Chapter 178
Chapter 178
Shen Si had been right. In just two days, news of the engagement between the Shen Residence and Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence had spread throughout the capital. Even Ji Hanyi had heard about it.
Ji Hanyi was out with Rongchun to buy flowers, her face concealed beneath a veiled hat. While they were in the flower shop, she overheard passersby discussing the marriage between the two households.
It took only a few remarks for Ji Hanyi to understand why Shen Si had taken her to Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence – and why Grand Princess Rongqing had acknowledged her as an adopted daughter.
But she had yet to meet anyone from the Shen Family. Had the two families really settled the marriage just like that? Did the Shen Family even know she was the one Shen Si intended to marry?
Ji Hanyi still felt a little uneasy. She did not know exactly what Shen Si had planned, but she trusted him.
Meanwhile, at the Shen Residence…
Shen Si was seated in his mother’s room when a wedding invitation was flung straight at him.
Shattered porcelain clattered from the table to the floor. Old Madam Shen pointed at Shen Si, her finger trembling so violently that she could not utter a word for a long while.
The maidservants waiting beyond the curtain had not seen Old Madam Shen this furious in years. Not one of them dared make a sound as they quietly retreated toward the door.
Madam Bai, who had come to keep Old Madam Shen company, heard the commotion from outside the curtain. Upon learning that Shen Si was inside, she had a vague idea of what this was about. It could only be his engagement to Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence.
The entire affair had happened so suddenly that something felt strange about it. Madam Bai meant to go in and mediate, but she had barely called out when Old Madam Shen roared, “Get out! All of you, get out!”
Madam Bai had never seen the old madam in such a rage. Startled, she hurriedly patted her chest and withdrew.
Inside, Shen Si remained seated with an impassive expression, calmly allowing his mother to vent her fury. He even took an unhurried sip of tea.
The sight made Old Madam Shen tremble with anger. Pointing at him, she snapped, “You’ve certainly grown bold. A marriage alliance is no small matter, yet I, your own mother, had to hear about it from someone else!”
“Even this wedding invitation was shown to me by someone else.”
“You sent these invitations all over the capital without even asking for my opinion?!”
Only then did Shen Si look up at his mother. “You know about it now, don’t you, Mother?”
His cold, composed manner infuriated Old Madam Shen even more. Her voice shook as she demanded, “How do you have the gall to say that? Even an engagement must be arranged by the parents and elders according to the Three Letters and Six Rites. Which one of those have you done?!”
Shen Si bent down, picked up the wedding invitation by his feet, and placed it on the small side table. He replied evenly, “There is still time to complete those formalities. No one else need ever know.”
Old Madam Shen nearly fainted from rage.
How could this possibly be called an engagement? Shen Si had sent wedding invitations all over the capital. Everyone in the capital knew he was getting married – everyone except his own mother. He was clearly trying to force everyone into accepting it.
Old Madam Shen was beside herself with fury, but one look at Shen Si told her that no matter how angry she became, it was already too late. The entire capital was abuzz with the news. Her anger would change nothing.
Was that not precisely why Shen Si had done this – to force her hand?
She composed herself and took a deep breath before slowly sitting down on the large reclining chair. Looking at Shen Si, she said, “Explain this to me clearly. What daughter of marriageable age does Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence have? Grand Princess Rongqing has only two sons, and her eldest granddaughter is just fourteen. The girl has not even had her coming-of-age ceremony yet. How could she possibly marry you next month?!”
Still unable to contain her anger, Old Madam Shen gritted her teeth and demanded, “Just who exactly are you marrying?!”
Shen Si looked at his furious mother, his expression as composed as ever. He pursed his lips, then said in a cool, clear voice, “Ji Hanyi.”
At his mother’s wide-eyed stare, Shen Si added, “She is now the adopted daughter of Grand Princess Rongqing.”
Old Madam Shen felt as though she could not catch her breath. She nearly died on the spot at the hands of this unfilial son.
At last, the old madam, who had carried herself with dignity and decorum all her life, could no longer restrain herself. She snatched up the citron beside her and hurled it at Shen Si.
“Won’t you be satisfied until you’ve angered me to death?!”
The citron struck Shen Si squarely on the shoulder before rolling to the floor with a dull thud.
Shen Si lowered his head slightly, his tranquil gaze resting on the floor. His voice remained calm. “Mother, she is the only woman I will marry in this lifetime. Please grant us your blessing.”
“Otherwise, the Shen Family will be left without an heir. When that happens, Mother, do not blame your son.”
Old Madam Shen stared blankly as she listened to him.
In that instant, all her anger and strength drained away.
In their place came a profound sense of helplessness.
This was her only son, the pride of her life. He had known that the family would never agree to this. He had known that her elder sister would object even more strongly and would never allow His Majesty the Emperor to issue an imperial decree approving the marriage. So he had acted first and told them afterward, going so far as to threaten his own mother.
She stared at Shen Si in a daze and murmured, “Your father is still away on his travels. What will happen when he returns and hears about this? When he learns that you’ve committed such a grossly unfilial act and married a woman divorced by the Xie Family, will he beat you to death? Or will you anger him to death first?”
Shen Si fell silent for a moment before replying softly, “One day, Mother will understand me. There is no room in my heart for anyone else. I had no other choice but to do this.”
The moment he finished speaking, Old Madam Shen snapped, “I do not understand you!”
“I asked you back then whether you liked the Ji Family’s daughter, and you said you did not! So what are you doing now? Must you oppose me in everything?”
Shen Si pressed his lips into a tight line. For once, a crack appeared in his composed expression, revealing a trace of pain.
He said in a low voice, “Because I let my chance slip away once before. I do not want to lose it a second time.”
He looked at his mother again. “Grand Princess Rongqing has taken Hanyi as her adopted daughter and even gave her the bracelet she always wore. Mother should understand what that means. Not just anyone can earn Grand Princess Rongqing’s regard.”
“Hanyi will not disappoint you, either. She is worthy of my sincerity.”
“The wedding is less than a month away. I must trouble Mother to oversee the Three Letters and Six Rites, along with all the other arrangements.”
Old Madam Shen stared at Shen Si in stunned silence, unable to say a word.
After a long while, she finally asked, “With the wedding set for such an early date, how can everything possibly be arranged in time?”
“There is no need to rush this. It would not be too late to hold the wedding in six months.”
Old Madam Shen knew Shen Si’s temperament. Once he had made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to change it. There was no hope of persuading him now, so she would delay the matter first. After all, no one else knew that Ji Hanyi was the woman he was actually going to marry.
Once she had slowly talked Shen Si around, she could make another visit to the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence and discuss the matter properly with Grand Princess Rongqing. It might still be possible to replace Ji Hanyi with someone else.
However, the instant she finished speaking, Shen Si’s indifferent voice sounded again. “If not for all the required procedures, I would have preferred to marry her before this month was out.”
“The invitations have already been sent. Mother also said that a marriage alliance is no trifling matter. If Mother refuses to oversee the wedding, the marquis’s estate His Majesty bestowed upon me will serve just as well.”