Autumn in ancient times was much cooler than in the previous worlds with modern backgrounds. Most of the people in the fortress had already changed into long-sleeved cotton clothes, and Gu Xiyu had to put on a cloak while in his room to keep warm because of his physique.

He had just finished taking measures to keep warm and was about to drink the hot soup that Xia Qiu brought him when the chains outside his room rattled again.

Gu Xiyu looked up in confusion, thinking that Xia Qiu had left something behind and had returned. Unexpectedly, it was the fortress master, who was like a king of hell, who came in. He was followed by a youth a fraction shorter than him, who was wearing a red suit with leather armor and was blinking at him in confusion.

Then he saw the strange youth’s cheeks suddenly flush, and he exclaimed in a small voice, “Madam is so pretty; she really matches the fortress master!”

Gu Xiyu didn’t feel embarrassed to be complimented in person, but he was curious about this youth’s identity.

He must have a good relationship if he could get the fortress master to personally bring him here.

Just as he thought this, a notification suddenly came from the main system.

[[His name is Chen Wei, and he is the disciple of the Crown Prince of the Yao Kingdom.]]

Gu Xiyu was stunned for a moment and asked, “Why did the Crown Prince’s disciple appear here? Why does he have a close relationship with this fortress?”

Didn’t they hate the royal family?

The main system’s tone sounded a little sarcastic: {The relationship is indeed good because they don’t know that Chen Wei is the Crown Prince’s man. He found an excuse to infiltrate this place some years ago and contributed a lot, gaining the trust of many people, including their Lord.}

Gu Xiyu subconsciously glanced at his nominal ‘husband’ and said calmly, “So sooner or later, Chen Wei will bring down this fortress, right?

This man called Ah Wen was so hateful and arrogant that it would have been nice to see him defeated at a later stage, especially since he had held him against his will and delayed his progress to meet his target. He was even looking forward to seeing how he was going to get tricked.

Unfortunately, the main system didn’t seem too happy to see this happen.

Just as he was gloating, the main system immediately issued him a side mission.

{Stop Chen Wei, who has sneaked into Luohe Fortress to serve as a spy for the First Prince, and let the people of Luohe Village discover his true nature. Completion of the mission will trigger a hidden reward that will help reduce the target’s risk value}

“….?” Gu Xiyu was a little confused.

In his opinion, this fortress master was just an insignificant supporting character, an outsider to the mission, so why did he have to help him deal with this matter? And if he succeeded, he could lower the risk value of the Great Demon?

He pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, “Can you give me the personal information on the fortress master and this Chen Wei? What is the fortress master’s real name?”

Of course, Gu Xiyu did not believe that his full name was just the word Wen. He had asked Xia Qiu but found that she didn’t know.

The main system didn’t reveal it directly, and seemed to go back to being a normal AI assistant: [[He’s one of the key characters of the plot, Please work hard, mission executor!]]

“……” Why was his system so irresponsible? The intelligent system was already a ghost, and now the main system was starting to mess with him, as if it thought he was doing his missions too easily.

…… Well, that did seem to be the case…

He hesitated for a while, but in the end, his main priority was to complete the mission, so he decided to temporarily put aside his grudge against the fortress master.

“His name is Chen Wei; he is the second in command and charge when I have to go out.” The man gave him a brief introduction in a nonchalant manner and turned back to speak to Chen Wei, “This is my wife, her name is…”

There was a sudden pause in the words as Wei Chiyan remembered that he hadn’t formally heard Gu Xiyu introduce himself.

Gu Xiyu glanced at him and got up, saying, “My name is Gu Qingwan.”

His name in this world followed that of the Dayan royal family, so he was called Murong Xiyu. But since he was pretending to be a princess but also couldn’t casually let others know that he was the captured ‘princess’ of the Dayan Kingdom, he slightly modified the heroine’s name.

Chen Wei stared blankly at him for a long time before he asked in an exclamatory tone, “My Lord, where did you get such a beautiful girl?!”

Wei Chiyan took a long look at Gu Xiyu, thinking that he was only so-so, and then he replied without much concern, “Liu Ping and the others abducted her on the way to escape a marriage …….”

Gu Xiyu’s eyes twitched at his last words. He took a deep breath to release the anger in his heart before suddenly asking him in a kind, gentle, and understanding tone, “Since I am now married to you, this fortress is like my home. If you are not here, I can take care of it for you. Why don’t you leave the fortress’ affairs to me when you are away, so that I can share your worries?”

He deliberately softened his voice to make himself sound like a well-educated and sensible lady.

Wei Chiyan clearly did not expect him to say such a thing, and his originally indifferent expression changed to one of curiosity. Rather than feeling gratitude for his “thoughtfulness,” he seemed more curious about the change in his attitude.

After a short silence, Gu Xiyu saw the man give a short laugh and asked him, “Does a young girl like you know how to manage a fortress?”

The other party clearly knew his true gender, and was deliberately trying to tease him with this.

Gu Xiyu thought that if it weren’t for the mission, he wouldn’t have initiated cooperation. “I can learn.”

Wei Chiyan was also wondering what medicine Gu Xiyu was selling in his gourd, so he did not hastily refuse; instead, he readily agreed after staring at him for a while, “Madam has rarely taken the initiative; as long as your body holds up, I can teach you when I return from this trip.”

Gu Xiyu thought he would have to wrangle with the fortress master for a long time before he could obtain his reluctant agreement, and seeing him so forthcoming, he became a little suspicious of what was so important about this fortress that Chen Wei would put in so much effort and even risk his life.

However, Ah Wen just said ……

“You’re going out? Where are you going?” Gu Xiyu subconsciously asked.

The man did not answer his question, but teased, “We just got married, and madam is already trying to manage my whereabouts?”

Gu Xiyu: “……” I got so used to speaking freely with the Great Demon and I haven’t changed my mindset yet.

Ah Wen’s uncompromising, mysterious, and dictatorial temperament, aura, and presence were too similar to the Great Demon. Especially with the way he could incite his anger and leave him dumbfounded, if he wasn’t a fortress master, he would have doubted the man’s identity.

After all, the idea that a prince would come to the mountains and wild forests to be a bandit king sounded absurd.

“I’m going to pick something from the city.” The fortress master finally answered his question, and at the end, he asked, “Does Madam have anything she wants? Just say it, and I’ll bring it back for you.”

Gu Xiyu pursed his lips and asked tentatively, “I’d like to see the outside world; can you take me along?”

The corners of the fortress master’s lips slightly curled upward, as if he had adapted to the change in his attitude. Although his tone was soft, his words were, “This is a difficult journey, and Madam is too weak to go up or down the mountain at will. Just wait for my return.”

Gu Xiyu remained silent.

Well, his answer was as expected.

“Well, other people get a lot of betrothal gifts when they get married, so husband can just bring me some gold, silver, or jade bracelets. I’m just a normal girl, I don’t like anything in particular except these vanities.”

Wei Chiyan raised his eyebrows, and dared to agree: “Okay.”

Chen Wei stood on the side, curiously listening to the conversation between the two, somewhat surprised.

The fortress master’s wife did not look like a girl who had been snatched and forced to marry the fortress master, and they got along quite well. Could a normal woman who had been captured and detained be so calm and collected?

After giving Chen Wei and Gu Xiyu a meeting, Wei Chiyan took him away.

Before leaving, Gu Xiyu requested him in a low voice: “Can you remove the locks on the door? I promise not to run away. You can even send someone to monitor my whereabouts. It’s boring and depressing to remain in the room all day.”

With a body that could fall over with the slightest breeze, Wei Chiyan really didn’t need to worry about Gu Xiyu running off. There were several people in the fortress, and it would be fine to arrange for men to guard him in twelve-hour shifts, so he agreed after a short period of deliberation.

After many days, Gu Xiyu finally did not have to remain cooped up in his room and could wander outside and see the scenery in the mountains.

The physician had also cautioned him against having intercourse for some time, so another stone in his heart was put down, and he was refreshed. He wanted to go out and see the sights of the fortress, and Xia Qiu, who had left, was called back to accompany him and give him a brief introduction to the fortress.

Of course, the fortress master still had many reservations about him and let Xia Qiu take him only to the leisure places where most of the women and children gathered.

“Madam, it’s windy today. The fortress master said you can only come out for half an hour at most.” Xia Qiu reminded Gu Xiyu.

Gu Xiyu clenched his hand into a fist against his mouth and coughed gently a few times, “I know.”

He took a few steps forward and saw the women sitting around. Baskets full of vegetables, fruits, and fish were at their feet, and they were cleaning them and chatting as they prepared for the evening pot roast. They seem to enjoy eating together in groups, especially now that it is cold, and at night, they like to make a big pot of stew outside, where everyone sits with their bowls and eats and chats.

He had been cooped up in his room earlier and could occasionally hear their laughter from afar.

This place was like an isolated paradise for them, where they were content and happy, although they did not have the luxury of fine food and clothing.

A couple of children chasing each other didn’t notice his approach and accidentally bumped into his leg as they ran while turning back to talk to their friends. The children were fine, but they got scared and stood still, a little confused. However, Gu Xiyu’s body swayed slightly, and he took a few unsteady steps backward, instantly bumping into another person.

The person who stood behind him at some point wrapped his arms around his waist and held him steady in his arms.

He was stunned, and a sense of familiarity instantly rose up from his heart.

Gu Xiyu turned his head back and saw the fortress master’s handsome face wearing a small silver mask. His lips twitched, but he still politely said, “Thank you.”

The brown eye gave him a quiet look before letting go of him.

Not far away, an old woman with hair that had turned grey spotted them and happily came over with a basket in her hands: “My, are the fortress master and his wife out for a walk?”

“It just so happens that the people of the fortress have finished preparing your eggs. I was thinking of bringing them to you later.”

Gu Xiyu lowered his head and saw her handing over two cooked eggs.

The old woman said to him with a smile, “Madam, you don’t know that we have a particularly magical hen in the fortress. She doesn’t lay eggs regularly, but if she lays two eggs on the day of the couple’s wedding, it is a good omen. We usually boil the eggs for the couple to eat so that the marriage will be harmonious, happy, and full of love!”

Gu Xiyu and this fortress master were acting, but he was too embarrassed to reject the old woman’s good intentions. Seeing her smile so happily and that the people around all had expectant expressions, he finally reached out to take the two eggs, hesitating on whether to give one of them to the man beside him.

Ah Wen raised an eyebrow and reached out to take one.

The fortress master peeled the eggshells very quickly, and Gu Xiyu had just gotten a bit of a head start before the one in his hand had become bare.

Ah Wen gave him the peeled one: “By the time you’re done, the sun will have gone down.”

He still had to go out.

Gu Xiyu took it with downcast eyes and handed over his own.

They ate the two eggs, which were said to carry a blessing, in front of everyone’s eyes, and the old woman looked satisfied: “I wish the fortress master and his wife a long life and a baby soon!”

Gu Xiyu thought to himself that it would be impossible to have a baby.

Unexpectedly, the person on the side suddenly reached out and gave him a few pats on the abdomen and said, in a fervent manner, “Yes. Madam, work harder in the future, let us aim for two in three years.”

Gu Xiyu: “……?”

Hold peat.

*Forgive me, I failed to get the meaning of “hold peat”!

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