Ch 64: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

“You’re the Regent Prince?” Jiang Ji stared at Jiang Yan, still unable to digest the news.

Jiang Yan frowned slightly and said nothing, meeting his gaze.

They remained silent for a long while. Clearly, neither of them quite dared to believe it yet.

Jiang Ji recalled the various signs from before and murmured, “No wonder. When you heard Magistrate Xu mention the Regent Prince back then, it felt familiar to you. And you’d eaten grapes and lychees, things you can’t get around here. Your old accent was northern too, and you know martial arts…”

He looked at him. “It all adds up.”

Jiang Yan felt deeply shaken as well, though his face showed no particular excitement. He asked Chen Feng, “How did I end up injured here?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ji added curiously. “Shouldn’t the Regent Prince have been staying in the capital? How did you end up here, and even get hunted by assassins?”

Chen Feng hesitated over whether to tell the truth and cautioned, “Your Highness, this matter involves court secrets.”

Jiang Yan frowned. “Say it plainly.”

Chen Feng: “……”

He glanced at Jiang Ji. Just how much did the prince trust this person?

“Wait.” Jiang Ji looked at the two of them. “If this is court-secret-level stuff, shouldn’t I avoid hearing it? If I know, will my life be in danger?”

Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow at him. “…You’re not exactly safe as it is.”

Jiang Ji paused. “Fair point. When you’re already in debt, you stop worrying. Go on.”

Chen Feng: “……”

He said, “More than six months ago, Your Highness received information that Prince Qi was secretly recruiting troops along the southern border and illegally trafficking iron ore, with signs of colluding with foreign powers and betraying the state. Moreover, the southern country of Nanling has been stirring restlessly these past years. Your Highness therefore secretly led us out to investigate.”

“Prince Qi?” Jiang Ji asked curiously. “The emperor’s elder brother?”

“No,” Chen Feng replied. “He’s His Majesty’s imperial uncle. His Majesty only had two elder brothers, both of whom have already passed away.”

“Oh, got it.” Jiang Ji nodded. The emperor was young, so Prince Qi’s ambitions hadn’t died. He wanted the throne.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ji widened his eyes. “Wait, no. Isn’t the Regent Prince supposed to hold the court steady? Wouldn’t leaving like this make everyone suspicious?”

Chen Feng explained, “Because it involved a prince committing treason, His Highness wanted to personally confirm it. At the time, it was the end of the year. In seven or eight days it would be New Year’s Eve, and there would be downtime all the way until the Lantern Festival. Coincidentally, heavy snow fell in the capital and many people caught colds. His Highness pretended to fall ill and took leave at home, but in fact brought us out. The investigation went smoothly at first. Who knew something would go wrong later.”

“What went wrong?” Jiang Ji asked nervously. “You were discovered by Prince Qi?”

“No,” Chen Feng shook his head. “We encountered assassins from Xizhao on our return journey.”

“Xizhao?” Xizhao was the country west of Da Sheng. Jiang Ji was puzzled. “Not from the south or the north?”

“Xizhao,” Chen Feng confirmed.

Jiang Ji did not understand court politics very well, but he knew that with a young emperor, the court depended on the Regent Prince to stay stable.

From this perspective, neighboring countries were probably thinking that if the Regent Prince died, Da Sheng’s court would fall into chaos for a while. A child emperor could be bullied, giving them an opening.

Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan with emotion. “You’re way more dangerous than I am. You’re a real hot commodity. Everyone’s got their eyes on you.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

Chen Feng: “……” That was not inaccurate.

Jiang Ji asked again, “So did Prince Qi really intend to rebel?”

Chen Feng looked at Jiang Yan again.

Jiang Yan frowned. “Why are you looking at me? Speak.”

Chen Feng: “…… Prince Qi has indeed been recruiting troops and has secret dealings with Nanling. We already gathered the evidence and were preparing to return to report to His Majesty and handle the matter. Who knew we’d run into assassins.”

“Your movements must have been leaked,” Jiang Ji said. “Otherwise, something went wrong back in the capital. Either people guessed you weren’t there, or foreign spies found out. Or you were betrayed.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him and said nothing.

Chen Feng also glanced at him, silent.

Though Jiang Ji was just a villager, his analysis was remarkably on point.

Jiang Ji continued, “Weren’t you all together with Jiang Yan? Why did you say you arrived too late and that he ended up severely injured and missing?”

Chen Feng lowered his head, fists clenched tight. After a moment of silence, he said, “Because there was a second group of assassins.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes widened. “A second group?”

“Yes.” Chen Feng’s eyes reddened as he went on. “That day it was pouring rain. The cave where we stayed overnight was discovered. They had more than thirty men. We only had nine. Six of us stayed behind, while Lu Ming and Han Yi escorted His Highness to break through.”

“We fought the assassins for a long time and killed more than ten of them. Then they suddenly all withdrew. We sensed something was wrong and immediately went after His Highness. When we caught up, we found more than ten dead assassins along the way, and we saw… saw Lu Ming’s body. Han Yi was gravely injured and unconscious.”

Jiang Ji fell quiet. Facing eleven bandits back then, he had already felt utter despair, a sense of having no way out. They had faced over thirty assassins. He could not imagine how they had endured it.

Jiang Yan’s brows were tightly knit.

Chen Feng’s voice trembled. His fists were clenched so hard his nails dug into his palms. With reddened eyes, he continued, “We followed the traces of the fight for more than ten li. The assassins had withdrawn. The last traces stopped at a cliff, with clear signs of slipping down.”

“We searched below the cliff. There was a river. We didn’t find His Highness on either side. From there, we searched along both banks, the river’s edge, the villages and towns along the river, all the way through. We never found him.”

They all fell silent for a while.

Jiang Yan asked, “Were there any other casualties? The Lu Ming you mentioned, did you bring him back? And Han Yi, who was badly injured, was he saved? How were their families handled?”

Chen Feng replied, “Han Yi was saved, but one of his legs is crippled. Lu Qing lost a forearm. The others were injured, but have since recovered. We sent word back to the capital. Lord Lu and General Han both sent people over and brought Lu Ming and the others back. Lord Lu has already settled their families. Please be at ease, Your Highness.”

Jiang Yan nodded, his mood heavy. “What about the evidence you mentioned?”

“When we were surrounded, we buried it in the cave in advance. Later, we went back to retrieve it and handed it over to Lord Lu,” Chen Feng answered.

Jiang Yan nodded and said no more.

Chen Feng looked up at Jiang Yan and said, “Your Highness, we also came to this county three months ago. It’s more than two hundred li from where the incident happened. At that time, Lu Wen and the others didn’t find you.”

“Three months ago?” Jiang Ji thought for a moment, then asked, “Exactly when?”

“Late in the second month.”

“Oh…” Jiang Ji scratched his head and said, “At that time, Jiang Yan and I were in other counties selling seeds.”

Chen Feng said, “…Lu Wen and the others focused their search on villages along the river and the various towns, but no one recognized the prince. This time, though, someone recognized him right on the street.”

Jiang Ji looked at him and explained, “The river here is to the north, pretty far from our village. We have small streams here and don’t rely on the big river for daily life. At that time, Jiang Yan’s injuries had only just healed, and he didn’t go into town much. Most people would’ve only seen him once, when they came to buy seeds, and usually only one or two people from each household came. It’s normal they wouldn’t remember him. Later, once his injuries healed, he often came into town with me, and we sold seeds again not long ago. That’s probably why people remembered him this time. You just happened to ask someone who recognized him.”

Chen Feng fell silent.

Jiang Yan had been listening the whole time. What Chen Feng described about the night pursuit, the heavy rain, and the cliff all matched the flashes of images that had passed through his mind in recent days.

He asked, “Did you enlist the circuit inspector to help search for me?”

“Yes,” Chen Feng nodded. “We searched for over a month and still didn’t find you, moving from the south toward the north. We figured that if you were alive, you’d definitely return to the capital. The family was extremely anxious. Lord Lu and General Han discussed it and then had us ask Circuit Inspector Fan here to help with the search. He’s a former student of the old master, one of our own.”

Jiang Ji asked, “Is Lord Lu Brother Jiang Yan’s father?”

“Yes. Grand Academician Lu Jinglun, Lord Lu,” Chen Feng said, introducing him since the prince had lost his memory.

Jiang Ji asked again, “Then who is General Han?”

“General Han is the prince’s second maternal uncle,” Chen Feng replied.

“Oh, got it.”

Chen Feng frowned and reminded him, “The prince’s name is Lu Huaizhou.” Even if he didn’t call him Prince, at least use his real name.

Jiang Ji shrugged. “Oh, sorry. I’m used to calling him Jiang Yan.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him. “It’s fine. Call me whatever you like.”

Jiang Ji curled his lips, nodding in satisfaction.

Chen Feng: “……”

Jiang Ji then said to Chen Feng, “He’s lost his memory, and who knows when it’ll come back. You might as well explain who’s in his family, who at court are allies and who are enemies, so he has a clear picture and doesn’t end up completely in the dark later.”

Jiang Yan looked at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng had planned to explain anyway and nodded. “In the prince’s family, there is the old master Lu Xun, seventy-five this year. He was formerly the head of the Hanlin Academy and retired ten years ago. He now spends his days at ease at home.”

“His mother is the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Dongping. He also has a younger brother, seventeen this year, named Lu Huaichuan. He studies at the Imperial Academy and is preparing to sit the examinations this autumn.”

“The prince has no other uncles. His paternal aunt married into the Duke of Qin’s household and has two sons and two daughters.”

“After being appointed Regent Prince, the prince established his own residence several years ago and now lives in the Regent Prince’s manor.”

“As for his maternal family, the Marquis of Dongping’s household has long been stationed in Dongzhou guarding the border. The maternal grandfather passed away four years ago. The eldest maternal uncle, Han Ping, inherited the title and guards the eastern frontier. The second maternal uncle, Han An, is in the capital and serves as General Zhaowu.”

Jiang Ji blinked. “Wow—”

Born into a distinguished lineage, backed by two illustrious great families. Even his aunt was the mistress of a ducal household.

Jiang Yan glanced at him. Jiang Ji blinked back at him. “If you get rich, don’t forget me?”

Jiang Yan curved his lips slightly.

Chen Feng: “……”

Jiang Ji added, “You can tell him privately later which ones are allies. For now, tell us if there are any enemies or people we need to be especially careful of, so we know what to watch out for if we run into them.”

Chen Feng then went through them one by one, explaining all the major and minor matters at court that required caution.

“…That’s about it.” Chen Feng’s mouth was almost dry from talking.

Jiang Ji finally asked, “You say you’re Jiang Yan’s subordinate. How do you prove it?”

Chen Feng took out a waist token from his robe and handed it to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan looked at the silver token, and that familiar feeling surged through his mind again.

“Let me see,” Jiang Ji said.

Jiang Yan passed it to him. Jiang Ji examined it carefully. It was slightly smaller than his palm. One side was engraved with “Regent Prince’s Manor,” the other with Chen Feng’s name and identifying features.

“Wow, it’s made of silver,” Jiang Ji marveled. “When you’re broke, you could even chip a bit off to spend.”

Chen Feng: “…Who would chip silver off a waist token?!”

Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan and said, “Hey, Jiang Yan, the handwriting on this looks a lot like yours.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Mm.”

Chen Feng said, “All the waist tokens in the manor are engraved based on the prince’s handwriting.”

“Oh, I knew it looked similar.” Jiang Ji looked up at him. “Does everyone have one of these?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ji asked again, “Anything else you can use to prove it?”

Chen Feng thought for a moment, glanced at the prince, then lowered his head. “There’s a brown birthmark the size of a red date on the right side of the prince’s lower back.”

Jiang Yan didn’t remember it and couldn’t see it himself. He turned to Jiang Ji. “Is there?”

Jiang Ji had bandaged Jiang Yan before and remembered there really was a birthmark on his waist. Lots of people had birthmarks, so he hadn’t thought much of it.

“I think there is. Come a bit closer, I’ll check again.”

Jiang Yan leaned over slightly and even lifted his clothes himself.

Jiang Ji pulled his clothes aside. The birthmark was near the waistband. He tugged it down a little, took a look, and nodded. “There is.”

Chen Feng finally let out a breath.

Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan. Jiang Yan then said to Chen Feng, “Go wait outside. We need to talk.”

“Yes.” Chen Feng glanced at Jiang Ji and went out.

Once the door was closed, Jiang Ji lowered his voice. “What do you think? Is he credible? What he said about you being hunted, the timing, the location, the rain, the cliff, all match up. He has the waist token and knows about your birthmark. He should really be your subordinate. His attitude also seemed sincere.”

Jiang Yan gave a quiet “Mm” and said, “Until my memory returns, I’ll believe half and doubt half.”

Jiang Ji understood. His eyes darted around and he called out, “Hey, Prince Lu.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

He turned to look at him. Jiang Ji winked. “Just trying it out, getting used to it.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

Jiang Ji chuckled. “Didn’t expect to pick up such a big shot. That’s one thick thigh.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

“Since you’re the Regent Prince, you can mobilize troops, right?” Jiang Ji finished teasing and got down to business. “We need to wipe out those bandits. Otherwise we won’t sleep soundly.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “We can.”

He opened the door and called Chen Feng back in, then said, “About a hundred li west of here there’s a bandit stronghold that’s been terrorizing the area. They kidnapped Jiang Ji. Find a way to eliminate them.”

Chen Feng looked at the bandages on Jiang Ji. “These injuries were from the bandits?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. Just a couple days ago. Not only did they kidnap me, your prince went to save me and was injured too.”

“The prince was injured again?” Chen Feng asked anxiously. “Is it serious?”

Jiang Yan said, “It’s nothing. Just minor injuries.”

Only then did Chen Feng relax a little. “The soldiers outside are there to guard against the bandits?”

“Yes. That bandit nest is said to have around two hundred men and has been around for many years. The county offices on both sides couldn’t handle them. This time the county office sent people to rescue me and captured their leader and a few others. We were afraid of retaliation, so we asked the authorities to station soldiers here,” Jiang Ji explained.

Jiang Yan then told Chen Feng everything he had learned from Deputy Magistrate Zhou Lin about the Skull Mountain bandits.

“The bandits are colluding with the prefect Hu Yuanwu. Investigate it thoroughly and deal with the bandits,” Jiang Yan said.

Chen Feng replied, “That’s easy enough. We’ll look into it as soon as possible. When the time comes, Your Highness can write a letter to Circuit Inspector Fan. I’ll take it to him and he’ll naturally dispatch troops to suppress the bandits.”

“Alright. Then go,” Jiang Yan said.

Chen Feng said urgently, “Your Highness, the most urgent matter now is to escort you back to the capital.”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “I’m not going back yet.”

“Your Highness…”

Jiang Yan glanced at Jiang Ji, then looked back at Chen Feng. “Until my memory returns, I’m not going back.”

Chen Feng was anxious. “But—”

Jiang Ji said, “Chen Feng, the capital is so complicated. He’s lost his memory and doesn’t know the current situation. How can you have him go back and handle all that? What if others find out he’s lost his memory? It’s better to wait until his memory comes back. Besides, those assassins might still be waiting for the Regent Prince to appear. Right now Jiang Yan is here, unknown to anyone. It’s actually safer, don’t you think?”

Jiang Ji continued, “Just send a message back to Lord Lu explaining Jiang Yan’s situation. Let Lord Lu coordinate things in the capital and put his mind at ease.”

Chen Feng thought it over. It did make sense. With the prince having lost his memory, they first needed to inform Lord Lu and ask what to do.

“Your Highness, then let Lu Jiu and Lu Wu stay behind. Lu Wen and I are enough to investigate matters.”

Jiang Yan looked at Jiang Ji’s injuries and nodded. “Alright.”

He then asked, “Did you send many people out to search?”

“Yes.”

“Have them continue searching. Don’t stop. And be careful going in and out of here.” Jiang Yan glanced at their clothing. “Change your clothes. You stand out too much.”

“Yes.” Chen Feng accepted the order and left.

Before long, Zhao Ru and the others came in one after another.

The village head asked, “Did you sort it out? Are they enemies or family?”

Jiang Yan said, “They’re my people. Two of them, named Lu Jiu and Lu Wu, will stay. The others will leave first. Village head, please let them pass.”

The village head nodded. “Alright. I’ll go take a look at the village entrance.”

After the village head left, Zhao Ru looked at Jiang Yan and asked with concern, “So you know your identity now?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “From the Lu household in the capital.”

The identity of Regent Prince was too much to reveal, and Jiang Yan was still in danger. The two of them tacitly chose to keep it hidden for now. Otherwise, Zhao Ru and the others would probably be terrified.

“It’s good they found you,” Zhao Ru said, then thought of his injuries. “Do they know how you got hurt?”

Jiang Yan didn’t want to lie to her. After thinking for a moment, he said, “My family are officials. I offended someone.”

Zhao Ru understood and exclaimed, “So they sent people to kill you?”

“Yes.”

Zhao Ru froze. “Just for offending someone they’d send people to kill you? This, this…” It was far beyond her understanding.

Jiang Ji said, “Mother, don’t be surprised. Weren’t there two real brothers in the city a couple of years ago who killed someone over a thatched house? Officials deal with much greater interests. Hiring assassins isn’t rare. Anyway, those killers think Jiang Yan is already dead. He’s very safe here.”

Hearing this, Zhao Ru finally felt reassured. “Yes, yes. Staying in our village is safer.”

Jiang Bei asked curiously, “Brother Jiang Yan, what kind of official is your family?”

Jiang Ji shot him a look. “That’s a secret. It concerns Jiang Yan’s safety. Why ask so much? When it’s time to tell you, you’ll know. Don’t ask again.”

Jiang Bei pouted. “Oh.”

At the village entrance, the villagers were still guarding the road, facing off with Lu Jiu and the other two.

Lu Jiu and his companions were anxious, but since these were villagers, they couldn’t just force their way in. They moved a little farther away, leaned against their horses to rest, and waited for Chen Feng.

They hadn’t eaten lunch, and by now their stomachs were growling loudly.

After a long while with no sign of Chen Feng, Lu Wu said quietly, “Chen Feng wouldn’t have been detained, would he?”

“Probably not,” Lu Wen analyzed. “If he were detained, these villagers would’ve grabbed us too.”

Lu Jiu said, “And the village head hasn’t come out either. They’re probably questioning him.”

Lu Wu sighed. “I really hope it’s the prince.”

All three of them hoped so.

After another long stretch of waiting, Lu Wu patted Lu Jiu beside him. “He’s coming out, he’s coming out. Chen Feng’s coming out!”

The three immediately stood on their toes and looked past the crowd. Once Chen Feng made it through, Lu Jiu grabbed him and pulled him a bit farther away, asking anxiously, “How was it? Is it the prince?”

Chen Feng nodded, smiling. “It is.”

The three of them let out a breath in unison, grinning in relief.

“That’s great. We finally found him!”

After celebrating for a moment, Lu Jiu asked again, “Then why didn’t the prince come out with you?”

Chen Feng lowered his voice. “The prince has lost his memory and doesn’t fully trust us yet.”

“You didn’t show him your waist token?” Lu Jiu asked urgently.

“I did. I explained a lot too. Only then did they start to believe us.”

Lu Wen asked, “So he doesn’t want to go back with us?”

Chen Feng nodded. “He said he won’t return before his memory recovers.”

The three fell silent. That really did fit the prince’s style.

Chen Feng then told them about the prince ordering them to eliminate the bandits.

“I’ll go investigate with Lu Wen. Lu Jiu, you and Lu Wu stay behind to protect the prince. Remember to report to Lord Lu and see what he says.”

“Alright. We’ll send word back shortly,” Lu Jiu nodded. They had people in the county across the river, so sending someone back that way was appropriate.

“Oh, and the prince told us to change clothes, all of us. Dress like villagers,” Chen Feng reminded Lu Jiu and Lu Wu. “Also, Jiang Ji’s family are the prince’s lifesavers. He trusts them a lot. Remember to be polite.”

Lu Jiu glared at him. “I know. You don’t need to tell me.”

The four split up. Chen Feng and Lu Wen went to investigate, Lu Wu went to the neighboring county to notify their people, and Lu Jiu went to Jiang Ji’s house to protect the prince.

The village head had already told the villagers that they were Jiang Yan’s people and didn’t need guarding against. The villagers immediately relaxed and grew curious instead.

As Lu Jiu followed the village head to Jiang Ji’s house, villagers started asking, “Hey, young man, where are you from? What does Jiang Yan’s family do?”

Lu Jiu answered smoothly, “Our young master’s family does business. He went south to escort goods before, ran into mountain bandits, and went missing. We’ve been searching for a long time.”

“So that’s how it is. No wonder he was covered in injuries. He ran into bandits.”

“Luckily he’s got a strong fate and was saved by Jiang Ji.”

“Yes, thank heaven. Thank Jiang Ji for saving our young master.”

After a few casual exchanges, they arrived at Jiang Ji’s house.

The moment Lu Jiu saw him, he got so excited he almost reflexively called him Prince again. Jiang Yan shot him a look and he immediately corrected himself. “Young master. We finally found you!”

Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei had no school these days and were writing in the main hall. They looked at Lu Jiu curiously.

Jiang Yan still checked Lu Jiu’s waist token, then tossed him a coarse cloth outfit. “Change.”

Lu Jiu obediently went to change. Looking at himself in the rough clothes, then at the prince in his gray, dust-colored farmer’s outfit, his heart ached.

From birth until now, the prince had never worn clothes this coarse.

“Alright. Go stand by the courtyard gate,” Jiang Yan said.

Lu Jiu replied reluctantly, “Yes.”

As he spoke, his stomach growled loudly. Jiang Nan blinked. “You’re hungry?”

Lu Jiu scratched his head. “Didn’t get a chance to eat lunch.”

“Then wait a bit. We’ll have dinner soon.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

There were now more people eating at Jiang Ji’s house. Their own family, six guards, plus six soldiers and Lu Jiu.

Zhao Ru and Jiang Xia steamed rice in a large pot and cooked three meat dishes and one vegetable dish, all in big portions.

Braised chicken, stir-fried pork, eggplant and long beans with pork, and stir-fried lettuce.

The guards and soldiers ate in shifts.

The stir-fried pork had chilies in it. Lu Jiu and the guards were all eating chili for the first time. It was spicy and addictive. They gulped down two big bowls and still wanted more.

Zhao Ru watched them and laughed. “Here, I’ll get you more.”

“No no, madam. I’ll do it myself,” Lu Jiu said quickly. He wouldn’t dare let the prince’s lifesaver serve him food. He went and added another half bowl himself, then said, “Madam, your cooking is really delicious.”

“If it’s good, eat more,” Zhao Ru said with a smile.

After the meal, Lu Jiu was called into the room by Jiang Yan. Inside were only Jiang Yan and Jiang Ji.

“Young master, did you need something from me?”

Jiang Yan lifted his chin slightly. “He has questions for you.”

Lu Jiu looked at Jiang Ji. “Go ahead.”

Jiang Ji cleared his throat. “Well, Lu Jiu. You grew up with him, right?”

“Yes. All of us are household-born servants. We grew up with the prince.”

Jiang Ji glanced at Jiang Yan, then asked, “Then has your prince married?”

Jiang Yan looked at him and said nothing.

Lu Jiu shook his head. “The prince has not married.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Then is he engaged?”

“No.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes shone even brighter. He thought for a moment, then asked, “Does he have any concubines or bedchamber attendants?”

Jiang Yan: …

Lu Jiu choked on his own saliva. “Cough cough cough!” He turned red and looked at Jiang Ji. “Why are you asking this?”

“Hurry up and say it,” Jiang Ji said righteously. “Your prince doesn’t remember. He’s thin-skinned and wouldn’t ask. Shouldn’t you explain clearly?”

Lu Jiu glanced at the prince. Seeing no objection, he answered, “The prince has no bedchamber attendants. Apart from the cook and the laundry servants, there are no women in the residence. Even the cleaners are men.”

“Oh,” Jiang Ji drew out the sound, nodding in satisfaction. “Then does your prince have someone he likes?”

Lu Jiu looked at the prince again and scratched his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve never seen the prince show special favor to any young lady.”

Jiang Ji smiled until his eyes curved. “Very good.”

Jiang Yan looked at him with a trace of amusement. Jiang Ji touched his nose.

Lu Jiu was puzzled. “…Very good?”

Jiang Ji coughed lightly. “No, I mean your prince is very self-disciplined. Hahaha.”

Lu Jiu looked proud. “That’s right. Our prince is famous in the capital for being upright and self-restrained. All those noble ladies want to marry him.”

Jiang Ji nodded. “…Very popular.” Too many rivals.

Lu Jiu continued, “Our prince ranks first on the Capital’s Ideal Son-in-Law list.”

“There’s such a list?” Jiang Ji was shocked. “You people really have nothing better to do.”

“There is. The matchmakers rank them based on each family’s criteria. Background, learning, character, that sort of thing.”

Jiang Ji was immediately intrigued. “Then tell me about it. What kinds of candidates are on it?”

“Sure. Didn’t expect you to be interested in this, Young Master Jiang Ji.”

“Hurry up.”

Lu Jiu got enthusiastic and began. “Naturally, our prince is first. His family background is unmatched, he himself is the Regent Prince and also a top scholar, and his character is excellent. Second is the eldest young master of the Duke of Qin’s household, our prince’s cousin. He was the second-ranked graduate of the previous year, very learned, and the duke’s household is illustrious. Third is the second son of the Minister of Justice. Fourth…”

Jiang Yan watched Jiang Ji listen with great interest and helplessly picked up a book to read.

After a while, something suddenly occurred to him. He immediately put the book down and lifted his gaze, staring at Jiang Ji.

Jiang Ji liked men. Why was he asking so eagerly about the ideal son-in-law list?

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾