Ye Yaming had originally wanted to probe the situation before saying anything. After all, when the circumstances were unclear, all analysis was just empty talk.

But since Ye Hongchang had asked so directly, she shared her thoughts with them: “I want to see the situation before deciding. Although the Fourth Prince has been suppressed, the Crown Prince is still there, and his momentum is unmatched. Even if the Third Prince has some thoughts, he couldn’t possibly make trouble at this critical moment.”

“There are no secrets in the palace. Our Dragon Well tea was presented to the Emperor by His Highness the Crown Prince. I think the Third Prince would know this without having to inquire. Why would he risk offending the Crown Prince by trying to cooperate with us, essentially snatching food from the Crown Prince’s mouth?”

“So I feel there’s something fishy about this. Additionally, how capable do you think Wang Kuan is? Could he bring an eunuch from the Third Prince’s residence in the capital to Lin’an? If he truly had such ability, would he have been sneaking around trying to steal our tea recipes these past two years? Or playing small tricks to annoy us when he couldn’t steal them?”

Their family’s Dragon Well tea had made it to the imperial presence, and outsiders all suspected the Ye family had powerful backing. But Ye Hongchang and the others knew their own situation—they thought it was through some channels established by Lu and Qi, or perhaps with the help of Master Zhineng, or even possibly that Duke Fu and Princess Imperial Yuning liked the tea and sent some to the Emperor, thus catching the Emperor’s eye.

Now hearing that their backer was the Crown Prince, everyone’s faces showed shock.

But then their hearts immediately settled.

With His Highness the Crown Prince behind them, what was there to fear from the Third Prince!

Ye Yaming continued: “Moreover, our Dragon Well is tribute tea that has caught the Emperor’s eye. If we refuse to cooperate and the Third Prince still pressures us, when this reaches the Emperor’s ears, the Third Prince will face consequences and further anger the Crown Prince.”

“So I think this matter isn’t serious. Let’s observe the situation first. Perhaps that eunuch doesn’t even know our circumstances and was enticed by Wang Kuan to come see if there was any advantage to be gained.”

After analyzing the situation, she looked toward Ye Hongchang: “As for my fiancé that Uncle asked about, if this matter becomes too thorny and isn’t as easily resolved as I just analyzed, I will send someone to inform him and let him report to the Crown Prince for handling.”

After all, everyone present was close family. Now that the Weiguo Duke’s mansion had fallen, there was no harm in telling them about her engagement to Lu Guanyi. They could simply be instructed not to spread it further.

Besides, a year and a half had already passed of the two years Lu Guanyi had agreed with her. Once the situation in the capital stabilized, Lu Guanyi might very well send someone to discuss marriage plans. Informing her close relatives in advance that she was engaged to Lu Guanyi was also showing closeness and respect to her uncles present. Continuing to conceal it would cause them to feel displeased.

But Ye Yaming always thought deeply about matters.

When Lu Guanyi had originally become engaged to her, it was under pressure, worried that Madam Shi would use his marriage as a pretext. The Ye family’s business was in a cooperative relationship with him; if the Duke Ying’s mansion forced her into an engagement, it would be disadvantageous to both Lu and Qi as well, essentially forcing a fourth party—Duke Ying’s mansion—into their three-way business cooperation, potentially causing countless troubles.

So Lu Guanyi had become engaged to her to resolve the difficulties of that time.

Now, Empress Shi and Lu Guanyi’s stepmother Madam Shi had been deposed and divorced, the Weiguo Duke’s mansion no longer existed, the predicament in the capital had been resolved, and Lu Guanyi had become the heir to a marquis household and a fourth-rank military official with boundless prospects. At such a time, marrying a merchant’s daughter would likely invite ridicule.

And since their status was too disparate, she also didn’t wish to be dragged into the murky waters of the capital.

So the outcome of her engagement to Lu Guanyi remained uncertain.

Since everyone had originally assumed it was a baseless rumor, why should she make it concrete and give people a surprise? After the surprise, she might immediately face a broken engagement. Such extreme joy followed by extreme sorrow—what would be the point?

Although he couldn’t confirm his guess from Ye Yaming’s mouth, knowing that her fiancé was real and that their backing was the Crown Prince immediately set Ye Hongchang’s mind at ease.

Ye Chongming, however, was still worried.

He knew the Ye family was merely in a business partnership with Lu and Qi, and didn’t have a significant relationship with the Crown Prince.

He asked, “Would His Highness the Crown Prince concern himself with our matter?”

The Marquis Xuanwu now held military power, and even the Emperor had to give face to the Lu family, let alone a mere Third Prince. However, Ye Yaming couldn’t openly say this to everyone present.

She gave Ye Chongming a meaningful look: “Grandfather, have you forgotten about our dark tea? Do you think the Crown Prince would let the Third Prince cut in on such a large business?”

At her words, Ye Chongming immediately felt reassured.

Yes, of course—the dark tea business was not only substantial but also related to border negotiations. If it were truly transported to the border, it would further concern border stability. With something so important, how could the Crown Prince not keep it in his own hands and allow the Third Prince to get involved?

His expression relaxed, and he said to everyone: “Alright, let’s follow Yaming’s suggestion. First investigate and probe the truth before deciding.”

Although the others didn’t fully understand, seeing Ye Chongming’s expression, they too felt as if they’d taken a reassuring pill, and all nodded in agreement.

“So now we…” Ye Hongrong asked, seeing everyone sitting there staring at each other.

Ye Chongming looked toward Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming said: “Everyone should go back for now. Don’t leave home. If there’s any news, I’ll send someone to tell you.”

“Alright.”

Everyone dispersed.

Ye Yaming didn’t leave, but remained in Ye Chongming’s study.

She estimated that Qi Ji would come quickly after receiving her message.

That fellow was impatient and disliked using his brain. When facing such situations, he would either ask his father how to solve the problem or come to her for ideas. Besides, she had asked him in her letter to inquire about the relevant situation from Prefect Qi, and once he found out the details, he would certainly come immediately.

It must be said that the journeys to Huizhou and Minzhou had allowed Ye Yaming to understand Qi Ji thoroughly. Not long after, Qi Ji arrived in a hurry.

Led to the study by a servant, upon seeing Ye Yaming, he immediately said: “I asked my father. That eunuch is indeed from the Third Prince’s residence. The Third Prince is getting married, and he came to Jiangnan with people from the Imperial Household Department to make purchases.”

She asked: “Do you know what his specific position is in the Third Prince’s residence?”

Qi Ji shook his head: “He shouldn’t be a high-ranking eunuch. When my father met the officials from the Imperial Household Department, during introductions, he was placed last.”

Hearing this, Ye Yaming felt reassured.

Although eunuchs were castrated men with little status before officials, everyone was practical. If he were a powerful eunuch or a favorite of the prince, the officials would show respect, introducing the eunuch first, then themselves.

“Fine, I’ll meet with him tomorrow and reveal our situation to him to see how he reacts,” she said.

Then she added: “I think this matter must be Wang Kuan’s mischief. The Third Prince isn’t foolish—how could he openly offend the Crown Prince? I fear that Wang Kuan holds a grudge against our Ye family, so when he got the chance, he enticed an uninformed, eager-to-achieve eunuch to cause us trouble. If this matter isn’t handled well, both the Crown Prince and Third Prince might direct their anger at Prefect Qi. You should go back and discuss with your father how to handle this.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Ji immediately became nervous and stood up, saying: “I’ll go back and tell my father right away.”