The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 17: Tasting New Tea
Mrs. He explained the reason, causing Magistrate He to burst out laughing. "Why are you arguing with a young lady? I've checked these days. Shang Jinliang is a respectable businessman. Nine out of ten people, including his colleagues, praise his righteousness. Since he has built a family, it is reasonable for his children to benefit from it. How is this different from a noble inheriting a title?"
Those who pretend to be simple and honest in order to impress you, if they behave this way normally, it would be fine, but if they act this way in front of you, they are deliberately trying to please you, deceiving you, or guessing that you are intolerant.

"You're talking as if the third lady from the Shang family is the most frank person?" Mrs. He's awkwardness was swept away. "Do you know that a pair of her embroidered shoes is worth hundreds of taels of silver?"

"Madam, when Sister An gets married, won't you do your best to buy her a dowry? If you and I were as wealthy as merchants, wouldn't we be reluctant to buy Sister An embroidered shoes worth hundreds of taels of silver?" Magistrate He held Madam He's hand and spoke softly, "I know what you are thinking. You and I are worried about the people's livelihood in remote areas, and we donated all our money without eating coarse food. The young lady in the merchant family lives a life of luxury, and the amount of money donated by the merchant family to the court is several times more than you and me.

This wealth and honor should be hers. She was born with a good fortune, so how can you and I blame her for it?"

Madam He pondered her husband's words carefully and had to admit that she had previously been prejudiced against Shang Mingshu. Two days ago, she saw the Shi family's wife, who seemed so well-educated and polite in front of her, secretly throwing silver into the river, causing the dock boatmen to jump into the river to grab it, and she enjoyed it...

"My husband is right. Don't judge a person by his appearance."

Shang Mingshu sent tea because she knew about the post station. Her purpose was exactly what Madam He wanted. Her real intention was not to send tea, but to make Magistrate He have a deeper impression of the tea and to gain support for Shang Zishu to develop new tea in the future.

She never expected that the effect would be better than she expected, and it immediately eliminated Mrs. He's grudge against her.

When the tea was delivered, she wondered if Mrs. He would throw it into the warehouse and never see the light of day. It didn't matter if it never saw the light of day. She could always find it next time she delivered it.

After serving the tea, she turned around and went to the teahouse. As expected, Lin Yuanyuan had left her a letter, asking Shang Mingshu to leave a place and time.

Thinking of Shang Zishu at Fuqiu Temple, he wrote down Fuqiu Temple, and the time was three days later, which also gave Yao Dalang some time to prepare.

Fuqiu Temple was rebuilt during the Xuande period. Today, the temple is a Taoist temple, so it is very popular.

Taoist temples do not accept female guests. Shang Zishu performs a ritual for her deceased mother. She stays in the Taoist temple during the day and stays in the village at the foot of the mountain at night. She travels back and forth every day. If she was not extremely passionate about making new tea, she would have found it difficult to persist.

"Third sister, why are you here?" Shang Zishu took Shang Mingshu's hands and looked around. "Is your injury healed?"

"It's not good. My aunt and father won't allow me to come and find you." Shang Mingshu cooperated with Shang Zishu and shook their clasped hands.

"Is a helpless old woman worth saving at the cost of your life?" Shang Zishu was a little angry, angry that Shang Mingshu didn't cherish herself. "She doesn't even care about her own life, even if she wants to die. Why should you cherish her life for her?"

Shang Mingshu couldn't explain the reason to Shang Zishu, so she had to change the subject: "I just came to see Shi Guangchao, and he's pestering you again? Why didn't you send a message home?"

Shi Guangchao is Shi Qingyu's brother. For some unknown reason, he took every opportunity to get involved with Shang Zishu. Shi Houqiong even went to her house twice to ask for her hand in marriage for his eldest son.

"Ignore him. This is a place for Taoist practice. He wouldn't dare to do anything wrong." Shang Zishu was annoyed when she mentioned this lingering person. She really wanted to put him in a sack and beat him up, but Shi Guangchao was surrounded by many guards.

"He doesn't deserve your worry about him," Shang Mingshu stroked her sister's brow with her thumb. Shang Mingshu leaned close to Shang Zishu, with the colorful butterfly and peony fan covering half of her face. Shang Mingshu whispered, "I'll let you vent your anger later."

Shang Zishu's brows relaxed, and she squeezed her eyes filled with a mischievous smile at her sister. The two sisters walked into the Taoist temple hand in hand.

Shang Zishu's ritual for her deceased mother was not just a pretext. Shang Mingshu went in and saw the tablet, asked He Sui to light incense, and worshiped in person.

Regardless of their status, she and her two sisters grew up in harmony, and as the younger generation, they should respect their elders. The respect given by Shang Mingshu made Shang Zishu's eyes red.

My mother fell into prostitution and was given to my father while he was traveling for business. When I was young, my mother always held me and said, "Zi'er, it's a blessing for me to meet your father after all the hardships he's endured. You must have cultivated virtue in your past life to be reborn as your father's daughter. You should be content, grateful, and filial."

Seeing Shang Mingshu handing the incense to He Sui, Shang Zishu quickly turned sideways and pressed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. When she faced Shang Mingshu, she smiled and said, "I'll take you to try the improved new tea."

In the resting room of the Taoist temple, Shang Zishu brewed tea again. As the water poured into the teacup, the soft fragrance spread with the white mist, and warmth came to her face.

Shang Mingshu raised her eyebrows: "This fragrance is more intense and refreshing."

"I've improved it according to your method, using water from Ziyun Creek." Shang Zishu's gaze was particularly gentle under the warm smoke. "The soup color, aroma, taste, and tea leaves are all slightly better, but there are still some shortcomings."

Shang Mingshu closed her eyes and sniffed the lingering fragrance on the teacup lid. Compared to last time, the orchid's fragrance was deeper. The orchid fragrance was especially sought after by literati and poets. With this fragrance, this tea would have no trouble selling.

I counted silently in my mind, and the lingering fragrance of the tea increased.

The tea soup is a little brighter, but still not uniform enough, and there is a clear discontinuity in color from the edge of the cup down.

Shang Mingshu took a sip and savored it carefully: "It's not delicate and smooth enough."

The aftertaste becomes lighter, and people who are not tea lovers may not be able to appreciate it without careful tasting. But to make a good product, you can't be perfunctory.

After finishing the drink, Shang Mingshu stared at the unfurled tea leaves, which were soft and intact. She picked up a piece and chewed it, then shook her head: "It looks soft, but it's not elastic."

"You hit the nail on the head." Shang Zishu loved sharing tea with her sister. Shang Mingshu could always tell the flaws in one sip and often suggested ways to improve it. "The leaves might not be soft enough, or it might be because the best picking season has passed. The tea leaves are not fresh enough. We'll have to wait until next spring to find out."

The soup is uneven in color, probably because of the different preparation methods. The taste is not smooth enough, and I have no idea how to remove the astringency.

Shang Mingshu took a few more sips and couldn't come up with any useful suggestions. "Tomorrow I'll go with you to the mountains to see the tea trees."

"Okay, let's set off at dawn. We'll be fast, and maybe we can even see the sunrise." Shang Zishu knew that her sister was in good health and not someone who couldn't endure hardships. "If it weren't for this annoying tail, we would set off now, spend the night in the mountains, and see the sunrise early in the morning."

The tail refers to Shi Guangchao.

Shang Mingshu's eyebrows turned cold. "Second sister, have someone pass on the news that we will set out to watch the sunrise on the mountain at dawn tomorrow."

The mountain road was slippery in the morning, so if anything happened, it wouldn't be their fault.

Shi Houqiong said it herself that Shi Guangchao's feet are on his body, and even he, as a father, cannot control him.

(End of this chapter)