Glory

Ye Jiaxing's injury, Ye Hongrong's deception, and the robbery of the Ye family's eldest master Ye Hongchang on his way home from collecting debts in the capital half a month ago—Ye Yaming suspected all were orchestrated by Meng Chengwei.

He likely intended to plunge the Ye family into trouble, then step in to resolve it, gaining their goodwill and forming a life-and-death bond with Ye Jiaxing. Ultimately, he aimed to control the Jiangnan tea market by influencing and dominating the Ye family.

Now that the first two incidents had occurred, and the third was imminent with Ye Hongchang on his way home, Ye Yaming realized sending warnings would be futile—it was too late, and she couldn't explain her foreknowledge. Thus, she refrained from useless efforts.

Her focus now was to resolve the Ye family's troubles, prevent Meng Chengwei's approach, and secure a voice within the family.

...

Descending the mountain, Ye Yaming and the others took a carriage for stability, which consumed most of the day, though horseback would have been much faster.

By the time Ye Jiaxing returned to the main household from the central courtyard, he immediately sent someone up the mountain. The next day, just after Ye Yaming finished breakfast, Ye Chongming returned.

"Have you sent word to your second uncle yet?" he asked Ye Jiaxing.

"Not yet," Ye Jiaxing replied awkwardly.

He hadn't intended to hide it from Ye Hongsheng, but felt that given Ye Hongsheng's temperament, his return wouldn't be of much help. Moreover, Old Madam Ye, unwilling to escalate the matter and worried that other branches would criticize her beloved son for Ye Hongrong's blunder, was reluctant to involve Ye Hongsheng. Unwilling to upset his grandmother, Ye Hongxing had refrained from notifying Ye Hongsheng.

Ye Chongming's expression darkened further.

This eldest grandson was meant to uphold the family legacy. Fearing he might be spoiled by his doting grandmother and mother, Ye Chongming had taken him under his wing for careful guidance. In such critical matters, Ye Jiaxing should have recognized it as a life-or-death situation for the Ye family. Moreover, family prosperity required unity. Yet, constrained by the old madam's bias and the fourth branch's reputation, Ye Hongxing had failed to notify the nearby Ye Hongsheng. If Ye Hongsheng and Yin Shi overthought this, the second branch might drift apart.

At a juncture threatening the family's survival, allowing relatives to grow distant—could Ye Chongming truly entrust the Ye family to such a grandson?

But now was not the time for lecturing. Ye Chongming turned to his attendant: "Go to the Tea Factory and summon Second Master to the Tea House."

Since the batch of tea had been sold from the Tea House, he needed to handle matters there. They could all gather directly, sparing Ye Hongsheng extra travel.

Ye Jiaxing knew his misstep had disappointed his grandfather. Eager to make amends, he ignored his leg injury and, supported by his page, stood to follow.

Though Guan Shi vaguely knew the Ye family faced serious business troubles, nothing outweighed her husband's health. Anxious, she had followed and waited outside. Now, learning Ye Jiaxing intended to go to the Tea House, she urgently explained to Ye Chongming, "Grandfather, since returning from the mountain yesterday, my husband's wound has reddened. The Herbalist repeatedly insisted he rest at home and avoid exertion. Please consider..."

Ye Jiaxing muttered displeased, "He'er..."

But Guan Shi stubbornly held Ye Chongming's gaze.

The Ye family's Third Master had once neglected a minor illness, insisting on transporting tea, which worsened his condition and led to his death. Now, Third Madame Cai Shi lived like a walking corpse.A living example was right before her eyes—she would rather have a husband with no prospects than become a widow at such a young age.

Ye Chongming paused mid-step and turned to Ye Jiaxing, saying, "Stay home and recover from your injuries. Your second uncle and I will handle this matter."

With that, he strode out of the courtyard and headed toward the main gate.

As he approached the gate, he spotted Yin Shi and her daughter, Ye Yaming, waiting there.

"Grandfather," Ye Yaming greeted him alongside her mother, bowing respectfully.

Ye Chongming frowned slightly and nodded at the mother and daughter. "There’s been some trouble at home. I’ve already sent someone to fetch Hongsheng. Once we’ve dealt with the matter, he’ll return home this evening." He made to continue walking.

Ye Yaming followed closely behind him. "Fourth Aunt has already told me about Fourth Uncle’s situation. Are you planning to appease the tea customers, offer apologies, and recall the tea leaves, Grandfather?"

"This is urgent. If people start causing a scene at the Tea House, it’ll be troublesome. You and Father will surely need to split up to handle it. Since my father isn’t fond of dealing with people, I thought I might go with him—help him speak, maybe chime in here and there. It might make things go more smoothly."

Ye Chongming halted and turned to scrutinize his third granddaughter closely.

In his memory, this granddaughter had always been delicate in demeanor, speaking softly and slowly. Yet, for some reason, her usual fragility now seemed tempered with resilience. Her eyes held a determined glint, and her tone carried an unshakable firmness.

Recalling her earlier words, Ye Chongming couldn’t help but view her in a new light.

Still, being a man prone to overthinking, he suspected this might be Yin Shi’s idea.

All the daughters-in-law in the Ye family had been carefully chosen.

Even though the second, third, and fourth branches would inherit less when the family divided its assets, they would still be better off than most ordinary families and would need to manage some businesses. The daughters-in-law didn’t need to be exceptionally shrewd or capable, but at the very least, they shouldn’t hold the family back or cause trouble.

That was why he had told his wife back then to look for women from respectable families—intelligent, decisive, and strong-willed. He didn’t want anyone easily swayed or overly timid.

The second branch’s wife met most of these criteria, but because she hadn’t borne a son, she tended to be overly sensitive. Often, an offhand remark from someone would send her spiraling into unnecessary worries.

With the fourth branch causing such a major disaster this time, and the old lady and the main branch not informing the second branch, it was understandable that Yin Shi might have her own thoughts and want to push her daughter forward. If Ye Yaming insisted on going along, Ye Chongming saw no reason to stop her.

Still, he felt the need to set some ground rules. "Are you sure you want to go? This isn’t a game. You’ll have to endure sour looks and listen to harsh words. If a young girl like you breaks down in tears at the first criticism, not only will we fail to satisfy the customers, but we might even offend them. Can you take responsibility for that outcome?"

"I won’t, Grandfather. We’re the ones in the wrong—it’s only right that we hear a few harsh words. I won’t cry, I promise," Ye Yaming replied.

Ye Chongming nodded. "Very well, you may come along."

He resumed walking toward the main gate, and Ye Yaming quickly followed with Bai Rui in tow.

Once outside the gate, Ye Chongming’s gaze paused.

Not only was his horse waiting, but there was also a carriage parked nearby. The small blue floral curtain made it clear it was typically used by the women of the household.

Ye Chongming couldn’t help but smile and said to Ye Yaming, "You’ve made preparations well in advance. Were you so certain I would agree to let you come along?"Ye Yaming shook her head: "Not entirely certain. I'm just preparing. What if? This way I won't delay your time."

Then she added: "The horse runs fast, Grandfather. You go ahead to the Tea House first, I'll follow shortly."