The other tea merchants also came to their senses and chimed in, “Yes, yes, let us taste it too.”

Among those present were three individuals they had invited: a teacher from the prefectural school, a famous salt merchant from Lin’an City, and a retired third-rank official.

Now that the Educational Inspector, the Imperial family member, and Prefect Qi had all become involved in this matter, those three might have been frightened and would try to please them, thereby favoring the Ye family.

Though it was impossible to tamper with which pot of tea belonged to whom, the judges were sitting close enough that they could glance at how their neighbors scored and follow suit.

Moreover, Master Zhineng, Prince Consort Fan, and Prefect Qi were all close to the Ye family. Perhaps they had already tasted the Ye family’s tea before and were familiar with its flavor. Cheating wouldn’t be difficult.

“Fine,” Master Zhineng gestured to the tea doctors, “Brew some for them.”

If the Ye family’s tea were only slightly better than the others’, people without particularly sensitive palates might not be able to tell the difference, and then there would be room for doubt.

But it was obvious that the Ye family’s tea was far superior in flavor, so there was no fear of these people digging deeper.

Soon, servants came to distribute teacups to all the spectators in attendance, and several tea doctors stepped forward to pour tea for everyone.

Princess Imperial Yuning had come to Lin’an, so naturally Ye Yaming and Madam Qi were accompanying her.

The tea tasting competition featured Longjing tea, and as the “founder” of Longjing tea, Ye Yaming couldn’t possibly be overlooked for the event; she had received an invitation long ago.

Today she was seated below with Princess Imperial Yuning and Madam Qi.

Earlier, when the judges were evaluating the tea, Princess Imperial Yuning had leaned over to ask Ye Yaming: “Are you confident?”

At that time, Ye Yaming had smiled confidently: “Of course. Just consider who created this tea. Though the student may surpass the master, it’s not something they can achieve in less than a year after obtaining the tea recipe.”

Given Ye Yaming’s response, Princess Imperial Yuning now stirred the pot, addressing the stage: “Since we’re tasting, why not let us try all the competing teas?”

As soon as Fan Yu heard this, he laughed and said, “Your Highness is right, that’s exactly what we should do.”

He instructed the tea doctors: “Serve them all.”

By now, the tea merchants had already been served cups of the Ye family’s tea.

They couldn’t wait any longer and raised their cups for a sip.

Normally when evaluating tea, one should first smell the aroma, then observe the color of the liquid. But they understood these aspects would certainly be flawless. And the teas they had submitted for the competition wouldn’t have any issues in these areas either.

The difference lay only in the taste.

As soon as the tea entered their mouths, they were stunned.

Fresh, crisp, sweet, and mellow—this was the taste of fine Longjing tea, and their teas had these qualities too. But theirs weren’t as fresh and crisp, nor as sweet and mellow.

The only tea that could compare to the Ye family’s was the one Qin Sixiang had made and submitted by Wang Kuan. But even Qin Sixiang’s tea was slightly inferior in these aspects.

If that were all, it would have been acceptable.

But this tea, beyond being fresh, crisp, sweet, and mellow, also had a certain light and lively quality to it.

The fresh crispness and mellow sweetness were flavors, the sensory pleasure that ordinary tea provides. But the light liveliness was a feeling, a sensation that lightened one’s soul and made one feel as if floating like an immortal.

This sensation was like breathing life into ordinary tea, involuntarily attracting people, making them want to explore further, until eventually becoming lost in a mystical mountain, unsure of the way home.

Everyone present fell silent, speechless for a long while.

The tea doctors from Jixiang Garden were all people of high tea artistry, intelligence, and emotional intelligence. While serving tea to those below, they had also designated one person to pour another cup for the judges on stage as well as for Secretary Wu, the Educational Inspector, and others.

Thus, whether on stage or below, everyone was immersed in the wonderful experience of the tea.

“Amitabha,” Master Zhineng’s Buddhist invocation broke the silence in the garden. “This tea must only exist in heaven; how rare for humans to taste it. Wonderful, wonderful.”

Master Zhineng had wanted to express this admiration when he first tasted the tea, but since it was during the competition, he had to hold back. Now that he could speak his mind, he felt completely refreshed.

Still feeling it wasn’t enough, he stood up and faced Ye Yaming’s direction, pressing his palms together in respect: “Thank you, young friend Ye, for bringing us this sensory feast.”

With his words, everyone came back to their senses, recalling the legends about Ye Yaming, and their gazes toward her became quite complex.

She had received her knowledge from immortals, or was perhaps even the reincarnation of the Tea Deity. These ordinary mortals had obtained her tea recipe but presumed to surpass her—they truly didn’t know their limits.

Wang Kuan and the others were so frightened that they broke out in a cold sweat.

Ye Yaming stood up and respectfully returned Master Zhineng’s gesture: “Master is too kind.”

Not wanting the conversation to continue in this direction, she changed the subject: “Master Zhineng, Princess Imperial Yuning, Prince Consort Fan, Prefect Qi, and everyone else—thank you for your hard work. This year’s Tieguanyin has been transported from Min Province. It still cannot be mass-produced this year, so the quantity is limited. After tasting the other competitors’ teas, the attendants will brew some for everyone to try. Additionally, each of the tea evaluators and those who have traveled from the capital to attend the tea tasting event will receive half a jin of Tieguanyin as a token of appreciation.”

With her announcement, everyone became excited.

Last year, Ye Yaming hadn’t given out much Tieguanyin, and it was quickly consumed. Later, when Ye Yaming opened her teahouse, although Tieguanyin was available, the quantity was still limited. After visiting a few times, they couldn’t get any more.

Everyone had been craving this tea for nearly half a year.

Now that they could finally taste Tieguanyin again, who would want to drink those six not-so-palatable teas from earlier?

Unfortunately, since this proposal had been made by Princess Imperial Yuning, they had no choice but to patiently drink the six cups of Longjing tea.

Without the comparison to Silver Pot Tea, and without the anticipation of Tieguanyin teasing their palates, perhaps everyone could have endured. But now it was truly unbearable. Qin Sixiang’s tea was still acceptable, but as they moved toward the lower-ranked teas, people’s expressions grew increasingly unpleasant.

What was this stuff they were drinking? It was simply a waste of their time and a torture to their taste buds. After drinking this, could they still appreciate the fine taste of Tieguanyin?

Therefore, by the fourth tea, some people’s cups still had tea remaining, and toward the end, they merely touched the rim of the cup to their lips, considering it tasted.

The competing tea merchants all wore difficult expressions.

Initially, they had thought their teas were quite good. But now, with the jewel before them, they couldn’t even drink their tea. Especially those ranked lower—they felt as if they were being publicly executed and wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

How could they have been so foolish as to be persuaded by bastards like Wang Kuan to participate in this competition? Their tea had been compared and exposed as dog shit; after mass production next year, would anyone still buy it?

Finally, after enduring all seven teas, the attendants presented everyone with a cup of Tieguanyin.

The judges on stage quickly rinsed their mouths with plain water before picking up their teacups to savor them carefully. Those below without such amenities could only drink directly.