As he spoke, Jiang Yijie leaned in, looking as if he were offering solace in a low voice: "Speaking of which, it was also your eldest brother's assistant who was inconsiderate—how could she embarrass you at a time like this? Even if there were any mistakes, it would have been better to discuss them after the banquet."
That was true.
Even though Wang Wende knew full well that Second Master Jiang was sowing discord, the deed was already done—how could he not harbor resentment?
Qiuyun stood at a distance and couldn't hear what was being said at the head table, but one look at Director Wang's furious glare and the dark expression on her boss's face—as if he was already calculating how to fire her—told her she had offended Director Wang badly.
But there was no helping it. If she had publicly contradicted Old Master Jiang's honored guest, she would have directly offended the Old Master himself. Then not even Director Wang could save her job, let alone her boss—she wouldn't be allowed to stay in the estate.
Glancing at the instigator, Qiuyun twitched the corner of her mouth.
Recently, while browsing online, she had come across a new term—"Demon Orb."
Sticking it on Pei Cizhou felt almost too fitting!
Qiuyun sneered inwardly.
Ha. What fun was it for him to stir up trouble and then just stand aside and watch the show?
She pulled him into the mess instead. "Speaking of which, we really must thank Young Master Pei today for his keen eye. If not for your sharp sight and vast knowledge, our Old Master might have been fooled by some secondhand dealer and treasured a fake as a genuine treasure."
As the head steward of the duke's estate, Qiuyun knew exactly what mattered most to those in power, and right now, the Old Master Jiang was bound to want desperately to forge a connection with the Pei family.
Just as expected, Old Master Jiang immediately picked up the thread. "Yes, indeed. Mayor Pei has truly raised a fine son—saved an old man like me from being laughed at by some connoisseur down the line."
Mayor Pei suppressed his anger and forced a smile. "My son doesn't know his place. I apologize for embarrassing you, Mr. Jiang."
Ignoring his parents' warning expressions, Pei Cizhou turned with keen interest toward Assistant Qiu, who had dragged him into the fray. "It's nothing. I've always been a kind soul who enjoys doing good deeds."
Qiuyun seized the moment. "Young Master Pei is so understanding—why not make it a double blessing? Just now, we both publicly snubbed Director Wang. Surely a kind-hearted man like you must feel a bit guilty. How about you pick a tea, and I'll brew a cup to apologize to Director Wang?"
After all, she was just a minor assistant—she couldn't stop the birthday banquet's proceedings to brew tea on her own.
"You?" Pei Cizhou raised an eyebrow, recalling her exquisite craftsmanship at the Cheng Garden.
Qiuyun smiled confidently, spreading her right hand. "Please."
The Old Master had received plenty of tea gifts that day, and Pei Cizhou—with his love for drama and fun—was hardly going to pass up a chance to entertain himself.
Disregarding his parents' warning glares, he rose casually. Butler Lin, upon a gesture from Old Master Jiang, immediately laid out the birthday tea gifts one by one on the long table.
The first was a small purple sandalwood box, carved with intricate lotus scrolls—clearly no ordinary piece.
Pei Cizhou opened it casually. "Da Hong Pao from the Wuyi Mountain mother trees."
The next box. "Mengding Ganlu, first-picked before Qingming."
Another box. "Lu'an Guapian—from the core production area in Jinzhai."
After examining three or four varieties, Pei Cizhou still hadn't found the right one.
The tea classic he had transcribed was an extremely rare solitary edition. This woman clearly had substantial knowledge, and the proper brewing methods for famous teas were common knowledge.
In that case...
Common prestigious teas were far too unchallenging.
Skipping two more famous varieties, Pei Cizhou picked up an obscure green bamboo tube in the corner.
The tube was unadorned, still bearing the natural roughness of bamboo nodes.
Pei Cizhou raised an eyebrow with interest, opened the bamboo tube, pulled out the wooden stopper, and tilted it. A few tea leaves fell into his palm.
The leaves had a peculiar shape—not the usual curled or flat dry leaves, but naturally spread out, nearly whole small leaves. Their color was a translucent greenish ink, with faintly reddish edges and clearly defined veins like a painting.
But most unusual was the aroma—not the clear fragrance of green tea, not the mellow depth of oolong, and not the sweet richness of black tea, but an extremely complex, wild, faint scent of grass and wood, with a hint of... medicinal fragrance?
Everyone was already watching closely, and the appearance of this tea was unlike anything they had seen. Even the most tea-knowledgeable old gentlemen frowned.
This tea—they had never seen it before.
Pei Cizhou made his choice, holding the leaves out to Qiuyun, the corners of his eyes lifting with a hint of mischief. "This one. What do you think?"
Qiuyun's smile didn't waver. "Of course. It's fine."
Since Young Master Pei himself had chosen the tea, it was only natural to clarify its origin.
Old Master Jiang turned to ask Butler Lin, "Whose gift is this?"
Butler Lin flipped through the gift register, hesitated for a moment, then said quietly, "It's... from the Eldest Young Master."
At today's birthday banquet, Jiang Lin'an—having been expelled from the Jiang family—couldn't attend, but it seemed his gift had still arrived.
"Oh." Old Master Jiang paused, then replied flatly.
Pei Cizhou's brows twitched slightly.
Eldest Young Master?
Wasn't that Linzhi's older brother? Who also came from the Jiang family's eldest branch?
Seeing such a coarse gift, Qian Yuqiong felt secretly delighted but feigned concern. "That boy—even if he's fallen out with the family and moved out with no money, he still shouldn't... shouldn't offer something so beneath notice as a token."
That green bamboo tea tube—charitably called "natural"—looked genuinely shabby among all the other precious birthday gifts.
Jiang Yihua cursed his eldest son inwardly but had to make excuses for the eldest branch in public. "It's the boy's heartfelt gesture. This tea, this tea might... might have been hand-roasted by him?"
At that moment, Qiuyun subtly lowered her head and flicked her eyelashes toward the Seventh Miss.
Jiang Chuling immediately caught on, stood up, and said in a clear, crisp voice, "Grandfather, I know! Eldest brother tried this tea last year when he went to the Old Blessing Mountain to pray for the family's blessings. An old Taoist priest there gave him a taste. The Taoist said this tea tree grows in a cliff crevice, takes a hundred years to mature, has no name, and no processing method—they just pick and sun-dry the leaves."
Though she was only ten, her enunciation was clear and her rhythm just right, with the fresh, youthful quality unique to a child, which helped lighten the atmosphere in the banquet hall.
"I heard Eldest brother say this tea has a very special taste, so this year he specially asked the Taoist priest to save a few ounces for him, to give to grandfather as a birthday gift!" Jiang Chuling added with a smile.
"Old Blessing Mountain?" whispers rippled through the crowd. "That place is blessed—many reclusive masters live there."
"Hey... a cliffside tea tree? I think I've heard of that—could it be the one in the backyard of Master Qingxuan?"
"Yes, yes, I remember now! I heard this tea isn't sold—only given to those fated to receive it. Fancy the eldest young master of the Jiang family having such good fortune."
"Tsk, tsk—a hundred-year tea tree in a cliff crevice on Old Blessing Mountain. It sounds so mystical and Zen-like. I wonder what it tastes like."
Whether in politics or business, people always held a "better safe than sorry" attitude toward mysticism.
Hearing the origin of the tea, the cold expression on Old Master Jiang's face softened a little. "That boy has a thoughtful heart."
Heh.
The smile on Pei Cizhou's face deepened, and his gaze toward Assistant Qiu grew even more intrigued.
She was the Seventh Miss's life assistant. If Jiang Chuling knew the tea's story, Qiuyun certainly did too!
She was certain he would deliberately make things difficult for her, so she purposely dangled the tea-selecting bait, quietly using his hand to draw out Eldest Young Master Jiang’s filial piety.
Not only did this ease the tension between the main branch and Wang Wende, but it also soothed Jiang Yihua’s emotions.
Killing three birds with one stone.
A well-calculated move.
