Ch 75: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

The whole family walked them to the village entrance, watching as the four men rode away on horseback.

Hooves kicked up dust that scattered in the breeze. Their figures grew smaller and smaller until they disappeared at the end of the road.

“Brother, Brother Jiang Yan and the others will come back, right?” Jiang Bei asked, tugging at his brother’s sleeve.

“They will,” Jiang Ji said. After one last look, he turned to the others. “Let’s head back too.”

Some villagers, seeing so many people gathered to send them off, asked from the side, “Where are Jiang Yan and the others going? Going home?”

Zhao Ru replied, “There’s been a bit of trouble with the family business. He lives closer, so he went to handle it.”

This was the explanation Jiang Ji and the others had agreed upon beforehand.

“Oh, I thought he was returning home.”

“He’ll come back,” Jiang Ji said, unconsciously pressing a hand over the left side of his chest.

The villagers smiled and returned to their work.

After all, Jiang Yan’s family had already come looking for him. Sooner or later, he would have to go back.

The group returned home. Jiang Ji went straight to the workshop to continue assembling bows.

Lu Jiu and Lu Shun followed him inside to help. Jiang Yan had instructed them to remain here instead of returning to the capital, so they could pass along messages to Jiang Ji.

Lu Jiu glanced at Jiang Ji. His expression looked normal, but the worry in his eyes could not be hidden.

“Young Master Jiang Ji, don’t worry,” Lu Jiu comforted him.

Without looking up, Jiang Ji fitted a component into place. “Of course I’ll worry. But I believe he’ll complete his mission safely and come back.”

Lu Jiu fell silent for a moment, then nodded with a smile. “Right. Just trust the young master.”

Lu Shun watched the two of them, sensing something oddly subtle in their conversation. Why was his brother deliberately comforting Jiang Ji like this?

Was there something he didn’t know?

Originally, after the young master left, Lu Shun had planned to escort Physician Yang back to the capital. Translated on Hololo novels. But Jiang Yan had specifically ordered them to remain here so they could relay news from both the capital and himself to Jiang Ji. That also struck him as strange.

Why should court news be reported to Jiang Ji?

Lu Shun couldn’t figure it out.

When Lu Jiu stepped out to use the latrine, Lu Shun followed and grabbed him. “Brother, don’t you think something’s strange?”

“What’s strange?” Lu Jiu said, staring at his brother blocking the doorway. “Move. Let me finish first.”

“Why did the young master tell us to stay?” Lu Shun asked without moving aside.

“Didn’t he say? So Physician Yang can continue treating Madam Jiang,” Lu Jiu replied impatiently, pushing past him. “Don’t block the door. I’m dying here.”

Lu Shun waited outside, continuing his thoughts aloud. “That’s not it. Physician Yang already wrote the prescription. She just needs to keep taking it. The young master said I should relay all messages from the capital and from him to Young Master Jiang Ji. He clearly left me here to pass along information.”

After finishing and washing his hands, Lu Jiu came out and looked at his brother with a complicated expression. “Just do what the young master told you. Don’t overthink it.”

“No, you definitely know something.” Lu Shun grabbed him again. “Tell me what’s going on.”

Lu Jiu sighed. “Shun’er, can we not have this conversation outside the latrine?”

Lu Shun glanced back, then slung an arm over his brother’s shoulder and dragged him farther away. “Alright. Talk.”

“…Talk about what? I don’t know anything.” Lu Jiu headed back toward the workshop, reminding him, “Don’t pry into the young master’s affairs. Just do as instructed. When it’s time for you to know, you’ll know.”

“…Oh,” Lu Shun said.

That confirmed it. Something was definitely going on, and his brother knew about it.

He suppressed his curiosity. His brother was right, the young master’s affairs were not something to casually investigate.

When Lu Jiu returned to the courtyard, Jiang Ji was gone. Looking around, he saw him inside Physician Yang’s room.

Curious, he approached and overheard Jiang Ji talking about… granules?

Physician Yang stroked his white beard. “Pills already exist. By ‘granules,’ do you mean very small pills?”

Jiang Ji scratched his head. “Something like that. Basically medicine you can dissolve in hot water and drink immediately. Right now we have to decoct medicine, but that takes too long. Sometimes people might not survive long enough to wait for it to finish boiling. If it dissolves quickly in hot water and works about the same as a decoction, it would be much easier to carry while traveling. It should be possible, right? Similar to pills?”

Physician Yang pondered for a moment. “I can try.”

Jiang Ji nodded happily. “Then I’ll trouble you with it. Things like fever medicine, Xiao Chaihu granules mainly made from Xiao Chaihu; and heat-clearing medicines like Yinqiao Jiedu pills made from honeysuckle and similar herbs; also Niuhuang Jiedu pills, and Chuanxinlian pills. Please make plenty of them. And we’ll need lots of hemostatic powder too. Tell me whatever herbs you need, and I’ll have people purchase them.”

Physician Yang asked in confusion, “Didn’t you already buy a large amount of wound medicine for Young Master Lu to take? Why more hemostatic powder?”

“The more the better. Better to be prepared.”

“Wound medicine is already the best hemostatic powder,” Physician Yang said, studying him. “Young Master Jiang, do you also study medicinal herbs?”

“Ah, I’ve just heard doctors talk about them,” Jiang Ji replied.

Physician Yang nodded. “Understood.”

Afterward, Jiang Ji left and returned to the workshop. Lu Jiu asked, “Young Master Jiang Ji, what kind of granules were you asking Physician Yang to make?”

“Medicine,” Jiang Ji replied. “When you’re traveling, it’s inconvenient to boil decoctions. I asked him to make pills or granules instead so they’re easier to use. When you leave later, you’ll take them along.”

“Oh, I see.” Lu Jiu looked at Jiang Ji and sighed inwardly. Young Master Jiang Ji truly cared deeply about and worried for the young master.

Jiang Ji returned to assembling bows while asking 2977 in his mind, “2977, can you tell me the ingredients of Lianhua Qingwen granules?”

Xiao Chaihu granules, Lianhua Qingwen granules, Yinqiao Jiedu granules, and similar medicines were well-known heat-clearing traditional remedies in Jiang Ji’s previous life and highly effective. He wanted Physician Yang to recreate them, but unfortunately he did not know the exact formulas.

2977 remained as cold and mechanical as ever: 【Insufficient authorization.】

Jiang Ji sighed. “What use are you, then?”

2977: 【……】

At noon during the meal, Jiang Ji stood to leave when Lu Shun suddenly looked at his chest. “Young Master Jiang Ji, are you injured?”

“Hm?” Jiang Ji shook his head. “No.”

“Then why is your shirt red here?” Lu Shun pointed.

Lu Jiu also looked over.

Jiang Ji was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt that day. Looking down, he saw mottled red stains over the left side of his chest.

Jiang Ji: “……”

The weather was too hot. He had sweated, and the seal ink had transferred onto his clothes.

“It’s nothing. I’ll change,” Jiang Ji said, unable to think of a good excuse. He grabbed a basin of water and hurried back to his room in the east wing.

After closing the door and removing his shirt, he saw the three seal marks on his chest had smeared together into a reddish blur. At a glance, it really did look like bloodstains.

He pulled out tissues and carefully wiped away the smudged edges. He hated to erase them, but the summer heat meant they would keep staining his clothes if he did not.

With a sigh, he steeled himself and wiped the seals clean, then dampened a towel and wiped himself down.

He remembered Jiang Yan hadn’t wiped his off that morning. If Chen Feng and the others noticed red stains on his clothes…

Imagining Jiang Yan’s usually expressionless face showing embarrassment made Jiang Ji laugh out loud. That scene would definitely be entertaining.

But Jiang Yan had worn black today, hadn’t he?

That guy had definitely done it on purpose.

Jiang Ji picked up the sleepwear Jiang Yan had changed out of that morning. Sure enough, there were faint cinnabar stains over the left chest area.

After changing clothes, Jiang Ji dumped the basin water, added both his own clothes and Jiang Yan’s sleepwear, and carried everything to the backyard well. He lathered soap into the water and let the clothes soak.

All the soap at home came from the system exchange and worked extremely well.

After lunch, Aunt Niu, who usually did the washing, saw the clothes in the basin and prepared to wash them, only for Jiang Ji to stop her as he walked in.

“Aunt Niu, leave it. I’ll do it.”

“How could I let you wash clothes, Young Master?” she protested. “These are just sleep clothes. I’ll finish in no time.”

“Leave it. I’ll do it myself.” Jiang Ji took the basin back. “Go rest, Aunt Niu.”

She looked bewildered after having her work taken away and glanced toward Zhao Ru at the kitchen entrance. She went over and said, “Madam, why does the young master want to wash clothes himself?”

Zhao Ru looked at her son, unsure what he was doing. “If he wants to wash, let him.”

Still, she walked over to check. They were Jiang Ji’s and Jiang Yan’s sleepwear, and the area Jiang Ji was scrubbing with soap was stained red.

“Xiao Ji, why is there blood on your clothes? Are you hurt?” Zhao Ru exclaimed, snatching the garment from his hands and unfolding it to inspect the chest area.

She immediately turned toward him. “Is your chest bleeding?”

Jiang Ji: “……”

“No, Mother, I’m not injured.” Jiang Ji blinked, thinking quickly. “Yesterday I knocked over some seal ink and got it on both my clothes and Jiang Yan’s. I just brought them to wash.”

“Seal ink?” Zhao Ru examined it carefully and realized it really was ink, not blood. She sighed in relief. “But isn’t this the shirt you wore this morning?”

“Ah, right… When I went back to my room earlier, I accidentally got more ink on it, so I changed.”

“Oh. As long as you’re not hurt.” Zhao Ru rolled up her sleeves. “I’ll wash them. Go take a nap.”

Jiang Ji immediately refused. The stains were all on the chest area. If Zhao Ru kept looking, he would never be able to explain.

“No need, Mother. Go rest. I’ll finish soon.” Seeing she still wanted to help, he added, “I’ve been stuck thinking about a design and needed a break. Washing clothes helps clear my head.”

Hearing that, Zhao Ru stopped insisting. “Alright then. Take your time and rest a bit.”

“Okay.”

She washed her hands and returned indoors while Jiang Ji sat on a small stool by the well, carefully scrubbing the clothes.

The well area was cool, and everyone passed by there after meals. Each person who saw him washing clothes stopped to ask about it.

Jiang Ji felt numb with exasperation. It’s just laundry. Why is everyone making such a fuss?

He quickly finished washing, hung the clothes to dry, and returned to the workshop.

That night, staring at the empty half of the bed beside him, Jiang Ji found himself unable to sleep.

He wondered where Jiang Yan and the others had reached.

Were they in danger?

Ancient times were truly inconvenient. No phone calls, no messages. Even wanting to say a single word across distance was impossible.

You could miss someone and have no way for them to know.

In the pitch-black night, his mind ran wild imagining all kinds of possibilities. He stayed awake for half the night before finally drifting into a hazy sleep.

…

The next morning, Jiang Ji woke up yawning repeatedly, clearly unrested.

At breakfast, Zhao Ru asked with concern, “Didn’t sleep well?”

“Mm. Too hot,” Jiang Ji replied, choosing the safest excuse. “And a mosquito got inside the bed net.”

Jiang Nan, missing one of his front teeth, eagerly offered his older brother some advice. “Before sleeping, you have to fan the bed a bit to drive the mosquitoes away, clip the net properly, and tuck it tightly under the mat. Then no mosquitoes can get in!”

“Got it.” Jiang Ji looked at his little gap-toothed grin. “Should we just pull the other one out for you too?”

Jiang Nan’s second loose tooth had been wobbling for four or five days already. Hearing this, he shook his head quickly. “Let it fall out by itself! Last time you pulled one, it hurt so much. Go pull Jiang Bei’s, his is about to fall out.”

Jiang Ji immediately turned to look at Jiang Bei.

Jiang Bei had also started losing his baby teeth. He ate cautiously now, afraid of biting down on the loose tooth and hurting himself.

Seeing his older brother’s gaze, he hurriedly shook his head. “It hasn’t fallen out yet.”

“But my hands are itchy. I really want to help you pull it,” Jiang Ji said.

Jiang Bei: “……”

He instantly turned toward their mother. “Mom, I don’t want big brother pulling my tooth!”

Zhao Ru watched the children’s commotion with amused helplessness. “Your brother’s just teasing you.”

“Is he?” Jiang Bei looked at Jiang Ji, unconvinced. It really seemed like his brother wanted to pull it.

Jiang Ji grinned at him. “Just kidding. I really want to pull it.”

Jiang Bei: “……”

He gulped down the rest of his porridge, grabbed a corn cob and an egg, and ran off. “Jiang Nan, hurry! We’ll be late!”

“Wait for me!” Jiang Nan, equally afraid of having his tooth pulled, snatched two eggs and sprinted after him.

Jiang Ji called after them, “I’ll pull them when you get back tonight!”

“Don’t you dare!” Jiang Nan shouted back.

Finding amusement in teasing his two younger brothers, Jiang Ji burst into wicked laughter.

After laughing, he instinctively reached to nudge Jiang Yan’s arm beside him. “Jiang Yan, look…”

His hand met empty air.

The space to his right was vacant.

Jiang Ji: “……”

He withdrew his hand. The smile froze briefly on his lips before he lowered his gaze and continued eating.

Zhao Ru noticed and sighed softly. “I wonder whether Jiang Yan and the others have arrived yet.”

“They probably haven’t,” Jiang Ji replied. “It’s quite far. It’ll take several days.”

“Their family business reaches that far?” Zhao Ru asked curiously. “Wouldn’t that be hard to manage?”

“Mm, maybe goods sell well over there,” Jiang Ji said casually.

From that day on, Jiang Ji filled his schedule completely. In the mornings he assembled bows and arrows. After lunch, he even gave up his usual nap and returned straight to the workshop. Once finished there, he went to the fields to pile fertilizer, pull weeds, and water crops.

He kept himself busy all day.

That way, he could fall asleep faster at night.

Lu Jiu returned from Nanping with the remaining components, and Jiang Ji worked with Lu Jiu and Lu Shun to assemble them as quickly as possible.

When Jiang Ji saw Lu Shun step out and return, he immediately asked, “Any news?”

Lu Shun shook his head. “I just went to the latrine.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ji went back to work.

Lu Shun watched him and sighed quietly. These past few days, Jiang Ji asked about news every time he saw him. But the young master had only left a few days ago. There was no way messages could arrive so quickly. They probably had not even reached their destination yet.

Lu Jiu explained gently, “It’s very far. Even riding at full speed, it would take seven or eight days to arrive.”

Jiang Ji paused. “Oh. I understand.”

After a moment, Jiang Ji said, “Tell me some stories about your young master when he was little.”

Lu Shun exchanged a glance with his brother. “When the young master was little, he mostly studied or practiced martial arts. Nothing very interesting.”

“There are stories,” Lu Jiu said.

Lu Shun looked puzzled. “There are?”

“Of course. You were too young to remember.”

Lu Shun: “……”

Jiang Ji immediately grew interested. “What stories? Tell me.”

Lu Jiu said, “When the young master was little, he was actually quite lively. He even went bird-nest hunting with us.”

“Oh really? He climbed trees too?” Jiang Ji asked in surprise. “I always thought he was serious and mature even as a child.”

“Not at all. He was pretty mischievous,” Lu Jiu said enthusiastically. “We were maybe seven or eight then. One day a bird’s nest appeared in the persimmon tree in Second Uncle’s backyard. Lu Wu spotted it first. The tree was slippery, and none of us could climb it, so we tried poking it with bamboo poles.”

“The young master had just finished practicing calligraphy and came outside. When he saw us, he immediately started climbing the tree. Young Master Jiang Ji, guess what happened?”

“What happened?” Jiang Ji asked eagerly. “Did he make it up?”

“No. He climbed halfway, maybe about ten feet high, almost reaching the branch, when his foot slipped and he came crashing down. We panicked, thinking if he got hurt we’d be doomed, so we all stretched out our arms to catch him.”

“Did you catch him?”

Lu Jiu burst into laughter at the memory. “No! We didn’t! His belt got hooked on a cut branch, and he ended up hanging in midair. Even now I can’t think about it without laughing, hahaha…”

Jiang Ji could not help laughing too, picturing a half-grown boy dangling from a tree trunk. “What expression did he have?”

Lu Jiu laughed. “At first he was completely stunned, eyes wide open. Then he couldn’t get down by himself and got anxious and embarrassed, furious even. In the end, Second Uncle had to climb up and pull him down. Afterward he forbade us from laughing or ever mentioning it. Anyone who laughed had to do horse stance punishment. He was so petty…”

“Hahahaha—” Jiang Ji laughed so hard tears formed in his eyes. “He actually had moments like that? Hahaha…”

The workshop filled with laughter for a long while.

After that, Jiang Ji found new entertainment. Whenever he caught Lu Jiu free, he would make him tell stories about Jiang Yan.

Three days later, Lu Jiu set out as well, bringing the newly finished bows, sleeve arrows, and two completed bed crossbows, along with ten men sent from the capital.

Jiang Ji packed up all the pills that Physician Yang had hurriedly prepared, together with trauma medicine and various other medicinal pills the guards had purchased from neighboring counties, and had Lu Jiu take everything along.

That afternoon, Old Lin, a guard from the restaurant, returned from the city carrying a letter addressed to Jiang Ji.

The moment Jiang Ji saw the familiar handwriting on the envelope, he brightened. “It’s from Jiang Yan.”

He opened it immediately.

The letter had been written four days after Jiang Yan’s departure, in Linzhou. It reported that they were safe and had been entrusted to a merchant to deliver to the restaurant.

When Jiang Ji read Jiang Yan’s remark that the cinnabar seal on his chest had smudged, he could not help laughing.

Lu Shun stood nearby, anxious but too polite to peek. When Jiang Ji finally finished reading, he asked, “Where have they reached? Are they alright?”

“They were in Linzhou then,” Jiang Ji replied. “This was written several days ago. Everything was peaceful along the way.”

He read the letter once more, then carefully folded it and tucked it beneath his pillow.

After that, every few days, sometimes three or four days, sometimes five or six, Jiang Ji would receive another letter from Jiang Yan.

Because Jiang Yan’s group was traveling secretly, they could not use official courier stations. Private letters had to be entrusted to traveling merchants, so all correspondence was delivered through the restaurant.

And since Jiang Yan kept moving between locations, Jiang Ji had no way to send replies.

Jiang Ji thought that compared to himself, who could at least receive letters, Jiang Yan must have it harder, unable to receive any in return.

Every night before sleeping, Jiang Ji would take out the letters and reread them before he could fall asleep.

One day, while reviewing account books at the restaurant counter, Jiang Ji overheard traveling merchants discussing news from the capital. They were saying that the Regent Prince had gone missing and might already be dead.

Jiang Ji paused, quietly listening.

The merchants had come directly from the capital. As they talked, others nearby gathered to ask questions.

“Is it true? The Regent Prince disappeared?”

“Of course it’s true. We passed through the capital recently. We came here because we heard about the new rice seeds.”

“How could someone like the Regent just disappear?”

“He’s been missing for half a year. The court and the prince’s residence kept it secret, claiming he was inspecting military affairs, but now they can’t hide it anymore. The whole capital knows.”

“My heavens… how could he vanish?”

“Who knows? They say he disappeared on the road back to the capital. The Lu family and the prince’s residence sent many people searching but found nothing.”

“What will the court do now?”

“The officials are panicking. People in the capital are uneasy. Some say he was assassinated.”

“Assassinated?”

“Yes. Supposedly attacked in a place called Lushan County, then vanished. Alive or dead, no one knows.”

“Lushan County? Isn’t that south of Nanping County?”

“Exactly. Only two or three hundred li from here.”

“I came from the western routes. The border’s been unstable lately. Might be related.”

“If the Regent Prince isn’t holding the court together, the borders could fall into chaos.”

“Are we going to war?”

“Heaven forbid. Please don’t let there be war.”

Jiang Ji listened for a while, lost in thought, before returning to the account books.

The news had spread this far. That meant the capital had already begun moving.

Lushan County really was where Jiang Yan had been attacked. The rumor was true by design, released to make spies believe it and lure them out. It marked the beginning of Jiang Yan’s plan.

What followed would be the most critical phase.

Unable to focus on the accounts, Jiang Ji eventually went to the county office to ask the magistrates.

Magistrate Xu sighed. “I’ve received the news too. The capital is full of rumors. A classmate of mine says it’s most likely true.”

Jiang Ji looked to Lord Chen, who nodded. “The information I received says the same.”

“Any other news?” Jiang Ji asked.

They both shook their heads.

“We only know the court and the Lu household have sent many people searching,” Lord Chen said.

Magistrate Xu suddenly recalled something. “Earlier, Governor Fan mentioned helping people from the capital search for someone. Could that have been the Regent Prince?”

“Possible,” Lord Chen replied.

It was indeed the case, but Jiang Ji said nothing. Translated on Hololo novels. Seeing he could learn no more, he left the county office and returned home.

He found Lu Shun and asked, “Any news from the capital?”

Seeing Jiang Ji’s troubled expression, Lu Shun asked carefully, “Young Master Jiang Ji, did you hear something?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “The news has spread.”

“We received word from home,” Lu Shun said. “Everything in the capital is proceeding smoothly. I’ve been told to remain here for now.”

“That’s good,” Jiang Ji said, nodding.

Lu Shun added, “Tomorrow I’ll move into the city with Old Cao and the others to handle some matters. Physician Yang will remain here.”

“Alright. Be careful,” Jiang Ji said. Jiang Yan had explained that the prince’s residence and the Lu household maintained their own intelligence network. With Chen Feng and the others gone, Lu Shun would assist locally.

“I’ll send any news to the restaurant,” Lu Shun said.

“Good.”

The capital and Jiang Yan had already cast their nets, waiting for the bait to be taken.

For Jiang Ji, the waiting became even harder to endure.

For several days in a row, Jiang Ji had been sleeping poorly. Seeing the dark circles beneath her son’s eyes, Zhao Ru asked worriedly, “Is it still too hot? Why don’t you sleep on the floor? It’ll be cooler.”

Jiang Ji was not hot. He was worried.

Seeing the concern on Zhao Ru’s face, Jiang Ji led her into the east wing, then closed the door.

“Mother, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Before Jiang Yan returned, Jiang Ji wanted to settle matters on his side first. That way, once Jiang Yan reported everything to his parents, they could choose a time to formally propose marriage.

He had thought about this for a long time but never found the right opportunity. So he decided to say it now.

“What is it?” Zhao Ru grew tense when she saw him shut the door. “Has someone discovered your secret?”

“No.” Jiang Ji guided her to sit down, then suddenly knelt before her.

Zhao Ru was startled and immediately bent to pull him up. “Xiao Ji, w-why are you kneeling? Get up quickly.”

“No, Mother. I have something to tell you. I must say it kneeling.”

“What could be so serious?” Zhao Ru asked anxiously. “Whatever it is, we’ll discuss it together.”

Jiang Ji took a deep breath and looked up at her. “Mother, when the matchmaker came before to arrange a marriage for me, I said I didn’t want to marry yet. That was actually an excuse. I lied to you.”

Zhao Ru froze for a moment, then brightened with delight. “You want to marry now?”

Jiang Ji nodded. “Yes. I want to marry now.”

“Then I’ll go find the matchmaker,” Zhao Ru said, overjoyed, smiling broadly. “Which family’s daughter do you like? I’ll call the matchmaker right away.”

“Mother,” Jiang Ji said, catching her hand, “I’m sorry. I don’t like girls.”

“…What?” Zhao Ru’s smile froze. “Didn’t you just say you wanted to marry?”

“I do,” Jiang Ji said honestly. “But the person I want to marry isn’t a girl.”

Zhao Ru stared at him blankly. “Not a girl… what do you mean?”

Jiang Ji clenched his teeth slightly and said, “Mother, I don’t like women. I like men.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

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