Seeing the guard's bewildered expression, Yu Hanjiang could only pretend nothing had happened—he hadn't wanted to bring his wife before because he was afraid that having a random woman by his side would affect his investigation. Now that his wife was Xiao Lou, how could he not bring her? Of course, he couldn't wait to have her by his side and be inseparable from her.
The guards couldn't understand Lord Yu's thinking, so they had no choice but to turn around and go find the carriage.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou walked side by side toward the door.
He was an honest and upright official, so his residence was not large, and he did not have many servants. In addition to his two confidants, Yun Cang and Pinger, there was a cook named Li Sao, a housekeeper named Steward Yao, and two guards.
Thinking that Xiao Lou was going to buy clothes, Yu Hanjiang whispered in his ear, "We need to ask the steward for some money. The common currency in the ancient world should be silver."
Xiao Lou smiled and said, "As far as I know, your official salary isn't high, and it seems my family doesn't have much money either?"
Yu Hanjiang touched his nose: "I can still afford clothes."
As they turned the corner, they ran into Steward Yao. The middle-aged man, in his forties, approached Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou and said respectfully, "Sir, we are leaving for Jiangzhou tomorrow. Everything we need to take has been prepared. Would you like to take a look?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "No need, I trust Steward Yao to handle things." He glanced at Xiao Lou and said, "I'm going to take my wife to buy some clothes."
Steward Yao immediately handed him a money bag and said with a smile, "Sir, this is for your travel expenses."
Yu Hanjiang took the money bag, weighed it in his hand, and then turned and left with Xiao Lou.
Watching the two walk away side by side, the butler smiled and thought, "The master and madam have such a good relationship!"
***
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou walked side by side on the street. Besides buying clothes, they also wanted to take a look at the world around them.
Xiao Lou was very interested in history during his middle school years. In the five thousand years of Chinese history, there was never a Great Qi State dynasty with four kingdoms standing side by side. Obviously, this was a fictional dynasty, and many rules were set by the Guardian.
As the capital of the Great Qi State, the city was bustling with activity. The pedestrians who came and went all looked energetic, suggesting they were living a prosperous life.
Ancient streets were not as wide as modern ones, and walking among people felt somewhat crowded.
A passing vendor carrying two baskets of trinkets accidentally bumped into Xiao Lou and hurriedly apologized, "Madam, I'm so sorry, I didn't notice you. Are you alright?"
Xiao Lou smiled good-naturedly and said, "It's alright."
Yu Hanjiang glanced at him, then naturally reached out and took his hand, whispering, "We're playing the part of a loving couple, so we can't stray too far apart. If we run into someone we know, they'll get suspicious."
This reason was irrefutable, and Xiao Lou felt her ears burning, but she couldn't really argue back.
Looking back, this is the second time they've held hands. Before, at the Intelligence Bureau, the ground suddenly collapsed, and Xiao Lou grabbed Yu Hanjiang's hand to maintain his balance. Now, it's Yu Hanjiang who took the initiative to grab his hand... so it's even?
Xiao Lou followed Lord Yu with a confused mind.
A handsome and dashing young official strolled through the streets with his gentle and beautiful wife. Their striking good looks quickly attracted the attention of many.
Xiao Lou discovered that the ancient streets were filled with a dazzling array of goods, many of which were trinkets he had never seen before.
The women coming and going were adorned with jewels. Xiao Lou thought of her complicated hairstyle and then looked at Yu Hanjiang's neat braid. She couldn't help but sigh and said, "Can I dress as a man? Didn't many women in ancient times dress as men when they went out?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "I don't know if it will work, but let's give it a try?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a warning popped up in the floating window: Xiao Lou's identity in Secret Room World is the Prefect's Wife. During the role-playing period, please do not change gender at will.
Xiao Lou said helplessly, "Alright, then let's go pick out a few sets of women's clothing that are easy to move in."
Yu Hanjiang said softly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
Xiao Lou laughed and said, "It's nothing, just clothes."
There were many clothing stores along the roadside where you could choose fabric and have it custom-made, but they were leaving tomorrow and didn't have enough time, so they had to buy ready-made clothes. Xiao Lou walked into a store and asked with a smile, "Do you have any ready-made clothes?"
Upon seeing him, the shopkeeper immediately smiled and said, "Madam Yu, yes, we have clothes that fit your size over here."
It seems that he used to come here to buy clothes often, and the shopkeeper knows him.
Xiao Lou followed the shopkeeper over. He was wearing a light pink dress, a girly color that he really couldn't stand wearing.
The finished garments were neatly arranged on the clothes rack. The layers upon layers of long skirts gave him a headache just looking at them. The bright red and purple colors were really an eyesore. He figured if he wore a bright red dress to Jiangzhou, his teammates would be stunned.
Xiao Lou asked, "Do you have any lighter colors?"
The shopkeeper opened a door and led him into another room: "Madam, this way please. Everything here is light-colored."
Yu Hanjiang followed along to advise Xiao Lou. He took a liking to a moon-white long robe embroidered with light blue cloud patterns. The whole outfit was simple and elegant, and the cloud pattern decoration prevented it from looking too plain. Moreover, it did not have a complicated pleated skirt. He thought Xiao Lou would like it, so he said, "Take this set for Madam to try on."
The shopkeeper immediately took it down and led Xiao Lou into the fitting room.
Xiao Lou changed out of her elaborate light pink dress and put on the new outfit. This outfit had only two layers, was simple to wear, and had an elegant color scheme.
Women can wear it. He breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his clothes, and came out to look in the mirror.
In ancient times, there were no full-length mirrors, only bronze mirrors. He couldn't see very clearly, but he felt that the size was just right.
But Yu Hanjiang's eyes suddenly lit up—
This is so beautiful!
When Professor Xiao is dressed as a man, he gives off a dashing and elegant vibe. But when he changes into women's clothing and pairs it with a simple updo, he becomes even more gentle. Especially when he smiles, his gentle and refined temperament is simply captivating.
Yu Hanjiang stared intently at Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou felt uneasy under his gaze and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Is it strange?"
Yu Hanjiang smiled slightly: "Not surprising, it looks quite good."
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Madam, you look so beautiful! This outfit suits you perfectly! This is a new arrival, and there's only one left. Please buy it, Madam."
Yu Hanjiang readily took out his purse: "I'll buy this one. Do you have any similar ones? Let him pick out another one to alternate wearing."
The shopkeeper turned around and eagerly pulled out a light blue set of clothes for Xiao Lou.
After leaving the clothing store, Xiao Lou, wearing the new clothes, breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled, "This is much better than the previous outfit. At least I won't trip while walking. Besides, the previous outfit was pink, and I really... cough, I was too embarrassed to wear it."
Seeing Xiao Lou's smile, Yu Hanjiang's heart pounded like a drum.
I never imagined Xiao Lou would look so beautiful in women's clothing. And I never imagined that this beautiful Xiao Lou would now be his wife.
The mere mention of the word "Madam" softened Yu Hanjiang's hardened heart, and he held Xiao Lou's hand, unwilling to let go.
He enjoyed the role-playing experience. If future Heart Room games follow this role-playing format, he'd be happy to play 100 Heart Room games.
Just then, a luxurious carriage suddenly appeared, speeding recklessly through the street. Yu Hanjiang immediately pulled Xiao Lou into his arms to protect him. As it happened, the carriage stopped right in front of him, and a pair of slender hands lifted the curtain, raising an eyebrow at him: "Oh, isn't this Lord Yu?"
Upon seeing this person, Yu Hanjiang immediately recalled memories of her.
The willful and capricious Ninth Princess was originally intended to be betrothed to the Former Emperor, but he refused on some pretext. The Ninth Princess was very petty and harbored resentment towards him from then on, always picking fights with him.
Yu Hanjiang frowned slightly and said, "Princess."
Princess Ninth glanced at Xiao Lou with hostility and laughed sarcastically, "This is Madam Yu? She is indeed outstanding in appearance. No wonder Lord Yu is so infatuated with you. Even though you have been married into the Yu family for four years without having any children, he still refuses to divorce you."
Xiao Lou: "..."
What kind of nonsense is this? Married for four years and no children? This must be part of the plot. Come to think of it, they couldn't possibly be carrying a baby while they went to Jiangzhou to handle a case, could they?
Xiao Lou was inwardly amused and exasperated, but outwardly he had to continue acting. He smiled politely at Princess Ninth and was about to speak when Yu Hanjiang coldly retorted, "My wife and I are family matters, no need for the princess to concern herself with."
Princess Ninth's eyes widened: "You!"
Yu Hanjiang pulled Xiao Lou and turned to leave, saying, "This humble subject has other important matters to attend to, so I will not accompany the princess any longer."
Watching Yu Hanjiang lead his wife away, Princess Ninth was furious. She immediately told her maid, "Go back and prepare. I'm going to Jiangzhou too!"
***
After returning home, the two went inside and closed the door.
Xiao Lou joked, " Does that Ninth Princess have a crush on you?"
Yu Hanjiang frowned unhappily: "According to the plot, the year I became the top scholar in the imperial examination, the Former Emperor wanted to marry her to me, but I was in love with you at the time, so I made an excuse to decline."
As soon as the words left their mouths, both of them paused in surprise.
In the plot, Yu Hanjiang likes Xiao Lou, so he said it naturally, but he suddenly felt a little guilty after saying it.
"I like you." This was the first time he'd used the word, and the first time he'd seriously considered his feelings for Xiao Lou. Perhaps he didn't just see Xiao Lou as a friend—how could friends hold hands? Yet, he didn't resist holding Xiao Lou's hand at all; on the contrary, he was reluctant to let go…
Meeting Xiao Lou's clear eyes, Yu Hanjiang immediately looked away, coughed lightly, and said, "The plot of this secret room is quite strange. Ninth Princess... you don't need to worry about her, I don't know her at all, she's just a character that Guardian forced upon me."
Xiao Lou said thoughtfully, "She might be able to advance the plot, and she might even come with us to Jiangzhou. By the way, are there any leads in Jiangzhou right now?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "After His Majesty sends me to Jiangzhou, I need to go to the Zhenjiang Prince's Mansion to see the Eighth Prince. He also gave me a secret letter to deliver. In addition, His Majesty said that the situation in Jiangzhou is complicated, and he has arranged a group of assassins to protect us. I can use my token to mobilize those assassins."
Xiao Lou recalled the hints when entering the secret room: many attack-type card skills were disabled. In addition, His Majesty had sent people to protect them, so it was clear that there was a great crisis in Jiangzhou. Not only did they have to solve the case, but they might also face mortal danger.
As expected of an A-grade secret room, the difficulty level has been raised by a whole tier.
Xiao Lou said, "Take a look at your card holder. Are all your weapon cards disabled?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Yes, I checked the card holder when I saw the floating window notification. Functional item cards like Invisibility Cloak and Luminous Pearl are still usable, but guns, military knives, and daggers have all turned into unusable gray."
Xiao Lou frowned: "The attack cards of everyone else should also be banned. If we face danger, you can only mobilize the assassins arranged by His Majesty and your personal guards."
Wei Yun Cang … I have a feeling that someone in Jiangzhou might not want you to be the prefect, and we might even be assassinated."
The situation in Jiangzhou is still a mystery. They can only go to Jiangzhou tomorrow, and everything will have to wait until they get there.
Xiao Lou took a deep breath and said, "Let's rest for a day today. The first day in the heart room is usually reserved for us to familiarize ourselves with the environment. Let's carefully sort out the settings of this world."
Yu Hanjiang naturally agreed, and he took Xiao Lou to the study.
His study had a bookshelf along one wall, filled with many books. Fortunately, the books were written in traditional Chinese characters, so he could read them. In addition, a map hung on the wall.
This world has four states: Qi, Chu, Zhao, and Yan. The southern part of Great Qi State borders Zhao State, and Jiangzhou is located near the border. Qi and Zhao formed an alliance by adopting a "marriage alliance" strategy.
Great Qi State borders Yan State to the west. The border between Qi and Yan is constantly at war. His Majesty has specially dispatched a General Who Conquers the West to the front line to resist the invasion of Yan State. Xiao Lou's younger brother is also on the front line and his fate is unknown.
As for the State of Chu, located in the remote north, it kept a low profile and maintained a neutral relationship with the other three states.
The power struggle among the four kingdoms was extremely complex. The two of them read many books to understand the world's setting. It wasn't until lunchtime, when a maid called them to eat, that Yu Hanjiang took the map off the wall and put it in his bag. In the afternoon, they packed some more luggage and made arrangements for several servants. Time passed quickly, and night fell in the blink of an eye.
Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou play a married couple, and of course, they sleep together in the master bedroom.
However, there was only one bed in the bedroom, and unlike modern double beds that are 1.8 meters long, the beds in ancient times were a bit cramped.
Yu Hanjiang initially wanted to sleep on the floor, but having the maid fetch him additional bedding would surely arouse suspicion. After thinking about it, he abandoned the idea and asked Xiao Lou, "Would you mind if we slept together?"
Xiao Lou's heart skipped a beat, her ears burned, but she pretended to be nonchalant: "It's okay. Since we're playing husband and wife, let's follow the rules and not give ourselves away."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Then let's rest. We need to get up early tomorrow to continue our journey."
Xiao Lou lay on the bed, and Yu Hanjiang, pretending not to mind, lifted the covers and lay down beside him. Both had taken off their coats, wearing only white undershirts and panties, and lay down side by side. With only one blanket, sharing a bed was incredibly awkward…
Xiao Lou's hands were neatly placed at his sides, his legs were straight, and he felt like he was sleeping like a corpse.
Yu Hanjiang also observes his nose with his eyes down, and his heart with his nose down...
He had never been this close to anyone since he was a child, let alone shared a bed.
Xiao Lou's presence was right beside him, and he was only wearing a thin layer of pajamas. Yu Hanjiang felt like he was being scratched by a cat's claws, and he could feel his heartbeat gradually slowing down.
The room was dark. He turned his head to look at Xiao Lou. In the dim moonlight, her eyelashes were long and thick, and her pale pink lips looked exceptionally soft, making one want to...
Xiao Lou noticed the gaze coming from the side, opened her eyes, and asked, "What's wrong, Captain Yu?"
Yu Hanjiang's voice was low and hoarse: "Don't call me Captain Yu. If you get used to it and someone hears you, we'll be exposed."
Xiao Lou thought about it and agreed, then changed her mind and said, "Then... call me husband?"
Yu Hanjiang smiled: "According to the established roles, that's how you should address me."
Xiao Lou's ears turned slightly red as he said, "How about... I call you Hanjiang in private? It shouldn't be a problem for husband and wife to call each other by name, right?" Calling her husband in private was too embarrassing; he couldn't possibly play that role.
Yu Hanjiang's heart skipped a beat— it was the first time Xiao Lou had called him by his name: Hanjiang.
The two words, spoken by Xiao Lou in a soft, gentle voice, were a true pleasure to hear.
Yu Hanjiang readily agreed: "In public, you can call me husband, but in private, you can call me Hanjiang, and I'll call you Xiaolou."
Xiao Lou nodded.
Yu Hanjiang said softly, "Go to sleep. It's just role-playing. Don't overthink it."
Xiao Lou hummed in agreement and closed her eyes.
Unfortunately, no one could fall asleep.
Who could sleep soundly with someone in the same bed making their heart race, sharing the same blanket?
The slightest movement could cause them to touch each other, so both of them were frozen in place, afraid to move at all.
Both of them were thinking: When will it get light? Sharing a bed is too much to bear!