Glory

Ye Chongming had always doted on his lively eldest grandson. But now, seeing the boy's carefree expression, the old man couldn't help sighing inwardly.

Compared to that girl Ming'er, his grandson fell far short.

Ye Jiaxing remained unaware that his doting grandfather had vanished, replaced by one frustrated with his inadequacy and ready to impose stricter discipline.

Curious, he asked, "Grandfather, should we really ignore the rumors in the city?"

"What do you think?" Ye Chongming countered.

"I think we should at least send someone to announce today's tea reservation numbers? Only the tea merchants present witnessed what happened earlier. If they don't speak of it, wouldn't that..."

His voice trailed off as he noticed his usually affectionate grandfather watching him with an impassive expression.

"Are you worried about losing face when dining and socializing with friends?" Ye Chongming asked.

Caught in his true concerns, Ye Jiaxing didn't dare deny it. Lying was forbidden in the Ye family.

He replied awkwardly, "Not entirely. It's mainly about our family's reputation. Those tea customers keep gossiping, which harms our business."

"Haven't you noticed that some customers, driven by curiosity, have been frequenting our teahouse more lately? And some loyal patrons come daily to support us, fearing our business might fail. Our teahouse has been busier recently than ever before?"

"Ah?" Ye Jiaxing suddenly understood. "Is that why? I was wondering about that."

Ye Chongming had always enjoyed mentoring his grandson. Now, he simply closed his eyes and fell silent.

As everyone focused on the Ye family's affairs, news spread rapidly among concerned circles that the family had maintained their usual tea reservation volume after that day passed.

Before the customers—whether actively or passively supporting the Ye family—dispersed, Ye Chongming consulted Ye Yaming and seized the opportunity to launch Osmanthus Tea the next day. Following Ye Yaming's suggestion, he posted a notice on the door using xuan paper, announcing the new tea.

Meanwhile, another batch of Osmanthus Tea had been delivered to the Mei family the previous night. Early that morning, Ye Hongsheng left the city, meeting at the city gate with the manor guards who had transported the tea overnight and Guan Canghai's hired security team, then heading for the capital.

Accompanying them was the injured guard from the capital, who had been recuperating at the Hall of Returning Spring. As his wounds healed and the weather turned cooler, the herbalist approved his return journey after examination.

As for the two injured guards from Guan Canghai's security company, their families had taken them home to recover once they were out of danger.

In front of the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion, someone examined the notice and wondered, "Osmanthus Tea? What kind of tea is that? Is it made from dried osmanthus flowers?"

Another person nearby suddenly understood: "Now I remember! Someone was buying osmanthus flowers everywhere recently. I even saw children gathering them by the roadside from my carriage. Could it have been the Ye family purchasing them to make this tea?"

"I saw it too," added another. "My wife had our female relatives collect osmanthus from our trees to sell, saying the flowers would wither in a few days anyway—better to earn some silver for extra dishes for the servants. I never thought the Ye family bought those flowers to make Osmanthus Tea."Back when they were collecting osmanthus flowers, Ye Chongming didn't want to attract Meng Chengwei's attention and cause complications, so he entrusted the task to trusted associates who went street by street, calling out to purchase osmanthus.

Most daily patrons of the Gathering Fragrance Pavilion came from affluent families. Even if they hadn't sold osmanthus themselves, they had either heard the purchase calls or learned about it from their households.

Then someone raised a new question: "Is dried osmanthus any good for brewing tea? If it were tasty, someone would've made Osmanthus Tea centuries ago!"

"Exactly! We've only heard of using osmanthus for candied treats—never about it being delicious when simply brewed. It's not like every household, but many homes in Lin'an grow osmanthus trees. If brewing it straight tasted good, people would've been collecting and drying it for tea long ago."

But those who trusted the Ye family's tea-making skills argued: "If it were that simple, the Ye family wouldn't treat it as a formal tea variety. They must've applied some special tea-crafting technique. With Master Ye Hongsheng overseeing it, the flavor is bound to be excellent." So saying, he headed inside: "Come on, let's go try it."

Thus, a crowd entered the teahouse, some settling on the first floor, others on the second, all intending to order a pot of Osmanthus Tea to sample.

When they asked the server about the price, they found it quite expensive—not as costly as premium Pressed Tea, but comparable to mid-grade Pressed Tea, and significantly pricier than Loose Tea or tea dust.

Some complained about the cost: "Osmanthus is dirt cheap—just a few coins per catty. How can it become so expensive once processed into tea?"

The server smiled and explained: "Sir, while osmanthus itself is inexpensive, our proprietor extracts its essence and blends it into Loose Tea using a secret method. If you order a pot to taste, you'll see—the tea appears to be ordinary Loose Tea, but it carries a rich osmanthus aroma and tastes far superior to plain Loose Tea."

This explanation was naturally devised by Ye Yaming to mislead those attempting to replicate the Osmanthus Tea.

"Really?" the customer hesitated.

The server added: "Since you're all regulars and know each other, why not share a pot to sample?" After a pause, he continued, "We recommend four people sharing one pot for the ideal experience."

This suggestion was immediately welcomed by the patrons. Acquaintances grouped together, with every four sharing a pot.

Those who were either wealthier or had full confidence in the Ye family's tea opted to order individual pots.

Soon, the tea master brewed and served the tea.

Unlike modern bulk tea production using machinery, all tea at this time was hand-picked. To maintain quality and justify pricing, Ye Jia implemented strict grading standards for tea leaves: Spring Tea used only single buds with one leaf—or even just tender buds—for premium Pressed Tea; the remaining older leaves were processed into mid or low-grade Pressed Tea or Loose Tea. Summer and Autumn Tea, plucked as one bud with two leaves or open leaflets, were steamed to create green Loose Tea, while the coarser leaves became rough tea.

Thanks to rigorous grading and Ye Hongsheng's masterful tea-making, even Ye Jia's Loose Tea tasted better than others—though it also cost more.

When producing Osmanthus Tea, Ye Jia's own Loose Tea supply was insufficient, requiring them to purchase leaves from other suppliers. These external teas lacked Ye Jia's meticulous standards—uneven leaf sizes and inferior processing resulted in poorer flavor. Consequently, Ye Yaming graded the Osmanthus Tea into premium, medium, and ordinary tiers based on the base tea quality, each priced accordingly.