Ch 99: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Beside the rear lake of the Imperial Garden, the young Emperor wore winter casual robes and a cloak, standing by the lake with bright eyes as he looked at the water.

The lake surface was covered in a thick layer of ice, white as far as the eye could see. Not far away, people were skating and playing on the ice.

Several eunuchs held ice chisels and iron shovels, digging holes. One hole had already been finished nearby.

Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou walked over and bowed to the Emperor.

The Emperor turned and saw them, his eyes lighting up. “Yafu, you’re here. It’ll be ready soon.”

According to the schedule, the Emperor studied court affairs with the Regent in the morning. In the afternoon, he usually studied with the Grand Tutor. Every few days, the Regent would personally teach him a lesson, and today’s afternoon lesson was with the Regent.

The Emperor loved the Regent’s lessons. That afternoon, after his nap, he had gone to the Imperial Study as usual, only for the Regent to say they would go ice fishing at the rear lake.

The Regent had always been strict in teaching him. This was the first time he had been given such entertainment.

The Emperor was extremely excited.

Although he held the highest and most honored position, he was still only eleven years old and still had a trace of a boy’s nature. Ice fishing in winter was far more interesting than studying in the Imperial Study all day.

Seeing the eunuchs busy at work, Jiang Ji immediately stepped onto the ice, took an ice chisel from the side, and waved to Lu Huaizhou and the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, let’s dig a hole too.”

The Emperor had long been eager to try. “Alright.”

Eunuch Wu hurriedly advised, “Aiya, Your Majesty, you mustn’t. The ice is slippery and unsafe. You cannot go down.”

The Emperor’s gaze dimmed.

Seeing this, Jiang Ji smiled. “It’s fine. The ice is thick. Since we’re ice fishing, chiseling the ice is part of the fun. Come, Your Majesty. His Highness is here. He’ll protect you.”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up as he looked toward the Regent.

Lu Huaizhou nodded. “Go.”

The Emperor immediately lifted his robe hem happily and stepped onto the lake. Seeing this, Eunuch Wu and the others quickly followed to guard him.

Jiang Ji handed the Emperor an ice chisel. The Emperor accepted it happily and asked, “Where should we dig?”

Jiang Ji tapped a spot about three or four chi away from where the eunuchs were digging. “Here should do. Your Majesty, the ice is slippery. Watch your footing.”

“Alright.”

The Emperor had just watched how the eunuchs dug. Wearing gloves, he held the chisel in both hands and began striking the ice. With one blow, only the sharp tip of the iron head went in.

“Oh, this ice is so hard!” The Emperor seemed surprised. When he had watched the eunuchs, it had looked simple, but only after trying did he realize chiseling ice took effort.

“Mm, it’s quite thick.” Jiang Ji also chiseled beside him.

Eunuch Wu watched anxiously. “Your Majesty, why not let this old servant do it?”

“No need.” The Emperor was still in high spirits.

Jiang Ji smiled at Eunuch Wu. “Eunuch Wu, don’t worry. It’s fine.”

Seeing the Regent nearby and several guards also present, Eunuch Wu retreated to the side.

Jiang Ji and the Emperor took turns striking. Each blow only chipped away a little, but both were very enthusiastic.

Lu Huaizhou watched from the side, showing no intention of helping.

Chk, chk, chk.

The ice chisel had some weight to it. The Emperor was still young and not strong enough. After chiseling for a while, his arms grew a little sore. “This is my first time doing this. I didn’t expect chiseling ice to take so much strength.”

“Keep going, Your Majesty. It’ll be ready soon,” Jiang Ji encouraged him.

The Emperor was puzzled. “What does ‘keep going’ mean?”

Jiang Ji paused, then explained, “It means encouraging you, giving you strength. Like adding tung oil to a tung oil lamp, so the flame burns brighter?”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up. “Good. Let’s keep going together!”

The Emperor immediately picked up the ice chisel again and struck harder. Jiang Ji took the iron shovel and cleared the broken ice aside.

The holes dug by the eunuchs nearby were already finished, and they stood to the side watching.

Jiang Ji and the Emperor kept chiseling and shoveling. After quite a while, water became faintly visible. Jiang Ji called out, “Your Majesty, wait. I think we’re about to break through.”

The Emperor looked carefully and stopped. Jiang Ji used the shovel to clear out the ice chips, then stabbed the remaining bottom layer with the shovel. Lake water immediately surged up.

The Emperor said in surprise, “It really broke through.”

“Your Majesty, step back two paces,” Jiang Ji said. The Emperor stepped back and craned his neck to look.

Jiang Ji carefully chipped away the remaining bottom ice and widened the opening to more than two chi.

“Done. It can be used.” Jiang Ji handed the shovel to a eunuch. “Bring the stools and fishing rods.”

The other two holes had already been arranged. The Emperor was very happy and immediately pointed to the hole he had dug. “I want to use this one.”

Lu Huaizhou had someone dig another hole on the other side. Then the Emperor sat in the middle, with Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou on either side. The eunuchs were sent back to the shore, leaving only several guards nearby. The three began fishing.

The chiseling had made a lot of noise and scared away many fish. They sat for a quarter hour without any movement.

Jiang Ji simply did not have the patience to wait for fish to bite. After a while, he threw a little bait into each hole to attract fish.

The Emperor watched his movements, blinked, said nothing, and continued waiting.

Lu Huaizhou curved his lips but also said nothing.

After another while, Jiang Ji really could not sit still. He craned his neck to look into the ice hole and muttered softly, “Why aren’t there any fish yet?”

He simply lifted the fishing rod to check. The bait was still there, so he threw the hook back in.

The Emperor was actually anxious too and stretched his neck to look. He also wanted to check whether his bait was gone, but he did not want Lu Huaizhou to think he lacked patience, so he suppressed his restlessness.

Who knew whether this was a lesson from Yafu to test his patience?

After a while longer, Jiang Ji whispered to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, there are fish in this lake, right?”

The Emperor: “…There should be. In summer, there are lots of fish.”

Lu Huaizhou: “…”

Jiang Ji looked at them and sighed. “You two really have good patience.”

The Emperor’s ears turned a little red, and he lowered his eyes, blinking.

Lu Huaizhou: “…”

Jiang Ji simply tossed more bait into his own ice hole.

After a while, Jiang Ji’s fishing line suddenly moved. He felt the rod being pulled downward.

Eh?

He quickly raised his hand and pulled the rod, even standing up. The Emperor and Lu Huaizhou both looked over.

Jiang Ji lifted the fishing rod out of the water, and on the hook at the end was a lively, flopping fish.

“Wow! There really are fish!” the Emperor exclaimed, picking up his own fishing rod and running over to look at Jiang Ji’s catch.

Jiang Ji flung the fish onto the ice. Out of the water and hooked through the upper jaw, it struggled fiercely.

He went over, caught the fish, and removed the hook.

“Quick, quick, put it here.”

The Emperor brought over the wooden bucket. Jiang Ji placed the fish inside, and Lu Huaizhou also came over to look.

“This fish is quite big.” The Emperor asked curiously, “What kind of fish is this? Carp?”

“This is crucian carp. It’s very tasty,” Jiang Ji said with a smile. “Your Majesty, why don’t we grill fish later?”

The Emperor’s eyes lit up. “Alright.”

He immediately ordered Eunuch Wu to prepare grilling tools.

Seeing that Jiang Ji’s method worked, the Emperor no longer worried that Lu Huaizhou would say he lacked patience. Now he wanted even more to catch a fish himself.

He also grabbed a handful of bait and threw it into his ice hole, then cast his rod back in.

Before long, he felt the line tug. “Duke Chang, I think I caught something?”

Jiang Ji looked at the line and asked, “Does it feel like it’s pulling?”

“Yes. It feels quite strong.”

Jiang Ji walked over. “Quick, pull the rod.”

The Emperor stood and pulled. Jiang Ji also came over to help. With one lift and flick, a fish flew through the air with droplets of water and landed on the ice.

“Hahaha, I caught one too!” The Emperor ran over happily to look.

Jiang Ji carried the bucket over and smiled. “Congratulations, Your Majesty. It’s a carp!”

The Emperor caught the fish, removed the hook, and happily placed it into the wooden bucket.

“As expected, Duke Chang’s method is better. You really do need to scatter some bait.”

“Mm.”

The two sat back down. Each grabbed a handful of bait and scattered it into the water, then continued fishing.

Only Lu Huaizhou sat there steadily, scattering no bait, quietly fishing on his own.

Jiang Ji asked him, “Your Highness, why don’t you scatter some bait too?”

“No need. We’re not far apart,” Lu Huaizhou said.

He meant the three holes were close together, so the bait would drift over. Sure enough, before long, he also caught a carp.

The three fished for about an hour and stopped after catching eleven or twelve fish.

By the lakeside, Eunuch Wu had people bring over the iron rack for grilling fish, charcoal braziers, tables and chairs, various seasonings, knives, and some meat and vegetables.

The charcoal was already burning. Jiang Ji had someone bring a basin of water and began cleaning the fish. Lu Huaizhou skillfully sliced meat beside him, startling the eunuchs and the Emperor.

Then they remembered that Lu Huaizhou had once stayed at Jiang Ji’s home for a long time, and it dawned on them that he must have learned it there.

The Emperor crouched curiously beside Jiang Ji and watched. “Duke Chang, did you learn cooking when you were young?”

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. Since he could not tell the Emperor about the system, he nodded. “Yes. My family lived in the village, so from childhood, we had to know how to do all sorts of things.”

The Emperor asked curiously, “What is life in the village like?”

As Jiang Ji scraped fish scales, he said, “Work begins at sunrise and ends at sunset. By five or six years old, children have to follow adults into the fields to learn farm work. Girls have to learn laundry and cooking. After a year’s harvest, once rent and grain tax are paid, there often isn’t enough left to fill the stomach.”

Jiang Ji glanced at the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, farmers live very bitter lives.”

The Emperor pressed his lips together. “Can you tell me more?”

“Of course.” Jiang Ji nodded. “Take my family, for example. When my father was alive, things were a bit better. He knew how to hunt in the mountains. He could sell game in town and save a little money to send me to the school in the neighboring village for a few years. Later, after my father passed away, my younger siblings were still small, and my mother’s health was damaged. Our family’s days became very hard…”

Jiang Ji told him about his family’s former situation. When they heard that his family could only drink wild vegetable soup in the morning, and at noon could only eat a palm-sized bran cake made from rice husks, the Emperor and the eunuchs were shocked.

So Duke Chang’s family had once lived in such hardship…

Jiang Ji said, “In truth, many families were not much different from mine. Winter was especially difficult. There weren’t even wild vegetables. Starvation was not uncommon. Many people had no choice. To keep their children from starving to death, they sold them into wealthy households as servants. At least then they could have a bowl of rice and survive.”

Many eunuchs in the palace had been sold in this way. Eunuch Wu and the others felt deeply moved listening.

The Emperor was silent for a long while.

He had grown up in luxury. Although he had heard ministers in court say that the common people suffered, he had never clearly understood what that suffering meant. Now, hearing Jiang Ji’s words, he could imagine families being torn apart for the sake of a single bowl of rice.

He glanced at the Regent beside him. Perhaps this was the purpose behind Yafu bringing Duke Chang to fish with him today.

Many ministers in court came from noble families. Very few had truly risen from the bottom. Those from poor backgrounds were mostly sent out to serve as county officials, and the Emperor rarely saw them.

Only Jiang Ji had risen directly from farming households. He had the most genuine experience of life among the common people.

Jiang Ji looked at the Emperor’s expression and said, “Your Majesty, that is why food is the most important issue in Da Sheng, the first problem that must be solved.”

The Emperor nodded. “I understand. The court will also fully support you in spreading the seeds and new crops.”

“Mm. Your Majesty is wise.” Jiang Ji glanced at the Emperor and continued, “Later, because my family sold seeds, our situation improved a lot. Your Majesty, do you know what the first thing I did was after my family solved the problem of hunger?”

The Emperor asked curiously, “What was it?”

Jiang Ji answered, “I sent my two younger brothers and my younger sister Jiang Xia to school, so they could learn from a teacher.”

Finally, they had reached the main point. Lu Huaizhou glanced at Jiang Ji and the Emperor, then continued slicing meat.

The Emperor was surprised. “Your younger sister went to school too?”

“Yes.” Seeing that the Emperor had caught the key point, Jiang Ji was pleased. “At first, the teacher did not want to accept my sister.”

“How did you persuade him?” the Emperor asked curiously. “In the capital, I don’t think I’ve heard of any academy or school accepting female students. Families usually hire teachers at home to teach their daughters.”

Jiang Ji asked in return, “Your Majesty, don’t you think there is a major problem here?”

“What problem?”

“Why do our schools and academies not accept female students?”

The Emperor paused. “Since ancient times, women have stayed at home to support their husbands and educate their children.”

“Then why are men not the ones staying home to support their wives and educate their children?” Jiang Ji asked back.

The Emperor had only just turned eleven and had not yet absorbed too much traditional thinking. Jiang Ji thought he should be easier to persuade than those stubborn adults.

The Emperor was stumped. “Since ancient times, it has been this way. Men handle outside affairs, women handle domestic affairs. Besides, for a woman, lack of talent is virtue…”

Jiang Ji said, “Your Majesty, as I remember it, ‘For a woman, lack of talent is virtue’ does not mean women should have no talent. It means they should be modest and not overly flaunt their talents. Besides, even that saying is wrong. Why should someone with talent not show it? Just because she is a woman?”

The Emperor: “…”

Jiang Ji continued, “Women are actually very capable. I heard that the daughter of the General Who Guards the North is at the frontier. She has excellent martial arts, is extraordinarily brave, and even kills enemies on the battlefield, not inferior to men at all. Also, the second daughter of the Minister of Rites in the capital is exceptionally talented. Her literary skill and insight surpass many men.”

The Emperor nodded. “I’ve heard of them too.”

“In our town, there is a female shopkeeper who does business better than men.” Jiang Ji looked at the Emperor and said, “So you see, as long as women are cultivated and given the chance to learn, they can equal men.”

“It’s just that they don’t have the opportunity to study. If given that opportunity, they too can hold up half the sky,” Jiang Ji said solemnly.

The Emperor fell into thought. His mind was somewhat confused. He felt that what Duke Chang said differed from what he had accepted before, but he did not know how to refute it.

Jiang Ji pressed on. “Your Majesty, I have an idea.”

“What idea?”

Jiang Ji parted his lips and said, “Let’s establish schools for girls.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened. “Schools for girls?”

“Mm.” Jiang Ji began to lay it out. “Look, there are many benefits to letting women attend school. Let me explain. First, it can cultivate talent for the court…”

“There are no female officials in the court,” the Emperor said.

“As long as Your Majesty is willing, there can be,” Jiang Ji replied.

The Emperor froze. “Since ancient times, there have been no female officials.”

Jiang Ji looked at him and said, “Your Majesty, what has existed since ancient times is not necessarily correct. And you are the Emperor, the rules are set by you. If you establish the first school for women, future generations will remember you as the pioneer of women’s education. If you also allow women to become officials, becoming the first emperor in history to do so, your name will surely be recorded for eternity.”

The Emperor felt a tremor in his heart, as if a surge of bold ambition was about to break free within him.

Lu Huaizhou glanced at Jiang Ji, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.

Jiang Ji continued, “And there are many other benefits to educating women. Just now I mentioned supplying talent to the court. The second is raising the overall quality of our people in Da Sheng.”

“Hm?” The Emperor did not quite catch it. “What do you mean?”

Jiang Ji explained, “Think about it. Even if women do not enter officialdom, they can still apply their abilities in many fields, like the general’s daughter in the north, or the female shopkeeper in our county.”

“There is a saying: ‘At three one sees the future, at seven one sees the whole life.’ You’ve heard of it, right?”

The Emperor nodded. “I have.”

Jiang Ji said, “There is truth in that. A child’s character is largely set by the age of seven. You can already see their future disposition and achievements. But before the age of seven, children mostly spend their time with their mothers, not their fathers. So mothers play a very important role in a child’s upbringing.”

“So think about it. Even if a woman only stays at home to support her husband and raise children, a woman who has studied in a school will have broader vision and knowledge than one who has not. Wouldn’t the children she raises also be more outstanding?”

The Emperor considered it and nodded. “That makes sense.”

Jiang Ji went on, “Then if more women can read, write, and discern right from wrong, more children will grow up to be capable. Would the court still have to worry about a lack of talent?”

The Emperor said, “It does seem so.”

Jiang Ji concluded, “So, Your Majesty, for the future of Da Sheng, we must establish schools for women and give them equal opportunities to receive education.”

The Emperor thought it over carefully. After all, he was only eleven. He felt something was slightly off, yet could not pinpoint it.

“Duke Chang, your proposal is quite interesting. But since this has never been done before, it must be discussed in court.”

He glanced at the Regent beside him. “Yafu, what do you think?”

Lu Huaizhou looked at Jiang Ji, then said to the Emperor, “I think it is very good. Duke Chang can write it into a memorial for the ministers to discuss.”

The Emperor nodded. “Yes, Duke Chang, submit a memorial.”

Jiang Ji smiled. “Alright, I’ll write it when I return.”

Today’s task was done. What came next would depend on Lu Huaizhou.

He focused on grilling fish and meat. The delicious food left all three of them very satisfied.

And he had already heard 2977 announce that he had completed the task of grilling fish with the Emperor.

He took a moment to check the reward. This task, combined with the earlier one of dining with the Emperor, had earned him a reward: beginner-level steelmaking skills.

After returning from the palace, Jiang Ji first wrote out the basic steelmaking method from memory, then scratched his head while drafting the memorial.

“Is the memorial finished?” Lu Huaizhou asked.

Jiang Ji handed him the document. “Don’t laugh.”

“Alright.”

Lu Huaizhou opened it and glanced through. Jiang Ji’s brush calligraphy was truly hard to look at. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes, but after reading it, he said, “Very good. Everything that should be written is there.”

Jiang Ji scratched his cheek. “How about… you copy it for me?”

Lu Huaizhou shook his head. “No need. This is better. This way, it’s clear you wrote it yourself.”

“…I feel like you’re mocking me.” Jiang Ji waved it off. “Forget it. Everyone knows I came from a farming background. Writing like this isn’t strange.”

Lu Huaizhou comforted him, “It’s better than before.”

Jiang Ji shot him a look. “You’re just comforting me.”

“I’m telling the truth.” Lu Huaizhou looked at the memorial, puzzled. “Your brushwork wasn’t like this before. It feels like it changed.”

Jiang Ji blinked, then picked up a pen from the table. “Heh, because I have this!”

“Mm? What is that?”

Jiang Ji uncapped it and explained, “This is a fountain-style soft brush. It’s similar to a calligraphy brush. Try it.”

Lu Huaizhou examined it. “It’s somewhat like your gel pen.”

He tried writing with it the way one holds a pen, then the way one holds a brush. “It doesn’t look as nice as brush writing, but… no need to dip ink?”

“Right. It’s designed for people like me. Today’s memorial was written with this.” Jiang Ji added, “Want one? It’s convenient to carry when you’re out.”

“Alright.” It was indeed practical, so Lu Huaizhou accepted the pen Jiang Ji had redeemed for him.

“Oh, right.” Jiang Ji handed him a notebook. “I wrote out the steelmaking method. Here.”

Lu Huaizhou’s eyes lit up. He took it and quickly flipped through it. After reading, he immediately pulled Jiang Ji into an embrace and kissed him in excitement.

“I’ll have this copied immediately and sent to the Ministry of War for development.”

With this method, their weapons would become sharper and tougher, and their military strength would rise to another level.

Lu Huaizhou cupped Jiang Ji’s face and said, “Jiang Ji, you are the one who deserves to be remembered for generations.”

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

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