Ch 42: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

At dawn, the sky gradually lightened.

Jiang Ji turned onto his left side, his arm instinctively reaching out beside him—only to find empty space.

He opened his eyes and, not seeing Jiang Yan anywhere, stared blankly for a few seconds before remembering—they were in Pingnan County now, and Jiang Yan wasn’t sharing a room with him.

Sitting up, Jiang Ji rubbed his face and got out of bed.

At home, he usually woke up around this time—fetching water first, sometimes heading to the fields.

It was still early. He got dressed, gathered his toothbrush, cloth, and washbasin, and headed downstairs to wash up.

When he opened his door, Jiang Yan happened to come out of the neighboring room.

“Morning,” Jiang Ji greeted with a yawn, tears forming in the corners of his eyes from sleepiness. “Did you sleep well?”

Jiang Yan locked his door, giving him a glance. “You didn’t sleep well?”

“It’s fine,” Jiang Ji said, rubbing away the moisture at his eyes. “Just not used to you not being there.”

Jiang Yan paused, looked at him once, and said, “Go wash up.”

“Mm.”

After the two of them washed downstairs, the others began getting up as well.

During breakfast, Lord Chen noticed that both Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan had brought their belongings and asked, “Why are you carrying your luggage? Not coming back tonight?”

“Yeah, we’re staying at the manor today,” Jiang Ji nodded, then reminded him, “My lord, tomorrow morning please have the county magistrate come to the estate to hand over the seeds. Also, when the village heads bring the name lists, remind them of the time to come buy the seeds.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already arranged it.”

After breakfast, the magistrate sent a few men to escort them to inspect the manor.

As Jiang Ji had requested, the estate was located just outside the city—only a fifteen-minute walk away.

After inspecting it, Jiang Ji was quite satisfied. This time, there weren’t as many seeds, so they didn’t need as much land.

He planned to distribute a portion of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn to each county, spreading them evenly.

To speed up promotion and help more people plant, all the seeds he exchanged were self-pollinating varieties—easy for farmers to save and replant on their own. That way, by next year, rice, corn, cotton, and potatoes could all multiply and spread severalfold across every county.

Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, could start spreading this very year through vine cuttings.

He had already explained all of this to Lord Chen and the others, so the officials of each county would soon know how to handle local expansion on their own.

After inspecting the manor, Lord Chen and his men left. Jiang Ji stayed behind, waiting for the county yamen to deliver the statistical data. Until then, the day was fairly idle.

He set down his bundle, and he and Jiang Yan went to the kitchen to boil a kettle of water. They poured tea, brought out a tray of peanuts and melon seeds, and sat under the eaves chatting as they snacked.

“I’m curious,” Jiang Ji said, cracking seeds between his fingers. “How do you think the magistrate here will price the seeds? Hopefully he won’t mark them up too high?”

He had already calculated his fair prices: forty wen per jin for rice and cotton, twenty for corn, and ten for sweet potatoes and potatoes. The latter two required much larger quantities per mu—often over a hundred jin—and since it was the first planting, the lower price made it affordable for farmers.

After one harvest, the farmers could easily recover their costs and even sell extra seeds for profit.

Jiang Yan shook his head. “Depends on how much pressure Lord Chen puts on them.”

“Lord Chen said he’d assign someone to supervise,” Jiang Ji replied, cracking another handful of seeds. “But who knows if the person doing the supervising is actually reliable.”

Still, he no longer had time to handle all the seed selling himself.

Jiang Yan glanced at him but said nothing. He peeled a peanut, rubbing the red skin off with his fingers until it flaked away.

“You don’t like peanut skins?” Jiang Ji asked.

Jiang Yan looked down at the nut in his hand and paused. “Not sure. Maybe just an old habit.”

Jiang Ji couldn’t help but comment, “Actually, that red skin’s pretty nutritious.”

When he was little, his father used to do the same—rubbing off the skins—so he’d copied him. But his mother had scolded him, saying it was better to eat them whole because the red skins were good for the body. After that, he’d always eaten peanuts with the skin on.

“What?” Jiang Yan asked, glancing over.

“This.” Jiang Ji pointed to the pile of red peanut skins on the table. “That stuff’s good for you. I think it can even be used medicinally.”

Jiang Yan looked at the peanut in his hand again, then met Jiang Ji’s steady gaze. With a quiet laugh, he popped the entire peanut—skin and all—into his mouth.

Satisfied, Jiang Ji went back to cracking sunflower seeds.

“How’s your leg?” Jiang Yan asked.

Jiang Ji swung both legs a little. “Much better. Just a bit itchy.”

“Did you apply the medicine?”

Jiang Ji froze.

“You forgot?” Jiang Yan asked, watching him.

“It’ll be fine by tomorrow,” Jiang Ji said, not too concerned.

“Tomorrow’s ride will be longer than yesterday’s,” Jiang Yan reminded him.

“Oh.” Jiang Ji put down the seeds, dusted his hands, and stood up. “I’ll do it now.”

He washed his hands and, too lazy to walk back to his room, applied the ointment right there in the kitchen. As he was pulling his trousers down, he paused—remembering yesterday’s incident—then quickly hit the pause button on the livestream before applying the medicine, getting dressed, and reopening the feed.

【He finally learned today】
【Come on, you’re all men, what’s there to hide?】

That was exactly what Jiang Ji had said yesterday. Seeing the chat quote him, he sighed. “There are girls watching too, you know. Maybe even minors—mind your words.”

【Oh? You weren’t so shy yesterday.】

“People grow up,” Jiang Ji said helplessly. “Anyway, I’m going to hang out with Jiang Yan.”

The two of them lazed around until noon. Jiang Ji even dozed off for a bit with his eyes closed. When lunchtime came, a yamen runner finally arrived with the statistics.

“Thanks, brother. Please tell the lord he can bring his men over tomorrow morning.”

“Got it,” the runner said with a nod, glancing around. “Need any help here?”

“No, thank you,” Jiang Ji replied.

After lunch, the two took a nap, then walked around the estate and out along the main road.

“Anyone watching?” Jiang Ji asked quietly.

Jiang Yan nodded. “Two of them.”

Jiang Ji sighed and signaled with his eyes. “Let’s go.”

They circled behind the watchers. Jiang Ji clapped one of them on the shoulder, and the man turned around—only to freeze in horror at finding himself face-to-face with the very people he’d been tailing.

Jiang Ji tilted his chin. “I’ve got your face memorized. My big brother here’s a great artist—drawing a likeness is nothing for him. I don’t care who sent you, but go tell your master this: if you keep spying on us, we won’t sell seeds anymore. When Lord Chen or the Provincial Governor asks, I’ll hand over your portrait. The blame will be on you and your master. Do with that what you will.”

He crossed his arms, staring the man down.

The man’s face drained of color. After a moment’s hesitation, he spun around and fled.

They found the second one and handled him the same way. That man, too, hesitated briefly before leaving in haste.

Watching him go, Jiang Ji snorted. “Let’s head back.”

By dusk, they checked the main road again—no one in sight. Whether there were spies farther away, they couldn’t worry about that.

The next morning, just after breakfast, both the county magistrate and Lord Chen arrived with their men.

Jiang Ji opened the warehouse doors. “Everything’s ready—stored here and in those five rooms. Each sack weighs one hundred jin. The rice and cotton are full stock, and the sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn are at twenty percent of total volume. Go ahead and check and weigh them.”

Inside, only a single layer of bags was stacked flat to make counting easy—the place was packed full of seeds.

Weighing every bag would take ages, so the magistrate smiled. “No need, just sample a few. This official still trusts Brother Jiang’s integrity.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Thank you for trusting me, my lord—but even brothers keep clear accounts. It’s better to have everything weighed properly. That way everyone feels at ease.”

The county magistrate hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Alright.”

To speed things up, he sent men to borrow scales and manpower from nearby villagers. By noon, all the seed sacks had been weighed and tallied.

While they were working, Jiang Ji took the chance to teach the local villagers how to sprout and transplant sweet potatoes, potatoes, and rice seedlings, so they could later instruct their village heads in turn.

Once the accounting was finished, the total came to nine thousand four hundred and eighty taels of silver.

This amount was to be advanced by the county office. The magistrate wrote an IOU for Jiang Ji, promising to deliver the money as soon as the seeds were sold.

Jiang Ji accepted the note, then after lunch, he and Jiang Yan packed their bundles and set off with Lord Chen for the next county.

Not long after they left, four men in black short tunics, swords at their sides, galloped into Pingnan County.

Inside an inn room, the four gathered around a table.

“Chen Feng, what should we do? We’ve searched six or seven counties nearby and still no trace of the regent.”

“Don’t panic. His Highness is blessed—he’ll be safe.”

“It’s already been almost a month. Maybe we should ask the provincial governor for help. With more people, we’d search faster.”

“No. Lord Lu made it clear—the fewer who know about the Regent’s disappearance, the better. Both Lord Lu and General Han have already dispatched men. Even if we have to turn this entire prefecture upside down, we will find him.”

“Alright. Chen Feng and I will stay here. You two head to Changping County. No matter what happens, we regroup in Pingyang in five days.”

“Would His Highness really have gone that far? He was seriously injured, and this place is already over a hundred li from where it happened. Changping is still seventy or eighty li farther.”

“What else can we do? We’ve searched everything within a hundred-li radius and found nothing. We can only expand northward. If His Highness has recovered at all, he’d likely head north toward the capital. We must find him—no matter what—and ensure his safety.”

“Alright.”

Two of the men rode north, while the other two found an inn, left their horses and luggage, and immediately went out into the city to continue the search.

*

Jiang Ji, Lord Chen, and their party drove their horses hard toward the east and reached the next county by dusk.

Jiang Ji immediately asked the magistrate for the necessary data, then had him arrange quarters at a nearby manor. He told them to return in the morning for the transaction—and sent them all away.

Watching how Jiang Ji handled things, Lord Chen seemed thoughtful but said nothing.

What mattered most were the seeds. As for how Jiang Ji had transported them, or why there had been no word about it in advance—that was irrelevant for now.

When Jiang Ji bid farewell, he made it clear to Lord Chen that they’d been followed—and that he didn’t like it.

Whatever Lord Chen said to his subordinates afterward, the tailing stopped. Jiang Ji felt much more at ease.

The remaining counties didn’t take as long. When they arrived, the magistrates had already completed their statistics, so Jiang Ji only needed to prepare the seeds at night and make the exchange the next morning.

At every county, he and Jiang Yan reserved half a day to wander through the city—searching for Jiang Yan’s family or anything that might trigger his memory.

That afternoon, they strolled through town again, but still no one recognized Jiang Yan.

It was their fifth county now—thirteen days since they’d set out.

As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan left the city, heading back to the manor outside the walls.

Seeing the calm on Jiang Yan’s face, Jiang Ji hesitated before saying, “Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong places. It’s possible you’re from some town, not the county seat.”

Jiang Yan turned his head slightly, his voice low. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

How could he be fine? Losing one’s memory, not knowing where one’s family was—Jiang Ji imagined himself in that situation and felt a pang of sympathy. It had to be confusing and unsettling.

Though Jiang Yan appeared composed, Jiang Ji knew him well by now. He was always steady, never panicking, never emotional. At most he’d furrow his brows—then go straight to finding a solution instead of complaining.

Safe, dependable, and quietly strong.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ji said, “It’s also possible you were just passing through and got robbed by bandits. Maybe you’re not from this prefecture at all—that’s why no one recognizes you.”

“That’s possible,” Jiang Yan replied with a nod.

“When your memory returns, everything will make sense,” Jiang Ji said, clapping him on the shoulder. “Till then, stay at my place and rest up. Help me with the fields too—it’ll be good training for your body, alright?”

Jiang Yan looked at him, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. His eyes shimmered faintly, bright with something that looked like hope. “Alright.”

*

In the prefectural yamen, Prefect Hu stared at the note in his hand, sneered, and tossed it onto the desk.

The adviser beside him picked it up and glanced over it—it was a report from the counties below. The total from the four counties Jiang Ji had visited so far came to nearly forty thousand taels of silver in seed sales.

He watched Prefect Hu’s expression carefully. “My lord, they’ll soon finish the last few counties. Are we just going to let it go?”

Prefect Hu’s face darkened, his eyes venomous. He gave a low, cold laugh. “He thinks he can toy with me and walk away? That bumpkin really thinks he’s something special?”

The adviser hesitated, then asked softly, “Then my lord intends…?”

Prefect Hu thought for a moment. “Their last stop is Huawen County, correct?”

“Yes,” the adviser said, pouring him tea. “They went south from Changping to Pingnan, then east, then south again, circling back west—it all ends at Huawen County. About a hundred and sixty or seventy li east of Huawen lies Changping, and southeast of there is Pingnan. The three counties border each other.”

Prefect Hu took a slow sip of tea and said leisurely, “If I remember correctly, there’s a mountain in that area—a bandit nest, isn’t there?”

“Yes,” the adviser’s eyes lit up. “Skull Mountain. It’s right on the road between Huawen County and Changping County.” He glanced at Hu and, catching the implication, drew a finger across his throat. “My lord, you mean to have the Skull Mountain bandits…”

Hu didn’t reply.

The adviser hesitated, worried. “But Lord Fan values Jiang Ji quite highly right now.”

Hu let out a cold laugh. “Who said anything about killing him? Just give him a little lesson.”

The adviser was puzzled. “Then what are you thinking, my lord?”

Hu shot him a sideways glance. “Let a bit of information slip. Say two travelers carrying a large sum of silver will be passing through their area. They’ll know what to do.”

The adviser immediately understood and smiled with admiration. “Brilliant as always, my lord. I’ll take care of it.”

He turned to leave, but after two steps, paused and came back. “My lord, what if Lord Chen travels back to Changping with them?”

“Didn’t that fellow Jiang say he’s in a hurry to get home and sow the fields? Have the magistrate of Huawen delay Lord Chen a day or two.”

“Understood.”

*

Outside Huawen County, in a country manor—

The magistrate handed Jiang Ji an IOU and asked, “Brother Jiang, are you sure you won’t stay two more days? Once the seeds sell, I can give you the money directly.”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “My lord, we’ve been away sixteen days already. The weather’s getting warmer by the day—if we delay any longer, we’ll miss the planting season.”

The magistrate sighed, seeing he couldn’t persuade him. “Very well, then. Be careful on your way home.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan packed their things and went to say goodbye to Lord Chen.

“You’re really leaving this soon?” Lord Chen frowned. “I’ve heard there are bandits active nearby. If you wait two days, I’ll finish my business here and travel back with you. It’ll be safer with more people.”

Jiang Ji shook his head. “The planting season won’t wait, and the villagers back home are following my schedule. I can’t delay.”

Seeing their minds made up, Lord Chen could only warn, “Then please be very cautious.”

“Of course. Thank you, my lord.”

After returning to town and eating lunch, they fed the horses well and prepared to depart through the east gate.

Jiang Yan glanced at his companion’s leg. “Maybe rent a carriage?”

“No need. Too slow—I just want to get home early.”

“Your leg…”

“It’s fine. I wrapped it in gauze—it’ll hold.”

The past few days of constant riding had reopened the half-healed chafed wounds on Jiang Ji’s thighs. He’d wrapped them in bandages, and later Jiang Yan even fashioned cotton padding for him, but it hadn’t helped much.

Since Jiang Ji insisted, Jiang Yan didn’t argue further. “Alright.”

They rode about ten li out of town. At a fork in the road, Jiang Yan pulled the reins and steered south.

“Is this the right way? Don’t get us lost!” Jiang Ji shouted from the front.

“Should be,” Jiang Yan said calmly. “If not, we’ll turn back.”

“…Alright, fine.”

They followed the winding southern path for about fifteen minutes and soon reached the main road. After traveling a short distance, they came across a middle-aged man carrying baskets on a pole. Jiang Yan stopped the horse.

“Uncle,” Jiang Ji leaned forward to ask, “is this the way to Pingnan County?”

“Yes, that’s right—this way.”

“Thank you, uncle.”

Jiang Ji turned, grinning, and patted Jiang Yan’s arm. “See? It’s this way. Let’s go.”

“Hyah!”

With a flick of the reins, Jiang Yan urged the horse forward, hooves thundering down the road.

Everyone knew Skull Mountain was crawling with bandits. Jiang Ji, carrying over forty thousand taels of silver from the county payments, wasn’t stupid enough to take that route.

Safety came first—if they got robbed, the month of work would be for nothing, not to mention risking their lives.

Heading south through Pingnan and then home only added fifty or sixty li to the journey.

They reached Pingnan just before the city gates closed and checked into the best inn in town for the night.

“Waiter! Bring us three or four of your best dishes, four bowls of rice, and make sure our two horses are well-fed. Prepare hot water too—we’ll wash up after dinner.” Jiang Ji handed the waiter a small silver tip.

The waiter’s face lit up. “Right away, sirs! Please have some tea while you rest.”

After leaving the teapot, the waiter hurried off.

The two men shared a room. Once inside, Jiang Ji dropped his bundle and flopped onto a stool, stretching out his legs.

“I’m dead tired. I feel like I’ve been shaken apart.”

After a full afternoon on horseback, his stomach felt like it had been churned to pieces.

Jiang Yan glanced at him and chuckled softly, pouring two cups of tea.

Jiang Ji took a sip and quickly set it down. “Damn, that’s boiling hot!”

“Then wait a bit.”

Still thirsty, Jiang Ji simply exchanged some of his system points for two bottles of mineral water. Handing one to Jiang Yan, he said, “Let’s drink this instead.”

He’d used the same trick on the road before, so Jiang Yan accepted the bottle, twisted the cap, and drank.

Jiang Ji gulped down half of his in one go.

A little later, the waiter brought up two basins of water. They washed their faces and hands, and once dinner was served and eaten, prepared to bathe.

After mixing the hot water, Jiang Yan set the bucket down and turned toward him. “Let me see your leg.”

Jiang Ji paused the livestream, pulled off his outer trousers, and revealed the gauze at his thigh—stained with a small patch of blood.

Jiang Yan frowned. “Just wipe yourself down. Don’t bathe—you can do that once it heals.”

Jiang Ji sighed. “Alright. You wash first, I’ll just use a basin after.”

“You go ahead and wipe up first—it’s faster.”

“I still have to put on the medicine later. Don’t want to take my pants off twice. Go on, take your bath before the water gets cold. I’ll stand guard for you.” Jiang Ji pulled his trousers back on, grabbed a stool, and went to sit by the door.

Watching him close the door tightly, Jiang Yan quickly undressed and started bathing.

Sitting outside, Jiang Ji reopened his livestream.

【You done bathing already? That was like three minutes tops.】
【Streamer, you’re fast, huh.】

Jiang Ji glanced down the hallway—no one around—then whispered, “Didn’t wash. Got a sore on my leg, Jiang Yan told me not to. I’ll just wipe off later. He’s the one washing now.”

【Ohhh, so Jiang Yan told you not to bathe.】
【And you’re guarding the door?】
【Come on, both of you are men. Why so shy about bathing?】
【He likes men, remember? That’s who he finds attractive.】
【So, streamer, you’re standing outside because you don’t trust your self-control?】
【Hahaha, don’t tease him like that!】

Jiang Ji: “…”

“Pick up your morals, they’re all over the floor! You people are impossible—aren’t you afraid minors might see this?”

【Minors shouldn’t watch his stream.】
【We’re watching anyway, who cares.】
【I’m an adult, I want the adult channel!】
【Me too!】

Jiang Ji: “…”

“You’re all corrupting the youth. Kids, if you’re underage, don’t watch this—save your innocent eyes.”

【It’s summer break, parents can’t stop us.】
【What’s the big deal? Schools teach sex ed now. We know.】

Jiang Ji: “…”

He chatted with them for a bit until the door suddenly opened.

Surprised, he turned around. “You’re already done?”

“Mm. Come in.”

Jiang Ji eyed him suspiciously. Jiang Yan was in clean underclothes, hair still damp, eyes cool and calm. “You’re not soaking a bit longer? A hot bath helps the muscles.”

“I’ll soak when we’re home.” Jiang Yan picked up the stool he’d been sitting on. “Come in—I left water for you to wipe off and wash your feet.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ji followed him inside and shut the door.

Seeing that Jiang Yan was drying his hair and not paying attention, Jiang Ji quickly stripped off his shirt, wrung out the cloth, and started wiping down.

He wiped his chest and stomach, then tried to reach his back but couldn’t quite get there. Just as he was about to twist the cloth around, a hand took it from him.

“I’ll do it.”

Jiang Ji turned slightly. Jiang Yan’s loose hair fell over his shoulders; his dark eyes were softened by the lamplight.

Jiang Ji turned back. “Oh—thanks.”

Jiang Yan dipped the towel in the basin, wrung it out, folded it neatly, then began at the back of his neck—slow, steady strokes down over his shoulders, across his back, along his shoulder blades.

His fingertips brushed skin now and then, light and fleeting. It tickled a little, and Jiang Ji instinctively shivered.

“What’s wrong? Too rough?” Jiang Yan asked quietly.

“No,” Jiang Ji scratched at his face. “Too light. You can press harder.”

“Alright.” Jiang Yan’s strokes grew firmer.

After rinsing the cloth again, he began wiping Jiang Ji’s waist. Jiang Ji twisted aside and turned around. “I can reach here myself.”

Jiang Yan gave him a brief look, then handed the towel over. “Soak your feet in the bucket when you’re done.”

“Got it.”

Jiang Ji finished quickly, dressed, then sat by the bath bucket to wash his feet in the water Jiang Yan had used. He even rinsed his legs, soaked for a while, and poured the remaining warm water over himself before drying off.

Jiang Yan went to call the waiter to remove the tub. Jiang Ji sat on the bed applying ointment.

The inside of his thigh was swollen and red, itching and painful. The broken skin had stuck to the old gauze, so he peeled it off carefully and spread on a new layer of cooling ointment, letting it air-dry.

The medicine was soothing and cool; he meant to rewrap it once it dried—but before he knew it, he’d drifted off to sleep.

When Jiang Yan came back and closed the door, the waiter gone, he saw Jiang Ji fast asleep with his legs sprawled open, still bare, the gauze and bandages forgotten.

Jiang Yan stood there for a moment, then went to sit beside the bed. He looked at the raw patch on the thigh, gently applied another layer of ointment, and carefully rewrapped it.

As he lifted the leg, Jiang Ji stirred.

Jiang Yan looked down at him. “Just wrapping your leg. Go back to sleep.”

Hearing the familiar voice, Jiang Ji murmured an “Mm” and fell asleep again.

Once the bandage was secure, Jiang Yan pulled on his underpants, covered him with the quilt, and tucked both their money pouches safely to the inner side of the bed. Only then did he lie down beside him.

He had barely closed his eyes when a warm body pressed against him, an arm looping around his waist, a head resting on his shoulder.

In that familiar sleeping posture, Jiang Yan soon drifted off too.

*

On a slope near the main road by Skull Mountain, seven or eight burly men dressed in black crouched in the bushes, eyes fixed on the road below.

Smack!

One slapped a mosquito and scratched his neck. “Boss, it’s almost midnight. Those two probably aren’t coming, huh?”

“Yeah, boss, it’s so late—they must’ve stopped at a relay inn ahead.”

“Didn’t they say they left at noon? What’s taking them so long? It’s only sixty or seventy li—they should’ve arrived by now!”

“Not even a ghost in sight! Boss, you don’t think that message was fake, do you?”

“Wasn’t it supposed to be two men carrying forty thousand taels in silver notes?”

“Hardly anyone dares take this route. Maybe they went south instead?”

“Exactly! Everyone knows the name of Skull Mountain—who’d have the guts to come through here?”

“Shut it, all of you!” the leader barked, and the whole group fell silent.

He stood up, slashed through a nearby shrub with his blade, and cursed angrily. “Damn it! What kind of information did that Hu Yuanwu give us? Is he toying with me?! Let’s go—back to the hideout!”

“Right, right, let’s go!”

They’d been squatting there since yesterday afternoon and all through the night, and not a single traveler had passed.

They’d done nothing but feed the mosquitoes.

*

At dawn the next day, Jiang Ji and Jiang Yan woke up fully rested. After breakfast, they mounted their horses. Riding for a little over an hour, carrying forty thousand taels in silver notes and two promissory slips, they finally returned home, dusty but safe.

“Mother, we’re back!”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾