In the blink of an eye, the day of departure arrived.
Even before dawn, Shang Ruyi was already dressed neatly. When she walked to the main gate, several horse-drawn carriages and the family servants assigned to escort were already waiting there.
Shen Shiyan and Yu were also standing at the gate, giving instructions to the people below.
Shen Shiyan said to the leader, Gao Feng, "The world is not peaceful these days. You must be careful and cautious on the road, taking only the main routes. You must also stay at the Official Post Station tonight. I have already informed them, so as long as there are no unexpected events, you’ll reach Taiyuan tomorrow."
This Gao Feng was a young man in his early twenties, dark-skinned and upright, loyal to the Shen Mansion.
He responded, "Master, please rest assured."
On the side, Yu was repeatedly reminding the maid Tushere, "Ru Yi will be getting married, you must serve her well."
Tushere was the daughter of Yu’s chief maid. After her mother passed away, she was raised in the Shen Mansion and grew up with Shang Ruyi. The two of them were as close as sisters, and she was intelligent, clever, and a very reliable person.
She smiled and said, "Madam, rest assured."
Yu again whispered, "If Ru Yi suffers any grievances over there, you’re not allowed to pretend nothing happened; you must let us know."
Shen Shiyan laughed and said, "What are you saying?"
Yu said, "I don’t care. All these years, I’ve never touched a hair on Ru Yi. Now that she’s married, it should be the same, and no one should bully her."
Shen Shiyan shook his head with a helpless laugh.
Upon hearing these words, Shang Ruyi felt a pang in her nose and softly said, "Uncle, Aunt."
Mr. and Mrs. Shen immediately turned around.
For this marriage, Yu had specially made several sets of new clothes for her. Today, she wore a water-red garment, simple yet exquisite, with slight embellishments. Her cleaned eyebrows and lightly painted lips made her skin appear like snow and her eyebrows like a painted tableau, especially with her pair of round and bright eyes. Standing there, she was as serene as a fairy stepping out from a painting.
Previously, she was just an innocent young girl, but now, looking at her, she seemed entirely different from before.
She was about to get married and would no longer be their carefree little girl.
Thinking of this, Yu was overwhelmed with sorrow, hugged Shang Ruyi tightly, and sobbed, "My Ru Yi, how are you already getting married..."
In truth, these days, Shang Ruyi was quietly immersed in a faint sadness every day, unable to express it. Now watching her aunt’s reluctance, she couldn’t help but tear up, and she knelt down before them with a thud.
"What are you doing?"
Shen Shiyan and Yu were both anxious and hurried to pull her up, but Shang Ruyi stubbornly knelt in front of the couple, choked up, and said, "Ru Yi am grateful to Uncle and Aunt for nurturing me. From now on, I won’t be able to serve you both at your knees, nor take care of you further. I only hope you two will take good care of yourselves and that everything goes well."
"Uncle, your knees ache during the winter. I made two pairs of kneepads and placed them in your study room."
"And Aunt... please eat less sweet stuff; you always have a toothache..."
Yu pulled her up and cried while embracing her, while those around rushed to comfort them. After shedding some tears together in this difficult separation, Shang Ruyi was finally escorted onto the carriage by the crowd.
As the hour struck, the convoy began to move and leave.
Watching the convoy disappear at the end of the long street, Yu collapsed onto Shen Shiyan’s shoulder and cried, "My grown-up niece is just given ..."
Listening to her, Shen Shiyan hugged his wife, and they cried together.
However, neither of them noticed a carriage emerge from a small alley, slowly following the bridal convoy.