Song Shiyue glanced back at the baby-faced man. “He’s the current Fourth Prince?”
“He’s now Prince Chu.”
Gu Yu Chen also looked back. “During the Emperor’s serious illness, he was the most filial, attending to him daily by the sickbed. After the Emperor recovered, moved by his devotion, he specially granted him the title of Prince Chu yesterday.”
The Fourth Prince’s filial piety was not in vain—he received the prestigious “Chu” title even before marrying.
Being enfeoffed with the name of the Da Chu Kingdom was a great honor, representing the Emperor’s particular favor.
Song Shiyue turned her gaze back to Gu Yu Chen. “You’re quite quick at receiving news.”
“Necessarily so, especially when it comes to the slightest movements in the palace—they directly concern the survival of the Gu family.”
Though Gu Yu Chen spoke lightly, one could detect the helplessness in his tone and the difficulty of surviving under imperial power.
Silence filled the carriage. Just as Song Shiyue was thinking of saying something to lighten the mood, they arrived at the Star Plucking Tower.
Before even alighting, waves of greetings surrounded the carriage.
“Gu Da Shao, you’ve finally shown up.”
“Gu Da Shao, we’ve been waiting for you.”
“Gu Da Shao, all the distinguished guests are awaiting your arrival.”
Song Shiyue chuckled. “You’re really popular, with so many men and women coming to welcome you.”
“They’re not welcoming me—they’re welcoming my silver.”
Gu Yu Chen slowly stepped down from the carriage, his lazy demeanor eliciting a wave of screams.
Ignoring them, he turned and extended his hand toward the carriage, making everyone crane their necks to see.
As Song Shiyue stepped out, gasps of admiration arose.
Knowing they were coming to the Star Plucking Tower, she had deliberately changed into a narrow-sleeved, waist-cinching dress with a wide skirt.
A pink upper garment paired with a light purple long skirt, a deep purple waistband, a stand-up collar trimmed with light purple fur, and a cloak matching the waistband.
Today, she wore no exaggerated gold or silver jewelry, only a crystal hairpin with pink-purple petals in her bun, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell it was exceedingly valuable.
Song Shiyue appeared both playful and elegant, understated yet luxurious—perfectly fitting her new identity as a young wife married to a prodigal son.
Standing on the carriage shaft, Song Shiyue allowed everyone to look their fill.
She lifted her head and, seeing the Star Plucking Tower up close, realized it was truly tall—probably over 60 meters. Looking up from below, the rooftop seemed to connect with the sky.
Besides the main tower, there were three five-story auxiliary buildings on each side, covering a vast area that nearly occupied an entire street.
At that moment, crowds packed the eaves from the first to the fifth floors, all curious about her, the Gu Fu Ren.
Song Shiyue lowered her stiff neck and met Gu Yu Chen’s amused gaze.
“Many people are awed by the grandeur of the Star Plucking Tower when they first arrive in Jing City.”
He thought she was stunned. Song Shiyue admitted she was somewhat surprised—she hadn’t expected a mere seven-story building to be so tall.
Gu Yu Chen helped her down from the carriage. “Liu Si, distribute rewards.”
The crowd, mesmerized by Song Shiyue’s beauty, snapped back to reality and swarmed toward Liu Si.
Their path immediately cleared, and Song Shiyue saw that Liu Si was scattering not copper coins but silver fragments.
“Aren’t you being too wasteful?”
“Heh! My wife is concerned about expenses. Your husband is famously prodigal.”
Song Shiyue disagreed. “Being prodigal doesn’t necessarily mean being wasteful.”
Gu Yu Chen immediately declared loudly, “Alright then, your husband will listen to his wife. From now on, I’ll never be wasteful.”
“Liu Si, stop scattering silver coins. The young master says we must follow the lady’s orders and switch to copper coins.” Liu Wu immediately acted as the messenger.
Those who hadn’t managed to grab the silver fragments were stunned. Liu Si seized the opportunity to switch to copper coins, eliciting waves of regret as people cursed their own slow reactions. Some muttered discontentedly about Song Shiyue.
Song Shiyue felt like cursing – this guy was using her to the fullest.
She secretly pinched Gu Yu Chen’s arm, making him grimace exaggeratedly and further cementing Song Shiyue’s fearsome reputation.
“Everyone see that? Young Master Gu married a real shrew.”
Under the third-floor eaves stood a group of nobles and princes, observing the scene below with perfect clarity.
Some began to worry they might no longer be able to mooch off the profligate young master’s silver.
Song Shiyue followed Gu Yu Chen into the main hall. Vermilion pillars, golden walls, neatly laid blue bricks on the floor, with an ornate carpet covering the center.
Though it wasn’t yet noon, the place was already packed.
As they entered, people greeted Gu Yu Chen with bows and pleasantries.
Gu Yu Chen cupped his hands in salute to the crowd and led Song Shiyue toward the staircase.
Instead of going upstairs, they circled behind the staircase where Song Shiyue discovered an elevator.
Thinking it was her first time riding, Gu Yu Chen worried she might be frightened and proactively took her arm.
“Some people feel dizzy their first time on the elevator. Let me support you.”
The wooden structure had simple railings on all sides without any enclosures.
Through gaps in the floor, Song Shiyue could see the bottom rollers pulling thick iron chains as thick as her arm, lifting the elevator upward.
The wisdom of ancient people was truly admirable.
Song Shiyue was curious about the Star Plucking Tower’s origins. “Who designed this building? Who built it? And who owns it?”
“The designer is unknown, but it was constructed by craftsmen from the Ministry of Works over two years. As for its owner – some say it’s a high-ranking court official, others say it’s a prince, and some even claim it’s the Emperor. In short, no one has ever seen the owner, and nobody dares to cause trouble here.”
Just as Gu Yu Chen finished explaining, they spotted the group waiting on the third floor.
“Hey, Young Master Gu, why didn’t you stop the elevator?”
“Gentlemen, my wife wishes to visit the singing quarter. Those interested are welcome to join us.”
As he spoke, the elevator had already ascended to the next level.
The group stood stunned for a moment before realizing, “That rascal actually brought his new wife to the singing quarter?”
With a sudden rush, everyone charged toward the staircase.
Incredible! Absolutely incredible!
The world’s greatest marvel – Young Master Gu actually bringing his own woman to the singing quarter! This spectacle was not to be missed.
The Junior Prince and several other martial artists directly leaped up to the fourth floor, only to find the elevator had gone to the fifth level, forcing them to flip upward again.
As soon as Gu Yu Chen and Song Shiyue stepped out of the elevator, they were surrounded by the Junior Prince and others who ushered them into an enormous hall.
The newly appointed Prince Chu had also reached the fifth floor, accompanied by the Crown Prince and his other brothers.
Gu Yu Chen led Song Shiyue forward to pay respects.
“This commoner greets the Crown Prince and Your Highnesses.”
Song Shiyue remained silent, merely bending her knees slightly in a curtsy.
Her poised and dignified demeanor made the Crown Prince and other princes narrow their eyes, while others watched with keen interest.
Song Shiyue paid no mind – wasn’t she also sizing up everyone else?
From what she had learned during this period, aside from the Second Prince, Prince Jing, all the other princes were present.
Following Gu Yu Chen to the window seat on the right side of the main table, Song Shiyue looked outside and realized that the other side of the Star Plucking Tower bordered a large lake connected to the moat.
A dock was built below the tower, adorned with countless lanterns, where pleasure boats for lake tours and passenger vessels were moored.
One could imagine how lively this place would become at night.
“Be careful not to catch a chill.”
Gu Yu Chen said softly, naturally closing the window.
“Since when did Gu Da Shao learn to be considerate? Getting married really…”
The man intended to tease him about how marriage had changed him, but was stopped by meaningful glances from others nearby. He awkwardly chuckled and went to find his seat.
Just as Song Shiyue was about to ask Gu Yu Chen what was going on, the Crown Prince had already taken his seat.
Everyone followed suit, exchanging pleasantries, yet no one mentioned Gu Yu Chen’s marriage. They only remarked on how long he had been recovering from his injuries and how much his brothers had missed him.
Exchanging a glance, Gu Yu Chen and Song Shiyue simultaneously sneered inwardly. They possessed a Marriage Certificate—no one could simply deny their union.