Chapter 49
Did they use osmanthus to make tea?

“Alright, go out. Regardless of who we cooperate with, we must handle the officials well and secure more tea permits. As long as we have plenty of raw tea, we won’t fear those people not coming to cooperate with us.”

“Yes,” Meng Liang quickly lowered his head and retreated. It wasn’t until he reached the door that he wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling like he had come back to life. Just now, he had almost collapsed to his knees, ready to beg for mercy and confess everything.

Meng Chengwei’s guard hurried over, nodded to Meng Liang, and went straight into the room.

Meng Liang watched his back and spat in his heart. He glanced at the attendant standing by the door, who was looking outside, and then straightened up, hands behind his back, and walked away.

Although Meng Chengwei kept Meng Liang by his side, he had many capable people working for him, including guards and managers. Each of them had their own ways of gathering information.

Despite his status and ability to flatter, Meng Liang wasn’t as skilled or resourceful as the other servants under Meng Chengwei.

Inside the room, a guard reported to Meng Chengwei, “Master, I found out that the Tao family has been collecting osmanthus flowers in the city recently. Their servants said it was because someone from the Ye family wanted to make osmanthus honey and asked them to help with the purchase.”

“Osmanthus honey?” Meng Chengwei frowned.

This sounded like a cover story. If the Ye family really wanted to make osmanthus honey, they could have openly purchased the flowers. Why go through the Tao family? There had to be something more to it. But if the Ye family wasn’t making osmanthus honey, what were they using the flowers for? Could it be related to tea?

He asked, “What about the tea leaves? Is the Ye family short on tea?”

The guard, who was indeed capable, replied, “I pretended to be a regular tea customer and bought various types of tea from their shop. I found that they were out of loose tea.”

Loose tea?

Meng Chengwei’s eyes widened. Could the Ye family be experimenting with a new tea using loose tea and osmanthus flowers?

Thinking this, he couldn’t sit still. He stood up and paced back and forth before instructing his servant, “Go check on Fifth Master and see how the letter delivery is going. This matter is crucial; you must oversee it personally.”

Meng Liang was ranked fifth in the family, and the servants referred to him as Fifth Master.

The servant quickly responded and left.

…

Meng Chengwei was drinking tea at the Ye family’s Jixiang Lou. Ye Jiaxing had been managing affairs at the teahouse recently, so it was convenient for Meng Liang to deliver the letter. He went downstairs from the second floor to the first floor, found the teahouse manager, and handed him the letter to give to Ye Jiaxing. He wanted to go directly to the third floor, but the Ye family’s guards were stationed there, preventing anyone from going up.

When Ye Jiaxing saw the letter from Lin Zhensheng, it said that they had been apart for many days since their last meeting on the mountain and that he missed him, inviting him to meet.

Ye Jiaxing was stunned by Meng Chengwei’s audacity, “He actually has the nerve to send me a letter?”

He had come to the teahouse early in the morning and didn’t know that Ye Chongming and Ye Hongsheng had returned from the mountain and Tongxiang, nor that Meng Chengwei had sent people to steal the garden households. Otherwise, he would have been even more shocked.

Lin Zhensheng, following Ye Chongming’s instructions, kept a close watch on Ye Jiaxing, ensuring that Meng Chengwei couldn’t get close to him. To this end, an extra guard was stationed at the stairs leading to the third floor.

Lin Zhensheng said nervously, “We don’t know what it’s about yet. You should go home and ask the Old Master. Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and if all goes well, the Old Master should be back today. You should consult with them before responding to Meng Chengwei.”

Ye Jiaxing, feeling a bit anxious, nodded, “Alright.”

He was about to send a servant home to ask Ye Hongchang when Lin Zhensheng suggested, “Young Master, there’s not much going on at the teahouse right now. Why don’t you go home early? It’s best to discuss this matter with the Old Master in person. There are some things he might not want to say to a servant.”

Ye Jiaxing agreed, “Alright, I’ll go home now.”

He had his servant pack up, went downstairs through the back door, and got into the carriage to return home.

Meng Chengwei had visited Jixiang Lou many times, hoping to run into Ye Jiaxing. He knew that the Ye family used the back stairs and didn’t share the main stairs with the tea customers.

Knowing Meng Chengwei was angry and not daring to be careless, Meng Liang delivered the letter and then went to a window to watch the Ye family’s private stairs. He saw Ye Jiaxing go downstairs and get into the carriage. He quickly reported back to Meng Chengwei.

Meng Chengwei finally lost his temper and smashed the teacup. He had hoped to catch Ye Jiaxing before Ye Chongming returned from the tea mountain. He wanted to explain the situation about the garden households and see if he could salvage the situation. Especially after suspecting that the Ye family might be making tea with osmanthus flowers, his desire to reconcile grew stronger.

But Ye Jiaxing didn’t give him any chance.

Meanwhile, Ye Jiaxing returned home, intending to seek his father’s advice. As soon as he got off the carriage, the gatekeeper informed him that Ye Chongming and Ye Hongsheng had returned. Overjoyed, he hurried to the main courtyard.

After a few days of exhaustion for Ye Chongming and the long journey for Ye Hongsheng, everyone chatted for a while before dispersing. Ye Chongming was about to rest after his bath when a maid reported that Ye Jiaxing had returned and urgently needed to see him. He quickly put on his outer robe and went out.

“What is it?” he asked his grandson.

Ye Jiaxing handed over the letter, “Meng Chengwei sent me a letter.”

Ye Chongming almost dropped the letter in surprise, “Who did you say?”

“Meng Chengwei.”

Ye Chongming’s heart skipped a beat, and he instructed the maid, “Go fetch Third Miss.”

Ye Jiaxing was stunned, watching the maid leave. He wanted to say something but saw his grandfather seriously reading the letter and kept silent. He had heard his grandfather and father praise his third cousin many times and had been repeatedly told to maintain a good relationship with her. He admitted that she was very capable, even more so than himself, and he admired her. His father had also analyzed the pros and cons, advising him not to be jealous of her, even if her status in the family surpassed theirs.

At the time, he agreed. He admired strength and believed that if his third cousin was more capable than him, he wouldn’t mind. But now, with the family facing a crisis, his grandfather’s first reaction was to seek his third cousin’s help instead of his father. This made him feel a bit uneasy.

Seeing Ye Jiaxing’s expression, Ye Chongming immediately guessed what he was thinking.