The procession stops at the entrance of the Great Blue Residence, and the servants carrying gifts wrapped in silk soon line up in the front.
The next moment, Madam Lin's son took a step forward and declared, "The groom, Yi Chen, arrives to pay respects and fulfil the engagement rights."
Hearing this declaration, the house steward nods and gestures to the servants behind him to receive all the offered gifts.
Meanwhile, he walked towards Yi Chen, who had just dismounted from the horse's back and greeted him respectfully.
"Greetings, Young Master. I'll be taking you to the ancestral shrine then. Please follow me," The house steward said, and soon entered the entrance gate.
Yi Chen followed after him only to find Madam Lin waiting for him inside the main entrance. She joined them up, and together with a few servants in tow, they all reached the ancestral shrine.
It was built in one secluded corner of the residence, so this was also Yi Chen's first time seeing this place.
Madam Lin stands at a spot and gives a nod towards Yi Chen.
Understanding her signal, Yi Chen steps towards the ancestral shrine and stops just three steps before its threshold before performing a shallow bow towards the ancestral tablets inside.
The next moment, Madam Lin's voice echoes.
"On this auspicious day, the prospective son-in-law comes to pay respect to the esteemed ancestors of the Zheng household."
With this said, Yi Chen finally enters the shrine and glances upon the several ancestral tablets which were arranged in front of him. A servant hands him a basket of fruits, the next moment to offer to the ancestors.
Yi Chen carefully grabs it and gently places it on the altar in front of him.
Seeing this, he was soon handed three incense sticks by the head steward, who retreated a few steps after handing them to him.
Yi Chen accepted the incense sticks and, while holding them at his chest height, performed three bows towards the ancestral tablet. His action was slow and deliberate.
With that done, he carefully places the incense upright into the censer with both hands.
The next moment kneels on the mat laid on the floor and, while facing the tablets, performs three kowtows. While at it, he ensured that his head touched the ground each time.
"Present your declaration to the honoured ancestors!" Madam Lin's voice reverberated from the side.
Hearing this, Yi Chen took a deep breath while on his knees and declared.
"Honoured ancestors of the Zheng family, I, Yi Chen, present myself with sincere intention to marry your descendant, Feng Yu, and to join your lineage with respect and devotion. I vow to uphold the family's honour before anything else and take care of her for all my life."
After finishing his declaration, Yi Chen performed another set of kowtows before finally standing up at Madam Lin's instruction.
He withdraws three steps, gives a shallow bow towards the tablets, before finally retreating out of the shrine.
"Young Master, come, Master Ru would be waiting for you in the main hall," the house steward said and started walking. Yi Chen tagged behind him just like before and soon reached the main hall.
On the main seat, several steps ahead of Yi Chen, Master Ru was sitting with a serious disposition on his face. Quite a few townsfolk have also gathered inside the hall to witness the engagement.
However, Yi Chen's focus wasn't on them but towards Master Ru's right side. In particular, the curtain of red beads next to him.
Behind that curtain of beads, Feng Yu sat elegantly in a light green robe.
A white silk veil covered her lower face, and only her emerald eyes were visible. Her eyes were currently fully focused towards Yi Chen's figure.
A subconscious smile formed on his face when his eyes fell upon her as he took his step forward before stopping at an appropriate distance from Master Ru.
He respectfully bows towards him the next moment, and seeing this, Master Ru firmly nods back.
Madam Lin then hands him a red page, which was a marriage declaration letter.
Yi Chen opened up the letter and started reading the details.
"I, Yi Chen, of humble birth, present this letter to affirm my wish to take Feng Yu as my lawful wife. I vow mutual respect, fidelity, and to honour her family as my own."
With that said, Yi Chen presented the letter with both hands and waited for Master Ru to arrive. After hearing Yi Chen's declaration, Master Ru took a few steps forward and received the marriage declaration letter with both hands.
"Your sincerity is accepted," Master Ru's words echoed in the hall and hearing which, Yi Chen deeply bowed towards him.
"The Engagement is acknowledged," Madam Lin declared and continued, "Exchange of engagement rings will take place now!"
Hearing these words, Feng Yu soon made her way out of the beads of curtains, and while being assisted by a maid, she reached one end of a small table that had been placed in the middle of the hall.
Yi Chen was standing at the other end of the round table and was glancing towards her with a gentle smile.
On the table, two small red coloured boxes were present in an open fashion. An elegant ring made by intricately carving sapphire and ruby to form a beautiful design was visible to the two of them.
Seeing it, they couldn't help but recall the several exhausting attempts it took them to decide upon this ring. The smiles on their faces subtly widened as a result.
"Put the ring on each other!" Madam Lin declared from the side.
It was Yi Chen who took the initiative, and gently grabbing Feng Yu's delicate wrist, he put the ring on her ring finger.
A sense of warmth welled up inside Feng Yu's heart as she felt the coldness of the metallic strip over her finger. The next moment, she too grabbed the ring and placed it on Yi Chen's ring finger.
"The engagement is finished!" Madam Lin declares and starts clapping while smiling. The crowd too joins in at it, and the hall echoes in cheers.