Ch 132: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

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A few days prior, a public notice had been posted in the capital, announcing that the Emperor would depart for the Ancestral Temple today at si hour (9-11 AM). The main roads of the city and the city gates along the Emperor’s route would be closed and cleared starting from chen hour (7-9 AM).

As such, Qin Zhao had to leave the city before chen hour.

Once outside the city, time became less of a constraint.

Qin Zhao’s prepared carriage exited the city and traveled along the official road for about half an hour before stopping at a teahouse.

This teahouse was situated conveniently by the roadside on the way to the Ancestral Temple. Its location offered excellent visibility in all directions. Although it was still early, a few patrons were already chatting inside. When Qin Zhao entered, they acted as if they hadn’t noticed him, not even sparing him a glance.

The teahouse owner stepped forward to greet Qin Zhao. Without needing any explanation, the owner led him to the most private and best-placed room on the second floor.

“Rest assured, sir. Everything here has been taken care of, and everyone present is one of our own,” the owner said as he served a pot of tea before discreetly leaving.

Over the past half month, Qin Zhao had meticulously arranged for all the personnel he might encounter on this mission. To ensure security, each individual only knew their specific task and was unaware of the bigger picture or who they were ultimately working for.

Qin Zhao stood by the window, observing for a moment. Once he was certain there were no anomalies, he closed the shutters and retrieved a patched, coarse cloth robe from his luggage.

Today, he was to play the role of a wandering physician, a healer known for traveling far and wide to save lives.

For the past few months, the young Emperor’s illness had not improved, leaving the court officials worried and restless. Many had recommended renowned physicians to the palace, but they were all turned away by the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Frustrated by their inability to send anyone in, the officials had grown increasingly vocal in their criticisms.

Now, with the Emperor traveling to the Ancestral Temple, Deng Yuyou had seized the opportunity to recommend this “divine healer.” While unexpected, it was, in hindsight, a move that made perfect sense to the court officials.

The robe had been pretreated with medicinal herbs, and as Qin Zhao put it on, the pungent, herbal scent enveloped him. He now fully looked the part of a physician accustomed to working with herbs.

In addition to the robe, he carried a medicine chest containing various jars and ointments essential for a traveling healer.

These items had all been prepared by Jing Li.

Jing Li often felt he couldn’t contribute much, but Qin Zhao believed otherwise. Along this journey, Jing Li had been his greatest support. Having such a capable and beautiful companion was, to Qin Zhao, a great blessing—though the little guy could sometimes be stubborn and a bit silly.

Thinking of Jing Li now, Qin Zhao began to feel uneasy.

He hadn’t allowed Jing Li to accompany him on this mission, partly to ensure Jing Li’s safety and partly to execute the plan flawlessly. He had explained this to him several times, but every time the topic came up, Jing Li insisted he could disguise himself and follow, refusing to agree otherwise.

If Jing Li truly disguised himself and tagged along, Qin Zhao doubted he could focus entirely on the plan.

…Worrying about him was already enough to distract him.

Though Jing Li eventually agreed to stay home, the expression on his face when he bid Qin Zhao farewell this morning made it clear he wasn’t happy about it.

Qin Zhao sighed. When he returned, who knew how long it would take to coax him back into a good mood?

He sipped his tea, already dreading the challenges of the days ahead.

Qin Zhao waited in the teahouse for over half an hour. By si hour and three-quarters (10:45 AM), a cloud of dust rose in the distance along the mountain path.

The Emperor’s ancestral rituals were a grand event, accompanied by numerous officials and guards. These individuals departed the city in staggered groups, per the Ministry of Rites’ arrangements. Historical records noted that the most extravagant ancestral ceremony in this dynasty saw the procession stretch from the imperial city gates all the way into the countryside—a scene rivaling the grandeur of the founding Emperor’s triumphant march into the capital.

What Qin Zhao now observed seemed to be the vanguard of this year’s ceremonial procession.

The ancestral worship procession consisted of numerous carriages and horses, with rest stops planned along the way for resupply. This teahouse was one such stop. According to the plan, Deng Yuyou had bribed a young eunuch close to the Emperor to ensure the procession would pause here briefly.

This would be Qin Zhao’s opportunity to meet the young Emperor.

Qin Zhao partially closed the window beside him and waited quietly.

The tea on the table boiled softly, but the sound was completely drowned out by the clatter of hooves and footsteps outside the relay station. The vanguard of the guards passed quickly, followed by the Minister of Rites, and next—

Qin Zhao peered through the narrow gap in the window, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Following the Minister of Rites, the Emperor’s palanquin should have appeared.

But instead of the Emperor’s carriage, it was… the Empress Dowager’s phoenix sedan.

In this dynasty, black was the color of highest honor. Through the layers of black gauze draped over the phoenix sedan, one could vaguely see a regal woman seated inside, engrossed in reading something. As the sedan passed the teahouse, she seemed to sense something, briefly lifting her gaze toward the second floor.

The windows on the teahouse’s second floor were all partially shut, revealing no suspicious activity from the procession’s vantage point.

The Empress Dowager lowered her gaze again and spoke softly, “Changshun.”

“Here, Your Majesty,” the elderly eunuch beside her responded promptly.

The Empress Dowager’s voice was light, almost youthful, but carried an innate authority. “Pass down the order. The weather today looks ominous—there may be rain later. Tell them to hurry and not linger unnecessarily.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

As the eunuch turned to leave, she added, “And send someone to search all the relay stations and teahouses along the route. The Emperor is frail—ensure no miscreants take advantage of the situation.”

The Empress Dowager’s decree quickly spread. By the time Deng Yuyou heard about it from the imperial guards, several relay stations and teahouses had already been searched, including the one where Qin Zhao was hiding.

Deng Yuyou sat restlessly in his carriage, holding his breath and listening intently for any commotion, fearing a report of suspicious individuals being caught.

But none came.

Even after the procession left the relay station’s vicinity, no new developments were reported.

Letting out a long sigh, Deng Yuyou realized his palms were slick with sweat.

Not far away, Qin Zhao emerged from the dense underbrush. The teahouse owner, who had been waiting for him, approached and asked, “Sir, what should we do now?”

Watching the departing procession, Qin Zhao remarked dryly, “It seems luck isn’t on my side today.”

Was it because he didn’t bring his little husband along?

Traditionally, only the reigning Empress was permitted to accompany the Emperor for ancestral worship. Other consorts, including the Empress Dowager, were prohibited. Moreover, prior to today, the royal family had explicitly stated that the Empress Dowager would remain in the capital and not join the ceremony.

Clearly, plans had changed.

Yet, Qin Zhao wasn’t overly surprised.

The meeting at the teahouse was the simplest part of his plan. He hadn’t pinned much hope on it working, as seeing the Emperor in person was no easy feat.

Gathering his thoughts, Qin Zhao ordered, “Bring the horses.”

The horses had been prepared in advance. If the teahouse plan failed, Qin Zhao’s group would take a shortcut on horseback to the Ancestral Temple.

Qin Zhao selected five companions to ride with him.

But luck truly seemed to have abandoned him. Shortly after crossing a mountain, it began to snow.

This was the first snowfall they had encountered since arriving in the capital.

It seemed as though the heavens wanted to make up for the late arrival of winter, as the light snowfall quickly turned into thick, heavy flakes. A dense fog rose in the mountains, severely limiting visibility.

The combination of snow and wind made progress nearly impossible. After struggling through the snow for nearly half an hour, Qin Zhao had no choice but to stop.

Although the horses could still move, the people could not.

Qin Zhao’s body hadn’t fully recovered, and he couldn’t risk his health in such conditions. When they came across an old, dilapidated temple, he immediately ordered the group to seek shelter inside.

This temple was isolated, with no villages nearby and no inns in sight. It was sparsely visited, with only an elderly abbot and a few young monks residing there.

Qin Zhao was led to the main hall to rest. Outside, in the courtyard, there was a large lotus pond. The pond was filled with lotus leaves, and the falling snowflakes melted upon hitting the water, creating ripples on the surface.

“Please enjoy some tea, sir,” the elderly abbot said, handing Qin Zhao a cup of tea.

Qin Zhao thanked him and then gestured toward the lotus pond in the courtyard. “Why doesn’t this pond have any fish?”

Having kept two koi fish at home, Qin Zhao was now quite knowledgeable about fish-keeping and immediately noticed that the pond didn’t seem suitable for raising fish.

The abbot smiled. “You might not know, sir, but the bottom of that lotus pond is connected to an external stream, so it’s running water—not suitable for fish. Occasionally, fish will swim in to scavenge for food, but with the weather turning cold, they haven’t come in recently.”

“I see,” Qin Zhao nodded.

Perhaps it was the beauty of the snow-covered temple scenery, but despite being stranded here, Qin Zhao felt no irritation.

He sipped the warm tea and even struck up a conversation with the abbot. “We also built a running water pond at home, and we keep a koi fish in it. But our koi never swims away. It’s very obedient and well-behaved.”

The abbot pressed his hands together in prayer. “Koi fish are known to be spiritual creatures. It seems your bond with it was predestined.”

The words pleased Qin Zhao immensely. “That’s quite true.”

A faint smile played on his lips, but as his gaze drifted toward the lotus pond, he suddenly spotted a flash of bright red in the water.

Qin Zhao: “…”

The smile froze on his face.

The little koi darted quickly to the bottom of the pond, hiding among the lotus leaves.

Not daring to make a single ripple, it held its breath and waited. After a moment of stillness, it cautiously poked its head out of the water to check.

In the distance, seated in the temple’s main hall, was a familiar figure quietly sipping tea.

It seemed… like Qin Zhao hadn’t noticed him.

… Hopefully.

Jing Li let out a sigh of relief.

He hadn’t expected to run into Qin Zhao here of all places.

Over the past half-month, Jing Li had gone over every route between the capital and the Ancestral Temple with Qin Zhao, memorizing every detail of the plan. That morning, he had snuck out of the house through the drainage ditch, swum into the city moat, and successfully caught up with a passing convoy heading toward the roadside teahouse.

But when he arrived, the teahouse was already empty.

Guessing that something had gone awry with the plan, Jing Li wasted no time and joined another convoy headed for the Ancestral Temple.

Who could have expected heavy snow to start falling just after entering the mountains?

The snow blocked the mountain path, forcing the convoy to stop at a relay station and wait.

Jing Li was in despair.

The convoy could rest, but he couldn’t afford to. He’d already set out later than Qin Zhao—if he stopped now, how would he ever catch up?

Left with no other choice, Jing Li swam upstream along the mountain stream.

But another problem quickly arose. The water routes didn’t fully align with the mountain roads, and Jing Li was only familiar with the land paths. He had no idea how to navigate to the Ancestral Temple via water!

Before long, Jing Li was lost. The rushing waters, intensified by the snow, tossed him around several times. When he finally regained his bearings, he realized he had somehow ended up in this lotus pond.

Rising to the water’s surface, the first thing he saw was Qin Zhao’s familiar face.

… Absolutely ridiculous.

Not wanting Qin Zhao to know he had secretly followed him, Jing Li had no intention of revealing himself. He swam a circle around the pond, observing Qin Zhao’s companions and trying to figure out a way to blend in.

However, the group was traveling light and on horseback, without the usual large water barrels often carried by caravans. Jing Li’s plan to sneak into a barrel was completely unfeasible.

He flicked his tail in frustration.

The moment the snow stopped, Qin Zhao’s group would set off again, and catching up would be nearly impossible.

What should he do?

The little koi was so anxious that even its fins drooped in despair.

Just then, the sound of approaching hoofbeats broke through the snowy silence outside the temple.

The hoofbeats grew louder, and soon someone banged forcefully on the temple door.

“Is anyone there? His Majesty is passing through and wishes to take shelter from the snow. Open the door immediately!”

Jing Li: “…”

Jing Li: “???”