Ye Chongming smiled bitterly and shook his head. “If I choose the latter path, would we be able to live in peace?”

“No,” Ye Yaming replied decisively. “Wasn’t Meng Chengwei already targeting our family before this?”

Ye Chongming spread his hands. “So, do I have a choice?”

After all, he was the head of the Ye family and had been considering the family’s development and challenges for some time.

“Yaming, you once said that we should find a powerful noble to cooperate with and expand the Ye family tea business. Seeing our prosperous business lately, watching us buy tea mountains to Huizhou, observing how those nobles from the capital associate with your father, even traveling thousands of miles to visit our tea gardens—Grandfather deeply feels that you were right.”

“Yaming, Grandfather knows. If we hadn’t cooperated with Young Master Lu, our family would likely have been destroyed long ago.”

Thinking of this made him shudder.

That Meng Chengwei was like a rabid dog. Even after being sent to prison and exiled thousands of miles away, he could still send people to seek revenge, intending to eliminate all the main male members of the Ye family.

If not for Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji, the Ye family wouldn’t even have had the ability to seek justice.

And with this newly produced Longjing tea being sent to the Crown Prince, the Ye family might face risks, but they would also reap enormous benefits. If it could become tribute tea, then the Emperor would be their patron. What was Meng Chengwei compared to that? Without the Emperor’s word, no one would dare touch them.

“Have you decided?” Ye Yaming asked.

Ye Chongming nodded. “I have.”

Ye Yaming looked at Ye Hongsheng and asked, “Father, are you afraid?”

“No,” Ye Hongsheng answered decisively. “As long as you’re all well, I fear nothing.”

“And if I want to take risks?”

“Then I’ll be with you.”

“Good,” Ye Yaming smiled at him.

She turned back to Ye Chongming and said, “Grandfather, you should still discuss this with Uncle, Third Aunt, Fourth Uncle, and First Cousin before making a decision.”

Ye Chongming thought this was reasonable. Even as their father, he couldn’t make this decision for the entire family.

He said, “Alright, I’ll have someone invite your uncle back home so we can discuss this thoroughly.”

The Lu residence wasn’t far from the Ye family. By the time they finished speaking, Zan’er had already returned.

He reported, “Young Master Lu expressed his gratitude for the tea and the reminder. He also mentioned that Prince Consort Fan and the others are simply tea enthusiasts who don’t participate in political conflicts. Their appreciation of this tea would greatly benefit the Ye family.”

Ye Yaming smiled at Ye Chongming and said, “Grandfather, do you understand the implied meaning? You can rest assured now. However, once Longjing tea is presented to the Emperor, things will be different. So, our path forward still requires careful consideration and decision.”

Ye Chongming nodded.

Ten days later, Ye Hongchang returned from the capital.

It was the time when Pre-Qingming tea was being produced. Ye Yaming and Ye Hongsheng were busy making tea. However, on the second day after Ye Hongchang’s return, Ye Chongming sent someone to summon both Ye Hongsheng and Ye Yaming down from the mountain for a family meeting.

“Father, you should go. I won’t attend. Whatever is decided, you can decide for me,” Ye Yaming said, having reflected on her actions and deciding not to interfere too much in the Ye family’s development.

“It’s better if you don’t come,” Ye Hongsheng said. “If you were there, there are some things we wouldn’t be able to say openly.”

He waved his hand. “I’m off then.”

Watching his retreating figure, Ye Yaming smiled.

Her adopted father had always been ignored and belittled by the family, and he had remained silent, living without making any waves.

Now that his daughter had to support the entire Ye family, he worried about her, so he had forcefully straightened his spine.

At noon the next day, Ye Hongsheng returned to the mountain villa and told Ye Yaming, “Yaming, the contribution of your tea is so significant that yesterday your uncle proposed that you should be the next head of the Ye family.”

Concerned that Ye Yaming might not understand the implications, he added, “In other words, we have become the main branch. After your grandfather passes away, we will receive seventy percent of the family assets, with the first, third, and fourth branches each receiving ten percent.”

Ye Yaming asked, “How did you respond?”

“I agreed,” Ye Hongsheng said. “But I allocated an extra ten percent to your uncle.”

Normally, he would definitely not have agreed. Firstly, he didn’t place much importance on wealth and didn’t want to compete for it; secondly, he didn’t want his daughter to be so burdened.

But now, regardless of how things were, Ye Yaming had to take care of the family; she was the one making the tea; and once Longjing tea became famous, both he and Ye Yaming would face pressure from all sides, possibly even danger.

Even if he wanted to be modest, he couldn’t let his daughter labor in vain while his elder brother’s family exploited her.

So he had brazenly accepted the arrangement.

But the first branch’s years of hard work couldn’t be ignored, so he had allocated an extra ten percent to them.

Ye Yaming nodded. “That’s good.”

…

One month later.

In mid-spring, the perfect season for outings, groups of young men and women sat or stood by the beautiful lake within Lin’an city, chatting and reciting poetry under the newly grown green willows.

A fast horse galloped in from outside the city, heading straight for the Ye residence.

“Guardian Feng, you’re back!” Seeing the dismounting rider, the doorman immediately went forward to greet him.

Feng Yu tossed the reins to him and asked, “Is the Old Master home? What about the Third Miss?”

“Neither is here,” another doorman replied. “The Old Master and the Third Miss are at the tea garden in Baifeng County.”

Hearing this, Feng Yu quickly grabbed back the reins. “I’ll go to Baifeng County,” he said, mounting his horse and galloping away in a flash.

On the mountain, while Ye Yaming and Ye Hongsheng were busy making tea, Ye Chongming supervised, personally inspecting the fresh tea leaves brought back by the estate workers and watching Bai Rui, Lu’E, Zhou Xiang, and Meng Ji as they spread the leaves to wither. Li Fu and Fang Xing had also been brought to the mountain, honored with the role of gatekeepers for the tea-making courtyard.

Perhaps due to Master Zhineng’s reminder, after Fan Yu and the others had spent four days playing in Lin’an, knowing it was time to make Pre-Qingming tea, they had returned to the capital.

Therefore, Ye Hongsheng wasn’t delayed in tea production.

But after hearing Ye Yaming’s words, Ye Chongming didn’t dare let Ye Hongsheng waste any fresh tea leaves. He only allowed him to watch from the side, with Ye Yaming alone pan-frying all the Pre-Qingming tea.

Now that it was time to make Pre-Rain tea, Ye Hongsheng finally had the chance to work.

Meanwhile, his two servants tended the fire for the father and daughter.

When Fang Xing reported that Feng Yu had arrived, Ye Chongming, who had been squatting on the ground examining the fresh tea leaves, suddenly stood up.

“Aiya, Old Master, please be careful,” Meng Ji was startled and hurriedly came forward to support him.

“It’s nothing, nothing. I just got up too quickly,” Ye Chongming waved his hand. Just as he was about to ask Fang Xing to invite Feng Yu in, the words at the tip of his tongue, he said to Meng Ji, “Come with me outside.”

Ye Hongsheng, while pan-frying tea, asked Ye Yaming, “Has there been feedback from the capital after they tasted the tea?”

“It must be that,” Ye Yaming replied. “Otherwise, Feng Yu wouldn’t have come up this mountain.”