Glory

Qingzhi went out and returned shortly, saying, "They were worried that the servants of the Marquis' residence might not be attentive enough to you, miss. After arriving at the residence, they wanted to go to the kitchen to fetch some food for you. However, the kitchen staff wouldn't let them near, saying they were busy serving the guests in the front and told them not to cause trouble."

"When that didn't work, they went to the hot water station and managed to get two buckets of hot water. They planned to bring them over, and if they found out you still hadn't eaten, they would try to bring some food later."

Ye Yaming nodded, "Good."

Compared to dull or unmotivated employees in the workplace, she preferred those who were clever and proactive. Such people might seem opportunistic or eager to show off, but they were still better than those who only moved when ordered by their superiors.

This room also followed the layout of one main hall and two side chambers, with the bedroom connected to a washroom. The bathtub and chamber pot inside were part of Ye Yaming's dowry, brand new and still bearing the character for "double happiness." Ye Yaming took a bath there.

Having eaten her fill and taken a bath, Ye Yaming felt completely refreshed.

She said, "Xia Momo, Ziyuan, and Qingzhi will stay. The others may rest and come back for their shifts tomorrow morning."

"Yes."

Xia Momo was older, and Ye Yaming had long excused her from night duties out of consideration.

But today was special. It was her first time, and Xia Momo, having been married and being older, would be more convenient to handle matters like fetching water than the younger maids.

She had discussed this with Xia Momo yesterday, and Xia Momo was very willing. She even told Ye Yaming to feel free to assign her any tasks in the future. She wasn't so old that she couldn't move, and not only now, but even later when there was a young master, she could help take care of him.

Xia Momo was feeling insecure.

Seeing Bai Xin and Lve E becoming more capable—not only handling maids' duties but also assisting Ye Yaming with other tasks, and now being treated as Housekeepers in the Marquis' residence—while Ziyuan and Qingzhi had also improved greatly over the past two years, surpassing even Bai Xin and Lve E from before, she felt increasingly anxious.

She was getting older and could no longer handle the tasks around Ye Yaming, which made her deeply uneasy, afraid that one day she would be transferred away from Ye Yaming's side.

Although Ye Jia treated old servants well, providing food, clothing, and a monthly allowance without requiring much work, the thought of just eating and waiting to die terrified her.

Now that Ye Yaming was married, her own advantages suddenly stood out, and she naturally wanted to prove her worth.

...

When Lu Guanyi returned from toasting guests in the front, he saw two maids standing guard at the door of the bridal chamber.

"Young master," they greeted him.

Lu Guanyi waved his hand and pushed the door open. Amid the sea of red in the room, he saw Ye Yaming sitting under the lamp, reading a book. Her expression was lazy and relaxed, a side of her he had never seen before.

Hearing the sound, Ye Yaming turned her head and smiled at him, "You're back?"

Seeing her put down the book and about to rise, Lu Guanyi quickly walked over and pressed her down, "No need to get up."

Noticing that he was clear-headed and carried the fresh scent of having bathed, Ye Yaming asked in surprise, "You're not drunk? And you've bathed?"

Lu Guanyi sat down beside her and laughed, "The borderlands are harsh and cold, so I occasionally drink a little to ward off the chill. I've built up a tolerance, so this amount of wine is nothing. But I pretended to be unable to hold my liquor so I could slip away."

He truly couldn't stand having to deal with those people in the front."If the servants in the household aren't serving you well yet, I'll go wash up in the outer courtyard and return later, so your maid won't have to search the entire mansion looking for someone to deliver hot water."

As he spoke, he straightened his expression and said to Ye Yaming: "I've been stationed at the border recently and haven't had time to screen and reorganize the household servants. I'm sorry for the trouble they caused you today. Now that you're the wife of the heir and the only mistress of this household, would you prefer to handle the servant reorganization yourself, or shall I do it?"

Ye Yaming looked at his handsome face and smiled brightly: "Thank you, I'll handle it myself."

Lu Guanyi could have sent someone to investigate the household servants' situation himself, then taken half a day to sell off those who needed replacing and purchase new ones—no one could have stopped him. After all, with Lu Zhongyong absent, he was the highest authority in this household.

Yet he hadn't done so, instead leaving these people in place, likely intending to give her an opportunity to establish her authority.

Not just within this household, but also to establish her status in the capital. To show those noblewomen who looked down on her for her humble origins that she was the wife of the Xuanwu Marquis Household's heir, that she had both Lu Guanyi and Lu Zhongyong backing her. Whatever she wanted to do—even replacing servants purchased by Lu Zhongyong's wife or accustomed to serving Lu Guanyu—was perfectly acceptable.

Seeing how Ye Yaming understood his unspoken intentions from just a few words, Lu Guanyi felt thoroughly pleased.

He particularly admired intelligent women like her.

Of course, there were many women in the capital who considered themselves clever. But they used their so-called "cleverness" either to compare themselves with other noblewomen all day long, or to scheme against their mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, concubines, and servants. Their narrow perspectives and petty concerns—this kind of cleverness truly didn't impress him.

Looking at Ye Yaming's beautiful eyes under the lamplight, Lu Guanyi felt stirred by emotion.

His Adam's apple moved as he softly called out: "Ming'er..." Reaching out, he tentatively took her hand.

Ye Yaming glanced around the room and noticed that Xia Momo had already left unnoticed, with the door firmly closed.

She turned her gaze back to Lu Guanyi.

Since she had decided to marry him, she didn't resist intimacy with Lu Guanyi.

She gave him a slight smile, then lowered her eyelids, showing a hint of shyness.

In her previous life, she had never met anyone who truly moved her, preferring quality over quantity, and thus had never experienced intimacy. This being her first time in two lifetimes, even though she possessed more knowledge than typical ancient women, she still felt nervous inside.

Lu Guanyi's heart pounded like a drum. Seeing that Ye Yaming didn't resist, he gently pulled her into his embrace and kissed the red lips he had been dreaming of day and night.

Noticing his clumsy movements—how he grew excited at her slightest response yet repeatedly missed the mark—Ye Yaming recognized his inexperience and felt increasingly satisfied with Lu Guanyi.

In these times, noble families typically arranged bed companions for their sons at fifteen or sixteen. It was quite rare for someone to remain a virgin until marriage.

Regardless of what might happen in the future, at least at this moment, Lu Guanyi was pure.

...

The next day, Ye Yaming was awakened by Xia Momo.

She stared at the decorative patterns on the caisson ceiling for quite some time before fully coming to consciousness.

"Where is the heir?" she asked Xia Momo.

"He got up before dawn to practice martial arts at the training ground," Xia Momo replied with some dissatisfaction.

With such warmth and fragrance in his arms, how could the heir still go practice martial arts first thing in the morning? Had the newlyweds been incompatible last night? But they had called for hot water twice during the night.Ye Yaming stood up, feeling as if her body had been run over by a carriage, with aches and pains all over.