Meng Chengwei knew the Ye family’s true situation and understood that these rumors were merely a minor tactic. They would only irritate the Ye family for a short time and wouldn’t have any significant effect. Once the Ye family placed large orders for tea leaves, the rumors would collapse on their own.

But the Ye family’s response truly infuriated him.

Master Meng had never suffered such humiliation from childhood to adulthood, especially from mere merchants who were nobody in his eyes. This stuck in his throat like a fishbone, unable to go up or down. He couldn’t feel better without causing some trouble for the Ye family.

After the servant left, he said to another attendant, “Find Fifth Master.”

Shortly after, Meng Liang arrived, and Meng Chengwei said, “Leak information to Yang Tai that I plan to drink at Taibai Pavilion tonight.”

Meng Liang was overjoyed.

Meng Chengwei saying this meant he was changing his mind and wanted to cooperate with the Yang family?

“Yes, Master, I will pass the message to Yang Tai,” he said cheerfully, bowing and retreating.

…

Previously, Ye Chongming didn’t know who was targeting the Ye family, so they had been passively enduring attacks. Now that he knew Meng Chengwei was behind the mischief, he naturally had people constantly watching Meng Chengwei’s group.

As the saying goes, “Even a mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake.”

The Ye family had lived in Lin’an City for over a hundred years. They not only knew the city officials and runners but also had dealt with many street ruffians and hooligans. These people had the most current information and were excellent at surveillance.

So that evening, when Meng Chengwei and Yang Tai were drinking and conversing happily at Taibai Pavilion, the news reached Ye Chongming’s ears.

Ye Chongming went to Ye Yaming’s place and told her the news.

Ye Yaming took the opportunity to understand the situation better: “What is the situation with this Yang family? Which tea merchants in Lin’an City have good relationships with you? Which ones are at odds with you?”

The original Ye Yaming truly knew nothing about these matters, and she hadn’t felt comfortable asking Ye Chongming directly before. Some things needed to be approached gradually, letting them develop naturally. Once her abilities truly gained Ye Chongming’s recognition, he would naturally take the initiative to tell her about these situations.

And now, here he was.

Ye Chongming explained the situation of Lin’an City’s tea merchants to Ye Yaming in detail.

At that time, a “guild” was equivalent to a chamber of commerce. Although it was a civilian organization, it had more power than modern chambers of commerce and more binding authority over its members.

The head of the guild was essentially the chamber of commerce president.

Where there are people, there are politics, especially in the business world. Among the fifty or sixty tea merchants in Lin’an City who were incorporated into the tea guild, conflicts naturally abounded, and internal factions were numerous.

Because of this “power,” many coveted the position of guild head, one of whom was Yang Tai’s father, Yang Hong. On the surface, he flattered and curried favor with Ye Chongming, frequently talking about wanting to form marriage ties with the Ye family, but secretly he always wanted to bring down Ye Chongming and take the position of guild head for himself.

Originally, Ye Chongming was concerned that Ye Yaming might only show cleverness in details but might lack a broader perspective due to gender differences and her living environment.

So when he was explaining these things, he carefully observed Ye Yaming’s reactions.

The result delighted him immensely. Not only did Ye Yaming listen to all this with great interest, but she also occasionally raised questions.

And these questions all hit the mark perfectly. The sharpness, thoroughness, and comprehensiveness of her perspective were amazing.

In private, he had discussed Ye Yaming with his wife several times these past few days.

Although Old Lady Ye was internally very shocked that she hadn’t discovered Ye Yaming’s intelligence, externally, she would never admit to her husband that she had misjudged. She usually didn’t pay much attention to the Second Branch and had never truly gotten to know the two young ladies of that branch.

She explained to Ye Chongming like this: “Both husband and wife of the Second Branch are not outstanding, so Yaming, as the eldest daughter of the Second Branch, naturally has more responsibility, especially since her parents have no sons. But because the Second Branch isn’t prominent, she also doesn’t display her talents to avoid drawing the eye of the other branches.”

“Her parents are both alive and dote on her, and she has a seemingly unobjectionable fiancé. The family doesn’t stint on her food or clothing, and the family business continues steadily. What opportunity did she have to display her intelligence and talents?”

At this point, Old Lady Ye took the chance to fire a broadside: “If it weren’t for that Meng Chengwei looking at her with lecherous eyes, possibly setting his sights on her, and the fact that the marriage with the Song family is approaching—and he is not a good man—she wouldn’t have needed to find a way to break off the engagement. I suspect she still wouldn’t have revealed her shrewdness. Don’t you men always require women to be chaste and reserved, saying that lack of talent is a virtue? Isn’t she perfectly meeting the standard of a proper lady?”

These words left Ye Chongming speechless, dispelling all sorts of suspicions and doubts in his heart.

Now, seeing Ye Yaming’s excellent performance, he felt nothing but delight.

After understanding the general situation of Lin’an’s tea guild, Ye Yaming said, “Meng Chengwei’s collusion with the Yang family is both good and bad. The good part is that Meng Chengwei won’t target us in the short term, so our family is safe for now.”

Since Meng Chengwei had already drawn in the Yang family, the scheme from her previous life—where they used the Ye family as a front for selling illegal tea, then framed them when the matter was exposed—would not happen again.

It could be said that at this moment, the Ye family had escaped the fate of their previous life.

“The bad part is that with Meng Chengwei’s support behind them, the Yang family will certainly gain strength. Since Yang Hong has coveted the position of guild head for a long time, he will do things targeting you to bring you down. You should be prepared.”

Ye Chongming had the same analysis.

Hearing that Ye Yaming’s analysis matched his own, he was completely reassured. Stroking his beard, he smiled and said, “Being the guild head or not, at my age, I don’t care about these things anymore. If the family can be safe and continue doing business well, I’m satisfied.”

Although Ye Hongchang was his eldest son, he was still far behind in all aspects compared to him. If he were gone, Ye Hongchang wouldn’t have the ability or seniority to become the guild head. Therefore, there was no need to desperately hold onto this position.

Moreover, although Ye Chongming had been in business all his life, it was in Jiangnan where business ethics were valued, and business was based on honesty. Even if there was some scheming, it was all based on ability and could be traced. He had never experienced the kind of situation where someone used underhanded tactics and deadly moves against him without reason.

He was getting old and only hoped for his family’s safety. If losing the position of guild head could ensure the safety of his entire family, he had nothing to feel reluctant about.

Ye Yaming nodded and cautioned, “But we still need to be careful. From what I observe of Meng Chengwei’s behavior, he’s a vindictive person. We never provoked him before, yet he repeatedly tried to harm us. Now that we’ve repeatedly rejected him, his revenge will be even more severe. Add to that the Yang family, who are no easy opponents either—I’m afraid our family won’t be able to remain peaceful going forward.”

She was concerned that once Meng Chengwei was summoned by the officials and imprisoned for a few days, the Ye family would completely relax, allowing others to strike. These words were meant to keep Ye Chongming vigilant.