Chapter 10: The List

Hearing the name “Meng Chengwei,” Ding Jian’s face changed dramatically.

Ye Chongming’s heart tightened, and he looked at Ye Yaming in disbelief, “Are you saying Meng Chengwei orchestrated all of this?”

“Yes.” Ye Yaming smiled at him, then turned to Ding Jian with a frosty expression, “If you don’t tell the truth, we’ll send you to the authorities right now.”

Ding Jian’s lips trembled, and he fell to his knees before Ye Chongming, “Master Meng said he designed this to get close to you, not to harm the Ye family. I knew he had no ill intentions, especially since the customers he chose were all honest and kind. That’s why I went along with the fourth master’s wishes. Old Master, please, for the sake of the Ding family’s two generations of service to the Ye family, don’t send me to the authorities.”

So it was true? Ye Chongming closed his eyes tightly.

Ding Jian was the son of the old manager, and given the relationship between the Ye and Ding families, he had never thought Ding Jian would betray them. He had believed Ding Jian’s earlier explanation.

But the truth was different.

“Tell me everything you know. If you can make amends, I might consider not sending you to the authorities.” Ye Chongming’s voice was cold as he opened his eyes.

“Yes, I’ll tell you.” Ding Jian knew that hiding the truth would not benefit him, so he recounted how Ye Hongrong had ordered him and how he had initially tried to dissuade him, but Meng Chengwei had offered him great benefits. Believing that Meng Chengwei had no ill intentions toward the Ye family, he foolishly went along with Ye Hongrong’s plans.

As for how much of what he said was true or false, only he knew.

Ye Chongming would verify these details later. The most important thing now was to get the customer list.

“Who did you sell the tea to? Who is most likely to cause trouble? Speak up. If the Ye family gets into trouble, none of your family will escape.” Ye Chongming said coldly.

“There’s Master Liu from East Street, Master Wu from Ganquan Alley…” Ding Jian began listing names.

Ye Chongming frowned and was about to ask Ding Jian to stop so Ye Yaming could write them down when he saw her pull out a piece of paper and a small wooden stick.

She interrupted Ding Jian coldly, “Stop. Give the specific names, not just ‘Master Liu’ or ‘Master Wu.'”

There could be multiple people with the same surname on the same street and even within the same family. If they had to ask around, the news would spread throughout the city before the customers could cause trouble.

Ding Jian’s face stiffened, and he smiled awkwardly, “I’m used to calling them that. I didn’t realize.”

He quickly provided the specific names.

Ye Chongming glanced at Ding Jian with a heavy gaze, then turned his attention to Ye Yaming.

She had likely already noted the names from Liu Chunxin and was now matching them with Ding Jian’s list. Occasionally, she interrupted Ding Jian to ask a question, marking the paper with the small wooden stick.

Ye Chongming’s expression softened, clearly pleased with his granddaughter’s performance.

Sharp, calm, intelligent, articulate, and thorough. It was a pity she was a girl.

Ye Yaming finished verifying the list.

This time, Ding Jian didn’t dare to play tricks. The names matched Liu Chunxin’s list, and he answered every question cooperatively. The only issue was that he didn’t mention the person needing special attention.

Ye Yaming’s eyes turned cold, and she was about to speak when she heard Ye Hongsheng’s voice outside, “Father, Ming’er.”

At Ye Chongming’s signal, Bai Xin quickly opened the door.

“How did it go?” Ye Chongming asked.

“At first, he wouldn’t say anything. But when Ming’er sent Li Fu over and mentioned Meng Chengwei, Tian Pengyi confessed.” Ye Hongsheng waved the paper in his hand, “I wrote down the names.”

He looked at Ye Chongming curiously, “Who is Meng Chengwei?”

Ye Chongming’s face darkened, remembering how he had initially thought well of the young man on the mountain. He hadn’t realized that while Meng Chengwei was digging a trap for the Ye family, he was pretending to be a friend. Ye Jiaxing’s injury was probably his doing.

While they talked, Ye Yaming stood up and called in the attendants, pointing to Ding Jian, “Take him away and lock him up. If he escapes, you’ll be held responsible for any losses he causes the Ye family.” She then instructed Li Fu, “Steward Li, you go and watch him too.”

Li Fu and the others responded with “Yes,” but their eyes were on Ye Chongming.

Ye Yaming’s assertiveness didn’t upset Ye Chongming; instead, he admired her even more. He was about to discuss how to handle the situation with his son and granddaughter. Ding Jian’s matter would have to wait until the customers were appeased. His granddaughter did exactly what he needed to do, saving him the trouble.

Whether she was a girl or young, having someone in the Ye family who was decisive and capable and handled matters like him was a good thing. It spared him from being overwhelmed and exhausted.

“Do as the Third Miss says,” Ye Chongming ordered, “Manager Song, stay.”

Li Fu and the others quickly took Ding Jian away.

Ye Chongming then said to Ye Hongsheng, “Most of the names on the list are our old customers, except for three.”

He picked up the paper Ye Yaming had placed on the table and the small wooden stick beside it. He noticed the stick was two pieces glued together with charcoal in the middle. He tried writing on the paper and found it worked well, with clear writing.

He marked some names on the list.

“I’ll visit the marked ones; you handle the others. I’ve already asked Manager Song to prepare gifts. Since each of them bought ten to dozens of cakes, we’ll compensate them with silk worth twice the value of the tea and a box of four-color pastries for each household.”

The Ye family had tea, and compensating with tea would be the most cost-effective. The cost of the tea would make the compensation seem less expensive, and it would save them from spending silver on gifts. However, to gather enough silver for the autumn tea orders, the Ye family had sold most of their tea before the Mid-Autumn Festival, leaving little stock in the tea shop and tea house.

Moreover, the remaining tea was summer and autumn tea, which couldn’t compare to the high-quality, expensive Tuancha. Sending it as compensation would offend the recipients. Moreover, these teas were bought at a high price and through many connections to obtain the tea permits, so it’s best to keep them in the tea shop and tea house for gradual sale. The Ye family’s tea shop and tea house need to operate normally and cannot close down due to compensating for this single transaction.

Therefore, the Ye family can only pay cash and buy silk for compensation.