Thinking about the mansion where he lived and his Capital accent, it was obvious he came from the capital. This person must be either wealthy or noble!

A noble young master from the capital, handsome and elegant, exuding both martial spirit and noble air. When young ladies from neighboring families saw such a young man, how could they not develop affections? It was likely that countless women had found various excuses to visit, which was why his gates remained tightly closed and young women were unwelcome.

With this realization, Ye Yaming felt relieved.

It was good that the trouble wasn’t caused by sisters who resembled her.

In modern times, what handsome men hadn’t she seen? Born into wealth, young and rich, and exceptionally beautiful, countless people had pursued her since childhood. Those who weren’t good-looking or wealthy didn’t even dare approach her.

Despite this, she never found anyone she liked, remaining unmarried even past thirty.

In this ancient era with severe restrictions on women, if she had to marry, she would prefer to find a husband who would marry into her family. This way, she would be the head of the household and wouldn’t be dominated by an incompetent man in terms of status and finances, subject to another’s control.

So although the man before her was impressive, in her eyes he was nothing more than a pretty skeleton.

Feeling relieved, she also lost interest in expanding the business or retaining this high-quality customer.

She stood up and said coolly, “We need to collect tea from other places, so we won’t disturb you any longer, Young Master. Farewell.”

Seeing her preparing to leave, Ye Hongsheng quickly stood up and cupped his hands to Lu Guanyi, “We take our leave.”

Lu Guanyi stood up and returned the gesture: “Please wait, Master Ye.”

He pointed to the silk on the table and said, “I bought those tea cakes at an extremely low price, not worth all this fine silk you’ve brought. Let me keep half of it, and please take the rest back.”

He didn’t know how much of that moldy tea Ye family had sold. If it were a lot, compensating like this would cost the Ye family dearly.

Ye Yaming glanced at Ye Hongsheng, seeing that he seemed to want to speak, but his lips trembled, unable to say anything for quite some time.

If this dragged on, it would become awkward. Besides, some things were better clarified to prevent customers from developing negative impressions about the Ye family once they learned certain facts.

She spoke up, “Thank you for your kindness, Young Master. Our tea house made a mistake and was tricked, which is why that batch of tea was sold. Although my grandfather severely punished the main culprit and plans to recall this batch of tea, we’ve still caused trouble for our customers. The silk is our compensation—how could we take it back? Or does Young Master still blame our tea house and intend to hold us responsible?”

Lu Guanyi now understood why the elderly Master Ye had brought his daughter along to exchange the tea. This Master Ye probably wasn’t skilled in social interactions, while his daughter was articulate and intelligent.

Her words were meant to inform him that the batch of tea wasn’t intentionally sold by Jixiang House but rather the result of being tricked. Now they were offering silk worth several times the tea’s value in exchange, hoping customers wouldn’t pursue the matter further with the Ye family—essentially buying their silence.

Explaining things was better than letting people guess.

He certainly had no intention of making things difficult for the Ye family. Not accepting the silk might cause the Ye family to overthink the situation.

He cupped his hands and said, “Then I thank you.”

“If Young Master Lu has no other matters, we shall take our leave,” said Ye Yaming.

Ye Hongsheng bowed to Lu Guanyi, turned and walked out the door, with Ye Yaming following behind.

An Tai accompanied them out, his attitude much improved, no longer showing the subtle rejection from earlier.

As the group reached the entrance, Servant Mo opened the main gate. The door had barely opened a crack when a young man’s voice came from outside: “What luck! Saves me from waiting at the door.”

He then complained, “I must say, your master is too fond of quiet. Such a large mansion, couldn’t you hire a few more servants? At least post someone behind the door.”

By now, the door was open, revealing a young man’s face.

Seeing him, Ye Yaming couldn’t help but marvel at the abundance of handsome men and beautiful women in this ancient era. The people of the Ye family already had good looks, and the two men she met today were both exceptionally handsome.

The man before her was probably about 180 centimeters tall, with slightly upturned phoenix eyes and features even more delicate than Lu Guanyi whom she had just met. However, while Lu Guanyi had a masculine aura, the man before her seemed more gentle and refined.

Walking in front of her, Ye Hongsheng had already called out in surprise: “Young Master Qi?”

The Young Master Qi was initially surprised that the Lu mansion had visitors, but upon hearing Ye Hongsheng call his name, he was momentarily stunned before exclaiming: “Master Ganquan?”

“Master Ganquan” was the respectful title tea enthusiasts used for Ye Hongsheng, saying that the tea he made was comparable to sweet spring water, the ultimate taste in the human world.

Ye Hongsheng smiled and cupped his hands, saying, “Indeed it is I.”

“What are you…” Young Master Qi asked in confusion, then as if remembering something, he suddenly realized, “Zimo bought tea from your family!” His tone was extremely certain.

Ye Hongsheng knew that Zimo was probably the courtesy name of Young Master Lu he had just met. He smiled and said, “Yes, yes, there was an issue with that tea, so my daughter and I came to apologize and make amends to Young Master Lu.”

Seeing Ye Hongsheng’s relaxed smile and lack of the usual awkwardness he showed with strangers, Ye Yaming became curious.

Given Ye Hongsheng’s obsession with tea, this Young Master Qi must be quite knowledgeable about tea and have earned Ye Hongsheng’s respect. Otherwise, her socially awkward father wouldn’t behave this way.

Hearing the words “my daughter,” Young Master Qi turned to look at Ye Yaming, his face bearing a smile, his gaze friendly and clear, with a hint of curiosity.

He cupped his hands in greeting and said, “I am Qi Ji, pleased to meet you, Miss Ye.”

“Young Master Qi,” Ye Yaming returned the greeting.

Ye Hongsheng then introduced him: “Young Master Qi is the third son of Prefect Qi, and he greatly appreciates tea. Last year, when I created a fine tea, Young Master Qi drank it at Jixiang Pavilion and praised it highly. We met briefly then and had a pleasant conversation.”

So it was indeed as she thought.

“Hahaha, that’s right. The tea made by Master Ganquan has fragrances that harmonize perfectly with the tea flavor, unlike other teas where the scent of additives overpowers the tea’s natural taste, inverting the priorities and losing its true essence. This truly proves Master Ganquan’s skill,” Qi Ji said with a smile. “Because I liked that tea so much, I bought twenty cases at once.”

He then asked Ye Hongsheng: “Has Master Ganquan created any new fine teas recently?”

Ye Hongsheng shook his head, but then, remembering the osmanthus tea Ye Yaming had made, he nodded.

“My skills are limited, and I haven’t created any exceptional tea lately. However, my daughter surpasses me in skill, and she has been working on a fine tea these past few days. When it’s ready for market in a few days, I’ll certainly have the tea house staff deliver some to Young Master Qi and Young Master Lu to try.”

Qi Ji looked at Ye Yaming with surprise, staring at her for a moment before praising: “Indeed, like father, like daughter. Miss Ye, at such a young age, you can create tea that earns Master Ganquan’s praise—truly remarkable talent. I am extremely eager to try this tea.”

He said to Ye Hongsheng: “Then it’s settled—when the tea is available, Master, you must have someone bring some for us to taste.”