Ch 41: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

During lunch, Lord Chen updated Jiang Ji on their progress.

That morning, they had just finished the countywide briefing. The village heads and clan elders had returned to gather information, but it would take until at least tomorrow before any data came in.

Jiang Ji nodded. Pingnan was the first county they’d started with, so the schedule was bound to be tight.

“Sir, did you find the warehouse or estate I asked for?”

Lord Chen nodded. “Yes, it’s ready. I’ll take you to see it after the meal.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. The list wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow anyway. “Sir, let’s go see it tomorrow morning. We have something to take care of this afternoon.”

Lord Chen knew they planned to visit relatives while in Pingnan. He nodded. “Alright. We’re all staying at the post station. When you’re ready, just let me know.”

“Okay.”

They discussed a few more matters. Since Jiang Ji was the most experienced with the seed promotion work, he usually spoke first, then everyone would discuss and finalize the procedure together.

After lunch, the county magistrate had attendants escort them to the post station. Once they dropped off their luggage, Jiang Ji tugged Jiang Yan along.

“Let’s walk around town—see if anyone recognizes you.”

That was their other main goal: helping Jiang Yan recover his memory and, hopefully, find his family.

They strolled down the main street. Pingnan’s county seat looked much like Changping’s, though a bit smaller.

Jiang Ji glanced at Jiang Yan. “I noticed no one at the yamen seemed to know you.”

Based on their guess, Jiang Yan had probably been from a wealthy family. Normally, someone of that standing would be recognized by many people in any town—unless he’d been the reclusive sort.

“Mm. Maybe I’m not from here.” Jiang Yan’s gaze drifted over the streets. “Nothing feels familiar.”

“Not even a little?”

“No.”

“Then let’s walk some more. There weren’t many people at the yamen anyway,” Jiang Ji said encouragingly. “We can check the shops—painting stores, stationery shops, teahouses, restaurants—places where scholars or merchants go. The shopkeepers and servants there usually know a lot of people. If you’re from this county, someone should recognize you.”

Those kinds of shops—selling paintings, brushes, tea—were exactly where literate or well-off young men tended to appear.

Jiang Yan gave him a sidelong look. “And what if I wasn’t a scholar?”

“Huh?” Jiang Ji blinked. “Then… should we go check the brothels instead?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Seeing his expression, Jiang Ji grinned. “Well, the sons of noble families love those pleasure houses, don’t they? And the girls there know everyone.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

“So, shall we go?” Jiang Ji nudged his arm, half-joking but also a bit excited. “I’ve never been to one before.”

Jiang Yan sighed. “If your mother ever found out you went to a brothel, she’d break your legs when you got home.”

Jiang Ji: “…”

He stared at him in disbelief. “Come on, big brother. We’ve finally gotten a chance to travel—don’t tie a leash on me already.”

“And besides,” he muttered, “I’m just going to look, not to do anything.”

“What exactly would you want to do?” Jiang Yan asked, one brow raised. “Hugging left and right?”

Jiang Ji: “…”

He ducked his head and mumbled under his breath, “If I wanted to do that, I wouldn’t go to a brothel—I’d go to a boy house.”

“What was that?”

“Ah? Nothing, nothing! Hahaha…” Jiang Ji laughed nervously and quickly pointed across the street. “Oh hey, look—a calligraphy shop! Let’s go check it out!”

Without waiting for a reply, he hurried ahead. Jiang Yan lifted a brow and followed.

At the entrance, Jiang Ji waited for him to catch up, then deliberately guided him right in front of the shopkeeper.

“Welcome, gentlemen. Looking for brushes, ink, or paper?” the shopkeeper asked with the polite indifference reserved for strangers.

If Jiang Yan were a familiar customer, the clerk would have called him “Young Master So-and-So” immediately.

“We’re just looking around,” Jiang Ji said casually.

They wandered a bit and left.

Next, they visited a painting shop, but again—no one recognized Jiang Yan.

After that came a teahouse, then a restaurant, and even a jewelry shop, a fabric store, a grain merchant, and a cosmetics shop. By the end, they had walked through nearly all the main streets and most of the central marketplace.

Seeing Jiang Yan’s expression grow more distant, Jiang Ji tried to cheer him up. “Let’s check the market area and side alleys next. Maybe we’ll find a clue.”

But Jiang Yan stopped him and looked down at his leg. “Rest for a bit.”

So the two stepped into a teahouse and took a window seat. They ordered two plates of snacks and a pot of tea.

After two cups, Jiang Ji picked up a piece of rice cake, chewing slowly as he stared out the window—thinking which place they should visit next where someone might finally recognize Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan poured him another cup of tea and asked, “Does your leg still hurt?”

“Hm?” Jiang Ji turned his head. “I’m not tired.”

“I meant the part that got rubbed raw this morning,” Jiang Yan clarified.

“Oh.” Jiang Ji finally realized what he meant—he hadn’t expected Jiang Yan to be that considerate. Smiling, he said, “It’s fine, just a little sore and itchy. If I don’t pay attention to it, I hardly notice.”

Jiang Yan nodded and picked up a pastry himself.

“Hey, Jiang Yan,” Jiang Ji said suddenly, “let’s go check out the academy later.”

He had just remembered there was an academy in the county. If Jiang Yan had studied anywhere, surely it would be there. Even if he’d already graduated, maybe one of the scholars or teachers would recognize him.

Jiang Yan noticed the light in his eyes—he clearly believed this was a good lead—and nodded. “Alright.”

There were only four pieces of cake per plate; after finishing two plates and resting a bit, Jiang Ji pulled Jiang Yan back onto the street.

They asked for directions to the academy and walked over. Along the way, they popped into a few shops, but still no one recognized Jiang Yan.

At the academy gate, an older doorkeeper in his forties asked what they wanted.

Jiang Ji casually said, “My young nephew’s just about old enough to start schooling, so we came to learn more about the academy. By the way, uncle, how long have you worked here?”

“More than ten years,” the man replied warmly.

“And do you know all the students here?”

“Of course! There are over two hundred of them—there’s not a single one I don’t know.”

Jiang Ji glanced at Jiang Yan, then said to the man, “Uncle, could you take a look at my elder brother here? Do you recognize him?”

The gatekeeper studied Jiang Yan carefully and shook his head. “Never seen him before.”

Then he gave Jiang Ji a look. “You trying to test me, young man? He’s definitely not from our academy. My memory’s sharp as a tack—I’d remember.”

“You’re amazing, uncle.” Jiang Ji gave him a thumbs-up. “Could we go in and take a look around?”

“You’ll need someone from inside the academy to escort you.”

Jiang Ji still wanted to go in, but Jiang Yan stopped him. “Thank you,” he said to the doorkeeper. “We won’t go in.”

As they walked away, Jiang Ji muttered, “What if someone inside knows you?”

“That man sees everyone coming and going. If even he doesn’t know me, I’m probably not from here.”

Jiang Ji fell silent for a moment, then said, “There’s a private school in the east of town—want to check that too?”

Jiang Yan looked at him. “I really don’t think I’m from this place.”

Jiang Ji clapped his shoulder. “Don’t get discouraged. We’ve got nothing else to do this afternoon—might as well walk around and see how this county differs from ours.”

Seeing the concern and warmth in his eyes, Jiang Yan couldn’t bring himself to refuse. “Alright.”

As dusk approached, they headed back. Rounding a corner near the academy, they spotted a place called Drunken Moon Pavilion. The doorkeeper had just opened the doors, and a woman in her thirties, lavishly dressed and heavily painted, was instructing the servants to sweep.

“Hey, Jiang Yan, let’s go take a look.”

Jiang Yan glanced at the place and immediately caught his arm.

Jiang Ji turned. “What’s wrong?”

He looked at the signboard and the woman’s attire. “That’s a brothel.”

“What? That’s a brothel?” Jiang Ji stared wide-eyed at the sign. “Aren’t brothels supposed to be called, like, ‘House of Blossoms’ or something?”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Jiang Ji looked again at the woman and at the few colorfully dressed girls passing by inside. Only then did he realize it really was a brothel. “Drunken Moon Pavilion, huh. I guess my idea was too old-fashioned. I thought it was a tavern.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Jiang Ji leaned forward to peek inside. “Wow, so this is what a real ancient brothel looks like. Too bad it’s just opening—there aren’t many people around yet. I bet it’s lively at night.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

“Let’s go.” He grabbed Jiang Ji by the wrist and started pulling him away.

“Hey, let me look a bit longer!”

“Look at what? You want aunt to break your legs?”

“…Aren’t you even curious?” Jiang Ji nudged him. “Don’t you want to go in?”

“No.” Jiang Yan shot him a glance. “And you’re not going either.”

Jiang Ji sighed. “…Fine.”

He looked back with a little regret.

He couldn’t help wondering—were brothels in ancient times really like the ones in the dramas?

In his past life, when Jiang Ji was fifteen or sixteen, curiosity had led him to a club with some rowdy friends. That was when he realized he had no interest in women at all—and discovered he liked men instead.

Jiang Yan noticed him glancing back and said coolly, “Regretting it already?”

Jiang Ji saw the faint edge in his tone and rubbed his nose. “Not really. Just curious, honestly.”

Jiang Yan studied him. It wasn’t strange for someone his age to be curious about such things, but still he said quietly, “Those places are no good. They cloud the mind. You shouldn’t go. And once you marry someday, you must never go.”

Jiang Ji blinked, then nodded slowly. “Got it. Don’t worry, I really was just curious. I understand.”

By dinnertime, they found a small restaurant, ate their fill, and stepped back out into the night.

Pingnan was a small county; when there wasn’t a festival, the streets were quiet after dark. Outside the two main roads, most of the town was pitch black.

“Let’s head back,” Jiang Yan said, glancing at the sky. “We’ve walked enough today. Get some rest.”

It was true—there wasn’t much else to do. Jiang Ji nodded. “Alright.”

They returned to the post station. Jiang Ji went to find Lord Chen to confirm the time for tomorrow’s visit to the estate, then went back to his room.

The post station was currently housing only Lord Chen and Jiang Ji’s group, so there were plenty of rooms. Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan each had their own separate quarters.

Jiang Ji ordered hot water, took a long bath, cleaned himself up, and then leaned by the window to open his livestream.

He had been busy since morning and hadn’t had a chance to check it all day.

The viewer count startled him—about thirty million people were watching. Usually, around this time in the evening, there were only a little over ten million.

He glanced at the barrage of comments. Even when he wasn’t talking, the viewers were chatting among themselves enthusiastically.

【The stream pauses every time he takes a bath—this system’s too smart.】
【Wait, doesn’t the streamer pause it himself?】
【He used to, but later got system privileges and set it to auto-pause. When he bathes or goes to the toilet, the image just freezes.】
【Hahaha, remember when he first started streaming? He didn’t even dare look down while peeing, and he’d stare straight ahead in the bath so he wouldn’t show anything.】
【Ahahaha, I miss those days.】
【He used to run to the woods just to use the toilet. Every time the screen froze on a patch of trees.】
【I watch his streams during my breaks—it’s like following a drama series.】
【Same! It’s fun watching his household slowly get richer.】
【I’m here for the career plot, hahaha.】
【I’m not just here for the career—I’m also here for the CP!】
【Haha, girl above, I get you.】

Jiang Ji: …What are you all even talking about?!

He couldn’t help laughing. “So this is what you all say about me when I’m gone? Digging up my black history now?”

Seeing that he was reading the chat again, the comments exploded even more.

【Oh look, the streamer finally has time to notice us immortals again!】
【Yo, the streamer’s back!】
【Yo, why aren’t you off with Jiang Yan right now?】

Jiang Ji sighed helplessly. “What kind of talk is this?”

【Someone was sharing a horse with Jiang Yan this morning~】
【Not just sharing—you two were all lovey-dovey, almost kissed him!】
【The whole screen went pink!】
【Jiang Yan’s handsome face filled the screen—I could barely breathe!】
【HAHAHAHAHA】

“When did I ever kiss Jiang Yan? Our noses bumped, that’s it—don’t start rumors!”

“And don’t do that weird tone—talk normally, please.”

【Heh, you sound disappointed~】
【Aww, too bad you didn’t actually kiss him~】
【Don’t deny it—you stared at him for at least three seconds before looking away.】
【Tell us, what were you thinking?】

“That was an accident!” Jiang Ji was exasperated. “Didn’t you see that?”

【Accidentally stared for three seconds? Sure.】
【Exactly—most people would’ve jumped back right away.】
【And you even grabbed his hand!】

Jiang Ji rubbed his nose guiltily. “You people have mouths but no brakes, I can’t argue with you.”

【Ha! You’re touching your nose—you’re nervous.】

Jiang Ji: “…” He quickly put his hand down.

【And that’s not all. When you got off the horse, he caught you again.】
【Come on, admit it—you’ve got a crush on Jiang Yan.】
【Totally. You were flirting with him.】

Jiang Ji’s eyes widened. “When did I ever flirt with him? Don’t go making things up!”

【We’ve got proof—you literally started undressing in front of him!】

“What undressing?” Jiang Ji was confused.

【You took your pants off! What else would you call that?】
【Yeah, I blushed watching that part.】
【It was this close to getting censored.】

Jiang Ji: “…”

Then it hit him. He’d taken off his pants earlier to check the rash on his thigh—and had forgotten to pause the stream.

“What’s the big deal? We’re all men here! I was just checking my leg,” Jiang Ji said defensively. “And I was wearing underwear, okay?!”

Then he shot back, “You’re the ones with dirty minds—your eyes must be yellow by now.”

【Haha, he’s mad! He’s mad!】
【Hahahahahaha!】
【Stop explaining—explaining just means you’re guilty!】
【I won’t name names, but someone really wanted to see Jiang Yan’s thighs.】
【Oh right! You even tried to pull his pants down to check!】
【Hahaha, tragic—you failed!】
【Yeah, that’s a shame. You really let us down.】
【Jiang Yan’s got such a great body, those long legs must look amazing.】
【You took your pants off, but gave us that instead?!】
【Do better next time, we’ll be cheering you on.】

Jiang Ji: …

He groaned. “You bunch of perverts—slow your car down or you’ll get banned.”

【Hahaha, stop teasing him. The streamer’s still a virgin; he can’t keep up with the pace.】
【He’s still a virgin?】
【He’s only nineteen, hahaha!】
【No wonder he wanted to peek into the brothel.】
【Wouldn’t matter anyway—he likes men.】
【Ahh, that explains why he couldn’t take his eyes off Jiang Yan.】
【Then why’d he want to go into the brothel so bad? Poor Jiang Yan was panicking!】
【Nah, he said he wanted to go to a boy house, to hug left and right.】
【Streamer, don’t go astray—or your mom really will break your legs.】

Jiang Ji sighed and ignored them. If he replied, they’d only get worse.

【Streamer, do you know how many trending topics you’re on today?】

Seeing that comment, Jiang Ji blinked. “Huh? I made the trending list again?”

【Sure did! Didn’t you notice how many people were watching all day today?】
【You’re on three trending topics right now, still pinned at the top.】
【‘Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan sharing a horse,’ ‘Jiang Ji kissed Jiang Yan,’ and ‘Jiang Ji wants to visit a brothel.’】

“Ah, thank goodness Jiang Yan can’t see this, or he’d die of rage.”

Looking at the trending topics the audience listed, Jiang Ji could only marvel at how every netizen in the universe seemed blessed with the ability to spin nonsense with a straight face.

It had been a tiny accidental bump—and they’d called it a kiss.

Tch!

Still, since they’d mentioned it, he checked the backend stats. Sure enough, the viewership had been enormous throughout the day. There were three major spikes—morning, noon, and afternoon—each with over thirty million concurrent viewers.

Jiang Ji thought about it. Yep, those were exactly the times when he’d accidentally bumped into Jiang Yan while riding, checked his leg at the yamen, and tried to sneak a peek at the brothel in the afternoon.

Jiang Ji: “…” Fine. Let’s just call it engagement. At least it earned a ton of points.

It was prime time now, and the viewer count was still climbing.

He chatted with them for a while until some viewers started stirring up mischief again.

【It’s only eight—still early. Streamer, go check out the brothel!】
【Yeah, I wanna see it too!】
【Come on, you know you’re curious!】
【Go, go! We’ll hype it up for you!】
【I’ve always wondered what ancient brothels really look like.】

Jiang Ji was indeed a little curious, but he said, “I promised Jiang Yan I wouldn’t go.”

【Pfft, just don’t tell him!】
【Wow, you really listen to Jiang Yan, huh? You’re whipped and not even married yet.】

“A promise is a promise,” Jiang Ji said earnestly. “I’m a man of principle, okay?”

【Aww, what a shame.】
【You could just take a peek at the door!】
【We haven’t seen the night market yet either—go walk around, maybe pass by the brothel.】

Jiang Ji shook his head. “Can’t. There’s a curfew. Walking around at night gets you arrested.”

【What’s a curfew?】
【Explain it!】

Scratching his head, Jiang Ji explained, “Basically, after eight at night, you’re not allowed to wander around until morning. It’s for public safety. Remember, this is ancient times—law enforcement isn’t great. Ever heard the saying, ‘On dark, windy nights come murder and arson’? No cameras, no streetlights—nighttime’s prime time for thieves and killers.”

【…】
【Well, he’s got a point.】
【Man, people in ancient times had such boring nightlife.】

“Right? Boring as heck. Everyone just goes to bed early.”

“In small towns, there are night markets only during festivals—like Lantern Festival or Qiqiao Festival. They’ll temporarily lift the curfew, and then the streets get lively, full of people and performances. I’ll show you then.”

【Wait, but if no one’s allowed out at night, how do brothels stay in business?】
【Yeah, aren’t brothels supposed to open at night?】

Jiang Ji laughed. “Easy—they just go before the curfew.”

【Haha, quick thinker!】
【Do big cities have curfews too?】

“Big cities? Like the capital? Probably, yeah. I don’t know—I’ve never been there. Maybe someday I’ll take you all to see it, once life settles down. I’d like to visit the capital myself.”

【Is the capital huge?】
【Can you see the Emperor there?】

“No way. The Emperor never leaves the palace. But maybe you can spot some high officials. Actually, I kinda want to see what the Regent looks like.”

【Me too! That Lord Xu said he’s the real power behind the throne!】
【Young, brilliant, top scholar, skilled in both letters and arms—total male lead material.】
【Someone that powerful probably isn’t easy to meet.】

“Well, life’s long. We’ll see.” Jiang Ji suddenly remembered something. “Oh right—you guys remember I still have a mission related to the Emperor, right?”

【What mission?】
【Wasn’t it something about eating and fishing with him?】
【Yeah, cooking a meal for the Emperor and fishing together.】

“That’s it! So tell me—if the system gave me that quest, doesn’t that mean it can actually happen someday?”

【First you need cooking skills, though.】
【But maybe it’s possible. If you spread those seeds nationwide, that’s a huge contribution! If the Emperor gets pleased and wants to meet you, there’s your chance.】
【Exactly. To see the Emperor, you need merit. Promoting these crops might be the key.】

“But the Emperor doesn’t eat food cooked by outsiders,” Jiang Ji pointed out. “Every dish is tested for poison first.”

【You’re not poisoning him—what’s the problem?】
【So your cooking skill—what’s it tied to?】

“It’s tied to sweet potato promotion. One thousand mu for basic, ten thousand for intermediate, fifty thousand for advanced.”

【That doesn’t sound too hard.】
【Lots of people will plant sweet potatoes—you can grow them from vines too!】

Jiang Ji checked the backend. “Even after selling all those seeds, the beginner level still isn’t lit up. Guess just selling them doesn’t count—they have to be planted.”

【Makes sense.】
【So your weaving and loom skills probably won’t unlock until all the rice and cotton are planted too.】

They chatted for a bit longer until Jiang Ji started feeling sleepy. He went downstairs to use the latrine—and as he passed through the hall, he saw Jiang Yan sitting at a table, reading.

When Jiang Ji came downstairs, Jiang Yan lifted his gaze and asked, “Where are you going?”

“The latrine,” Jiang Ji said curiously. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I’ll sleep soon. I… I’m going to the latrine too.” Closing his book, Jiang Yan stood up, returned it to the innkeeper, and said, “Let’s go.”

Jiang Ji blinked, then nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”

After they finished and washed their hands, they both returned to their rooms.

Watching Jiang Ji enter his room, Jiang Yan reminded him, “Don’t forget to apply the ointment.”

Jiang Ji paused. “Oh, right.”

When Jiang Yan didn’t leave, Jiang Ji blinked. “Something else?”

“No.”

Jiang Ji hesitated. “Want to sleep together?”

“No need.” Jiang Yan turned and walked back to his own room.

Jiang Ji: “…”

Once he closed the door, Jiang Ji turned to his viewers. “Didn’t it seem like he had something he wanted to say?”

【Why don’t you ask him yourself?】
【Didn’t notice anything.】
【I think he was sitting downstairs keeping watch on you—afraid you’d sneak off to the brothel. Now he just wanted to make sure you actually went to bed.】
【Makes sense!】

Jiang Ji: “…You’re overthinking. He was just bored and reading. Didn’t you see that book? He even borrowed it from the innkeeper!”

“Anyway, I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, folks—see you tomorrow.”

He manually shut off the stream, then applied the ointment, crawled into bed, and lay down.

Once the livestream ended, the playback video immediately appeared in the system’s archive.

Remembering what the viewers had said, Jiang Ji opened the replay and skipped to the part where he’d accidentally brushed Jiang Yan’s lips while riding.

Since the stream’s perspective was from his own eyes, watching it back now felt completely different.

He hadn’t realized during the day how close he’d gotten—but on video, the scene suddenly zoomed in from a wide shot straight to Jiang Yan’s face.

Extremely close.

Jiang Yan’s profile filled the entire frame—high-definition, so sharp that even fine hairs were visible.

“Wow, good skin. Not a pore in sight,” Jiang Ji muttered under his breath.

He replayed the moment again and noticed he really had frozen there for quite a while before turning away.

Touching his nose, he recalled the moment—it had been pure blankness in his mind, nothing like what the viewers were suggesting.

The chat back then had gone wild—shock first, then howling like wolves when they realized what happened.

He scrubbed forward to the part at noon when he’d applied medicine and accidentally met Jiang Yan’s gaze after being caught.

In first-person, close-up, crystal clear—Jiang Yan’s sharp, handsome face filled the screen, his deep eyes seeming to pull people in.

Jiang Ji stared at the image for a few seconds, then reached out and brushed his fingers across Jiang Yan’s on-screen face.

“Yeah… really is pretty handsome.”

No wonder the audience had gone feral.

He glanced through the live comments again.

【Holy crap, Jiang Yan is so handsome!】
【God, that face—I could look at it all year!】
【Ahhhh, husband!】
【That man’s mine!】
【Husband, crush me please!】

Jiang Ji: “…?!”

What the heck?!

How did Jiang Yan suddenly become your husband?

Half the messages were already censored by the system, probably for indecency.

Jiang Ji sighed, staring at the ceiling for a while, then suddenly grinned.

Heh, whatever. Call him what you want—you can only look, but I can see him, touch him, and even hold him.

Feeling rather pleased, Jiang Ji shut off the system, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾