Chapter 198
Chapter 198
Early the next morning, the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence came alive with activity.
Ji Hanyi was roused at dawn by Rongchun and the matrons who had come in to help her bathe and burn incense. Afterward, she sat before the dressing table while a matron combed her hair and applied her makeup.
The matron beamed as she recited auspicious blessings. “With the first comb, may your marriage last to the very end. With the second, may you grow old together. With the third, may your home be filled with children and grandchildren.”
Ji Hanyi merely gazed at the woman in the mirror, her heart surprisingly calm.
This was her second time marrying. The first time, she had been full of anticipation, unable to keep the smile from her face. This time, she was much more composed. She no longer felt the nervous yearning of a young maiden in love, yet she felt far more secure than she had back then.
The Marchioness of the Cheng’an Marquis’s Residence and Second Madam Qin stood in the room, smiling as they bustled about. Once Ji Hanyi’s hair and makeup were finished, the two of them helped her into her wedding dress.
By the time the entire elaborate process was complete, it was already past midmorning.
The brilliant red wedding dress weighed heavily upon her. With every step Ji Hanyi took, she felt as though she were walking through a dream, struck now and then by a fleeting sense that none of this was real.
Supported by Madam Tan and Madam Su, she made her way to the main hall. Grand Princess Rongqing and Madam Gu were seated together at the head of the room. Ji Hanyi served tea to them both, and Grand Princess Rongqing smiled as she bestowed blessing after blessing upon her.
Ji Hanyi respectfully accepted them all. She then lowered the fan in her hand, allowing Madam Gu to personally place the bridal veil over her head.
The others in the room came forward as well, offering blessings and words of farewell. Near noon, the steward hurried in with a jubilant expression and announced that the bridal escort had arrived. Marquis Shen himself had come to receive the bride.
Only then did everyone rise and crowd around Ji Hanyi, escorting her toward the front gate.
Ji Hanyi’s mind had gone blank. She simply followed the others forward. Amid the deafening crash of gongs and drums, all the joyful congratulations around her seemed to fade into the distance. It was only when a large, warm hand closed around hers that she finally came back to herself.
Dressed in red, Shen Si dismounted from a magnificent horse draped in embroidered brocade and adorned with gems. He stood beside the lavish bridal sedan chair, his features as flawless as carved jade amid the crowd.
Behind him, the wedding procession extended beyond the alley. Drums and music rang out together, while copper coins scattered over the ground with a clatter, drawing cheers and congratulations from the onlookers.
He lowered his gaze to Ji Hanyi as she emerged in red beneath her bridal veil, moving with small, graceful steps. He could not help imagining how lovely her face must look beneath the veil.
Shen Si pressed his lips together and tightened his hold on Ji Hanyi’s hand, guiding her into the bridal sedan chair.
Naturally, a wedding at the Shen Residence was conducted with magnificent pomp. The palace had even sent an imperial honor guard and armed escorts for the procession. Both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince accompanied them on either side. Such an impressive display drew the people of the capital out into the streets to watch.
Ji Hanyi could see none of the excitement from beneath her veil. She only knew that wherever the sedan passed, thunderous celebration surrounded it.
The bridal sedan circled the city three times, scattering tens of thousands of copper coins along the way. By the time it arrived before the gates of the Shen Residence, it was already late afternoon.
A brazier had been placed at the entrance. Holding Shen Si’s hand, Ji Hanyi stepped over it, then entered the inner hall with him to perform the wedding bows to heaven and earth.
Red silk covered the path beneath their feet, and grain and beans had been scattered across the floor. Still dazed, Ji Hanyi let Shen Si lead her onward. It was only when she reached the bridal chamber and sat down upon the wedding bed that she finally breathed a faint sigh of relief.
The wedding bed was strewn with peanuts and longans, making it extremely uncomfortable to sit on. Through the lower edge of her veil, Ji Hanyi could vaguely make out several people still standing in the room. Unable to shift around carelessly, she could only sit there with perfect decorum.
She thought of how numerous and strict the rules of the Shen Residence had always been and wondered whether she would be able to handle them all.
Then she tried to remember how she had spent the day of her previous wedding, but she could recall none of it. That wedding seemed so long ago now that all its minor details had faded from memory.
She was still somewhat nervous, especially with the matrons in the room watching her so closely. She had no idea how much longer she would have to remain seated.
After she had waited for quite some time, there was still no movement either inside or outside the room. At last, however, the matrons began to stir and started lighting the candles.
The sky was not yet completely dark. Ji Hanyi estimated that it was only just past late afternoon and dusk was beginning to settle. If the matrons were lighting the candles, did that mean Shen Si would soon come to lift her veil?
Ji Hanyi actually hoped Shen Si would arrive soon. The peanuts and lotus seeds beneath her were digging painfully into her, and once Shen Si came, the matrons in the room ought to leave as well.
Yet it was far too quiet outside. She suddenly recalled her last wedding, when Xie Yuheng’s cousins had laughed and shouted outside her bridal chamber and nearly barged inside. She had been terrified, but Xie Yuheng had not stopped them. He had merely ordered them not to push open the door.
This time, it was so silent outside that she could not hear a single sound. Shen Si always looked so intimidating; presumably, no one dared to come and make trouble.
After another short wait, sounds finally came from outside. There were measured footsteps, followed by respectful greetings. Ji Hanyi immediately knew that Shen Si had arrived.
A moment ago, she had been hoping he would hurry over. Now that Shen Si was truly here, however, Ji Hanyi grew nervous again.
She straightened her back slightly. When the door opened, her heart began pounding even faster.
She did not know why her heart was racing so wildly. Perhaps it was because she had always been like this whenever she faced Shen Si, ever since she was a child.
Or perhaps it was because everything still felt like a dream. She had never once imagined that one day, she and Shen Si would become husband and wife.
Her vision beneath the veil reached only as far as the hem of her skirt, but a shadow fell over her from the man standing before her.
Then the wedding matron’s cheerful voice sounded beside them. “Marquis, please lift the bride’s veil.”
Yet the man in front of her seemed not to move for a long moment. Ji Hanyi’s fingers tightened slightly in her lap.
Shen Si stood before Ji Hanyi. Dressed in a brilliant red wedding dress, she sat upon the wedding bed, looking petite and lovely. He lowered his gaze and stared at her for a long time.
Even with Ji Hanyi like this, even though he still could not see her face, Shen Si felt that he could never look at her enough.
He wanted to brand the sight of Ji Hanyi at this moment into his heart forever.
He had once been so desperate to marry her and bring her home. Now, at last, the tension wound tight within him finally eased. Never again would he have to torment himself with uncertainty, fearing that he might gain her only to lose her.
He gazed at her for a long while before finally taking the silver veil-lifting rod from the matron beside him. Slowly, he raised Ji Hanyi’s bridal veil.