When they reached the main hall, Bai Rui couldn’t help but remark, “I remember when we first came here…”

Back then, Young Master Lu had worn a cold expression, and his servant An Tai had thought they were flirtatious butterflies specifically coming to cozy up to his young master.

Thinking of how Lu Guanyi had looked at her mistress yesterday, Bai Rui couldn’t help but feel secretly pleased.

Ye Yaming asked Song Guo, “How many servants did your young master have when he lived here?”

Song Guo thought for a moment, counting on her fingers, then replied, “In response to Miss, when the young master was here, my grandmother and I managed the kitchen. My grandfather and father cleaned the courtyard. The young master had two guard uncles with him, plus An Tai and An Ning, who attended to him. Eight people in total. Steward Lu An Grandfather came for a while, but later returned to the Capital.”

“Where did those stewards from the Capital stay?” Ye Yaming asked further.

Song Guo shook her head. “I don’t know. They didn’t live here.”

Ye Yaming didn’t ask any more questions and continued following Song Guo throughout the entire residence.

After the tour, she breathed a sigh of relief.

The pavilions and buildings here were constructed with great care, showcasing the beauty of Jiangnan gardens. When she first came, she thought the place was quite large, but in reality, it only appeared more spacious than the Ye family residence due to its landscaping techniques. The actual area was only about half that of the Ye family home.

But half was more than enough. The Ye family residence occupied a considerable area; walking through the entire compound took at least half an hour.

This residence would eventually house only her and Lu Guanyi. Even when they had children, it would still just be one family living here. With their efficient approach to matters, they wouldn’t need too many servants either.

If the residence were too large, it would feel particularly empty, with many unused rooms. Unoccupied rooms not only deteriorated more easily but also posed security concerns—who knew if someone might be hiding inside?

The current size seemed just right to Ye Yaming.

A hanging flower gate divided the residence into front and back courtyards. The front courtyard was smaller, with the main front court along the central axis, and additional courtyards on the east and west sides.

Passing through the hanging flower gate and walking a short distance, one would reach the main back courtyard on the central axis. The remaining four courtyards were distributed among pavilions, plants, and ponds. Lu Guanyi had named them simply according to their positions: East Court, West Court, South Court, and North Court.

It seemed that when the Crown Prince first bestowed this residence upon Lu Guanyi, it was quite new. Old Song’s family had been diligent in their maintenance duties, keeping the residence in good condition without any dilapidated areas requiring repair.

Song Guo’s grandmother, Madam Li, appeared somewhat anxious, occasionally emerging to look around at the intersections.

Seeing Song Guo finally return with Ye Yaming’s group after their tour, she stood hesitantly for quite some time, seemingly wanting to approach but not daring to.

Ye Yaming sent Qing Zhi to call her over.

Old Woman Li greeted Ye Yaming with a bow and said, “Miss, the young master specifically sent An Tai yesterday to inform us that, except for his study in the outer courtyard, you may rearrange all other areas as you wish. The young master has given you all the keys to the rooms. If you want to measure dimensions for new furniture, you may enter freely. There are some books in his study in the front courtyard, which you are welcome to read if interested.”

Ye Yaming nodded with a smile, “Very well, thank you for your trouble, Nanny. Please show me to the main quarters.”

The main back courtyard housed the highest-ranking members of the household and was generally referred to as the “upper residence.”

Old Woman Li led them to the main quarters.

Ye Yaming first used the key to open the central hall of the main quarters and glanced inside. The layout of ancient buildings and furniture arrangements was quite uniform—reception rooms typically contained a long table and Eight Immortals chairs, with tea tables.

She then opened the room on the east side and took a look. Unsurprisingly, this would be her bedroom after marriage.

As this was the main courtyard, to emphasize the master’s status, both the area of the courtyard and the size of the rooms were larger than those of ordinary courtyards and rooms.

This east room was about thirty square meters. A bed was placed in the corner, with a wardrobe positioned in the direction of the bed’s foot, about a meter away. Another screen was placed on the other side of the bed, dividing this spacious room into a separate area, making it seem less empty.

At the other end stood a table, with a bookshelf and a display cabinet nearby. However, both the bookshelf and display cabinet were empty.

The corner bed also lacked canopies and bedding, as if no one lived in this room.

Ye Yaming was puzzled and asked Old Woman Li, “Where did the young master previously stay?”

“He stayed in this very room,” Old Woman Li replied. “But since the young master hasn’t been here for a long time, this old servant worried that the bedding left out would collect dust and attract mice, so I put everything away in chests and cabinets. The young master’s clothes, books, writing implements, and display items were treated the same way.”

“This time when the young master came to Lin’an, this old servant received word and intended to prepare the room, but the young master sent a message saying he was staying at the post station with Official Chen, so there was no need to prepare. That’s why this room has remained empty.”

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

After her transmigration, Ye Yaming disliked the original owner’s room arrangement, so she had ordered everything rearranged and had drawn some furniture designs for carpenters to craft. For convenience, she had Zi Yuan make measuring tapes from cloth strips.

Now Zan’er and Song’er formed one team, while Qing Zhi and Zi Yuan formed another. Each team took measuring tapes and quickly measured the dimensions. Ancient rooms were typically square and rectangular. This room didn’t have much furniture, so both teams finished measuring quickly. Lu’E recorded the dimensions in her small notebook with a charcoal pencil.

This efficiency astonished Old Woman Li, and she soon remarked admiringly, “No wonder the young master is fond of Miss. Miss’s way of doing things is as direct and efficient as the young master’s.”

Ye Yaming smiled and asked, “Is the western room the same size as this one?”

Seeing Old Woman Li nod, she pointed to the room on the east and asked, “What about this one?”

“They’re all the same,” Old Woman Li said. “All the rooms in this main building are the same size. Only the east and west wings are slightly smaller.”

Ancient people considered odd numbers as auspicious yang numbers; even numbers were yin. Thus, the number of rooms in the main building was always odd.

Ancient architecture followed strict rules: only the Emperor’s main hall could have nine rooms in a row; princes could have seven. Those of lower rank, no matter how wealthy, could only build five rooms in their main building.

Therefore, in this main courtyard’s northern building, besides the central hall, there were two rooms of about thirty square meters on each side, east and west.

Old Woman Li continued, “This residence was rebuilt by the Crown Prince on the foundation of someone else’s old mansion. After it was completed, he bestowed it upon the young master. The young master hadn’t decided whether to stay long-term, so he didn’t furnish it. That’s why none of the rooms have furniture.”