Ch 69: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The cloth Zhao Ru wove from the yarn she spun herself was even softer than the cotton fabric sold in town. This greatly boosted their confidence.

Jiang Ji immediately dug out the old blueprints he had once given to the carpenters. Back then, he had told the masters that the drawings would be reclaimed. When the parts were delivered, the drawings had been returned along with them.

He added the required quantities for each component and had a guard take the drawings to the carpenters to place an order.

Jiang Ji instructed the guard, “Remind Master Wang that the groove in the middle of the wheel was made a bit too narrow last time. He must follow the measurements exactly this time. The margin of error can’t be too large, or I’ll have to rework it when it comes back.”

“Got it.”

Once the household had more hands, this was the real advantage. Jiang Ji no longer needed to personally run around for everything. If something needed doing or buying, he could simply give instructions, freeing up more time for other matters.

At present, Guihua and the kitchen helpers had taken over most of the cooking. Two aunties were helping with laundry and cleaning. Zhao Ru now had much more free time. Whenever she had nothing else to do, she stayed in the empty room with the spinning machines, spinning yarn and weaving cloth on her own.

Jiang Ji’s wound had healed well and the stitches could be removed.

Jiang Yan had watched Jiang Ji remove stitches before. With Jiang Ji guiding him, he carefully snipped the sutures one by one, pulled them out, disinfected the area, applied medicine, and rewrapped the dressing.

Jiang Ji looked at the scars on his arm and sighed. “The two of us look like centipedes.”

Jiang Yan glanced at him. “Do you mind?”

“Not really,” Jiang Ji replied, turning to look at him. “Even with scars, you’re still very handsome.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

He finished applying the dressing, tried to hold it in, but the corner of his lips still lifted slightly. “I don’t mind either.”

Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow slightly. “Don’t mind what?”

Jiang Yan looked at him, lowered his gaze, and finished wrapping the bandage. His fingers brushed gently over the gauze. “I regret not protecting you properly.”

“……” Seeing his somber expression, Jiang Ji waved a hand in front of his eyes. “Me getting hurt has nothing to do with you. It was all the bandits’ fault. And I didn’t listen to you, acted impulsively, and ran off on my own. Why are you blaming yourself? Without you, I’d be dead already. I wouldn’t even have made it back alive.”

Jiang Yan looked at him without speaking, silently wrapping the wound on his leg.

“Hey, Jiang Yan, you’re not going to keep brooding over this forever, are you?” Jiang Ji cupped Jiang Yan’s face. “Look at me and answer.”

Jiang Yan lifted his eyes to meet his gaze and said softly, “I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. I need to remind myself not to let you get hurt again.”

Jiang Ji: “……Is that really necessary? It’s already over.”

“My heart hurts,” Jiang Yan said.

Jiang Ji’s heart skipped violently. He blinked, feeling his ears grow warm, his eyes bright. “R-really?”

Jiang Yan nodded lightly. “Mm.”

The atmosphere suddenly turned a little ambiguous. Jiang Ji’s heart pounded rapidly, excitement bubbling up as that feeling of joy bloomed once more.

This was the first time the usually taciturn Jiang Yan had expressed his feelings so clearly.

Jiang Ji felt it unmistakably. He was being cherished by Jiang Yan.

“Did I scare you back then?” Jiang Ji released Jiang Yan’s face, his hands sliding down to rest over Jiang Yan’s chest, rubbing gently. You had to take care of your own partner yourself.

“Be good. I’ll rub it for you and it won’t hurt anymore.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

Jiang Yan looked down at the hand on his chest, his expression subtle. He felt oddly pleased at being soothed, yet also found it a little strange.

“What are you two doing?” Zhao Ru came in with a cup of water. “Are the stitches out?”

“They’re out. Just haven’t finished wrapping the leg yet,” Jiang Ji said, withdrawing his hand and glancing at Jiang Yan. “He said his chest hurt, so I rubbed it for him.”

Jiang Yan shot him a look and continued wrapping the wound on his leg.

Zhao Ru looked at Jiang Yan with concern. “Jiang Yan, your chest hurts? Is something wrong? Should I call a doctor?”

Jiang Yan quickly said, “Auntie, I’m fine. He was just joking with you.”

“Really? Nothing wrong?”

“Mm.”

“That’s good. If anything feels off, you must see a doctor.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ji snickered quietly. Jiang Yan glanced at him, a trace of amusement flickering in his lowered eyes.

The next day, Jiang Ji carried the newly purchased dyes into the weaving room. “Mom, do you know how to dye yarn?”

Zhao Ru stopped spinning and shook her head. “I know how to dye cloth, but I’ve never dyed yarn.”

“It’s pretty similar. We’ll be dyeing our own yarn in the workshop later anyway. I’ll teach you.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ji spent some time teaching Zhao Ru how to dye yarn.

With her background in dyeing cloth, Zhao Ru picked it up quickly.

She now also understood that the textile workshop her son planned would cover everything, from removing seeds from cotton, spinning yarn, dyeing, to weaving cloth.

As Jiang Ji hung the dyed yarn out to dry, he said, “Once the yarn is dyed, I’ll teach you a few new weaving patterns. When you have time, you can experiment with designs yourself. If you come up with something nice, we can produce it.”

“Alright. I really like doing this.”

Jiang Ji had already noticed her genuine interest. Back when they were making undergarments, Zhao Ru had shown a bit of design talent as well.

Jiang Ji was happy to talk about these things with her. “Once we’re done with Jiang Yan’s matters, we can make the best jacquard loom. It can produce high-grade brocade using silk. The patterns are especially beautiful.”

“Brocade?” Zhao Ru’s eyes lit up. “We can even make brocade?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Mm. That machine is a bit complicated and will take some time to figure out.”

“No rush. You help Jiang Yan first,” Zhao Ru said. She didn’t know exactly what her son and Jiang Yan were working on, only that it seemed very important. She had overheard a few bits of their discussions before, something about military weapons. She guessed it had to do with Jiang Yan’s original identity or his family. Those were big matters she didn’t understand. All she needed to do was take good care of them, handle her own responsibilities well, and manage the household properly.

After hanging the yarn out to dry, Jiang Ji washed his hands and went to the study.

Jiang Yan and Lu Jiu were in the study on the east wing. When Jiang Ji went in, he saw a map spread out on the desk, covered with mountain ranges, rivers, cities, and many place names.

Curious, Jiang Ji asked, “What are you doing?”

Chen Feng glanced at Jiang Yan. Seeing that he didn’t stop him, he answered, “People from home sent over maps and the prince’s seal. We’re explaining the borders and troop deployments to His Highness.”

“The seal?” Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. “Can I see it?”

Jiang Yan took a wooden box out of the desk drawer and handed it to him.

Jiang Ji opened it. Inside was a square white jade seal about the size of a fist. He picked it up and looked at it. The characters on the bottom read “Seal of the Regent.”

“Wow, it’s really beautiful.” After admiring it for a moment, Jiang Ji breathed on the bottom of the seal and stamped it lightly onto his palm. The imprint was faint, leaving a pale mark.

“Hey, you can’t use it casually,” Chen Feng reminded him.

Jiang Yan didn’t say anything. Jiang Ji turned his palm toward him. “Seal of the Regent.”

Jiang Yan paused. Seeing Jiang Ji’s mischievous expression, he immediately understood what he meant.

His heart gave a hard thump. Jiang Yan swallowed, his voice turning slightly hoarse. “You didn’t stamp it clearly. I’ll stamp it for you properly next time.”

Jiang Ji’s eyes flickered as he smiled. “Alright.”

He returned the seal to Jiang Yan, then looked at the map on the table and asked in surprise, “You’re using this kind of map?”

The map had many city names marked on it, but it was far too simple. Even the roads were limited to a single main route.

And compared to the maps he had seen in the system, there were noticeable discrepancies. Even the border lines were somewhat off.

In ancient times, maps relied on people measuring distances by foot, so inaccuracies were understandable.

Looking at the mountains, rivers, and roads, Jiang Ji said, “This map is way too rough, isn’t it?”

Lu Jiu frowned. “This is already the most complete map we have. It was copied from the palace.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ji asked, “Do you also use maps like this when fighting wars?”

Lu Wen replied, “During warfare, each region naturally has more detailed maps. Those are drawn carefully by scouts over many years.”

Jiang Ji nodded, then said, “This map is only good for a general overview. It’s fine for discussing deployments, but if you actually march and fight using something like this, you won’t know how tall the mountains are, how wide the rivers are, or how far the roads go. Even the direction of the mountain ranges would only be clear once you’re there. So you have to rely entirely on the experience and memory of the commanding officers and soldiers, right?”

Lu Jiu nodded. “Yes. That knowledge is passed down through generations of garrison troops.”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment, then looked at Lu Jiu and the others. “You all go out first. I have something to discuss with your prince.”

Chen Feng and the others looked at Jiang Yan. Seeing him nod, the three of them left.

Jiang Ji looked at Jiang Yan and said, “I have more detailed and accurate maps. Do you want them?”

Jiang Yan pointed upward with his finger, meaning the gods?

Jiang Ji nodded.

Jiang Yan frowned. “They’ve never seen anything like that. It would arouse suspicion.”

Jiang Ji paused and asked softly, “You still don’t fully trust them?”

“Ninety percent trustworthy,” Jiang Yan replied quietly. “But bringing out something like this so suddenly could expose your secret.”

Jiang Ji looked at him, eyes widening slightly. “Then what do we do? You’re going to war, aren’t you? Your maps really are too crude. Even the roads aren’t fully marked.”

The two of them stared at each other.

Jiang Ji added, “And it’s not just Da Sheng’s. There are terrain maps of the surrounding countries too.”

The system backend contained maps of this world, not only flat maps but also topographic maps, transportation maps, mineral distribution maps, climate maps, ocean current maps, and more, along with records of local customs. All of it was in the world overview section.

Jiang Yan’s eyes lit up. “The surrounding countries too?”

“Mm.” Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “I think these subordinates of yours are trustworthy enough. Otherwise, we could say the maps came from a traveling scholar? Anyway, we don’t explain it clearly. Let them guess.”

Jiang Yan shook his head. “I don’t want you to take any risks.”

Jiang Ji looked at him seriously. “You’re going to war. I don’t want you taking any risks either.”

Jiang Yan fell silent.

They looked at each other, neither willing to back down.

Jiang Ji sighed. “How about this. I’ll bring one out first. You take a look?”

“Jiang Ji—”

“Shut up,” Jiang Ji glared at him. “Listen to me.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

As he spoke, Jiang Ji opened the system, flipped to the world overview in the backend, and pulled up Da Sheng’s topographic map. The terrain of each region was displayed with remarkable clarity and detail.

He then went to the marketplace, searched for maps, and was pleasantly surprised to find that these maps could be exchanged directly.

He had been prepared to draw them himself. Now he didn’t need to.

The required points varied by size. A three-meter map cost one thousand points, a two-meter map cost five hundred points, and a one-meter map only cost one hundred points.

Jiang Yan remembered that everything Jiang Ji obtained from the gods required completing tasks. He asked, “Do you need to do a task?”

“From the tasks I did before, I’ve accumulated quite a lot of points. I can exchange them directly,” Jiang Ji replied.

He had plenty of points now. He looked up at Jiang Yan and asked, “How big do you want it? I mean, six chi long, or nine chi long?”

Jiang Yan was momentarily taken aback, then said, “The more detailed, the better.”

“Then nine chi.” Jiang Ji looked at the maps inside and asked Jiang Yan, “For marching and fighting, terrain and road maps are the most important, right?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Wait a moment then. There are too many maps here, I need to pick through them for you.”

Jiang Yan: “……Too many maps?”

“Yeah,” Jiang Ji scratched his head, his right hand gesturing back and forth in the air. “There are flat maps, topographic maps, transportation maps. There are nationwide ones and local ones. The thing is, the topographic maps are in color. On the nationwide topographic map, the roads aren’t very clear. On the transportation map, the terrain isn’t detailed enough. You have to combine two maps to read them properly. For real detail, you need the local maps.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment, then simply asked, “2977, can you combine the topographic map and the transportation map? Change the color one to black and white, and switch the fonts and labels to match this world’s style. Is that possible?”

[Yes. Fusing maps requires 1,000 points. Exchanging the fused new map requires 1,000 points. Proceed with fusion?]

Hearing this, Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up and he nodded. “Yes. Hurry up. Keep the original size, don’t shrink it. Include the scale, switch the units to this world’s units, and make sure the mountain heights are clearly marked.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Jiang Ji added. “When you exchange it, put it on cloth. Paper tears too easily.”

He remembered that in ancient times, maps were often drawn on cloth for easy carrying. Jiang Yan’s maps were all on cloth as well.

Jiang Yan watched him muttering to himself, his emotions complicated. He knew Jiang Ji was talking to the “gods,” but hearing it in person was still hard to fully believe.

Before long, the system finished the fusion. Jiang Ji immediately exchanged the map.

In the next instant, a folded map appeared on the desk.

Jiang Yan had already seen things appear out of thin air before. His expression didn’t change. He only blinked once, then unfolded the map.

In the top right corner were the words: Da Sheng Dynasty Road and Transportation Map.

The map was enormous. Jiang Yan only unfolded three chi of it before he realized how precious it was.

When he opened half of it, he stared in shock at the borders, then compared it to their original map and murmured, “So this is what the borders of Da Sheng actually look like.”

“Exactly. Now you see how big the errors were on the previous map, right?” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “And this is just the nationwide map. It mostly shows official roads and rural roads. If you zoom in to county-level maps, you’ll also see all kinds of mountain paths and village roads.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “This is excellent.”

Jiang Ji looked at the fused map. Mountains, cities, roads, rivers—everything was there. The style was very similar to the maps on Jiang Yan’s desk, but far more detailed and accurate.

There were even terrain and road details for neighboring countries.

He leaned close to Jiang Yan’s ear and whispered, “We’ll just say this map came from a traveling merchant I met. It was drawn by someone who loved traveling all over the land. That way there won’t be any problems.”

Jiang Yan nodded. That was the only explanation they could use.

He looked up at Jiang Ji, his eyes flickering. “Thank you. This map will be extremely useful.”

“Why be polite with me?” Jiang Ji grinned. “We’re family.”

Jiang Yan looked into Jiang Ji’s bright, sparkling eyes, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. “Mm.”

Jiang Ji asked again, “You’ll need maps of the southern border too, right? Oh, and the north, west, and east as well. Should I just get them all? Since we’ve already done this one, a few more won’t make much difference.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Ji spent some more time having the system fuse and exchange maps of the border prefectures and counties, as well as large-scale maps of several neighboring countries.

A thick stack piled up on the desk, some large, some small.

When the border county maps were unfolded, even individual villages were marked in detail. The maps of the neighboring countries beyond the border were also extremely clear.

Jiang Yan treasured them as priceless assets. These were invaluable military resources.

After looking at them for a while, he put away the large maps of the neighboring countries first, set the others aside on the desk, and focused on the initial large map. It was far too big to use easily without hanging it up.

“Chen Feng, come in.”

Chen Feng and the others had been waiting outside. When they heard him, they pushed the door open. Seeing the massive map on the desk, they were stunned.

Where did this come from? There hadn’t been anything like this in the study just now.

When they took a closer look at the contents, they were completely shocked.

The map not only marked every province and prefecture, but also every county beneath them. The roads were clearly laid out as well.

“Your Highness, where did this map come from? It’s incredibly detailed,” Lu Jiu exclaimed. “It’s far better than our existing maps.”

Jiang Yan glanced at Jiang Ji and replied, “Jiang Ji happened to purchase it from a traveling merchant.”

Chen Feng and the others immediately turned to look at Jiang Ji. Lu Jiu was stunned. “You bought this from a traveling merchant?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Mm. He bought it from someone who loved traveling. That person traveled all over Da Sheng, recording every place he visited, then compiled everything into maps. That’s this. I originally bought it for business purposes, but since you need it more right now, I’ll lend it to you first.”

Seeing Lu Jiu about to ask more questions, Jiang Yan spoke up in time. “Hang the map first. Move that cabinet over here.”

“Yes!”

The group immediately got to work, moving the bookshelf aside to clear an entire wall. Then they brought over a screen and temporarily hung the map on it.

“Your Highness, we’ll go nail a proper frame later. You can use it like this for now,” Lu Jiu said.

Jiang Ji asked, “Why not just nail it directly onto the wall?”

Lu Jiu glared at him. “Such a precious map, how can you just nail it like that? What if it gets damaged?”

Jiang Ji: “…Alright then, you guys go ahead.”

Jiang Yan pointed at the scale in the lower left corner and asked Jiang Ji, “What is this?”

Jiang Ji replied, “Oh, this means that a segment of this length on the map represents this much actual distance.”

Jiang Yan nodded in understanding, then pointed to the number 588 beside the name of a mountain range. “Is this the height of the mountains?”

“Yes. It means the mountain is five hundred eighty-eight zhang tall.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Very good.”

Lu Jiu and Lu Wen went to make the frame. It did not take long before the two of them carried it into the study in the east wing.

Jiang Ji took a look. It really was a simple triangular wooden frame. They tied the four corners of the map to the rods with cloth strips, without using nails.

“With it set up like this, the height is just right for viewing,” Jiang Ji said, folding his arms as he stood beside Jiang Yan. “Suddenly it feels like we’re pointing at the land and commanding the world.”

Jiang Yan turned his head to look at him, his brows and eyes gentle.

Lu Jiu happened to glimpse this and was startled.

Why did the young master look at Jiang Ji with such… indulgence?

When he looked again, the young master had already turned away.

Lu Jiu quickly shook his head. No, no, he must have seen it wrong.

“Who among you can draw?” Jiang Yan asked.

Lu Wen raised his hand. “Young master, I draw fairly well. Lu Jiu is decent too.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Lu Jiu, go buy cloth in town. Make two copies of each of these maps. One set will be distributed to the commanders guarding the east, west, and north. The other set is to be sent back to the capital.”

“Yes.” Lu Jiu accepted the order and left.

Over the next few days, everyone in the household was busy. Aside from tending the fields, in their spare time Zhao Ru focused on researching textiles, Jiang Yan and the others worked on copying the maps, and Jiang Ji continued drawing weapon designs in Jiang Bei’s study.

Using the diagrams of crossbows and sleeve arrows provided by Chen Feng and the others, Jiang Ji consulted the viewers again and finished the improved designs for the crossbows. He handed them to Chen Feng to have them forged in town.

According to the system, this world was essentially a parallel world to Jiang Ji’s original one. No one knew which dynasty in the early stages had diverged, leading to the present world, but its technological level lagged far behind.

After sending out the weapon blueprints, Jiang Ji thought for a moment and said to Jiang Yan, “There’s also a kind of gunpowder weapon. I only know the raw materials, not the exact proportions. Once made, it explodes and has very strong destructive power. It’s very useful for defending or attacking cities. But the process is dangerous and people could die. Do you want to have people research it?”

“Made with gunpowder?” Jiang Yan asked.

“Yes.”

Jiang Yan thought for a moment. “Tell me after I recover my memories.”

“Alright.”

Chen Feng went out and brought back the previously made bow components.

Jiang Ji assembled them according to the blueprint. The bow looked similar to the compound bows from his previous life, yet also different. It was based on the bows from the viewers’ world.

Once assembled, Lu Jiu and the others looked at the bow with great interest.

Lu Jiu said, “This bow looks really strange. I wonder how far it can shoot.”

Lu Wen stroked his chin. “With so many parts, it looks like it might be hard to draw. I don’t think it will shoot very far.”

Jiang Ji shook the bow in his hand. “Come on, let’s test it.”

They made a simple target out of wooden boards and went to the wasteland outside the residence.

Lu Jiu and the others placed the target at about thirty zhang away. That was roughly the distance their current bows could reach.

Jiang Ji called out, “Farther. At least fifty zhang.”

“Fifty zhang?” Chen Feng was shocked. “It can shoot that far?”

“Probably,” Jiang Ji shrugged. “Let’s just try.”

Though surprised, Lu Jiu and the others obediently went farther and set the target at about fifty zhang, then ran back.

Lu Jiu said to Lu Wen, “Isn’t Jiang Ji being a bit overconfident?”

Lu Wen hummed. “At this distance, it might reach if you shoot in an arc.”

What Lu Jiu doubted was, “Can he even shoot?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him,” Lu Wen shrugged. “Haven’t you been with him longer?”

“I haven’t seen it either.”

On this side, seeing they were ready, Jiang Ji said to Jiang Yan, “I’ll try first.”

Jiang Yan stopped him. “Your injury just healed. I’ll do it.”

“…Alright then, I’ll adjust it for you.” Jiang Ji sighed, adjusted the bow to increase the draw weight, and handed it to Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan took the oddly shaped bow, examined it, then nocked a feathered arrow. With a casual pull, the bow drew fully.

“It’s very light,” Jiang Yan said in surprise.

Jiang Ji nodded. “That’s the key. It saves effort. You don’t need much strength. Ordinary soldiers can also shoot very far with it. Try shooting, straight shot.”

Jiang Yan responded, adjusted his breathing, aimed at the target, and released.

Whoosh.

Crack.

Half the wooden board fell.

“Wow, my heavens. It hit!” Lu Jiu stared in shock and shouted.

He and Lu Wen ran to the target. There was a hole in the center of the board, which had split into two. One half lay on the ground, and the arrow had landed farther away.

Lu Jiu and Lu Wen looked at each other.

“It pierced through!” Lu Jiu shouted back toward Jiang Ji and the others.

Jiang Yan and Chen Feng ran over immediately. Seeing the result, they were both stunned.

Jiang Ji also came over and nodded in satisfaction. “Not bad, not bad.”

“More than not bad. This is incredible!” Lu Jiu exclaimed. “Jiang Ji, this bow is amazing!”

Jiang Ji grinned. “Hehe, it’s alright.”

Lu Jiu vigorously patted his shoulder, praising him nonstop. “Are you some kind of bow master? I never would’ve guessed. This is incredible! We thought it definitely wouldn’t shoot that far!”

Lu Wen coughed lightly. “You didn’t need to say that last part.”

Jiang Yan frowned and immediately knocked Lu Jiu’s arm away. “His injury just healed. Don’t hit him.”

“Oh, oh, got it.” Lu Jiu pulled his hand back. His admiration for Jiang Ji now surged like a mighty river. This precious treasure absolutely could not be knocked apart.

Jiang Ji smiled at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan handed the bow to Chen Feng. “You all try.”

“Alright!” Chen Feng had been itching to try it. He grabbed the bow and ran back. “Lu Jiu, set the board up!”

Lu Jiu shouted, “I want to try too!”

“Get in line! Lu Wen, go get a few more boards!”

Chen Feng and the others were extremely excited, busy testing arrows.

“Let’s go up front to watch,” Jiang Yan said, pulling Jiang Ji’s hand as they walked forward.

Jiang Ji looked down at their joined hands. This was the first time Jiang Yan had held his hand. Before, he had only grabbed his wrist.

Jiang Yan’s palm was dry and warm. The heat traveled through the skin, scorching Jiang Ji’s palm.

The corner of Jiang Ji’s mouth lifted. He tightened his grip.

Immediately after, his hand was squeezed a little tighter by an even stronger force.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾