Ch 134: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

On the way back, the wind and snow gradually stopped.

Qin Zhao dismissed his escort and, after having lunch at the temple, rode back to the capital alone. Along the way, he recounted to Jing Li everything about his conversation with the young emperor.

After listening, Jing Li asked in confusion, “That’s it?”

“What else do you expect?” Qin Zhao held the wooden bucket containing the little koi in his arms, one hand on the reins, leisurely riding up the mountain.

“It feels too simple…” The little koi swam back and forth in the bucket to aid digestion, its soft tail fin gently swaying. “How can he be such a spineless emperor?”

Although he had already heard from Qin Zhao about the young emperor’s disposition, seeing it in person still felt unbelievable. For a ruler of a nation to be so easily manipulated—it was truly strange.

As Jing Li pondered this, he started reflecting on whether his hostility toward the young emperor had been excessive.

Back when Qin Zhao intended to retire, it wasn’t long before he was poisoned and attacked. With such incidents, anyone would suspect the young emperor.

Was the young emperor truly uninvolved in those events?

“The truth will come to light eventually,” Qin Zhao said calmly.

Jing Li sensed an underlying meaning in his words and asked, “Do you also think the young emperor wasn’t truthful?”

Qin Zhao replied, “There’s no evidence, just speculation.”

The little koi wagged its tail at him. “Then why not speculate?”

“Alright, I’ll speculate,” Qin Zhao chuckled, then countered, “If you were the young emperor and suddenly saw the regent—who was supposed to be dead—appear before you, what would your reaction be?”

“Uh…” Jing Li thought seriously before answering, “If I had something to do with the regent’s death, I’d probably be very scared.”

“Scared of what?” Qin Zhao asked.

“Scared of revenge, of course.” Jing Li continued, “Think about it—if you were the young emperor, today you went on a trip, encountered a blocked mountain road, ended up at that rundown temple with few guards, and suddenly met your old nemesis. You’d definitely think it was all premeditated, right? I’d be terrified.”

Qin Zhao lowered his gaze and looked at him thoughtfully.

“W-what is it?” The little koi tilted its head up. “Did I say something wrong?”

Qin Zhao shook his head. “No, you’re absolutely right.”

“But I was just wondering—since when did you get so clever?”

The little koi was about to wag its tail proudly but paused at the last sentence, sensing something amiss. “Are you saying I was dumb before?”

Qin Zhao coughed lightly. “I didn’t mean that.”

Jing Li huffed, unwilling to fall for his tricks.

Seeing this, Qin Zhao returned to a serious tone. “What you said is correct. But think about it—if the events of that year had nothing to do with him, what would he do then?”

“What else could he do?” Jing Li was confused by the question. “If your misfortune wasn’t related to him, he should be happy you’re back, right? After all, the empress dowager currently holds power over him. He should be glad for someone to break the stalemate.”

Qin Zhao asked, “But how would he prove it had nothing to do with him?”

Jing Li fell silent.

He vaguely understood the implication in Qin Zhao’s words.

“He is indeed afraid of me, but it’s not necessarily because he feels guilty,” Qin Zhao sighed. “Six years have passed. While I’m wary of him, he’s also wary of me. He doesn’t know why I’ve returned or what my intentions are. His behavior today was simply out of fear that I might act impulsively and take his life.”

Qin Zhao had meticulously prepared for this audience. In this matter, the young emperor was in the light while Qin Zhao was in the dark.

Faced with such an unexpected situation, even Qin Zhao wouldn’t have remained entirely composed.

In other words, if the young emperor had truly displayed composure and eloquence today, Qin Zhao wasn’t sure he would have let him leave that temple.

“That guy never knew much before—do you know what he’s best at?”

Jing Li: “What?”

Qin Zhao: “Crying.”

Qin Zhao spoke indifferently, “Qi Xuan has been like this since he was young. He knows that crying makes him appear weak, and the weaker he seems, the less seriously people will take him. Even before he was crowned prince, he already understood how to manipulate this.”

The little koi was momentarily stunned. Seeing this, Qin Zhao chuckled softly. “You wouldn’t seriously take him for some weak and useless person, would you? Wake up—he’s the sole surviving prince from the bloody struggle for the throne.”

Qin Zhao looked into the distance, letting out a quiet sigh. “In the royal family, how could there ever be someone truly mediocre?”

Jing Li felt a headache coming on as he thought about all this. He gave up trying to untangle the complexities and directly asked Qin Zhao, “So what now? Have you agreed to help him deal with the Empress Dowager?”

“Who said I agreed?”

“What?”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Did I explicitly promise?”

“Stop playing word games!” The little koi splashed some water angrily. “You took a token from the young emperor, didn’t you? Aren’t you planning to help him regain power? Then what do you intend to do?”

Qin Zhao remained unhurried. “I’m neither a civil official nor a military general. Such matters aren’t for me to handle.”

Jing Li calmed down and thought of a possible candidate. “You mean… Xiao Yue?”

Qin Zhao nodded slightly, his tone firm and upright. “He brought his personal guards all the way to the capital; he can’t leave empty-handed. He has to accomplish something.”

Jing Li: “…”

The sheer audacity of using someone so openly left Jing Li speechless.

As Jing Li mulled it over, he understood Qin Zhao’s plan.

Given the current situation, their primary enemy was no longer the young emperor. The Empress Dowager held actual power and was likely the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on Qin Zhao years ago. Targeting her was undoubtedly the correct move.

And for this, Qin Zhao didn’t even need to get involved personally.

The Xiao family would never allow the Empress Dowager to continue holding such overwhelming power. All Qin Zhao needed to do was hand the young emperor’s token to Xiao Yue and convey the emperor’s current predicament.

What followed would no longer concern Qin Zhao.

Jing Li: “So you’re just planning to sit back and reap the rewards?”

“Of course.” Qin Zhao was unabashed. “It’s called delegating to the capable. What can I do? My health isn’t great, and I have no military power in my hands.”

As for uncovering the truth behind the past events, that could wait until real power was regained.

And all of it could be handled by that distinguished general.

“But what if the Empress Dowager strikes first?” Jing Li asked. “She’ll surely hear about your return soon, especially since you’ve used your real identity. If she sends someone to investigate, what will you do?”

“No worries, I’ve already made preparations.”

Qin Zhao didn’t elaborate further.

Perhaps because he’d resolved a major concern, Qin Zhao seemed to be in good spirits during the return journey. He even had the leisure to chat with Jing Li and admire the snow.

Unfortunately, Jing Li hadn’t brought any clothing with him and could only stay in his fish form, carried by Qin Zhao.

“You could wear my clothes,” Qin Zhao suggested as a solution.

He still had a spare set of clothes in his travel pack.

Jing Li firmly refused, “Absolutely not!”

“What’s there to be shy about? It’s not like you’ve never worn my clothes before,” Qin Zhao said.

The little koi swished its tail and sank to the bottom of the bucket, giving Qin Zhao no chance to negotiate.

It wasn’t the same as before! Besides, they still had to ride back to the city—what would it look like if someone saw them?

Sullen but secretly pleased, the little koi wagged its tail underwater. Qin Zhao sighed helplessly, “I told you not to follow me in the first place.”

“I was worried about you,” the little koi blew some bubbles. “Anyway, no one can recognize me in fish form. If you ran into danger, I could save you, couldn’t I?”

Qin Zhao countered, “And if you got lost or encountered danger in the mountains, who would save you?”

Jing Li fell silent.

Qin Zhao halted his horse and looked down at the little koi in the bucket. “Don’t do this again, Xiao Yu.”

“Meeting me by chance this time doesn’t mean it will always turn out this way. I don’t want you risking your safety for my sake.”

“I understand…”

Calming down, Jing Li admitted that his actions had been impulsive. He swam back to the surface and said seriously, “I won’t do it again. I promise.”

“You’ve said that before,” Qin Zhao sighed, lightly touching the little koi’s head with his finger. “But this time, you’re the biggest hero, so I’ll forgive you.”

“I think I’m the biggest hero too.” The little koi swam circles around Qin Zhao’s finger, smugly saying, “If it weren’t for me, you probably wouldn’t have seen the emperor yet. I’m quite useful, aren’t I?”

“I’ve told you before, you shouldn’t—”

“—rely on the luck of a koi,” Jing Li interrupted. “I know. But I wasn’t relying on luck. I was just enjoying the occasional surprise it brings, which you also told me I should do.”

It was Qin Zhao who had taught Jing Li how to accept the advantages and influence brought by his unique traits, even as he repeatedly reminded Jing Li not to depend on them too much.

“Sometimes, you really sound like an old man,” Jing Li remarked solemnly. “You’re only in your early thirties—try showing a bit of youthful energy! Just because people call you ‘sir’ doesn’t mean you have to act like an old man.”

“…”

Qin Zhao raised an eyebrow, and the little koi immediately dove back to the bottom of the bucket, too afraid to surface again.

The two traveled at a leisurely pace, stopping occasionally, and only returned to the capital near sunset. Qin Zhao entered the city on foot, stopping at the marketplace to buy pastries and candied hawthorns for the little fish at home before carrying his koi husband back.

---

The next morning, Xiao Yue, stationed secretly near the capital with his troops, received an encrypted letter.

The letter bore no signature. As Xiao Yue opened it, a delicate jade ornament slipped out.

He recognized it immediately—it was something left by the late emperor to the current sovereign.

The letter contained a detailed account of the capital’s defensive arrangements, military deployments, and even the size of the Imperial Guards accompanying the emperor on his visit to the ancestral temple. To top it off, it thoughtfully included the sender’s proposed strategy.

Only one concise line of text followed:

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

After reading the letter, Xiao Yue remained silent for a long time. Finally, he kicked over the brazier in front of him. “That bastard Qin Zhao used me again!”

Of course, a general of his caliber wouldn’t be easily manipulated. Even if it came down to a standoff between armies, he wouldn’t let the former regent emerge unscathed. Xiao Yue immediately sent someone to the capital to find Qin Zhao, but the news he received was that Qin Zhao’s family had already left their residence, leaving no trace behind.

---

December 16: The emperor departed for the ancestral temple for a three-day ceremony.

December 18: On the return journey, the emperor was ambushed by an unidentified group. Fortunately, the emperor was unharmed, though the Empress Dowager was greatly alarmed and ordered a thorough investigation.

The following day, General Xiao Yue suddenly arrived in the capital, claiming he had captured the assassins.

Under severe interrogation, the captured culprits confessed they had acted under the orders of a key minister aligned with the Empress Dowager.

Using this as a pretext to “purge the court of traitors,” Xiao Yue demanded a full investigation into the Empress Dowager’s faction. Naturally, the Empress Dowager refused to back down. The two clashed fiercely in the capital, with Xiao Yue ultimately stationing his army outside the city as a show of military might.

“Typical brute,” Qin Zhao commented, setting down the letter in a remote bamboo house hundreds of miles away from the capital. “He’s not even afraid of being accused of treason by the young emperor later. But things should be close to resolution now.”

Ah Qi responded, “Congratulations, sir.”

“Save your congratulations until it’s truly settled.” Qin Zhao threw the letter into the brazier, watching it burn. He turned his head and asked, “Where’s my husband?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a voice rang out from outside. “I’m back!”

Jing Li burst into the house, rushing in with their little fish fry.

The mountain had seen a snowfall the previous night, and the two had been out exploring all morning. Snow clung to their clothes and hair, quickly melting in the warm room.

“Where have you been now?” Qin Zhao asked.

After meeting with the emperor, Qin Zhao knew he couldn’t stay in the capital for long. Thankfully, he had prepared in advance, finding a secluded mountain forest several hundred miles away and building a bamboo house there.

The house was far safer than their former residence in the capital, with intricate defenses in place. They had been living there for nearly a month.

Jing Li winked at the little fish fry, and the two loosened their clothes, spilling out a dozen small wild sweet potatoes.

“We spent ages digging these up!” Jing Li said happily. “Let’s eat them for lunch!”

“…”

No wonder the two were covered in dirt as if they’d rolled in mud—they’d been digging for sweet potatoes.

Qin Zhao chuckled.

He’d worried that Jing Li might find mountain life boring, but instead, he was thriving, enjoying daily excursions with their son to the mountains and rivers.

Qin Zhao fetched a bamboo basket and helped Jing Li gather up the sweet potatoes. “I’ll roast them. Take your son to wash up and change. Look at the two of you, filthy as stray cats.”

The father and son exchanged a glance. Jing Li relented. “Fine, but keep an eye on the fire and don’t burn them.”

Satisfied with Qin Zhao’s promise, Jing Li carried the little fish fry away.

Meanwhile, Qin Zhao and Ah Qi headed to the courtyard.

The bamboo house, hastily built, was smaller than their old home in Linxi Village. It lacked bamboo walls or a pond but had a fenced yard and a simple outdoor kitchen.

Qin Zhao brought the sweet potatoes to the stove, while Ah Qi volunteered to wash them. Qin Zhao added firewood to the stove.

By the time Ah Qi returned with the cleaned sweet potatoes, Qin Zhao had the fire going.

Roasting sweet potatoes wasn’t difficult—simply bury them in the stove’s embers. As luck would have it, thanks to Jing Li and the little fish fry’s koi-like good fortune, the sweet potatoes they’d found were exceptionally plump, better than anything sold in the capital.

Qin Zhao roasted seven or eight sweet potatoes at once. Just as he finished burying them, footsteps echoed outside the courtyard.

A young man dressed as a villager stood respectfully outside the fence. “Sir Qin, someone in the forest requests to see you.”

“…Their surname?” Qin Zhao asked.

“Qi.”