Some even suggested he directly withhold a portion of the Ye family's tea. These individuals outbid one another with increasingly higher offers.

Naturally, the officials were tempted. However, Ye Chongming was the head of the tea guild and had often greased their palms with silver. To withhold the Ye family's tea the moment they heard of their financial difficulties would be too blatantly greedy. Such actions would tarnish their official reputations if word got out.

It wasn't until last night, when Qi Zhifu sent word forbidding any tampering with the Ye family's tea, that they abandoned these ideas. They informed those who had made high offers that if the Ye family truly couldn't handle all the tea, the surplus would be reallocated to them.

But if the Ye family had the capacity to purchase all the tea, the officials wouldn't entertain any underhanded schemes.

Hearing this, the hopeful parties dared not say more and could only wait to see how much tea the Ye family would reserve today.

As the time approached, the officials announced the start of the proceedings.

Due to the large sums involved, the Tea Monopoly Bureau collaborated with Fengtai Money Shop, a Lin'an City financial institution with official backing. Tea merchants would first deposit their silver at the money shop, which would issue a silver certificate resembling an invoice. Merchants would then use these certificates to pay taxes and reserve tea at the bureau.

Since the tea wasn't physically present, the bureau had no fear of forged certificates. After the reservations concluded, they would verify the amounts with the money shop. Any discrepancies would trigger targeted investigations. Unless one actively sought imprisonment, no one dared tamper with the silver certificates.

Ye Chongming had visited the money shop just before coming to the bureau, so aside from the money shop staff, no one present knew how much silver he had deposited.

Now, he produced the silver certificate and handed it to the Tea Monopoly Bureau official.

The official stared at the amount, momentarily stunned, then looked up with a beaming smile and cupped his hands toward Ye Chongming. "The Ye family's financial strength remains impressive indeed."

He then reported the reserved tea quantity to a clerk, instructing him to record it on a contract.

Upon hearing the figure, those craning their necks to gauge the Ye family's situation erupted in murmurs. Those with ulterior motives were particularly disappointed.

Ye Chongming had reserved the same quantity as in previous years. Although the Estate Holders from Gongjia Village and Wangjiaao hadn't signed contracts with the Ye family, that step—directly dealing with Estate Holders—could be bypassed. The Ye family could simply pay at the bureau to reserve the tea.

Though the tea gardens in those two villages were small, and missing out on a hundred or so catties of tea would hardly affect the Ye family, Ye Chongming still reserved the usual amount to silence the critics.

After receiving the contract, Ye Chongming addressed those behind him: "Beyond this quantity, my family would like to reserve more tea. However, the tea mountains yield limited quantities. If we purchase more, those behind us will have none. Thus, we must stick to our usual amount. If anyone wishes to reduce their reservation, please inform me. I will ensure proper compensation."

With a cupped-hand salute to the crowd, he strode away.

Those with designs cursed inwardly, reluctantly shelving their schemes as they awaited their own tea reservations.

Once in the carriage, Ye Jiaxing buzzed with excitement. "Grandfather, you should have seen their faces—some turned pale the moment they heard our numbers. Hahahaha!"