Ch 109: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Jiang Ji designed many cotton fabric patterns and taught Zhao Ru how to weave them.

Zhao Ru truly loved this sort of thing. She rarely went out, and she had little interest in the gatherings held by noblewomen. A group of ladies sitting together drinking tea and eating pastries, speaking in layered meanings, openly and secretly probing one another, comparing themselves to each other, and making passive-aggressive remarks.

She disliked it.

Unless it was necessary socializing, such as wedding banquets and other events that had to be attended, she would much rather stay home weaving cloth.

She brought along two maids and handled everything herself, from ginning the cotton to spinning thread, then dyeing and weaving the fabric. Her days were full and fulfilling.

Sometimes Madam Lu, the wife of Duke Qin, and Madam Han would come over as well. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The women would gather together to study fabrics and textiles, and Zhao Ru would take note of the preferences they mentioned about the capital’s tastes to see whether she could create suitable designs.

She also tried designing some patterns herself and brought them to Jiang Ji to look at.

After seeing them, Jiang Ji thought they were excellent and happily said, “Mother, these are beautiful. Back when you made underwear, I already thought you had a talent for design. These look amazing.”

“Really?” Zhao Ru was still uncertain.

Jiang Ji looked at the fabrics. Some suited young men, while others suited little girls and young boys. He immediately understood that his mother had designed them while thinking about the siblings.

Warmth filled his heart.

“They really are beautiful.”

Zhao Ru asked again, “Then which ones do you like? I’ll make clothes for you.”

“I like this one.” Jiang Ji pointed at one pattern, then pointed at another beside it. “Huaizhou would probably like this one. It suits him.”

“Alright, I’ll make them for both of you.” Zhao Ru happily gathered up the fabrics.

Jiang Ji had been writing a reply letter back home and asked, “Mother, do you still have samples of these? I’ll send them back to Uncle Meng and let him see whether there are suitable designs for production.”

Zhao Ru was surprised. “Something I made can actually be used for production?”

“Of course. They look really good.”

Zhao Ru was delighted but also doubtful. “Will they sell?”

“Definitely.” Jiang Ji smiled. “Mother, you need to have confidence in yourself. They truly look good.”

Zhao Ru’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. “Then alright, send these back home. I can just weave more.”

Knowing that the fabrics she designed could help the family earn money made Zhao Ru very happy and even more enthusiastic.

When they first came to the capital, one of Jiang Ji’s greatest worries had been whether Zhao Ru would adapt to life here. Now that Zhao Ru spent her days weaving and living a fulfilling life, he felt much more reassured. As long as his mother was happy and had things to do so she would not feel bored, that was enough.

So Jiang Ji sent the fabric samples Zhao Ru made back home together with the letter. Later, Meng Dahai really did select several patterns for production, and they sold very well.

The family restaurants did not require much management anymore. Jiang Ji only needed to teach Han Qingshan and the others two new dishes every so often.

The textile mills and farmlands were also managed by specialists, so Jiang Ji had more free time. But he had always wanted to open a silk weaving workshop.

In his previous world, one of the most famous brocades was Yunjin, priceless and world-renowned, practically a work of art. That was exactly what he wanted to create.

Thanks to the weaving techniques obtained from the system, Jiang Ji knew how Yunjin was woven. What he was currently drawing were the component diagrams for a large-pattern brocade loom.

Several months had been delayed because of the disaster regions. Now that other matters were finally handled, he resumed drawing.

This large-pattern loom was extremely complex and enormous. There were nearly two thousand individual parts alone. Drawing while having carpenters produce the components took a very long time.

After spending two months on it, he finally completed all the component diagrams. The carpenters finished building the pieces two days later.

He found a side hall in the Regent’s Residence, cleared out some furniture to make space, and had Lu Shun and the others help assemble the massive jacquard loom.

When Zhao Ru learned that her son was making a new loom, she became extremely interested and stayed nearby watching the whole time.

“Heavens, this is the biggest loom I’ve ever seen,” Zhao Ru exclaimed as she looked at the brand-new and complicated machine. “How is this even used?”

If even Zhao Ru did not know, then Lu Jiu and Lu Wen, who knew nothing about weaving, knew even less. Even Lu Shun, who had watched the textile mills open, did not understand it.

All of them looked at Jiang Ji with admiration in their hearts.

The young master could not only invent useful farming tools like threshers and pumps, but also weapons like crossbows, and now even such an incredibly complicated loom.

Their young master’s brain simply worked differently from everyone else’s.

Still, after staying beside Jiang Ji for so long, they all knew there was something extraordinary about him. He had secrets.

For example, the wheat seeds, sweet potatoes, and other seeds that mysteriously appeared in the mountain estate out of nowhere. Or those sticky insect boards and insect-catching nets during the locust disaster. They had never transported those things there, yet Jiang Ji somehow made them appear overnight in previously empty estates.

That was obviously abnormal. There had to be some earth-shattering secret behind it.

But they were all smart enough. The regent had spent far longer with Jiang Ji, so he surely knew about these matters already. Since neither Lu Huaizhou nor Jiang Ji spoke about it, they all pretended not to know.

As subordinates, one had to understand when to know things and when to be blind, deaf, and mute.

“I’ll teach you,” Jiang Ji said.

After wiping the loom clean, Jiang Ji washed his hands and picked up a sheet of design paper. “Let’s first try this pattern.”

Jiang Ji had initially sketched the general concept himself, then had Lu Wen redraw several versions before settling on the final design. The drawing was huge, covered in countless little grids. It served as their weaving pattern chart.

The design had a dark reddish-brown background with silver-gray motifs interwoven with other colors. The pattern was extremely intricate, yet looked elegant and noble, perfectly suited for a woman Zhao Ru’s age.

Zhao Ru looked at the pattern. “Something this complicated? We’re going to weave this?”

“Exactly. With this loom.” Jiang Ji nodded and pointed behind him. “It’s specifically made for weaving complex patterns.”

Zhao Ru looked at it but still could not imagine how it would work.

Yet she possessed a strong desire to learn. “Hurry and teach us.”

Jiang Ji first explained the principles behind it to Zhao Ru and the others. Then he took out various silk threads bought earlier and began threading the loom while explaining each step as he worked.

Zhao Ru had never encountered such an advanced jacquard loom before and was extremely excited. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. She helped her son as an assistant. Since she already knew weaving, she was much more useful than Lu Shun and the others.

Looking at the complex patterns on the design paper, Lu Jiu was deeply skeptical. “Can this really be woven? Every single row is different.”

Lu Shun glanced at his older brother. “Our current brocades also have patterns. They’re just not this complicated.”

Lu Jiu looked at the densely layered threads hanging everywhere and immediately got a headache. “Anyone capable of weaving this is terrifying.”

Lu Shun stopped bothering to explain further. His older brother was born a warrior through and through and had absolutely no patience for this kind of thing.

So Jiang Ji guided Zhao Ru step by step in threading the loom.

When Lu Huaizhou returned, he saw an intricate loom standing in the center of the room. Everyone was gathered there, even Jiang Xia, Jiang Nan, and Jiang Bei, all surrounding it and watching eagerly.

“Your Highness.”

“Brother Huaizhou, you’re back.”

Everyone greeted him. Lu Huaizhou nodded once and also stood to the side watching.

“It’s assembled? Why aren’t you lighting the lamps?”

It was already getting dark, yet they were squinting as they threaded the loom without lighting any lamps. Lu Huaizhou was puzzled and a little annoyed. “You’re going to ruin your eyes.”

Just as Lu Huaizhou was about to call someone to light the lamps, Lu Shun spoke beside him, “Your Highness, young master said we can’t light lamps. He said the silk threads are delicate and heat from the lamps makes them easier to snap. Look, even the windows are shut tight. Not a single draft can get in.”

Lu Huaizhou: “……”

He carefully studied the loom. He had seen the blueprints before, but now that it was assembled, it was much more intuitive. It truly was far more complicated than the looms in the Changping textile mill.

Jiang Ji glanced at him and said, “We’re testing the machine.”

Lu Huaizhou nodded and walked over to crouch beside it, observing the direction of the threads to understand how it worked.

Unfortunately, there would be no more viewing tonight. Zhongshu came over to inform them that dinner was ready.

After dinner, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei went to do their homework, while Jiang Ji and Lu Huaizhou strolled through the covered corridor to digest their meal.

It was already the twelfth lunar month now, and the capital had already seen two or three heavy snowfalls.

The snow here was far heavier than back home. Thick layers blanketed the ground, reaching Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei’s calves with a single step. The younger children were thrilled. As soon as classes ended, they ran outside for snowball fights, darting wildly through the snowfields, impossible to call back inside.

The night air was bitterly cold. Jiang Ji took Lu Huaizhou’s hand and tucked it into the pocket of his cotton coat. Their fingers intertwined inside, warming each other.

This cotton outfit had been specially made by Zhao Ru at Jiang Ji’s request. The top and trousers both had pockets. It was a hybrid ancient-modern padded outfit with pankou buttons.

How could cotton clothing not have pockets in weather this cold?

Jiang Ji thought that people in ancient northern winters always tucked their hands into their sleeves because they had no pockets. Otherwise, they would freeze.

So he had Zhao Ru make modern-style cotton outfits. Everyone in the family wore this style now. Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei loved them. They could stuff snacks into their pockets and eat while walking around, and the outfits were much easier to move in.

Seeing how convenient the coats were, Sister-in-law Guihua and the others all began making similar ones too.

“Where do you want to open the factory?” Lu Huaizhou asked while holding Jiang Ji’s hand.

The inside of Jiang Ji’s pocket was very warm, and the opening even had a little flap that dropped down when hands were removed, preventing cold air from getting in.

Jiang Ji’s hands never stayed still. He liked rubbing Lu Huaizhou’s hand with his thumb, or stroking Lu Huaizhou’s fingertips with his own.

It felt intimate and teasing. Lu Huaizhou always felt Jiang Ji was seducing him, yet he indulged him completely and even rubbed back in response.

“Of course the best place would be where there are lots of silkworms raised. Jiangnan would be ideal,” Jiang Ji answered. Then he sighed worriedly. “But I can’t stay in Jiangnan all the time. You’re all here in the capital. But if I open it here, then we’d have to transport silk or cocoons here, which raises the costs.”

Lu Huaizhou thought for a moment. “Do you want everything to remain entirely under our family, or are you willing to cooperate with others?”

“Hm?” Jiang Ji turned to him. “You know someone in this business?”

Lu Huaizhou replied, “Second Aunt’s younger brother’s wife’s family runs a silk business. They have a workshop and their own cloth shop.”

“Oh right, Second Aunt is from Jiangnan.” Jiang Ji did not interact much with Second Aunt personally. Zhao Ru usually received her and the others, so he knew little about her maternal family. “Her younger brother’s wife’s family are merchants?”

“Mm.”

“What are they like?”

Lu Huaizhou recalled the few times he had interacted with them. “They seem fairly honest and proper. Their silk weaving workshop appears to run well. Their family is based in Ningzhou. Beyond that, I don’t know much.”

Jiang Ji opened the system map to check. Ningzhou roughly corresponded to the most famous Yunjin-producing region in his previous world.

Could this be fate?

After some thought, Jiang Ji realized he truly did not have enough time or energy to personally manage factories. He preferred offering ideas and using his brain, then letting others handle management and operations while he simply collected dividends.

Right now, he possessed the technology and machinery, but nothing else. No workers, no factories, no management talent. Training workers from scratch would take an extremely long time.

But this family already ran silk workshops. They had experience, and their workers were experienced too. Learning would go much faster. They truly were excellent potential partners.

Besides, Jiang Ji no longer feared being cheated. He was now a Guogong, while Lu Huaizhou was the Regent Prince. They held immense power and status. No one would dare deceive them or swallow their money.

Unless they no longer valued their lives.

“If their character checks out and they’re trustworthy, we can cooperate. We only need to provide the weaving technology and machinery blueprints as technical shares. They’ll fully manage and operate the business.”

Lu Huaizhou nodded. “We’ll send people to investigate them first before deciding.”

“Good. Let’s do that.” Jiang Ji agreed completely. Naturally, one had to investigate partners before cooperating.

Lu Huaizhou immediately instructed Chenfeng to arrange the investigation.

The next day, Jiang Ji and Zhao Ru continued working on the complicated loom.

Once all the threads were arranged, Jiang Ji began teaching Zhao Ru how to weave.

This large-pattern loom required two people working together. One person sat atop the loom controlling the pattern-program weaving, while the other sat in front throwing the shuttle and weaving the weft. During weaving, they even used rhythmic chants to coordinate, weaving while reciting formulas together.

The process of weaving Yunjin was incredibly complex. Even with two people cooperating, they could only produce five or six centimeters in a day. Yet the finished brocade resembled heavenly clouds, dazzlingly colorful, luxurious, and exquisitely beautiful. Naturally, it was extremely valuable as well.

Zhao Ru learned very seriously, but because it was so complicated, after a full day she had only grasped the basics.

She handled the shuttle work at the front of the loom while Jiang Ji sat above, pulling the lifting threads and weaving the patterns.

At first, their coordination was awkward. Mistakes constantly occurred. Only after practicing for two or three days did they gradually become synchronized.

“There really can’t be a single mistake,” Zhao Ru remarked as she looked at the tangled failed pieces woven during the first two days.

Jiang Ji nodded. “This brocade requires extremely advanced skill. That’s why it’s sold at such a high price.”

Zhao Ru looked at the newly woven small section of brocade. The colors harmonized beautifully, the patterns were vivid, and the texture was smooth beneath the fingers. It radiated elegance and nobility.

Her fingertips brushed over the tiny strip of brocade, her eyes filled with delight.

“It’s so beautiful.”

Just seeing it made her incredibly happy. She could already imagine how stunning an entire bolt of this brocade would look once completed.

More importantly, such complicated patterns had truly been woven by her own hands. That sense of accomplishment was incomparable.

Seeing Zhao Ru’s expression, Jiang Ji could not help smiling too.

At the same time, however, he felt a slight regret.

According to his original plan, if the locust disaster had never happened, he and his mother would have spent four months weaving together, enough to make Zhao Ru a full outfit from the Yunjin.

Then his mother could wear those Yunjin clothes to the gatherings with the noblewomen and make them all die of envy.

Now, that wonderful moment would have to wait until after the new year.

Once spring arrived, he absolutely would make sure his mother wore clothes made from Yunjin!

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