Glory

Later, when he learned that the Osmanthus Tea was made by her, Master Zhineng began to regard her seriously. However, he still treated her as a junior of the Ye family. The label attached to her shifted from being nothing at first to being "a little girl of the Ye family."

But now, from the way Master Zhineng addressed her and the respectful look in his eyes, she could tell that he had come to see her as a true "personage"—someone worthy of respect, capable of sitting face-to-face with him as an equal.

She had gained a name in front of Master Zhineng—no longer "a little girl" or "a little girl of the Ye family," but Third Miss Ye, Ye Yaming.

In her previous life, when she first took over the company, the shareholders and senior employees referred to her as "that little girl from the Ye family." Later, it changed to "President Ye," spoken with respect and reverence.

And just now, in that brief moment, all it took was one brew of tea for Master Zhineng, along with Lu Guanyi, Qi Ji, and Jingchen who were present, to complete this shift in attitude.

Given this, she could not afford to slip up or be overly modest. She was willing to demonstrate her ability, to let them know that her display was not accidental but that she truly understood tea.

She said, "Little Master Jingchen is absolutely right. Tea is not merely a beverage to drink; it is a form of Zen, a way of the Dao. It sprouts from the branches in spring, is plucked by people, then undergoes withering, steaming, roasting, and drying, transformed into dried tea. The tea maker bestows upon it another form of life. Though its life ends in the steaming and roasting, when it meets boiling water, it is reborn in the water, releasing its essence."

"It awaits a destined encounter. When someone brews it with care, savors it attentively, understands its flavor, and treasures it dearly, it fulfills its lifelong mission."

Upon hearing her words, Master Zhineng seemed to have an epiphany. He pressed his palms together and chanted, "Amitabha," then slowly closed his eyes.

No one in the room dared to make a sound.

After what felt like a long time, Master Zhineng opened his eyes, stood up, and walked to the writing desk on the other side. He personally ground the ink, picked up a brush, and with sweeping strokes, wrote four large characters: "Zen and Tea Are One."

He added his signature and seal. After the ink dried, he rolled it up, placed it in a paper tube, and solemnly presented it to Ye Yaming, saying, "A gift for you, my young friend."

This was the fourth change in how he addressed her, shifting from "Third Miss Ye" to "young friend."

Ye Chongming was so excited upon seeing the calligraphy that he was rendered speechless.

Countless people had sought Master Zhineng's calligraphy in vain. Who would have thought that a few words from Ye Yaming would earn her a piece of his writing? Moreover, he addressed her as "young friend," treating her as if she were a friend of his—a far deeper connection than his own relationship with the master.

With Master Zhineng's acknowledgment of her as a "young friend," no one in Lin'an City who learned of this would dare to offend Ye Yaming lightly.

This was a talisman of protection, a sign of Master Zhineng's high regard for Ye Yaming.

In contrast, Ye Yaming remained much calmer.

She bowed and expressed her thanks, "Thank you, Master," as she accepted the paper tube.

Master Zhineng now appeared as a very kind old man, stroking his beard and chuckling, "You are a child with innate wisdom and blessed fortune."

"Thank you for your kind words, Master." Ye Chongming was overjoyed, even happier than if he had received the praise himself.

The group returned to their seats.

Jingchen, however, looked at Master Zhineng, eager to try something.

Master Zhineng waved his hand at him and said, "Alright, alright, go ahead and give it a try."After Jingchen finished brewing the tea, he asked Ye Yaming for guidance. Upon gaining new insights, he brewed another round, which earned Ye Yaming's approval, thus concluding the tea art demonstration and lesson.

As soon as Ye Yaming sat down, Lu Guanyi asked, "Miss Ye, could our first partnership venture involve producing these tea sets?"

Ye Yaming smiled at him but did not answer immediately. Instead, she turned to Master Zhineng and said, "This tea set is a gift for you, Master Zhineng."

Though only a faint glimmer of amusement showed in Master Zhineng's eyes, his expression remained unchanged. Jingchen, however, beamed with delight upon hearing this.

Master Zhineng said, "Then this old man thanks you, little friend Ye."

After exchanging pleasantries, Ye Yaming asked seriously, "Master Zhineng, will you allow Jingchen to use this tea set to brew tea for your friends and acquaintances in the future?"

Master Zhineng was momentarily taken aback but soon understood her implication. Stroking his beard, he laughed heartily and nodded, "Naturally, that would be no problem."

Only then did Ye Yaming turn to Lu Guanyi and reply, "Wait until guests continuously ask Young Master Jingchen about the origin of this tea set. Then you can engage porcelain artisans to produce it."

She looked at Ye Chongming and added, "Afterward, we will first use them in the Gathering Fragrance Pavilions in the capital and Lin'an before putting them up for sale."

A spark of admiration flashed in Lu Guanyi's eyes. "Miss Ye is truly ingenious and wise. Then we shall proceed exactly as you suggest."

There were many intelligent people in the world, and Ye Yaming came from a tea family as the daughter of Ye Hongsheng. Lu Guanyi wasn't surprised that her brilliance had led to the creation of this tea set and Osmanthus Tea.

But her remarks demonstrated a profound understanding of business principles, and her grasp of market dynamics made Lu Guanyi view her in a new light.

This further strengthened Lu Guanyi's confidence in collaborating with Ye Jia.

Master Zhineng observed all this quietly and nodded to himself in approval.

After Jingchen mastered the tea brewing technique, Ye Chongming took his grandchildren and bid farewell.

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji stayed a while longer, enjoying another cup of tea brewed by Jingchen before taking their leave.

Once outside, Lu Guanyi asked Qi Ji, "Has your father received any news from the capital regarding Meng Chengwei's situation?"

Since Qi Zhifu was aware of Meng Chengwei's schemes against Ye Jia, it followed that Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji knew as well.

Qi Ji exchanged a knowing glance with him. "I'll go back and inquire about this matter."

Now that they were partnering with Ye Jia, the Meng Chengwei issue needed resolution—preferably a permanent one.

It wasn't just about whether Meng Chengwei would hold a grudge and continue sabotaging Ye Jia, potentially affecting their collaboration. More importantly, Lu Guanyi was intervening in the tea trade on behalf of the Crown Prince's faction. If he couldn't even properly punish a minor Imperial merchant like Meng Chengwei, wouldn't it prove him ineffective, incompetent, and weak-willed? Who would then take him seriously?

Hence, the first step in their partnership with Ye Jia was to severely punish Meng Chengwei, crushing him into the mud and ensuring that influential figures in the capital took note.

This would be far from the measured punishment Qi Zhifu had previously considered after weighing the pros and cons.

Upon returning home, Qi Ji relayed the matter to his father, Qi Zhibei.

As a scion of an established family and a seasoned official, Qi Zhibei's considerations were even more thorough than his son's. Without needing further explanation, he understood exactly how to deal with Meng Chengwei.