Ch 38: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Qin Zhao didn’t respond for a while, and Jing Li furrowed his brow, continuing to decipher the characters: “Is this the ‘mi’ from ‘secret’? Then this character is…”

“It’s ‘wei,'” Qin Zhao lied smoothly as he took the book from Jing Li’s hands, his expression unchanging. “This is a reference book for the Chunwei imperial exams, mostly filled with regulations and procedures. You don’t need to read this one.”

“Oh, so that’s how ‘wei’ is written. I won’t read this then; it sounds boring.”

Jing Li didn’t suspect a thing and didn’t even glance at the book in Qin Zhao’s hands before turning his attention elsewhere. “How about I read The Analects? I still remember a few lines…”

As he spoke, he began searching through the books on the shelf.

Qin Zhao silently breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn’t had the time or opportunity to look through that book since buying it, so he had simply placed it on the bookshelf somewhere. He hadn’t expected the little fish to find it.

Luckily, there was no “wei” or “gui” in The Thousand Character Classic—just one character difference, but the meanings were worlds apart.

Jing Li’s effort in memorizing The Thousand Character Classic wasn’t in vain, and he soon found a copy of The Analects among the books. Qin Zhao, after quickly shoving the potentially problematic book into the deepest part of the shelf, led him back to the table.

As usual, Qin Zhao would first read through the text, then teach Jing Li the characters one by one.

Accompanied by the sound of rain outside, Qin Zhao’s voice, slightly deep, filled the room: “…To govern with virtue is like the North Star; it remains in its place, and the multitude of stars pay homage to it.”

He paused slightly after reading this line.

—”To govern with virtue is like the North Star; it remains in its place, and the multitude of stars pay homage to it. This is the foundation of the state.”

—”…You must remember, a ruler governs by treating people with respect, being diligent in state affairs, and loving the people. The ministers, in turn, will serve the ruler with loyalty. This is the teaching of Confucius.”

—”Qin Zhao…”

Qin Zhao suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing that Jing Li was calling him: “Qin Zhao, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Qin Zhao replied, his face pale and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He closed his eyes briefly and said in a soft voice, “I think…I remembered something.”

Jing Li was startled: “What did you remember?”

Qin Zhao didn’t answer immediately.

He stared at the line on the page for a long time before slowly saying, “It’s very vague, I can’t remember clearly.”

“If you can’t remember, don’t try to. Thinking about it too much will just give you a headache.” Jing Li handed him a cup of water and took the book from his hands, placing it on the table. “Let’s stop here for now. How about I help you lie down for a bit?”

Qin Zhao glanced at him and, with a smile, shook his head: “You’re just looking for an excuse to slack off.”

“That’s not true…” Jing Li mumbled softly, but he still helped Qin Zhao over to the bed.

As soon as Qin Zhao lay down, there was a knock at the door, barely audible over the sound of the rain. Jing Li didn’t let Qin Zhao get up and went to answer the door himself with an umbrella.

It was the village chief.

Jing Li said, “Qin Zhao isn’t feeling well and has already gone to bed. Is there something you need to tell him?”

“It’s nothing urgent. Since he’s unwell, you can pass the message to him later; there’s no need to wake him.” The village chief waved it off. “I’m setting off for the county early tomorrow morning and wanted to let him know.”

Jing Li asked, “Have all the farmers signed the proposal for building the embankment?”

“Yes,” the village chief replied. “After that heavy rain last night, the water nearly breached the banks. The last few holdouts saw the situation this morning and agreed. But today’s rain was too heavy, and it’s too late now, so I’ll head out tomorrow.”

“Thank you, village chief,” Jing Li said.

The village chief, clearly exhausted from the past few days, looked even more worn out than before.

The village chief smiled and said, “Do what we can and leave the rest to fate. It’s my duty.”

He didn’t stay long and soon left, braving the rain.

Jing Li watched the slightly hunched figure of the village chief disappear into the rain before closing the courtyard gate.

The rain showed no sign of letting up. When Jing Li returned to the main room, Qin Zhao was lying quietly on the bed, his eyes half-closed.

Jing Li walked over quietly. Qin Zhao coughed twice and asked, “Who was it?”

“You weren’t asleep?” Jing Li replied. “It was the village chief. He said the villagers have all agreed to your proposal, and he’ll set out for the county town early tomorrow morning.”

Qin Zhao responded with a soft hum.

“Now you don’t have to worry anymore. Once the village chief brings people back to build the embankment, we should be able to get through the flood season safely.”

“It’s not that easy,” Qin Zhao said in a faint voice, as if he didn’t have much strength. “The village chief is more focused on convincing the villagers, but in fact, the real difficulties lie ahead. We don’t even know if the county magistrate will be willing to expend resources to help Linxi Village. If he isn’t willing…”

“Don’t worry so much.” Jing Li knelt by the bed, interrupting him. “The village chief said to do what we can and leave the rest to fate. You’ve done all you can, and as for fate, don’t forget—you have me, right?”

Qin Zhao opened his eyes, turned his head to look at him, and smiled slightly. “So you’ve finally accepted that you’re a lucky koi?”

“Just this once,” Jing Li said. “If I really can bring good fortune, then I hope this issue gets resolved smoothly. I hope Linxi Village won’t suffer from floods this year. I hope…”

Jing Li paused, looking intently at Qin Zhao’s face, and said earnestly, “I hope you get better soon.”

Qin Zhao looked away and softly called out, “Little Fish.”

“Yes?”

Qin Zhao continued, “If my past is different from what you imagine…”

“Different?” Jing Li blinked. “How different?”

Qin Zhao lowered his gaze and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing…”

“You don’t need to worry about me. I know you as you are now, not as you were before. Whatever happened in the past, it’s in the past. Besides…” Jing Li hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to say softly, “No matter what you were like before, I still…”

The last few words were so softly spoken that Jing Li averted his gaze, not daring to see Qin Zhao’s reaction. But after a long moment without a response, he looked up and saw that Qin Zhao had already closed his eyes again, his breathing steady and even.

Jing Li: “…”

He fell asleep now, of all times.

Annoying.

Jing Li sighed heavily, resting his head on his arms at the edge of the bed. He reached out with one hand and quietly held Qin Zhao’s hand that was hanging by his side.

The room was quiet.

But no one could have predicted that after the village chief returned home, he would fall ill.

“…It’s a cold,” Qin Zhao said after checking the village chief’s pulse and standing up. “It’s likely due to exhaustion from the past few days, allowing the wind to invade his body. I’ll write a prescription, and you should send someone to fetch the medicine from Doctor Ge. Once he takes it, he should be fine.”

The village chief’s family, who were gathered around the room, sighed in relief. A middle-aged man said, “Alright, I’ll head over to Huai Village right away.”

The village chief was still feverish, his face flushed. He struggled to sit up, coughing, “How long will it take for the medicine to work? I still need to go to the county town…”

Qin Zhao quickly supported him. “You’re in no condition to travel right now. You need to focus on recovering.”

“But… but we can’t afford any more delays.”

They had already spent several days convincing the villagers to agree to the construction of the embankment. If they delayed any longer, they might not be able to complete it before the flood season.

If that happened, all their efforts would be in vain.

Qin Zhao said, “I’ll go.”

The village chief shook his head. “How can that be? Your health…”

“I drew the plans for the flood prevention embankment with my own hands, so I understand them best,” Qin Zhao said calmly. “I’ll go to the county town myself.”

The village chief was initially unwilling to agree, but Qin Zhao was adamant, and no amount of persuasion could sway him.

In the end, several farmers pooled their money together to rent a covered ox cart for Qin Zhao, so he could make the trip to and from the county town.

Fortunately, the weather had finally cleared up, and the temperature was mild, making the long journey less daunting. Before setting off, the village chief specifically instructed the driver to go slowly, so as not to jostle Qin Zhao’s frail body.

As the ox cart moved steadily along, Qin Zhao lowered the curtain and turned to see the young boy beside him, head bowed and silent.

“What are you thinking about?” Qin Zhao asked.

Jing Li replied in a low voice, “Nothing…”

He felt like his wish had failed again.

Not only did the situation remain unresolved, but it also forced Qin Zhao to make such a long trip in person.

And Qin Zhao was feeling so unwell just yesterday…

What use was he as a koi spirit anyway???

The more Jing Li thought about it, the more dejected he became. Qin Zhao could roughly guess what was on his mind, so he reached over and ruffled his hair. “Little Fish, have you ever heard the saying, ‘A blessing in disguise’?”

“I know it, but…”

That doesn’t necessarily apply to him.

“Don’t worry,” Qin Zhao reassured him. “This might not be a bad thing.”

Despite his words, Qin Zhao wasn’t entirely confident that this trip would go as hoped.

The ox cart moved slowly, and by the time they reached the county town, the sun was already setting.

This was Jing Li’s first time visiting a county town since arriving in this world. Though it was just a small county, the hustle and bustle, even from outside the city gates, was clearly different from the rural village and small towns he was used to.

People came and went at the city gate, and they had to wait in line for almost as long as it took to burn a stick of incense before they were finally allowed to enter.

Soon after nightfall, there would be a curfew, and besides, the county office wouldn’t receive visitors at this hour, so they had to find a place to stay overnight.

The cost of lodging in the county town was on a completely different level compared to the small town. After much searching, they found the cheapest inn, which still cost 100 coins for a single night.

Jing Li felt even worse.

“Exams will also be held here in the future, so think of it as getting used to it in advance,” Qin Zhao said, trying to comfort him.

Early the next morning, Qin Zhao took Jing Li to the county office.

They announced their arrival and explained their purpose to the guards. After being reported, they were led into a study inside the county office.

The county magistrate was already waiting in the study.

The magistrate, a stout man, was engrossed in reading something. When they entered, he didn’t even look up and said indifferently, “I told your village chief last year that the county is short on manpower. I’m already overwhelmed trying to manage the seriously flood-prone villages downstream. How could I possibly have time to worry about your village?”

“Besides, the worst your village deals with is a few flooded fields. Downstream, countless people are displaced by floods every year. I can’t neglect them just for your sake, can I?”

His attitude was infuriatingly dismissive.

“You—” Jing Li was about to say something, but Qin Zhao raised his hand to stop him.

Qin Zhao shook his head at Jing Li, then took out the blueprint from his sleeve and presented it to the magistrate, calmly saying, “I have already drawn up the plans for the flood prevention embankment. It won’t require much manpower or resources from you, sir. We only need about ten people to come to Linxi Village and help us build the embankment.”

The magistrate, full of impatience, glanced at the blueprint. However, his expression suddenly changed. “Did you draw this?”

Qin Zhao replied, “Yes.”

The county magistrate didn’t respond immediately.

He continued to examine the blueprint for a long time before instructing the attendant beside him, “Go and invite the chief clerk.”

The magistrate wanted to discuss the matter privately with the chief clerk, so Qin Zhao and Jing Li were asked to leave the study.

They were led to a reception hall to wait, and once the attendant had left, Jing Li leaned closer to Qin Zhao and asked, “What’s the magistrate up to, being all secretive like that?”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Qin Zhao replied calmly, taking a sip of tea.

Jing Li was puzzled. “What was he reading earlier?”

Qin Zhao set down his teacup and said, “Did you notice the book he was reading?”

Jing Li hadn’t paid attention, and even if he had, he might not have understood it. “What was he reading?”

Qin Zhao answered, “The Zhi Shui Jing Yao (Essential Water Management Techniques).”

Jing Li suddenly understood.

It seemed they weren’t the only ones worried about flood control.

After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a tall, thin man in a light blue robe entered the hall briskly.

The two of them stood up, but before they could speak, the man approached Qin Zhao and bowed respectfully, saying, “My name is Pei An. I apologize for any neglect in receiving you, Mr. Qin, given the distance you’ve traveled.”

Qin Zhao exchanged a glance with Jing Li and returned the bow, “There’s no need to apologize.”

Pei An then asked, “Mr. Qin, your knowledge is profound, and you carry yourself with great dignity. May I ask where you are currently employed?”

“I’m just an ordinary farmer in the village,” Qin Zhao replied.

Pei An seemed surprised. “But from the blueprint you drew, it’s clear you have a deep understanding of water management. Have you not yet taken the imperial exams?”

“Not yet,” Qin Zhao responded calmly. “I’ve merely read a few books in my spare time.”

Pei An’s expression became quite remarkable.

They were both readers, yet the difference in their knowledge was astounding.

He guided the two of them to sit down and had the servants refill their tea before speaking again, “I’ll get straight to the point. The floods have been relentless in recent years, and the flood season is next month. The higher authorities have ordered our county to manage the downstream flooding. If we fail, my lord’s position may be at risk.”

“My lord has been troubled over this issue, reading countless books yet unable to find a solution. Since you have expertise in water management, would you be willing to stay at the county office to assist my lord?”

Qin Zhao didn’t answer immediately.

Noticing his hesitation, Pei An added, “You needn’t worry. I’ve already discussed the matter of Linxi Village with my lord, and we will send people today to ensure the embankment is built as quickly as possible.”

“And if the flood prevention effort succeeds, my lord will reward you handsomely!”