Later, when Master Zhineng learned that she had created the osmanthus tea, he finally began to regard her seriously. But he still treated her as a junior member of the Ye family. The label attached to her had changed from being nothing at all to being a young girl from the Ye family.

But now, from Master Zhineng’s form of address and the respect in his eyes, she could see that he was treating her as someone worthy of respect, someone who could sit face to face with him as an equal, truly as a “person of significance.”

She had earned a title in Master Zhineng’s presence. She was no longer “a young girl” or “a young girl from the Ye family,” but “Third Miss Ye,” Ye Yaming!

In her previous life, when she had first taken over the company, the shareholders and senior employees referred to her as “that young girl from the Ye family.” Later, it changed to “CEO Ye” or “Boss,” spoken with respect and reverence.

And just now, in that brief moment, solely because of a pot of tea, Master Zhineng, along with Lu Guanyi, Qi Ji, and Jingchen, had completed this transformation in attitude.

Given this, she could not disappoint them, nor could she be overly modest. She was willing to demonstrate her abilities, to let them know that her display was not unintentional—she truly understood tea!

She said: “Young Master Jingchen is right. Tea is not merely a beverage to drink, but a form of Zen, a way of the Dao. It sprouts from branches in spring, is picked by people, then undergoes withering, steaming, baking, and drying to become dried tea. The tea maker bestows upon it another form of life. And although it ends its life during the steaming and baking process, upon meeting boiling water, it is reborn, releasing its essence into the water.”

“It awaits a destined encounter. When someone brews it with care, savors it attentively, understands its flavor, and treasures it dearly, it fulfills its life’s purpose.”

After hearing her words, Master Zhineng seemed enlightened and clasped his hands, chanting: “Amitabha.” He slowly closed his eyes.

No one in the room dared to make a sound.

After some time, Master Zhineng finally opened his eyes, stood up, and walked to a writing desk on the other side. He ground the ink, picked up the brush, and with flourishing strokes wrote four large characters: “Zen and tea are one flavor.”

He signed it and applied his seal. After the ink had dried, he rolled it up, placed it in a paper tube, and solemnly presented it to Ye Yaming: “A gift for my young friend.”

His form of address changed for the fourth time, now from “Third Miss Ye” to “young friend.”

Seeing that calligraphy, Ye Chongming was so excited he couldn’t speak.

So many people desired Master Zhineng’s calligraphy but couldn’t obtain it. Unexpectedly, a few words from Ye Yaming earned her a piece of his writing, and he even called her “young friend.” This meant he was treating her as his friend, a relationship far more significant than his friendship with Ye Chongming.

With Master Zhineng’s acknowledgment as “young friend,” no one in Lin’an City who knew of this would dare to easily offend Ye Yaming.

This was a protective charm, a sign of Master Zhineng’s high regard for Ye Yaming.

In comparison, Ye Yaming was much more composed.

She bowed and said: “Thank you, Master.” Then she accepted the paper tube.

Master Zhineng now transformed into a very kind old man, stroking his beard and smiling as he said: “You are a child with wisdom roots, one who is blessed.”

“Thank you for your auspicious words, Master.” Ye Chongming was overjoyed, even happier than if he had been praised himself.

The group returned to their seats.

Jingchen looked at Master Zhineng, eager to try.

Master Zhineng waved his hand at him: “All right, all right, you can try.”

So Jingchen began to brew tea. After brewing, he asked Ye Yaming for guidance, and after understanding, he brewed tea again, receiving Ye Yaming’s approval. Only then did this demonstration and teaching of tea art conclude.

Ye Yaming had just sat down when Lu Guanyi asked: “Miss Ye, can our first joint business venture be these tea utensils?”

Ye Yaming smiled at him but didn’t answer directly. Instead, she turned her gaze to Master Zhineng and said: “I would like to present this set of tea utensils to Master Zhineng.”

While Master Zhineng’s eyes merely showed a faint smile with no particular expression on his face, Jingchen was visibly delighted upon hearing this.

Master Zhineng said: “Then this old man thanks young friend Ye.”

After exchanging pleasantries, she seriously asked: “Will Master Zhineng allow Jingchen to use these tea utensils to brew tea for your friends and acquaintances in the future?”

Master Zhineng was momentarily taken aback, then immediately understood Ye Yaming’s meaning. Stroking his beard, he laughed heartily and nodded: “Of course, that’s no problem.”

Hearing this, Ye Yaming then turned to Lu Guanyi and said: “When guests constantly inquire about the origin of these tea utensils from young Master Jingchen, then you can find pottery craftsmen to produce them.”

She looked at Ye Chongming: “Afterward, use them first in the Jihong Pavilions in the Capital and Lin’an, and then sell them.”

A gleam flashed in Lu Guanyi’s eyes: “Miss Ye is indeed a pure and kind-hearted person. Our future actions will be exactly as the young lady suggests.”

There were many intelligent people in the world. As Ye Yaming came from a tea family and was Ye Hongsheng’s daughter, Lu Guanyi didn’t find it strange that she was exceptionally intelligent and had creative flashes that led to the invention of tea utensils and osmanthus tea.

But Ye Yaming’s words showed that she was deeply versed in the ways of commerce. Her grasp of the market made Lu Guanyi see her in a new light.

This further strengthened Lu Guanyi’s confidence in the cooperation with the Ye family.

Master Zhineng observed all this and nodded inwardly.

After Jingchen had learned the tea brewing technique, Ye Chongming led his grandson and granddaughter to bid farewell and leave.

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji stayed a while longer, and after drinking another cup of tea brewed by Jingchen, they departed as well.

After leaving, Lu Guanyi asked Qi Ji: “Has your father received any news from the Capital about Meng Chengwei’s matter?”

Governor Qi knew about Meng Chengwei’s actions against the Ye family, so naturally Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji knew as well.

Qi Ji exchanged a knowing glance with him: “I’ll go back and inquire about this matter.”

Now that they were going to cooperate with the Ye family, the issue with Meng Chengwei naturally needed to be resolved, and preferably thoroughly.

It wasn’t just about whether Meng Chengwei would hold a grudge against the Ye family and continue to set up obstacles that would affect their cooperation. More importantly, Lu Guanyi was representing the Crown Prince’s faction in this tea business. If they couldn’t even punish a minor imperial merchant like Meng Chengwei, wouldn’t it prove that Lu Guanyi lacked tactics, capability, and was soft? Who would take him seriously in the future?

Therefore, the first step in their cooperation with the Ye family was to severely punish Meng Chengwei, to crush him into the mud, and to ensure that the nobility in the Capital knew about it.

This was not the kind of punishment that Governor Qi had considered after weighing the pros and cons earlier.

After returning home, Qi Ji immediately informed his father, Qi Zhipei, about this matter.

As a man from an established family who had been immersed in officialdom for many years, Qi Zhipei’s thoughts ran deeper and wider than his son’s. Without Qi Ji needing to say much, he already understood how to deal with Meng Chengwei.