42 Waste of Tea

At this point, Wei Tian Ao frequented the Duke Gui estate so often that the servants recognized him on sight and often ushered him in without the least bit of resistance. He was a trusted friend of the young master, one who needed no invitation. So long as Yi Cheng Rui was home, Wei Tian Ao was free to enter.

He soon found his friend at his desk, no doubt dealing with estate matters. Duke Gui was a seemingly idle noble who spent his days going on tours and enjoying parties. Despite his burgeoning ambitions, he could not appear as such without attracting much trouble to himself. Thus, by this point, most matters involving business or the estate had long been passed to Yi Cheng Rui to manage.

When Wei Tian Ao entered the study, Yi Cheng Rui didn't even look up before limply waving one hand. Even without Tian Ao's presence being announced...who else could so easily enter his study? "Take a look at this for me, will you?"

Wei Tian Ao obediently walked over and skimmed through the document that his friend was mulling over. "Last month's ledger?" It seemed to be a record of the profits and expenses of a tea house.

"Every time I pass by, it seems busy but net profits have been decreasing." Yi Cheng Rui frowned.

Wei Tian Ao peered at the numbers written on the page, trying to decode the problem that lay within. "Is there a need to always serve the same type of tea?"

"Isn't that what customers expect?" Yi Cheng Rui tried to imagine going to a favorite restaurant or shop only for their signature items to be unavailable. That would be bad for business, no? His incredulity was obvious.

"Yes, but when certain tea leaves are out of season, they are harder to acquire. Why not make the offered menu more seasonal? That could cut back on expenses. Besides, when out of season, the leaves are not as fragrant. Oolong tea leaves are most aromatic in spring. Why is this shop offering it in the winter?"

Yi Cheng Rui's eyes widened. He'd never really thought of such things. Of course, as a noble, it was assumed that his family would have businesses to run. Each of the main noble families had a piece of the kingdom—a prefecture or district—that was under their management. They were able to profit from taxes and could control certain aspects of their piece. This was what gave the nobility power in the first place and was a way for emperors of old to reward those vassals that had helped them onto the throne. This was mostly symbolic, however, as most of the tax money would naturally go to the palace and government. Those who were granted noble status as a reward later on also would not receive any land. It was given and passed down within a family, so naturally, it could not be broken apart to give to others.

Thus, the nobility was able to support their usually extravagant lifestyles by owning their own businesses, especially in the capital. That being said, their involvement with said businesses was generally just to the extent of counting their profits and occasionally looking over the ledgers to make sure their employees weren't skimming money. When it came to understanding the ins and outs of the business and things such as the seasonality of tea leaf harvest, Yi Cheng Rui was clueless. The look he gave Wei Tian Ao now was like a supplicant towards a god.

"Don't give me that look," Wei Tian Ao laughed. "This is hardly a unique idea. This is how it is with businesses in Northern Xi. Is it not so here?"

"Well... I've heard of clothing stores offering seasonal products and, naturally, some restaurants cannot offer certain fish or vegetables at certain times of year. But tea? Tea is grown year-round, is it not?"

"Yes, but any tea connoisseur would know when the peak harvest times for each tea is. Harvesting tea leaves outside of their best season is simply a waste of tea. Even commoners would notice the difference over time."

Yi Cheng Rui immediately began scribbling away with his brush. "What you say sounds very reasonable. I will have my subordinates take this into consideration immediately."

"Does your family also own the fields where the tea is grown?"

"But of course. Changing the harvest dates will be nothing at all."

The power of Duke Gui's household could not be understated, especially now that they had a foot in the door of the imperial palace. What was a field of tea leaves to Duke Gui-shizi? Wei Tian Ao envied his friend a little. To be able to control an entire vertical supply chain was quite something. The worst part was that Yi Cheng Rui didn't even fully understand what it was he possessed.

Of course, now Wei Tian Ao had other things to worry about. As if sensing his thoughts, Yi Cheng Rui smiled. "Surely you didn't come visit today simply to help me with one of my family businesses, though?"

"How would I have had foreknowledge that you were having trouble?"

"Exactly. So what is it? Spit it out."

Wei Tian Ao unceremoniously dumped the stack of invitations onto his friend's desk. "Help me sort these out."

Yi Cheng Rui raised an eyebrow. "Look who's so popular now. It seems my younger brother's lessons helped you out some."

Many more people were willing to approach Wei Tian Ao now compared to before. It had to be said that it wasn't all due to his personality or upbringing in Northern Xi, however. Following Wei Hong Sheng's fall from grace, many of the nobility just didn't know how they ought to treat Wei Hong Sheng and the newly titled Wei Tian Ao. What was the brothers' relationship? Whom should they show more favor towards? Now enough time had passed that it was clear Wei Tian Ao's position was more stable. It also didn't seem that he was offended by Wei Hong Sheng's existence. Those facts coupled with his favorable appearance at banquets and the like were enough to make him "worthy" of their attention. The best part was that anyone who had been close to Wei Hong Sheng didn't seem to be in any danger. They could suck up to both of Prince Rui's sons without serious repercussions.

These sorts of intentions were all too obvious to someone like Yi Cheng Rui who had been trained to thrive in such an environment all his life. With a wry smile, he thought that it would take more time for the straightforward Wei Tian Ao to get used to it.

Over the course of the afternoon, the two pored over the invitations. Some that were from low-ranked families with no influence in court were directly rejected by Yi Cheng Rui.

"It's a little cruel, isn't it? Just judging someone based on their background..." Wei Tian Ao seemed conflicted over the matter.

"It is cruel, but what else can be done? You can't possibly attend all of these gatherings and your attendance also reflects upon you. If you are known to associate with low-class people, those of higher classes won't want to be seen with you."

Wei Tian Ao understood. Under normal circumstances, he was more than happy to associate with people from all walks of life. But he had another goal now. To achieve that goal would require him to make some ruthless decisions. He had a bottom line, but it was much lower than it had been before.

"I don't think these people even expect a response, they're only fishing. So don't feel bad. They're already expecting to be rejected, deep down." Yi Cheng Rui added, sensing his friend's discomfort.

"No... I understand your meaning. You're not wrong. I just..." Wei Tian Ao smiled helplessly. "I wish I didn't have to worry about these things, that's all. The royal court is just an endless stream of muddy water that one has to wade through constantly. I just wonder if there's really a point to it all."

"That's the spirit!" Yi Cheng Rui said cheerfully, his words laced with sarcasm. "Oh, you got an invitation from Duke Yi's first son, too."