Empress Dowager Zheng and Huangfu Yue exchanged a look and both nodded.
Empress Dowager Zheng surveyed the perimeter of the Jiang manor and said to Jiang Shangyun, "Looking at your home, your family's business must be quite large." Only then could they have such a big house.
From the outside, this mansion was almost half the size of the Prince Dai's manor.
The Prince Dai's manor was famously large in the capital, ranking among the top five best and largest residences.
Thus, being half the size of the Prince Dai's manor was considerably large.
"It's alright, we're just noted in Fumin County," Jiang Shangyun said modestly.
In fact, his father was considered the wealthiest man in Fumin County. More than half of Fumin County's houses and land belonged to his family, but it still amounted to nothing compared to the Prince Dai's manor.
Moreover, no matter how wealthy a man was, he remained a commoner, just a civilian, unable to compare with officials.
Upon seeing officials, they still had to bow and scrape.
The two young servants at the gate quickly summoned all the servants in the Jiang manor.
There were truly many servants in the Jiang family!
Huangfu Yue and the others looked at the numerous servants of the Jiang family, silently counting them roughly. They found there were seventy to eighty people.
While Huangfu Yue and the others observed the Jiang family's servants, the servants also secretly observed them, filled with questions and curiosity.
Why were the young master's guests all wearing mourning clothes and wearing veils and bamboo hats? They seemed so mysterious.
They wondered about their origins.
Jiang Shangyun pointed to Empress Dowager Zheng, Huangfu Yue, and the other members of the Prince Dai's manor and said to his household servants, "These are distinguished guests I've invited. They will be staying in the manor for a while. Serve them well; you must not neglect them."
"Yes," all the servants of the Jiang manor immediately replied in unison.
"Madam, Eldest Miss, all the young mistresses, young masters, and young ladies, please enter the manor." Jiang Shangyun made a gesture of invitation, and the Jiang manor servants also quickly followed suit with gestures of invitation.
"Our carriages..." Huangfu Yue gestured to the carriages they had arrived in earlier, letting Jiang Shangyun handle them.
With the servants of the Jiang manor present, it was inconvenient for her to put the carriages into her spatial dimension.
If the servants of the Jiang manor suddenly saw so many carriages disappear into thin air, they would be terrified, start thinking wild thoughts, and it would spread.
"Eldest Miss, rest assured, I will have my servants handle your carriages, take them to the stables, let the horses eat their fodder, and park the carriages aside," Jiang Shangyun said, understanding Huangfu Yue's intention.
Huangfu Yue, feeling at ease, followed Jiang Shangyun towards the main gate of the Jiang manor, with the others from the Prince Dai's manor following behind them.
Before Jiang Shangyun could give his orders, seven house servants came out to take Huangfu Yue's carriages. The other servants followed the people from the Prince Dai's manor into the Jiang manor.
As they passed by the two stone lions in front of the main gate of the Jiang manor, Huangfu Yue took an extra glance and smiled at Jiang Shangyun, "These two lions at your entrance are truly magnificent. They look so beautiful and imposing."
"Thank you, Eldest Miss, for your praise. These two stone lions were commissioned by my father from a renowned stone carver. That stone carver was most skilled at carving lions," Jiang Shangyun said.
Huangfu Yue glanced at the two stone lions again, curved her lips, and followed Jiang Shangyun into the main gate.
After Jiang Shangyun brought Huangfu Yue and the others into the Jiang manor, he said, "Madam, Eldest Miss, if you are not tired, I would like to show you around my home. This way, you will know where to go in the future and won't get lost.
If you are tired and wish to rest, I will first take you to the West Wing. The West Wing is specifically for guests. After you have rested, I will then take you to tour my home."
"We are not tired. We will tour your home first, and after the tour, we will trouble you to take us to the West Wing to arrange our accommodations," Empress Dowager Zheng said.
"This way, please." Jiang Shangyun made another gesture of invitation and began showing Empress Dowager Zheng and the others around the Jiang manor.
Empress Dowager Zheng and the others discovered that the Jiang manor was even larger than it appeared from the outside. It was a courtyard compound with multiple courtyards structured along a strict central axis, laid out neatly, symmetrically, and with great attention to detail.
Empress Dowager Zheng thought to herself: It seems Master Jiang understands feng shui. Looking at the layout of this house, it embodies the grand harmony that feng shui advocates. This house greatly benefits its owner!
Huangfu Yue did not understand feng shui. She only cared about whether it was beautiful and imposing.
As Huangfu Yue walked, she observed her surroundings carefully through the thin veil.
With pavilions, towers, ornate eaves, blue tiles, intertwined structures, winding paths, it was exquisite, elegant, yet grand and majestic.
Although the Jiang manor was the home of wealthy merchants, it was in no way inferior to the homes of officials in the capital, though it still fell short of the Prince Dai's manor.
However, one could not compare the Prince Dai's manor with the Jiang manor, as there was too great a difference between the two.
Before the Prince Dai's manor fell, it was the residence of the Emperor's younger brother, while the Jiang manor was merely the home of a wealthy merchant in a county town.
However, a wealthy merchant's home being like this could give one an idea of how rich they were. While they couldn't be called colossal magnates, they were definitely major merchants.
Xu Yuqing, not far behind Huangfu Yue, looked around carefully. As she surveyed the surroundings, she couldn't help but curve her lips.
She had initially thought the Jiang family was just a merchant family, and that would be that. She hadn't expected it to be so much larger and more imposing than she had imagined.
Although the Jiang family could not compare with the Prince Dai's manor, it was almost catching up to her own family's home.
With the houses of the Jiang family like this, they must be extremely wealthy. She truly hadn't expected Jiang Shangyun to be the young master of a great merchant family.
Zhong Liangshu, walking beside Xu Yuqing, felt her joy due to their proximity. After a brief pause, a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes, and soon, a look of realization appeared on her face.
She was happy because she saw how large and nice the Jiang family's houses were... It seemed she was indeed smitten with Jiang Shangyun and had intentions.
"Boss, I truly didn't expect Jiang Shangyun's family to be so wealthy. Look at this residence... truly, great men hide their talents!"
Feng Maoyuan's subordinate, walking behind, whispered to Feng Maoyuan with a look of astonishment as he surveyed the surroundings.
Feng Maoyuan nodded. Although Jiang Shangyun usually dressed well and was quite generous, often treating his brothers to food, drink, and entertainment, he never showed off his wealth and was humble. Therefore, he had never realized before that he came from such a wealthy family, being the young master of a rich household.
Before, when he said his family happened to live in Fumin County, his father was a merchant, and they had some modest property, their house was relatively large, and when he invited people from the Prince Dai's manor to stay at his home, he thought his family was just an ordinary wealthy merchant family, and he could imagine what their house would be like.
He was even worried if the Jiang family would have enough space for the people from the Prince Dai's manor plus so many of them, but who would have thought...
Indeed, one cannot judge a person by their appearance, nor can one measure the sea with a dipper!
Because the Jiang manor was so large, Jiang Shangyun spent a long time showing Huangfu Yue and the others around before they finished touring the entire residence. He then took them to the West Wing where guests stayed...