Lu Guanyi gazed at the bedroom, exhaled a long breath, and his lips curved into a slight smile.

The reason he was fond of Ye Yaming, apart from her intelligence, was her proud, self-reliant character.

She wasn’t like most women who needed to depend on a man to survive. She was a towering tree in her own right, capable of weathering storms alongside him.

Even without her saying it, he would give her respect and equality. They were partners standing shoulder to shoulder, sharing both fortunes and hardships.

Lu Guanyi emerged from the bedroom with a smile on his lips.

Li Po was still concerned about Lu Guanyi. She and Old Songhead had watched the Marquis and the former Lady grow up, witnessed the Marquis marry the former Lady, and even seen the young master born with her own eyes.

With the former Lady gone, she felt obligated to look after the young master on her behalf.

If the young master showed any displeasure with Miss Ye’s arrangement, she would convey his dissatisfaction to the future new lady, even if it meant offending her.

So she hurriedly assigned the water-heating task to Song Guo, whom she encountered on the way, and rushed to the main room.

As she entered, she met the young master coming out of the bedroom, smiling with gentle eyes.

She was stunned.

“Young Master, have you seen the arrangement in the main bedroom? What do you think?” Li Po observed Lu Guanyi’s expression. “If there’s anything not to your liking and you’re reluctant to say so, this old servant can communicate with Miss Ye on your behalf.”

Lu Guanyi glanced at her, and Li Po felt a chill down her spine, as if the young master had seen through her thoughts.

“That won’t be necessary. It’s quite good. I’m very satisfied,” Lu Guanyi replied.

Li Po’s lips parted slightly, looking at Lu Guanyi in disbelief.

Old Songhead stepped forward and pulled her aside, smiling at Lu Guanyi: “It’s good that the young master is satisfied. Miss Ye was worried you wouldn’t like it, and specifically asked this old woman to inquire about your thoughts. It’s good that you’re pleased.”

As he spoke, he secretly pinched Li Po.

Li Po came to her senses and quickly nodded, repeatedly agreeing.

Lu Guanyi spoke firmly: “Let me say this once more. I have great respect for my future wife. I hope you will respect her just as you respect me. Anyone who relies on being an old servant of the household to disrespect her will not be forgiven lightly.”

“We wouldn’t dare! The young master needn’t worry,” Old Songhead hastily replied.

Li Po also said, “Rest assured, Young Master. This old servant understands.”

After bathing, Lu Guanyi went to the Qi residence.

Madam Qi was a typical inner chamber woman, far more skilled in the art of conversation than Li Po.

She approached the topic indirectly, first praising Ye Yaming for her intelligence and graceful nature, then mentioning that she had seen the residence Ye Yaming had arranged and thought she had put much thought into it.

While saying this, she observed Lu Guanyi’s expression. Seeing his eyes reveal pleasure without any displeasure, she felt reassured and didn’t mention a single word about Ye Yaming’s bedroom arrangement being improper.

However, there were some things she still needed to say.

“I heard that the Ye family’s furniture is made in two identical sets. The capital is a place that values propriety. Although outsiders generally won’t enter the master bedroom, on the wedding day, close female relatives will go in to take a look. You can arrange the bedroom like this here, but arranging it this way in the capital might invite criticism. People might say Yaming doesn’t follow protocol and has no sense of hierarchy.”

“Guanyi,” she said seriously, “I don’t look down on Yaming in any way. On the contrary, I quite like her. But her background is undeniably a weakness that makes it difficult for her to be accepted by the nobility in the capital. The Ye family allowing a girl to be the family head shows they aren’t bound by rigid traditions. But in the capital, rules that should be followed must be followed. You should remind Yaming of this.”

Her words truly had Ye Yaming’s best interests at heart.

Lu Guanyi gratefully accepted her advice: “Aunt, I understand. I will remind her.”

The residence in the capital was currently empty, waiting for the dowry furniture to arrive. Lu Guanyi wasn’t sure if Ye Yaming would have reservations and arrange the furniture according to tradition.

He had planned that if Ye Yaming followed tradition in her arrangement, he would secretly have it changed to match the bedroom in Lin’an, giving her a surprise and letting her know that he understood her meaning and would give her a lifetime of equality and respect.

With his aunt’s reminder, he had a sudden realization. His thinking hadn’t been thorough enough, and he had almost made a mistake.

It seemed that in the future, he needed to consider matters more deeply.

Seeing that her nephew had truly taken her words to heart, Madam Qi felt reassured.

Regarding Lu Guanyi’s arrival today and departure with the Ye family tomorrow, Madam Qi didn’t say anything.

Her nephew had been trained since childhood according to military standards set by his grandfather, and could endure hardship. This bit of travel was nothing to him.

Moreover, a thousand gold pieces can’t buy a willing heart. If he was willing, why should she play the villain?

On September 16th, Madam Qi, mother and son Qi Ji, and Lu Guanyi, the four members of the Ye family’s Second Branch plus little Ye Yayu, along with Ye Hongchang, Ye Hongrong, Ye Jiaxing, and eight people from the Ye clan, formed a grand procession of more than twenty carriages heading to the capital.

Typically, when a daughter of the Ye clan married outside the region, the clan wouldn’t send people to escort her. With many daughters marrying out, no one could bear such hardship. Furthermore, who would pay for the travel expenses? Who would be responsible if something happened on the road?

But Ye Yaming’s marriage was different. She was marrying into the nobility of the capital, to a fourth-rank general—the best match any Ye family daughter had made to date.

Clan leader Ye Chongxian felt that the clan must send representatives to participate, at least to show the Ye family’s face to the future son-in-law. In the future, if the clan needed any favors, the son-in-law would at least recognize who they were.

Therefore, he insisted on coming.

As the “Third Elder Brother,” with Ye Chongming being the “Seventh Younger Brother,” he was six years older than Ye Chongming and approaching seventy. Since Ye Chongming himself wasn’t going, he naturally advised Ye Chongxian not to come either, suggesting that sending his son or grandson would suffice.

But Ye Chongxian had never been to the capital in his life, and he knew that the Ye family was wealthy, covering all food and lodging on the journey, with carriages more comfortable than ordinary ones. If he didn’t come this time, he might never have the chance again.

Moreover, as an almost seventy-year-old clan leader attending the wedding, appearing before the new son-in-law would surely earn him great respect and courtesy, making a far more memorable impression than his son or grandson, who were mere “distant relatives.”

Thus, he was determined to come.

With him coming, his son and grandson were concerned and naturally wanted to accompany him. Other clan members, hearing about the trip to the capital without having to worry about expenses, enjoying good food and accommodation while broadening their horizons and having something to boast about upon return, were eager to join.

They all expressed their desire to come.

Eventually, Ye Chongming put a stop to it. In the end, he selected a few representatives to go.