He didn’t dwell on this matter much, looked up at the sky and sighed: “I hope your eldest uncle and the others have a safe journey and return soon.”

“They should,” Ye Yaming replied, her words not matching her thoughts.

According to the original trajectory, Ye Hongchang would not be safe at all.

Entering the main courtyard, Ye Yaqing brought Ye Yayin forward to greet them: “Grandfather, Second Uncle, you’ve returned?”

“Grandfather, Father,” Ye Yayin greeted her elders, then ran to Ye Yaming’s side and gave her a sweet smile, “Sister.”

Ye Yaming patted her head and followed Ye Chongming and the others up the steps.

Madam Tao, Madam Yin, and Madam Zhang were all waiting at the door. Everyone entered the hall together.

“You’re back? How did things go?” the elder Lady Ye stepped forward, asking with concern.

“Hmph.” Ye Chongming let out a cold snort with an unpleasant expression, sat at the head position, took the tea, and drank a few sips. Instead of answering, he asked: “Where is that little beast?”

“Still kneeling in the ancestral hall,” Elder Lady Ye said, observing the old man’s expression, then turned to Ye Yaming with displeasure and scolded, “Yaming, I heard you followed your grandfather out? Your grandfather was attending to important matters, you shouldn’t have gone to cause trouble.”

There was a loud “clang” – the sound of Ye Chongming heavily setting down his teacup.

He looked up at Li Fu standing by the door and said: “Li Fu, go to the storehouse, bring two sets of the finest head ornaments and jewelry, and six bolts of the brightest silk, deliver them to the Third Young Lady’s room.”

“Yes, sir.” Li Fu acknowledged and quickly left.

“This… my lord?” Elder Lady Ye looked at Ye Chongming in confusion.

“If it weren’t for Yaming today, things would have become truly troublesome. Had it escalated, if not complete ruin for our family, we would have come close. The fact that you all can sit here peacefully drinking tea and talking is all thanks to Yaming’s merit.”

Ye Chongming continued: “This is my reward for Yaming, and no one is permitted to speak sourly about it. If anyone disapproves, come argue with me to my face.”

With these words, the room fell silent. Especially among the womenfolk – though Ye Chongming was kind to his family, the dignity of the family patriarch remained. When he became serious, everyone feared him.

At this moment, no one dared to raise their heads, only glancing at Ye Yaming from the corners of their eyes, wondering what great service she had rendered in such a short time to earn such high praise from the old master.

“Grandfather exaggerates. I merely mentioned my suspicions, which isn’t worth much. The successful resolution of the matter is all due to Grandfather and Father’s efforts,” Ye Yaming quickly said.

In this era that emphasized filial piety and modesty, such words were necessary.

Ye Chongming stood up: “All right, everyone, disperse. I’m going to see that unfilial creature.”

After walking a few steps, he noticed that the elder Lady Ye and Ye Hongsheng were following him. He stopped and said, “Hongsheng, go back and rest. Everyone else, return to your courtyards.”

He swept his gaze around the room, finally fixing it on Elder Lady Ye, his face stern: “Today, no one is allowed to plead for mercy. If anyone doesn’t take my words seriously, regardless of my decades of dignity, they will be punished alongside.”

Elder Lady Ye’s expression changed several times.

After decades of marriage, this was the first time Ye Chongming had been so disrespectful to her in front of the younger generation, almost pointing at her nose to scold her.

However, this also indicated the extreme seriousness of the matter.

She dared not speak further and watched helplessly as Ye Chongming left.

When immortals fight, lesser beings suffer. The women of the various branches dared not provoke the Elder Lady’s temper. Since the old master had spoken, everyone quietly retreated behind Ye Chongming, returning to their courtyards.

Ye Yaming had received the old master’s praise, which delighted Madam Yin. Returning to the Second Branch’s hall with her husband and daughter, she pulled Ye Yaming aside to inquire about the day’s events.

Ye Yaming felt that the reason Elder Lady Ye protected the wasteful Ye Hongrong so much was because the men of the Ye family had protected the women too well. Even after being the family matriarch for a lifetime, she still lacked any sense of crisis.

Women needed to understand the dangers of the business world to know how to raise their children properly.

She explained everything, leaving Madam Yin and Ye Yayin terrified. Realizing this was a trap set by others, and that if not handled properly, the Ye family would have fallen into crisis, both felt fear.

Ye Yaming said: “Flies don’t land on eggs without cracks. If our family were in good order, Meng Chengwei couldn’t implement any of his schemes, no matter how many tricks he had. If Grandmother continues to indulge Fourth Uncle like this, and Grandfather cannot strictly discipline him, he might cause even greater trouble in the future.”

These words were meant for Ye Hongsheng to hear.

Though not eloquent, Ye Hongsheng was a very perceptive person.

Ye Chongming had only three sons. His fourth son couldn’t be relied upon, so he could only count on his eldest and second sons. As the second son, Ye Hongsheng’s opinions could still influence him.

Even if Ye Hongsheng couldn’t influence matters directly, it would be good for him to keep a closer eye on Ye Hongrong.

“Don’t worry, after this incident, your grandfather will certainly discipline your Fourth Uncle strictly,” Ye Hongsheng said.

Before, though Ye Hongrong couldn’t accomplish much, he hadn’t done anything harmful either, so Ye Chongming hadn’t bothered to manage him.

Now that he had brought trouble to the family, how could he still be left unchecked? At the very least, he would certainly be kept away from business matters.

“That’s good.”

Seeing their conversation conclude, Ye Yayin couldn’t help asking: “Sister, how did you become so impressive?”

Madam Yin had the same question: “Indeed.”

Ye Yaming turned to Madam Yin with a smile: “Wasn’t it because I saw Mother being wronged and wanted to help her regain face? I am the eldest daughter of the family, the face of our Second Branch, so I naturally must stand tall. I want everyone to know that even though our Second Branch doesn’t have a son, a daughter is no less capable than a son.”

Then, looking toward Ye Yayin: “Yayin, you must remember this too: nothing is better than what you possess yourself. When you become capable and establish yourself, no one can look down on you, not even those with status and position.”

“Oh.” Ye Yayin nodded, somewhat understanding.

After dinner, Ye Yaming took out the moldy round tea cakes she had brought back.

The Great Jin was a fictional dynasty, equivalent to the Song and Ming periods. Various forms of tea coexisted: round cakes, loose leaves, powdered, and pressed cakes. Pan-fired green tea had just emerged, while black tea, oolong, and other tea varieties had not yet appeared.

Among the various types of tea, the upper classes still favored round tea cakes, so in the Ye family’s tea factory, the best first spring tea leaves were made into round cakes, scented with aromatics and pressed into various patterns. These flowered cakes fetched the highest prices, whether purchased by the government tea bureau or sold on the market.

Lower-grade tea materials were processed into loose, powdered, or pressed cakes to meet different levels of demand.

Round tea cakes were steamed green tea, requiring several processing steps: steaming, pressing, grinding, molding, yellowing, and drying. Fresh leaves were soaked in water, steamed, then washed with cold water, followed by small pressing to remove water and large pressing to extract tea juice. The tea was then ground in a pottery basin until fine, before being pressed into molds.