Glory

Ye Yaming said, "I feel that Young Master Lu has the same goal as Meng Chengwei—he wants to cooperate with us. Master Zhineng's words were meant to convey this information, allowing us to understand the situation and consider whether to collaborate with him."

"But why?" Ye Chongming couldn't figure it out.

If the Crown Prince wanted to reopen the Tea-Horse Trade Market, then just reopen it. Even if he wanted to compete with the Fourth Prince, he could simply employ tactics in the imperial court. The fate of the tea in the Tea Monopoly Bureau would depend on which side had the more skillful and forceful methods. What did this have to do with an ordinary tea merchant like him from Jiangnan?

He could understand Meng Chengwei's desire to cooperate—that scoundrel probably wanted to sell illicit tea.

But since Lu Guanyi had brought the matter of cooperation before Master Zhineng, it was clear he wouldn't engage in illicit tea trade. So why would he need to cooperate with Ye Jia?

Ye Yaming stroked her chin. "Young Master Lu likely values our tea-making skills. Back then, he bought ten cakes or ten jin of every type of tea from our tea house. His purpose was probably to taste our tea and assess whether our tea-making skills were suitable for collaboration."

If that were the case, his actions would make sense.

He probably not only bought Ye Jia's tea but also sampled teas from other merchants to see whose tea-making skills were the best. And how much better Ye Jia's tea tasted compared to others.

"Later, when Father and I went to retrieve the tea from him, he suspected Ye Jia of selling illicit tea and hesitated to make a decision. However, he likely investigated further and learned that the illicit tea incident wasn't your intention and that you had reported it to the authorities. So, he reconsidered cooperation and decided to discuss it with you. That's why we met here."

When Ye Yaming mentioned the illicit tea incident, Ye Chongming broke out in a cold sweat.

"Fortunately, we reported it to the authorities back then. Otherwise, if Young Master Lu had discovered it, whether or not we cooperated would be the least of our worries. If he had the same intentions as Meng Chengwei and used it to coerce us into collaboration, we would have become nothing more than his tea-making slaves."

Ye Yaming shook her head and smiled, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Don't forget, he's on very good terms with Qi Gongzi. If he truly had such intentions, do you think the prefect would protect us or help him? At that point, it wouldn't just be coercion—he'd likely throw you in jail for a few days until we handed over all our tea-making techniques, along with our entire tea production, and signed numerous contracts before releasing you."

Her words sent shockwaves of fear through Ye Chongming and Ye Jiaxing.

After a moment of silence to calm their emotions, Ye Chongming sighed in relief. "Thankfully, this Young Master Lu is a man of principle. Not only did he not use Qi Zhifu to pressure us, but he also allowed us to learn about his situation through Master Zhineng so we could consider whether to cooperate with him."

He looked at Ye Yaming. "Ming'er, you once said we should find a noble and benevolent partner. Doesn't Young Master Lu fit our requirements perfectly?"

Ye Yaming sighed softly. "If Young Master Lu simply wants to engage in the tea business under his own name, he would indeed be an excellent partner. But if he has deeper intentions and is entangled with the Crown Prince's tea administration policies, he would be anything but a good partner."

"However, with Master Zhineng and Qi Zhifu involved, it seems we don't have much room to refuse," she added.Ye Chongming let out a heavy sigh. "Indeed, there's no way to refuse."

Seeing the deep worry on Ye Chongming's face, Ye Yaming comforted him, "Grandfather, try to look on the bright side. Getting involved with the Crown Prince and court politics is certainly not ideal. But it's precisely because the Crown Prince is backing Young Master Lu that he has the ability to stand up against Meng Chengwei, who has connections to the imperial harem."

"Court struggles are far beyond our reach—we're not even minor players. Even if storms rage in the court, the waves won't reach us. But Meng Chengwei is a disaster right before our eyes. We've already offended him by 'not knowing our place,' and now with the Osmanthus Tea, how could he possibly let go of Ye Jia, such a fat piece of meat? If we don't cooperate with Young Master Lu now, who else can we turn to? Is there anyone more suitable than him?"

Ye Chongming nodded. "Alright, we'll cooperate with Young Master Lu. Behind him, he not only has the Crown Prince but also Master Zhineng and Qi Zhifu."

He then explained to Ye Yaming, "You probably don't know much about Master Zhineng. Not only is his status lofty and transcendent, but he also despises worldly entanglements and refuses to involve himself in any mundane affairs. For Young Master Lu to have persuaded him to act as a mediator today, it must either be out of respect for the Crown Prince or because Young Master Lu's elders have some connection with Master Zhineng."

"As for Qi Zhifu, Master Zhineng doesn't even regard him highly. When Qi Zhifu visits the temple, Master Zhineng might at most grant him an audience but won't agree to anything else."

The prefect of Lin'an City changes every few years, coming and going. With Master Zhineng's status and position, he truly doesn't need to give them any face.

Ye Yaming smiled. "Grandfather, it's good that you've made a decision. Since we've decided to cooperate, we shouldn't act arrogantly, but we also shouldn't appear too eager. Tomorrow, you can write a letter thanking Master Zhineng for his hospitality and praising Young Master Lu and Qi Gongzi."

"Right, right, right."

Ye Chongming felt as if talking to Ye Yaming was like drinking a bowl of hot chicken soup on a cold winter day—every part of him felt comforted. Many things didn't need to be said in detail; she immediately understood, responded, and promptly offered corresponding suggestions. And these suggestions always aligned perfectly with his thoughts.

This feeling was simply wonderful.

The next day, Ye Chongming indeed wrote a letter to Master Zhineng. That afternoon, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji went to the third floor of the Gathered Fragrance Tea House to visit Ye Chongming.

Ye Chongming had a pleasant conversation with the two. After seeing them off, he returned home and recounted the events to Ye Hongchang, Ye Jiaxing, and Ye Yaming.

With a smile on his face, he said, "Young Master Lu was extremely candid. He said that although he is the legitimate eldest son, his birth mother passed away when he was just six months old. His stepmother entered the household half a year later and gave birth to a son the following year. His stepmother is a wolf in sheep's clothing—if it weren't for his grandparents protecting him, he wouldn't have survived until now."

"Now that his grandparents have passed away one after another, his stepmother is sharpening her knives. He genuinely doesn't care about the noble title or the family estate, so he left a letter and departed to Jiangnan."

"Qi Furen and Young Master Lu's mother were sisters from the same mother. He and Qi Gongzi grew up together and share a deep bond. Young Master Lu came to Jiangnan to seek refuge with his aunt and accompany his cousin, and also to engage in some business and build his own assets."

After finishing, he asked everyone, "What are your thoughts on this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Yaming remained silent and instead looked toward Ye Hongchang.