Chapter 399: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada (2)

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

As the night deepened, the silver moon hung above Heavenly Water Bridge.

Countless young ladies and madams dressed in cool autumn clothes were standing on the bridge with flower umbrellas in their hands and enjoying the scenery. There were also many scholars and beauties riding small boats floating across the brightly lit river.

On a street paved with white stone tiles and lined with willow trees, Ye Jingtang was walking with Dongfang Liren. They looked at the white walls and blue tiles on the street while chatting.

“Here it is. How’s the scenery?”

“You have pretty good taste.”

“Ning’er chose this. She was born in Jiang Province, so she likes the water town-like charm here…”

“Is that so? The empress dowager is from Jiang Province too. I believe she will like the style of this residence…”

Dongfang Liren accompanied Ye Jingtang to see his new home. For the sake of convenient walking, she had changed out of her domineering silver python robe for entering the palace to a fairy-like gauze dress popular in the capital.

The upper body was white and should have been embroidered with just flowers and birds, but there was also an inconspicuous dragon embroidered on it. The skirt was pure white, and her body was covered with aqua-green gauze. Her hair was tied up with the jade hairpin that Ye Jingtang had given her. She was dressed simply and elegantly.

Dongfang Liren was quite tall, and her chest, hips, and long legs gave off an air of grandeur. Coupled with the temperament she had cultivated since she was young, even though she was wearing a young lady’s dress, she still didn’t lose the aura of a female prince. She looked like a peerless female expert who had hidden her strength even more than Daoist Xuanji.

Ye Jingtang was much more easy-going. He looked like a young master accompanying a beauty to play.

The new residence at Heavenly Water Bridge was not far from the Pei family’s alley. After Third Lady bought it, she had arranged for maidservants to clean and decorate it. Now, there were two lanterns hanging outside the door of the residence with the word ‘Ye’ written on them.

The residence was in the style of Jiang Province. The layout was different from the square ones commonly seen in the capital. To the west was a residential area, and to the east was a large garden. The housing and buildings occupied only a third of the residence. The rest of the residence was full of ponds, rockeries, and beautiful flowers and trees.

There were already a few maidservants in the residence. Ye Jingtang entered through the door and brought Dongfang Liren to the garden first, wanting to introduce the residence to her.

But this was only Ye Jingtang’s second time here. He had been practicing martial arts all year round and had not done much research on architecture. Moreover, the Jiang Province-style buildings were too exquisite, and there were explanations for every plant and tree, so he definitely couldn’t explain everything,

Dongfang Liren followed him around. After listening to Ye Jingtang talk for a while, she shook her head silently. She turned the tables and told Ye Jingtang about the uniqueness of this residence.

Through the door at the back of the garden, they could see a two-story embroidery building. It was the residence of the young ladies. In the future, Zhe Yunli and Ping’er would probably live here.

After entering the back residence, the layout of the buildings became more compact. The four courtyards were located on the west side. They were not simply arranged in the shape of a field but distributed asymmetrically according to the landscape. The interiors also had their own merits, and the landscape of each courtyard was built according to the ‘plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum’ pattern.

As the owner, Ye Jingtang lived in the plum courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard was a crosswalk. The main wing was quite large, and in the middle was the living room with a plaque with the words ’Chilling Ice Pavilion’ hanging on it. On the west side was the bedroom, and on the east side was the study and tea room.

The areas of the east and west wings were slightly smaller. Third Lady wanted to live in the east wing. She had already moved her daily belongings today and was only waiting to move in. Ning’er definitely didn’t dare to live with Ye Jingtang openly. She hadn’t thought of where to live yet.

After Dongfang Liren walked around, she was quite satisfied with the environment. When she arrived at the main wing, she had seen everything she needed to see. She wanted to turn around and walk back, but from the corner of her eye, she discovered that in the elegant bedroom on the west side, the empress dowager’s treasured painting, Vendor Selling Chickens, was hung. Behind the bead curtain in the inner room was a Babu bed.

The bed was too big. It was actually about the same size as hers. Four or five girls could sleep side by side without it being crowded…

?

Dongfang Liren knew about things like ‘two beauties presenting peaches’. When she saw this bed, she naturally stopped and walked into the bedroom to take a look. “Why do you have such a big bed?”

The last time Ye Jingtang came, there was nothing in the bedroom. The bed and even the tables, chairs, and couches were new. When he saw the bed, he was a little confused. It was clearly not appropriate to throw the blame onto Ning’er and Third Lady. He thought for a moment and said, “Perhaps the Pei family’s steward saw that I was tall and strong, so he bought a big bed to let me sleep more comfortably. I just found out…”

“Is that so?” Dongfang Liren didn’t believe him at all. She opened the bead curtain and walked to the Babu bed. She first pressed it with her hand and found that it was very sturdy. The bed board had been covered with a soft blanket to reduce the shock. No matter how much strength she used, it didn’t make any creaking sounds.

She looked at the furnishings. There was a lampstand at all four corners of the bed. They could illuminate everything inside the curtain. There were also a few soft pillows, which were completely useless for normal sleep. According to the description in Tears of a Heroine, they should be something that beauties placed under the waist to make men feel more comfortable…

Dongfang Liren was like a goddess who was perceptive of the finest details. After looking around for a bit, she already understood the use of all the items. She turned around and said, “The Pei family’s steward is so sensible. He even prepared these convenient and bad things for you?”

Ye Jingtang didn’t expect Ning’er and Third Lady to be so considerate. They even took care of his preference for the lights to be on. He thought for a moment and went forward to explain. “How can they be called bad? It’s very normal for husbands and wives to communicate. It’s also normal for stewards to prepare in advance. There’s nothing to see. Why don’t I send Your Highness back to the estate?”

Dongfang Liren had no intention of going back. She maintained a suspicious expression and looked around the bed. She even leaned over and lifted the pillows, wanting to find other evidence of Ye Jingtang’s crimes..