There were six courtyards in total. Four were slightly larger, each featuring a spacious main residence and side rooms. They were clearly designed to be the primary courtyards.
The other two, slightly smaller courtyards had only three side rooms and a few storage sheds, likely intended as the gatehouse and servants' quarters.
These four larger courtyards were subtly arranged around the garden and rockery, corresponding to the east, west, south, and north.
Such an arrangement was quite common. However, since Chen Cheng had studied the classic texts on the Four Symbols in the study, he could see there was something extraordinary about it.
The four cardinal directions—east, west, south, and north—corresponded to the Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu of the Four Symbols.
The courtyard to the east was on slightly higher ground. The adjacent rockery and trees were also taller, giving it the momentum of a Cyan Dragon raising its head.
