Looking at the conversation records, Ye Chongming and Ye Yaming saw that many people had agreed with Wang Kuan and others, expressing that they wouldn’t come to buy the tea-making formula.

Yet the next morning, not only did Jin Baoshan and Zhang Zhiyi arrive, but everyone else except Wang Kuan also came to Ji Xiang Tower to pay and register for tea-making lessons.

They weren’t fools.

They were all tea merchants from Lin’an, part of the same guild, seeing each other regularly. Ye Chongming would have to be insane to deceive them by selling a fake tea-making formula for fifty thousand taels of silver.

The Ye family was already wealthy and prosperous; they didn’t need those few hundred thousand taels of silver. Not to mention that with Longjing tea now on the market, they were making even more substantial profits.

Ye Chongming rejected those people on the list, but still collected over four hundred thousand taels of silver in one go.

“There will be more people registering later; we can expect to collect at least this much again,” he said.

Ye Chongming had been in business all his life and had seen large sums of money before. But the money spent on pre-ordering tea leaves was always flowing in and out. It was the first time he had earned several hundred thousand taels in a single day.

He gave the bank notes to Ye Yaming and asked, “Are we not going to have any problems selling this tea-making formula?”

“Rest assured, there won’t be any issues,” Ye Yaming smiled.

She wasn’t a reckless person and had previously consulted Lu Guanyi about this matter.

According to Lu Guanyi’s analysis, he believed the court wanted to phase out compressed tea in favor of loose tea, on the condition that loose tea flourished, with its flavor improving continuously, making those who originally drank compressed tea willingly switch to loose tea.

This transition wasn’t something the Emperor could change with a single edict.

Issuing an edict was easy, but if the imperial consorts still preferred compressed tea, then his order to stop tribute of compressed tea and only accept loose tea would be meaningless.

The same applied to the common people.

So in Lu Guanyi’s view, the court would be pleased to see advancements in loose tea-making techniques.

But to be safe, after returning to the Capital, he specifically asked the Crown Prince about it. After receiving the Crown Prince’s affirmative answer, he wrote to Ye Yaming. Only then did she dare to spread the news about selling the formula.

Ye Chongming knew all this. His question today was merely seeking reassurance.

Ye Yaming took out one hundred thousand taels from the stack of bank notes and pushed the rest back to Ye Chongming: “You’ve seen how hard my father and I have worked during this time. Our second branch will keep these one hundred thousand taels, and the rest will go into the common account.”

“Ming’er…” Ye Chongming was deeply moved.

During the spring, summer, and autumn seasons, the Ye family had already profited handsomely from Longjing tea, and with Longjing becoming tribute tea, the family’s status had risen significantly. Although these several hundred thousand taels were substantial, if the second branch kept it all, others might grumble privately but would never dare to complain openly.

Previously, when Ye Yaming produced the tea-making formula, she kept all the money from selling the formula herself.

But now, she was taking only one hundred thousand taels.

Regardless of how many hundreds of thousands of taels they eventually received, the second branch would still get sixty percent. Due to the large base amount, the remaining forty percent would still be a considerable sum. If it were the first or fourth branch, they probably wouldn’t be so generous. Both Ye Hongchang and Ye Hongrong would hesitate, not to mention Madam Tao and Madam Zhang.

Despite being a woman, Ye Yaming acted more decisively and magnanimously than many men.

“Don’t you want to discuss this with your father and mother?” Ye Chongming asked.

Ye Yaming shook her head: “I think they won’t mind. We are one family. When the family is harmonious, everything prospers. Only when everyone works together will our Ye family continue to flourish. Money is, after all, external to one’s self; there’s no need to be too calculative.”

This was her sincere belief.

If the Ye family were in extreme poverty, living meal to meal, where if one person ate more, another would go hungry, then perhaps she would value money more and be more calculating with others. That would be poverty-induced strife.

But at their current level, money was just a number. People were what truly mattered.

Without Ye Hongchang managing affairs in the Capital, Ye Hongrong overseeing matters in Huizhou, Ye Jiaxing managing the tea ware sector, and Ye Chongming directing operations from Lin’an, she couldn’t possibly handle such a large enterprise even if she had three heads and six arms.

Although they could hire managers, how could outsiders be as trustworthy as family members? This was the ancient era, with inadequate legal systems and no surveillance cameras. If those people took the money and fled, it would be extremely difficult to recover it.

Taking these one hundred thousand taels was simply to ensure that everyone recognized the second branch’s contributions.

Ye Hongsheng already didn’t care much about money, and Madam Yin followed whatever her daughter and husband said. If she explained these principles to them, they would support her decision.

After leaving the main quarters, Ye Yaming went to Madam Yin’s courtyard and told her about this matter. When Madam Yin heard that the second branch had separately received one hundred thousand taels, she was so shocked that she couldn’t respond for a long time, having no energy to think about anything else.

“Mother, let me buy an estate for you, and a few shops as your dowry. They’ll be registered in your name, and we’ll properly record it at the magistrate’s office,” Ye Yaming said.

Aside from not having a son, Madam Yin also had no dowry, which made her sensitive and insecure. Now that the second branch had money, Ye Yaming felt she could acquire some property for Madam Yin to give her more confidence and a sense of security.

“No need, no need. This is your money; you should keep it as your dowry,” Madam Yin quickly waved her hands.

“What dowry do I need? I’m the next head of the Ye family. Even if I marry out, that won’t change.”

Ye Yaming insisted: “It’s decided. Whether these estates and shops are in your name or your father’s name makes no difference to me and Yayin. Having them in your name gives you more confidence, and no one will ever bring up your lack of a dowry again. Elder Aunt and Fourth Aunt enjoy the blessings of their parents, but you enjoy the blessings of your daughter.”

These words made Madam Yin so happy she couldn’t stop smiling.

“Don’t worry, I’ll also prepare a dowry for Yayin. The family will provide one portion, and we’ll prepare another. I guarantee she’ll have a grand wedding when she marries.”

“Don’t forget yourself,” Madam Yin reminded her. “Although you’re the next family head, you’re still a daughter who will marry out. After your grandparents and father are gone, who knows if the Ye family will still acknowledge you, or if those assets will remain in your hands? A dowry is something no one can take away, so you must prepare a substantial dowry for yourself.”

Ye Yaming nodded: “Mother, rest assured, I’m not foolish. I’ll plan for myself.”

For women in ancient times, the only legal way to inherit and maintain property was through their dowry. This belonged neither to their natal family nor to their husband’s family, but solely to the woman herself. After her death, it would be inherited by her biological children.

Ye Yaming would certainly prepare a substantial dowry for herself.

“From these one hundred thousand taels, buy estates and shops worth ten thousand taels for me, and prepare five thousand taels’ worth for Yayin. Keep the rest for yourself,” Madam Yin said firmly.