“Then let’s split up. My fourth uncle and I will visit the tea houses in the city to gather information,” Ye Yaming said. “I’ve brought osmanthus tea and chrysanthemum tea with me. Perhaps we can open up the Xin’an market.”

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji’s eyes brightened.

If there were tea mountains here, the tea merchants of Xin’an county would make their tea. They were selling their tea to other regions, so trying to sell them brick tea or loose leaf tea would certainly not work.

But Osmanthus tea and chrysanthemum tea were unique. If sold in teahouses, customers would flock to try them. Teahouses could purchase them in bulk at a lower price and then sell them to customers at a premium—a guaranteed profitable business that no one would refuse.

Once they established cooperation, it would be much easier for Ye Yaming to inquire about the tea mountains in Xin’an.

The two men looked at Ye Yaming with renewed admiration.

Though they considered themselves capable and intelligent, there was still much to learn in the business world.

Lu Guanyi nodded: “Good. We’ll focus on dealing with officials and establishing connections with the Tea Bureau of Xin’an county.”

If they wanted to buy tea mountains in Huizhou, regardless of the specific location, they would need to go through the Tea Bureau or its subordinates, selling tea to them and then buying it back at a higher price.

Establishing good relations with Tea Bureau officials would benefit them both now and in the future.

Ye Yaming had already informed them about coming to Huizhou. So while she was dealing with the remnants of the Meng family, they had thoroughly investigated the officials in Huizhou, confirming that the main officials and the Tea Bureau officials were not aligned with the Fourth Prince’s faction.

Otherwise, no matter how suitable the area was for tea cultivation, they wouldn’t have come here.

Ye Yaming said, “Thank you for your efforts.”

Life in ancient times moved at a slower pace. If Ye Yaming hadn’t specified that Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji only had one day, they would have sent their visiting cards tomorrow and begun visiting officials the day after.

After visiting each official, arranging meals together, and drinking tea a few times, four or five days could easily pass.

Now with Ye Yaming urging them on, they immediately took action.

It was afternoon, and if they sent their visiting cards now, they could still arrange dinner engagements. So after dividing the tasks, Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji returned to their rooms to write their visiting cards.

Qi Zhipei was the prefect of Lin’an, making him a colleague of the same rank as the prefect of Xin’an. When the son of Qi Zhipei presented his visiting card, the Xin’an prefect would certainly receive him personally.

Additionally, the deputy magistrate of Xin’an city, Liao Zhi, came from a noble family and was a distant relative by marriage to Lu Guanyi. As the eldest son of a marquis family, when Lu Guanyi presented his visiting card, Deputy Magistrate Liao would likewise receive him personally.

Therefore, as dinner time approached, the two men were invited away separately.

Ye Yaming didn’t rest either. After freshening up at the inn, she went with Ye Hongrong to the largest teahouse in town.

This teahouse was called Pinya Pavilion, only two stories high and smaller than the Ye family’s Jihong Tower.

Ye Hongrong adopted the air of the Ye family’s Fourth Master, and upon entering, immediately asked the waiter to find the manager: “We have a big business deal to discuss.”

The manager came over, looked the uncle and niece up and down, and seeing their fine clothing, immediately put on a smile: “My surname is Zheng. May I ask who you are…?”

“I am Ye Hongrong, son of the head of the Tea Guild in Lin’an, and this is my niece Ye Yaming,” Ye Hongrong introduced himself.

Upon hearing they were in the same trade, Manager Zheng’s smile remained unchanged, but his eyes showed a trace of suspicion.

“So it’s Master Ye and Miss Ye.” He cupped his hands. “What guidance do you seek?”

“We have two new types of tea that Manager Zheng might find interesting,” Ye Hongrong said. “Could we borrow some tea-making utensils?”

Discovering that his guess was correct—they had come to sell him tea—Manager Zheng was not particularly pleased.

Customers frequented teahouses not just to drink tea, but to listen to storytellers, chat, and pass time.

In this era, there were only four categories of tea: brick tea, loose leaf tea, powdered tea, and coarse tea. Given the transportation difficulties in this small-scale agricultural economy of ancient times, large teahouses typically sold tea produced from their tea mountains, except in regions that didn’t grow tea.

But since the other party merely wanted to borrow tea-making utensils, and they were from the head family of the Lin’an Tea Guild, Manager Zheng couldn’t afford to offend them, so he immediately called for a waiter to bring the tea-making utensils.

After the waiter withdrew, Ye Yaming’s servant, Zan’er, stepped forward to brew tea for everyone.

Even though Ye Yaming was skilled in tea brewing, as a daughter of the Ye family, she could not lower herself to casually make tea for others. So she had been training Zan’er during this time.

As a top-tier tea master, one naturally needed keen senses. But ordinary people could also brew good tea—it just required familiarity with tea properties and practiced skill.

As soon as the fragrance of osmanthus tea emerged, Manager Zheng’s casual demeanor immediately became serious, his eyes fixed on the teapot in Bai Rui’s hands: “What tea is this?”

“Osmanthus tea,” Ye Hongrong replied.

By this time, Zan’er had finished brewing the tea and placed it on the tea tray. Ye Hongrong’s servant, Chongyang, picked up the tray and served the three of them.

Manager Zheng, disregarding proper etiquette, picked up the tea, sniffed it, blew on it a few times, and then eagerly took a sip.

He suddenly raised his head, staring at Ye Hongrong with widened eyes: “What tea is this?”

Ye Hongrong replied: “Osmanthus tea.”

Manager Zheng suppressed his eagerness and asked: “How much are you selling it for?”

Ye Hongrong gave him a knowing smile: “For such a business deal, doesn’t Manager Zheng need to report to your owner?”

Manager Zheng said, “You’ve come at an unfortunate time. Our owner has gone to visit relatives and is not in Xin’an. You can tell me the details first, and when the owner returns, I’ll contact you again.”

Ye Hongrong looked toward Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming stood up and smiled: “That is indeed unfortunate. Our time here is limited, and we must leave the day after tomorrow. I’m afraid we can’t wait for your owner to return and discuss this matter. In that case, we won’t trouble you further.”

She said to Ye Hongrong: “Let’s go, Fourth Uncle. Let’s visit Wangjiang Tower.”

Ye Hongrong cupped his hands toward Manager Zheng: “Farewell.”

“Wait, please wait,” Manager Zheng hurriedly said. “Our owner is in the countryside, less than half an hour’s journey away. How about I send someone to notify him immediately, while we continue our discussion here?”

Ye Hongrong looked toward Ye Yaming.

Ye Yaming pondered for a moment, then said: “That works.”

Manager Zheng was surprised.

Why did this Master Ye keep looking to the young lady for guidance? Could it be that among the two, the young lady was actually in charge?

The subsequent events indeed confirmed his suspicion. It was Ye Yaming who negotiated with him.

After sparring verbally with Manager Zheng a couple of times, Ye Yaming stood up and smiled: “That’s our price. If Manager Zheng thinks it’s too expensive, that’s fine. We’ll look elsewhere. Farewell.”

“Wait…” Manager Zheng wanted to say a few more words.

Ye Yaming interrupted him: “Besides, Manager Zheng, you’re still just the manager. For matters like this, you should consult with your owner, right? Let’s wait until you’ve reported to your owner.”

She glanced at Ye Hongrong.

Just as Ye Hongrong was about to say goodbye, Manager Zheng hastily said: “Please wait. I accept your price. However, I require that in Xin’an city, you sell only to our Pinya Pavilion and not to anyone else.”

“I cannot agree to that, I’m sorry,” Ye Yaming signaled to Ye Hongrong.

Ye Hongrong cupped his hands: “Farewell.” The two turned and went downstairs.

After leaving the teahouse, they didn’t board their carriage but walked directly to Wangjiang Tower.

When Manager Zheng heard the report from his assistant, his expression darkened. He dropped a sentence: “I’m going to the owner’s place,” and left.

Ye Hongrong and Ye Yaming left Wangjiang Tower, and seeing it was getting late, the two returned to the inn.

Lu Guanyi and Qi Ji had not yet returned, likely still engaged in social obligations.

Ye Hongrong asked Ye Yaming: “What do you think of those two establishments?”

“The owner and manager of Wangjiang Tower are both decent, but the manager of Pinya Pavilion doesn’t seem very honest. I suspect their owner hasn’t left the city at all. He probably wanted to gather information before reporting, to earn credit for himself, which is why he lied about the owner being away.”

Ye Yaming continued: “But regardless of their character, the price is set. If they want to buy, I’ll supply them all. You saw their reactions—our tea won’t be difficult to sell, so there’s no need to compromise.”

Ye Hongrong nodded.

“Master Ye, Miss Ye, the owner of Pinya Pavilion, Master Wu, has arrived and wishes to see you,” the inn’s attendant came in and announced.

Uncle and niece exchanged glances.

Ye Yaming said: “Please show him in.”

To avoid impropriety, they and the Lu-Qi party had each rented a small courtyard. This courtyard had a hall, convenient for business discussions.

Shortly, the attendant led in a tall, thin old man, followed by Manager Zheng.