“That won’t be necessary. I’m not that particular; I can adapt to anything,” Ye Yaming replied.

She wasn’t rigidly following tradition, but rather felt there was no need to challenge social norms. If the noble ladies of the capital learned of her actions, who knew how they would gossip about her behind her back. The gossip itself wouldn’t bother her, but when they started criticizing her upbringing and the Ye family’s teachings, that would be annoying.

She stopped arguing with Lu Guanyi about when to go to the capital. Seeing how energetic he looked, a few more days of travel wouldn’t hurt him.

Changing the subject, she said, “Have you been to your residence? I’ve rearranged the main house. I had your original belongings moved to the east wing.”

“Not yet. I came straight here.”

“Then take a look at whether the arrangements in the main house and the room you wanted in the east wing suit you,” Ye Yaming said. “Since we won’t be living there for at least three months, if there’s anything you don’t like, just tell me, and I’ll have it changed during this time.”

“There’s no need to change anything. As long as you like it, it’s fine,” Lu Guanyi replied.

Ye Yaming seemed noncommittal.

Saying he didn’t mind was one thing when he hadn’t seen it. After seeing it, he might feel differently.

Ye Chongming glanced at Lu Guanyi with concern.

He hadn’t seen the residence himself, but Old Lady Ye, Madam Yin, and Madam Qi had visited it once together. When his wife returned, she had grumbled to him that Ye Yaming had arranged the main house somewhat strangely, different from the typical bedroom arrangement.

In her view, the arrangement was quite good and convenient. But Madam Qi, though not showing it openly or saying anything, seemed somehow displeased.

His wife had mentioned this to Yaming, who hadn’t said anything or offered any explanation to Madam Qi, and the matter had been dropped.

Now Ye Chongming worried that Lu Guanyi might be unhappy after seeing it. He didn’t want the young couple to have discord even before their marriage because of a bedroom arrangement.

Ye Chongming had intended to invite him to stay for a meal, but since Lu Guanyi had traveled far and was dust-covered from the journey, he declined the invitation and rose to return to his residence.

“By the way, that residence has never had a plaque. Please write a name for it, and I’ll have someone make a plaque to hang up. It’s inconvenient not to have a proper name for the estate,” Ye Yaming reminded him as he was leaving.

“What name would you like for it?” Lu Guanyi asked.

Ye Yaming shook her head: “You’re the master of the house, so naturally you should decide.”

“Alright.”

After Lu Guanyi left, Ye Chongming said, “What if he doesn’t like the bedroom arrangement?”

Ye Yaming pouted: “He initially said I could arrange things however I liked, that everything was up to me. Now if he sees what I’ve done and doesn’t like it, then I’ll be unhappy too. But I won’t argue with him. If he wants to change it, he can have it changed.”

But if he did change it, after returning from the capital to Lin’an, she wouldn’t stay in the main house, but would instead live in the room she had reserved for herself in the west wing. She would also distance herself from him.

Perhaps from having seen too many people and events in her previous and current lives, and having experienced life and death, she viewed some things with great detachment. What kind of room she lived in and how it was arranged didn’t matter to her. What she wanted was respect.

Madam Qi was the wife of the prefect. When Lu Guanyi entered the city, the guards at the gate reported it to her. By the time Lu Guanyi returned to his residence, a servant from the Qi household was already waiting for him.

“The madam invites the young master to dine with them,” the servant said.

“Good, I’ll come over after I freshen up.”

Old Songhead and his family were delighted to see Lu Guanyi’s return and hurried to welcome him in.

“Quickly, heat water for the young master’s bath,” Old Songhead instructed Li Po.

Li Po had wanted to see Lu Guanyi’s reaction to the main house’s arrangement, but hearing the old man’s instructions, she reluctantly went to the back kitchen.

While walking inside, Lu Guanyi looked around and, seeing that the plants and trees in the residence were much the same as before, asked, “Has Miss Ye had this residence cleaned up?”

“Yes, it has been tidied. But mainly, furniture was brought in to set up the main house and the main rooms of the other buildings. The garden was just given a simple cleaning,” Old Songhead replied.

Recalling how Ye Yaming had made her carriage extremely comfortable and convenient when they went to Huizhou, Lu Guanyi became curious about the house where they would live.

He went directly to the back courtyard, opened the hall doors, and found that the furniture had been changed. The style was simple and elegant—the kind he liked—but the arrangement was the same as before, with nothing particularly eye-catching.

After a glance, he went straight to the bedroom.

Upon entering, the set of sofas immediately caught his attention, but he quickly looked away. Though the chairs were arranged as one long and two short ones around a small table in a somewhat strange configuration, the style of the sofa was similar to a daybed. Ye Yaming always had some unusual ideas, and her choice to arrange things this way wasn’t particularly surprising.

The long table wasn’t especially distinctive either, so he didn’t linger but walked toward the screen.

When he saw the bedroom’s arrangement, he stopped at the screen and stood motionless for a long time. His mind was filled with images of Ye Yaming.

He still remembered what she was like when they first met.

Others, perhaps because of his status or appearance, might face him with inferiority, flattery, or fear. There were also those ladies outside who wanted to soar like a phoenix by marrying well, their eyes unable to hide their ambition and so-called “admiration.” But she had none of that.

There was only tranquility.

She saw him simply as a person, no different from others. Even later, when they became partners, the tranquility in her eyes remained the same. Even when they went to Huizhou together, it was still the same, except perhaps her eyes held a bit more warmth for someone she was familiar with and approved of.

Later, he saw her showing kindness to dirty little beggars on the street—not high-handed pity, but genuine compassion and mercy. He saw her express sincere gratitude for the help of servants; saw her respect and esteem for worthy competitors; and also witnessed her formidable methods against evildoers.

Only then did he realize that her attitude toward people wasn’t indifference, but equality. She judged people only by their goodness or wickedness, not by their social status. Whether a small beggar on the street or a powerful dignitary in a grand hall, everyone seemed the same in her eyes. She never bowed in servility, nor did she look down from above. In her eyes, all beings were equal.

Though appearing delicate on the outside, her perpetually straight back and her neither obsequious nor arrogant attitude toward everyone stood in stark contrast to her outward appearance. Pride was etched into her bones, and no one could make her bow.

Her methods against malicious people were formidable, but her actions were always aboveboard.

Qi Ji said she was too formidable, that he feared her. But Lu Guanyi knew that her methods were always directed against evil. For ordinary people, even if they made some mistakes, as long as they didn’t harm others, she would choose to treat them with kindness and tolerance.

This inherent pride and attitude of treating all beings as equals was now reflected in the arrangement of this bedroom. It seemed to silently tell him that what she wanted was equality and respect.