Glory

Upon reaching the main hall, Bai Xin couldn't help but remark, "To think we once visited this place..."

Back then, Young Master Lu had worn a cold expression, and his page An Tai had even assumed they were like frenzied bees and butterflies deliberately flocking around his master.

Recalling how Lu Guanyi had treated her young lady yesterday, Bai Xin couldn't suppress a secret thrill of satisfaction.

Ye Yaming asked Song Guo, "How many servants did your master employ when he lived here?"

Song Guo thought for a moment, counting on his fingers, and replied, "In answer to your question, miss, when the master was here, the kitchen was managed by my grandmother and me. My grandfather and father took care of sweeping the courtyards. The master had two manor guards with him, along with An Tai and Anning attending to him. That made a total of eight people. Housekeeper Lu An came for a while but later returned to the capital."

"And where did the housekeepers from the capital stay?" Ye Yaming asked further.

Song Guo shook his head. "I don't know. They didn't live here."

Ye Yaming asked no more and followed Song Guo as they toured the entire estate.

After finishing the tour, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The pavilions, terraces, and towers were meticulously constructed, showcasing the beauty of Jiangnan gardens. When she had first visited, she had thought the place quite large, but in reality, it was merely the landscaping techniques that created an illusion of greater spaciousness than Ye Jia. In truth, it wasn't that exaggerated; the actual area was only half the size of Ye Jia.

But half was more than enough. After all, Ye Jia's estate covered a considerable area—walking through the entire property would take at least half an hour.

As for Lu Guanyi's estate, in the future, only she and Lu Guanyi would live here. Even if they had children, it would still be just one family. Given her and Lu Guanyi's uncomplicated and practical approach, they wouldn't need too many servants either.

If the estate were too large, it would feel particularly empty. Many rooms would go unused. Unoccupied rooms not only deteriorate easily but also pose security risks—who knew if someone might be hiding inside?

In Ye Yaming's view, the current size was just right.

A moon gate divided the estate into the front courtyard and the rear courtyard. The front courtyard was relatively small, with courtyards on both the east and west sides in addition to the central axis.

Passing through the moon gate and walking a short distance led to the main rear courtyard on the central axis. The other four courtyards were scattered among the pavilions, terraces, plants, and ponds. Lu Guanyi had simply and straightforwardly named them the East Courtyard, West Courtyard, South Courtyard, and North Courtyard based on their positions.

It seemed that when the Crown Prince had bestowed this estate upon Lu Guanyi, it was already quite new. Lao Songtou's family had also been very diligent in their maintenance duties, so the estate was well-preserved, with no dilapidated areas requiring repairs.

Song Guo's grandmother, Li Shi, seemed somewhat uneasy, occasionally emerging to peer from intersections.

Seeing Song Guo finally return after accompanying Ye Yaming and her group on their tour, she stood there hesitating for a while, as if wanting to approach but not daring to.

Ye Yaming instructed Qingzhi to call her over.

Granny Li bowed to Ye Yaming and said, "Reporting to the young lady. The master specifically sent An Tai yesterday to inform us that, apart from his study in the outer courtyard, the young lady may rearrange all other areas as she wishes. The master has given all the keys to the young lady. If you wish to have craftsmen measure and make new furniture, you may enter any room freely. There are some books in his study in the front courtyard; if the young lady wishes to read them, you may browse them at your leisure."

Ye Yaming nodded with a smile. "Very well, thank you for your trouble, nanny. Please lead me to the main house for a look."The rear main courtyard was reserved for the highest-ranking master of the household, hence it was commonly referred to as the Main House.

Granny Li led them to the Main House.

Ye Yaming first used a key to unlock the central hall of the Main House and glanced inside. The architectural layout and furniture arrangements of ancient times were largely uniform—living rooms typically featured long tables, Eight Immortals chairs, and tea tables.

She then opened the room on the eastern side to take a look. As expected, this room would serve as her bedchamber after marriage.

Being the main courtyard, it was designed to emphasize the status of its occupants. Both the courtyard’s footprint and the rooms’ sizes were larger than those of ordinary courtyards and chambers.

This eastern room spanned over thirty square meters. A bed was placed in one corner, with a wardrobe positioned about a meter away from the foot of the bed. A folding screen stood on the other side of the bed, partitioning the spacious room into sections to avoid an overly empty appearance.

At the opposite end stood a desk, flanked by a bookshelf and a curio shelf. However, both the bookshelf and the curio shelf were completely bare, devoid of any items.

The bed in the corner also lacked curtains and bedding, giving the impression that the room had been unoccupied.

Surprised, Ye Yaming asked Granny Li, "Where did the young master live before?"

"Right here in this room," Granny Li replied. "But since the young master hasn’t been here for a long time, I was concerned that the bedding might gather dust or attract mice, so I stored everything away in chests and cabinets. The same goes for the young master’s clothes, books, stationery, and the decorations that were on the curio shelf."

"When the young master came to Lin’an this time, I intended to tidy up the room after receiving the news. However, he sent word saying he would stay at the courier station with Lord Chen and told me not to bother. So the room has remained empty."

Ye Yaming turned and instructed Zan’er, "Measure the dimensions of this room."

After transmigrating, Ye Yaming had disliked the original room’s layout and had it redecorated. She even designed some furniture herself and had carpenters craft them. For convenience, she had Ziyuan create a soft measuring tape using cloth strips.

Now, Zan’er and Song’er worked as one team, while Qingzhi and Ziyuan formed another. Each team swiftly took measurements with the soft tape.

Ancient rooms were typically rectangular and symmetrical. With minimal furniture in the room, the two teams finished measuring quickly. Lü E recorded the dimensions in a small notebook she carried, using a charcoal pencil.

The efficiency of their actions left Granny Li momentarily stunned, after which she praised, "No wonder the young master admires you, Miss. Your way of handling tasks is just as decisive and efficient as his."

Ye Yaming smiled and asked, "Is the west room the same size as this one?"

When Granny Li nodded, Ye Yaming pointed to the eastern room and inquired, "What about this one?"

"They’re all the same," Granny Li said. "All the main rooms in this row are identical in size. Only the east and west wings are slightly smaller."

In ancient times, odd numbers were considered yang numbers, symbolizing auspiciousness, while even numbers were associated with yin. Therefore, the number of main rooms was always odd.

Moreover, ancient architecture followed strict regulations: only the emperor’s main hall could have nine bays; princes were allotted seven. No matter how wealthy those of lower status were, their main rooms could only have five bays.

Thus, in this main courtyard’s northern building, aside from the central hall, there were two rooms on each the eastern and western sides, each spanning over thirty square meters.Granny Li continued, "This residence was rebuilt by His Highness the Crown Prince on the foundation of someone else's old mansion. After its completion, it was bestowed upon the young master. At the time, the young master hadn't decided whether to reside here long-term and made no arrangements, so all the rooms remain unfurnished."