Chapter 180
Chapter 180
Ji Hanyi was still trying to process what Shen Si had just told her.
She had not expected it to be so soon. By her count, it was only twenty days away – not even a full month.
Unable to suppress her curiosity, she looked at Shen Si and asked, “Why the rush?”
Shen Si’s dark eyes shifted slightly. “If we don’t hurry, things will become difficult if His Majesty the Emperor’s marriage decree arrives first.”
Ji Hanyi thought about it and realized he was right. Shen Si had considered the matter far more thoroughly than she had.
In any case, she had already made her decision. Whether it happened sooner or later did not really matter.
She nodded and looked at Shen Si again. “Rest assured, Lord Shen. I’m ready.”
Shen Si paused at the exceptionally earnest, solemn expression on her face, then a hint of a smile entered his eyes.
At that moment, her seriousness held a touch of endearing innocence. It laid bare the purity in her heart, as clear as a flowing stream.
He lowered his eyes. His gaze fell upon her perfectly neat pink outfit and the hundred-butterfly pattern on her skirt. In a husky voice, he said, “Don’t be afraid of anything. I’ll be there through it all.”
In the stillness of the deep night, his quiet reassurance tugged at Ji Hanyi’s heart.
She did have some worries.
But when Shen Si told her he would always be there, those worries faded.
She nodded gently and murmured, “Mm.”
Shen Si’s gaze, deep and still as water, slowly returned to Ji Hanyi’s face, softly illuminated by the flickering candlelight. Her face was so pure and fair that he found himself wanting to draw closer.
Before he could stop himself, he leaned slightly toward her. His posture had always been rigidly upright and stern, but now his back was slightly bowed as he approached her in the most relaxed manner he could manage.
Shen Si asked, “Do you still have the key I gave you last time?”
Ji Hanyi hurriedly replied, “I do.”
Shen Si looked at her. “There is also a sheet of paper beneath the key. It’s the deed to a residence, and it’s for you.”
At those words, Ji Hanyi quickly rose, took out the box, and held it out to Shen Si. “Lord Shen, I can’t accept anything more from you.”
“Lord Shen has already helped me so much. I’m helping you because I truly want to.”
Shen Si looked at the box she was offering him but did not take it. Meeting her beautiful almond-shaped eyes, he said, “That residence was purchased for your mother. Once we are married, you’ll have to move into the Shen Family home. It would be inconvenient for your mother to return to the Gu Family.”
“The maids and guards there have already been arranged. Your mother will be able to recuperate in peace.”
“Besides, it isn’t far from the Shen Residence. It’s only two alleys away, so you can visit your mother whenever you wish.”
Ji Hanyi tightened her grip on the box. The gift still felt far too generous for her to accept.
A residence so close to the Shen Residence had to be extremely expensive.
Seeing her hesitation, Shen Si said, “To me, it is no more than another property. You can accept it without worry.”
As he spoke, Shen Si raised his hand and covered the back of hers with his broad palm, slowly pushing the box back toward her. “Consider it a betrothal gift.”
Ji Hanyi lowered her head and stared blankly at the box in her hands. The moment Shen Si touched the back of her hand, she trembled and instinctively pulled away.
Once she recovered, she looked at Shen Si in a daze. His cool, distant eyes were also fixed on her. If she continued refusing, it seemed they would never reach a resolution.
Her mother truly could not return to the Gu Family.
In truth, Shen Si’s arrangements were excellent.
Her lips parted, and she finally nodded.
Shen Si then said, “Move there tomorrow.”
Ji Hanyi stared at him in surprise. “Why so soon?”
Shen Si smiled faintly. “The Xie Family has learned about this place. It would be best to move early and avoid unnecessary trouble.”
He gazed deeply at Ji Hanyi and continued, “Don’t tell anyone in the Gu Family about the new residence for now. Otherwise, the Xie Family might use them to find you again. It would be best not to tell even your cousin. Once our marriage is settled, you will be my wife, and the Xie Family will no longer dare to harass you.”
Naturally, that was not Shen Si’s chief reason for saying this.
The most important reason was that he did not want Gu Yan appearing before Ji Hanyi again.
Over the past two days, Shen Si had deliberately ordered more work assigned to Gu Yan to keep him occupied. But Gu Yan was Ji Hanyi’s cousin, after all, and he had never done anything to harm her. Shen Si had no intention of dealing with him too harshly just yet.
Ji Hanyi listened to Shen Si’s arrangements and, after thinking it over, felt that he had a point. Seeing the steady look in his eyes, as if he had already taken care of everything, she hesitated before agreeing.
Then she remembered something else she had wanted to ask him. “My cousin wanted to go to Wei County before, but if he’s changed his mind now, can he choose not to go?”
Ji Hanyi asked the question cautiously. Gu Yan had yet to reply to the letter she had sent him, so she had no idea what he truly wanted. Since this had all begun because of her, she hoped for an outcome that would leave everyone satisfied.
Shen Si raised a brow. If he had not intervened behind the scenes, Gu Yan could never have become the County Magistrate of Wei County, no matter how much he wanted the position. Shen Si had merely gone along with the situation and helped him get his wish. Naturally, he had no intention of allowing Gu Yan to return.
After a moment’s consideration, Shen Si looked at Ji Hanyi. “This is a matter for the Ministry of Personnel. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to interfere.”
His gaze swept over the faint disappointment on her face, and he added quietly, “But if this is truly what you want, I’ll do my best to find a way.”
Ji Hanyi knew it was already rare enough for Shen Si to offer that much. She did not want to make things too difficult for him, so she said, “My cousin hasn’t told me what he wants yet. We can discuss it after he does.”
Shen Si gave a soft murmur of acknowledgment and glanced at her again. In truth, he wanted to stay a while longer. But she had already finished explaining why she had asked him here. If he lingered, she might think he was doing so deliberately.
He gazed at her delicate face and hesitated for a long moment before forcing himself to rise. “Go to bed early. I’ll be leaving now.”
Ji Hanyi stood to see him out. Shen Si stopped before the curtain and watched her approach. Her slender figure looked so frail, and the early spring night was cold, so he did not let her accompany him any farther. He was already content simply to have sat with her for a while.
Ji Hanyi watched his retreating figure. After he left, she could not resist lowering her eyes to the key inside the box. She took out the property deed beneath it and stared at it blankly beneath the lamplight.
–
The next day, Shen Si sent people to fetch them.
He had arranged everything with meticulous care, leaving them nothing to do themselves. In less than half an hour, everything had been packed and loaded.
They soon arrived at the residence Shen Si had mentioned. It was clearly more refined and elegant than their previous home, as well as somewhat larger. Most notably, the rear garden was expansive and tastefully landscaped. Many crabapple trees had been planted there, which delighted Madam Gu.
With the garden full of blossoms, Madam Gu’s spirits lifted, and she went to the rear garden to cut a few flowering branches.
Ji Hanyi remained in the main hall, where an older maid handed her a register and explained the household’s various affairs. Several managing housekeepers stood beside her.
The register listed the servants Shen Si had assigned to the residence. Their indenture contracts had also been handed over to Ji Hanyi, making them members of this household from that day onward.
Ji Hanyi briefly checked the list and familiarized herself with the servants. She then spoke privately with the head housekeeper and gave her a few instructions before dismissing everyone.
Ji Hanyi also asked the steward about the household expenses. The steward smiled and said, “You needn’t worry about that, Miss. Every expense here will be charged to Marquis Shen’s accounts.”
Shen Si had already given her the residence, and now he had provided so many servants and even undertaken all their living expenses. Ji Hanyi could not help feeling that she owed him far too much.
With the money she currently had, there was no way she could repay him, and the thought weighed heavily on her.
There was no point discussing such things with the steward, however, so she dismissed him. She then took the indenture contracts to her mother and asked her to keep them safe. They might spend the rest of their lives in this residence.
Shen Si did not visit over the next two days. He was probably very busy. But on the third night, he came. He did not enter the residence. It was as if he had merely happened to pass by, and he sat waiting for her inside his carriage.