Ch 123: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Whether or not Jing Li’s prayers had worked, the emperor’s illness was undeniably good news for them.

But there wasn’t a trace of joy on Qin Zhao’s face.

Jing Li asked, “Why… do you seem unhappy?”

Qin Zhao closed his eyes briefly and said in a low voice, “I feel like something isn’t right.”

“What do you mean?”

“The emperor is only twenty-three this year. How could he fall gravely ill from a simple cold? Is the entire Imperial Medical Bureau incapable of treating such a minor illness?”

He was, after all, the emperor—not an ordinary person. As the Son of Heaven, enjoying every luxury, could a mere cold really render him bedridden and absent from court?

Hearing Qin Zhao’s reasoning, Jing Li realized something. “Are you saying the emperor is faking his illness?”

“It’s possible,” Qin Zhao replied. “The emperor hasn’t attended court for so long, but someone still has to handle the accumulating state affairs. Whatever’s really going on, it will become clear after some investigation.”

“Are you going to send someone to look into it now?” Jing Li asked.

“There’s no need. They already know what to do; I don’t need to give instructions,” Qin Zhao said with a faint smile. “The fastest it takes for a secret message to travel from the capital is about half a month. This is only the first letter. I suspect another will arrive in a few days, and then we’ll know more.”

Jing Li sighed. “That’s amazing…”

Qin Zhao raised a brow. “What’s amazing?”

“Their brains,” Jing Li muttered while playing with the fish fry’s small hands. “I just feel like I’d never be able to help you with something like this. My brain isn’t sharp enough.”

Qin Zhao chuckled.

He beckoned Jing Li over, and when Jing Li approached, Qin Zhao wrapped him and the fish fry in his arms.

“But I only like you,” Qin Zhao said earnestly.

Jing Li knew he was deliberately being coaxed, but the words still made his face flush. Embarrassed, he shoved the fish fry into Qin Zhao’s arms and escaped back to the bed to continue packing.

The next day, they boarded a boat to return to Linxi Village.

The boat drifted downstream, and it was the fish fry’s first time on one. He leaned over the railing, peering curiously into the water. “Wow!”

Ah Qi stood guard beside him, his posture tense and vigilant, as if the fish fry might fall overboard at any moment.

But Jing Li knew that wasn’t what Ah Qi was worried about. He was afraid the little ancestor would get too excited, forget to hide his true form, and jump straight into the water.

Ah Qi’s face was stern, and even when Jing Li came over to hand them some water, he gave only a brief acknowledgment before turning back to keep watch over the little one.

… Truly, a model of dedication.

Jing Li hesitated for a moment, said nothing, and turned back into the cabin.

This boat usually ferried a handful of people on quiet days and up to a dozen passengers on busy ones. But today, the large vessel carried only Jing Li and his family.

Qin Zhao had rented the entire boat.

Jing Li, who was used to being frugal, initially felt a twinge of guilt about the expense—until Qin Zhao calmly told him, “The Gu family paid for it.”

… Well, alright then.

Jing Li only learned that Qin Zhao was the mastermind behind Gu Changzhou after Qin Zhao personally told him.

His ability to deduce Qin Zhao’s identity from subtle oddities was already impressive, but he had never once doubted Gu Changzhou’s identity. So, when Qin Zhao revealed the truth, Jing Li was stunned for quite a while.

Even when Qin Zhao admitted to being the former Regent, Jing Li hadn’t been this shocked.

Jing Li suddenly understood. “No wonder Master Gu keeps sending things over every few days. I always thought he cared more about you than his parents or wife. Turns out he really—”

Realizing the implication, Jing Li cleared his throat and stopped mid-sentence.

Qin Zhao simply smiled.

With the Gu family’s support, Qin Zhao had never lacked for wealth. Had he not been hesitant to come clean with Jing Li before, Gu Changzhou would have already gifted him a fine residence in the prefectural city several times over.

In this household, Qin Zhao knew the full truth, Ah Qi was utterly loyal to serving the family, and the little fish fry spent his days eating, drinking, and playing without a care. In the end, only Jing Li was genuinely worrying about their livelihood.

It was, admittedly, unfair.

As Jing Li’s gaze drifted over the empty boat cabin, this thought crossed his mind again, momentarily distracting him. Qin Zhao noticed and called out, “What are you daydreaming about? Come here.”

The cabin was originally filled with simple cots for travelers to rest on, but since Qin Zhao had rented the entire boat, the extra cots had been removed. By the window, a small table had been set up, and Qin Zhao was leaning against it, enjoying the view.

The scenery along the river from Jiangling Prefecture to the countryside was stunning. Unfortunately, Qin Zhao’s frail health meant he couldn’t go out on the deck to feel the wind and had to settle for enjoying the sights from inside the cabin.

On the table sat a small teapot with water just brought to a boil. Jing Li walked over, lifted the lid, and sprinkled in a handful of tea leaves.

“Your tea-making skills are getting better,” Qin Zhao remarked.

“Of course. I’ve been practicing for a long time,” Jing Li replied, sitting across from Qin Zhao while waiting for the tea to steep. “I have to learn these things well so you won’t find me lacking in the future.”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m just joking,” Jing Li said with a playful wink. A moment later, he poured two cups of tea and pushed one toward Qin Zhao. “Your Highness, please enjoy.”

“…”

Qin Zhao sighed helplessly.

Perhaps because Jing Li had already guessed part of the truth, he accepted Qin Zhao’s identity without the slightest resistance. His reactions, in fact, made Qin Zhao feel a bit unprepared.

From the window, they could hear the little fish fry giggling joyfully on the deck, clearly having a great time.

Qin Zhao commented, “If the fish fry likes being on a boat so much, we can travel north by water.”

“Really?” Jing Li’s eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly. “Traveling by water is great! It’s much more comfortable than riding in a carriage—those things leave your whole body sore. I also heard that traveling by water is faster than by carriage, right?”

“It’s about a few days quicker,” Qin Zhao confirmed.

In this era, traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations was a highly risky endeavor.

Many people had never traveled such long distances in their lives and were unfamiliar with the routes. On top of that, official roads hadn’t been laid in many areas, and the journey was fraught with unknown dangers. Not to mention the threat of mountain bandits.

Jing Li had heard that some bandits specifically targeted scholars traveling to the capital in the months between the provincial exams and the metropolitan exams.

Many didn’t even make it to the capital, losing their lives in foreign lands instead.

Traveling north by boat was a relatively safer option.

Of course, it was also significantly more expensive.

Even the cheapest cargo ships cost several times more than traveling by carriage for a single trip. As for specialized merchant ships, just one night’s fare could rival the cost of staying at an inn in Jiangling Prefecture for an entire night.

For families without substantial wealth, affording such a journey was impossible.

This was why Jing Li had never considered traveling north by boat before.

But now…

He had heard that the Gu family’s businesses owned dozens of merchant and cargo ships.

Jing Li’s mental abacus started clacking away furiously. Qin Zhao, seeing through his thoughts, said, “Once we return to the village, I’ll send a letter to Gu Changzhou and have him make the arrangements.”

Jing Li nodded in agreement and asked, “When will we set out?”

Qin Zhao didn’t answer immediately.

Jing Li pressed, “It seems like you want to head to the capital as soon as possible, doesn’t it?”

Qin Zhao turned his head to look out the window, as if trying to mask some emotion.

After a while, he softly said, “…Yes.”

“Is it because…” Jing Li hesitated before voicing his guess, “You’re uneasy about what was mentioned in that letter?”

Qin Zhao might be able to fool others, but he couldn’t fool Jing Li. Ever since receiving that letter, he had been visibly preoccupied.

What was he worried about?

Was it the possibility that the young emperor was deliberately faking his illness and that something unexpected might happen?

Jing Li couldn’t suppress his curiosity about the matter.

Qin Zhao had previously revealed his identity to him, so Jing Li knew that Qin Zhao had once been the young emperor’s mentor. But he hadn’t shared much about what the emperor was like.

From the story Qin Zhao had told, Jing Li naturally assumed that the mastermind behind everything was the emperor himself.

However, Qin Zhao’s attitude seemed to suggest he was reluctant to suspect the emperor of foul play.

Unable to hold back, Jing Li asked, “What exactly happened between you and the young emperor?”

“I can tell you if you’d like, but don’t jump to conclusions,” Qin Zhao said, seemingly anticipating Jing Li’s reaction.

Jing Li nodded eagerly. “Mm, I understand.”

“I watched His Majesty grow up,” Qin Zhao began, taking a sip of tea before continuing. “He was the youngest son of the late emperor, born to one of his concubines. Before his birth, his mother had already fallen out of favor and been sent to the Cold Palace. He was born there, which is why he survived the initial struggles for the throne.”

The late emperor didn’t have just one son. In fact, all the other princes had died in power struggles. The only reason this child survived was that no one paid him any attention in the Cold Palace.

“The late emperor brought him out of the Cold Palace and sent him directly to my residence. My task was to teach him and protect him.”

“That child was very timid. When he saw me for the first time, he cried in fear. At the time, I had just come of age myself and had no idea how to handle a child. So, I left him standing in the courtyard to cry until he had cried himself hoarse and exhausted. Only then did I give him something to eat.”

Jing Li: “…”

Qin Zhao back then must have been terrifying.

Seeing Jing Li’s complex expression, Qin Zhao chuckled and asked, “What’s wrong? Scared?”

“No…” Jing Li shrank his neck and muttered, “I was just thinking, it’s a good thing I didn’t meet you ten years ago. Otherwise, I might’ve actually ended up in your cooking pot.”

No patience, cold and ruthless.

Truly befitting a Regent.

Qin Zhao frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied with this description, but he didn’t comment further. Instead, he continued, “In the first few years after His Majesty ascended the throne, I purged the court in his name, creating quite a stir. That child was timid and soft-hearted, and I scolded him to tears more than a few times. But even so, whenever something happened, the first thing he thought of was to hide behind me.”

“It took me nearly seven years to teach him how to be a good emperor. I told him more than once that once he mastered his duties, I would step aside and let him take full control. I just don’t understand…”

He didn’t understand how that child, who had once only cried and hidden behind him, could have suddenly become so cunning and calculating.

“Let’s head to the capital earlier,” Jing Li suggested. “There’s no need to wait until November. We can rest in the village for a few days and then set off.”

With October just around the corner, if they departed after a brief rest and traveled by water, they could reach the capital by early November.

Arriving a day earlier would mean uncovering the truth a day sooner.

But Qin Zhao shook his head. “There’s no need to rush. Gu Changzhou still needs some time to prepare.”

“Let’s wait for the next secret message. Perhaps I’m just worrying unnecessarily.”

Jing Li eyed him, jealousy dripping from his tone. “I don’t think you’re overthinking. You’re worried the emperor might actually have some strange illness, aren’t you?”

Qin Zhao: “…”

What happened to not jumping to conclusions?

Jing Li lowered his head, fiddling with the teacup in front of him, his voice tinged with barely concealed bitterness. “You watched him grow up.”

“You taught him for seven years.”

“He cried and hid behind you whenever there was trouble.”

“And even now, you still trust him so much, convinced he wouldn’t harm you.”

So jealous.