On a late autumn day, six carriages arrived outside the gates of Jing City, accompanied by over a hundred guards. The uniform attire of the attendants clearly indicated it was a convoy from a wealthy family.
From afar, some recognized the leading figures. “Aren’t those the servants of the playboy Young Master Gu?”
“I heard Young Master Gu returned to his hometown to worship his ancestors. Is he just coming back now?”
“No mistake, it’s him! In the entire Jing City, only Young Master Gu could be more ostentatious than the sons of princes.”
Song Shiyue listened to the discussions outside, glanced at the commotion-causing procession, and curled her lips.
“You really are a playboy, so flashy. Aren’t you afraid someone might take a dislike to you and bring trouble?”
“Not afraid. I have the old emperor backing me!”
Gu Yu Chen replied casually. Song Shiyue sneered, “Mountains may crumble, and people may flee. Aren’t you afraid that one day your backer might fall, and you’ll be attacked by everyone?”
Gu Yu Chen glared, struck by the girl’s accurate prediction.
The old emperor was seriously ill, and his sons had begun vying for power. As a wealthy prize, he had become a bargaining chip for the princes seeking profit, all wanting to establish ties with him—even considering marriage alliances.
He had asked Song Shiyue for help to serve as a shield, fending off the women pushed onto him by nobles and royals.
“Whether I’ll be attacked by everyone is still unknown. But you, appearing as my wife, should be careful of being targeted.”
Song Shiyue immediately shot him a cold glare. “If you want me to help you ward off those unwanted admirers, then cooperate with me properly.”
“No problem, everything as my lady says.”
Gu Yu Chen knew when to yield. Dealing with one was far better than dealing with a crowd.
The news of Young Master Gu’s return to the capital quickly reached the ears of many who had been eagerly awaiting him.
By the time the convoy stopped at the gates of Gu Mansion, many had already arrived with invitations.
“Young Master Gu, I am from the Fourth Prince’s residence. His Highness invites you to gather at the Star Plucking Tower tomorrow at noon.”
“Young Master Gu, I am from Zhenyuan Marquis Manor. Our Third Master requests your presence at the Flower Full Tower.”
“Young Master Gu, the Young Prince invites you to go boating tomorrow.”
…
The clamoring voices abruptly ceased. Everyone blinked in disbelief, some even rubbing their eyes.
Song Shiyue, dressed in lavish robes and adorned with a head full of gleaming gold hairpins and jewelry, appeared brightly before the crowd.
Good heavens, where did this country tycoon come from? She nearly blinded them with her glare.
When everyone got a clear look at Song Shiyue’s features, they were startled once more—she was a noblewoman, and so beautiful!
Song Shiyue stepped down from the carriage with a stern face, deeply displeased that Gu Yu Chen had decked her out in so much jewelry.
If he hadn’t swiftly lifted the curtain, she would never have stepped out like this.
Gasps and inquiries arose from the surroundings. “Whose young lady is this?”
Just as everyone was puzzled, Gu Yu Chen was carried out of the carriage by his servants.
“Ah, is Young Master Gu injured?”
“What happened? Does our master need to summon the imperial physician?”
The noise erupted again. Uncle Da, who had returned to the mansion earlier, stepped forward and cupped his hands in salute to the visitors from various households.
“Gentlemen, my young master has just returned to the capital today. Because he married without permission, the Old Master severely punished him, and he is now injured. He will be unable to go out or receive guests in the near future. I must trouble you to report this to your respective masters.”
Liu Si also spoke up, “Once my young master has recovered, he will personally visit each of your masters. Please disperse now.”
Gu Yu Chen was carried into the mansion, with Song Shiyue following closely by his side. As she stepped over the threshold, she glanced back at the crowd, flashing a captivating smile before turning and entering.
That brief moment of her looking back left a deep impression on the servants and attendants from various households.
It wasn’t until the gates of Gu Mansion closed that they snapped out of their daze.
“Hurry, hurry! Go report that Young Master Gu has married! He has a wife now!”
In an instant, the commotion in front of Gu Mansion dissipated. Only two figures dressed as master and servant remained, standing in the middle of the empty street, staring blankly at the mansion’s gates.
After a long while, a gust of wind blew by. The chill roused the two from their stupor. “Master, shall we go in?”
“Not today. We’ll come another day.”
Perched on the wall, Song Shiyue asked Liu Si, “Which of your young master’s troublesome admirers is that?”
“Young Madam, that’s a man. How could he be one of Young Master’s admirers?”
“Nonsense! That’s clearly a young lady disguised as a man.”
“Oh? Really? This humble one didn’t notice.”
Song Shiyue finally realized that this Liu Si was rather simple-minded.
Bored, she jumped down from the wall, her movements rough and mannish.
The servants who had returned with them from the farmstead were already familiar with the approachable young madam and were accustomed to her behavior.
However, the stewards, matrons, maids, and attendants in the mansion were seeing this for the first time.
They all thought to themselves: No wonder the old master punished the young master so severely—it turns out he was implicated by the young madam’s impropriety.
Everyone wondered how the young master could have married such a wife.
Though they all harbored these thoughts, none dared to voice them.
Despite Gu Mansion being a merchant household, its family rules were exceptionally strict. Servants were strictly forbidden from privately discussing their masters’ affairs. Anyone caught doing so would be sold off.
No one wanted to leave Gu Mansion after all, as the masters here didn’t mistreat their servants, and the wages were generous—comparable to many noble households.
After walking around, Song Shiyue noticed that while the servants were curious about her, they didn’t gossip. They all bowed when they saw her, and she hadn’t encountered any chatterboxes yet.
Seeing her enter, Gu Yu Chen personally poured tea and handed it to her.
“Madam, you’ve worked hard inspecting everything. Is it to your satisfaction?”
“Yes, the servants are all very proper. One can tell the rules here are strict.”
Song Shiyue took a sip of the tea—unsurprisingly, it was of the highest quality. She had already witnessed Gu Yu Chen’s extravagant lifestyle at the farmstead and had grown numb to it.
“Two young ladies stayed outside until the very end. Can you guess which of your admirers they might be?”
“None of them. Although I have a reputation as a playboy, I’ve never provoked any admirers.”
(Those who threw themselves at him didn’t count.)
Song Shiyue didn’t press the matter. She had already learned from Liu Si and others that Gu Yu Chen merely enjoyed socializing and would occasionally drink at brothels out of necessity, but never requested courtesans.
Usually, he just spent time with idle friends, riding horses through the streets and squandering money. He had never engaged in bullying men or harassing women.
“Regardless of how you behaved before, during our time pretending to be husband and wife, you’re not allowed to fool around.”
“Absolutely not. We are, after all, a ‘married couple’ with a Marriage Certificate.”
Gu Yu Chen gave a serious assurance, and Song Shiyue nodded in satisfaction.
It wasn’t that she had developed feelings for Gu Yu Chen; she simply didn’t want any “2+N” situations to arise while she bore the title of Young Madam Gu, as that would disgust her.
But she also understood that this was difficult for people of ancient times to achieve. She was just setting some ground rules first—what would happen later? They would cross that bridge when they came to it.
To maintain appearances, the two did not sleep in separate rooms, with one sleeping on the bed and the other on the daybed.
Behind closed doors, they lived their own lives, and outsiders had no idea about their daily routine.
The news that Young Master Gu had brought back a beautiful woman—his forcibly married wife—and had been severely punished by Old Master Gu for it spread throughout Jing City in less than half an hour.
Everyone was skeptical: Was it true or false?
At the same time, a joke began circulating: The new wife had walked into the mansion on her own, while Young Master Gu had to be carried in. No one could tell who had married whom.