Glory

Lu Guanyi didn't return to the inner courtyard until lunchtime and ate with Ye Yaming.

After the meal, Lu Guanyi asked, "What are your plans for the afternoon?"

Ye Yaming shook her head, "No particular plans." She looked at Lu Guanyi, "How about accompanying me for a walk around the household?"

After all, she was now the Madam Heir Apparent of the Xuanwu Marquis. Before Lu Zhongyong remarried, she was the only mistress of this household and had to manage domestic affairs. Before she cleaned up the servants in this household, she needed Lu Guanyi to accompany her for a walk to assert her authority.

Lu Guanyi happened to have the same idea, "Alright."

The two stood up and began touring the Xuanwu Marquis Household.

After exiting the courtyard gate, Lu Guanyi said, "This marquis household was bestowed upon my father by the Emperor when I was six years old. I've hardly lived here. I'm not very familiar with this place either."

He said this without much emotional fluctuation, but Ye Yaming felt a pang of sadness for him.

She smiled, "We'll become familiar with it from now on. We'll be living here for a long time. So let's take a good tour today."

"Like a little dog marking its territory?" Lu Guanyi suddenly teased.

Ye Yaming noticed that this man had changed a lot since their intimate contact last night. Previously, he maintained an aloof persona, speaking only when necessary. Now not only did he talk more, but he also started joking with her.

Since he had let his guard down, she naturally wouldn't remain reserved either. They would be together for a long time, and she needed to let him gradually adapt to her true personality.

She gave him a small eye-roll and retorted, "You're the dog."

Lu Guanyi laughed. When this mature man with a cold and composed temperament suddenly laughed like this, it immediately made him seem like he had returned to his true age. Ye Yaming couldn't help but glance at him several times.

A handsome master was pleasing to the eye, with no lack of intelligence, capability, and proper values. If he didn't flirt or attract romantic entanglements, Ye Yaming thought it might not be impossible to stay with him long-term.

Lu Guanyi liked Ye Yaming's eyes the most. When she looked at him like this, his heart fluttered, and he quickly raised his hand to cover her eyes lightly, "Don't look at me like that." He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist kissing her.

Ye Yaming reached out to remove his mischievous big hand, but her hand was smoothly grasped by Lu Guanyi.

Ye Yaming walked forward, trying to pull her hand out, but Lu Guanyi held it tighter.

Just holding hands wasn't a big deal to Ye Yaming. But this was in ancient times, and there were several servants watching them from behind. The two showing affection here made her feel like they were performing monkeys in front of people.

She said, "This..." She shook their joined hands, "Is this appropriate?"

"What's inappropriate? We're newlyweds, sweet as honey."

"Lu Guanyi, you actually say things like that." Ye Yaming looked at him in surprise, "This doesn't seem like you at all."

Seeing his ears red and his face somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, she finally couldn't help but laugh.

This Lu Guanyi, who resembled an innocent young boy, was someone she had never seen before. Perhaps it was because Lu Zhongyong and Lu Guanyu had left, and the man opposite her had finally shed all his armor, revealing his softest, most genuine side.

...

Land in the capital was extremely valuable. Although the Xuanwu Marquis Household was considered a luxurious residence, its area wasn't even as large as the Ye Residence in Lin'an City. However, the buildings were compact. The person who originally built this residence probably hoped for many descendants in the family, so they constructed numerous courtyards and houses.Ye Yaming counted and found that the inner courtyard alone had six separate yards—some were standalone, while others were smaller courtyards nested within larger ones.

With so many rooms, the entire estate had originally housed only Shi Shi and Lu Guanyu as its masters. Ye Yaming couldn't fathom how Shi Shi must have felt living here.

Having grown much closer to Lu Guanyi, Ye Yaming now spoke with him more casually.

"I still prefer your residence in Lin'an. The scenery is lovely, the size is just right, and there aren't too many courtyards—it's very comfortable to live in."

Lu Guanyi had been holding Ye Yaming's hand since earlier and hadn't let go. Upon hearing "your residence in Lin'an," he immediately objected, "What do you mean 'your'? It's ours!"

"Alright, alright, our residence in Lin'an," Ye Yaming promptly corrected herself.

After touring the entire estate, Ye Yaming noticed many furtive glances directed their way.

Worried her intuition might be mistaken, she asked Lu Guanyi. As a trained martial artist who had spent two years at the border, he had long detected the servants hiding in the shadows—their heavy footsteps and audible breathing gave them away.

He replied, "Yes, six people were peeking at us through the windows in that last courtyard, two in the one before that, and five near the kitchen. They're probably just curious about what you look like."

Ye Yaming shrugged.

She turned to Bai Rui and asked, "Did you all stay in the servants' quarters last night? Were the others there too?"

"Yes, Miss. The others were there as well," Bai Rui answered.

"Are they eating and lodging well? Has anyone given them trouble?" Ye Yaming pressed.

It wasn't that she didn't care about these people—it was only now that she remembered the several dozen staff she had brought as part of her dowry. In truth, they were all carefully trained. If they couldn't even get a proper meal at the Xuanwu Marquis Household, then there was no need for them to remain with her.

In reality, the test for these individuals had begun the moment they arrived at the Marquis household. Ye Yaming intended to decide their placements based on their performance over the coming days.

"They're fine," Bai Rui replied. Having received Ye Yaming's instructions days earlier to ignore the others, she smiled and added, "We returned very late last night, and everyone was already asleep. This morning, many of them hadn't even gotten up yet, so we don't know how they're faring."

Ye Yaming nodded and fell silent.

After completing the tour of the estate, she headed back and instructed An Tai, "Go summon Lu An."

In the past, whenever Ye Yaming gave An Tai an order, he would glance at Lu Guanyi for approval before complying.

Now he knew such a formality was unnecessary. His young master was so besotted with the lady of the heir that he'd likely forgotten his own name. If the lady of the heir ordered Lu An expelled immediately, his master probably wouldn't even utter a word of protest.

An Tai briskly acknowledged the order and went to relay the message.

Lu Guanyi didn't ask why Ye Yaming wanted Lu An. Upon returning to the rear hall and taking their seats, he simply called for tea and snacks.

Just as Lve E finished brewing the tea, Lu An arrived and bowed to them both. "Young Master, the Young Lady of the Heir.""

Ye Yaming took the lidded teacup handed to her by Lve E. As she stirred the tea leaves inside, she asked, "How many servants are currently in the Marquis household?"

"Replying to the Madame," Lu An said, "there are sixty-two."Ye Yaming's hand paused as she lifted her gaze. "So many? How come I didn't notice many servants when I was touring the estate with the heir earlier?"

Though there was no sweat on Lu An's forehead, he wiped it with his sleeve. It was unclear whether he was genuinely nervous or merely putting on a show of anxiety for Ye Yaming's benefit.