Glory

In the end, the young lady personally gave them a lesson. Her profound and extensive knowledge, coupled with her amiable attitude and engaging teaching style, left them utterly impressed.

Now that Jialin and Jiayun could study by the young lady's side without facing those difficulties, wasn't it enviable?

After assigning the positions and offering some encouragement, Ye Yaming announced the dismissal.

When Lu Guanyi returned from handling those people and learned that Ye Yaming had only arranged for three people in the small kitchen, leaving all other positions vacant for him to fill with newly purchased servants, he was greatly surprised.

Ye Yaming glanced at him: "Did you think I brought so many accompanying servants to work as subordinates in the Marquis' residence? They were carefully selected and specially trained by me, of course they are to be assigned as housekeepers in various places."

"Then you won't manage the residence?" Lu Guanyi asked.

Earlier, Ye Yaming had specifically stated that Xu Zan, Tang Song, Bai Rui, Lve E, and others were for managing her personal properties and would not be involved in the affairs of the Marquis' inner household. The steward and housekeepers of the Marquis' residence were to be arranged by him.

Ye Yaming shook her head: "You are the heir, so matters of the residence naturally fall under your authority. As for the missing servants, whether to use disabled soldiers and their families or purchase people from outside, that's your decision to make."

Lu Guanyi looked at Ye Yaming for a long time without speaking.

He had to admit that Ye Yaming's approach was remarkably magnanimous. Most women would eagerly seize all authority in the inner household, using only their own accompanying servants everywhere. Yet even when he offered her the opportunity, she showed no interest.

She certainly wasn't short of people. Through the Qi Family's housekeepers, she had purchased no fewer than a hundred servants privately, all with their Indentured Servant Contracts in her possession. Though unwilling to use these housekeeper-trained individuals as ordinary servants in the Marquis' residence, she could have assigned those with average abilities.

But she didn't. She only arranged for three people to manage the small kitchen. This small kitchen served her personally, following her wherever she went to ensure the safety of her meals. In the entire vast Marquis' residence, she didn't assign a single servant.

This approach was naturally generous. Yet Lu Guanyi felt a vague sense of disappointment.

Did this mean Ye Yaming didn't consider the Marquis' residence her home? Were they really that distant?

Ye Yaming could tell exactly what Lu Guanyi was thinking at a glance.

She shot him a look: "Don't overthink it. Let me ask you this - do you really intend to treat this Marquis' residence as your own home? You're the heir, not the Marquis. Your father isn't old, and he might remarry at any time. And Lu Guanyu is no longer young - he'll be getting married in a couple of years."

Lu Guanyi instinctively replied: "My father said he won't remarry."

Ye Yaming shook her head: "That's not something your father can decide."

She leaned closer to Lu Guanyi and lowered her voice: "Don't forget, Princess Yu'an is newly widowed."

Lu Guanyi was startled: "That couldn't happen, could it?"

Princess Yu'an was the daughter of one of the late emperor's unfavored consorts, similar to the Third Princess born of Consort Min, without powerful backing or full brothers.

The reason Lu Guanyi and Lu Zhongyong hadn't considered the emperor arranging a marriage with Princess Yu'an was because Princess Yu'an was forty-six this year, six years older than Lu Zhongyong. At forty-six in this era, she was already of grandmother age, with most women having lost their fertility, making remarriage essentially impossible.However, after Ye Yaming's reminder, Lu Guanyi recovered from his initial shock and quickly grasped the implication.

He frowned and said, "That is indeed a possibility."

The emperor needed military commanders to lead troops, kill enemies, and protect the nation's borders, yet he deeply feared the military power they wielded. Now that Lu Zhongyong had divorced his wife and Princess Yu'an was newly widowed, wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity for the emperor to arrange a marriage between them? This would allow Princess Yu'an's people to be placed by Lu Zhongyong's side to monitor and restrain him.

It was important to note that Princess Yu'an had only given birth to two daughters and had no sons. She would not use Lu Zhongyong's military power to seize the throne for the sake of her descendants, making her the ideal candidate to keep a military general in check.

As for whether Princess Yu'an and Lu Zhongyong were well-matched, that was not something the emperor would consider.

Seeing that he had understood, Ye Yaming continued, "Even if it's not her, it will be someone else. The emperor would never allow Father-in-law to choose his own spouse freely; he would definitely preemptively arrange a marriage for him."

"And if a new marchioness marries into the household, would I have to compete with her? Moreover, Lu Guanyu is also the second young master of this mansion. He will surely return eventually. When he wants to punish a servant, should I risk my life to stop him?"

"Additionally, the servants I brought were all carefully trained. Since I will only be staying here for a short time, leaving them here would be a waste."

Lu Guanyi nodded. "You make a valid point. I was originally hesitating between purchasing new servants or resettling disabled soldiers and their families. After your analysis, the latter is clearly the better choice."

Many soldiers came from impoverished backgrounds—who would willingly go to the border to risk their lives if not driven by poverty? They did it for the meager military pay.

Even when they were not disabled, they struggled to survive. Now disabled and unable to perform heavy labor, their situation was even more dire. Working as servants in the marquis' estate, although it meant a lower status, involved lighter tasks and ensured food and clothing. Because their master was a former comrade, other servants in the estate would not dare to bully them. This was an opportunity many disabled soldiers could only dream of.

However, from the estate's perspective, these individuals were physically incomplete, unfamiliar with aristocratic etiquette, and might have undesirable habits, making them unsuitable as servants. Yet, they had become disabled while defending the country and were comrades of the male master. Even the lady of the house could not treat them too harshly, let alone the housekeepers.

Placing a few carefully selected individuals in non-critical positions within the estate was acceptable. But if there were too many, the estate would fall into chaos.

If Ye Yaming regarded the marquis' estate as her own domain, she could not accommodate too many of them, as it would create problems for her. Now that she did not care, and with the possibility of a woman sent by the emperor joining the household, along with Lu Guanyu's wife in two years, having more such individuals was actually beneficial.

Let his father and Lu Guanyu deal with the headaches then.

Having figured this out, Lu Guanyi felt immensely relieved.

He couldn't resist reaching out his large hand to grasp Ye Yaming's and said, "Ming'er, marrying you is the best decision I have ever made in my life."

Ye Yaming glanced at him, raised her chin slightly, and smiled. "You better remember what you said today."

Ye Yaming had a powerful presence and a somewhat aloof demeanor. But at this moment, she appeared charming and adorable, exceptionally so. If not for the presence of the maids and pages, and worrying that Ye Yaming might feel embarrassed, Lu Guanyi would have been unable to resist kissing her.Lu Guanyi had a military style of doing things with swift decisiveness. That very afternoon, he went to select disabled soldiers—choosing those with families who were also willing to become servants in the marquis’s household. He then arranged for them to be taught the required etiquette and skills.