Chapter 35: Injury

Old Madam Ye sighed as well.

Because the Ye family’s tea business was large, people would give her some respect when she went out. However, when facing powerful and influential people, they were always at a disadvantage and had to endure humiliation. That’s why they wanted to find a powerful ally.

They used to rely on Song Yifeng. But now…

“Remember what Ming’er said a while ago. If we have someone backing us, what matters if the Meng family are imperial merchants or have someone in the palace as a consort? They would still be wary of us,” she said.

“I know,” Ye Chongming replied. “Didn’t Ming’er say we should wait until the osmanthus tea is sold before discussing this? We can’t rush it.”

“I’ve sent people to inquire about the Song family these past few days, and it turns out that the Song mother and son are indeed not satisfied with this engagement, just as Ming’er said,” Old Madam Ye said.

Ye Yaming wanted to break off the engagement, and although Ye Chongming and Old Madam Ye agreed, they still needed to investigate.

In the past, getting any information from the tight-lipped Song family would have been difficult. But since Song Yifeng passed the imperial examination, Madam Yu has become arrogant. Occasionally, when chatting with neighbors, she would express her disdain for having a future daughter-in-law from a merchant family.

Old Madam Ye’s people easily found out about her thoughts.

“In that case, let’s find a way to break off the engagement,” Ye Chongming said, feeling both angry and a bit sad about Song Yifeng.

First, there was Ding Jian, then Song Yifeng. How blind must he be to let these petty people deceive him?

“Actually, letting Ming’er recruit a son-in-law is a good idea,” he said. “Ming’er is so smart and knows how to make tea. I really can’t bear to see her married off.”

Ye Hongsheng was known for his tea-making skills, but he only made slight adjustments to improve the taste of the Ye family’s tea. Ye Yaming, on the other hand, broke the mold and created a completely new type of tea. Such innovation in a major direction is extremely rare.

A person like her, staying in the Ye family, would undoubtedly make the Ye family’s tea famous and bring glory to the family. The Ye family could prosper for another two or three generations based on this.

In this way, he wouldn’t regret that Ye Yaming wasn’t a boy.

Thinking this, Ye Chongming immediately felt refreshed and emphasized again, “Break off the engagement quickly. I want to find her a good husband.”

Having lived with him for a lifetime, Old Madam Ye knew what he was thinking. She hesitated and asked, “If we keep Ming’er at home, who will be in charge? If the second branch becomes stronger than the main branch, and the third granddaughter is stronger than the eldest grandson, it might cause a rift between the branches. Brotherly conflict is not a sign of a prosperous family.”

Ye Chongming fell silent. Not to mention the future, even now, Ye Yaming was not only stronger than Ye Jiaxing but had also replaced his eldest son, Ye Hongchang, in his heart, becoming the person he relied on the most.

Ye Yaming’s performance during this period was outstanding. He felt uneasy about any major family matters without consulting her. But what would Ye Hongchang think when he returned and found that Ye Yaming was not only more capable than Ye Jiaxing but also more valued by their father?

He sighed, “Anyway, the engagement with the Song family can’t continue. Think of a way to break it off. As for recruiting a son-in-law, I’ll discuss it with the eldest when he returns.”

“Alright. I’ll discuss with Ming’er how to break off the engagement once she’s done with her work,” Old Madam Ye said.

She had promised to help Ye Yaming with this matter. But Ye Yaming was clearly very determined and had her own ideas. Old Madam Ye was worried that she might not handle it well and that it would disappoint her.

It’s better to discuss it first.

…

While Ye Chongming was thinking about his eldest son, Ye Hongchang returned the next afternoon.

At that time, he was checking the accounts at Jixianglou when someone rode quickly into Lin’an City, stopped abruptly at the back door of Jixianglou, and urgently said to the gatekeeper, “Quick, call the old master…”

The two gatekeepers saw that it was Feng Yu, the bodyguard who had gone to the capital with the eldest master. Feng Yu was dusty and unkempt, and his clothes were torn and stained with brown blood.

No need to ask, something had happened to the eldest master.

One of the gatekeepers hurriedly ran inside, burst into the innermost room, and shouted, “Old Master, Feng Yu is back alone, and his clothes are bloody.”

With a clatter, the teacup in Ye Chongming’s hand fell to the ground.

At that moment, sitting opposite Ye Chongming and discussing the issuance of tea currency was Old Master Mei.

Hearing the gatekeeper’s words, he was also shocked and looked at Ye Chongming. Seeing Ye Chongming’s pale face and trembling body, he quickly said, “Chongming, don’t worry. It’s just the bodyguard who is injured. Hongchang will be fine.”

Ye Chongming’s servant, Meng Ji, quickly helped him calm down, while another servant, Zhou Xiang, took out some cooling oil from Ye Chongming’s chest pocket and applied it to his temples. He also took out a bottle of Huoxiang water from the drawer and poured it into him.

Although Ye Chongming was sixty years old, he was in good health and didn’t keep any medicine on hand. It was just that summer made it easy to get heatstroke, and discussing business in the tea house could be tiring, so he kept some anti-heatstroke supplies in the room.

Zhou Xiang, in his panic, used these items, hoping they would help. Surprisingly, the strong taste of the Huoxiang water instantly sobered up the anxious and worried Ye Chongming. He couldn’t afford to panic, lose control, or collapse. With Ye Hongchang’s life uncertain, if he fell, the Ye family would be finished. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down.

“Where is Feng Yu?” he asked.

Before the gatekeeper could answer, footsteps sounded at the staircase. Meng Ji looked up and saw the tea house manager, Lin Zhensheng, and a gatekeeper helping Feng Yu upstairs.

If Feng Yu had entered through the front door, it would have caused panic. Fortunately, he came through the back door, which was only for tea house staff.

Lin Zhensheng had quickly gone out to help Feng Yu upstairs when the gatekeeper ran up.

Seeing Feng Yu in this state, Ye Chongming’s heart raced even more. He stared at Feng Yu and asked, “Where is the Eldest Master?”

“The Eldest Master is injured, but not seriously. He’s at Huichun Hall now,” Feng Yu quickly said, following Lin Zhensheng’s instructions to prevent Ye Chongming from worrying.

At sixty years old, if Ye Chongming had a serious episode, the Ye family would be finished, and their lives would be miserable.

“It’s all because of that reckless boy, A Kun. Feng Yu hadn’t even spoken yet, and he rushed in to report,” Lin Zhensheng glared at the gatekeeper, Liu Yukun, who had come to report first.

Liu Yukun, knowing he had caused a big problem when Ye Chongming almost had a stroke, hung his head and kept apologizing.

Ye Chongming couldn’t be bothered to scold him. He continued to question Feng Yu, “Where were you injured? Who attacked you? What about Guan Canghai? Did you meet Guan Canghai and his men on the way?”

Guan Canghai was a skilled martial artist and head of the security agency. Ye Chongming had specifically hired him to escort Ye Hongchang and his group.