In the main hall of the front courtyard, laughter and cheerful chatter filled the air, and the place was abuzz with merriment. Shen Zilan was holding one end of a red silk ribbon, while the other end was held by Chen Miaohe, clad in full wedding attire, who was being teased playfully by the crowd.
Seated at the front of the hall were Cui Yunchu and Shen Xiabai. Cui Yunchu wore a warm, affectionate smile on her face, looking every bit the doting mother as if her own son was getting married that day.
Shen Zilan's eyes quickly swept across the entire hall, but he failed to spot the familiar figure he was looking for. Disappointment crept over him, and his eyelashes drooped slightly.
Grandmother didn't come?
All these years, seeing him like this must have been such a torment for her.
As the matchmaker called out the ceremonial lines in a loud, ringing voice, the grand wedding ritual officially came to a close. Surrounded and escorted by all the guests, Chen Miaohe was supposed to head to the bridal chamber.
But the person beside her made no move at all. Chen Miaohe furrowed her brows, secretly lifted a tiny slit of her wedding veil, and whispered, "Shen Zilan, what are you doing?"
Don't tell me he's having second thoughts again and wants to send her back home.
Shen Zilan snapped back to his senses at once. He looked at the young woman beside him and gave her a soft, gentle smile. "Nothing, I just zoned out for a moment."
"You zoned out when you're marrying me? Were you thinking of some other girl again?"
Shen Zilan fell silent.
To Chen Miaohe, he was a repeat offender, and she didn't trust him even a little bit. "You must have set your eyes on some other girl, haven't you, Shen Zilan? I swear I'll skin you alive."
"..."
She was already being so fierce and menacing the moment they stepped through the door.
Just a few days ago, she had been all shy, timid, and clinging like a little bird.
Shen Zilan suddenly felt that the days ahead might be bleak and gloomy. "Let's go to the bridal chamber."
He tossed aside the red silk, stepped forward, swept her up into his arms with an arm around her waist, and the two of them left the main hall together, drawing peals of laughter from the onlookers.
The Shen Manor's lively celebrations lasted well into the night. The wedding of the Young Master Shen was no less grand than the one held when Shen Xiabai got married.
But even amid his joy, Shen Zilan felt a little weighed down. Before heading to the bridal chamber, he had been made to drink a great deal of wine. If Shen Xiabai hadn't spoken up for him, he would have never made it to the bridal chamber at all.
"Where's Grandmother?" Shen Zilan asked Shen Xiabai, his eyes hazy with intoxication.
Shen Xiabai replied, "You can ask her yourself tomorrow."
Just like what Cui Yunchu had thought before, Dowager Shen felt deeply guilty towards Shen Zilan. If Shen Zilan had been made to kneel and pay respects to the person who killed his father on his wedding day, it would have left him feeling deeply upset.
That was why Dowager Shen had not appeared at the wedding.
But Shen Zilan knew perfectly well that his entire wedding had been arranged by his grandmother. Even the items placed in the wedding chamber were all his favorite things.
A tear trickled down Shen Zilan's cheek. "Uncle, my official assignment document has been approved. I want to set off tomorrow."
Shen Xiabai did not stop him. "Now that you are married, you are no longer a young lad. You can make your own decisions about whatever you wish to do."
He patted Shen Zilan on the shoulder and turned to leave.
"Uncle," Shen Zilan called out suddenly, "you're here in the capital all alone. Won't that be dangerous?"
"What if I..."
"Let your aunt prepare more silver taels for you. If you run into any trouble, don't be reckless. You can always write a letter back home."
Shen Zilan stayed silent for a long moment, then nodded in agreement. "Then you must be careful too, Uncle. If you ever... need any help, remember to let me know."
Shen Xiabai glanced back at him, suddenly broke into a faint smile, and then turned and walked away.
Early the next morning, Shen Zilan brought Chen Miaohe to Dowager Shen's courtyard to pay their respects.
Chen Miaohe's black hair was coiled up in a neat updo, looking both youthful and charming. "We're leaving right after our wedding. Isn't that rather inappropriate?"
Shen Zilan said nothing.
He knew that if they stayed any longer, things would be hard for both him and his grandmother. It would be far better for him to leave first and let time heal all the wounds.
"No matter what, she is the one who raised me, and she has always been the best grandmother to me."
Chen Miaohe nodded in understanding. The two of them arrived at Dowager Shen's courtyard, only to find the doors and windows all shut tight. There was no sound coming from inside, and only one maid was standing guard in the yard.
"Young Master, Young Mistress," the little maid curtsied to them. "Dowager Shen left the capital last night to visit relatives in the Jiangnan region. Before she left, she specifically told me to give this brocade box to the Young Mistress. She wishes you both a long and happy life together, with many children to come."
Shen Zilan looked down at the brocade box that was placed in Chen Miaohe's hands. The box was covered in intricate patterns, and he had a vague memory of it.
It was part of his grandmother's dowry, her most beloved and precious possession. There were two identical boxes in total. She had given one to his little aunt, and now the other one to Chen Miaohe.
Shen Zilan's eyes turned red instantly. "When did she leave?"
"Right after you entered the bridal chamber," the maid said. "Dowager Shen had been watching the ceremony from the shadows the entire time. She didn't leave until the whole wedding celebration was over."
Shen Zilan stood there, feeling a chill run through his body, and a dull, throbbing pain gripped his heart.
"Dowager Shen also said that being a local official is no easy task. If the Young Master runs into any difficulties, don't ever forget that you can always come back home."
"Zilan." Chen Miaohe held Shen Zilan's hand as the two of them walked out of Dowager Shen's courtyard in a daze.
"Grandmother truly has you in her heart."
Shen Zilan murmured, "How could my Uncle allow Grandmother to leave like this?"
Chen Miaohe said nothing, not knowing how to comfort him.
Shen Zilan's voice turned hoarse. "It shouldn't have been Grandmother who left. It should have been me. Everything I have now, I stole it."
Chen Miaohe squeezed his hand tightly. "Grandmother told you not to forget you can come home. So this place will always be your home."
"The situation in the capital is tense right now. Grandmother leaving might not be a bad thing. If you're worried, we can take up our official post near the place where Grandmother is visiting relatives. It's just a matter of changing the location, and for your Uncle, that's as easy as saying a word."
Chen Miaohe called out "little uncle" so smoothly and naturally, as if the title had always been a part of her vocabulary.
The newlyweds walked hand in hand to the main courtyard, where Cui Yunchu was going through the gift list from Shen Zilan's wedding the day before, smiling so widely that her face crumpled up like a blooming flower.
When the maid Xing'er came to report that the Young Master and Young Mistress had arrived, Cui Yunchu quickly hid the gift list away. "Oh no, they can't be here to ask for the gifts I received yesterday, can they?"
Xing'er looked on helplessly. "Madam, according to the rules, the Young Master and Young Mistress have come to serve you tea as a sign of respect."
"..."
In the flower hall, Chen Miaohe and Shen Zilan knelt down neatly to pay their respects. "Greetings, little Uncle, little Aunt."
Shen Xiabai did not say a word, but Cui Yunchu smiled so brightly that she looked like a flower in full bloom. "Good, good, get up now, you two."
Oh no, she really felt as if her own son had grown up and was now getting married and starting a family. Thinking of that, Cui Yunchu unconsciously touched her own lower abdomen.
Off to the side, Shen Zilan was talking to Shen Xiabai about their plan to leave for his official post, but Cui Yunchu was lost in her own daydreams and did not hear a single word they said.
It was Chen Miaohe who leaned over and asked, "Little Aunt, did you forget something?"
"What is it?" Cui Yunchu asked her.
Chen Miaohe held out her hand. "I just kowtowed to you, you know."
"Tsk..."
Another little money lover has married into the family. Now there will be someone fighting with me over the family property in the future, Cui Yunchu thought to herself. She took a small box out from her sleeve and handed it over. "This is extremely valuable. Your little Uncle used it to trick me into marrying him back in the day, when I was young and beautiful."
Chen Miaohe opened the box with a mix of doubt and curiosity. A round, plump pearl came into view, emitting a soft, faint glow.
"A night pearl?" Chen Miaohe exclaimed delightedly.
"It's even a tribute item, so it's worth far more than an ordinary one," Cui Yunchu told her.
"Thank you, little Aunt!"
Cui Yunchu looked at Chen Miaohe's bright, smiling face and gave her a reminder. "You must keep this treasure safe. Never ever sell it. Selling an imperial bestowed item is a crime punishable by death."
Chen Miaohe nodded repeatedly, and her calls of "little Aunt" became even more warm and affectionate.
Shen Xiabai, who was standing to the side chatting with Shen Zilan, turned his head and glanced over.
