“Young Noble, you should go faster!” A tender young maid urged. Qianye had no choice but to hasten his steps and follow her to the side hall.

The place was rather quiet, and the little courtyard would be hidden from the outside world once the doors had been closed. The side hall was rather small. With just two rooms—one for rest and the other for meditation—it was only the size of an ordinary house.

The maid slammed the gates shut. Only then did she heave a sigh of relief, blurting out her thoughts, “Thank god no one saw!”

She ran into the house, saying, “Young Noble, please sit, I’ll make tea for you.”

In mere moments, she was back to offer tea. This was a new seasonal product—jade green, transparent, and deeply fragrant. Moreover, she had brewed the tea at the perfect temperature. The word perfect represented money, time, and concentration, things only a maid of a major family could afford.

Qianye currently understood a bit about the finer things in life. “Good tea, good technique.”

This type of new tea couldn’t be brewed too hot or too cold. The boiled water...