“…I know my abilities are limited. Even if I had the chance to be reborn, I couldn’t change much. It was fortunate to meet you on the Bridge of Helplessness. Our souls are compatible. Even our names are the same—what a remarkable fate! I think you’d be willing to live another life with your memories intact. So please, help me change my destiny and the fate of our Ye Family…”

In her dream, a beautiful woman in red robes bent down and earnestly bowed to Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming suddenly opened her eyes.

Lush trees swayed gently in the deep courtyard. The upturned eaves of the front courtyard traced an elegant arc against the sky. The early autumn sunlight pierced through the gaps between the leaves, somewhat dazzling.

Looking at the now-familiar scenery she had seen for several days, Ye Yaming remained dazed for quite some time before finally letting out a long sigh.

It had been several days since she parted with the original owner of this body at the Bridge of Helplessness. She thought the original soul had already been reincarnated, but unexpectedly dreamed of her today.

Was she worried and coming back to earnestly remind her?

Ye Yaming raised her head, gazing at the brilliant blue sky that was no longer visible in modern times, and silently said to the original owner: “Go reincarnate in peace. I will change your fate and that of the Ye Family.”

It was simply the story of a devoted woman betrayed by an opportunistic man. In her previous life, the original owner was caught in the situation, trapped in a cage she couldn’t escape. Starting over, she definitely wouldn’t walk the same path as before. Changing fate wouldn’t be difficult.

The reason she didn’t want to live again and gave the rebirth opportunity to Ye Yaming was probably because she was heartbroken by that scoundrel and lost interest in life, while also lacking confidence in changing the family’s destiny.

But for Ye Yaming, who had sold tea worldwide and headed a listed company by the age of thirty-one, changing the Ye Family’s fate wouldn’t be difficult.

“I will not fail your trust,” she silently vowed.

“Miss, wouldn’t you rather sleep inside?” Bai Rui looked at Ye Yaming with concern.

Ever since Miss had recovered from that high fever recently, her spirit seemed somewhat diminished.

Ye Yaming waved her hand, sat up straight, and asked, “How long have I been asleep?”

“Just a short nap,” Bai Rui replied.

Ye Yaming turned her head toward the maid boiling water: “Is the water ready?”

Lu’E quickly brought the kettle over and placed it on the table: “It’s ready, Miss. It’s been cooling for a while, so the temperature should be just right.”

Ye Yaming reached out to feel the kettle’s temperature, nodded, and lifted the lid of the small white porcelain teapot to pour in the water.

The rising steam carried the tea’s fragrance, instantly diffusing through the air.

Watching the green tea leaves sink and float in the water, slowly unfurling and eventually settling at the bottom of the pot, Ye Yaming’s mood resembled these tea leaves—relaxed and calm, her heart gradually becoming peaceful.

The slight palpitations caused by the dream no longer existed.

Grasping the perfect timing for the tea, judging by experience that this was when the tea would taste best, Ye Yaming quickly poured the tea from the white porcelain pot into a light green ceramic pot.

After pouring the last drop, she set down the pot, then poured some tea from the green pot into a small cup. She held the cup near her nose and mouth, first smelling the tea’s fragrance, observing the clear color of the brew, then parted her vermilion lips to take a light sip.

She let the tea linger on the tip of her tongue, then allowed it to flow over her tongue and palate into her throat, swallowing slowly. The tea’s freshness and slight bitterness spread throughout her mouth, stimulating saliva production as a sweet aftertaste emerged on her tongue.

With eyes closed, she savored and evaluated the tea meticulously. When she opened her eyes again, Ye Yaming’s heart was completely serene.

“Miss, Miss…” A young maid with twin buns ran quickly into the courtyard, shouting, “Something terrible has happened! The First Young Master… the First Young Master was injured by a frightened horse!”

Ye Yaming stood up abruptly.

It had begun.

She walked out briskly.

Bai Rui glared at Zi Yuan: “So impetuous!” Then she hurriedly followed Ye Yaming.

After leaving the courtyard and passing through two arched doorways, just as Ye Yaming was about to enter the main courtyard of the Ye Family, an elderly woman emerged from the roadside and said to Ye Yaming with a smile: “Third Miss, there are male guests in the main hall. Don’t worry, the First Young Master only suffered minor injuries. It’s not serious. We’ve already sent someone to fetch the doctor.”

The Great Jin Dynasty wasn’t particularly strict about restricting women. Moreover, the Ye Family was merely a landed gentry family involved in commerce, not overly conservative. There were no rules prohibiting the women of the household from meeting male guests.

The elderly woman’s words were merely a reminder: if Ye Yaming didn’t wish to meet male guests, she could visit the First Young Master after the visitors had left.

“It’s fine,” Ye Yaming said, continuing without pausing toward the hall.

If not for this male guest, she wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to come over.

Though they called it a minor injury, the main hall was still in chaos.

The First Young Master’s wife, Madam Guan, nearly fainted at the sight of blood seeping through her husband’s clothes. Instead, First Young Master Ye Jiaxing was the one comforting his wife. Second Sister Ye Yaqing stood nearby, wiping tears. A group of servants bustled about—some fetching water, others handing over handkerchiefs—all busy with various tasks.

On the other side of the hall, Old Master Ya Chongming was thanking a young man with a face full of smiles.

Standing at the entrance, Ye Yaming coldly observed the young man through the crowd.

Meng Chengwei, an imperial merchant from the capital, known for his ruthless methods. The Great Jin Dynasty’s tea monopoly system had been in place for over a hundred years. Recently, smuggling has become severe at the border. The Meng family wanted to infiltrate and control Jiangnan’s tea through the Ye Family to gain enormous profits.

In her previous life, the Ye Family had failed to see through his façade and was deceived by him. They frequently traded with him and even helped him connect with fellow provincials, allowing him to operate freely in Jiangnan. The Meng family only provided some tea permits, yet the Ye Family felt deeply indebted to them.

But when the private tea case was later exposed, the Ye Family became the perfect scapegoat. The Meng family emerged unscathed while the Ye Family’s property was confiscated, and they were exiled, dying in foreign lands.

Meng Chengwei was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Ye Yaming strongly suspected that First Young Master Ye Jiaxing’s horse accident was his doing. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that he happened to encounter the frightened horse and personally escorted it back?

Not just this incident, but several major events that the Ye Family later experienced were probably related to him.

However, the original owner had been too sheltered by her family, her mind occupied only with trivial romantic matters. Even after living through one lifetime, she wasn’t very clear about family affairs. All this was merely Ye Yaming’s conjecture. The truth still needed verification.

Meng Chengwei must have keenly sensed Ye Yaming’s scrutinizing gaze. He raised his eyes toward the entrance, directly meeting a pair of beautiful autumn-water eyes.

Ye Yaming stood at the entrance with her back to the light. Despite looking against the light, Meng Chengwei could see that the person standing at the door was a beauty with delicate features and a pair of eyes as clear as water, extremely beautiful. This woman had a graceful figure and a gentle, fragile demeanor, appearing to be a typical gentle lady from the Jiangnan water region—exactly the type Meng Chengwei preferred.

Indeed, his elaborate scheme to appear at the Ye Family in this manner had not been in vain.

As soon as Meng Chengwei looked up, Ye Yaming withdrew her gaze and quickly walked toward Ye Jiaxing, asking with concern: “Elder Brother, how are you?”