Chapter 48: Why Not Cooperate with the Yang Family

At this moment, in the inn, Meng Chengwei was listening to Liu Qilin and another person complain bitterly. His face grew darker and darker, and his servant had already retreated to the doorway, wishing he could shrink his entire body outside.

“…We’ve worn out two pairs of shoes, visiting several villages, but the villagers all said they had signed contracts with the Ye family, and they were red contracts. They refused to change their minds, even when we offered three times the price the Ye family gave. They said they were afraid of being taken to the yamen.”

Liu Qilin was also trembling with fear, every nerve in his face tense, afraid that Meng Chengwei might throw a teacup or inkstone at him. The former would be bad enough, but the latter could be fatal if it hit a vital spot.

Unexpectedly, although Meng Chengwei’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot, he didn’t act out.

He sat there in silence for a long time before finally speaking, “Call Meng Liang.”

Liu Qilin and the other person quickly agreed and left, wiping the sweat from their foreheads, and sent someone to find Meng Liang.

For the past few days, Meng Liang hadn’t seen a single girl from the Ye family leave the house. Not only the girls, but except for Ye Jiaxing, who went to the teahouse with guards and attendants every day, no one from the Ye family went out. Even the servants stayed at home.

This frustrated Meng Liang. Afraid of Meng Chengwei’s anger, he hadn’t dared to face him for the past two days and had personally gone to keep watch, hoping to get some news.

The Ye family’s behavior was due to Old Madam Ye following Ye Chongming’s instructions to restrict the family’s movements. Not only the girls and maids but even the daily buyers were not sent out, fearing that Meng Chengwei might tamper with their food.

The Ye family had fields and estates that produced rice, flour, vegetables, and meat, which were delivered to the house every few days. The Ye family’s large residence also had a vegetable garden and a pond with chickens and ducks. Even without going out to buy supplies, the Ye family wouldn’t starve.

Thus, the Ye family had effectively sealed themselves off.

This situation was difficult to explain to Meng Chengwei, so when Meng Liang received the message that Meng Chengwei wanted to see him, he was very nervous.

Fortunately, when Meng Chengwei heard that the Ye family girls hadn’t left the house, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he handed Meng Liang a note, “Deliver this to Ye Jiaxing.”

Meng Liang was puzzled and looked at the note, which indeed had Ye Jiaxing’s name on it.

“Master, what is this for…”

When he returned earlier, he had already inquired and knew that Liu Qilin and the others had failed to win over the garden households, as the Ye family had preemptively signed contracts with them.

Since that was the case, the Ye family must know about their presence and that the Meng family wanted to steal their garden households. Liu Qilin and the others were always with Meng Chengwei, so he didn’t believe the Ye family was unaware that Liu Qilin was Meng Chengwei’s man.

Since both sides had torn their masks off, why was Meng Chengwei still sending a note to Ye Jiaxing? Was it to declare war openly? What was the point?

After considering for a moment, he voiced his thoughts, “Master, since the Ye family is so uncooperative, why should we hang ourselves on this crooked tree? These past few days, hasn’t Young Master Yang Tai of the Yang family been trying to get close to you? Why not consider cooperating with the Yang family?”

As soon as Meng Chengwei arrived in Lin’an City, he spread the word that he was the young master of the imperial merchant and the nephew of Consort Min.

This news attracted some people in Lin’an City who wanted to curry favor with him. When Meng Chengwei went to the teahouse, people would occasionally come up to introduce themselves and chat with him.

However, Meng Chengwei remained aloof and maintained a high profile.

But the more he acted this way, the more people tried to ingratiate themselves with him.

Meng Chengwei wasn’t entirely indifferent to these people. He had Liu Qilin and others investigate their backgrounds and status to see if there were any opportunities for use.

According to Meng Liang, the highest status among these people was the Yang family.

The Yang family were also tea merchants. Although they were newcomers, having risen in the previous generation, their fortunes had soared, and their business had expanded several times. The current head of the Yang family was on par with Ye Chongming in the tea business.

In Meng Liang’s view, instead of wasting so much effort on the Ye family, who ignored them, it would be better to cooperate with the Yang family.

Of course, he wouldn’t admit that Yang Tai had spent a lot of money to flatter him and that he had taken a liking to Yang Tai’s sister, Yang Shu.

“Can the Yang family compare to the Ye family?” Meng Chengwei said impatiently.

The reason he had invested so much effort in the Ye family was that Ye Chongming was not only the head of the tea business but also had an excellent reputation and top-notch tea-making skills. Such a person had connections, a good reputation, and technical expertise. Cooperating with him would greatly benefit the Meng family’s tea business.

Despite their efforts in Lin’an over the years, the Yang family had not succeeded in surpassing Ye Chongming. This showed that they were inferior to the Ye family in every way. Why would he choose to cooperate with a lesser option when he could work with the best?

Meng Chengwei’s expression was still unpleasant but not angry, so Meng Liang gathered his courage and continued to persuade, “If we had more time, we could take it slow. But the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and it’s time to pre-order tea. If we don’t choose a partner soon, this year’s tea business…”

Meng Chengwei’s expression suddenly changed, “Stop giving me bad ideas. The Ye family and the Yang family have always been at odds. If I associate with the Yang family, will the Ye family still cooperate with me?”

“Don’t think I don’t know your little schemes. Tell me, how much did Yang Tai give you to recommend him? Did you also take a liking to Yang Tai’s sister?”

Meng Liang broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn’t expected that Meng Chengwei would know everything, even though he had secretly gone for a drink with Yang Tai. His young master, despite his youth, was truly formidable.

“I… I didn’t…” He dared not admit it, “He just treated me to a drink and asked me to put in a good word for him.”

“I just think that forcing a deal isn’t good business. The Ye family ignores us, but the Yang family is eager to cooperate. They have the connections and tea-making skills we need. Why not work with them? This is my genuine opinion, not because the Yang family paid me to speak for them. I didn’t take their money.”

Meng Chengwei squinted at Meng Liang for a while, making him sweat profusely, his face pale, and his eyes avoiding direct contact. Only then did Meng Chengwei look away.

He thought: If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. As long as Meng Liang’s little schemes didn’t cross the line, he would turn a blind eye.

“Alright, I’ll let it go this time. If it happens again, not only will you be sent home, but I’ll also make sure no one in the family dares to use you.”

Meng Liang’s face turned even paler, “I won’t dare again.”